Indian students gather to perform Garba Dance
The
4
Featured Club: MTU Rowing Team
Study Abroad: An overseas “football” experience
5
6
Michigan Tech Lode
October 13, 2011
MICHAEL FRIESEN Lode Writer Students have been walking around campus wearing strips of cloth on top of their normal clothes; perhaps you have noticed this and wondered why. The answer is a campus-wide game going on by the name of Humans Vs Zombies, often abbreviated HvZ. The game is considered a live-action game, arguably a live-action roleplaying game (LARP). It was developed in 2005 at Groucher College and has since spread to other universities. This is at least the third time that HvZ has been played at Michigan Tech, with a game being run last year open to campus as well as a smaller game within the computer science learning community (CSLC) in 2008. The rules of the game are for the humans to survive the infection while those turned into zombies have the task of catching human players. When a player signs up, they are issued a strip of cloth as well as
Serving the Michigan Tech Community Since 1921
an ID card with their unique player number. Most players start the game as humans. Each round starts with a few ‘alpha’ zombies, who for the first day appear as humans but can tag unsuspecting survivors. Once tagged, a player becomes a zombie after an incubation period of three hours and must then tag other players, at least one every other day, or ‘starve’ and is disqualified from the game. An orange strip of cloth on their arm indicates a human player; zombies wear the cloth around their heads unless they are stunned or in incubation, in which case they wear the band around their neck to indicate they are a zombie but not currently a threat. A zombie can tag a human player most anywhere outdoors; indoors is off limits so that students can go about classes and duties without disruption from the game. To defend themselves, humans are allowed to tag zombies with socks; a zombie that is hit with a thrown sock while in game area is ‘stunned’ for 15 minutes
and cannot tag any humans until that time is up. Socks must be clean and they can only be thrown, not used as melee weapons. Socks used as projectiles cannot contain anything else to add weight so as to prevent them from becoming potentially harmful, though socks may be balled or put together to make them more aerodynamic as long as the combination is not potentially dangerous. Socks are most aerodynamic, and easiest to throw farther and more accurately, when they are compacted. One way to do this is to take the opening of the sock and roll it over itself down to the tough, producing a doughnut shape. A pair of socks balled together is also effective, as is a pair of balled socks in an unballed sock as a self-contained sling, as long as you are careful not to hit anyone while winding it up. Launchers of any sort (besides your arm) are prohibited. For safety reasons, streets and parking lots are off-limits; players are not allowed to tag or stun each other while in a
road or parking lot, but they are not allowed to run into a road or a parking lot as a safe zone. As well, anyone on or riding a vehicle, including bikes and skateboards, is considered to not be playing and cannot be tagged, stunned, or tag or stun other players for safety reasons. Players are at no point allowed to use tactics that would violate the Geneva Conventions, nor are they allowed to actually consume the flesh of their fellow players as the game is tagged with a theme and not an actual zombie survival scenario. Use of actual necromancy or genetic engineering of viral zombification agents is also discouraged. The game does have moderators, who can be recognized by red armbands. Despite this, the game still depends on the honor system and for the players to do the right thing and keep the game fun for each other, as they can’t be everywhere at once. When a zombie scores a kill, they text the player number of their victim to the moderator at 920-328-5HVZ
(489). Most of the rules can be summarized as simply being considerate, reasonable and courteous to fellow players. If a player breaks the rules, then other players can report them to the moderator, who can ban players based on unsafe actions or breaking rules. To keep the game sporting, zombies are also forbidden from Door Busting, which is when they follow a human player as they are exiting a building or rush out of a safe zone to tag a human. Recruitment was open at the Wadsworth Hall lobby after 6 p.m. during the first two weeks, but the moderators are not currently recruiting in that fashion. Interested players can still join by calling or emailing Ryan George at (920)-264-4506 and rtgeorge@mtu.edu, Benjamin Lousing at bclausen@mtu.edu or Izaak Lauer at iglauer@mtu. edu. Players that are still human are advised to carry with them a large supply of sock ammunition and be ever vigilant when walking outdoors. The resistance will live on.
Homecoming 2011 a success KRYSTEN COOPER Lode Writer The homecoming festivities have continued this week as students lined up to participate in many different activities. Homecoming games were held on Walker lawn this year and featured a Pasty Toss, Tram Race, and Tug of War. The Tram Race/Penny Toss was won by Sigma Tau Gamma for class A, The Womens Soccer Club with the best overall time in class B and by Citadel in class C with six bonus points. The Pasty Toss was won by Sigma Tau Gamma in class A, ADA/Fuzzies, Alpha Sigma Tau, Delta Phi Epsilon, Phi Delta Chi and Theta Chi Epsilon in class B with a five way tie and WIE and Summit tied for first place in class C. Finally, in Tug of War Kappa Delta Psi won for class A, Alpha Sigma Tau for class B and Raptor Hall for class C. Raptor’s made their hall proud as when they pulled on the rope for their final match, the opposing team was literally lifted off the ground and appeared to be temporarily flying through the air as the center of the rope was pulled across the line. The homecoming parade was a big hit as well. Students, their families and people living in the
local area lined the streets from downtown Houghton all the way to chutes and ladders to watch the homecoming parade. Our very own ROTC cadets, holding our nations flag proudly, led the parade. They were followed by the pep band who played rousing choruses for the entirety of the event. In addition, many different student groups walked the parade route or made floats featuring their cardboard boats for the parade. Finally, homecoming court candidates were driven down the parade route to be presented at the pep rally afterwards. The pep band kicked off the pep rally and the Michigan Tech football team was hosting the event. Additionally, the Dance Team and Cheer Team put on perfect performances to support their school. Homecoming court candidates were also presented and cheers could be heard around the park as they once again named who supported them. Many students came to observe, and they all had different reasons why. Noah Rau, a second year mechanical engineering major, went to the parade so he could see the boat races, as well as the “regular pep band shenanigans.” In addition, he said that homecoming in general “allows
students to blow off steam and have a break before heading back into the homecoming to Thanksgiving grind.” Cardboard Boat Races were fun as well. The boats came in every sort of shape and color, and a large mixture of students and family members lined the sidewalks to observe. The winners of the boat races are, Bastille in class A with a time of 50 seconds, Phi Delta Chi in class B and CSLC and Daddy’s Girls are the winners of class C. After the races the Program Assistant of the CSLC said that they came to the race just hoping their boat wouldn’t sink. Winning for their class was completely unexpected and exciting for everyone involved. On Saturday night, homecoming events came to a close with the Michigan Tech hockey team bringing us a 3-1 win. The seats at the rink were nearly filled and the fans were full of energy. Mitch’s Misfits had multiple students paint their chests, spelling out go huskies along the glass. In addition, many different Michigan Tech sports hall of famers were announced and brought out onto the ice. However, the most memorable event of the night was when Eric Johnson and Alli-
son Gleiss, the 2011 homecoming King and Queen, faced each other in a game out on the ice. Allison
won the game while the crowd cheered for both Allison and Eric and their sportsmanship.
Get fired up: Eric Johnson rallies the crowd for support as he faces off against Allison Gleiss. Photo courtesy of John Sherrill
Check out our extensive online presence! mtulode.com Subscribe to our RSS feed and check out our mobile-friendly website 24/7, with frequent updates and additional content.
facebook.com/mtulode Text “like mtulode” to “32665” to follow us on Facebook. Regular prizes offered to our Facebook fans (over $500 worth in 2011 already!).
twitter.com/mtulode Text “follow mtulode” to “40404” to follow us on Twitter. Receive an instant update for every new article posted to mtulode.com.