01/28/2014

January 28, 2013

Douglas Houghton: father of copper mining

fall at Tec w o h Sn

EVAN MAYER Lode Writer Michigan Tech would have never become the prestigious university it is without element 29. So it’s only right to give tribute to the man that laid the groundwork for Michigan Tech to stand today, Douglas Houghton, the father of American copper mining.

Douglas Houghton was born the son of Jacob Houghton, a lawyer, and Mary Lydia Douglas on Sept. 9th, 1809 in Troy, New York. From an early age, Houghton exhibited an interest in the natural world, which led him to entering the Rensselaer Institute in Troy where he received his Bachelor of Arts in 1829.

Following graduation, he was asked to remain as a faculty member, which he accepted and in 1830 was made the associate professor of natural history and chemistry. This position lead him to Detroit in order to present lectures on various scientific subjects.

Although he was fresh from his teenage years, the charisma he delivered while giving his lectures made him one of the most popular figures in Detroit.

Following his lecture series, Houghton returned to his boyhood home in Fredonia, New York and got licensed as a physician. Shortly after he returned to Motown and was appointed to be part of a federal expedition in 1831 to find the source of the Mississippi River as a surgeon and botanist.

While on the trip, Houghton learned of the copper deposits in the Keweenaw Peninsula, a nugget he would store in the back of his mind for later use.

In 1833, Houghton decided to settle down as a physician in Detroit and marry childhood friend Harriet Stevens. By 1836 the doctor life was largely set aside by Houghton though as he opted more for real estate speculation.

On Jan. 26, 1837 the territory of Michigan became the state of Michigan and by the time the sun set the governor had appointed Douglas Houghton to become the first state geologist a title he held until his death.

News:

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Winter Carnival statues coming to life

Pulse:

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Backstage jazz review

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15 ft Portrait of Douglas Houghton.

Photo courtesy of the Keweenaw Digital Archives

This appointment opened many doors for the still young Houghton, as by the time he turned 30 in 1839 he was a professor at the University of Michigan- Ann Arbor in the fields of geology, mineralogy and chemistry.

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Opinion:

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Living off-campus: Better for bank accounts and the future

Sports:

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Men’s Club Volleyball hosts first home match in over a year

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Tuesday, January 28

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Chinese New Year 2014 SIMENG LI Lode Writer

To many Michigan Tech students, the approaching January 31st may be just a common Friday. However, to Tech’s largest international constitution, the Chinese community, it is the most important festival of the year: Chinese New Year or Spring Festival.

In tales and legends, Chinese New Year started with the fight against a mythical lionlike beast called “Year.” Every year on the eve of Chinese New Year, “Year” would come to prey on people and livestock. Later people found that “Year” was afraid of the color red, fire and loud noises. To ward off the evil “Year,” people decorated their windows and doors with red paper-cutouts and couplets, lit firecrackers and made loud sounds with drums. Consequently, “Year” was conquered and never appeared again.

The anniversary of this date has been celebrated for thousands of years and eventually became what we know as Chinese New Year today.

Last week at the Rozsa Center, the Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA) organized a Chinese Night to celebrate and showcase Chinese New Year and Chinese culture across the University and the community of Houghton. Dozens of performers, which consisted of Chinese

and other international students as well as American students, entertained the audience with a series of Chinese traditional dances, songs and plays. Each of the shows received hearty rounds of applause from the spectators.

Daniel Tao, President of CSSA, said, “With activities like the Chinese Night, we would like to arise the New Year’s atmosphere throughout our community. Moreover, it is just great to share our celebrations and our joys with all the students and residents in Houghton.”

Mandy Wang, a PhD candidate in Computer Science, who was a dancer at Chinese Night, said that she enjoyed practicing dancing for this show even though her schedule was extremely tight almost every day. “Dancing with a group of awesome people that share the same hobby and goal was a wonderful thing,” said Mandy. “I also had lots of fun making a little difference to the life of the students and local communities.”

Even though Chinese New Year is a time for family reunion, students like Zheng Wang, a junior in Mechanical Engineering, have found their bigger families here at Michigan Tech. Zheng said, “All my friends, regardless of their nationalities, are just like my brothers and sisters. Homesickness is far away because I do feel at home here.”

As a result of Tech’s increasingly internationalized student body, more and more of these foreign students, as well as many American students, benefited from the experience of socializing and studying with

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Tuesday, January 28

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Winter Carnival statues coming to life AUTUMN CHANNEY Lode Writer While the winter season is full of snow here in Houghton, us Huskies do something different than many places.

Students take those large mounds of white stuff and transform them into large statues to be observed during Winter Carnival.

The theme for 2014 is “Nostalgic Films of Childhood Days Come to Life in Frosty Ways.” The month-long statues were started in the beginning of January and will continue until the beginning of February into the night of the All-Nighter.

This is when Winter Carnival officially begins.

Month-long statues design inspirations are kept secret; when the allnighter comes everything is a wonderful surprise.

The first night, Wednesday, Feb. 5, signifies the All-Nighter, the chance for other organizations who don’t build throughout the month to make a statue as well.

The Winter Carnival statues “can bring a joyness to what can seem to be a dark and long winter,” said student Michael Johnson, who took the opportunity to work on a smaller statue that was done during the All-Nighter last year.

For those who are unfamiliar or if this is your first Michigan Tech winter, the month-long statues are the largest, mainly

because fraternities and sororities put many hours of work into their statues.

Greek life has mandatory statue requirements, meaning all members of the organization take turns working shifts in the bitter cold and putting in extra time, even if the snow is flying and wind chills are below zero.

Since members of sororities average between 20-30 hours per month on statue building, they rack up quite a few hours.

In contrast, the fraternities have to put in at least 15 hours per week on their statues; this adds up quickly as well! It does seem like many hours to spend out in the cold Houghton air, but they get the extra bonding time with their sisters and brothers.

According to Valerie Sidock of Alpha Sigma Tau, “it’s not that cold when you’re out there working hard.” During last year’s Winter Carnival, she said she was out in snow pants and a sports bra stomping a form.

The cold does affect some people, including Destin’e Clark from Delta Phi Epsilon, who said “It is very cold but once its over you get to see the final product and see all the hard work you have done.”

It gets better for statue builders when they blast their tunes from parked cars and get in the groove of things. Their forms begin to come together.

Sororities and fraternities have the special pleasure of alumni donations of warm food and hot chocolate while they work, making the cold evening even more enjoyable. What’s much better than that?

Month-long statues design inspirations are kept secret; when the all-nighter comes everything is a wonderful surprise. Most people don’t finish many details until the

The initial structure of Sigma Phi Epsilon’s Winter Carnival statue. Blowing snow and frigid temperatures play a role in all statue’s progress.

Photo by Alex Mager

all-nighter, they have put a lot of time into the basic form of what they are going to make so that their design has not been revealed too early.

If you have not attended Winter Carnival before, by Thursday morning when statues are finished, the final products are amazing. Many members of the Greek community on campus have said that statue is easily one of the hardest things that they work on all year.

Jake Enda from Sigma Phi Epsilon said “The absolute best part of Winter Carnival is the final result of the statues.”

Winter Carnival is an amazing tradition

for Michigan Tech’s campus. While you are here, take the time to observe what work and dedication, imagination and engineering has been put into the statues.

Its not just time that they has been invested; students have strengthened their sisterhoods and brotherhoods while building them. For those who are not part of Greek Life, you’ll meet new people and make lasting friendships or build upon your teamwork and imagination.

Admire the cold, observe the art and craftsmanship and take part in the 2014 All Nighter and all events Winter Carnival has to offer.

House Hunting: tips for off-campus living LUCAS WILDER Lode Writer Today is the last day to recontract for on-campus housing, leaving many students searching for a place to live next year. These students will have to start cooking their own meals, paying their own bills and for some, shoveling their own driveway. This article will lay out the options and give some guidance on what to look for in offcampus housing.

The first step in finding a place to live is deciding on a location. According to thirdyear Electrical Engineering student Caleb Wright, distance from campus plays a large role in rent.

“Where you are in regard to campus will be how much you’re paying,” Wright said.

“Yes, you can live in Hancock for super

cheap, but you also have about an hour walk every day.”

However, living in Hancock does have some advantages.

“Then you can be close to the ski hill. It’s all really what you like,” Wright said.

The University Student Government (USG) now offers access to a database of local rentals. In addition to this tool, there is also a decent collection of housing posts on Barkboard, MTU’s internal classifieds page. Finally, Craigslist itself features hundreds of off-campus housing listings, not only in Houghton and Hancock, but also the surrounding towns like Dollar Bay, Chassell and Hubbel, all within a half hour from campus.

When hunting on these sites for a new place of residence, it is important to note how the landlord charges their rent; in other words, are utilities included or do you pay for them separately? Mike Kosut

is currently in his second year living off campus in Houghton and has experienced both utilities paid and unpaid by the landlord. Kosut recognizes a clear winner.

“If possible, get a place where the landlord pays the utilities,” Kosut said.

“It’s a lot easier to gauge how much you’re going to spend a month because it’s static, whereas in the colder months you’ll pay more for heat.” Students should also look to themselves and their habits for hygiene (ie: length of showers) and leaving the lights on, while both of these can cause costly utility bills.

As all Tech students know, Keweenaw winters are long and frigid. Heating can be electric, natural gas or as in Kosut’s case, oil. Kosut stresses the importance of communication with the landlord concerning the average utilities cost, particularly heat.

“Our heating bill is about double the

monthly average we were originally told to expect,” Kosut said.

Energy efficiency becomes a huge factor when students have to pay for their own utilities. Wright and Kosut both acknowledge this as an everyday struggle.

“If you are paying for utilities, don’t lie to yourself,” Kosut said. “Give a good assessment of how much it’s actually going to cost. You’re not going to be conservative.

You’ve been living with your parents for 18 years, at 20 years you’re not going to be like, ‘Oh, I’m going to turn off all these lights,’ unless your parents have been telling you to do that for your whole life.”

Wright does his best to keep costs to a minimum.

“I turn off all the lights all the time,” Wright. “If people don’t go to certain parts of the house, we close all the heating vents, which helps a little bit.”

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NEWS

Tuesday, January 28

The world at a glance The woman who can’t gain weight Lizzie Velasquez, 24, from Texas suffers from a rare syndrome that inhibits her body to gain weight.The undiagnosed disorder causes her body to repel fat; she can’t store it and has none on her body. Also born blind in her right eye, she has never weighed more than 64 pounds.

Only two other people in the world are known to have the disorder Velasquez endures from every day.

She literally is the woman who can’t gain weight.

In high school, Velasquez found a video of herself on YouTube titled “The World’s Ugliest Woman.” The eight-second video had four million hits, many of which came with painful comments from YouTube users.

Velasquez’s parents tried to get the video removed from the site, but the unidentified user who uploaded it refused to take it down.

Instead of lashing out at the haters, Velasquez fought back in a positive way. First, in 2010, Velasquez uploaded an anti-bullying video on YouTube. Now, four years later, the video has gotten over three millions views. The video is titled “It Gets Better.”

In the eight years after graduation high school, Velasquez has graduated from college and has written two books, “Be Beautiful, Be You” and an autobiographical testimony called “Lizzie Beautiful.” Velasquez also shared her story at a Ted Talk in December in Austin, where she discussed being different and living in a world where society puts such great pressure on one’s appearance. On a lighthearted note during her speech, Velasquez mentioned some highlights of herself, one being that she has great hair.

With nearly 28,000 Twitter followers, Lizzie Velasquez has defied the hate and become a motivation and inspiration for many. Scan the QR code to see her TED Talk speech “How do YOU define yourself,” or follow her on Twitter and Instagram. For more information, you can also visit (www.aboutlizzie.com)

Scan this QR code to see Lizzie’s TED Talk.

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A life cut short: Memorial ceremony to be held for Sanaz Nezami NEELAM CHOPADE Lode Writer Sanaz Nezami, about to start her advanced degree in Environmental Engineering at Michigan Tech this month, passed away in December at Marquette General Hospital as a result of injuries sustained in a domestic assault.

Police believe she was assaulted by her husband, Nima Nassiri, who has now been charged with second-degree murder. Nassiri was initially charged with assault to do great bodily harm less than murder with a bond set at five million dollars.

In August, Nezami and Nassiri were married in Turkey. The couple then lived together temporarily in the Los Angeles area, where Nassiri was born and raised. Nezami, a native of Tehran, had a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering and a master’s in French translation.

Nassiri and Nezami found a rental home in November in Dollar Bay, staying in touch with family through email, text message and video.

On Dec. 8, Police received a call regarding a possible domestic assault at 11:45 p.m.

Police say that a 34-year-old suspect, Nezami’s newlywed husband, Nassiri, was taken into custody and lodged in the Houghton County Jail. Nezami was taken to Portage Hospital and later transferred to Marquette General Hospital because of the extent of her injuries.

Unfortunately, because of the head trauma sustained during the assault, Nezami did pass away. After 24 hours, the hospital reached her relatives in Iran. Immediate travel to the U.S. was impractical due to visa requirements, but, even though nearly 6000 miles separated them, technology allowed Nezami’s family to watch her final hours and build an emotional bond over a laptop.

The family’s faith in the hospital staff led to consent for an extraordinary donation: Nezami’s heart, lungs and other organs were to be transplanted to seven people in the U.S., a remarkable gift that occurs in less than one percent of all cases. Nezami’s time in the U.P. can be marked in days, but because of this extraordinary gift, her impact will last much longer. Nezami was buried on Dec. 18 in Marquette’s Park Cemetery in the presence of nurses and the people who cared for her.

Nezami’s story reached international

attention, with reports of how she was cared for and the compassion of the nurses and doctors with regards to her and her family in Iran. On Nezami’s Facebook, she wrote, “You see, God never gets in a hurry. He never quits or runs out of patience. He will deal with us about one particular thing, and then He will let us rest for a while—but not too long. Soon He will come back and begin to work on something else. He will continue until, one by one, our knots are all untied. If it sometimes seems that you’re not making any progress, it’s because the Lord is untying your knots one at a time. It may be hard, and it may take time, but if you will commit yourself to the process of getting well, sooner or later you will see victory in your life and experience the freedom you have wanted for so long. The important thing to remember is, no matter how long it takes, never give up, and never quit—keep at it.”

The Iranian Community at Michigan Tech, with support from International Programs and Services (IPS) and the Center for Diversity and Inclusion (CDI), will host a memorial ceremony for Nezami today, Jan. 28, from 5:00-6:00 p.m. in Ballroom B of the Memorial Union Building.

Ski and snowboard season off to great start at Mont Ripley EVAN MAYER Lode Writer If a region has the potential to get upwards of 200+ inches of snow each year any downward slope is going to be eyed up by a potential skier.

Luckily for Michigan Tech students, their thirst for hitting the slopes can be quenched with a quick one-mile trek across the Portage Canal to campus’ very own hill Mont Ripley.

Covering 112 acres of skiable terrain, the 24 runs that comprise Ripley can be enjoyed by skiers and snowboards that are just beginning on green triangle runs up to the daredevils of the snow who hope to master the double black diamonds. Going downhill may even be too boring for some, the terrain park jumps and slides may be just the ticket to get these individuals’ adrenaline pumping.

Getting enough snow to open this year was

a walk in the park compared to years past as the snow already had almost a 60 inch base by Christmas. Every run and all three lifts have been open since before students left for the holiday break in mid-December.

The ski hill does various events throughout the year to try and get more individuals up to Ripley. This past weekend on Saturday, Jan. 25, the fifth annual International Student Ski Day was scheduled but was cancelled due to the cold and wind chill temperatures. The event had been steadily increasing in participation. It had also translated to an increase in Michigan Tech international students and staff engaging in the sport throughout the winter.

Mont Ripley manager Nick Sirdenis said he thinks many students may not fully appreciate the unique weather the Copper Country experiences.. “If they come to Tech and didn’t like our weather, they discover that they better do something in the winter or go crazy,” he said.

Thanks to the Experience Tech fee, Michigan Tech students get free access to the hill with their student ID’s. Of course, Mont Ripley is open to the public, too. A day pass is $40 for adults and $37 for K-12 and seniors. Half day, two- day, four-day and season passes are also available if one day is not enough or too much time to shred the powder. Ski, snowboard, helmet and locker rentals are also available.

If skiing is in your day’s plans but it’s a struggle to find a ride, the Husky Motor Shuttle will give hill goers a lift to the lifts as it makes the voyage across the Portage three times, Monday through Friday between 3 p.m and 9 p.m. It even offers this service at no expense to any hitchhikers they see on the way over. The bus makes its stop in front of the Memorial Union Bookstore, Student Development Center and Lower and Upper Daniel Heights.

International Student Ski Day will be rescheduled to a later date and more information will be released at that time.

Douglas Houghton Continued from front page In 1840, Houghton came to the Keweenaw Peninsula, after obtaining information about black peroxide of copper on the shores of Lake Superior.

After landing in Copper Harbor, Houghton and his team did a survey of the peninsula, which led Houghton to come across the copper depositories that litter the area.

His discovery led to one of the first major mining booms in American history and

added the title of “Father of copper mining in the United States” to his already impressive resume. The resume was not quite complete though until 1842 when Houghton was elected to the first of his two terms as mayor of Detroit.

The sky seemed to be the only limit for Houghton. That was at least until Oct. 13, 1845 when Houghton was camping at Eagle Harbor with his team while doing another geological survey of the Lake Superior region.

Despite the pleas of his crew, Houghton decided to have the team canoe to Eagle River. The storm that blew that day turned Lake Superior into its normal spirited self and resulted in the boat capsizing and Houghton’s untimely demise.

Thus ended the life of Douglas Houghton but he will forever be memorialized as the namesake of the small Upper Peninsula town and county where Michigan Tech resides.

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Tuesday, January 28

Michigan’s Global Future Conference

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House hunting Continued from page 3

A presentation is given at the 2014 Michigan Global Future Conference last Friday, Jan. 24. Students from Michigan Tech, NMU and Finlandia were in attendance.

Photo by Pratik Joshi

TESSA MAUER Lode Writer Imagine yourself walking through the career fair: Resume in hand, you happen across a company that peaks your interest.

You hop in line and wait for 30 minutes to speak with the employer, but shortly after shaking his hand you find yourself turned away because you are an international student.

Now imagine the frustration you feel as your professional potential is dismissed simply because of your status as a student from another country.

After working for 20 years with international students, Athena Trenton is well aware of the extra difficulties faced by international students as they seek career opportunities within the United States.

More importantly, she is well aware of the incredible benefit that hiring such students can

have on the economy.

But how will international students “taking American jobs” help the economy? Statistics show that for the 100 jobs filled by international students, 83 more jobs are created. This could partially be explained by the fact that these students tend to be “entrepreneuriallyminded.” They are six times more likely to start their own business within STEM fields than Michiganders, meaning that they are more likely to build companies that will require hiring of many new employees.

Trenton recognized this potential source for economic growth and began developing a program intended to make international students competitive candidates for professional work in Michigan. She created the Global Talent Retention Initiative of Michigan, a program focused on providing career development resources to international students and connecting such skilled students with companies interested in hiring them.

While the GTRI began in 2011 as part of a strategy to rebuild the failing economy of Detroit, its early success led to funding for statewide implementation. Now, universities all across Michigan hold “Michigan’s Global Future Conferences,” which essentially function to ease international students’ transitions into the American workforce by offering crash courses in writing resumes, building interviewing skills, and navigating immigration policies.

Last week, on Friday, Jan. 24, Michigan Tech hosted such a conference for over 100 international students from Michigan Tech, Northern, and Finlandia. Michigan Tech was chosen as the conference site due to its status as having the highest enrollment of international students of any school in the U.P.The GTRI is the first program of its kind in the US and it’s continued success could result in positive and well-deserved attention from other economically struggling areas of the US.

The Upper Peninsula Power Company (UPPCO) offers many tips on how to save energy. Investing in LED and fluorescent light fixtures is a great way to save on the monthly electric bill. To really cut costs, look for fixtures with an automatic timeout feature and occupancy sensors. Large appliances like washers, dryers, ovens and dishwashers also tend to suck up a lot of power. UPPCO recommends doing laundry and dishes with cold water and allowing everything to air dry.

So, based on these tips, will you recontract on-campus or will you decide to hunt for a residence elsewhere?

If you choose the latter, the following sites can help you to make the right decision: UPPCO’s website: www.uppco. com/home/tips.aspx USG off-campus housing database: www.aux.mtu.edu/ usghousing/ Barkboard: barkboard.mtu.edu/ tools/public/main/ Craigslist: up.craigslist.org/hhh/

Chinese New Year Continued from page 2 people from different countries and cultures.

“The challenge is to break your comfort level and explore the university dynamic,” said Keith Anderson, a senior Environmental Engineering student. “But integration doesn’t

need to be forced. It happens through campus every day.” As an American student, Anderson has been volunteering in many activities hosted by international associations since he first came to Tech. “I discovered tons of fun

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from learning and sharing different cultures with people. It’s an experience I would cherish for good,” Anderson said.

“The student diversity at Michigan Tech is actually a potential treasure. I wish

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everyone could enjoy it and benefit from it to the maximum,” said Jessie Zhang, a PhD candidate in Environmental Engineering, giving her best wishes for the New Year to all Tech students.

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.

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Tuesday, January 28

PULSE

Michigan Tech Lode

An alternative to freezing: Pool JAMES WOODS Lode Writer The season of frozen snot-sickles and numb extremities has arrived. The temperature has gone way below zero and broomball games have been canceled. While the elements can keep students inside, there is still fun to be had indoors.

One particularly interesting indoor game, pool, is frequently played in dorm lobbies and other gathering areas around campus. Pool has been around much longer than Michigan Tech however.

Pool, also known as billiards or snooker, evolved from croquet in the 1400’s; the

“While the elements can keep students inside, there is still fun to be had indoors.” pool table is covered in green felt because it resembles grass, which croquet is played on. The edges of the tables resembled rivers and were referred to as “banks”; soon players started using the edges to make shots, and this is where the term “bank shot” comes from.

The biggest evolution for pool was the cue stick. It began as a “mace” which had a head on one end which resembled that of a golf club.

This was used to hit the balls but when the billiards got too close to the edges, the players would have to turn the stick around and use the other end.

They called this end a “queue” which means “tail” in French; eventually sticks were designed with only the queue in mind, hence the cue stick is created.

Playing pool is a great activity for those who don’t like to brave the cold for winter sports.

The word “pool” actually means “bet” or “ante”; a pool room was originally a place where people placed their bets on horse races.

Pool tables were brought into the rooms to help patrons pass the time between races and the names became associated in the public

Meet the Beetles!

SARAH HARTTUNG Lode Writer While the week of Winter Carnival is a busy one, Beatles fans should take some time off and head north twenty minutes to Calumet on Sunday, February 9. At 1 p.m., the band Meet the Beetles will be performing at the Calumet Theatre. The group is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the English rock band’s first appearance on the Ed Sullivan show in 1964 and playing the same repertoire.

True to form, the show will be complete with the looks, accents, instruments and stage presence of the legendary quartet.

The performers are dedicated to their Beatles personas: Davey Justice (Paul McCartney) has won several awards for

his impressions.

Chicago-native Meet the Beetles toured across the Midwest, from Navy Pier to Indianapolis, but this will be their first time in the Calumet Theatre.

“True to form, the show will be complete with the looks, accents, instruments and stage presence of the legendary quartet.”

If you are interested, tickets are $15 and can be purchased in person at the Calumet Box Office or over the phone by calling (906) 337-2610.

Winter hours are Wednesday through Friday, 12-5 p.m. and two and a half hours before showtime.

mind.

Today, the game on its own is very popular all over the world, popular enough to cause world championships to be held annually.

Aspiring pool players can try visiting (poolplayingtips.com) where quick video

Photo by Pratik Joshi

lessons will help them improve their game substantially.

Of course, the best way to improve one’s game is by actually playing, so if deathly cold temperatures are keeping one inside, consider passing the time with pool.

Michigan Tech & community embraces the legacy of MLK RENEE OATS Lode Writer In observance of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK) federal holiday, Michigan Tech organized several events to embrace the legacy for equality and justice throughout the country.

These events included a panel discussion addressing how the fight for civil rights has evolved, an interfaith service celebrating Dr. King’s legacy of faith within the local community and a Day of Service Project where MTU students read to elementary students at Houghton and Hancock Elementary about the

great Dr. King.

One of the most highlighted events for MLK remembrance was the 25th Annual MLK Celebration Banquet hosted at the Memorial Union Building. The event is typically a night filled with community mingling, great dining and inspirational speeches, and this year was on the mark. Sponsored by several centers and offices on campus such as Student Life, the Office of Institutional Equity and the Center for Diversity and Inclusion, this event brought a sense of community with MLK student project presentations from local 9th graders attending Dollar Bay High School. Students

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Backstage jazz review ARIC RHODES Lode Writer A backstage is a difficult acoustic environment to play a concert in. Despite these challenges, four bands demonstrated their backstage jazz prowess in the Jazz Cabaret: Backstage at the Rosza concert.

The atmosphere was something out of a VIP club of old, with an open seating arrangement and lighting that harkened back to the days when jazz was king.

The first band to play was Momentum.

This moderately sized ensemble was quite nearly the standard jazz build in composition, with a good mixture of trebles and bass. Enthusiasm was not wanting in their performance, indeed

it may have been slightly overzealous.

Song choice was excellent, and the musicians played off of each other rather well. Unfortunately, this did not aid the situation of the aggressive wall of sound headed toward the listeners throughout the performance, with subtlety being lost to volume at times.

The second band was Jangology. Giving a taste of the Gypsy-Jazz musical trend, this group was much smaller than the previous. Where Momentum was too aggressive in their sound, Jangology was too timid. The music was played fairly well, but it felt as if each member was holding back, afraid to make a mistake. The entire performance felt as if the volume had been turned too low. The words of a wise man come to mind, “If you are going to make a

mistake, do it so confidently that everyone thinks that is how it goes.”

Third to play was a taste, only one song, of an “in the works” ensemble composed of five saxophones and a rhythm section.

Given such a skeletal band structure, the ensemble did remarkably well. The main problem plaguing this group was a tendency of some musicians to fall out of sync with the rest of the band, creating a slight dissonance which was amplified by the lack of other sections to cover. With further practice, this group has great potential even without the archetypal trumpet of jazz.

The final band, Jazz Tech, was definitely the goldilocks of the concert.

While Momentum was too aggressive, and Jangology too timid, Jazz Tech was

certainly just right. The band members all played off of each other beautifully.

Song choices demonstrated remarkable flexibility of tempo and feel. Some songs simply dripped coolness, while others felt so hot they burned. In an instant, the band was able to go from smooth as silk to staccato. The addition of a saxophone would add a little more depth to the sound which was missing.

Backstage music is no easy ordeal, but these bands did very well in all. Each band had something which could be improved upon, but music is never perfect. Rather it is the constant move toward perfection which defines music.

The next time a similar event happens, get tickets early.

The winner for the night? Jazz Tech.

Jazz Tech performed at the Rozsa Center this last weekend.

Photos by Maxwell Curtis

MLK Continued from page 6 were encouraged to create multimedia pieces connecting the struggles of Dr. King with personal challenges they have overcome in their own lives. This was the first year of this MLK project collaboration between the local high school students and Michigan Tech.

Kellie Raffaelli, assistant director for the Michigan Tech Center for Diversity and Inclusion, pursued the student project

collaboration with Jen Martin and Liz Fujita from the GEAR UP initiative.

With conclusion of this effort Kellie said, “As a result of this project, I felt that students became more aware of challenges, such as poverty, hunger and job loss, that are present in their communities and that these were issues Dr. King was passionate about and fought for until the end. Overall, I felt the

project went well and I look forward to doing it again in the future with different members in the community.”

The 1st prize winner was Dollar Bay student Libbi Rogan, who provided a short film on a personal struggle in her life and inspiration from Dr. King that helps her to get through her circumstance.

The night also featured a keynote address

from Dr. Max Seel, Michigan Tech Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs and great musical tunes from the Jazz Tech Trio, an all-student jazz ensemble. Overall, the goal of promoting awareness about Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement seemed to be accomplished, ensuring that Dr. King’s spirit lives on in our communities and his legacy is never forgotten.

8

Tuesday, January 28

COMICS

Michigan Tech Lode RECYCLE ‘And given how much of my stuff they go through, they definitely know where i live.’

Comic courtesy of XKCD

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

Secure building, on site manager, laundry facilities, plowed parking and garbage pick-up. Heat and water included. Rent $500-650.

Call Cheryl (906) 231-4385.

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

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PUZZLES

Michigan Tech Lode

9

Tuesday, January 28

Sudoku

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

Last Week’s Solution...

No. 0126 IT’S ALL RELATIVE By DANIEL A. FINAN / Edited by Will Shortz

52 Swear off 1 Apply quickly 53 Potentially dangerous 7 Wall ___ 55 Sapling 13 Gringos’ land 56 Relax 20 Place with wheels and deals 58 Goes in 21 Summit planner 59 Stairway post 22 Worse 60 Twinkie filler 23 Woodworking tool 62 “Back to the Future” villains 24 Untrustworthy sort 64 Amo : I love :: ___ 25 What players do : I hate at the start of a game of tag 65 “The Merry Drinker” painter 26 Some bling 66 Pop singer Del Rey 27 One for the “no” column 67 In need of a lift 29 Most Cypriots, 70 “Adoration” ethnically subjects in a Leonardo painting 31 Massages 74 Maine college 32 Like some eagles and tires 75 Irish county and seaport 34 Li’l Abner’s surname 77 Have troops in 36 Company with the 79 [What a bore] Havoline brand 81 Martin Sheen’s real 38 Notre dame, e.g. family name 39 Valdez of 83 Tops off? coffee advertising 85 Pam of “Jackie 40 Period of the Brown” Cenozoic Era 86 Takeout choice 42 Language suffix 87 All riled up 45 Servings of mashed 88 Part of London potatoes, e.g. where Eliza 47 Writer Kipling Doolittle is from 48 Let go 90 One side of an 18991902 war 49 Cynic Bierce who once defined 91 Smidgen “alone” as “in 92 Source of ivory bad company” 93 Uzbekistan’s ___ Sea Online subscriptions: 94 About a quarter Today’s puzzle and more of the population of than 4,000 past puzzles, Sicily lives on its nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 a year). slopes A CRO S S

98 Title girl in a Chuck Berry hit 99 Make enforceable 100 Opportunity 101 Learn well 104 Take blows for 107 A line in an A-line?

109 Punk offshoot 110 Be supported by 112 Movie director who was himself the subject of a 1994 movie 114 Gold-medal gymnast Mary Lou 116 Powell’s successor on the Supreme Court 117 Some starting help 118 “Keep going!”

119 Love to hate?

120 Canon parts 121 On the receiving end of a Dear John letter DOWN

RELEASE DATE: 2/2/2014

1 Writer of old 2 Secular 3 See 51-Down 4 Gumshoes 5 ___ empty stomach 6 73-Down, relatively 7 Denver-toAlbuquerque dir.

8 See 52-Down 9 Break a peace treaty, say 10 Gaelic tongue 11 Lunging sport 12 93-Down, relatively 13 Lines to Wrigley Field

14 See 82-Down 15 Fine point 16 Bone: Prefix 17 Moreno of “West Side Story” 18 Ticked (off) 19 Goofs 28 “Yessiree!”

30 Dreamcast maker 33 Résumé datum 35 ___ in kangaroo 37 Boomers’ kids 40 Sip on 41 Limit 42 95-Down, relatively 43 “___ gut” 44 Breyers alternative 46 Rest in a hammock, say 47 Wanders 48 Abbr. at the start of a memo 49 He’s 2, for one 50 He “will never speak unless he has something to say,” in a song 51 3-Down, relatively 52 8-Down, relatively 54 “Bambi” doe 57 Air-freshener scent 61 Cleaner’s supply 63 One who might yell, “Go home!”

66 Rested in a hammock, say 68 Gets up there 69 Nap 71 Taking a certain tone 72 Fuel-economy authority, for short

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73 See 6-Down 74 Cartoon sound 75 Hubbub 76 Macros, e.g.

77 Words of remembrance, briefly 78 Michael of “Arrested Development” 80 McFlurry flavor

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82 14-Down, relatively 84 Indian wrap 89 Depots: Abbr.

90 Built-in part of a tank top, maybe 92 Block party?

93 See 12-Down 95 See 42-Down 96 “Make it stop!”

97 Observed Yom Kippur 98 Italian grandpa 99 Funeral delivery of old 101 “___ stupid question …”

102 Vitamin a.k.a. paraaminobenzoic acid 103 Director Gus Van ___

109 115

105 In a hammock, maybe 106 Gershwin biographer David 108 Many a Yelp link 111 Big Apple N.L. team 113 Fielding feats: Abbr.

115 Cable inits. for a cinephile

10

Tuesday, January 28

Un

OPINION

Michigan Tech Lode

Rand Silvers

LODE

ing

ZONE

Nostalgia is an odd thing. At the ripe old age of 18, there are already things I look back on with a bittersweet tang.

I think most kids my age will remember playing first generation Pokémon on their Gameboy, or at least watching the series on TV. I know I did. I would spend hours watching the show and my coolest friends were the ones who had Pokémon figurines.

The first netbook I got my freshman year of high school didn’t have the power to play any modern games, so I installed a Gameboy emulator and played Pokémon Blue, Red and Yellow for hours in English class. I loved those games, and got so much more out of them once I actually knew what I was doing. It brought back memories of watching the Pokémon 2000 movie with my best friend and trading Pokémon cards during recess.

Of course, anyone who shares those memories probably shares my disdain for the newer generations. X and Y? What happened to colors? There are now 649 different Pokémon, including such masterpieces as Garbodor and Sigilyph. I can’t keep track anymore.

But things change. My seven-yearold cousin seems to love the new Pokémon. It’s hard to face the fact that I’m already behind the times.

That doesn’t mean I don’t still enjoy new things. My personal favorite new-ish cartoon is Phineas and Ferb.

Not exactly written for my age group, but with such great characters and a fun sense of humor, it’s impossible not to enjoy.

Nostalgia can be a fun thing and at times I like nothing better than to get in touch with my old crotchety self. Back in my day! But at the same time, it’s important not to let that take the place of new experiences and personal growth.

So the next time I sit down to watch an episode of Phineas and Ferb with my Gameboy emulator out, I’ll know it feels good to be old.

Questions are submitted to peaches.cream.mtu@gmail.com, or submit them on our website (www.mtulode.com) under “Submit a News Tip.” A female student (Peaches) and a male student (Cream) respond to the best of their ability. These are not professional answers; they are simply the opinions and experiences of peers.

“My friend started sleeping around with a bunch of guys recently. It’s a terrible idea and I know she’s going to regret it. How do I tell her to knock it off without straining our friendship?”

Peach’s Perspective

Cream’s Commentary

If a friend started sleeping around, my first reaction would be really similar to yours. It’s not a behavior I’ve ever engaged in for many reasons.

First, it increases chances for sexually transmitted infections, which I prefer to avoid.

Second, I wouldn’t sleep with a guy if I doubted that he would help me raise a child if an unplanned pregnancy happened. I’m not sure of the choice I would make if I were to get pregnant, but I wouldn’t want the decision to be affected by not having a dedicated partner.

Third, my sex life is full of intimacy and love—it’s not something I want to share with just anyone, especially not multiple people in the same time period. Even if I weren’t really romantically involved with them, I’m sure my feelings would become complicated.

Also, I know firsthand that if I fool around without having a romantic connection, it feels empty to me. The physical sensations aren’t worth it because I end up feeling cheap and used even though I thought I wanted the action.

I know that sleeping around would be a terrible mistake for me, and it sounds like it’s something you couldn’t stomach either.

However, your friend is an adult and is entitled to make her own decisions, even if we think they’re bad ones. A lot of people sleep around, and I hope they’re happy doing it. Otherwise, many people are putting time and energy into a practice that’s ultimately hurting them.

If you’re going to approach your friend about her behavior, you’re going to have to drop the pretentious assumption that you know what’s best for her.

You have to approach her from a place of humble concern.

Tell her that you’re not judging her and you’ll be her friend no matter what she does, but also that you’re concerned that she won’t be happy with the choices she’s making.

Tell her why you think this, but realize that you don’t know for a fact if you’re right. If you were to approach her with absolute opinions about what’s going on, she would probably shut you out and carry on with her activities, maybe even more fervently to spite you. If you broach the subject more gently, she’ll have more room to explain herself.

Talking through it together might bring her to the realization that this isn’t really something she wants to be doing. If this is really a sudden change, an emotional issue may be driving her to the behavior.

Giving her the chance to open up could resolve the issue.

Even if none of this happens, you’ll hopefully gain some perspective into your friend’s life and grow closer to her.

Watching someone make what you consider to be a bad decision is never easy. This is true even more so when the person is a close friend and the right decision is painfully obvious to everyone but him or her. Trying to convince someone that they are wrong is a good way to get them to hate you forever. The situation needs to be approached carefully to a point.

Having multiple partners within a short time is not a healthy habit to develop. I am no saint in the subject of monogamy, but from my experience, I can say with certainty that your friend’s situation has the potential to be harmful to both her physical and mental health, along with the wellbeing of those around her. You, for one, are experiencing mental anguish from her decisions.

To help her, you need to know why she started sleeping around. Many women I have known have said they need the confidence boost that they get from sleeping with men. It may make her feel sexy to be able to go out and hook up with a hot guy she just met, but in many one-night stand situations, the guy won’t want to commit or even try to contact her again, so her insecurity flares up again, leading to yet another onenight stand.

This vicious circle of highs and lows can really mess a person up emotionally, and it makes sex something that just happens instead of an expression of mutual feelings.

More pressing than emotional health is her physical well-being. This is not me saying that mental health is less important, but sexually transmitted infections (STIs) can become a serious issue very fast. Having multiple partners is a fast track to diseases like chlamydia, gonorrhea and other STIs. These infections are not only uncomfortable but can leave permanent damage to reproductive organs even when treated quickly. Other STIs stick with you for life and have devastating effects, so knowing and trusting your partner is very important.

Earlier, I mentioned the importance of handling the situation carefully. Unfortunately, some people just can’t be convinced that what they are doing is risky. At a certain point, your love needs to get tough. Refusing to follow or support a friend heading down a destructive path is difficult, but trying to correct her may become emotionally exhausting on your part, which is when you need to really evaluate your friendship. Her decisions are exactly that: her decisions. Some people need to learn tough life lessons for themselves and will refuse advice from everyone until they find out the hard way.

The best thing you can do in that situation is be there for her when she needs a friend.

Michigan Tech Lode

Living off-campus Better for bank accounts and the future TAYLOR DOMAGALLA Lode Writer As the rush of on-campus housing sign up comes to an end, I feel the need to explain why I chose to move out of the residence halls as soon as possible. The biggest motivator for me to get out of the residence halls was the price.

According to the rates published on the Michigan Tech website, the cheapest housing option is a converted room in McNair, available for $269 per week if the student gets the Silver meal plan. The most expensive option is a Single with Bath and Platinum meal plan, available for $587.52 per week. The residence halls are available to students for 31 weeks total per academic year.

I have lived in the same apartment off campus for three years; it houses four people with two bedrooms and one bathroom. It’s not the most or least expensive apartment in the area. My rent is $300 per month with a four-way split for electricity and internet, which costs me around $20 per month. My lease is year-round, so I pay about $71.11 per week. In other words, I pay just short of $200 less per week and $4,500 less per year than a student living in the cheapest room on campus.

The hole in my analysis is that the student in the residence halls has a meal plan while I have to go buy groceries. However, my savings allows me $87 per week throughout the entire year to buy groceries, and I rarely spend that much.

The only defense for living in the residence halls which I consider reasonable is a desire for convenience. The halls are closer to academic buildings than most offcampus housing, and there are staff around to cook and clean for the students.

While this is a lot of convenience to give up, I have gained a lot of valuable life skills and independence from living off campus.

In addition to gaining nearly four years of academic knowledge at Michigan Tech, I know how to grocery shop, cook, pay my bills, take care of a house while still having a landlord if I can’t figure it out, how to really clean and maintain a home and how to live with others without having an R.A. to fall back on.

Living off campus has prepared me to live as an adult after I graduate, and when I do, I’ll have a little less debt to pay off than if I’d stayed on campus. Living off campus was the right choice for me, and I’d never go back.

Tuesday, January 28 11 OPINION The Columbia River Treaty This year’s environmental hot topic

KATHERINE BAECKEROOT Lode Writer The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest and is the fourth largest in the United States at 1,243 miles.

This river has a great role in U.S. and Canadian culture, economics and transportation. It reaches territory in seven states and one Canadian province (British Columbia). The water rises in British Columbia, runs through Washington and ultimately drains into the Pacific Ocean.

Because of its magnanimous size and technological opportunities, this river has the ability to greatly impact two different countries. An agreement was created 40 years ago in order to effectively and fairly utilize the resources of this great water source; however, the terms of the treaty now have the ability to be altered after 60 years. The debates as to what to do in terms of moving forward with this treaty have begun.

The Columbia River Treaty was first enacted in 1964. Created as an agreement between Canada and the United States, the treaty regulates the operations and

development of the Columbia Basin. In general, the treaty was inclusive of shared power and flood benefits for each country.

There is no specific end date for this treaty, but either country has the ability to end certain aspects of the treaty by 2024, provided there is a ten-year advancement notice. Thus, debates have begun as to which aspects would be best kept or altered.

The natural characteristics of the river lend itself conducive to great innovations in terms of generating power for electrical resources, particularly its heavy flow and steep gradient. There are at least 400 dams along the river, and it is considerably advanced in terms of hydroelectricity as it has the carrying capacity of over 21 million kilowatts.

Advancements along the Columbia have also contributed greatly to the irrigation of agricultural crops across the west coast of the U.S. Through dredging we have opened new canals for shipping. Two nuclear power plants have been built along the water’s edge also, acting as further resources for the U.S. Undoubted concerns have been raised in response to the negative environmental implications that are created by the

overriding of the natural habitat.

One aspect of damming the rivers that has drawn much attention is in regard to fishing. The Columbia River has been a large source of salmon, and since the increase in general productivity along the river, the quality of the fish as well as fishing has been on a decline. In fact, the environment as a whole appears to have suffered negatively due to the damming of the river. The habitat has changed from the ‘harnessing’ of the river, and what remains is pollution from the nuclear industrial impact as well as a decrease in fish migration.

The question that remains is whether or not the economic benefits of the treaty and production along the water outweigh the negative environmental impacts that have ensued from capitalistic innovation.

There are both short and long-term effects that will have a huge influence on the future of both the US and Canada. It is important that we look beyond the shortterm economic benefits; there is only one Columbia River. If we continue to pollute and deplete its resources, further problems will ensue on environmental, economic, cultural and political levels.

Sugar: our most prevalent drug KATHERINE BAECKEROOT Lode Writer We have encountered one of the most dangerous and least well-known drugs of the century. It is in almost everything we consume, ranging from food to beverages.

It is highly addictive, and recent research has discovered the degree of intensity which it affects the neurons in our brains and what it in fact does to our systems.

Essentially this drug can be considered as addictive as cocaine, as it exhibits similar neurological patterns. It is toxic and poisonous in the high doses we consume today, but it is incredibly overlooked. In general, it is something we enjoy. What is this highly-addictive phenomenon? Try sugar.

According to the recent documentary “Hungry for Change,” one-third of all women and one-quarter of males are on some sort of weight loss diet. Given the state of the current food industry, there is no doubt why.

As a society, we face high levels of obesity, heart disease, eating disorders and other life threatening diseases, most of

which are sourced from lack of nutrition or knowledge of how to feed ourselves.

Sugar has a large impact on these numbers and the negative health consequences we experience today. We face a crisis in the sense that we no longer know how to feed ourselves, thus the food industry has decided to try and persuade us.

Unfortunately this is all based on profit making incentives that have to do with everything except for health.

Over the course of a year, Americans are consuming approximately between 130 and 150 pounds of sugar. Only a small portion of this is the additional sugar we add to our food and beverages such as coffee, however, the primary percentage is derived from the food and beverages themselves. Sugar is found in juices, pop, bread, refined grains, salad dressings, marinades and sauces, not to mention candy, pastries and other prevalent desserts.

Sugar, whether it is brown, cane, beet or white, is beginning to exhibit the degree of its negative attributes. It causes heart disease and even cancer, obesity is at an all-time epidemic and cases of type-two diabetes are rising in both adults and

children.

Even as we try to compensate for the additional calories present in the most common foods today, it is vital to read food labels extensively to really understand what we are eating. Many of the foods we eat that we think are good for ourselves are in fact the largest culprits to our extreme sugar consumption. When the food industry chemically creates lowfat foods and other diet-related foods, they are often loaded with sugar and salt to compensate for the lack of taste from the reduction of fat, which is ultimately far unhealthier than the regular versions themselves.

Unfortunately we have become habituated to the high intensity of sweetness in our food; we’ve become addicted to sugar like we do with other drugs. We have crashes and mood swings, all derived from the heavy levels of sugar we intake on a daily basis.

Do yourself a favor and read the labels on what you are consuming. Make a conscious effort to reduce the amount your sugar intake on daily basis because, in a sense, we’re slowly killing ourselves with this drug.

12

SPORTS

Tuesday, January 28

# the By

s r e b m nu

2 85.2 24.3 5 5 9 2 87.5

Weeks in a row skier Alice Flanders has won the women’s freestyle Nordic race

Hockey’s WCHA penalty kill percentage with 104/122 successful kills

Average points per game scored by Austin Armga

Attendance at Saturday’s hockey game against Ferris State

Win percentage at home for Women’s Basketball

1.5

Weeks until the Men’s Tennis season kicks off against St. Cloud at home

Michigan Tech Lode

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Reid Sturos

ELLIE FURMANSKI Sports Editor Freshman forward Reid Sturos of the Michigan Tech Hockey team netted two goals for the Huskies to bury a 3-2 win over Ferris St. last Friday, Jan. 24. Earning a victory was huge for the Huskies after having lost both games in the series at Ferris St. just two weeks prior.

Sturos’ first career goal was scored on the power play twelve minutes into the second period. Defenseman Shane Hanna ripped a shot which Sturos was able to tip in past the Bulldog’s net minder C.J. Mote.

The goal, which was an equalizer, concluded scoring for the period, thus the

two teams started the third period at a 2-2 stalemate.

Eight minutes into the third, a combination play between Sturos and Blake Pietila put the Huskies up 3-2.

Sturos made an interception at the offensive blue line, sent the puck wide to Pietila and wristed Pietila’s cross into the back of the net.

Able to hold off Ferris St. for the remainder of the period, Sturos walked away with the game-winning goal.

So far this season, the Brighton, Mich., native has earned six points with two goals and four assists.

Look for Sturos and the rest of the Huskies as they take on Bowling Green on the road this weekend.

Photo courtesy of Michigan Tech Athletics

Spring semester’s ultimate reprieve

ELLIE FURMANSKI Sports Editor Reminiscing back to last year, returning students might agree how inaptly named spring semester seems given the eternal winter Mother Nature sprung upon Houghton. Spring Fling was cancelled “due to a lack of spring,” and many students walked out of their last final exam, eager to head home for summer vacation, only to be graced by more gently falling snow.

Copious amounts of snow, little sunlight and a seemingly never ceasing, absolutely freezing wind chill just about sums up winter so far this year. Add classes, homework and studying to that mix and you have a recipe for the wintertime blues.

Despite the dark, cold days which come and go during the spring semester, many students look forward to coming back from winter break. The general consensus for this reason happens to be the return of all the sports and activities which come along second semester. Broomball, a long-time Tech tradition, is clearly a favorite, along with skiing and snowboarding at Mont Ripley and Mount Bohemia, pond hockey, snowmobiling, intramurals and more.

“Staying busy instead of sitting on the couch makes the long winters here

more enjoyable,” commented Levi Unema, a fourth-year student who is an avid snowmobiler and enjoys skiing, snowboarding and playing broomball.

While Houghton might be viewed pessimistically as a tundra from the viewpoint of a student walking to class, that opinion seems to morph from tundra into winter wonderland once students venture outside for extracurricular sports.

Marc Antinossi, a third-year student, participates in broomball, skiing, pond hockey, as well as ice hockey and floor hockey intramurals.

According to Antinossi, who looks forward to returning for spring semester every year, “Participating in all these activities always leaves me in a good mood as I am actually going out and enjoying myself instead of just doing schoolwork 24/7.”

Speaking of schoolwork, many students expressed that participating in even just one activity helps them with their time management.

Third-year student Olivia Munoz, who loves to ski and plays broomball and intramural basketball, noted, “It’s tough to get extracurricular sports to fit in, but sports have always been a part of my life, and the busier I am, the better my time management skills become.”

“Participating in all these activities always leaves me in a good mood as I am actually going out and enjoying myself instead of just doing schoolwork 24/7.”

-Marc Antinossi Sometimes having less time to procrastinate can be beneficial.

Third-year Dave Walsh agrees that time management is definitely important. In an attempt to fit an extensive list of sports into his schedule, which includes broomball, pond hockey, snowboarding, intramural ice and floor hockey and inner tube water polo, he noted, “You just have to stay focused on what you’re doing so that you can get back out in the snow!”

Even if participating in sports requires students to stay up an extra hour or two later at night to hammer away at their schoolwork, the fun and enjoyment they get out of their extracurriculars is generally suitable justification.

Another reason students love spring Continued on page 14

Michigan Tech Lode

SPORTS

Tuesday, January 28

13

Men’s Club Volleyball hosts Sidelines wins first home match in over a year Flanders second freestyle event

Junior skier for the Michigan Tech Nordic Ski team Alice Flanders won her second consecutive freestyle event this past weekend at the Mt. Itasca CCSA Invite and JOQ in Coleraine, Minn.

Flanders finished the five-kilometer course in 14:36.8 to earn first place out of 51 competitors. She blazed across the finish line with a 42 second lead ahead of the second place finisher.

Exactly one week earlier, Flanders earned first place at the Telemark Chase JOQ freestyle event in Cable, Wisc. That event was a 10-kilometer race, which Flanders completed in 30:19.8. She finished about 16 seconds ahead of the competition.

As one of the top skiers on the team, Flanders will play a vital role for the Huskies as they begin to close out their season with the CCSA Championships and NCAA Central Regional Championships.

Away Scoreboard The Men’s Club Volleyball team competed against Northland this past weekend.

Photos by Pratik Joshi

JOHN REYNOLDS Lode Writer The Michigan Tech Men’s Club Volleyball team hosted their first home match in 1.5 years last Friday, welcoming Northland International University to the Wood Gym in the SDC. The Huskies put on a good show for the spectators at the match.

“This gave a chance for all of our supporters to come out and watch us play,” said Steven Saliga, a traveling team member.

Tech won all five sets that they played, with three victories by the “A” team and two victories by the “B” team.

The “A” team won their first two sets 25-15 and their third 25-9, sealing the best of five match victory. The “B” team won both of their sets before their match had to be stopped due to time constraints.

The team played well considering some of the obstacles associated with not playing at home in so long.

“For many of us, this was our first home match,” said Brandon Radloff, President of the Volleyball Club.

Despite the newness of competing in Houghton, the “B” team never fell below a few points down, and they were able to win

each of the sets thrown at them.

“We wanted to just have fun and play volleyball, and that ended up working well for us in the end,” said Dakota Anderson, another traveling team member.

Joking and laughing are often seen at these matches, showing that the players are having a good time.

“I always think that when players are relaxed and having fun, they play better than if they’re stressed and worried about trying to play above their skill level,” commented Radloff. Keeping the team from getting nervous can have a drastic impact on the team’s performance.

The team usually plays NIU at home twice every year, but there can be scheduling conflicts.

“It’s always very difficult to reserve the wood gym for anything over two hours in the afternoon,” said Radloff.

Varsity and intramural sports take precedence over club teams. Coupled with scheduling conflicts with NIU, the matches weren’t able to take place last year. The last home game the Huskies played was during

the fall of 2012.

The Huskies are a part of the Northern Intercollegiate Volleyball Conference, an expanding league that is up to 16 teams from 12 in 2010.

“We have known a few of the players for many years, so every tournament is like a little volleyball family reunion,” said Radloff.

The Huskies have performed well this year.

They tied for third in the largest tournament which they have attended, the MSU Hardwood Classic.

When they aren’t playing, they set up volleyball tournaments to help spread volleyball as a sport. Their most popular tournament of the year is the Orientation Week Volleyball Tournament.

The team practices for two hours three or four times a week. People of every skill level are in the club. Some members hadn’t played until Tech while others played internationally when they were younger.

This diverse group has certainly meshed well to create a strong performing volleyball team. Their undefeated record last Friday is a clear indication of that.

“We wanted to just have fun and play volleyball, and that ended up working well for us in the end.”

-Dakota Anderson

Women’s Basketball dropped a pair of games last week on the road, bringing an 11-game win streak to a halt. The Huskies fell 74-63 to No.1 Wayne St. on Thursday, Jan. 23. A one-point decision on Saturday, Jan. 25 rounded off the weekend. The Huskies lost 63-62 to Saginaw Valley. These matches were the Huskies’ first conference match losses so far this year.

Men’s Basketball split last week with a win over Wayne St. and a loss to Saginaw Valley. Thursday’s match at Wayne St. was the Huskies’ lowest scoring game of the season, but they managed to pull off the win by two points, edging the Warriors 52-50. Once again, two points separated the match decision on Saturday, but this time it was the Cardinals who edged the Huskies.

Saginaw Valley stole the match 71-69.

Intramural Entry Deadlines

Important dates for three intramural events are steadfast approaching. The entry deadline for racquetball doubles is Jan. 29 at 5 p.m. Registration for table tennis singles and table tennis doubles both close on Jan. 31. The deadline for the singles event is 12 p.m., with the tournament to commence later that day at 6 p.m. The doubles tournament will begin Feb. 2 at 1 p.m.

14

SPORTS

Tuesday, January 28

Spring semester’s ultimate reprieve Continued from page 13 semester sports is because they serve as much needed stress relief. Without a doubt, school is stressful and exercise is one of the healthiest ways to combat stress. Being with friends creates an even more hospitable mental vacation.

Munoz brought up another valid point.

The benefits of participating in sports go far beyond the realm of just having fun.

She expressed, “It makes you more wellrounded and shows you care about your overall being as opposed to just academics and work.”

It also serves as an opportunity to work with teammates and simply be a part of a social interaction. The skills you take away will be beneficial in the long run from both a personal and professional standpoint.

Students who currently do not participate in a winter sport, activity or intramural should definitely consider joining in on the fun. Given all that Michigan Tech and the Keweenaw have to offer in the wintertime, you might as well make the most of the weather, better yourself and have a good time.

From the words of fourth-year Nick Saur, “This spring semester is full of MTU students running hot in the cold weather with all the awesome outdoor activities we are blessed with. Whether it’s skiing, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, hiking or even sitting inside with friends drinking hot chocolate, there is no shortage of camaraderie.”

Michigan Tech Lode

Copper Country Track Club competes at UW-Stout Open ELLIE FURMANSKI Sports Editor One of Michigan Tech’s many club sports teams is the Copper Country Track Club.

The organization promotes intercollegiate competition for both varsity and non-varsity athletes here at Michigan Tech by providing a winter indoor track season.

Last Saturday, Jan. 25, over 20 members of the club traveled to Menomonie, Wisc., to participate in the UW-Stout Open. This was the club’s first competition so far this academic year.

Overall, the team’s performance was noteworthy. President of the Copper Country Track Club, Pat Spalding commented, “The teams performed well this weekend. Even with our small numbers, we definitely stood out among the competition. All in all, it was a great chance for everyone to compete.”

On the women’s side, top individual finishes

were by Ashley Veale and Jamie Dompier.

Veale ran the 60-meter hurdles in 9.75 for a third place finish, and she took sixth in the 200-meter dash (27.28). Dompier took fifth in the 60-meter dash (8.18) and fourth in the 200-meter dash (26.81).

The relay team of Veale, Hannah Schnack, Lauren Raiford and Dompier took second in the 4x200-meter relay. They finished in 1:49.40, just 1.4 seconds behind the first place team.

The men’s team had a number of first place finishes amongst the various events. Freshman Jason Saliga, who was an emerging competitor for Michigan Tech Cross Country this past fall, took first in the 3000-meter run. He completed the race in 9:24.94 and had a lead of over 20 seconds on the second place finisher.

Thomas Scott earned another first place finish for the Copper Country Track Club. He ran the 800-meter run in 1:58.63.

There were three Copper Country Track Club teams that raced in the 4x400-meter relay.

JOHN REYNOLDS Lode Writer After a pair of losses last week, the Michigan Tech Women’s Basketball team will look to return to their winning ways upon returning to Houghton this Thursday. Jan. 30, Tech will welcome Northwood to the SDC for a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference battle. They then start the new month with a game against Lake Superior State on Saturday,

Wednesday, 29

Thursday, 30

Men’s Basketball

**Vs. Northwood @ 7:30 p.m.

Women’s Basketball

**Vs. Northwood @ 5:30 p.m.

Hockey

Nordic Skiing

The ‘A’ team, which consisted of Nathan Hood, Chrispin Johnston, Isaac Pringle and Jevon Maddox, took first with a time of 3:32.13.

The ‘B’ and ‘C’ teams took third (3:41.37) and fourth (3:44.48) out of six relay teams.

Maddox earned two additional first place finishes in the 400-meter dash and triple jump.

He raced the 400-meter dash in 51.07 and went 43-feet, 3.0-inches in the triple jump. Last year, Maddox set the Michigan Tech outdoor triple jump record at 48-feet, 0.5 inches.

The Copper Country Track Club’s next scheduled meet is the Titan Open at UWOshkosh on Feb. 7. Until then, the athletes will continue training in hopes of improving their performance for the next competition.

Upcoming crucial matches for Husky Basketball Feb. 1.

The Huskies have lost two in a row, ceding wins to 21st-ranked Wayne State and Saginaw Valley. Tech scored more than eight points lower than their season average in both affairs.

Danielle Blake played very well during last week’s stretch, scoring 38 points over the two games. She is eighth in the GLIAC with 6.6 rebounds per game. She may have some competition against the Timberwolves, however, as their Kaitlin Susan is fourth in rebounds, with 8.6 per game.

Varsity Events Schedule: January 28 - February 3 Tuesday, 28

“Even with our small numbers, we definitely stood out among the competition.”

–Pat Spalding

The Northwood Timberwolves are currently sitting fourth in a strong GLIAC North Division with a conference record of 8-4. They are riding a five game win streak, including an impressive 12-point win over first place Wayne State.

Northwood is now 10-6 on the season, due in large part to Lauren Robak. This sophomore forward is third in the GLIAC in average points per game with 17.7 points. The Timberwolves currently have three players scoring more than Continued on page 15

Home Game

Friday, 31

Saturday, 1

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

**Vs. Lake Superior St. @ 3:00 p.m. **Vs. Lake Superior St. @ 1:00 p.m. **@ Bowling Green 7:07 p.m.

Sunday, 2

** Conference Match Monday, 3 Vs. Northern Mich. @ 7:30 p.m.

Vs. Northern Mich. @ 5:30 p.m.

Tuesday, January 28 15 SPORTS Huskies split series with Ferris State, seek to regain ground at Bowling Green

Michigan Tech Lode

IAN HATZILIAS Lode Writer Last weekend the Huskies saw the Ferris State Bulldogs on their turf, only two weeks after dropping both series games to the same team in Big Rapids. After winning Friday’s nailbiter 3-2, the Huskies lost in a disappointing 3-0 shutout against the number one team in the WCHA on Saturday, with 25 shots coming from both teams.

Despite Saturday’s game not going the way the Huskies had hoped, there are only two teams that can say they’ve won a conference game against Ferris State: Minnesota State and Michigan Tech. Following the series, Michigan Tech remains ranked seventh in the WCHA. Now the Huskies prepare for this coming weekend when there will be a conference matchup against Bowling Green for the second time this season.

The last time these two teams met, the Falcons bested the Huskies in a 3-2 win in the first game. In the second game of the series, they tied 4-4 with no goals from the extra five minute overtime period.

Similar to the Huskies this past weekend, the Falcons also split their series with the Lake Superior State Lakers in WCHA play.

Returning to the ice with determination after

Freshman Reid Sturos fires a shot on net during the Huskies Friday night win against Ferris State. Sturos had a stellar night as he finished with his first two goals of the season, one of which was the game winner.

losing 3-5 on Friday, they pulled off a stunning 6-2 win on Saturday night.

As for nearly every team in the WCHA, these two teams are on par with one another, and it is impossible to predict what will happen when these two face-off again this season.

Both teams have shown to have offensive

Photo by Maxwell Curtis

and defensive prowess in important situations.

On the other hand, there have been games where the Huskies and Falcons simply look lost on the ice.

Michigan Tech looks to get back on their feet and regain some ground after a tough loss last Saturday while Bowling Green seeks to

continue the onslaught of goals that they saw against the Lakers.

Hopefully both teams will be in the right mindset to play two fast-paced, intense games of hockey against one another this weekend.

Puck drop for both Friday and Saturday is at 7:07 p.m. away in Bowling Green.

year and currently has the best winning percentage in the GLIAC because of it. They are a very balanced team, with six different players scoring in double digits during their recent rough patch. The Huskies have the depth to withstand their onslaught, but it won’t be easy.

The GLIAC is very close this year, and many different teams could easily leave this season as the champion. Seven teams are currently in

first or one game out of first place. Five of the Huskies’ remaining ten games come against one of these top opponents. It’s going to be hectic watching the standings shake out as the season wraps up.

Come support your Husky Basketball teams this Thursday and Saturday. The women’s matches start at 5:30 and 1 p.m., respectively, with the men’s games to follow at the SDC Wood Gym.

Husky Basketball Continued from page 14 Tech’s leading scorer, Mackenzie Perttu, who averages 13.8 points per game.

On Feb. 1, the Lake Superior State Lakers will visit Houghton following a recordbreaking performance by their Stephanie Fisher. She broke the school’s single game three-point field goal record after making 10 of 14 shots in a loss to Ferris State. Tech’s Paige Albi will have to show her how it is done with her eighth place GLIAC three-point field goal percentage.

Tech needs to get back to their winning ways if they want to win the division. The season is coming to an end. Only ten more games remain, and they are currently two games behind Wayne State. They can’t afford many more losses before the division title will be out of reach.

The Michigan Tech Men’s team will also look to return to winning ways this week, welcoming in Northwood on January 30 followed by first place Lake Superior State on February 1. The Lakers are currently the 23rdranked team in Division II Basketball, but they have dropped in the rankings after losing two of their last three.

The Michigan Tech Men split their away games this past week, beating Wayne State by two points before losing to Saginaw Valley by

two points.

The loss took the Huskies out of a tie for first place between three other teams in the GLIAC. They are currently tied for fifth with two other teams.

Austin Armga continues to impress, scoring 31 points in the loss to Saginaw Valley. He leads the GLIAC with 24.3 points per game, good enough to tie for ninth in all of Division II Basketball. He has scored at least 30 points in four games this year and will need to keep up his strong play in the last stretch of the season.

Northwood is currently on a five game win streak, including a 14-point victory over first place Lake Superior State. The Timberwolves are currently averaging 78.4 points per game, which is 3.3 points more than the Huskies are scoring this year. Fortunately, Michigan Tech is giving up a mere 66.6 points per game, 6.7 fewer than Northwood.

Tech is going to need to stop Northwood’s Will Bowles and Wes Wilcox if they want to earn the victory. They are third and fourth, respectively, in rebounds in the GLIAC, and Wilcox is scoring 19.4 points per game. He is followed closely by ninth place Ben Stelzer, who is scoring 17.9 per game for the Huskies this year.

Lake Superior State is having an exceptional

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Upcoming

Events January 28 - February 3 Financing and Budgeting for Your Organization-HuskyLEAD

Today! Tuesday, Jan. 28.

6 p.m. Fisher 135

If you are a member of a student organization that will be requesting funding from USG for the 2014-2015 school year, make sure you send a member to attend this session. A representative from your organization is required to attend this session if you would like to apply for funding. The presentation will be given by USG’s treasurer.

First-year Meeting-Career Services

Wednesday, Jan. 29. 6:30 p.m. Fisher 135

If you’re a first-year and wondering whether or not you can still get an internship, Career Services says Yes! you can. Attend this information session to learn more about the skills and techniques needed to land an internship your first year. Also, hear stories and advice from students who were able to obtain internships as first-years.

Off-campus Housing Forum-USG

Thursday, Jan. 30. 6:30 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Fisher 135

Have you ever wondered what to watch out for when choosing off-campus housing? Scott MacInnes, Houghton City Manager, will be giving a presentation about renting and leasing housing in the Houghton area. After his presentation, there will be time slotted for Q&A. If you have a question but would like to ask it anonymously, you can submit it through a Google form, which can be found in this weeks Student News Brief.

Spring Break Meeting-OAP

Thursday, Jan. 30. 7 p.m. MUB Alumni Lounge B

Have you ever thought about going on an adventure for spring break? Learn how to do just that by attending this information session from the OAP. Learn more about this year’s alternative spring break trips. Trips will be guided by OAP student leaders who have been trained to keep you safe while having fun. PE credit can be earned for the Spring 2014 semester by participating in an alternative spring break trip.

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 Grant Dorian “My favorite series is Percy Jackson and the Olympians.”

Matthew Luebke “The Harry Potter series.”

What is your favorite book?

-Sasha Burnett

Paige Mason “Angela’s Ashes.”

Kara Shawbitz “Book Thief.”