11/19/2009

An Ode to Sesame Street

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Michigan Tech Lode

November 19, 2009

Serving the Michigan Tech Community Since 1921

Doorknobs and Cell Phones Michigan Tech celebrates World Usability Day TARA SOTRIN Lode Writer A collaboration of MTU students across a variety of disciplines met to celebrate last Thursday, November 12. They met in the hallways of Fischer, they presented and discussed in the Memorial Union Ballrooms, and they posted their work on the J.R. Van Holt Library walls.

They want us to know about their work in the field of usability.

The event those students celebrated last Thursday was World Usability Day; the theme was “Designing for a sustainable world.” Events included a paper prototype exhibition that demonstrated its’ effectiveness in Fischer, presentations by usability and sustainability experts, and a showcase of usability posters submitted by Michigan Tech students for consideration in the poster design contest.

“Today’s society wants products that have more than one use and that are sustainable,” says Jeremiah Baumann, a student on the committee for organizing World Usability Day at Michigan Tech. “This is where usability comes into play for someone like myself in the Technical Communications field. As a Creative Designer, if my designs aren’t usable, then they are not successful and don’t see the light of day.”

World Usability Day is an international event sponsored by the Usability Professionals’ Association. A group dedicated to using their expertise in usability testing to “humanize technology.” Their website states “your cell phone should be as easy to use as a door knob.” Some of the international highlights of the event included a DesignIT! Conference in Japan, a celebration for the opening of a new testing facility (the iQ Studio) in Dublin, and students performing usability testing for companies in Finland.

Usability itself is a growing show how usability and sustainfield of interest for not only de- ability are directly related, allowsigners and creators but for any ing for students to reflect about students how they of higher can achieve educaa bett i o n ter world. lo oking Michigan to create Tech stuproducts dents from of the all discihighest plines had quality. the chance Usability to learn refers to about susthe qualtainability ity of a from local -According to the Usability product experts.” as well Those Professionals Association as to the experts inpro ce ss cluded Rick of testDonovan, ing how real users interact with the Operations Manager, Senior the product.

Engineer and Research Scientist The impact of World Usability at Sustainable Futures Institute Day was clear at the Michigan who talked about high perforTech Campus. Jeremiah states mance computing, artificial in“The presentations this year, telligence computing, compuincluding the poster sessions, tational materials science, and

Your cell phone should be as easy to use as a door knob.

systems modeling for sustainability. Rick Loduha, an Associate Professor of Art and Design (Interdisciplinary Design) at Finlandia University in Hancock talked about design and creative problem solving. And, Christopher Plummer, Associate Professor of Theater in the Visual and Performing Arts Department at Michigan Tech talked about sustainability in sound design and soundscapes.

Joshua Kaufman, a writer for the Digital Web Magazine, writes “usability testing breaks down the wall between the designer and user, and allows us to see how real users do real tasks in the real world.” And things were real for Michigan Tech Students last Thursday.

See the World Usability Day Upper Peninsula (WUD U.P.) website at http://hdmz.hu.mtu. edu/wp/usability/ for more details about World Usability Day 2009 and for a countdown till next years’ celebration.

Salvation Army begins fundraising for the holidays ZACHARY PAGE Lode Writer The Salvation Army began the holiday season with its annual bell ringing event at various stores located within the Houghton district.

The ringing began Friday at 10 a.m. near the entrance of the Econo Foods grocery store.

Fundraising soon became present at nearby stores such as Shopko, Wal-Mart and Pat’s Foods as well.

John Zurcher, who began his third year of bell ringing, was in charge of the post. “I enjoy meeting new people,” Zurcher said whilst collecting money for the organization. “It’s a community cause. All the money helps local-

ly.” The organization is setting a goal to raise $47,750 by the 24th of December when the fundraising officially ends.

Contributors place their donations in small red kettles that hang from a post. The money collected goes toward the ventures carried out by the Salvation Army. The operations that the institution undertakes range from a wide variety of humanitarian obligations. “We help the needy with a whole smorgasbord of things. Things like church services, nursing home visits, emergency energy assistance, gasoline, emergency bus tickets or shelter,” say Captain Mark Brown. These operations have been a trademark of the Salvation Army for decades.

The organization’s history can

We help the needy with a whole smorgasbord of things. Things like church services, nursing home visits, emergency energy assistance, gasoline, emergency bus tickets or shelter.

-Captain Mark Brown

Get yours at

be traced back to 1865 by an Englishman named William Booth who founded the institution. Booth, a devoted Christian, attempted to raise the aspirations of the misfortunate by preaching the Christian faith.

He and his family organized a mission that was meant to give hope to the poor living within the slums of London.

Today, the Salvation Army operates in over 115 countries and holds a membership of over 4.5 million. More than 25,000 volunteers take part in the annual holiday fundraisers in the U.S. alone. Houghton is one out many cities around the world that take part in these events.

As of now, the organization is looking for volunteers to man the kettles outside local stores as well as managing the Salvation Army’s food and toy drive. For more information on the organization, call the Salvation Army at 482-3420.

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Online exclusives PDF Archives of all issues this year

Helping all those in need:Salvation Army volunteer collects money on the city street. Today, the Salvation Army operates in over 115

countries and holds a membership of over 4.5 million. More than 25,000 volunteers take part in the annual holiday fundraisers in the U.S. alone.

Photo courtesy of flickr

VanPelt Library VANPELT LIBRARY

Press Release Library Study Rooms Equipped with Monitors for Oral Report Practice Since mid-July 2009, Michigan Tech students, staff, and faculty have had a state-ofthe-art way to practice their

oral presentations: project them on a large-screen monitor in a study room in the Van Pelt and Opie Library.

Large-screen monitors (42”) have been installed in rooms 302 and 303, two of the larger study rooms on third floor of the Library.

See more VanPelt Libray 2A

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Check out the thoughts of one international student in the “Culture Shock Report #11.”

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Michigan Tech Lode Thursday, November 19, 2009

Library continued from front page The monitors, which can easily be connected to a laptop computer, are intended to be used by students and others who need to practice a presentation they need to make. Sometimes a little practice is all that is needed to make a presentation sing. The study rooms are open to all and may be reserved at the circulation desk or through Zimbra, the University’s email/calendar system.

The idea for the monitors came from the Library staff, and the technology was purchased with funding from the Friends of the Van Pelt Library. The Friends obtain their funding from donations and from the proceeds of the popular Friends Book Sale. The next Friends Book Sale is 9 April 2010 with a pre-sale for members of the Friends on the day before, 8 April 2010 (it’s easy to be a member! Just make a small donation: www.lib.mtu.edu/friends/ friends.htm).

“The students were asking for this, and when we proposed it to the Friends they accepted to support it right away!” says interim Library Director Ellen Seidel.

Anyone with suggestions related to the Library may send them to reflib@mtu.edu.

Michigan Tech’s library welcomes all: Van Pelt’s curved glass wall gives a beautiful view to diligent studying students. The stu-

dents were asking for this, and when we proposed it to the Friends they accepted to support it right away!” says interim Library Director Ellen Seidel.

Photo Courtesy of VanPelt Library

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Deck in rear that overlooks Coles Creek. Plenty of parking space.

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House for rent in Houghton for 2010-2011 school year.

Eight large bedrooms, then and a half baths.

Zoned multiresidential. Licensed for up to ten students.

House completely renovated. Enjoy the indoor hot tub and warm up after a cold day in Houghton.

Contact: Brad Davison Location: Houghton, MI Call: (517) 202-68886

Michigan Tech Lode Thursday, November, 19, 2009

Pulse

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Tech Theater does Vaster Than Empires The Works of Ursula K. LeGuin on Display at McArdle Theater NICHOLAS BLECHA Lode Writer

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he Tech Theater Company made an effort to bring the work of wellknown science fiction writer Ursula K. Le Guin to life on the weekend of November 12. That Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, they enacted the play “Vaster than Empires,” a theater adaptation of four of Lu Guin’s short stories by Roger Held. Instead of any action, however, the play was done in a similar format as a radio drama. Nine podiums stood

on the McArdle stage, and as the actors spoke, a spotlight shined on the person speaking and whomever they might be speaking to.

The first story that the actors performed, “Vaster than Empires and More Slow,” takes place within Le Guin’s Hainish cycle, in which a vast human empire colonized many planets (including Earth), and later collapsed, with the colony planets forgetting about the others. “Vaster than Empires” tells the story of a group of explorers who seek to learn more about a planet found on the edge of known space,

A Night of Improvised Comedy LUKE GUBLO Pulse Editor

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n November 10, 2009, Michigan Tech’s InterResidence Hall Council hosted a night of comedy in the Ballroom of Douglass Houghton Hall. The night featured performances from two improvised comedy groups, Comedy City De Pere of Green Bay, Wisc and Sofisticada Comedia of Houghton. The two troupes competed against each other for the approval of the audience while performing improvised comedy.

Many different games were included during the performance, including Closed Captions, Musical Rumble, and Sing It. The performance featured a lot of audience interaction with the performers, as well as contributions from the audience for ideas during each game.

In the end, Comedy City De Pere ended up winning the competition, but a good time was had by all of the performers.

“Great crowd,” said Craig Knitt, captain of the Comedy City De Pere team. “They seem to get the edge of jokes better than [many from] back home.”

Similar thoughts were conveyed from the hometown Sofisticada Comedia, composed primarily of Michigan Tech students.

“The audience was one of the best I’ve ever seen here,” said Ste-

phen Bosio, member of Sofisticada Comedia. “This was our first show in Houghton as a group, and we really appreciated the turnout.”

Comedy City De Pere was formed during 1987 in Oshkosh, Wisc. They are currently located De Pere, Wisc. The Group is made up of Craig Knitt, Joe Abrahamson, Tony Mayer, Sean Yahn, and Laurie Bruinooge. If you would like to learn more about Comedy City DePere, please visit their website at www.comedycityonline.com.

Sofisticada Comedia is composed of Stephen Bosio, Cal Wacker, and Mike Mott, all students at Michigan Tech. on the continued suffering of one child.

While the format initially seemed odd for theater, it was used effectively and the performance was well received by the audience. Most important was the actors’ own success in playing their parts well, without flat reads. Adding to that was dramatic lighting and sound effects to underscore the spoken performances. A screen showing an image to reflect the spoken dialogue finished off the effect.

The Tech Theater Company performs several shows each year. Their next performance will be David Auburn’s “Proof,” which will be shown February 11-13 and 18-19 in the McArdle Theatere.

Wind Symphony Performs RAEANNE MADISON Lode Writer

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n Friday November 13th, 2009 the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts hosted Michigan Tech’s Superior Wind Symphony and the Jeffers High School Band.

The Jeffers High School Band, directed by Emily Raffaelli, started the show with “Black Tower,” and “Si Trocadero.” They also played familiar crowd pleasers “Danny Boy,” “Symphony in E Minor” by Dvorak, and “Music of the Night” from The Phantom of the Opera.

Superior Wind Symphony, conducted by Nicholas Enz, played after a brief intermission. They played “Tico Tico,” “Prelude, Opus 34, No. 14,” and “Incantation and Dance.” Then renowned guitarist and Michigan Tech Alumnus Pat Valencia joined them on stage.

Pat’s classical guitar playing was the feature of “Sunburst.”

He then played electric guitar in “Chaos Theory.” This song featured a five minute solo from Pat. “Superior Winds should be honored to feature such skillful guitar playing. Pat Valencia is the man,” said Josh Mayo, Recording Engineer. Pat provides Suzuki Classical Guitar instruction and has a studio on the campus of Finlandia University.

Jeffers High School Band joined Superior Winds on stage to finish the night with two more songs.

They played “Malaguena,” a Latin song whose melody can be heard in the “Zorro” soundtrack. The combined bands ended with the John Philip Sousa classic “Semper Fidelis,” which Emily Raffaelli conducted. The performance received a warm reception from an enthusiastic crowd, and was a great way to kick off the weekend.

which seems to consist of all plants and fungi with no animals.

As the crew explores the new planet, their conflicts with each other provide a central point in the drama of the story.

The second, “The Barrow,” is a freestanding work, and the only one out of the four that is not from the anthology The Wind’s Twelve Quarters. Here, a visiting priest to a small country in 12th-century Eastern Europe is shocked by mysterious events that seem to happen around the castle, events that the townspeople attribute to a mysterious place called the Barrow, whose

people worship an entity named “Odin.”

The third, “The Darkness Box,” is a variation of the Pandora’s Box tale, in which a prince unwittingly unleashes darkness into a world that had until then held only light. And the final, “Those Who Walk Away From Omelas,” tells of a city where people live wonderful lives and strife is almost unheard-of, but the existence of which is seemingly dependent on the continued suffering of one child.

While the format initially seemed odd for theater, it was used effectively and the perfor-

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mance was well received by the audience. Most important was the actors’ own success in playing their parts well, without flat reads. Adding to that was dramatic lighting and sound effects to underscore the spoken performances. A screen showing an image to reflect the spoken dialogue finished off the effect.

The Tech Theater Company performs several shows each year. Their next performance will be David Auburn’s “Proof,” which will be shown February 11-13 and 18-19 in the McArdle Theatere.

For more Information E-mail: krherrer@mtu.edu

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Ask Sassy Sassy

Dear , I’m indecisive lately about my course of study at college.

My major is turning out to be not quite what I expected, however I am set to graduate in a year and a half. Should I follow my true passion, or graduate with the degree I am pursuing and save time and money?

Sincerely,

Major Predicament

Dear Major, Time and money are much more important than following your dreams and overall happiness. However, I do recommend a change of major, but not to the one you are passionate about. Choose a major that will give you the most money in the least amount of time. Construct your own major to achieve this objective. Some classes you could take may include Economics and Contemporary Bank Robbery and The Financial Implications of Drug Dealing. You should also include some cultural classes such as Smuggling across Borders or Con Artists of Modern Europe.

Be sure to include some genuine work experience as well.

To really make the big bucks quickly, seek out an internship with a drug cartel or gambling ring. These jobs will make you rich in dollars and gritty, real world experience.

When it’s all said and done, you may end up a lonely convict. But look at the positives. Although you didn’t follow your dream or passion, you made a lot of money, quickly while it all lasted, which is what you wanted, right?

Sassy

Dear , As the holidays get closer and closer, I get an irresistible urge to splurge. Right after I buy my dad his annual tie, I pick up a new top for me. And not a minute goes by after purchasing my little brother his new board game when I spot a pair of flip-flops I just have to have. How can I control myself?

Sincerely,

Out-of-Control Shopper

Dear Shopper, Clearly when you enter a store you see red. Sales must be conquered, clothing racks must be demolished. However, this shopping addiction is not your problem. The issue you should be addressing is why you apparently insist on getting your dad a tie every year and your younger brother a board game.

Your dad is no doubt tired of getting cheap tie after cheap tie for Christmas. Worse than the initial disappointment is the embarrassment he feels when he wears the ties to work, strictly to humor you of course. Break out of the mold and buy his favorite movie or a gift certificate to a good restaurant.

When there are games like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, why would your little brother want a board game? Get the kid a PS3 game, or at least a cool action figure. It seems you are so impaired by your shopping addiction that you can’t even put a little thought into the gifts for your very own family.

In short, stay inside during the holidays; let someone else do your holiday shopping. Be sure to do some self-reflection on why you buy such horrible gifts.

Sassy

, Dear I would really like to play varsity basketball next year, but I am concerned it will be too much to take on and my grades will suffer. Should I take the risk, or play it safe?

Sincerely, Bewildered Baller Dear Bewildered, Because life should never be hard, don’t play basketball.

The numerous physical and social benefits that come from playing a varsity sport are only a mask for the insurmountable challenge and unbearable responsibility that are inevitably attached. For the sake of your delicate, labor fearing mentality do not join the team under any circumstances.

There are, however, many activities that you could engage in which would not negatively impact your coveted GPA. One activity, commonly known as “vegging”, allows you to spend your spare time in an unchallenging, un-stimulating manner. Tune your television set to a dull, non-controversial television program that is so devoid of rational, useful information that it will not challenge your intellect nor will it be physically stimulating in any way. This will allow you to focus on your grades completely.

Risks never got anyone anywhere. Look at Martin Luther King, Harvey Milk, or FDR. They took risks and now no one remembers them.

Michigan Tech Lode Thursday, November 19, 2009

For the community, by the community: A close look at Carnegie Museum MALLORY LACASSE Guest Writer There’s a lot going on in the streets of Downtown Houghton these days, but what about indoors? There are many different stores and restaurants, but one building that’s different from the rest is located at 105 Huron Street. It’s called the Carnegie Museum.

The Carnegie Museum is in the building that used to house the Portage Lake District Library, which is now located directly down the street, on the waterfront. Elise Nelson is the head of the museum. She and a group of citizens came together with the idea of preserving the building. They also wanted to use the building to provide the community with local history of Michigan. The museum opened in the fall of 2006, and displayed primarily historical pictures.

The museum now has a variety of exhibits to offer to people, including the Raphaelli Historical Photo Collection. Raphaelli is a retired Houghton City Police Chief who has donated many pictures to the museum as well as to other businesses in Houghton.

It also hosts “The Lake Superior Boys – Civil War Soldiers from the Portage Lake Area,” an exhibit about local men who fought for the Union. Another exhibit is called “Cemeteries of the Copper Country: A Grave Subject.” This exhibit is about active and inactive local cemeteries, with pictures provided by the Houghton Keweenaw County Genealogy Society. The cemeteries shown are both active and inactive.

The museum also hosts “Copper Country Gardens,” a display of native plants. The plants are all laminated and hung up on the wall. The museum is also attempting to have a garden of native plants outside.

Throughout the year, the Carnegie Museum also hosts several rotating exhibits. For example, during December, the museum has a gingerbread-house display.

Many museum patrons make their own houses and bring them for display, and the museum also displays its own giant gingerbread house. During this event, the museum provides visitors with treats. This December will mark the third year that the museum will host the event.

There are several upcoming events that the museum is working towards. Currently the only thing that is on display downstairs is the “Copper Country Gardens,” but Nelson is hoping that soon they will be able to open the children’s museum that is being worked on downstairs as well. Next year the museum will also host “The story-tellers from

the U.P.,” and there will also be an exhibit about the history of beer making, and local breweries.

Nelson says that the museum is really a “community effort.”

Anyone who has anything about the history of the area and would like to donate it to the museum is more than welcome to. Most of the exhibits are from people in the area who have a passion for

the local history and wished to share what they had about it.

Everyone is welcome, and admission is free of charge, but donations are encouraged. The museum is open Tuesday from noon to 7 p.m., Thursday from noon to 5 p.m. and Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. For more information visit the museum web site at www.cityofhoughton.com/rec-carnegie.

Photos courtesy of tiny.cc/PugHq

Michigan Tech Lode Thursday, November 19, 2009

opinion

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One small step for understanding, one giant leap backwards for progress DANNY MESSINGER Lode Writer

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ast Thursday, the Multicultural Center Steering Committee held a series of focus groups that were designed to discuss a new center that would provide support, resources and the opportunity for personal development for diverse students at Michigan Tech. Students were informed of the different focus groups and the meeting locations through an e-mail sent out to all Michigan Tech students along with tabletents put out at dining locations throughout the campus. Focus groups were scheduled for seven minority groups (such as African Americans, Native Americans, Women Undergraduates and GLBT students) and two sessions were held for Undergraduate and Graduate students.

After sending the e-mail out to the Michigan Tech student body, one student replied. Dr. Christa Walck, facilitator of the Multicultural Center task force said, “we received an e-mail response to our mass mailing… which was negative about including GLBT students.” This single e-mail stated that its sender would not attend any of the focus groups because GLBT students were being included in the meetings. The task force, concerned about the potential for students to protest at the scheduled meeting, decided to reevaluate the location of the focus group.

According to Walck, disclosing the location of the GLBT focus group was an inadvertent mistake. After realizing that the location of the meeting had been made public, she consulted both the person who would be facilitating the focus group and a faculty advisor for Keweenaw Pride.

The decision was then made to move the location of the meeting to a secret location. Walck said that the change was made “to make it safe for students to participate.”

The decision to move the location of the GLBT focus group was the exact opposite reaction the University should have taken.

By hiding the focus group, any potential protestor was stripped of their ability to participate in the dialogue.

T h e r e would be no harm in a protestor choosing to attend any of the focus group me eting s .

As long as the protestor agrees to abide by the same rules as the other attendees, they should be given the same opportunity to voice their opinion. However, the purpose of the meeting was to gather input from minority students about how to build a center to cultivate diversity at Michigan Tech. The voice of the protestor, though not unwelcome, was not the voice the committee wanted to hear and was consequently avoided under the façade of the safety.

Had the committee caught wind of protestors planning to attend the focus group for African American students, they most likely wouldn’t have moved their meeting to the basement of a building on the far end of cam-

pus. Public Safety would have been alerted and if any disrespectful protestors had actually shown up, they would have been asked to leave.

Students who actually managed to find the secret meeting location were not greeted by welcoming surroundings but rather by a locked door. One student who planned to attend the meeting was locked out of the building because as soon as the meeting started, the buildi n g ’ s doors w e r e locked.

This student unwillingly missed o v e r half of the meeting because they couldn’t even enter the building.

The Michigan Tech student body was not informed of the change in location. If there had been any students who planned to attend the meeting but were not in the loop, they would not have known where to go. The committee failed to even have a staff member present at the scheduled location to inform those who planned to go to the original location of the new location.

Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of this decision is the message it sends. Any protestors who showed up at the advertised location saw an empty room.

A life for a life?

JACK AMMERMAN Opinion Writer

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n 2002 I received a trip to Washington D.C. to visit the capitol as a gift from my grandparents. As an 11-year-old, this was terribly exciting and I could not wait to go.

The trip was postponed, however, by my mother who felt that D.C. was “unsafe because of recent events in the area.” She was referring to the so-called “D.C. Sniper” who had terrorized the area for three weeks, killing 10 people during that time. The trip was postponed., The two shooters, John Muhammad and Lee Malvo, were caught and convicted, and I went to D.C. the next year and the whole thing was forgotten.

Seven years later, the entire incident was brought back into my mind when I read an article in USA Today. The article was written by Kevin Johnson who stated that “John Muhammad was executed Tuesday (11-10-09) with a lethal injection at the Greensville Correctional Center”. The article went on to discuss the shootings and how the shooters were caught. The second to last paragraph said that “Muhammad, divorced with five children, spent his final hours meeting with family. He ate a last meal of chicken

with red sauce.”

This really surprised me. I can understand why the article had been written, to be informative and truthful, yet why would it be necessary to tell what a dead man’s last meal was? I felt like I was hearing a report on what Michelle Obama’s newest outfit was, so that all the ladies of fashion could be up to date on the latest styles. As if every person set to be executed in the near future could read it and request that their last meal would also be one of chicken with red sauce.

What really struck me as odd

in this article was that the picture included along with it was not one of the shooters but of protestors against capital punishment outside the Greensville Correctional Center. The protesters were holding signs with slogans such as, “Thou Shall NOT Murder!” and candles. Yet the article talked nothing about the issues apparent with capital punishment and executions only remarking that “the death penalty was ruled out for Malvo, who was 17 at the time… after the Supreme Court decided in 2005 that juvenile offenders cannot be executed”. The article was purely factual, discussing what had happened, though the picture while not outright saying it, hinted at the deep issues that run adjacent to capital punishment.

Everyone knows the old slogan “eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth” which deals with punishment of criminals. Whatever the criminal did should in turn be done to them. Capital punishment takes this theory into account when given to those who have committed murder. In these cases though, it is “a life for a life”.

Many, such as the protestors in the picture, feel that capital punishment is wrong and immoral, arguing that we as humans do not hold the power or right to take away another human life. Others who are radically in favor of capital punishment feel that every murderer should be executed.

So where do we draw the line?

How can we distinguish between those that might deserve such a punishment and those who should be given lesser punishments? Luckily for us, as Michigan Tech students, most of us will not have to make that decision. I doubt many students here will end up in the judicial system.

However, it is still important to think about issues such as this.

Even though it is not a huge issue compared to more prevalent ones today, such as public health care, it is still something to consider when election time rolls around.

The next time you cast a ballot, the person who you select might be all in favor of plunging needles into every criminal. So make sure that their views line up with yours and that you do not sentence someone to a last meal of “chicken with red sauce.”

They won. Regardless of whether the meeting had been moved to a secret location or been cancelled altogether, the voices of those they oppose were silenced.

GLBT students and allies were swept under the rug. Although the focus group still functioned under the rug, the fact that any minority group on campus has to hide because of a small group of potential protestors is a sad sign of the times. To me, the response of the University to the potential threat of protest was a way of not confronting homophobia. It was the easy way out. The committee should have ensured safety and comfort for the participants of all focus groups and the potential productivity of the meetings by not changing their location. If the safety of minority students was truly the sole reason for concern, perhaps Public Safety should have been present at the meetings to help all minority students feel safe. Or, perhaps, the committee should have seized this opportunity to get two distinctly different viewpoints by holding two meetings – one of which was kept secret to protect “closeted” GLBT students.

This experience suggests the need for some sort of training that would educate faculty members about how to deal with these types of situations. When given an opportunity to comment on the content of the e-mail that prompted the change in location (I was not asking her to reveal the identity of the sender), Walck chose not to comment and instead simply stated, “feel free to criticize [my decision].” She then sent an e-mail to every member of the committee, including some of the highest-ranked officials at Michigan Tech, warning them that “you might be contacted by Danny Messinger today about the decision… If you are contact-

ed by him, my preference is that you simply refer him to me since it was my decision. I have already answered his questions as fully as I intend to.” The unwillingness of University faculty to discuss the situation or to even share details of this decision demonstrates a lack of experience and perhaps a low comfort level with addressing homophobic issues.

The proposed center that would provide services for minorities on campus is certainly a step in the right direction. In fact, most other major universities in the state already have these types of resources available for minorities on their respective campuses. Despite the change in location, the GLBT focus group still provided a lot of useful information and ideas to the steering committee.

The committee had good intentions when scheduling their meetings and even when they moved the location of the GLBT focus group. The safety of GLBT students attending the meetings surely should be considered when planning these meetings, but the message sent by the change in location was the wrong one.

In the interest of promoting diversity and open-mindedness at Michigan Tech, this decision was a step backwards.

Michigan Tech Lode

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6A Sports Huskies earn second consecutive trip to NCAA Regional By

Michigan Tech Lode Thursday, November 19, 2009

LAUREN WIZA Lode Writer

The Michigan Tech volleyball team (14-14) was one of 64 teams selected to the NCAA Tournament, despite falling 3-1 in the first round of the GLIAC Conference Tournament match against Saginaw Valley State University last Wednesday, Nov. 10.

Michigan Tech was led by two double-double performances from Kristine Sexton (15 kills and 10 digs) and Madeline Haben (33 assists and 16 digs) in their away match with the Cardinals. Senior Kaari Nevanen matched Haben’s 16 digs, and together the two women combined for half of the team’s passes. Digging efforts alone were not enough to overcome poor hitting accuracy. The Huskies hit 21 percent in game one to take the set 25-22, before their tenacity cooled.

Game two proved close with

the teams tied at 24, but Saginaw No. 1-seeded University of InValley was able to close it out, dianapolis. thanks to a kill from their Kait “We’ve just got to play more Harris, and a stray Husky kill. consistently,” said Gonzalez.

While Michigan Tech continued “We’ve got to play better deto struggle in games three and fense. They’re a very tough defour, the Cardinals hit fensive team. We’ve their stride, defeatgot to be able to ing the Huskies match their No. 8 Michigan Tech Huskies 25-14 in each team.” vs. game to take Coming No. 1 Indianapolis Greyhounds the set 3-1. off of a Great NCAA Midwest Regional “We went Lakes Valley Thursday, Nov. 19, 7:30 p.m. into [SagConference inaw], and C h a mp i o n Visit we executed ships (GLVC), mtulode.com/sports/volleyball well early. And the 35-1 GreyThursday night for full game recap I think we were hounds will be surprised at how hosting their easy it was,” said head first ever Regional coach Orlando Gonzalez. “We Tournament. Ranked ninth lost our focus and didn’t really in the nation, they are led by have the killer instinct to put the freshman Kristina Kerrigan team away. I think we’ve got to and junior Lyndsay Callahan finally believe that we belong to who average 2.97 and 2.68 kills play at this level.” per game. Sophomore Kristina The Huskies earned the last Hefferan is also over two with spot in the Midwest Regional of 2.28 kills per game. Four other the NCAA Tournament. Seeded greyhounds are above a 1.5 kill eighth, Michigan Tech will play per game average each. Junior

Cheneta Morrison takes care of setting responsibilities with 10.57 per set, while lone senior Kyleigh Turner (4.8), Callahan (3.02) and Morrison (2.5) split digging duties.

As a team, they average 14.1 kills, 13.1 sets and 16.2 digs per set. Jody Butera leads the Greyhounds in her thirteenth year as head coach with a winning reputation and a 65 percent success rate.

Overall, there are eight regionals for a total of 64 teams.

Gonzalez hopes the team can win at least two games to advance to the Sweet Sixteen and the Regional Championship.

“I think we’ve got a blocking advantage, so we’ve got to utilize that,” said Gonzalez. “Most importantly, we need to side out evenly with them. Some of the advantages we have in size and athleticism will help us.”

Michigan Tech and the University of Indianapolis will serve it up in Indianapolis, Ind., at 7:30 p.m. this Thursday, Nov. 19.

Michigan Tech Basketball

Women look to build off Men look to rebound from Duluth win at Drury Classic Duluth loss at St. Cloud STEPHEN ANDERSON Sports Editor After starting the season with an 85-68 victory over Minnesota Duluth on Sunday, the women’s basketball team will head back on the road this weekend to the Drury Classic in Springfield, Mo. The games will wrap up the Huskies’ three-game stretch against non-conference opponents before Michigan Tech takes some time off for Thanksgiving before finally returning home on Dec. 3 and 5. continued at mtulode.com

#43, 6’ Sr. F 15.0 pts 10.5 rbs 2.0 assts Katie Wysocky

Photo courtesy of Brett Groehler UMD

Katie Zimmerman Lode file photo

Tara Ferris

#10, 5’9” Sr. G 5.2 pts 1.8 rbs 2.4 assts

After a tough 70-68 loss at the hands of the Bulldogs, the Michigan Tech men’s team will take to the road once again, this time with two games at the St. Cloud State Invitational.

Unlike the women, the men do not have much of a Thanksgiving break, as they will head down to Indiana for the Southern Indiana Invitational the following week.

The men play their first home games on Dec. 3 and 5 as well. continued at mtulode.com

#5, 6’2” Jr. G 5.1 pts 2.6 rbs 1.0 assts

#13, 5’6” Sr. G 11.0 pts 2.4 rbs 1.7 assts last year’s stats (this year’s denoted by *) Katie Zimmerman starters from games against Minn. Duluth

r e b m nu

3

teams with a .500 record or worse have made the NCAA Division II volleyball tournament out of 319 teams in the past five years. Tech is the fourth with this year’s 14-14 record.

23

Chris Baugh

#30, 6’6” Sr. F 5.5 pts 3.7 rbs 0.6 blks

days without a home sporting event is the longest stretch of the school year, aside from the end of the regular seasons in March.

24

power play goals allowed by the Huskies hockey team this season.

Michigan Tech has only scored 23 total goals in 10 games.

39

STEPHEN ANDERSON Sports Editor

Meet the teams #12, 6’3” Fr. G # 3 Maria Kasza #4 T.J. Brown #4 Jessica Racine #11 Erik Stephens 4 pts* #12 Lucy Dernovsek #20 Anthony Katona 2 rbs* #14 Lisa Staehlin #22 Matt Gaedke 2 assts* #20 Lindsey Lindstrom #32 Georgio Holt Matt Esters #21 Sam Hoyt #34 Ali Haidar #23 Krista Kasuboski #50 Brian Olley #32 Angela Guisfredi #54 Nate Kindt #53 Lynn Geisler

#2, 5’7” Sr. G 10.2 pts 2.8 rbs 4.7 assts Sarah Stream #54, 6’ Sr. F 12.3 pts 4.3 rbs 1.9 blks Danae Danen

Nate Kindt

the

#

of the men’s 68 points in Sunday’s loss to Minnesota Duluth were scored by players in their first game as a Husky, including 17 by transfer Tyler Molesworth.

85

points were scored by the women’s basketball team in Sunday’s win over Minnesota Duluth. They only scored that many points three times in 34 games last year.

Schedules/Results

Hockey (3-7-0, 2-6-0 WCHA) MTU 3-2 Minnesota Duluth Minnesota Duluth 8-1 MTU

Nov. 27 @ Minn. St., 8:37 p.m.

Nov. 28 @ Minn. St., 8:07 p.m.

Visit uscho.com for full standings

Volleyball (14-14, 10-6 GLIAC) No games last week Thurs. @ Indianapolis, 7:30 p.m.

Future games TBA

W. Basketball (1-0, 0-0 GLIAC) MTU 85-68 Minnesota Duluth Fri. @ Missouri West., 5 p.m.

Satu. @ Texas A&M Comm., 4 p.m.

Don Fowler

#14, 6’4” Jr. G 17 pts* 6 rbs* 3 assts*

#42, 6’7” So. F 7.9 pts 3.3 rbs 0.4 blks Mike Hojnacki Tyler Molesworth

M. Basketball (0-1, 0-0 GLIAC) Minnesota Duluth 70-68 MTU Fri. @ Minn. St. Moorhead, 7 p.m.

Sat. @ St. Cloud State, 9 p.m.

Visit gliac.org for full standings

Editor’s Shootout

The Editor’s Shootout is a competition of knowledge, luck and wits between sports editor Stephen Anderson, business manager Richard Goodell, pulse editor Luke Gublo and online editor Jeremiah Baumann. Stephen won two years ago with former opinion editor Rob Devaun winning last year. This will be a weekly feature where each editor picks his winners of the three biggest games/series of the week and backs up his decisions with a short rant. THIS WEEK: New Orleans Saints vs. New England Patriots, Boston Celtics vs. Orlando Magic, North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Michigan State Spartans

LUKE GUBLO Pulse Editor 2-1 Last Week, 19-11 Overall

RICHARD GOODELL Business Manager 1-2 Last Week, 16-14 Overall

JEREMIAH BAUMANN Online Editor 3-0 Last Week, 15-15 Overall

STEPHEN ANDERSON Sports Editor 2-1 Last Week, 14-16 Overall

The Patriots will provide a test for the upstart New Orleans Saints. However, they will be at home and Drew Brees will rebound for the win. Boston and Orlando is a rematch of the Eastern Conference Finals last year. Boston, at home, will take care of business. The Spartans, once again, get the cream matchup of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

That’s usually not a good sign, though, especially going up against the Tar Heels.

Saints 31-24 Celtics 93-89 Tar Heels 85-74

After a close loss against the Colts, the Patriots pass defense showed what little it is made of. While the New Orleans secondary didn’t fair much better this week, the matchup problems for the Patriots are amplified. Look for a big win for the Big Easy. The Celtics match up against a depleted Orlando Magic team and roll to a big victory, avenging last year’s Conference championship loss. The Spartans get revenge against the Tarheels, sans-Hansborough.

Saints 34-27

New England and the Saints are both strong, but the Saints have been a bit more consistent and have the home field advantage. Orlando also has been playing great basketball and should be able to get the one up on Boston. With college basketball just starting, anything is possible. I flipped a coin on this one to pick MSU for the win in the ACC/ Big Ten Challenge.

Saints 38-28

I think the Saints will win run the table in the regular season on their way to a Super Bowl victory if they stay healthy, and a victory over the Pats will solidly convince any naysayers. Boston/Orlando is fast becoming one of the best NBA rivalries, and I’ll take the Celtics at home despite a dominant Dwight Howard double double. The Spartans have stacked their non-conference schedule, and this win will be looked back on when MSU earns a No. 1 seed entering the Big Dance. North Carolina reloads every year, but they will misfire this time against Tom Izzo’s squad.

Saints 36-28

Celtics 110-94 Spartans 87-79

Magic 109-102 Spartans 101-93

Celtics 94-91 Spartans 64-59

Michigan Tech Lode Thursday, November 19, 2009

Sports

Hockey Huskies look forward to recovery week DAVER KARNOSKY Lode Writer Using a split with the No. 18 Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs to pull themselves out of the WCHA cellar and into a tie for eighth with the Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves, the hockey Huskies have earned themselves some much-needed rest. Points against the Bulldogs and St. Cloud State along with strong showings against No. 2 North Dakota and No. 10 Colorado College have put the Huskies back on the map.

During this week off, the Huskies (3-6-0 overall, 2-5-0 WCHA) will continue to work on the areas that they struggle with, mainly penalty-taking and penalty killing. The Huskies’ penalty kill is currently stopping 64.2 percent of opponents’ chances. That won’t cut it against the Minnesotas and Wisconsins as the season progresses.

Last week in practice, head

coach Jamie Russell’s staff forced players to do pushups for bad penalties in practice. During the weekend against the Sioux, Russell’s staff benched players.

Last weekend, the staff ran out of good ideas while the Huskies’ roster was ravaged by the flu and they couldn’t field a full roster for periods of Saturday night’s loss.

This week, the team will focus on the positives that have come out of a solid start as there is still plenty to be excited about as a Huskies’ fan, despite the penalty troubles.

Sophomore center Brett Olson (5-7=12) leads the team in scoring and shots on goal (35).

Senior winger Malcolm Gwilliam (6-4=10) is having a senior season to remember, leading the team in goals and is tied for 11th in the WCHA in scoring (eight points in seven games). continued at mtulode.com

7A

Online Exclusives:

Football season review: • • • •

Game-by-game season recap In-depth look at costly injuries Sending off the seniors Comprehensive analysis

tball o o f / s t r o p s / m mtulode.co

Photos by Ben Wittbrodt Top: Michigan Tech senior wide receiver Bobby Slowik sprints downfield after one of his eight catches for 125 yards against Northwood. He finished his career with over 2,000 receiving yards.

Middle: Trainers attend to wide receiver Pat Carroll in a game earlier this year.

Injuries tell the story for the Huskies this season.

Right: Michigan Tech’s rush defense was tenth in GLIAC. Grand Valley torched the Huskies for 311 rushing yards.

Michigan Tech Cross Country Season Review Online Exclusive:

Jr. Biomed. Eng. 2009 All-GLIAC first team Bests: 5k, 16:25 8k, 25:05 10k, 33:29

Trend-Stetter: Brian Stetter’s contagious work ethic and leadership could lead Michigan Tech to even greater Cross Country success.

Indoor soccer tournament heating up

Indoor Soccer Standings - Top 6 1. A3 Inter Minglers, 4-0 2. A1 Dilligaf, 3-1 3. A5 Team God, 2-1-1 4. A4 Fuerza Bruta, 1-2-1 5. A6 The Club, 1-3 6. A2 Team “Knockout,” 0-4 1. B3 Hogwild, 5-0 2. B9 Plaid Pad, 4-1 T3. B4 Mama’s Boys, 3-2 T3. B5 Trinidad and Tobago, 3-2 T3. B6 Caution: Hot!, 3-2 T3. B12 H-Town United, 3-2 1. C4 Ducks, 4-0-1 2. C9 We Don’t Need Kristi, 4-1 T3. C6 Whackmasters, 3-0-1 T3. C13 Winsauce, 3-0-1 T5. C10 Those Guys, 2-1-1 T5. C11 No Two Left Feet, 2-1-1

STEPHEN ANDERSON Sports Editor As the semester winds down and Thanksgiving break approaches, the top teams from this semester’s indoor soccer tournament are separating themselves from the competition. With each team playing six games in the regular season, most teams have two games remaining.

The tournament holds 32 teams, six in A-league, the most competitive, 12 in B-league and 14 in C-league, the most casual of the divisions.

Games are played in the SDC Multipurpose room on Tuesday and Thursday nights from 10 p.m. to midnight.

Check out mtulode.com/sports/ soccer for full coverage of the tournament, including breakdowns of the top games and full standings.

MARC SANKO Lode Writer The 2009 campaign for both the Men’s and Women’s Cross Country teams are officially over as of earlier this month and now we can take a look back at all the high points of the year.

Both teams had good success running in some of the smaller meets, especially against the other universities from the U.P. The Men ended up winning the U.P. championships

Lode Sports rolls on with the Club Sports feature this year, remember each week we will highlight a different club sport team in effort to expand the awareness of some of the great sports we have here at Michigan Tech on the club level. This week we highlight the Rowing Club of Michigan Tech.

The Rowing Club competed in four regattas this fall, two of which were in Minneapolis, one in Grand Rapids and the Heavy Metal series against Northern Michigan. The team performed well in each regatta. The team is a relatively small program and held its own against the much larger programs from downstate like Grand Valley, Michigan State and Michigan. Fortunately the

team was able to blow Northern Michigan out of the water in their Heavy Metal series, maintaining dominance of the U.P. The fall season is now completed and this year’s team is considered a very successful team and had a good season.

The team has generated a lot of new interest and higher numbers but still could use more members. That being said the team is happy with the progress being made as the club continues to build. The club is now headed into off-season workouts and would like to participate in a spring sprint race but with the lack of good spring weather in the Keweenaw it is difficult to do.

When asked about what would be a dream come true for the Rowing Club, Rebecca Boeve shared interesting infor-

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mation: “A dream come true for the rowing team is a boat house.

We are drawn into the university plan right now with there new waterfront renovation but we will need a lot more support than that. A boat house is expensive. We are starting our own capital campaign; a boat house would provide a lot more opportunities for our team”.

Any interested in more information and checking out what the Rowing Club is about is welcome to contact any member of the club, check out the website (rowing.students.mtu. edu) or contact Rebecca Boeve at raboeve@mtu.edu.

Would you like your club team featured in this section? E-mail steander@mtu.edu

at many different races. The team must look for this group of runners to become more consistent in order for the team to compete. For the Men, the story is not just Brian Stetter, even though he had an incredible year, but rather who will step up and give him support next year for the team to be successful.

Many of the Cross Country athletes will now begin to train and compete with either the Nordic Skiing team or Track and Field team.

Lode SportS Talk Radio

Nordic skiing season is just around the corner

Club Sport Spotlight: Rowing Club MARC SANKO Lode Writer

with the Women coming in second. Some of the bigger meets would see the Huskies struggle a bit with increased competition but both teams would run fairly good races regardless.

A high point for the Women would finally beat the Northern Michigan Wildcats in the last race of the year for the teams at the NCAA Regional, marking a good way to end to the season.

Both teams would see great developments for next year.

For the Women, a handful of underclassmen would stand out

the show will not air this week due to thanksgiving. have a great break everyone!

This week on www.mtulode.com:

•

Football season review

•

Brian Stetter spotlight

•

Article continuations

•

All game recaps posted online the same day

•

Interactive reader/fan polls (see below)

•

Regular blog posts by sports staff

•

Digital PDF archive of print editions

www.mtulode.com •

Become a Facebook fan of the “Michigan Tech Lode”

Look for our special “Reader Interaction” section at www.mtulode.com/sports Vote online in this week’s polls: Which sport do you follow closest over Thanksgiving break?

What do you think was the biggest problem in Michigan Tech’s 2-8 football season?

Out of 27 regular season games, how many will the women’s basketball team win?

We want to better serve you. Answer our short sports readership survey online now!

8A Husky Hodgepodge

Michigan Tech Lode Thursday November 12th, 2009

Culture

Event reminders

Shock

Eydi Lampasona Art Demonstration Where: McArdle Theatre When: Dec. 2 and 3 2009 -All Day event Elevator Pitch

1 1 # t r Repo

Chemistry Seminar Where: Chem Sci 101 When:Dec. 4, 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Handel’s Messiah Where: Rozsa Center When: Dec. 5, What: World-class soloists join the MTU Concert Choir and Keweenaw Symphony Orchestra to perform Handel’s beloved seasonal masterpiece.

JUN (MILES) NI Lode Writer

Student pollgo?

How did registration

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Please allow me to say this a week early. Because next week, you will be in your bedroom and enjoying break instead of reading my story in some lecture hall. Did your mom tell you a huge turkey is already in the freezer? Does the lucky bone still belong to you this year?

I had my first Thanksgiving with my roommate’s family last year. It made me feel like being with my own family.

All the family members came back from different places.

Thanksgiving dinner was the most delicious meal I have ever had. After the dinner, everyone sat in living room talking about his/her own story. Although I am not one of them, I still enjoyed the time to be with them.

Would you believe me if I told you that we don’t have turkey in China? Or, I should say we don’t have the Thanksgiving holiday. All the western holidays are so fresh to me. I had heard of them but never celebrated them.

Want to hear a funny story that happened to me last Christmas? I saw children standing in line to tell Santa their wishes when my friends and me were shopping in a pretty big mall. They had the idea that I should have a picture taken with Santa. Instead of paying the money, I had to lie to Santa that I came from China and had never heard about Santa before. I could see the incredible feeling from Santa’s eyes when I got the photo. Poor Santa…

What kind of holidays do we have then? The most famous Chinese holiday I think is Chinese New Year Eve and Spring Festival. People would like to call them Chinese New Year, but actually they are different. I just checked the calendar: 2010 Chinese New Year Eve is on February 13th. It is the last day of lunar year. Spring festival is the day right after that, which is the beginning of another year.

2010 will be the year of tiger. I believe Chinese student organizations will have some special events waiting for you, like Chinese night last year.

Besides that, mid-autumn is also a pretty popular holiday.

In the Chinese calendar, the moon gets most full among the whole year on August 15th. It is a family reunion holiday. Family members get together to celebrate it. Even if you can’t go back home at that time, you can still share the same full moon with your family. Isn’t that sweet? It is one of my favorite festivals.

Because moon cakes are the most yummy food in the world!

I can give you a list of other Chinese holidays, see if you’ve heard about them or not. For example, Magpie Festival, which is Chinese Saint Valentine’s Day, Lantern Festival, Dragon Festival, Mourning Day, Chung Yeung Festival… Do they just blow your mind? Well, if I get chance, I can describe them for you later.

In the end, hope you all have a wonderful break. Drive safe and I’ll see you again the week after Thanksgiving!

8%, Don’t Celebrate Thanksgiving 17%, No 75%,Yes

Student responses are based on our weekly online poll. Please vote on next week’s question:

How was your Thanksgiving?

Vote at: www.mtulode.com

On this day

1493

Christopher Columbus discovered Puerto Rico on his second voyage to the New World.

1863

President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address and dedicated a Civil War battlefield cemetery in Pennsylvania.

1954

The first automatic toll collection machine went into effect at the Union Toll Plaza on New Jersey’s Garden State Parkway.

1990

The pop duo Milli Vanilli was stripped of its Grammy Award because other singers sung the songs on their “Girl You Know It’s True” album.

Courtesy of www.reference.com

N G L R N V G H I K I D U L E R D F E E H T R Y G

Y R R U S K T T A I I A T N S I P I S L I K K I T

E S L R O S M I Y O I S N E R E L I H K R T O P F

R E I U L I N A N T P I F N C G I G L B M T O D F

O Y I E N N E O E V E R I I R I T P F E S T A L F

L G Y E N G V Y O I I I L K I O I O N N A T E S D

I D T T I E T E E G I T O F N L L I A T F K D T Y

I L L T M L P D I K I E R I A R P I O N E I E P R

M F F B S U K T T N R T L E I N D E T D S S N L O

R E E E P T Y F S K O U T I C N S T I A S A N I K

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

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

F I R S N O H E E C S S N Y F I U G F O D Y I S F

T K S V T G C O F A F E F D M E N K A A N I T L E

A E I S R I O U E V Y T I S L I N E D S A U E U V

F T G K L P R U N T A E P T V N D T G O F T R G N

I T E A R L F U L I N A K I K E I P O F R I G I A

F I P R N G A A S S M K G R O N N F I A N D T R K

S I R Y L G A M M M O S L A U T I N D E S T R M H

O I Y G A N I F S I K G B T T T G I O O L R T Y T

L N E Y I R T E S N L T E L N T T Y U N V E I S S

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U P F T K O A M H K L N S P L A R E H F R T N Y L

Thanksgiving Word Search

Weather Outlook

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Turkey Thanksgiving Traditions Stuffing Potatoes Pilgrims Fall Pie Corn November Indians Family

Thursday, Chance of Rain 20% chance of precipitation

470F / 340F

Friday, Partly Cloudy

450F / 340F

Quiz Results: The largest cities of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

Marquette Sault Ste. Marie Escanaba Menominee

Iron Mountain Houghton Ishpeming Ironwood

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Saturday, Chance of Rain 20% chance of precipitation

450F / 340F Weather Courtesy of www.wunderground.com