01/28/2016

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International Women’s Ski Day Success

Janurary 28, 2016

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Islamic State Update

“Major” Discrimination

The Mighty Morphin Flower Arrangers play Thermopylae last weekend.

Photo by Devin Miller

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Thursday, January 28

NEWS

Michigan Tech Lode

Islamic State update

Demonstrators chant pro-Islamic State group slogans as they carry the group’s flags in front of the provincial government headquarters in Mosul, Iraq, June 16, 2014.

Photos courtesy of The Associated Press

Jon Jaehnig News Writer The Islamic State group, also known “The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant,” or “The Islamic State” (IS) has been in the news for the last three years, and in that time has become a major concern to most countries of the world. Rising out of political instability and taking control of small tracts of Iraq and Syria after a corrupt government was improperly and hastily replaced, IS has been planning terror attacks in the Middle East, Western Asia, and Europe, as well as trying to establish a new country that governs itself based on a radical Sunni interpretation of Islam. The role that religion plays in Middle Eastern politics makes issues even more difficult. This is especially true in the case of countries like Saudi Arabia, who are political allies with the United States, but have religious views that have historically coincided with those of IS. Responses to IS from around the world have been very different, as some countries, notably those in Europe and North America try to combat IS without causing further instability in the area. Countries closer to IS are facing the difficulty of fighting a group that operates outside of regular military parameters and keeps neighboring

countries on the defensive through frequent orchestrated attacks on civilian populations.

While many countries are interested in opposing IS, a formally unified international

“... we need to do something to provide stability to society.”

- Mark Rouleau response is difficult due to groups like the United Nations requiring support from countries that have no vested interest in the Middle East and do not see IS as a threat.

Most collaborative efforts between nations are the result of different countries pursuing similar interests resulting in unexpected teams like the United States and Russia. In recent months the United States has been increasing its use of drones against IS, and has also been providing intelligence to France in order to increase the French response to IS. Cooperation between the United States, France and Russia has increased since the

terrorist attacks in November of last year, which included shootings in Paris and a Russian passenger-plane shot down over Egypt.

While IS activity has increased the level of international cooperation, it has also caused many to question whether the response to IS is effective or appropriate. This includes not only the public, but also some analysts such as Alastair Crooke who said in a Huffington Post article that “there is really almost nothing the West can do but sit and watch”.

Assistant Professor Mark Rouleau of the Social Sciences Department recommends a more active role, “We can’t just say let’s sit on our hands and talk things over with IS… in the short run we need to do something to provide stability to society”, said Rouleau.

“Hopefully we do it in a way that the global community, for the most part, can agree with; not just doing things that are beneficial to a part of the world and create conflicts and new enemies”.

While many of the conflicts currently being acted out by groups like IS are the result of deep rooted religious conflict, they are also often the result of outside forces such as colonialism and the restructuring of government by outside agencies. Controlling aggressive groups like IS without further destabilizing the Middle East has proven a continuing issue, largely because of extra

agendas arranged by European and North American countries. The end of colonialism hasn’t stopped this issue.

While coordinated efforts like that between the United States and Russia or France are typically the most effective against IS, there is still room for criticism. “The current

“It would be more beneficial to focus on the motivation for committing an act of terrorism.”

- Mark Rouleau

approach of bringing countries together that have an interest in providing a military solution, even if it is perhaps sub-optimal, is the best of the worst situation” explained Rouleau, who stresses the importance of handling the situation while not repeating history’s mistakes. “If you want to see if this approach is successful you can look at what these forces are able to achieve in the next Continued on page 6

Michigan Tech Lode

NEWS

Regulating guns

President Obama talks about the steps his administration will take to reduce gun violence, Jan. 5, 2016. Photo Courtesy of Assoicated Press

Samantha Stein News Writer Gun regulation and control is something that is quite controversial.

There are people who want to increase gun control and others who want to decrease gun control. The Second Amendment of the United States Constitution states, “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

There is no legal dispute over the fact that we have the right to own a gun in our home for defense reasons. This is upheld in a 5-4 vote in the Supreme Court cases of the District of Columbia v. Heller and McDonald v. Chicago. The District of Columbia, assuming Heller is not otherwise disqualified from exercising Second Amendment rights, must permit Heller to register his handgun and issue him a license to carry it in the home. One thing that the Second Amendment does not state is the limitations on firearms.

Susanna Peters of the Department of

Social Sciences explained that although the Heller and McDonald cases made it clear that the Second Amendment will allow individuals to bear arms, there

What limits should exist on who can posses firearms?

have been no new Supreme Court rulings explaining what, if any, regulations are allowed. Rather, the court has left it up to the states to decide questions such as: What limits should exist on who can possess the firearms? What exactly are classified as a firearm that citizens can own? What kind of ammunition can civilian possess?

A recent case, Friedman v. City of Highland Park, is a good example of unexplored controversy. This case deals with an ordinance that was enacted

Thursday, January 28 3

in 2013 in Highland Park, Ill. The Act defines a handgun to not include certain types of firearms. Friedman, along with the NRA, accused the City of Highland Park of violating constitutional rights by banning semi-automatic guns, as well as ammunitions magazines of more than 10 rounds. Cities such as Highland Park have placed bans on semiautomatic firearms, and these bans were upheld after the Supreme Court chose not to hear Friedman v. City of Highland Park.

Another question worth considering is who should be allowed to possess a firearm? Should those who pose a threat to safety, either their own or others, be allowed to own and use a firearm?

In the case of the District of Columbia v. Heller, there was no issue with the mental capacity of Heller. In the case of Friedman v. City of Highland Park, they pointed to the qualifications of the Firearm Concealed Carry Act to limit who can possess a firearm. Those who pose a threat to safety, or have been convicted of a criminal act, cannot legally possess a firearm. However, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, South Dakota and Wyoming allow felons to possess a firearm if the felon has received a pardon or the set amount of time for that state has passed since the felon has been discharged or completed their sentence. In 1968, federal standards were placed for gun regulation. Most states will not issue a gun to someone who is adjudicated mentally ill or has been hospitalized for mental illness. There are no restrictions on the mentally ill who haven’t been hospitalized or adjudicated.

However, many states still do not have adequate restrictions on the mentally ill possessing a gun.

Many complications have arisen from the different regulations that different states employ. For example, what’s legal to carry in Texas may not be legal in Michigan. As more cases come up, perhaps there will be a Supreme Court ruling on gun regulation. For now, however, states are responsible for regulation. It is unlikely that we will see any laws passed through Congress about gun regulation due to the lack of agreement on the topic. Furthermore, the Second Amendment protects our right to have guns for defense purposes, however it still is unclear what the U.S. Supreme Court will say about states trying to regulate what kind of guns we should be able to possess and if there can be some qualifications as to who should be allowed to possess them.

World Report Daniel Stockard News Writer

Concern Arises over Virus The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), part of the World Health Organization, released a statement warning that the Zika virus is likely to spread to every country in the Americas.

The virus causes mild symptoms in adults, but infection during pregnancy has been linked to increased risk of microcephaly in infants. Microcephaly is a condition in which infants are born with underdeveloped brains. Though it was first detected in Africa in 1947, it was detected in May of 2015 in Brazil. Since October, doctors have recorded over 4000 cases in the country. PAHO warned pregnant women to consult a doctor after visiting areas affected by the virus. The Zika virus is raising concerns ahead of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, which are taking place this summer. In response, the Brazilian authorities are planning an aggressive mosquito purge before and during the games.

Haitian Elections in Turmoil The poorest country in the Western Hemisphere is experiencing political turmoil once again. Haiti was supposed to hold its presidential election on Sunday, but the head of the Haitian electoral council delayed it for a third time, citing “security reasons”. Citizens, contending that outgoing president Michel Martelly will rig the election, have been demonstrating. There is evidence that the demonstrations are turning violent, with reports of gunfire in the capital of Portau-Prince. The election was supposed to be a final runoff between Jovenel Moise, who represents the current party in power, and Jude Celestin, from an opposition party. However, prior to the cancellation of the election Celestin issued a statement that declared that anyone who would participate in it “a traitor to the Nation”.

The constitutional deadline for the current president to step down is February 7th, and it’s unclear whether or not it will be met.

Sad News from Antarctica Former British army officer and explorer Henry Worsley died on Monday, 71 days into an attempt to cross the frigid continent of Antarctica. He covered over 913 miles during his trip, and was just 30 miles short of being the first human to accomplish the feat. A fierce storm forced him to call for help, but he succumbed to severe exhaustion and dehydration at a hospital in Punta Arenas, Chile several hours later.

One thing is for sure though; he made it farther than anyone else.

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Thursday, January 28

NEWS

Survival of the fittest

Michigan Tech Lode

Election Report Aaron Kostrzewa News Writer

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry meets with refugees fleeing Syria, at Villa Borsig, on Sunday, Sep. 20, 2015, in Berlin.

Photo Courtesy of Assoicated Press

Sumit Pant News Writer Out of the 4.5 million people who fled Syria, 2647 have been taken in by the U.S. government. The United States has already planned to admit 10,000 Syrian refugees, as referred by the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, under a complex scrutinizing process which can take 18 to 24 months before they are granted political asylum. Though the government plans to increase the total number of refugees admitted by more than 15,000 by 2017, things are not as delightful for Syrians as they appear.

The Syrian crisis left around 250,000 people dead and millions displaced. The situation has been a zero-sum choice for all the Syrians, where they had to give up all their belongings in exchange for life. Furthermore, the process becomes more difficult while entering the U.S., as the refugees are screened by the National Counterterrorism Center, the FBI, the Defense Department, the State Department and United States Customs and Border Protection. Finally, they need to go through the Enhanced Syrian Review, which asses their case and denies entry to the people associated with the various rebel groups operating in Syria.

The federal government, along with

Refugee Council USA (RCUSA), a coalition of nine NGOs, have been helping the Syrians to settle down in towns where the cost of living is relatively low and helping them bridge the language

There are many who are still struggling to live in the land of freedom, opportunity, and equality.

and cultural barriers. Despite all these measures, however, things are going from bad to worse once they are on their own.

Syrians who have been settled in the U.S. are now facing new challenges to get their life back on track. Syria, with a Consumer Price Index (CPI) of 38.24 is one of the cheapest countries in the world, while the United States with a CPI of around 238.11, is relatively expensive to live in. The language barrier restricts them to petty jobs that are insufficient for them to feed their family. In Syria, less than 10 percent of women work

outside their home, which makes it more awkward for the females of newly settled families to earn an income. To support their families, the kids also work long shifts after school leaving them with no time to study and little or no knowledge of the prevalent language of the land.

The average cost of tuition and fees for the 2015-16 school year was $32,405 at private colleges, $9,410 for state residents at public universities, and $23,893 for out-of state residents attending public universities. With no money or credit history, the kids have to give up their dreams because of the expensive college education. Even more frustrating is that the refugees face a strong feeling of compunction mixing with the locals, as a result of being compared to rabid dogs by Ben Carson and Donald Trump’s plans to ban them from entering the country.

Last week Refaai Hamo, a scientist from Syria, was invited to the White house after his story of suffering from stomach cancer was published on the Facebook page: “Humans of New York.” Hamo, who lost his wife and a daughter when a missile hit his home, received responses from all over the world and people came forward to promote his cause. While Hamo did receive the deserved attention, there are many who are still struggling to live in the land of freedom, opportunity and equality.

With the presidential election primaries coming in a few short weeks, the race to become the President of the United States is heating up.

Democratic Race Update With only three candidates in the Democratic party race, Hillary Clinton carries a strong lead of 51.2 percent voter support following the early January polls

by Real Clear Politics. Senator Bernie Sanders is putting up a strong fight though, especially after his resounding win in the last Democratic debate held in South Carolina.

He commands 38 percent support while Martin O’Malley is getting by with a meager two percent support.

While Clinton is in the lead, she has had to deal with many negative comments towards her campaign. For example, Reason.com stated “[Hillary’s] email scandal only keeps getting worse” and Politico.com reminded readers that “She has reversed her positions on gay marriage, immigration, and gun control….” However, all of the negative flack she’s received might fall in the with the old adage that there is no such thing as bad publicity, since she appears to be doing quite well. Her strong stances on LGBT rights, women’s rights, and climate change seems to offer the best option for Democratic voters over Bernie Sanders’s more socialist views on similar issues. Conversely, Sanders has had minimal attacks on his past and has been consistent on his views that everyone should be afforded the opportunity to get ahead.

Republican Race Update On the other end of the political spectrum, the Republicans still have twelve presidential hopefuls in the race. Donald Trump is still in the lead and doing fairly well. According to Real Clear Politics, Trump is at 34.6 percent support, followed by Cruz with 18.8 percent and Rubio with 11.2 percent. The remaining nine candidates have low single digit poll numbers.

Ben Carson was once stirring up the political scene with his calm demeanor, bold statements and prominent Judeo-Christian based political ideology. But that fervor has now withered away, perhaps since he hasn’t done much to draw attention as of late. Conversely, Trump is likely going to continue to dominate the headlines. His most recent attention-grabbing statement, “I could stand in the middle of fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose voters,” is quite bold considering all the recent stir about gun control. Lastly, Ted Cruz’s campaign has been under fire with accusations that he shouldn’t be able to run because he wasn’t born in the United States and shouldn’t be considered a naturalized citizen.

NEWS

Michigan Tech Lode

Thursday, January 28 5

Student Org Spotlight: DECA second or third in their event to get an opportunity to go to nationals in Washington, D.C. The members of the Tech team typically do pretty well, as it is fairly common to have the vast majority of the members qualify for nationals.

In order to receive the funding to

DECA wants to leave its members experienced leaders.

Michigan Tech student Haley Florinki with Dean Klippel and DECA Advisor Becky Lafrancois after she finished first at Internationals in 2013.

Photo Courtesy of Michigan Tech

Evan Mayer News Writer

On campus there are generally two categories that student organizations fall into. There are organizations for recreation activities and there are those that allow students to apply skills learned in the classroom. Collegiate DECA is one of the organizations that let students, specifically business-oriented majors, have an opportunity to fine-tune their skills before entering the workforce.

Collegiate DECA is a student driven organization that values competence, innovation, integrity and teamwork. The

main event that the members prepare for every year is the State Leadership Conference that takes place in Wisconsin.

This year the event will be taking place in just a few short weeks right before Spring Break.

Each year the members choose to participate in one of 24 different events.

This year, the members have chosen to do Accounting. Preparing for the Accounting exam and the DECA event are mainly what the club focuses on.

They currently meet bi-weekly and it is highly recommended that all members show up if they want to be ultimately successful.

After all the studying is done, the fun starts right away at the Conference

Michigan Tech Lode

Editor in Chief .........Kendall Belopavlovich Business Manager......................James Wood Distribution Manager...........Madison Paris Design Editor..........................Dan Schudlich News Editor...............................Peter Nouhan Opinion Editor.....................Shan Amarnani Pulse Editor..................................Aric Rhodes Sports Editor ...............................Rand Silvers Chief Creative Officer.......Kassia Prystalski Advisor ........................................Mark Wilcox Financial Advisor...............Maryann Wilcox

as participants take an exam the first night, which is March 4. The following morning, the actual accounting events then begin. In an accounting event, a participant has to analyze a real-world accounting situation, interpret data and develop solutions to their situation. The participant has 30 minutes to do this portion of the event. The participant then has to finish by taking the information and role-playing with a judge, who is a professional with experience in accounting, for a 15-minute segment.

Every year, there are about 25 other teams at the conference ,and like Michigan Tech’s team they all average about 10- 15 members. Each person that competes is trying to finish first,

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go to the state conference and possibly nationals, the organization has to do a lot of fundraising. The organization fundraises primarily through bagging groceries in the area and collecting receipts. They also receive some money from the Alumni Association.

DECA welcomes all majors, but obviously it is most beneficial to those with a business background. The dues are $30 annually and some fundraising is also expected. “Even though the main focus is preparing for the conference,” DECA President Cassandra Barry said, “it is pretty laid-back and a great opportunity to make a lot of new friends with similar interests and a chance to network with future business partners.”

In the end, whether going to the conference and qualifying for nationals or just developing skills is the ultimate goal from joining DECA, the organization also wants to leave its members academically prepared, community oriented, professionally responsible and experienced leaders.

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Thursday, January 28

NEWS

Michigan Tech Lode

State Detroit schools in crisis “Islamic Update” Shveta Dhamankar News Writer The city that was once one of the wealthiest in America filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy on July 18, 2013. Detroit, the Motor City that once was the home of 2 million prosperous residents is now reduced to a meager population of 714,000, and 29 percent of this population is unemployed. Many people have left the city for the suburbs.

A few of the dilapidated buildings are occasionally dotted with school children and educators. On Jan. 20, 2016, 85 schools were shut. The smell of mold and mildew in class, rat droppings along hallways and buckled floors set off a mass teacher ‘sickout.’ The teachers were demonstrating the wanton neglect of debt management and the way in which the whole education system was, potentially, on the verge of collapse.

The Detroit school district filed a lawsuit against the protesters who were responsible for keeping thousands of students at home.

The Michigan Court of Claims, however, denied Detroit Public Schools’ request for a temporary restraining order aimed at blocking teachers from calling sick-outs. This,

in itself, speaks volumes of the dire situation Detroit is in. The publicly elected school board was overhauled in 2009. Michigan’s governor at the time, Jennifer Granholm, appointed the former city manager, Robert Bobb to take hold of the financial reins of Detroit and handle, efficiently and smartly, the 400 million dollar budget deficit.

The Republican governor, Rick Snyder, is unnaturally optimistic...

Robert Bobb’s heroics in Washington ,D.C., where he single handedly turned around the financial situation, granted him an aura of hope in the people’s mind. He claimed in public that Detroit was on “Life Support” and that he would do everything in his ability to bring about long lasting reform in the Motor City.

Unfortunately, Bobb could not deliver and

the deficit was approximately $100 million higher a year after he was appointed. Needless to say, the situation has not improved and the net fiscal deficit has exploded to $1.6 billion.

Moreover, the emergency management has changed hands four times since its inception six years back. A city that was once one of the fourth largest in the country is now the epicenter of extreme poverty. The public schools in Detroit are bearing the brunt of this economic meltdown.

Governor Rick Snyder is unnaturally optimistic about the fungus infested classrooms, buckled gym floors and an overall lack of cleanliness and ‘function’ in the current lot of dilapidated buildings, which if observed well enough, serve as schools. The mayor did acknowledge that “Detroit schools are in a crisis” and that immediate action is required. He also wants the current $1100 per student - that is currently being spent on service debt – to be allocated to classrooms and teachers. Snyder has one primary goal in his mind, he wants to work with the legislature to better Detroit Public schools.

Detroit – a landscape of urban decay – is in desperate need of revival in every possible sector.

Continued from page 2

one to two years in terms of disrupting IS capabilities, but also twenty years down the road at what affects this has on relations in the Middle East.”

Despite a history of unrest in the Middle East involving a lengthy string of organizations with goals similar to those of IS, the level of unrest caused by organizations like IS is relatively new due to the rapid technological advances and the increased availability of weaponry to non-government groups. Despite the fact that conflict in the Middle East is not new and dangerous technology is not about to go away, Rouleau does have encouraging words on the matter.

“It might backfire more for us to pretend as if we can somehow eliminate the ability of committing an act of terrorism. It would be much more beneficial for us to focus on the motivation for committing an act of terrorism”. If response to IS is inefficient, it is likely because response to IS is not, and should not be a simple decision.

More information regarding IS can be found on http://www.mapsofworld.com/ islamic-state/daily-updates.html.

Don’t drink it Amanda Charboneau News Writer We may not be California, but Michigan is suffering from a water crisis.

Why? In short: budget cuts. In April 2014 Michigan officials decided to cut costs on routing water to Flint by switching sources from Detroit to the Flint River.

Immediately the residents noticed that something wasn’t right. The water was reported to smell foul and had a murky appearance. Despite protests the Flint government issued a report claiming that the water was safe to drink even though it wasn’t.

So what went wrong? The source seemed fine to draw from, but the problem was in the plumbing. The pipes that were now being used to transport water to over 100,000 Flint residents were composed of lead. When the polluted Flint River water rushed through, the pipes degraded and released lead into the water supply. Lead is toxic when inhaled or ingested.

Residents reported skin rashes, hair falling out and some rushed their children into the ER concerned that they had lead poisoning. The common denominator was they had all drank

the water deemed safe by their officials.

It is unknown just how badly this lead poisoning will affect the residents in the long run, but already there is public outcry for a whole generation of children who have been exposed.

Since April 14 of this year, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder has allowed Flint to use contaminated water. He even received reports of the poor quality; however he chose to do nothing official.

In emails released from his office he claims the reason for lack of action was because the Flint water concern was “getting blown off ” by higher ups.

Almost two whole years later he declared a state of emergency, followed shortly by President Obama who earlier this month deployed troops to hand out clean water and filters to the people of Flint.

What can you do? You can donate to help the residents of Flint at www. helpforflint.com by donating through their official charities. You can also fufil your civic duty by contacting your city or state government to make sure a disaster like this never happens again. As a campus full of engineers, it’s up to us to make sure that we don’t try to cut costs in the short run that could hurt others in the long run.

Michigan Tech Lode

PULSE

Thursday, January 28

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• Pictured is Charles Schulz, best known as the artist of the beloved Peanuts Comic Series. Peanuts stands today as one of the longest running and most successful comic strips in American history with a nearly fifty year active run. It is also one of the few comic strips that can boast about being a household name that is nearly synonymous with the medium. While Peanuts is by far his most popular work, it is by no means the only work of this prolific artist.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

The Peanut Movie Review Amy Joy Patterson Lode Writer Charlie Brown is a name known around the world. Charlie Brown has made original appearances in newspapers nearly 18,000 times, and his merchandise can be found in just about any retail chain store. So, who is this Charlie Brown? A movie star?

A scientist? A politician? It may shock someone unfamiliar with Charlie Brown to find out that he is not famous for his success. Rather, Charlie Brown is an animated character originating in the late 1940s known for his lovable failures.

Today, about 65 years since his first appearance, Charlie Brown stars in his own feature length, computer animated film -- The Peanuts Movie. The Peanuts Movie debuted in theaters on November 6, 2015, and was shown by the MTU Film Board this past weekend.

The Peanuts Movie focuses on Charlie Brown’s pursuit of the affections of the Little Red-Headed Girl, whose name is not revealed throughout the course of the film. After the Little Red-Headed Girl moves in across the street from Charlie Brown, he decides he must

come up with the courage to talk to her directly. However, being the shy boy he is, he cannot manage it, although he still sees her at school.

Following a consultation with his friend Lucy, a little girl who charges a nickel for “psychiatric help,” Charlie Brown realizes that in order to get the Little Red-Headed Girl’s attention, he must become a more confident, successful person.

Consequently, Charlie decides to enroll in his school’s talent show. Unfortunately, just before Charlie’s act, the show is derailed by his sister’s disastrous performance.

Even though Charlie knew that helping his sister meant he would not be able to perform his own act, which he had worked tirelessly to perfect, he chose to come to her aid, embarrassing himself in the process.

After that backfire, Charlie searches for something else to use to impress the Little Red-Headed Girl. One night, he sees her dancing through the window, so he elects to learn a few moves of his own.

Regrettably, this too backfires, as Charlie slips on some spilled punch during his school dance and causes a pipe to break.

Humiliated, Charlie prepares to give up, but then finds out that he received

a perfect score on his standardized test, a feat unheard of among his classmates.

Charlie is showered in recognition that he has never experienced before.

His classmates call him a genius, and suddenly cease to tease or mock him. Yet again, Charlie’s success is short-lived. He soon discovers that his test was switched with another character’s test, and in reality, his score was not exceptional.

Immediately thereafter, the adoration of his classmates disappears.

In one final grand gesture, after finding out the Little Redheaded Girl is his book report partner, Charlie writes a literary review on Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace. His intention was to turn the paper in for both of them, allowing the Little Redheaded Girl to visit her sick grandmother without any concerns of school. Before Charlie can turn it in, it gets shredded in an accident involving a toy airplane.

Although Charlie expects that the Little Redheaded Girl would want nothing to do with him after all of his faux pas, ultimately, it was not his success or failure, but the strength of his character that earned him the reciprocation he desired. Charlie Brown is a nice guy, but he definitely did not finish last.

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Ride Along 2 premiers and takes its spot at number one for the weekly box office.

The Revenant comes in just behind at number two on its fourth week.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens remains a juggernaut at third place, though the Worldwide Gross Record looks unlikely with lukewarm response in China.

Justin Bieber’s Sorry defends its number one spot in its 13th week on the chart.

Following closely is Love Yourself, also by Justin Bieber, it takes Hello’s place as second.

Now coming in third, Adele’s Hello seems to be slipping in its 13th week on the chart.

The New York Times Science Best Seller list is topped this week by Randall Munroe’s “Thing Explainer”.

Right after is “What if?”, also by Randall Munroe. Both come highly recommended.

After these is David McCullough’s “The Wright Brothers,” A great read for anyone interested in early flight.

In the category of Paperback Trade Fiction, the Revenant makes another appearance, buoyed by the success of the film.

The silver medal also goes to a book being helped by its film, The Martian. For a full review of the film, please see page 8.

Finally, the Alchemist by Paul Coelho rounds out the category’s top three without a movie.

Video Games have been largely unaffected by the latest week of releases, with the lead still being held by Call of Duty: Black Ops 3.

Still holding the spot just behind is another shooter, Star Wars Battlefront (2015).

Rounding out the top three is Fallout 4, still rolling on the momentum of its massive launch.

HOW do you think we did?

WHAT did we miss?

ANYTHING you think we need to cover?

Know that you could do it better?

E-mail: amrhodes@mtu.edu

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Thursday, January 28

PULSE

Michigan Tech Lode

Investigating the Winter Dump Months Aric Rhodes Pulse Editor

Have you ever looked to the box office for entertainment and only been disappointed by the offerings? A time seems to roll around every year where, for a couple months at a time, there is little to nothing good to be found in theatres. At best, you may be able to find a cult classic in the making or a diamond in the rough, but there will be a few horror movies for sure. This doldrum during the months of January and February isn’t just in your head, indeed, it is a well known and observed phenomenon in Hollywood, and they’re called the Dump Months.

There are a myriad of factors which combine into a perfect storm to create these Dump Months, from the winter weather to the awards schedule. While it is less of a problem in recent years than in the long past, inclement weather can still have a massive effect on turnout to a film given the right conditions. There have been many studies on the changes in ticket sales when a winter storm hits compared to the relatively

clear weather of the summer months, and these have conclusively demonstrated that the snow and poor travel conditions of the winter can provide a real obstacle to a movie’s success.

“The films no studios believe in or care about ... suddenly become the sole choice available to regular filmgoers hungry for fresh fare.”

- Johnathan Bernstein

In addition, the big awards of the film industry use qualifications based on an entire year at a time. This makes releasing films early in the year poor timing, as they are likely to be forgotten when the time comes, and can’t use the award nomination in their advertising as a late year release

could. There is little incentive to turn away the free clout that adding these award nominations provides.

Another reason for the Dump Months is their position on the coattails of the holiday season. The young adult market, by far the most profitable, is largely tapped out and in economic recovery, with spending lowered significantly. The only mainstream demographic which is not tapped out is the older adults, a much less valuable primary market which is still responsible for many of the season’s rare successes.

The final nail in the coffin for many Dump Month films is that the two weekend holidays during the period, Martin Luther King Day and Presidents’ Day, offer only mild at best improvements compared to most other holidays. Presidents’ Day, admittedly, does benefit mildly from the Valentine’s Day releases which are often made around it. In between these two nails, though, is the metaphorical hammer. The Super Bowl weekend often brings with it practically no media attention on theatrical releases and vastly lower revenue than is normal even for the Dump Months in

general.

Of course, this is not to say that January and February are entirely without good movies. Occasionally, a film is released during the dump months which is of exceptional quality. These tend to reap the rewards of an otherwise unharvested box office, even if they are snubbed critically.

Generally, horror films or other genre specific fare, can make the Dump Months into an interesting gamble, if given the chance.

While there are many factors which work to create the phenomenon of the Dump Months, in the end the greatest cause for the disappointing movie scene over those months is the film industry. In writing off the months as a poor market for poor movies, they have guaranteed it to be true. The only way that this will change is if the film industry is convinced that there is a mainstream market to be had during these winter months. Perhaps someday this could lead to something watchable all year round. Until then, no one can be blamed for avoiding the theatres, if only for a little while.

The Martian Review Sumit Bongir Lode Writer The Martian is a 2015 science fiction movie starring Matt Damon as Mark Watney, and is based on the novel “The Martian” by Andy Weir. The movie was directed by Ridley Scott, the same guy who directed Alien (1979) and Prometheus (2012); while Drew Goddard was responsible for the thrilling screenplay of the movie. The movie stars Jessica Chastain as the commander of the space crew, who incidentally also starred in Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar as Murph. The movie also stars several others like Kristen Wiig, Jeff Daniels, Michael Peña, Sean Bean, Kate Mara, Sebastian Stan, Aksel Hennie, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Benedict Wong in equally prominent roles.

The movie is set on the premise that a NASA crew in a mission on Mars hit a storm in which Watney gets struck by a satellite dish and is blown away. The rest of the crew assumes him to be dead considering the atmospheric conditions and his damaged space suit. The crew escapes safely into space to continue their journey back to Earth, while Watney wakes up to realize his predicament. Soon after operating himself to remove a piece of antenna from his stomach, he calculates

that he has food and water to last him only a few days meaning that he would most certainly die alone on the planet. However, his botanist skills transcend the despair and he starts growing food and harvesting water on the red planet. His actions are noticed by NASA and they articulate a rescue mission.

Just when things have started working for Watney, an accident blows of his safety pod along with all the plants and water he had cultivated; while on planet Earth, the rescue rocket blows up moments after liftoff. What follows is a captivating and intense chain of events to bring Watney back home. The movie provides a gripping experience to the audience using suspense, science and smart one-liners.

Tabitha O’Dell, a Second Year Forestry student, describes her experience from the movie, “I really enjoyed that movie. It was a great story about perseverance and the mental and physical struggles of surviving on an empty planet. I am a forestry major, so I also enjoyed the botany side of the movie.

I think anyone with an interest in science or sci-fi would really enjoy The Martian!”

You don’t have to be a Physics major to enjoy this movie, and if you do decide to taste this exhilarating ride, then look no further, the Film Board is screening this movie for the weekend. Have a great Martian weekend!

Photo courtesy of Film Board of Michigan Tech

Michigan Tech Lode

PULSE

Hypnotic hooks and Hanafin: Dan Lornitis Amy Joy Patterson Lode Writer

Have you ever been driving your car home after a long, tiresome day at the office, only to find that you have lost a chunk of time? Suddenly, you realize that your mind was elsewhere as you navigated home. The last two miles of the drive completely escape your memory. You have just experienced a form of hypnosis!

“That was the most entertaining story my friend in the audience told me.”

- Paul Hanafin

Hypnosis is a state of mind in which the subconscious, rather than the conscious, directs action. People who specialize in inducing this state of mind in others are known as hypnotists. People who can induce this state of mind in some people while inducing laughter in others are known as comedy hypnotists. Dan Lornitis falls into this category of performers. Lornitis is responsible for over 4,000 shows on college campuses, cruise ships, and casinos, to name a few of his numerous venues. On Friday, Jan. 22, Dan Lornitis brought his hypnotic power to Michigan Tech’s MUB Ballroom, changing the lives of 15 lucky college students. Whether or not that change was for the better depends entirely on the participant.

For one such participant, Paul Hanafin, second year mechanical engineering student, the experience was a second chance. “I passed up the opportunity in the past and regretted the decision. I was excited to have the opportunity again. I felt a bit nervous about being on stage, but was mostly excited to participate,” Hanafin said.

Hanafin remembers very little from his time on stage with Lornitis, but he has been reminded of some of his key scenes by audience members at the show. In particular, during one scene, participants were told they had been speeding, and were asked to explain their behavior to a police officer. When it was Paul Hanafin’s turn to offer an excuse to the “officer,” played

by Lornitis, he succinctly responded, “I’m doing the same thing you are -- getting to the donut shop before it closes!”

In retrospect, Hanafin said, “That was the most entertaining story my friend in the audience told me.”

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Another high point of Lornitis’ show occurred when three of the participants were asked to be backup dancers to Beyonce’s hit song, Single Ladies. If that idea is not comic enough in itself, all three participants were male, contrasting the scenario even further with reality. Hanafin was also among this group.

“I most clearly remember making a fool out of myself attempting to dance to Beyonce,” Hanafin said. “It was at that point that I realized I would be demonstrating to the whole audience two issues. For one, I have little to no skill when it comes to dancing. Secondly, I have never seen the music video to the song ‘Single Ladies.’”

Despite this unseemly moment, Hanafin has nothing but nice things to say about the act. “Overall, it was a fantastic experience where I could do even the most embarrassing actions without the consequences of feeling judged. I proudly traded my embarrassment for everyone else’s entertainment!” Hanafin said in closing.

For 15 students, this experience was perhaps the wildest adventure of their lives. For the mysterious and mystical Dan Lornitis, this was just another Friday night.

Dan Lornitis’ performance at the MUB was unfortunately poorly attended compared to some other events, but those who came had a great time all around. The comedian’s unique mix of comedy and hypnotism results in a show which is unlike any other to be found. Hypnotism is always a great hit with audiences big and small, and this was no exception.

Photo Courtesy of University Marketing

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Thursday, January 28

COMICS

Michigan Tech Lode

I always have to turn off nature documentaries when they show these scenes.

Comic courtesy of XKCD

CLASSIFIEDS NEWS WRITERS WANTED: We are currently hiring writers for the news section of The Lode, covering current topics in domestic, international, and local affairs.

Please contact The Michigan Tech Lode at lodesubmit@mtu.edu or by calling 906-487-2404.

WEB DESIGNERS WANTED: We are currently hiring web designers for The Lode. See your work on The Lode website!

Please contact The Michigan Tech Lode at lodesubmit@mtu.edu or by calling 906-487-2404.

Smart enough to think of 100 reasons why this was never going to work before I even hit the ground

GAZETTE APARTMENTS: Very nice 2 BDRM APARTMENTS located across the street from the Library Bar within walking distance of MTU and downtown Houghton.

Secure building, on site manager, laundry facilities, plowed parking and garbage pick-up. Heat and water included. Rent $520-670 Call: 906231-4385.

E-mail lodeads@mtu.edu for information about placing a classified ad.

in the one real universe, a mega star wars fan realizes he could get even MORE movies by running a fake universe in which more star wars sequels were produced. he begins running our universe, and the three prequels come out. he sighs and files a bug report

PUZZLES

Michigan Tech Lode Puzzles Edited by Will Shortz

INITIAL TURN

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State Plaza, one of the largest shopping centers in the U.S. 8 One staying in a lot?

11 Greenish blue 15 High in calories 19 The Rebels 20 Org. with suits and cases 21 Rights grp.

22 Morales of “Criminal Minds” 23 Two things on Ronald Reagan’s mind?

25 Cousin of pow! or wham!

26 One in your corner 27 Really small 28 Negotiation failure 30 “We'll tell you what soda we’re serving later”?

32 Brute working on the Human Genome Project?

35 1900s, e.g.: Abbr.

37 20-Across members: Abbr.

38 Completely 39 Like 42 Tuna that’s often served seared

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52 Upbeat 53 Renaissance-fair instruments 54 Hartsfield-Jackson airport code 55 “Game of Thrones” actress Dormer 57 Bleed (through) 59 ____ speak 60 Theodore who directed “St. Vincent,” 2014 62 Refuses to settle?

63 Onetime Iranian leader 65 Origami BlackBerry, e.g.?

68 Amusing baseball scoring play?

74 Boehner’s successor 75 Weight 76 Ingredient in a Spanish omelet 77 “Without ____” (1990 live Grateful Dead album) 80 Place of control 83 Last king of Spain before Juan Carlos 86 Tourette’s symptom

Puzzles Online: Today’s puzzle and more than 9,000 past puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 a year). For the daily puzzle commentary: nytimes.com/wordplay.

Mobile crosswords: nytimes.com/mxword

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Fill the grid with digits so as not to repeat a digit in any row or column, and so that the digits within each heavily outlined box will produce the target number shown, by using addition, subtraction, multiplication or division, as indicated in the box. A 5x5 grid will use the digits 1–5. A 7x7 grid will use 1–7.

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50 51 93 “An A/C measure?

Are you kidding 54 55 me?”?

95 Patriotic men’s org. 60 61 96 Crafty e-tailer 65 97 Scottish John 98 Quality of beef 74 99 Basic vocabulary level in Common 77 78 79 Core programs 101 Place for plugs 87 88 103 VW head?

104 Sign in a restaurant 93 that doesn't serve 97 98 white bread?

108 Chef who explains 101 102 in detail how sausages are made? 108 110 Star employee 114 113 Now, in Nogales 114 Hat-tipping word 120 115 Opening in a schedule 124 117 Financial-aid plan for a school in Provo?

125 Arcade giant 120 Get the pot started 126 Visibly 121 Bird with a embarrassed two-pointed tail 127 Not an original 122 Rule of crime?

123 “The Silence of the DOWN Lambs” heroine 1 Asked 124 “Bill ____ History of 2 John of the the United States” Plymouth Colony (1894 humor book)

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29 30 Email letters Nothing but 35 36 37 "If only ..."

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107 Data storage acronym 26 108 Snitch 109 Symbol of strength 11031 "To repeat ..."

112 Rush 114 Third X or O 115 Word with party or pail 117 Tony-winning role for Robert Morse 42 43 118 Nickname for the only man to play in a Super Bowl and 49 a World Series 120 Wrongdoing 12253Some family histories 123 Single 124 Seedlets 59 125 Fictitious 126 Benzene derivative, for one 64Sen. Gillibrand's home: Abbr.

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107 Like businesses on 69 Pals 4 life Yelp 70 “What was ____ do?”

71 “____ Go” (hit song 108 Tax-fraud detector, informally from “Frozen”) 109 Artist Paul 72 Pandora’s box 111 Construction piece contents 73 Trainer in “Creed” 112 Newcastle’s river 75 Acclaims 116 URL ending 77 Both: Prefix 118 Big A.T.M. maker 78 Fewer 119 The Browns, on a 79 Not mumble ticker

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14 Spreading belief?

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78 "Lean Forward" sloganeer in city opposite directions in the 91 Malady caused by H2N2 4 Piling up 43 “That ____ last year” 81 ___-cow Northern and Southern 94 Tasting like lamb 82 Castle-breaching 82Hemispheres View from the 5 Quorum for 44 Rogue explosive 96 Shakespearean title role 85 Some bank jobs, for short Jewish worship 87 Shamans, 34 - Gulf of Catania 99 45 Chose, with “for” e.g. the point of ... or not pointed 101 They're the pits 6 EUR competitor 89 Pepsi 84ToMarsh mystery employee 46 When doubled, a 37 39 Russian line 103 90 Bela Lugosi's role in "Son of 7 Tax ID Washington city, Toss around"Life of Pi" 105 GPS, e.g.

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120 Up-to-date with 104 PC key 12 Prefix with 58 φ 66 Plus or minus thing 121 -

1/24/16

1 Home of Garden

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By Francis Heaney and Brendan Emmett Quigley ACROSS

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KenKen® is a registered trademark of Nextoy, LLC. © 2016 www.KENKEN.com. All rights reserved.

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Sudoku - Puzzles and Games - NYTimes.com

1/26/2016

Sudoku — Medium

January 26, 2016

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Sudoku - Puzzles and Games - NYTimes.com

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Thursday, January 28

ROUND 3

ROUND 2

ROUND 1

Debate:

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OPINION

Michigan Tech Lode

Are college athletics beneficial and worthy of support?

Pro: Shan Amarnani Opinion Editor

?

It has been a century and a half since the first university games were played.

College athletics have been around for a while now and for good reason.

Not only do college athletics promote healthy competition between colleges and universities, they are also a great way for students to keep active and stay in shape. It is a known fact that physical activity is not as popular with the newer generation when compared to the previous generations. I believe college athletics may help eradicate this problem by promoting a healthy and active lifestyle among students. Students do not have to be athletes to participate in college athletics. A student may join an intramural league if they have no intention of playing competitively. Whether recreational or competitive, collegiate athletic programs are a great way for students to have fun and stay active.

Con: Aric Rhodes Pulse Editor

It is not questionable whether there is interest in collegiate athletics. Indeed, many of the higher division sports can amass viewership on the national scale.

However, the management of these college athletics borders on the unethical. The NCAA agreements, which student athletes must agree to in order to play, include draconian bylaws and restrictions. In addition, many of these offenses seem to be arbitrarily enforced. By far the most punishing of these, however, is the amateurism agreement. While it may seem reasonable at first glance to have these student athletes be unpaid, this agreement restricts them from receiving compensation of most any kind for their significant amount of work. This is ridiculous considering the long hours that these athletes need to put in. The closest thing to compensation that these athletes can earn are scholarships, but even those are often a fool’s prospect.

I agree. College athletics can put a strenuous load on students. Balancing academics and sports isn’t always the easiest thing. And as previously mentioned, scholarships are only awarded to a limited few. Amidst all the difficulty, one must have surely wondered: Why do college athletes decide to go through with all this? In any given situation, we always have a choice. These students chose this path. They knew it was not going to be easy. In spite of this, they decided to push through. Now the question is: Why? Could it be that these students actually love what they do? Could it be that these students don’t care if they have to wake up at 6 a.m. just to practice? If the student decides to make a commitment and actually sticks to it, then I see no problem with college athletics whatsoever. Yes, I understand that sacrifices need to be made but is this not the case with everything else?

An oft-cited reasoning for Collegiate Athletics is the “extensive” scholarship program which they provide. These scholarships, though, are tied to the NCAA guidelines. This means that there are many ways that a student can have the scholarships simply drop out from underneath them. Injury, academic hardship, or a variety of other factors can make the athlete ineligible to compete and thus ineligible for their scholarships. Even worse than this, though, is the alternative which many colleges use in order to maintain academic standing for athletes. Filler courses designed to be a nearly automatic A grade are given to the athletes in order to assure that their GPA does not drop below the NCAA limits. It is a frightening choice between the two, but is it better to have student athletes fail out of the system or graduate with a degree wherein less than the standard was actually learned.

The primary focus in this debate has been on student athletes when in fact, the college or university also plays a significant role in collegiate sports. As many of you are already aware, Michigan Tech is not a very big school but when it comes to the world of D-I hockey, every university with a D-I hockey team knows that we are one of the best. Where am I going with this? College athletics gives the university something to be proud of. Not only does the university benefit from this, but the students attending the university also benefits. When a big game is on, students come together to cheer for the team which forms a sense of community.

This goes out even further to the general community. College football fans come together whenever their favorite team is playing. In conclusion, college athletics plays a key role. It allows athletes to do what they love, universities and colleges to acquire fame but more importantly, it brings people together.

It is not deniable that many colleges take pride in their collegiate athletic performance. After all, it allows their name to spread while also giving a sense of unity. With this said, a look at the expenses and hassle reveals a dark world going on behind the scenes in order to create this illusion of fanfare and pomp.

The vast majority of NCAA member colleges declare no profit from collegiate athletic programs. In spite of the massive cash flow which can be generated, these schools are still declaring that there was no profit to be had. Where does the money go? Right back into the sports program. From expensive facilities to overpaid employees, many colleges take extraordinary means to avoid having to declare a profit. All of this happens without paying a dime to the athletes who are actually demonstrating their skills and putting their health on the line for simple entertainment.

Michigan Tech Lode

OPINION

Thursday, January 28 13

“Major” discrimination Amy Joy Patterson Lode Writer

test scores, leading to the conclusion that it would be impossible to make judgments about one’s intelligence based off of one’s major of choice. Ipso facto, stop being a jerk.

Of course, what I said before about engineers was just comic hyperbole. Some engineers really are that cut-and-dry, but the vast majority of engineers are relatable, kind, and unprejudiced. This message is solely directed toward those engineers who live as though choosing to be an engineering major — a choice, mind you, that is equally easy to make for anyone accepted to this university — automatically leads to the development of a superior intellect. There is no denying the countless skills and desirable qualities that engineering majors, as a group, tend to possess, but the same is true of any other major. Frankly, the assumption that an engineer would inherently be more intelligent than a psychologist, a teacher or a business person is simply off base.

Regardless, superior intellect is not a free pass to make hurtful remarks about the path another person has chosen. With this in mind, be open to the idea that acknowledging the strength of others is not the same as admitting your own faults. We can all be crazy smart — together.

I would find the section that contained the product I needed, let us say shampoo, as she did the same on the other side. The difference, however is I would go for the cheapest shampoo, if it was for split ends or more volume, I did not really care; I bought whatever was the cheapest. So right there I am shopping based on price,which companies are fully aware of, thus making male products cheaper, because the general male will buy things based on the price.

My ex, however, would read all the perks of the shampoo and what it would do and compare different brands, ignoring the price, and focusing on what the product did.

There was nothing wrong with ignoring price, other than for when I was paying, and she didn’t care, nor did other women that I have talked to about this subject, as long as it works to control volume or split ends, they will buy it religiously.

However, I did notice when shopping with her for razors that she would sort them by the price, theorizing that while different brands of shampoo do different things to different hair, a sharp piece of metal is a sharp piece of metal. When I ask women what they base their razor purchases on, they tell me since it is made for women it must be better for them because “it is made for them.” Now I am by no means an expert on shaving legs, but it seems to be a lot easier and not requiring as much precision

as needed for shaving a face. When I look at the men’s razors compared to women’s, most men’s razors have a pivotal head, while most women’s are fixed to the handle.

When I shave my face I’ve been paying attention to if the razor head moves as I shave, and usually it does, making it easier for it to glide around my face. Along with a pivotal head, I also noticed that men’s razors usually come with more blades on the head.

So where am I going with this? Well for less money, you get more blades and a pivotal head to juke out your ankle and knee caps, but yet women still buy the pink fixed head razors. The companies have the numbers, and numbers do not lie, for why women’s razors cost more. I am not here to talk about what has been proven, but what should be done. If you really have a problem with the pink shampoo that is the exact same as the blue products, which “pink tax women” continues to prove since the ‘90s, then why not just buy the male versions?

It is harder to change company price charts than to just grow up and buy the male version. When I see girls using male shampoo or razors, I do not think badly of them. I encourage them to continue buying smarter, but when I see women complaining to the cashier about the price difference, that is when thoughts start to change.

The “oh so unfair” pink tax Phillip Bourgeois Lode Writer

While wasting away my time on Facebook, I came across an article relating to a “Pink Tax”, a statement that says women’s products are higher priced than male products because of sexism in companies. Nowadays, there seems to be two basic types of feminism; one that would like equal rights as compared to men, and a more extreme version where men need to be degraded for equality. By the time I was about four words into the article, I knew I had to get in on this.

I looked at the highest rated products in two main categories that men and women both share: razors and shampoo. I took the top five products’ prices and compared them, proving that women’s products are indeed higher priced than men’s. Although women’s products are about 32 percent higher in this case, that is not what gets me. It is a known fact that companies are into making money, and shoppers are into saving money. People get paid a lot of money to come up with new ways to lure in shoppers, so a good question would be: why are we name calling for them doing their job?

Let us step into a scenario when my ex and I went shopping for hair products.

When we split up into our separate aisles,

LODE

ing

ZONE

I hesitate when people ask me what my major is. The problem is not that I am ashamed of it — quite the opposite, really, but being a psychology major at a school known for engineering can garner some unwanted attention. The raised eyebrows, snarky remarks and insinuations that I am unintelligent have started to get old, and I know I am not alone in this. It seems as though nearly everyone attending Michigan Tech as a non-engineering, non-traditional science, or humanities major has some experience with snubbing by an engineering major.

Engineers are logical creatures. When presented with data, they analyze, internalize and conclude. That being said, engineers, despite their unusual breed, still share a large portion of their characteristics with regular people, meaning they will not pursue information unless it is directly relevant to them. Consequently, the vast majority of engineers have never sought out information to support the idea that engineering majors are smarter than other majors. It has never been a priority

for engineers, nor should it have been, considering the commonly accepted idea was that engineers are more intelligent than everyone else. Who would look to disprove a positive thing about oneself? That would be irrational, and irrational is one thing that engineers are not.

So, it is time to get down to brass tacks.

No strong data exists to suggest that engineers are generally more intelligent than other types of people. The closest we can get when surveying this population in particular are ACT composite scores, but even those fail to truly support any one contention. If anything, ACT composite scores indicate that students majoring within the College of Sciences & Arts are more intelligent than students majoring within the College of Engineering, but this difference is so negligible that it is silly to even consider. Even still, the gap between the highest performing majors and the lowest performing majors in regard to the ACT is a measly 3.5 points. Those 3.5 points could be attributable to a bad headache, lack of sleep, a recent argument with a parent, or any other number of insignificant factors. It is hardly a clear indicator of performance. On the whole, all Tech students, as a collective, generally fall into a very small window of

Un Kendall Belopavlovich

I would like to introduce myself to you, the readers of this paper. I am a second year communication, culture and media major, and I am also working toward a minor in journalism.

I’ve lived in the Houghton area for the duration of my short time on this slowly dying planet. Last spring semester, I joined The Lode as a novice journalist working in the opinion section. The following fall semester (last semester), I took a stab in the dark and volunteered my services to be the enthusiastic sports editor.

During the near 14 weeks that I served as the sports editor, I worked hard to improve my journalistic writing style as well as my organizational and time management skills. I started with one writer and slowly collected a creative, collaborative team who matched my enthusiasm step for step. I pursued something that I was passionate about and gained a stronger voice in leadership and confidence that I take with me like the phone I can’t leave the house without.

Now, as we head into the thick of the spring semester I have once again hopped up the chain, writing to you as the Editor-in-Chief. Did I expect this to happen? Yes. Did I expect this to happen now? No. Even though I may not necessarily be prepared to take this role, I am ready. I am ready to learn, to experience, to work with others, to have late nights and to be stressed and frustrated. I think that this is a valuable lesson most students, and people, need to learn. You may not always be fully prepared to take an exam, but you should be ready.

Your attitude toward the situations you find yourself in throughout life will, in part, determine the outcome of those situations.

The takeaway from this brief message is that when an opportunity presents itself to you, take it. Even if it’s not the exact time, or the exact title, as was the case when I pounced on the opportunity to be the sports editor, it’s well worth it. This slice of advice extends far beyond positions and titles, though. Tell the girl sitting next to you that she’s cute, ask your professor the dumb question you really need an answer to, and above all: if it’s 1 a.m. and you just don’t want to go home, party on. #TENACITY

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Thursday, January 28

NEW ADVICE COLUMN Dear Readers, The Michigan Tech Lode will be starting an advice column. Students, faculty and staff are welcome to email us about anything personal, work or school-related at take-alode-off-l@mtu.edu. A panel of selected staff will respond with measured input or advice.

The identities of everyone involved will be kept confidential. A pen name and an anonymous email may be used to communicate with us.

However, a personal email or your Michigan Tech email may also be used. Rest assured, everything will be kept confidential. Write to us with the following format:

Subject line: Anything related to the subject matter Dear Husky,

[Letter Body]

-Pen name/alias

OPINION

Michigan Tech Lode

Mark Zuckerberg:

A gatekeeper or a philanthropist?

Aditya Joshi Lode Writer Free Basics, also known as Internet.org, is a new pet project initiated by Facebook that claims to connect the poor of developing countries to the Internet for free. But is it really so charitable or is it hurting the basic right of an open Internet for all in which we are not forced to undergo restricted access?

Mark Zuckerberg said, “Internet.org and net neutrality can and must coexist,” but after the controversy of Internet not being nuetral I don’t think it would really coexist, especially from a user’s position.

It is possible for Facebook to provide free network services with the help of popular local carriers who are then funded

by Facebook to provide a network which is captivated according to the Internet.org backed companies. Developing countries like South Africa, Bolivia, Tanzania, Pakistan, the Philippines and many more have already adopted the program.

However, the violation of net neutrality was taken very seriously by countries like India

and Egypt which resulted in the temporary and permanent suspension of the program.

The issue was raised when several companies decided to remove their support from Internet.org since it violated the basic rights of users to “everything open Internet”.

The app offers certain basic services like free access to Facebook and Internet.org parter websites, which helps to fund the Internet.org. All other websites can only have access if we pay for each mb of of some website we want access to. The service is designed to favor only the partners which some countries have regarded as a violation of Internet neutrality.

The Times of India, a popular newspaper there explained the issue, mentioning a defect in the app, “Earlier today, online travel search firm Cleartrip pulled out of Internet.org as well. The company said it realized that Internet.org has the potential to influence customer decision-making by forcing options on them.” Cleartrip.com responded, “We were neither paid anything, nor did we pay anything to participate.

Additionally we don’t make any money out of that product.” Zuckerberg is going to have a struggle ahead as poorer countries continue to sophisticate their distribution

of network that is fair for everyone.

Looking at the privacy issue of the app, it seems unusually harmful as, there is no technical restriction that prevents the company from monitoring and recording the traffic of Free Basics users. This ought to result in a zero guarantee of good faith promised by Facebook to protect Free Basics user’s privacy. Examining Facebook’s recent actions, that word-of-mouth isn’t at all reliable. After all, this is the company that has backed feed-tracking data from its Like buttons into its advertising system, despite its widespread objection, and still refuses to honor Do Not Track (DNT) headers. While censorship on Free Basics of this sort hasn’t occurred yet, it’s still true that Free Basics would be much easier to censor than the real global Internet.

It is a great step towards connecting the unconnected to the world but Free Basics is still a walled garden run by a single gatekeeper — Facebook. I hope the dangers this system can influence are soon noticed by the world and that this new service isn’t treated as a substitute for what we really need: good, fast access to the entire Internet for all.

Humanities are important too Samantha Stein Lode Writer More and more, schools are cutting funding for arts programs. Classes like band, art and choir are disappearing from public education. In colleges, there are concerns of lower enrollment.

In high schools, it’s not practical to fund these classes when STEM classes are valued in many careers and in college. Some of the funding cuts to arts and humanities programs in high schools are caused by Common Core standards.

Unfortunately, the world cannot function on STEM skills alone. The humanities play a larger role than anyone seems to realize.

Here at Michigan Tech, I overhear people complaining about being required to take Global Issues and Composition. However, many students fail to realize the doors that open when you begin understanding the world or the doors that open when you know how to communicate through writing. There is a certain set of skills that only humanities and fine arts can teach. For example, to understand a different culture, you have to understand the artifacts, the language and the rituals of the culture. You cannot

calculate that with an equation. Humanities are key in understanding and relating to everyone.

An example of the importance of the arts and humanities that is highly visible to most is the creation of music and art, including television shows and movies.

Imagine if our favorite actors and musicians never invested the time to learn these fine arts skills. We would have no form of entertainment.

There’d be no stories to share, no music to dance to, and no comedies to laugh at. Less visible to some is the way that we wouldn’t be able to communicate over Facebook, Twitter, or even in person. Language is underrated.

People take it for granted. Languages should be cherished and adored. A life without it is impossible. Despite the obvious need for the arts and humanities, I, as a humanities major, constantly hear people ask me ‘well, what can you even do with that degree?’

Uses for an engineering degree or STEM focused degree are fairly definite and concrete, though there is some room for personalizing the type of job an engineer may have. When it comes to uses for humanities, there is no right or wrong way to use the degree. There is more freedom to do whatever you want as a humanities major. Communication studies

Pyramid at the Louvre in Paris, France

Photo courtesy of apple.white2010 from flickr.com

can lead to jobs in everything from journalism to marketing. Possibilities are endless for the humanities and fine arts. However, it takes some imagination to see the possibilities.

STEM degrees have a clear, secure job at the end of school. Humanities can be intimidating because the jobs aren’t so clear. There’s also the concern of earning money in today’s society.

Humanities, in 2013, had the lowest starting salary whereas engineering had the highest.

This tends to be a turnoff to arts and humanities degrees. Regardless, humanities are needed just as much as engineers. Without the humanities, nothing would be possible.

I believe that Michigan Tech does not respect the Humanities and Visual and Performing Arts Departments. I want to see people learn to recognize the importance of our role in the world. We are the storytellers, the artists, the musicians and the actors. We are the communicators of ideas and products. We put in more work than anyone sees. We are the future just as much as the engineers and the scientists. Bring back the arts and humanities programs. Teach the children to understand the cultures of the world. Not everyone has to be a master in the humanities, but everyone needs to learn to respect their place in the world.

Michigan Tech Lode

# the By

s r e b m nu Seconds by which Andrea Lea beat the second-place finisher in the 10k freestyle race at the Telemark Super Tour.

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Athome winning streak by the Huskies women’s basketball team, with two more victories last week.

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USCHO’s ranking of Husky men’s hockey in Division I men’s hockey overall.

The Huskies are the top nationally rated team.

Thursday, January 28 15 SPORTS Broomball season kicks off with competitive action all around Tasauf Torzo Lode Writer Like every winter, broomball is in full swing with some great teams and dedicated players. The season, which started in early January and will continue almost until the end of February, is an action-packed athletic festival. With nine games scheduled on each of three rinks every night, with 24 separate conferences and 240 teams, there’s quite a lot to be excited about.

Many teams are formed by people living in the same residence halls, while other teams are from off campus. In each conference there are teams who are undefeated until now and have some well experienced players, veterans of past years’ tournaments at Michigan Tech. Basically, broomball is the only outdoor game that is played in Michigan Tech in the winters.

There are some good teams playing this season like the Quilted Northern Ultra Plush, Slightly Concussed and Brooms of Glory, who have remained undefeated until now. Not to mention

the Mighty Morphin Flower Arrangers, the team led by Ronald Knoll. This team from the DHH has played some phenomenal games throughout the tournament.

On Jan. 21 the Morphins met Thermopylae face to face for a match on the Silver Rink. The match was totally dominated by the Morphins as they won the match with score of 10-2, one of the best match statistics of the tournament this year.

Right from the beginning, the Morphins were attacking with complete strength,

Ronald Knoll, the (Morphins) goalie, has one of the best statistics of the tournament with a massive 65 saves and just eight goals conceded. causing a number of goal streaks. The few shots that came from the opposite side were stopped by the goalie very easily.

Ronald Knoll, the goalie, has one of the best statistics of the tournament with a massive 65 saves and just eight goals conceded. Andrew Stehle, the best forward player on the team, made 11 points in just five matches with eight goals and three assists. Dylan Cromell, not to be left out, also scored eight goals for the team followed by Nicholas Squanda with six goals beside his name.

The Morphins are one of three undefeated teams in their league; they have won all five of their games so far this season. The players are hoping to keep their streak going, but it will be put to the test this Saturday.

The Morphins have two games scheduled at 11 a.m. against the Paint Chips, Taste the Rainbow and at 2:45 p.m. against Eat Randy. Both the Paint Chips and Eat Randy are also undefeated, so this will likely be the biggest challenge the team has faced this season.

Does your broomball team have a story to tell? Reach out to us at lodesubmit@mtu.edu and let us know when your next game is. Check back next week for more coverage of the 2016 Michigan Tech broomball tournament.

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Points scored by freshman forward Kyle Monroe in his career-highscoring game against Hillsdale on Thursday.

240

Registered broomball teams competing in IRHC broomball for the 2016 season.

10

Days until the Winter Carnival home game against Lake Superior State, 8:07 p.m. at the MacInnes Arena.

The Mighty Morphin Flower Arangers in their Thursday game against Thermopylae.

Photo taken by Tasauf Torzo

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Thursday, January 28

SPORTS

Michigan Tech Lode

Men’s basketball played Sidelines Carnival is here in two tough games Utkarsh Mishra Lode Writer

The Michigan Tech Men’s Basketball team played two home games last week against Hillsdale College on Jan. 21 and against Saginaw Valley State University on Jan. 23. The Huskies defeated Hillsdale but faced a loss from Saginaw Valley State.

The match against Hillsdale College was a neck and neck contest in which Michigan Tech eventually emerged as the better side, defeating the visitors by a small margin of 74-69. Tech’s defense was strong in the first half as it held the Chargers to seven field goals and 20 points. The hosts led by 14 at the break and built the margin to 47-29 with 15:15 to play before Hillsdale made its run. The Chargers tried to jump back in the game after being down by 18 points in the second half, but were unable to get the lead after missing three 3-pointers close to the finish line.

The GLIAC’s leading scorer, Kyle Cooper, who entered at 23.7 points per game, was limited to 14 points. Kyle Monroe’s career night came on 8-of-12 field goal shooting and 9-of-10 free throws. He also added

seven rebounds. Bryan Heath notched 13 points and five assists. Dillon Gordon scored 11 points. The black and gold shot 49 percent from the floor, 57 percent from 3-point range and 85 percent at the foul line. The score line of the match ended as (34-20 and 40-49).

“We made the plays to keep our heads above water.”

-Kevin Luke

Another close encounter was faced by Tech against Saginaw Valley State in which the Huskies were a bit out of luck losing the match by the small margin of 68-62. The Cardinals started the game ahead, putting the score at 4-2 1:45 into the game. Saginaw Valley continued to hold the lead over the Huskies, extending their advantage to eight points, 12-4, at the 12:43 minute mark.

Michigan Tech responded, taking its first lead of the game with 9:08 left in the half at a score of 15-14 after a three-pointer from

Husky guard Jeff Gregory during Thursday’s game against Hillsdale.

Bryan Heath. Saginaw Valley came back to earn its largest lead of the opening period after a layup at the 3:14 mark, taking the score to 31-22. The Huskies reduced the lead to five points by the end of the half, closing the period with the score 34-29.

The Cardinals picked up momentum in the second half, widening their advantage over the Huskies to 13 points after scoring eight unanswered points in the first two minutes of the period. Saginaw Valley kept the lead for the rest of the half, pulling ahead by as much as 20 points with 11:11 left on the clock.

The Huskies came back to cut the lead down to four points with five minutes left in the game, but the visitors pulled back ahead by eight with 3:26 left on the clock, their largest lead for the rest of the game.

(34-29 and 34-33) was the final score on the display board.

“We made the plays to keep our heads above water,” said Tech coach Kevin Luke about the match against Hillsdale College.

“Heath, Gordon and Gregory all made huge threes for us... the experience we’ve gained this season has given us confidence.”

The Huskies will play their next match in Northwood on Jan. 28.

Photo by Utkarsh Mishra

Carnival is nearly upon us! While the all-nighter isn’t until next Wednesday, the party is already getting started with a variety of sporting events and other competitions.

Many of the events hosted for Carnival aren’t the everyday sports we see and play. While it might be otherwise for our northerly neighbors, games of ice bowling, curling or snow volleyball aren’t standard fare for most Americans.

But then, Tech students and Yoopers more generally aren’t most Americans.

Carnival is the time of year where we all get together and celebrate that fact.

It can be hard to take time away from classes and work, and in the leisure time we do afford ourselves, it’s often easier just to sit down with video games and veg out.

There’s something important about the carnival experience that can’t be duplicated elsewhere. It’s what makes us Huskies.

So this week, try to get out there and experience the magic that is Winter Carnival 2016..

Lee wins at Telemark MTU Athletics Press Release CABLE, Wis. — Andrea Lee won the women’s 10-kilometer freestyle race today as the Michigan Tech Nordic skiing teams wrapped up their weekend at the Telemark Super Tour.

Lee skied a smart race to finish in a time of 28:01.8—just 0.1 ahead of the secondplace finisher and five seconds ahead of the next collegiate skier.

Sonja Hedblom placed 16 among collegiate racers with a 30:06 clocking.

Carolyn Lucca was 21st in 30:42.

In the men’s 15K race, Gaspard Cuenot took fourth, working his way up from eighth and winning a drag race at the finish. His time was 36:52. Kyle Hanson also grabbed a top-10 result with his 37:37 time for eighth among collegiate racers.

Didrik Fjeld Elset posted a time of 38:39 to place 16.

“Andrea skied a really savvy race and put the hammer down to stay out front and get the win,” said Tech coach Joe Haggenmiller. “Gaspard had a smart race as well.

“The conditions were pretty good, and it was a strong way to finish the weekend.”

Michigan Tech will host the CCSA Invitational at the Nordic Training Center next weekend.

SPORTS

Michigan Tech Lode

Thursday, January 28

Husky forward Danielle Blake during Saturday’s game against SVSU.

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Photo taken by Utkarsh Mishra

Women’s home winning streak continues Utkarsh Mishra Lode Writer The Michigan Tech Women’s Basketball team played two home games last week against Hillsdale College on Jan. 21 and against Saginaw Valley State University on Jan. 23. The Huskies defeated both the guest teams by a good margin and continued their unstoppable seven game winning streak at home this season.

The match against Hillsdale started well for the Huskies when they took an 18 point lead in the first quarter. The remainder of the match also had a similar deficit, and the Huskies won by 83-53.

The Huskies immediately jumped on the Chargers, taking a big lead to open the game. Hillsdale shot 2-for-16 from the field in the first quarter, and faced a 25-7 deficit entering the second.

In the second and third quarters, the teams played relatively evenly, with Hillsdale slicing that deficit in half at one

point. But Michigan Tech regained dominance in the fourth quarter, outscoring Hillsdale 23-10 to easily wrap up the win. Tech [10-5, 8-3 GLIAC] limited the Chargers to 34 percent shooting for the game. The black and gold connected on 56 percent of their shots.

Kylie Moxley, who scored just six points last week, posted her best total since the GLIAC opener.

Kylie Moxley, who scored just six points all last week, posted her best total since the GLIAC opener Dec. 3 by making 6-of-8 from the field and all six foul shots. Danielle Blake went 8-of-12 from the floor and grabbed eight rebounds.

Mackenzie Perttu, with 12 points, and Lindsay Winter with 10 also reached double digits.

Hillsdale [8-7, 5-6 GLIAC] trimmed a 30-9 deficit to 34-25 with 1:32 left in the second quarter. Perttu knocked down a 3-pointer to send the hosts into the breakup 37-25. The Chargers were within nine twice in the third quarter, but never any closer the rest of the way.

The match ended with [25-7, 14-20, 2116 and 23-10] on the scorecard.

The Huskies continued to win at home, defeating Saginaw Valley State University by 67-56. SVSU got the game started with a jumper made at the 9:38 marker of the first quarter, and got back out front with a pair of free throws to make the score 6-5 in the visitors’ advantage. Trailing 14-12, the Cardinals made a layup to make the score 14-14 for the fourth tied score after the SV lead, which is where the score would stand after the opening 10 minutes of play.

SVSU opened the second quarter with a pair of free throws to give the visitors a 16-14 edge. Tech grabbed the lead from there and carried a 32-24 lead into the halftime break. SVSU outscored the Hus-

kies by a 22-18 count in the third quarter.

Michigan Tech maintained the lead despite a layup drawing the Lady Cards within four points [56-52] with 7:10 left in the game. The Huskies held on for a 67-56 victory. The score line ended as [14-14, 18-10, 18-22 and 17-10].

“This was a great home win,” said

“This was a great home win. We started well... [and] finished it off well.”

-Kim Cameron Tech coach Kim Cameron on the match against Hillsdale College. “We started well, had a little lull in the second quarter, but finished it off well. Dani made some big plays for us, and Kylie finished really well.”

Michigan Tech will play its next match against Northwood on Jan. 28.

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SPORTS

Thursday, January 28

Michigan Tech Lode

Men’s hockey maintains rank in poll Rand Silvers Sports Editor

Michigan Tech’s men’s hockey team was ranked No. 17 once again in the latest United States College Hockey Online poll released Monday. The USCHO is an independent media organization that polls a group of 50 coaches, scouts and media experts each week to establish rankings in Division I and III Men’s and Women’s hockey.

Tech hockey is the highest rated team in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, with Bowling Green at No. 18 and Minnesota State at No. 19. That order is reversed in the official WCHA standings, where Tech ties with Ferris state for third while Bowling Green is second behind Minnesota State.

Tech has received votes in the poll every week this season, though not always enough to put in the ranked top 20.

Topping the Division I Men’s USCHO poll by quite a margin is Quinnipiac, receiving a first place vote from 30 of 50 experts polled, down from 41 of 50 last week.

Second on the poll, receiving 15 of 50 first place votes was North Dakota, while St. Cloud and Providence at third and fourth gathered the last of the first place votes.

Graphic courtesy of USCHO

Sporting events schedule: Jan 28 - Feb 1 Thursday, Jan. 28 Men’s Hockey

Friday, Jan. 29

Saturday, Jan. 30

@ Bowling Green 7:07 p.m.

@ Bowling Green 7:07 p.m.

Sunday, Jan. 31

Monday Feb. 1

Men’s Basketball

@ Northwood University 8:00 p.m.

@ Lake Superior State 3:00 p.m.

@ Northern Michigan 8:00 p.m.

Women’s Basketball

@ Northwood University 6:00 p.m.

@ Lake Superior State 1:00 p.m.

@ Northern Michigan 6:00 p.m.

Nordic Skiing

Winter Carnival

CCSA Invitational Nordic Training Center

Ice Bowling Dee Stadium 9:30 p.m.

Curling Calumet Drill House 6:00 p.m.

CCSA Invitational Nordic Training Center

Ice Fishing, Speed Skating, Broomball, Curling, Snow Curling, Snow Volleyball, Volleyball Yooper Sprint, Cross-Country Skiing

Do you have a sporting event you want included in our calendar?

Email lodesubmit@mtu.edu

Michigan Tech Lode

SPORTS

International women’s ski day a success Davy McLeod Lode Writer With the sun brightly shining off the snow on Mt. Ripley, Carly Siko and her fellow instructors led a ski lesson. This lesson was special, though, in that it was for females only, and completely free of charge. It was Saturday, Jan. 23, and Siko had organized an honorary International Women’s Ski Day, which actually occurred on Dec. 12.

International Women’s Ski Day was created by K2 Skis in order to celebrate lady skiers all over. Siko, president of the Ski/Snowboard Club at Tech, saw the holiday as a chance to spread the sport a bit more to her fellow females.

“I was shocked at the response I got,” Siko said. “And at all the girls here that have never skied before.”

There were about 20 skiers who joined the lesson, and the participants ranged from first-year students to graduates, as well as locals that never had had an opportunity to learn. It was a full class, and since most of the students had never skied before they started with the basics.

The class put on one ski at first, “scootering” a circle around Siko while she directed them, then they practiced going slowly across the slight slope. Once they grasped that, they clipped into both skis and were taught the very crucial snowplow, or more popularly “pizza,” in which both noses of the skis are angled towards each other to slow down the rider. Lastly, Siko and her colleagues demonstrated turning and set up a course for the beginners to hone their newly learned skills on.

Later in the day, a wax clinic was held in the raceroom, along with a showing of an all-girls ski film called Pretty Faces while food and prizes were given out to the crowd. All of those that got involved

Thursday, January 28

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benefited from the event, gaining either knowledge, prizes, or both.

At Michigan Tech, the majority of students are males, which is why events like this one are so important.

“Being a girl in a ski class that’s mostly guys can be intimidating,” said Siko.

“When it’s just ladies, there tends to be more progress—they want to learn more.” Siko recalled classes in which the girls would shy away until personally addressed, and with this method she’s solved that problem.

Inclusion in alpine skiing has always lagged a bit. In the early days of the sport, only rich elitists seemed to show up at resorts, creating this exclusive ambience

“I was shocked at the response I got, and at all the girls here that have never skied before.”

-Carly Siko

within the winter sports scene. Even so long after the popularity increased among the middle class there’s still some remnants of stuck up skiers and snowboarders who jump at the opportunity to call out a beginner.

However, despite their amateur-pouncing persona and smug demeanor, even the best riders on the mountain started out by learning the basics one way or another. So next time there’s a newcomer having trouble with something simple, refrain from ridicule and instead try giving some pointers; in this way you’ll be watering the winter-sports plant and helping it to grow, rather than stifling the sunlight. As Carly Siko has proved, we should all let it shine.

Above: At the top of their run, students nervously wait their turn to go down Left: Students prepare to cross the hill on one ski

Photos by Davy McLeod

Upcoming

Events January 28 - February 03 Ice Bowling

Thursday, Jan. 28 9:30 p.m. Dee Stadium

Winter Carnival Special Event for participating organizations.

Ice Fishing

Saturday, Jan. 30 8 a.m. Chassell Bay (Check-in at Sigma Rho house)

Winter Carnival Special Event for participating organizations.

Speed Skating

Saturday, Jan. 30 8 a.m. Dee Stadium

Winter Carnival Special Event for participating organizations.

Window Painting

Saturday, Jan. 30 9 a.m. SDC

Winter Carnival Special Event for participating organizations.

Snow Volleyball

Saturday, Jan. 30 10 a.m. Softball Diamonds

Winter Carnival Special Event for participating organizations.

Yin Yang Yoga Workshop

Sunday, Jan. 31 05:30 - 07:00 p.m. SDC Studio

This class begins with an invigorating flow and transitions into a deeply restorative series of postures. The Yin portion of this class allows us to slow down and relax into a quiet meditative space.

Winter Carnival

Wednesday, Feb. 03

Campus

Featuring dozens of huge, intricate snow statues all around campus and the community, this event also brings together students to participate in broomball, comedy skits, sleigh rides, a queen coronation, and lots of winter fun.

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