01/13/2015

PAGE 11

Is Obama’s Community College Plan right for you?

January 13, 2014

PAGE 3

Reported sexual assault raises awareness

PAGE 14

Huskies take third in 50th annual Great Lakes

Photo by Colton Wesoloski

2

NEWS

Tuesday, January 13

Michigan Tech Lode

The world at a glance RAND SILVERS News Editor On Wednesday, Jan 7, two masked gunman, later identified as the Kouachi brothers, entered the offices of French satirical magazine Charlie Hedbo and killed 11 staff members and a police officer on their way out. Over the next two days, the two brothers and their two accomplices killed another police officer and four hostages taken in a kosher supermarket.

Both brothers and one of their accomplices were killed by police raids, while the fourth is believed to have fled the country.

The attacks were provoked by the magazine featuring a picture of Muhammad, which is considered an offense against Islam.

The brothers claimed their attacks were planned and financed by al-Qaeda’s Yemen branch, and one of their accomplices pledged allegiance to ISIS in a video.

In the wake of the killing, cartoonists, journalists and citizens of the world have rallied around the cause of freedom of speech and tolerance.

On Monday, 40 world leaders linked arms and led a unity march of more than 1.6 million people in Paris. The Parisian rally was joined by another 2.1 million marchers across other French cities, as well as sister rallies in London, Washington, Montreal, Berlin and other major cities across the globe.

Leaders present at the march included German Chancellor Angela Merkel, British Prime Minister David Cameron, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

The primary message of the rally and the general reaction to the attack has been one of solidarity in the face of extremism. Leaders not present at the march have made powerful statements condemning the actions of the terrorists and applauding the lack of hatred in the reactions of demonstrators.

The Muslim community has also been quick to denounce the attacks. In Madrid, several hundred Muslims demonstrated near the site of a 2004 train bombing that killed almost 200, holding signs that read “Not in our name.”

Perhaps the most powerful reaction has come from the cartoonist community itself.

A compilation of their responses can be seen at the link or QR code below. http://www. washingtonpost.com/news/ comic-riffs/wp/2015/01/07/ cartoonists-react-to-charliehebdo-massacre-in-paris/

Above the map created by the Copper Range Railroad depicts the Keweenaw Peninsula otherwise known as Copper Country.

Photo courtesy of http://www.copperrange.org/

Why it’s called Copper Country EVAN MAYER Lode Writer If the Keweenaw Peninsula could have heard what was being said about it by the Lower Peninsula Michiganders in the early 1800s, its feelings probably would have been hurt as it was considered an uninhabitable, useless piece of land.

Michigan had considered its acquisition a horrible trade-off for the Toledo Strip following the Toledo War, as its only resource available seemed to be lumber, which the country had plenty of at the time.

A trip by Douglass Houghton to the region in 1941 and his report that followed, which focused on the massive amounts of element 29, copper, in the region would change this belief. Men and women from across the country and the world would start pouring in, beginning the first mining boom in American history.

Since no roads lead up to the region all prospectors had to take a boat, the first rush was based out of Copper Harbor.

The first prospectors could not have been disappointed as copper could be found lying on the ground and in streams it was

so abundant. Easy pickings of the ground was not going to make a man rich though, and so mines had to be developed.

Several mines were started, but quickly failed. The secret to developing a successful mine was soon found to be linked with the Native Americans’ abandoned copper pits. These pits had contributed an estimated 1.5 billion pounds to Native Americans since they first started being worked around 5000 BCE. That number would be minute though compared to the weight these new mines were about to extract.

Two of the first successful mines in the region were the Phoenix Mine, which opened in 1844, and the Cliff Mine. The secret to success was the companies used worked copper-filled fissure veins that cut across layers of rocks. Soon this tactic caught on and became the dominant approach in the region.

The success of the mines resulted in

“Boom Towns” springing up across the area especially in the north end of the peninsula and the south end of what is today Ontonagon County. The success did not last long for everybody; by 1846, only six of the 24 mining companies that had organized had made dividends, and only three were still operating.

The companies that remained had copper in abundance as pieces weighing upwards of 50 tons were discovered. The region had quickly become the nation’s leading producer of copper in 1845, which was a title it would not relinquish until 1887. Even more impressive is that during that span from 1850- 81, the region accounted for at least 75% of the nation’s copper production. The best year was in 1869, when 95% of the nations copper was from the Copper Country.

One of the reasons the copper in the Keweenaw was so superior was that it was a pure copper metal rather than the Continued on page 3

“In the 141 years that copper mining was the dominant industry in the Copper Country over 14 billion pounds of copper was extracted from the mines.”

Michigan Tech Lode

NEWS

Tuesday, January 13

Reported sexual assault raises awareness This incidence calls attention to the prominence of sexual assaults on college campuses, not excluding Michigan Tech ANDREA SPENCER Lode Writer Most students at Tech are aware of the reported sexual assault that occurred early in November. While some received the Safety First Alert test message around 3pm Nov 19, others were notified via email and some heard of the news from their fellow students. An announcement highlighted in red soon appeared on Michigan Tech’s website giving a description of the offender, the time and place of the crime, and a reminder to be safe.

This incidence calls attention to the prominence of sexual assaults on college campuses, not excluding Michigan Tech.

Between 2011 and 2013, seven sexual assaults were reported on campus and two were reported off campus. About half of the student population assumes this number is much smaller. However, less that five percent of all completed or attempted rapes are reported to law enforcement.

Each year, the number of reported assaults increases. “We encourage

“We encourage students to educate themselves about the realities of sexual violence, to use campus and community resources, and to ‘Speak Up’ and take care of each other.”

-Beth Lunde, Title IX Coordinator students to educate themselves about the realities of sexual violence, to use campus and community resources, and to ‘Speak Up’ and take care of each other,” said Title IX Coordinator Beth Lunde in response to being asked how to best prevent sexual assault. “A good resource is www.notalone. gov.”

Knowing information about a crime is important for students to keep themselves

safe, but even more important is knowing what to do when a sexual assault has occurred. Les Cook, the VP of Student Affairs and Advancement, sent out an email shortly after the offense listing important campus resources for suicide prevention, alcohol abuse, crisis assistance, and safe walk.

Confidential resources include Michigan Tech’s Counseling Services, Dial Help, the Barbara Kettle Gundlach Shelter Home, and the Crisis Line. Resources that only talk with “need to know” personnel include the Title IX Coordinator, Public Safety and Police Services, Michigan Tech Tipline, the Office of Academic and Community Conduct, and local health care providers.

Students may also contact the Dean of Students if they are a victim of sexual assault.

Title IX has been mentioned several times throughout the year, and is very important in regards to sexual assault.

The Title IX Coordinator here at Tech “monitors and oversees the overall implementation of Title IX Compliance at the University, including coordination of training, education, communications, and administration of grievance procedures for faculty, staff, students, and other members of the University community, “ as listed on the Title IX webpage.

According to The Campus Sexual Assault [CSA] Study by the National Institute of Justice, sexual assaults are most likely to occur in September, October and November, on Friday or Saturday nights, and between the hours of midnight and 6 a.m. “College survivors [of rape] suffer high rates of PTSD, depression, and drug or alcohol abuse, which can hamper their ability to succeed in school,” said Kilpatrick, Ph.D and main author of Drugfacilitated, Incapacitated, and Forcible Rape: A National Study.

In a recent survey of Michigan Tech students, 16 percent of those who took the survey have been or know someone who has been sexually assaulted. The best way to help someone who has been sexually assaulted is to listen. “Everyone responds differently after such a traumatic event.

Encourage them to get help and report it. If the victim goes to the hospital, it is still the victim’s choice if they want police involved or not, “ said Lunde.

Common myths involving sexual violence are that rape is caused by an uncontrollable sexual urge, offenders are

mentally ill or psychotic and cannot help themselves, the victims “ask for it”, rape only involves a physical struggle, most offenders are strangers, and serial rapists are uncommon. It is crucial to know that these myths are false. Facts to counter these myths are given by the Michigan

“Don’t assume someone else will speak up, and don’t just think, someone should do something. SPEAK UP, ask questions, intervene, and you can prevent more sexual violence from happening.”

-Beth Lunde, Title IX Coordinator Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence at www.mcedsv.org.

Several events are in place to help educate students. A Domestic Violence Support Group is offered on Thursday evenings, call (906) 337-562 for details. A Title IX discussion group is scheduled for January 14 from 5pm-7pm, with dinner provided. For more information rsvp to titleix@mtu.edu.

On March 28 campus will be hosting Speaking Up “A Voice for the Hushed”, with Author/Speaker Nicole Bromley.

Bromley will be presenting on sexual violence and sharing her own personal struggle with childhood sexual abuse. This event will be opened to all campus and to the community. More details will be posted as they become available. For more information visit http://www.iamonevoice. org.

The majority of students at Michigan Tech feel very safe on campus. In order to maintain this safety, remember this advice from Lunde, “Don’t assume someone else will speak up, and don’t just think, someone should do something. SPEAK UP, ask questions, intervene, and you can prevent more sexual violence from happening.”

3

Why it’s called Copper Country

Continued from page 2

copper oxides or copper sulfides that form the copper ore that almost every other mining district had to work with.

Another plus of mining the Copper Country’s mines was that halfbreed, which is an ore sample that contains both pure copper and pure silver in the same piece of rock, can only be found in the Upper Peninsula.

By 1870, the rich massive copper chunks had been worked out and mineshafts had reached the limit of hoisting equipment, which is understandable due to the mineshafts being the deepest ones in the world.

On top of having no more chunks to mine and being less efficient, copper prices also dropped. This resulted in some companies ceasing to work mines and giving independent miners the opportunity to go in.

These mines continued production until the Great Depression hit the country. Copper prices, like everything else, dropped and more mines had to be closed. They were reopened temporarily to meet World War II’s high demand for the metal, but prices plummeted once again after the ceasefire was issued.

One company took advantage of this though. The Calumet and Hecla Company stayed afloat due to it’s acquiring many mines during the previous lulls. The company continued production through the 1960s and even opened a mine in 1965, which was the first new mine opened in 30 years. This brought the total mines open in the region to six.

In 1968, the end was really in sight when the company got bought out due to not being able to produce enough copper for even internal uses. The employees went on strike against the new owners in August of that year. Labor and management were unable to agree with the workers on terms so the company ended up folding in 1970, which has left many mines idle ever since.

Although this seemed to decisively end hard rock mining in the region, copper sulfide deposits were still worked for some time near Ontonagon, but these operations were miniscule compared to the copper production of the past.

In the 141 years that copper mining was the dominant industry in the Copper Country over 14 billion pounds of copper was extracted from the mines.

Which is not a bad number coming from a region that nobody originally really wanted.

4

NEWS

Tuesday, January 13

Free online courses RAND SILVERS News Editor In 2011, Sebastian Thrun, a co-inventor of Google’s self-driving cars, was teaching a 300-student lecture course on artificial intelligence for robots at Stanford University. Since Thrun was already conducting much of the course online, including posting lectures and quizzes, he opened the class to web auditors at no cost. More than 160,000 signed up.

Since then, the idea of Massive Open Online Courses [MOOC] has exploded.

Anyone with an internet connection can take a course in circuits and electronics from MIT Professor Anant Agarwal, or in ancient greek heroes with Harvard Professor Gregory Nagy. Platforms such as edX, Coursera, and Udacity offer hundreds of free, online courses that have been taken by millions of students.

Of course, free online courses cannot fully replace the classroom. Even MOOCs strongest proponents recognize the value of close interaction with professors and other students, as well as flaws within the computerized grading system used by most MOOCs.

“Analysis done by Katy Jordan, a doctoral student in education technology at Britain’s Open University, found that 93 percent of students dropped out or failed in the 27 MOOCs she was able to compile completion data for.”

Analysis done by Katy Jordan, a doctoral student in education technology at Britain’s Open University, found that 93 percent of students dropped out or failed in the 27 MOOCs she was able to compile completion data for. It is important to note that many of these students who registered may not have been intending to complete the course, but were instead simply curious.

However, even those who do pass aren’t rewarded in the same way as traditional students. With very few exceptions, universities are not willing to offer students credit for online courses taken for free through other institutions. Many offer a certificate or other statement of Continued on page 5

Michigan Tech Lode

Low gas prices in the U.S RAND SILVERS Pulse Editor Gas prices in the United States have fallen to an average of $2.26 per gallon, according to AAA, which is 39 percent lower than their peak in April of 2014, and lower than gas prices have been since May of 2009. The drop is due to a massive drop in oil prices over the last year, which has been driven by a number of factors.

First, supply has increased because of investments made while oil prices were high.

The largest increase in oil production has come in the United States itself, which has become the largest oil producer in the world.

Over the last several years, more advanced technology and high oil and natural gas prices have made hydraulic fracturing a profitable way to extract petroleum resources.

In the last three years, US production has increased by close to two million barrels per day, and is projected to increase by that same interval into 2015. While the US still imports oil, it is much less than before.

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries [OPEC], which controls a large portion of the world’s oil resources and often works as a check to keep oil prices high, failed to come to an agreement on production quotas to limit supply last fall.

In the absence of effective controls, the Saudi Arabian government in particular has been pursuing aggressive production policies in an attempt to push high-cost oil producers out of the business and raise oil prices again. Essentially, the country is making a $750 billion bet that their economy can outlast other major oil producers and force countries such as Russia and Mexico to cooperate with production quotas.

Secondly, demand has decreased. Part of this is weakened economic activity, especially in the developed world. Continued growth in China, India and other developing economies has put great pressure on oil prices this decade. Besides that, increased use of alternative fuels including biofuels have displaced demand for oil.

After all the costs of refining, distribution

The local Holiday Station has sold gas for under $2 during the past couple of weeks.

Photo by Kaila Pietila

and taxation are accounted for, the price of crude oil only accounts for 60 to 80 percent of the cost of gasoline, but even so, the American drivers saved $14 billion in fuel costs over the course of 2014 because of plummeting oil prices. Should oil prices stay at these low levels throughout 2015 as many experts believe they will, the average American could save another $234 in gas over the next year.

While that’s excellent for the consumer, it has some rather nasty effects on the rest of the economy. Some of the biggest losers are the frackers; American companies that have

gone deep into debt to finance drilling based on the expectation of high prices once the oil started flowing. It is unclear whether various fracking technologies will continue to be economically viable if oil prices remain low.

Also at risk are petroleum-dependent regimes in Iran and Russia. For both countries, Western sanctions have made budgets dependent on oil revenues to support costly military policies in Syria and the Ukraine. Experts are divided on whether increased economic pressure will make these isolated regimes more willing to negotiate or more likely to lash out.

“The largest increase in oil production has come in the United States itself, which has become the largest oil producer in the world.”

Waino Wahtera Center for Success EVAN MAYER Lode Writer The collegiate experience is not always sunshine and rainbows. Individuals who saw their fall semester final grades lower than they would have preferred can attest to that. For students who have the brains to get accepted to Michigan Technological

University these low grades may not necessarily be due to the course material being tough, but rather because of other factors, such as time management or not knowing an effective way to study.

Students who fall into this category and plan on running to their academic advisor to talk about switching majors the moment they return to campus for the spring semester should take a detour to the Waino

Wahtera Center for Student Success first.

The Center, which can be found on the first floor of the Administration Building, is a free resource available to help struggling students learn from others who have learned over the years how to acquire those skills that support educational and professional success.

Continued on page 5

Tuesday, January 13 5 NEWS Waino Wahtera Center for Success Free online courses

Michigan Tech Lode Continued from page 4

This is mostly done through the academic success coaches, who are students from a wide variety of majors and backgrounds.

These coaches operate much the same as a coach in a learning center, but instead of providing advice on strictly calculus or biology, they share their knowledge of tricks they use to succeed in the classroom. These coaches are available by appointment or walk-in.

The Center has several other functions as well as within the center there is the departments for Financial Aid, Enrollment Services, the Dean of Students, Student Disability Services, Staff Support, and COMPASS, the Center for Orientation, Mentoring, Parents, and Academic Student Success.

The Center’s diverse functions was a point made by the Center’s director Susan Liebau. “I think having a variety of academic success opportunities, including being able to talk with a peer or a staff member about time management and goals can help students significantly.” said Liebau. “There is a misconception that we only serve students who feel as though they are struggling. Any student who isn’t sure they are studying effectively, need help setting goals, or would like to be more efficient with their time, can access the Center and use the opportunities in place, such as the staff, academic success coaches, and workshops that are available to assist.”

The workshops that Liebau alludes to are provided so that students can improve in areas such as studying in a variety of ways or time management. These workshops are designed to be more beneficial to experienced students though, while the classes that are also offered are geared more towards new students.

An example of one of the four classes currently offered is UN1005: Initiatives for Success. This class explores the methods for

becoming a more effective student though focusing on metacognition, individual learning styles, successful skills and habits, and campus resources. The class will also count as a free elective.

The Center also offers the Excelling the Student Experience of Learning [ESEL] Program. This program offers academic

support through several approaches including peer mentoring, study groups, academic progress monitoring, and oneon-one staff support.

Before giving up hope on a major, swing by the Waino Wahtera Center for Success and get the help needed to pursue the dreams that you entered college with.

Toys for Tots

Last semester, custodian Tammy Monette organized a Toys for Tots collection in Wadsworth Hall that raised $400 in toys for local children. The Toys for Tots program is organized by the US Marine Corps Reserves, and collects new, unwrapped toys in October, November and December and then distributes them on Christmas to less privileged children in the community where the toys were donated. Toys for Tots has been active since 1995 and has distributed almost 500 million toys.

Michigan Tech Lode

Photo by Pratik Joshi

106 Memorial Union Building, Houghton, MI 49931 (906) 487-2404 • www.mtulode.com

Advertising - Michael Groess

Editor in Chief .........................Sasha Burnett Business Manager....................Trevyn Payne Distribution Manager.................Neil Noack Design Editor............................Kaila Pietila Media Editor..................................Pratik Joshi News Editor..................................Rand Silvers Opinion Editor.....................Adam Romanko Pulse Editor......................................Jane Kirby Sports Editor .........................Ellie Furmanski Advisor .............................................Kara Sokol

Staff Writers - Katherine Baeckeroot, Zach Evans, Sarah Harttung, Ian Hatzilias, Evan Mayer, Aric Rhodes, Autumn Channey, Parker McColl, John Reynolds, David Morehouse, Joseph Pietrzyk, Joe Andres, George Castle, Andrea Spencer, Gage Herringa, Sylvana Finkbeiner Circulation - Neil Noack, James Wood Visuals Staff - Maxwell Curtis, Colton Wesoloski, Manjusha Khaire, Margaret Darrow Copy Editors - Erin Norton, Savannah de

Luca

Continued from page 4

accomplishment, but these are clearly differentiated from actual credits or diplomas.

MOOCs do have obvious utility for professionals, however. Once an individual has their degree, MOOCs can provide a cheaper alternative to a Master’s or MBA to hone specific skills and provide professional development.

To other students, however, the MOOC can be and is being combined with traditional classroom settings to provide higher quality education. The volume and quality of online lectures provided by MOOCs is prompting more and more professors to adopt the “flipped classroom” model, where lectures are viewed outside of class time, which is reserved for collaborative problem solving that replaces traditional homework.

This also allows students at less exclusive, and expensive, universities access to world-class instructors in subject areas that might be difficult to find professors for otherwise. For instance, several Massachusetts community colleges have begun incorporating MIT computer programming MOOC lectures into their courses alongside face-toface classroom sessions with their own professors.

But perhaps the most democratic aspect of MOOCs is that anyone can use them. While students, professionals, or universities can use these resources, so can anyone else with an internet connection and an interest. In terms of developing a deep knowledge of a subject area without paying tuition, MOOCs are hard to beat. Dozens of different providers exist and can be found with a simple Google search.

Opinions expressed in the Lode are not necessarily those of the student body, faculty, staff or administration of Michigan Technological University or the Michigan Tech Lode.

The Lode is designed, written and edited by Michigan Tech students.

The paper is printed every Tuesday during fall and spring semesters.

The Lode is available free of charge at drop-off sites around campus and in the surrounding community.

To the best of its ability, The Lode subscribes to the Code of Ethics of the Society of Professional

Journalists.

The Lode is funded in part by the Michigan Tech Student Activity Fee. 1. lodeads@mtu.edu for submitting ads to the Lode.

2. lodesubmit@mtu.edu for submitting articles and letters to the editor.

Work submitted to the Lode should be submitted with the understanding that it may be printed by the Lode and/or posted to the Online Lode, www. mtulode.com.

The Lode reserves the right to edit submissions for length, clarity and potentially libelous material.

Submissions should not exceed 500 words.

6

Tuesday, January 13

New year, new Orpheum SARAH HARTTUNG

PULSE

Michigan Tech Lode

The final journey to Middle Earth

Lode Writer

ARIC RHODES

Happy spring semester of 2015! While Houghton may be covered in several feet of snow, the Orpheum Theatre is a cozy place to enjoy food, beverages, and local musicians. Cover fees vary by performance, but there is usually a student discount (so don’t forget to bring I.Ds!).

Every Monday, the Orpheum hosts Pickin’ in the Parlor, free and open to the public. Come and show off guitar skills with other players or sit back and enjoy.

Kevin Blackstone is the host. Pickin’ starts at 7 p.m.

The Lowest Pair comes to town on the first Friday of term, January 16, at 8:30 p.m. The folk group is a quirky, oldtime roots influenced duet, featuring the high lonesome harmonies of banjo pickin’ songsters and Orpheum favorites Kendl Winter and Palmer T. Lee. They are currently on tour around the country, stopping in Wisconsin before giving the U.P. a visit. Go to http:// www.thelowestpair.com/ for more information.

Mary Bue makes her way to the Orpheum on Thursday, January 29th at 8:30 p.m. She is an indie, eclectic musician with two Artist in Residence honors in Seaside, FL and the Big Cypress Nature Preserve in Ochopee, FL. Her newest album, “Apple in the Ocean” was entirely crowd-funded via Kickstarter. As an added bonus, Mary Bue is a yoga instructor and hosts “popup” yoga sessions in the towns in which she performs. Come to the theatre a few hours early at 6:30 to enjoy! Check out http://www.marybue.com/ for music samples.

Hometown hero Eric Koskinen returns to Hancock with his country blues style on Friday, January 29th, following Mary Bue’s show. He’s settled in Minneapolis, MN. The artist and his band has put out two albums, titled “Keep it to Yourself” and “America Theatre.” Visit http://www. erikkoskinen.com/ to find out more (and possibly discover your newest favorite).

The Orpheum Theatre is located in downtown Hancock. To get there, take U.S. 41 N over the bridge and follow it into the town (where the highway becomes Quincy Street). Finding the Orpheum can be tricky at first. It is in the back of The Studio Pizza, which is right past Montezuma Street on the right.

Be careful if you are new to the city of Hancock, as there are many one-ways to be conscious of.

Lode Writer The Hobbit has been a mixed bag of a franchise. The films most certainly have their flaws, many of them related to the decision to split the story into three separate movies.

Despite this, they have all been major successes at the box office. The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies is quite likely the best of the trilogy, and this is largely because of its climactic nature.

In the fewest words, the movie feels like the climax of a single film. Quite nearly from beginning to end, there is always something happening, something drawing the attention of viewers. While this is certainly entertaining, and keeps the audience watching, it also shows its weakness in the few slower scenes. Since much of the movie is very fast paced, these scenes feel hideously slow and overdone, and yet this is not the case. Rather, much of the movie works on a very rushed pace, almost as if the enormous run time wasn’t quite enough. It begs the question, really, of how the film could have been better paced, in order to have a more uniform feeling.

This is not to say, however, that the action segments are bad. Quite on the contrary, the battle sequences themselves are by far the best among the Hobbit movies. Each of the titular Five Armies have a presence and impact on the battlefield, and the choreography of the battle as a whole is truly a demonstration of Peter Jackson’s mastery of such things. The largest problem of the battle, as with much of the trilogy, is the overuse of computer generated effects.

While the Lord of the Rings used computer

Shown above is a movie poster for The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies.

Photo courtesy of www.wikipedia.org

Continued on page 7

Opera ‘Tosca’ to be shown in Calumet this weekend JANE KIRBY Pulse Editor Calling all opera enthusiasts or anyone looking to get out of the frigid January air this weekend! This Saturday, the Calumet Theatre will be showing a Blue Ray DVD matinee performance of “Tosca,” one of the most popular and most performed operas in the world.

Set in Rome in the 19th century, “Tosca” presents themes including political intrigue, jealousy, betrayal, romance, heartbreak, murder, and more set to a melodramatic tone. It is split into three acts, and features

the music of an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Guiseppe Giacosa.

“Tosca” is modeled after a French play entitled “La Tosca” by Victorien Sardou.

Italian opera writer, Giacomo Puccini fell in love with the original play after viewing it twice in Italy, and immediately asked for Sardou’s permission to turn it into an opera. Less than 200 years later, it is one of the most frequently performed and viewed operas in the world.

The version being shown at the Calumet Theatre this weekend is a 2010 adaptation featuring talented singers including soprano Daniela Dessi, tenor Fabio Armiliato, and baritone Claudio Sgura.

Although entirely in Italian, there will be

English subtitles.

Opera has been broadcast on the radio for over 75 years in the area, and because it is no longer available on National Public Radio, the Calumet Theatre is looking to evaluate if there is any interest in showing an opera performance once a month on a Saturday. Please consider attending this weekend to show your interest and support the idea.The program is approximately 2 hours long, with intermissions. The Calumet Theatre does encourage a $15 donation per person, and complimentary refreshments will be available during the intermissions.

For more information please contact the Calumet Theatre at 906-337-2216.

Michigan Tech Lode

PULSE

Tuesday, January 13

7

Russian National Ballet to perform “Swan Lake” JANE KIRBY Pulse Editor

Phi Kappa Tau earned their seventh consecutive first place win during last years carnival with the creation of a scene titled “As the snow falls from above, a beast discovers love” from Disney’s popular classic Beauty and the Beast.

Photo courtesy of UMC Photographer

Month long snow statue kickoff The question this year is whether or not Phi Kappa Tau be able to defend their seven year winning streak or will one of the other fraternities sweep the show?

ALEXANDRIA VAN DUZER Lode Writer Monday marks the start of the month long statue building. As students gear up for the new semester they’ll also be spending their time creating inspired statues based on this year’s theme “While Frozen in the Ice and Snow, We Dream of Vacations on Which to Go.” Statue building for Winter Carnival began in 1936 even though the carnival itself began in 1922. Times have changed since the start of statue building but the spirit of statue building has stayed the same. Those who partake in statue building must build their own forms and are not allowed to use power tools, in fact the most technologically advanced things you’ll find on site are lights

and clothes irons.

As a participant in the Student Organization Division for the last three years I know that I’m not alone when I say that statue building is a lot of hard work and dedication. Many nights are below freezing and sharp winds will leave their burn on many faces before the month is up. However, statue building is a long honored tradition and each year brings many fantastic statues.

Nick Coon, a statue chair from 2014, said that “The statues show Houghton’s community spirit and they bring many people to the area. Those who are not from here are surprised at the size and work that go into making them.”

There are a five categories for statue building, Interactive, Fraternities, Women’s Groups, Residence Halls, and Student Organizations. Participants present many

The final journey to Middle Earth

generation for the large crowds and armies, the up close scenes were almost always done with stunt people and physical costumes.

Here, however, that approach is thrown away in preference of the much cheaper CG. This makes many scenes, after the initial awe, look less like a movie and more like a video game, an unnecessary blemish on otherwise well done scenes.

Something must be said, of course, of the plot in this film, and how much it deviates from the book. Audiences looking for an accurate transcription of the book into film likely gave up on this trilogy, and they should not bother to come back for this movie.

unique and creative statues. For the bigger Statue groups the winner of the Student Organization Division often comes down to the statues built by Army and Air Force ROTC. Statue designs, while never the same, are usually kept secret to allow viewers complete surprise at the finished product or the fun of trying to guess what the statue will look like in the end. The biggest statues will be those of Phi Kappa Tau, Tau Kappa Epsilon, Delta Sigma Phi, and Sigma Phi Epsilon. Often the first four places in the Fraternity Division are taken by these four who put in countless hours creating monolithic statues with impressive displays of ice as accent work that it rivals glass.

Will Phi Kappa Tau be able to defend their seven year winning streak or will one of the other fraternities sweep the show?

Continued from page 6

The plot stretches and diverges from that of the book quite liberally, though it does remain internally consistent with its own plot. Thusly, the plot feels solid enough, but simply lacks the truth to the book that some may be seeking.

In general, this is certainly a good movie.

Despite this, it is not adequately comparable to any of the original Lord of the Rings films.

It is by far the best of the Hobbit films, and this brings an interesting comparison to the forefront. There exists another trilogy franchise, which was later expanded by another trilogy of prequels. The Star Wars prequels are often considered to be bad

cinema, and they are, for the most part.

When one does not compare them to the original trilogy, they still have their faults, but they are able to shine as watchable movies of their own right.

The Hobbit films are quite similar, they pale in comparison to the beauty that was the original Lord of the Rings trilogy. When looked at as their own trilogy, without even considering the books, they show themselves to be enjoyable, if faulted, movies of their own. Lord of the Rings fans willing to take these films on their own will certainly enjoy this movie, and their last look at Middle Earth.

This coming weekend, the Russian National Ballet Theatre will be performing “Swan Lake” at our very own Rosza Center. The Russian National Ballet, founded in Moscow in the late 1980s, is comprised of over 50 dancers of singular instruction and a wide variety of experience. Many of the dancers have been with the company since it’s beginning.

“The Russian National Ballet will be performing “Swan Lake,” a ballet composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1875 .”

The Russian National Ballet has an interesting history, forming in the days when artists, dancers and choreographers began exploring newfound creativity and artistic freedom. Several companies began popping up across Russia, mostly dedicated to continue traditional Russian Ballet but also to dive into new forms of dances from around the world.

The Russian National Ballet will be performing “Swan Lake,” a ballet composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1875. It is a well-known love story across the world, featuring Prince Siegfried, Princess Odette Odile and the evil sorcerer Von Rothbart. Princess Odette falls under a curse from Von Rothbart, causing her to transform from princess to swan every sunrise, and back again at sunset. Odile is the evil double of Odette, taking form as a black swan sent by Von Rothbart to split the princess and the prince apart so that his spell on Odette can’t be broken.

Come watch the talented dancers of the Russian National ballet perform this ballet on Thursday and Friday in the Rosza at 7:30. Tickets can be reserved in advance for community and students.

Community tickets are $28 for adults and $14 for youth, and students are covered under the Experience Tech fee. There is also a Ballet 101 in the Rosza Lobby on Friday at 6, featuring a brief discussion with a slideshow and question and answer session. For more information, please visit the Rosza’s Events page at https://rozsa.tickets.mtu.edu/Online/ default.asp.

8

COMICS

Tuesday, January 13

Michigan Tech Lode

My Sky

Comic courtesy of XKCD

‘According to my mom, my first word was (looking up at they sky) ‘Wow!’’

Hand Sanitizer

CLASSIFIEDS GAZETTE APARTMENTS. Large apartments located within walking distance to MTU and downtown Houghton. Plowed parking, on-site laundry and garbage pick-up. Heat and water included. $650/month. Call Cheryl: 906-231-4385

Comic courtesy of XKCD

‘Hipster CDC reports flu epidemic peaked years ago.’

Coinstar

MINI FRIDGE FOR SALE. Wishing that you had purchased a fridge before coming to college? Now is your chance to purchase a fully functional fridge for only $50. Please contact The Michigan Tech Lode at lodesubmit@mtu.edu or by calling 906-487-2404.

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

Comic courtesy of XKCD

‘Plus they take like 9%.’

PUZZLES

Michigan Tech Lode Puzzle 1 (Hard, difficulty rating 0.62)

3

2

7

5

1

6 1 3

9 4

2

7 5

1

Sudoku

Rules: Fill in the grid so that each row, column and 3x3 block contains 1-9 exactly once.

Last week’s solution

5

3

4

6

2

7

9

8

1

7

8

1

9

3

4

2

6

5

7

2

9

8

9

9 6 7

4

7 9

1

9

2

2 5

5 4

7

8

Crossword

Last Solution...

PuzzleWeek’s 1 (Hard, difficulty rating 0.74)

5

9

Tuesday, January 13

6 3

8

6 4

1 2

2 5 9

4

9

3

2

7

6

1

5

8

1

7

5 8 1

3

9

8

4

3

6

4 5

8

1

5

3

6

7

7

2

4

1

6

5

3 2 5 7 1

4 9

J E S S E

A P H I D

F O A M S

E B B S

S O A P

P A P A

E M E R

A B R A S I O N S

M C I N G

Y O G I S

L L A M A

7 9

4 6 8 2

3

A C R O

R H O N D B A U B Y B E L L Y L S S C I O N R A E S D W E A T

O L O R M A S A N S T O N E S L O A S E N T H E E A V E S S H E R M T E O L O C K V E S T E E A L E A N O D L S B A F R P S H E E S T A N D A R L A L E N A M A I N S K E D

D P R I L O E A S G A N O S S L S H O O E N G A N S P A A O L R S T A U H U R L I S E V E R A R N T A I S H T T E R L O R E E L O P D E N S

I T S P A T T A M L A L I S P T E E

S T I R U P

M O N O G A M O Y R E C L O N E N Y S E L A I T F L T A S T

B I Z T E H T R E W S H H O L N E O M T I I L O K N R O O S W H A A N

A D A G E

T I G E R

L O P E

S P E D

A R L O

D E S K

O R I N G

O S T E O

Generated by http://www.opensky.ca/sudoku on Sun Jan 11 20:59:33 2015 GMT. Enjoy!

No. 0111 PERSONAL STATEMENTS

1

BY PETER A. COLLINS / EDITED BY WILL SHORTZ A CR O S S

RELEASE DATE: 1/18/2015

1 “Aladdin” antagonist 6 “___ God of hosts, hear my prayer” 11 Beam splitter 16 Face an ace 19 Historic time 20 People of Kenya 21 Powerball, for one 22 Uganda’s Amin 23 The makeup affected the appearance of all the cast of “Casino,” including ___ 25 Guilty ___ 26 Bit of evasive maneuvering 27 Singer Nina 28 “Think different,” e.g.

30 Mentored one 32 Op-___ 33 Court figs.

35 After the 1946 World Series, the dugout was filled with the Cardinals and their happy sounds, including ___ 37 Wash 39 Card a 72, maybe 40 Son of Isaac 43 Ice dam sites 46 Grade school subj.

47 Whimpers 51 She said that when it comes to ’60s teen idols, all you need to know is one thing: ___ Online subscriptions: Today’s puzzle and more than 4,000 past puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 a year).

54 Doll house?

56 One might be made over a beer 57 Dawn goddess 58 Allen’s successor on late-night TV 60 2008 Obama catchword 61 Break up, as concrete 62 Opa-___, Fla. 64 Early Mexican 66 Headed up 67 The bartender poured beers for all the action movie stars, including ___ 71 I.M. sent to a construction site?

73 Co-founder of the Black Panthers 74 “Star Trek” crew member 75 Bedouin 78 ___ Lee, singer with the 2011 #1 album “Mission Bell” 80 “And giving ___, up the chimney he rose” 81 French bloom 82 Complete 83 SAT needs 85 The members of the Metropolitan Opera were hit with a host of problems, including ___ 88 Cause for an insurer’s denial, maybe 89 It’s east of S.A. 91 Schwarzenegger, informally 92 “Enough, I get it!”

93 Prior listings?

97 C. S. Lewis’s lion 99 At Thanksgiving the Indians were impressed with the Pilgrims and their earth-toned platters, especially ___ 104 Quarry, e.g.

105 Hundred Acre Wood denizen 108 Backdrop for many Bond films 109 More recent 111 Wows 113 Market initials in a red oval 114 Justice Kagan 116 While trading barbs during the filming of “M*A*S*H,” no one was able to match ___ 118 Game of logic 119 With full force 120 Form a secret union?

121 Battier of the N.B.A. 122 Cookie-selling org.

123 Showed some disapproval 124 Like a neutron star 125 Radioer’s “T” DOWN

1 Eisenberg of “The Social Network” 2 Ladybug’s prey 3 Gets a head?

4 “-phobia” start 5 Title woman in a Beach Boys hit 6 Meditation sounds 7 Back muscles, briefly

8 “___ Mio” 9 Went long 10 Painters Rivera and Velázquez 11 Expects 12 Children’s author Asquith 13 1994 film based on an “S.N.L.” skit 14 Provoke 15 Challenge for a playboy 16 “Carmen” composer 17 “Better safe than sorry,” e.g.

18 Al Kaline, for his entire career 24 Best at an inspection, say 29 Pale 31 Do some farmwork 34 World leader in 1979 headlines 36 Record 37 What toasters often hold 38 Work night for Santa 40 Pulls back 41 It’s found in cakes 42 Scrapes 44 Put up 45 Cig 48 Half of half-and-half 49 Run easily 50 Ran 52 Cheerleaders’ practice 53 Generally 54 Original name of Motown Records 55 Hershiser who once pitched 59 consecutive scoreless innings 58 High-minded sort?

2

3

4

5

6

19

10

28

32

33

34

37 41

11

45

79

83

59

94

95

65

76

77

106

107

82 86

92 97

102 109 115

87

91

101

103

98 104

110

111

112

114

118

119

120

121

122

123

124

125

79 Like sports games and musical works 82 Bit of cosmetic surgery 84 Really bothered 85 Dutch treaty city 86 Cell component, for short 87 Have trouble with sass?

89 ___ moment 90 Marshy region

116

105

113

59 Old orchard spray 62 Is biased 63 City in Los Lobos?

65 Steers, as a ship 68 Osso buco need 69 Hindu deity 70 Idea 71 ___ John’s 72 Part of FEMA: Abbr.

76 Woody offshoot?

77 News station

50

66

75

96

108

49

70

85 90

48

60

81

89

18

55

74

84

100

47

69

88

17

31

64

80

93

30

54

63

73

78

26

58

68

72

25

46

57

67

16 22

53

62

15

36

52

61

14

39 44

56

13

21

35

43

12

29

38

42

51

99

9

24

27

71

8

20

23

40

7

117

94 Source of the quote in 6-Across

103 Long-legged fisher 105 Martin’s partner 95 Run out of gear? of old TV 96 Like nobles 106 Gasket variety 98 “Finally!”

107 Bone: Prefix 99 Hosting, informally 110 Gym count 100 Some meditation 112 Workplace welfare teachers org.

101 Cousin of a camel 115 Never, in Neuss 102 Nicked 117 Tick (off)

10

Tuesday, January 13

“Happy Holidays” is not offensive

OPINION

Michigan Tech Lode

Person of the Year

ADAM ROMANKO Opinion Editor I love the holiday season. I’m not religious, but something about the holiday season really makes me feel like a great person. I enjoy how kind strangers tend to be to one anothereveryone is grateful and happy, celebrating in their own, special way.

However, like anything in society, there always has to be someone who has to be offended.

The winter season is home to many different religious and cultural holidays and traditions. And just about all of them are celebrated in the United States.

People tend to say things like “merry Christmas” or “happy Hanukkah”, typically depending on religion and heritage. But sometimes, politically correct individuals choose to use a different phrase, “happy holidays”, and it has some people barking up a tree at a normally wonderful time of the year.

Personally, I love the phrase happy holidays, and I use it whenever I am out in public. I celebrate Christmas, but I understand and respect the fact that not everyone does. I also understand that by saying “happy holidays” I am not leaving out anyone- I am open and accepting of whatever holiday(s) they happen to celebrate.

But most importantly, I feel that there is a strong case to be made that being offended by any form of holiday greeting is completely idiotic. If someone chooses to use any holiday expression towards you, be grateful. The person that you are conversing with does not mean any sort of ill will towards you if they say “happy Hanukkah” and you happen to not be Jewish, just as saying “merry Christmas” to a non- Christian isn’t trying to be insulting. These are supposed to be positive expressionsinterpreting them as anything else goes entirely against their original motivation.

Nothing is accomplished from being offended, and it certainly doesn’t make anyone better off. Regardless of what you choose to celebrate, just be kind to one another.

Time Magazine named their 2014 person of the year as the group of Ebola Fighters in West Africa. Pictured above were various covers featured along with their article found at http://time.com/time-person-of-the-year-ebola-fighters-choice/.

Photo courtesy of www.time.com

KATHERINE BAECKEROOT Lode Writer Roughly one month ago, Time Magazine named their person of the year for 2014. This year, rather than an individual person, Time chose to feature the Ebola Fighters in West Africa as a collective unit, for their “tireless acts of courage and mercy.” Time has been presenting this accolade since 1927, and the eight 2014 finalists were announced earlier last week.

Among the runners were: Roger Goodell, Masoud Barzani, Tim Cook, Jack Ma, the Ferguson Protesters, Taylor Swift, and Vladimir Putin. (The latter two, were obviously not right nor ideal for the honor, and out of all the people who risk their lives to help others everyday I am appalled by this and abhor the fact they were even considered).

All technicalities aside, the Ebola virus has been largely focused upon in the media

for the past few months; it has instilled fear and anger in the masses, as well as brought awareness to the deadly disease.

Media coverage was so extensive that internet memes for the sickness have arisen, mocking its graveness. I’ve spoken with many individuals who are now tuning the information out. There haven’t been any new health reports or recent statistics and much of the talk has simply appeared to be media hype.

This is part of the reason why I feel Time’s choice to present the Person of the Year award to the Ebola Fighters was extremely impactful. These are some of the strongest humanitarians I have been aware of in my time.

The fighters include people who risk their lives everyday to help others who are sick, as well as those who are tirelessly working to help prevent the perpetual spread of the infectious disease. There are not many of us who would willingly put our lives in danger to help people we don’t know, let alone who have a contagious and deadly disease.

Numerous avid ebola fighters have lost their lives within the past few months after retracting the virus and being unable to attain treatment fast enough, as its symptoms can often be mistaken for innocuous illnesses.

This award has brought realism back to this infectious disease. Rather than it being something that could easily be forgotten about in the media after its primary popularity I feel this accolade has brought back the awareness; there are people actually dying. Rather than irrational fear erupting it allows us to once again look at Ebola with more seriousness.

Nearly 6,000 deaths have occurred as a result of the infectious disease. Many healthcare professionals have been warning us that without proper prevention tactics, this could turn into a world-wide dilemma.

Time nominating and choosing the Ebola Fighters for the person of the year is one of the most humanitarian actions they have done in a long time, it’s time we stop praising pop culture figures as well as biased political representatives.

Read your syllabi ADAM ROMANKO Opinion Editor It’s the beginning of a new semester!

Although most of us students have taken classes previous to this semester, many of us keep making the same mistake over and over again. And it’s painful because it causes panic in the future, it has the potential to lower your overall scores in classes, and it doesn’t

even take that long. That’s right everyone, we all keep forgetting to set aside some time to read over all the different syllabi that we acquire from our different courses.

Reading over the syllabus for any given course is arguably the most preventative measure one can take to avoid problems in the future. Many syllabi are detailed- they go over exactly what the professor expects, and how to earn a grade worth bragging about in a given course. They go over

(sometimes in vivid detail) exactly how to do everything for a given course, and they sometimes even contain a timeline of events for the course. Making sure you have a healthy understanding of what the class expects from you can really save you from encountering panic situations in the futuretrust me, I’ve been there.

Have you ever failed to take note that a class grades based on attendance, only to

Continued on page 11

Michigan Tech Lode

OPINION

Tuesday, January 13

Is Obama’s Community College Plan right for you?

Lode Writer Barack Obama has recently proposed the idea of providing a free two years of community college for high school graduates. For the more financially troubled students, this could be the opportunity to lower their crippling student debts. Not much information has been released about Obama’s plan, so this plan may not be suitable for everyone. Those looking for a way to lessen the financial burden of their education or switching majors may find that this program is worth looking into.

It is currently unknown if existing college students will be able to benefit from this plan or if only fresh high school graduates are. All that’s known is that high school graduates will be eligible if they’re at least a half time student, able to maintain a C+ average or higher, and make “steady progress towards their degree.” If current Tech students are eligible, this is a fantastic way to potentially save upwards of fifty four thousand dollars in tuition fees.

Transferring community college credits to Michigan Tech is simple as well.

Read your syllabi Continued from page 10

discover at the end of the semester that your grade has been reduced for no discernable reason? Hopefully not, but this is one of the many things that a quick glance at a syllabus can help prevent. Grades are important, and losing out on easy points is a waste- why not prevent these problems? And for those of you who are worried that you will forget what you have read, or that you might mix up different classes, keep a copy of the syllabus for each class stored on your computer or phone- a fast reference later on can also save you from a world of hurt.

Finally, never use the excuse that you don’t have the time- it is not going to work here. The average time to scan through a syllabus for pertinent information is around 10 minutes, which means that you can easily find around 1 hour to devote to going through your syllabi. In some classes, they also go through them over the first day of class, but typically not in much depth. Let’s be honest, some of us are not even mentally off from break at that point, and don’t even retain anything on that first day. Read your syllabi on your own terms to ensure that you know what is going on.

The Michigan Tech website lists which community college classes will transfer to Michigan Tech, and which courses they will replace. This tool makes it easy to plan out which courses can be taken at a community college, and which courses can only be taken at Michigan Tech. Finding a way to fill at least one year of community college classes should be no problem at all for most students.

Granted, freshman and incoming students will see the greatest benefit from taking advantage of this program; most of the courses offered at a community colleges are lower level courses. However, that’s not to say upperclassmen wishing to save money are completely out of luck. The stated requirements for this program are very loose. Anyone missing some odd classes to fulfill their graduation requirements who have the time to take a year or two of community college courses could take part time classes under this program.

Those wishing to switch majors but don’t have the funds for an extra year or two of schooling may also wish to take part in this program. Community colleges offer a far more lax environment than Michigan Tech; taking courses there might be a good way to test the waters for switching majors.

The fact that mostly lower level courses are offered there may also not be too big of a problem for anyone considering switching majors.

Despite the massive savings, this program won’t be for everyone. There are some downsides that must be considered. For one thing, even with the wide curriculum offered by community colleges, it’s likely that taking a year or two off to attend community college will postpone your degree or at the very least cram up future semester schedules. Taking a glance at the required courses for a mechanical or chemical engineering degree and the transferable credits offered by a few community colleges, it’s clear that the community college was not intended to replace Michigan Tech schooling.

There are a myriad of required courses that have no community college substitute.

So basically, the two years spent at community college may not necessarily translate to two years of Michigan Tech, and future schedules will reflect that. In most cases, taking advantage of this program will save you thousands of dollars, but will also postpone your degree. If this is right for you, then this program is definitely worth checking out.

Take me home GAGE HEERINGA Lode Writer Many would agree there is a tradition in education of teaching courses in a way rather unrelated to the “real world.” For example, I think the better mathematician is the one who may take five hours to completely show her work with proofs than the one who may memorize processes for solving specific problems to quickly complete an exam in one hour.

The first way leads to real learning and understanding of your topic. I think there should be more focus on take home exams and recognition of their potential for being a means of truly learning your subject of study.

Obviously take home exams allow the potential for cheating, and it may happen in most classes, so I wouldn’t suggest complete replacement of in-class exams and evening exams outside of the class’ registered time, but a healthy balance

of in-class and take-home exams. Inclass exams are still valuable in showing, for example, you truly understand the fundamentals of your subject. They also relate to real world situations such as when engineers must quickly make

“The better mathematician is the one who may take five hours to completely show her work with proofs than the one who may memorize processes for solving specific problems to quickly complete an exam in one hour.” logical decisions regarding a project.

Though cheating is a potential problem with take home exams, I think that the purpose is to give honorable students a great exercise in managing time and selfdiscipline, because in the end cheaters are only cheating themselves

Rand Silvers

LODE

ing

ZONE

JOSEPH PIETRZYK

Un

11

I’ve only been asked “How was your break?” about two dozen times since the semester started. It seems to be the only conversation starter that applies after not seeing friends and classmates for close to a month.

Now I don’t mean to bash the question; I’ve asked it as much as anyone else. It is a relevant question, and I do actually care how your break was. Most people come back with some really interesting and funny stories that I enjoy hearing.

But somewhere around the ninth time I’m asked the question, I start to go on autopilot. I now have a one sentence, three sentence, and thirty second description of my winter break experience prepared, depending on the level of interest and amount of time. I didn’t plan these out ahead of time, but now I know them by rote.

That’s kind of disappointing.

There’s something to be said for small talk as social lubricant, but shouldn’t there be more than that? At least for the people we care about? Is it possible for me to have an actually engaging conversation about winter break without falling back on vague cliches?

It’s also made me think about the casual questions of greeting that get asked every other day of the year. How many times do we get asked, “How’s it going?” or “What’s up?” and think nothing of it? Those are actually really interesting and important questions. If you’re having a bad day, you shouldn’t have to say “Good” if you don’t want to.

I think it’s possible to make more of those everyday interactions, and I’m making it my mission to do so. So, if you see me walking down the hall, or sitting at lunch, feel free to ask me how my break was, or how my day was. Just know what you’re getting into.

12

SPORTS

Tuesday, January 13

# the By

s r e b m nu

23.1

Average points scored per game by senior guard Ben Stelzer, who leads the Men’s Basketball team and the GLIAC in points per game

3

Tech’s finish in the 50th annual GLI after losing 2-1 to Michigan in game one and upsetting Ferris State 4-2 in the third place match

Number of consecutive home series Tech Hockey will play starting with Bowling Green this Friday and Saturday

4

1

Where the Huskies rank tied with Wayne State in the GLIAC Women’s Basketball standings with a record of 7-1

5

Place earned

by Michigan Tech Nordic Skiing out of 24 colleges in the College Cup competition at U.S. Nationals

40

Margin of points by which Women’s Basketball earned a victory over Lake Erie on Jan. 8 (75-35)

Michigan Tech Lode

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Tom Bye

ELLIE FURMANSKI Sports Editor Freshman Tom Bye has proven to be a strong asset for the Huskies’ Nordic Ski team this winter in his debut collegiate ski season. So far this year, he has consistently finished at or near the top of the Tech squad in just about every race.

Bye joined the men’s team after coming off a post graduate year of training with the Central Cross Country Ski Association (CXC), a community Olympic development program. He spent the year primarily in Hayward, Wis., training with Coach Bill Pierce and many elite athletes. Based on the results so far this winter, it is clear that his hard work is definitely now paying off.

This past week, Michigan Tech hosted the 2015 U.S. Cross Country Championships, and it turned out to be quite a momentous week for the young freshman. Through his performance in the distance freestyle and classic races, Bye made school history, becoming the first Tech skier to make the World Junior team. This means that he will represent Team USA at the World Junior Championships in Kazakhstan coming up this February.

The Eden Prairie, Minn., native was the first Husky to cross the finish line in the men’s 15-kilometer freestyle race on Jan. 4. Bye completed the course in 45:30, which landed him a 32nd place finish overall, third amongst all junior (under 20) skiers. “It was my best race of

the year so far,” mentioned Bye. After his praise worthy performance in the freestyle event, Bye sealed his spot on Team USA by earning a 10th place finish in the junior men’s 10-kilometer classic race on Jan. 8. He crossed the finish line in 31:47, just over a minute behind the first place finisher from NMU. Bye led the pack all the way through the first 6.5 kilometers but fell behind after one of his poles was stepped on and happened to break.

“I went about 400 meters without one, then got one from a friendly coach,” he explained. Despite the mishap, he mustered out the tenth place finish and rightfully earned a spot on Team USA. “I was stoked to hear I made the U.S. team to race in Kazakhstan because it was my dream all of last year to make World Juniors this year,” said Bye. “It was tough but well worth it and couldn’t have been done without my friends’ and family’s support.”

Bye also competed in the classic sprint event on Jan. 6, but he did not make it past the quarter final heat of the junior division. There was another mishap with broken poles about 10 meters from the finish line, which cost him the second place standing he had at the time. These

Photo courtesy of Michigan Tech Athletics

results did not factor into making the World Junior team.

Overall, it was a great week for MTU Nordic and an especially great week for the newest member of Team USA’s World Junior team. With gusto, Bye expressed, “I am feeling great and ready to represent the starts in stripes in Kazakhstan!”

Bye and the rest of the Huskies will compete next this coming weekend at the Telemark Super Tour in Hayward, Wisc.

“I was stoked to hear I made the U.S. team to race in Kazakhstan because it was my dream all of last year to make World Juniors this year... I am feeling great and ready to represent the starts in stripes in Kazakhstan!”

-Tom Bye

U.S. Nationals Hosted by MTU Nordic Ski MACKENZIE PLETCHER Lode Writer Despite the frigid, sub-zero temperatures, the Michigan Tech Nordic Ski team hosted and competed in the U.S. Nationals this past week over a four-day period. The competition was held at the Michigan Tech Nordic Training Center.

For the first day of the Nordic skiing races, heavy snowfall and extreme cold was beheld during the race but with seemingly little effect on the Michigan Tech Ski team. One of the leading

racers of MTU, Alice Flanders, scored an impressive 20th place finish in the women’s 10-kilometer freestyle race.

Another remarkable finish was acquired by racer Thomas Bye, who placed 32nd in the men’s 15-kilometer freestyle. Other finishes for the first day for Tech include Deedra Irwin with a 36th place finish, Ulrika Axelson with 67th place, Sam Holmes with 96th place and David Joda with 126th place.

Due to the low temperatures and heavy snowfall, the next day of racing was postponed until the following day.

All of the races for this day were classic sprints, which were a distance of 1.5

kilometers.

The MTU Nordic Ski team achieved high places with racers such as Haakon Hjulsten placing third and Deedra Irwin scoring a 10th place finish. Hjulsten was only shy seven seconds from the first place finisher Dakota Blackhorse-von Jess and one second away from second place.

For the women, Michigan Tech racers Alice Flanders and Ulrika Axelson also finished the day with promising placement, 33rd and 42nd, respectively.

As for the MTU men, Sam Holmes Continued on page 15

Michigan Tech Lode

SPORTS

Tuesday, January 13

13

Women’s Basketball returns Sidelines with No. 24 ranking Dollar Days

Community Programs at Michigan Tech’s Student Development Complex offers a wide variety of fitness programs throughout the year. If you’re interested in taking a new class this semester, take part in Dollar Days this week! Try a class, like Zumba, Yoga, Pilates, PiYo or Metabolic Conditioning, for a fee of just $2 at the door. Dollar Days runs Jan. 12 – 17. For a comprehensive list of classes offered and a complete spring semester schedule, visit www.

MichiganTechRecreation.com.

JOHN REYNOLDS Lode Writer The Michigan Tech Women’s Basketball team returns to Tech with four wins and one loss over the break to drop a few spots in the rankings. Tech had a non-conference game to close out the year and then had two away GLIAC contests and two home GLIAC contests to finish up the break. The Huskies are 11-1 and tied for first in the GLIAC with Wayne State.

Tech’s first game of the break was against the Minot State Beavers of North Dakota. The Beavers took a lead into the half, up 33 to 30, but Tech took the lead for good within three minutes of the second half. Brenna Heise scored 22 points for the Huskies, making 11 of 13 shots to lead the team. The lead changed 15 times in this tough 77-69 win for the Huskies.

For the first game of 2015, Tech traveled to Columbus to play Ohio Dominican in a matchup between the top and the bottom of the GLIAC standings. Tech took an early lead in this game, but had to withstand an aggressive comeback attempt, seeing the 24 point first-half lead fall to three points. Jillian Ritchie led the team with 21 points to help Coach Kim Cameron to her 100th career victory, a 64-57 win.

Unfortunately Tech’s second half struggles carried into their next game against the Tiffin Dragons. Tech fell 80-66 with only two players reaching double digit figures. Danielle Blake had 23 points to lead the Huskies and Ritchie added 13 of her own, but it wasn’t enough to withstand Tiffin’s onslaught.

The Huskies fell 80-66. Fortunately this was the end of a stretch of away matches, and Tech returned home for the final two games of the break.

The Huskies returned with a vengeance against Lake Erie, more than doubling the Storm’s 35 points with their 75. Tech’s defense really stood out in this game, holding Lake Erie to less than 25 percent shooting. Morgan Anderson scored 14 points for the Huskies to lead the team. Kellie Guy and Heise scored 11 points each, putting Tech’s three highest scores ahead of the entire Storm team.

Tech took this momentum into the Ashland game, beating the Eagles by 24 points 63-39. Defense was once again the strong point of the Huskies’ game, holding the Eagles to just five points over the first 13 minutes. Blake and Morgan Anderson scored 16 and 13

Spring Intramurals

Registration for the spring semester is now officially open for all activities.

The first round of registration deadlines is set for this Friday, Jan. 16, for basketball, co-rec volleyball and bowling. Spring basketball and corec volleyball registration are due by 3:00 p.m., and bowling registration will expire at 5:00 p.m. For a full list of spring intramurals and to register, visit www.imleagues.com.

Huskies Scoreboard

Junior forward Dani Blake finishes her layup during a home matchup earlier this season. Blake led the Huskies with 16 points and 7 rebounds in last weekends win over Ashland.

Photo by Pratik Joshi

points, respectively, leading the way for a team that shot 50 percent on the day.

The Huskies had a successful break, but one tough loss tarnished an otherwise unblemished season. They have been overwhelming to their two opponents since and can hopefully carry

this into the next semester. Their next two games are against Ferris State on Jan. 15 and Grand Valley State on Jan. 17, bringing two GLIAC rivals to the SDC. Hopefully their defense can continue to obliterate their opponents so that these two tough games won’t be a problem.

Men’s Basketball: The Huskies fell 69-62 to UW-Parkside in a nonconference match on Dec. 20. From there, the team contended in four GLIAC games and went 4-0. Tech beat Ohio Dominican 84-72 (Jan. 2), Tiffin 64-50 (Jan. 4), Lake Erie 82-78 (Jan. 8) and Ashland 79-69 (Jan. 10).

Women’s Basketball: Tech went 4-1 over break, including a 77-69 non-conference win at Minot St. on Dec. 20. In their GLIAC matches, the Huskies beat Ohio Dominican (64-57), fell at Tiffin (80-66) and then continued their win streak at home over Lake Erie (75-35) and Ashland (63-39).

Hockey: A 2-1 loss to Michigan in the first round of the GLI on Dec. 28 sent Tech to the third place match the following day where they beat Ferris State 4-2. The following weekend at Madison they split the series with the Badgers, earning an 8-1 victory on Jan. 2 and falling 2-0 on Jan. 3. Up on deck was Northern Michigan. The rivals went head to head Jan. 9 and 10.

Friday’s match ended in a tie 3-3, and the Wildcats pushed past Tech 5-4 in game two.

Nordic Skiing: Tech hosted U.S. Nationals at the Tech Trails Jan. 4 – 10. The women’s team placed third in the College Cup competition and the men took seventh. Overall, the teams’ combined score led Michigan Tech to fifth place out of 24 colleges.

14 Tuesday, January 13 Michigan Tech Lode SPORTS Huskies take third in One strangely split series 50th annual Great Lakes at Wisconsin Invitational IAN HATZILIAS

IAN HATZILIAS Lode Writer An unfortunate first game of the GLI against a shorthanded Michigan Wolverines guaranteed Tech to place in the bottom half of the two-day tournament. Michigan had several players competing in the World Junior Championships during the weekend of the GLI. The Huskies simply dominated the first 30 minutes of play in terms of possession, but the score did not agree with the quality of competition as the game was tied at one goal apiece after two periods.

Michigan’s Cutler Martin tallied the first on the score sheet in the first period and was quickly answered four minutes later by Tech’s Malcolm Gould.

Mid-way through the second period, the puck saw less time in Tech’s offensive zone and more time in their defensive zone. The Wolverines developed a much more physically aggressive style of play for the duration of the game, and the wear and tear on the Huskies was very apparent.

The momentum had clearly shifted as Michigan’s Zach Hyman put home the eventual game winner on a power play early on in the third period. Although the Huskies fought valiantly at the end and developed many scoring chances, they could not find the back of the net.

Michigan goaltender Steve Racine stole the show that night, making 40 saves on 41 shots, and would go with his team to eventually winning the GLI Championship.

Michigan Tech holds a winning record

of 2-1 over the Wolverines this season.

The second day of the GLI would bear better news for Tech as they topped Ferris State 4-2 to lock up third place in the tournament.

Scoring goals for the Huskies were CJ

“Michigan Tech remains undefeated against the defense-heavy Ferris State Bulldogs with a record of 3-0.”

Eick, Malcolm Gould, Joel L’Esperance and Tanner Kero. Tech was able to net all of their goals in the first two periods, scoring three of them in the second frame.

The Bulldogs came back and answered quickly after what would be Tech’s final goal of the game with just over five minutes remaining in the second period, and then they struck quickly again in the beginning of the third. However, it wouldn’t be enough as Tech tightened up on the defensive end and held the lead until the game was over.

This game’s stats tell a slightly different story for Tech than what many are used to. The Huskies were outshot, a very rare occurrence, in the second game of the GLI by a wide margin of 16 with the final shot chart showing 36-20. Typically the Huskies possess the puck far more than the other team, but that was not the case at the historic Joe Louis Arena that day.

Yet in the face of adversity, the Huskies were able to pull out the win.

Michigan Tech remains undefeated against the defense-heavy Ferris State Bulldogs with a record of 3-0 this season.

Lode Writer Mel Pearson and the Huskies traveled to Wisconsin to kick off the new year in a non-conference series against Wisconsin.

Typically a powerhouse team, Wisconsin has struggled tremendously to produce this season; they were 1-11-1 coming into 2015.

The first game of this series was a testament to their struggles as they collapsed under Tech’s offensive pressure and allowed eight goals in 60 minutes of play.

Tech scored three goals in the first period, three in the second and two in the final frame. Of the eight goals scored, four of them came on special teams, as the power play went three for seven, and Tanner Kero opened the scoring early on in the game with a shorthanded goal.

As has been the story all season for the Huskies, they outshot their opponents by a wide margin of 40-25.

What followed an aggressive 8-1 win is not anything anyone really expected to come from this strong Tech team. For the first time this season, Michigan Tech was shut out, even after pummeling 47 shots at goaltender Joel Rumpel.

Tech only allowed 19 shots on goal,

Northern edges Huskies in home-and-home series IAN HATZILIAS Lode Writer The home-and-home series against Tech’s biggest rival, the NMU Wildcats, did not go over so well for the Huskies

Varsity Events Schedule: December 13 - 19 Tuesday, 13 Women’s Basketball Men’s Basketball Hockey Nordic Skiing

Wednesday, 14

Thursday, 15 Vs. Ferris State @ 5:30 p.m. ** Vs. Ferris State @ 7:30 p.m. **

and one of them made its way past Jamie Phillips during a Badger power play deep into the second period. Joesph LaBate of Wisconsin scored an empty netter with a minute and five seconds remaining in the game to seal the win 2-0.

This game turned out to be very similar to the first round of the GLI against the Michigan Wolverines, and it seemed that Rumpel only got better as the game went on. After letting in three goals on six shots the night before, the senior netminder was a brick wall for his home team and stole the game away.

There isn’t much more you can ask for from a team that consistently puts up stellar possession numbers night in and night out, sometimes the bounces just go the other way. That being said, the Huskies are still struggling on the power play.

In Saturday’s loss to the Badgers, they went 0-4 with the man advantage while Wisconsin scored the game winner while they were on the power play. In many situations, all that’s necessary is a slight difference in puck handling or shot selection, but sometimes a slight difference can make all the difference necessary to turn the game around.

Even after a frustrating loss, Tech still holds a pretty nice looking record on the season.

Friday, 16

Vs. Bowling Green @ 7:07 p.m.

Saturday, 17

on the last weekend of break. Friday’s game in Marquette ended in a 3-3 tie, and Saturday’s game at The Mac ended 5-4 in OT in favor of the Wildcats.

Although the Huskies managed two points against Northern, it doesn’t help

Continued on page 15

Home Game ** Conference Match Sunday, 18

Vs. Grand Valley @ 12:00 p.m. ** Vs. Grand Valley @ 2:00 p.m. ** Vs. Bowling Green @ 7:07 p.m. @ Telmark @ Telemark Super Tour Super Tour Hayward, Wis. Hayward, Wis.

Monday, 19

Michigan Tech Lode

SPORTS

Tuesday, January 13

Northern edges Huskies in homeand-home series Continued from page 14

the slight slump the team has found themselves in.

Friday’s game was a testament to the Huskies’ tenacity as they came back from a 3-1 deficit and scored two goals in just over two minutes in the third period to even the score. They were down nearly the whole game and battled back to stay in it.

Tech’s specialty teams saw improvement, going two for five on the power play and putting up 31 shots on goal.

Scoring for the Huskies on Friday were Tanner Kero, Tyler Heinonen and Shane Hanna. After the tie in Marquette, the Huskies headed home to start a ninegame home stand.

Saturday’s game saw play go back and forth as Northern scored the first two goals of the game late in the first period, causing Jamie Phillips to get pulled and relieved by Matt Wintjes.

The Huskies responded swiftly in the next period, scoring three straight to take the lead. After exchanging goals once more in the second, the Huskies tied the game in the third period, but it would be Mitch Jones of the Wildcats that put home the game-winner in the overtime period.

Tech is now 15-6-1 on the season and is playing the best hockey the Keweenaw has seen in years.

Tanner Kero leads the team in goals

Lode Writer The Men’s Basketball team won four and lost one over break, improving to 9-3 on the season. Fortunately for the Huskies, their one loss wasn’t in GLIAC play and it was to a ranked team. They improved to 6-2 in GLIAC play and are going to be playing at home a lot this semester.

The men closed out their year with their final non-conference game against UWParkside. Despite 32 points by Ben Stelzer, Tech couldn’t hold off the Rangers, who entered the game at an impressive 7-1.

Tech had just one player in double digits, three fewer than the victory over the Rangers last season. The lead changed 13 times in the second half of this close game, but Tech couldn’t overcome the 19 points the Rangers scored on 33 free-throw shots.

The Huskies fell 69-62.

Tech had a more balanced game in

U.S. Nationals Hosted

by MTU Nordic Ski

Continued from page 12

“The team is working well together and we are all in it to do our best for Tech.”

Senior Tanner Kero battles for the draw against University of Alaska Anchorage earlier this season. Kero currently leads the team in goals and points with 25.

-Tom Bye

Photo by Colton Wesoloski

and points with nine goals and 16 assists, good for 25 points in 22 games with a +/rating of +10. Alex Petan and Malcolm Gould also carry nine goals, although Gould has played two fewer games than Kero and Petan. Petan trails Kero with 24 points, and Gould has 16 points.

The defense also remains strong with Jamie Phillips holding an impressive 93.3 save percentage and allowing an average of less than two goals per game at 1.79.

This coming weekend the Huskies host a strong Bowling Green (13-3-4) squad, currently ranked third in the WCHA. The MacInnes Student Ice Arena will then host Alaska Fairbanks the following weekend, Alabama Huntsville the next and lastly Bemidji State for Winter Carnival.

Puck drop for the Bowling Green series is set for 7:07 p.m. on Friday and 5:07 p.m. on Saturday.

Men’s Basketball on a roll heading into tough Ferris State matchup JOHN REYNOLDS

15

their next one against Ohio Dominican with each of their front five scoring in the double digits. Tech won by twelve (84-72) in the end despite huge momentum swings during the game. Tech led by 21 at one point in the first half but only took a seven point lead into the locker room at the half.

Tech managed to hold the lead behind 12 of 14 shooting from the foul line in the second half to get their first win of the new year.

Tech’s next game was against the Tiffin Dragons, whose women’s team had just upset Tech’s team. The men weren’t going to let Tiffin steal the day, however. Kyle Stankowski led the Huskies with 13 points, but every Husky who played scored at least a point in another balanced attack by the Huskies. This was Tech’s eighth away game of the season, and they won 64-50.

Tech returned home for their third victory of the break against a tough Lake Erie squad. After falling behind after the first half, the Huskies ended up coming back to win it 82 to 78. Tech had to win it with 18 points from the foul line. Stelzer led

the Huskies with 24 points, including going four for four on three point attempts in the second half.

The next game was a tough GLIAC matchup against the 10-3 Ashland Eagles.

Tech played a close game until the second half, where they really took off. All five starters hit double digits, but Stelzer led the way with 22 points. Tech went up by 17 points with under three minutes to go and ended up with a 10 point victory in the end (79-69).

Tech carries a four game win streak into their next game against No. 25 Ferris State on Jan. 15. They are currently atop the GLIAC standings while Tech sits in fourth place. Following that will be another GLIAC matchup against Grand Valley State on Jan. 17.

The Huskies face all of the elite in the GLIAC in this semester. They have a tough schedule, but it is largely at home, and they are a good, balanced team. Hopefully they can keep this momentum for the rest of the year.

obtained a 20th place finish and Thomas Kendrick was 28th.

On the Thursday of the U.S. Nationals, there were many impressive finishes from the Michigan Tech team.

All contests of the day were classic distance races with varying distances from five kilometers to 30 kilometers.

MTU freshman Thomas Bye finished the junior men’s 10-kilometer race with 10th place, scoring the highest placement of Tech for the day. With Bye’s impressive finish, he can race with Team USA in Kazakhstan for the World Junior Championship in the upcoming weeks.

“In regards to my personal performance, I am incredibly excited!” stated Bye. “I worked all last year during my PG to race fast enough to earn a spot on the [U.S. Team].”

Some other finishes for the MTU Nordic Ski team include Ulrika Axelson with 20th place in the women’s 20-kilometer race, as well as Deedra Irwin with 33rd and Alice Flanders with 35th place.

As for the final day of racing, Deedra Irwin and Alice Flanders managed to achieve 23rd and 24th place in the freestyle sprint race with Irwin trumping Flanders by a narrow twotenths of a second.

“I am feeling great about the team this year,” said Bye when asked for his outlook on the team. “The women placed third overall, which is amazing, and the team is working well together, and we are all in it to do our best for Tech.”

The next race for the MTU Nordic ski team will be this Saturday, Jan. 17, at the Telemark Super Tour in Hayward, Wis.

Upcoming

Events January 13 - 19 “Swan Lake”-Russian National Ballet Theatre

Thursday, Jan. 15 & Friday, Jan. 16 7:30 p.m. Rozsa

Russian National Ballet Theatre presents “Swan Lake” at the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts this Thursday and Friday, Jan. 15 - 16. The show will start at 7:30 p.m. both nights. The cost is $28 for adults, $14 for youth and free for Michigan Tech students. There will also be a Ballet 101 session in the Rozsa Lobby on Friday before the show starting at 6 p.m., which will include a brief slide show, disussion and time for questions/answers.

Dollar Days-Community Programs

Tuesday, Jan. 13 - Saturday, Jan. 17.

$2 SDC Studio

Michigan Tech Community Programs is promoting Dollar Days this week. Try a new class, like Zumba or PiYo, for just $2 today through this Saturday, Jan. 17. Show up, pay the instructor at the door and get your fitness on. Classes will be held in the SDC Studio unless otherwise noted. For a complete listing of classes offered as well as class schedules, visit www.michigantechcrecreation.com.

Student Leader Information Sessions-Student Life

Thursday, Jan. 15 & Sunday, Jan. 18. 8 - 9 p.m. Fisher 135

Students interested in becoming an Orientation Team Leader, Resident Assistant or Program Assistant for the upcoming 2015-2016 school year are required to attend a student leader information session. Learn about each of these positions as well as the selection process. Attendance to one of the sessions is mandatory in order to receive an application. The remaining information sessions will be held this Thursday, Jan. 15 and Sunday, Jan. 18 from 8 - 9 p.m. in Fisher 135.

“The Judge”-Film Board

Friday, Jan. 16.

5:30 p.m., 8:30 p.m., 11:30 p.m.

$3

Fisher 135

Big city lawyer Hank Palmer returns to his childhood home where his father, the town’s judge, is suspected of murder. Hank sets out to discover the truth and, along the way, reconncets with his estranged family. The cost is $3, and concessions will be available. Show times this Friday, Jan. 16 will be held at 5:30, 8:30 and 11:30 p.m.

Additional show times will be available on Saturday, Jan. 17 at 2:30, 5:30, 8:30 and 11:30 p.m., as well as on Sunday, Jan. 18 at 2:30 and 5:30 p.m.

Place your ad here!

Special rates on events page advertising. Contact us at lodeads@mtu.edu or for more information call (906) 487-2404.

ASK TECH Sumit Pant “I will try to be more social in the real world than in the virtual world.”

Atish Reddy Bendhi “I want to quit smoking and live healthier.”

What is your New Year’s resolution?

-Pratik Joshi

Manan Kulshrestha “I want to try and quit drinking alcohol, except for social occasions.”

Ashish Pandita “My New Year resoution is to surround myself with positive energy and positive people.”