January 12, 2016

TUESDAY JANUARY 12, 2016

A winter welcome for MSU students

INSIDE

Events this week will help you get back to school with spirit.

NEWS:

RAE FRAME Editor in Chief Temperatures are hovering near zero as Mavericks begin the spring semester; conditions are perfect for spending this Welcome Week celebrating the winter wonderland that Mankato has become with indoor and outdoor activities at Minnesota State University, Mankato.

It is great for new students, transfer students, and returning students to have a chance to meet, greet, and be merry before the start of Spring 2016. Liz Steinborn-Gourley, who serves as the Student Success Coordinator and Conduct Officer here at MSU says that Winter Welcome Week is devoted to helping students start the semester off on a positive note, despite the negative temperatures.

Winter Welcome Week has been made possible by Residential Life, the Residence Hall Association (RHA), the Student Events Team, the New Student and Family Programs at Minnesota State University, Mankato, Campus Rec, and Library Services.

Get in shape with MSU’s new fitness classes

Page 5

SPORTS: mnsu.edu throughout the afternoon.

Students were able to take a ride with a traditional dog sled team across the lawn west of the library and learn more about the athletic pursuit of dog sledding.

The Found Footage Film Festival was held at 9 p.m. in the CSU Ballroom, featuring some modern-day celebrities in their burgeoning (sometimes embarrassing) roles.

The compilation of the best and worst VHS tapes was a great way to get the week off to a joyful start.

Tuesday Transferring into Minnesota State University, Mankato? Looking to get rid of old school swag? Head over to

“It is great for new students, transfer students, and returning students to have a chance to meet, greet, and be merry before the start of Spring 2016.”

Thank you all for making these events possible for all new and returning students on our campus!

Monday Monday’s activities included a hot chocolate social in the Residential Community Lobbies in the morning and dog sledding demonstrations next to the Memorial Library

the Transfer Swap Shop in the CSU Lincoln Lounge from 11:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m. and swap your old t-shirts, sweaters, and lanyards for purple and gold MNSU items. This new gear will surely get you in the school spirit for the coming semester.

Tuesday is full of events for old friends, new friends,

and groups of all kinds, kicking off in Carkoski Dining Hall with a Dinner & Magic Show

by Noah from 5-7 p.m., and there will be a Mocktails & Music event from 8-10 p.m. in the CSU Bullpen. Finish off your evening with late night ice skating from 10 p.m.-12 a.m. at the All Seasons Arena located at 1251 Monks Avenue. Skate rental is $1/pair, and the first 100 skaters to the rink will receive free skate rental! Don’t be afraid to test your talents on the ice!

Wednesday Carkoski Dining Hall will be showing “extras” from the Found Footage Festival Video from 5-7 p.m.

For those who love late night dodgeball (everyone, hopefully), there will be a single elimination dodgeball tournament in Schellberg from 10 p.m. – 12 a.m. and battle for two gift certificates to Buffalo Wild Wings. Bring a team or be assigned to one at check in beginning at 9:30 p.m. This should bring some late night entertainment for students.

Thursday Check out the Trivia event, complete with hot snacks, at Chet’s Place from 7-9 p.m. and see if you can outsmart your fellow classmates! Also make sure to stop by your area lobby from 9-11 p.m. to decorate a “Welcome Back” welcome mat—bring your creativity and brighten up your hall.

Friday Get back into the school

spirit with the 4-6 p.m. tailgating event in the Taylor Center. Show up early to be one of the first 100 people and receive free pizza and soda!

Be sure to snap a photo with celebrity guest Stomper and learn a few crowd cheers.

Be sure to stick around after tailgating to cheer on our Maverick women’s basketball team from 6-8 p.m. and the Maverick men’s basketball team from 8-10 p.m. as they take on the Bemidji State Beavers!

Saturday There are currently no events scheduled for Saturday, so be sure to check in with your favorite Mankato businesses, entertainment venues, and outdoor spaces.

Mount Kato and Sibley Park hill are great for downhill skiing, cross-country skiing, and sledding now that Mankato has gotten a fresh coat of snow—just be sure to dress for the weather!

If the weather is a bit too chilly for your taste to be outdoors, try finding a brand-new restaurant in Mankato. Many times a new place becomes your favorite, so grab some new friends from your hall and venture to a new place.

Sunday Whether you’re already an avid climber or are looking for a fun way to become more active, head over to the climbing wall in Myers Field House from 7-10:30 p.m. for open climb.

Men’s hockey picking up after slow start

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A&E:

Review Wars: The Force Awakens

Page 22

INDEX: EDITORIAL...............6 SPORTS.................15 A&E.......................... 22

CONNECT: /msureporter @msureporter

2 • MSU Reporter

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Tuesday, January 12, 2016

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News

MSU Reporter • 3

What to do in an active shooter situation When a crisis emerges, each student should know the way to safety.

ELLYN GIBBS Staff Writer Humans are generally unprepared for disasters that interrupt the normalcy of their everyday routine. When panic hits we blindly slide into a “follow the herd” mentality.

Without a plan, we are unable to act quickly when disaster strikes.

With the rise of mass shootings around the country and even in our state, we never know when an innocent trip to the grocery store or the university could turn ugly with the sound of gunfire. In 2015, 353 mass shootings happened in the United States,

“Abandoned School” (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) by Adam Sacco Photography and five of them were in Minnesota.

Prepare for the year ahead by reviewing and rehearsing a plan of action that can

“In an active shooter situation, everyone will be flooding out the main doors of a building, so a smaller exit that few others notice could save your life.”

help you answer the question, “What should I do in an active shooter situation?”

PREPARE FOR A SHOOTING Always be aware of the nearest exits inside a building.

If you’re just starting a new job or transferring schools, take some time to wander around the facility and educate yourself on the layout.

In an active shooter situation, everyone will be flooding out the main doors of a building, so a smaller exit that few others notice could save your life.

DURING A SHOOTING 1. Escape. If you hear the

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sound of gunfire, run the opposite direction. It sounds obvious, but don’t compromise your safety to run back and gather belongings or other people. Belongings will slow you down, and by running away, you will set an example for other people to follow. If the shooter is in sight, run in a zigzag pattern to discourage their aim. Most likely, they’re not action movie material and can’t shoot as accurately as you would expect.

2. Hide. If you cannot exit a building, find a place to hide until the shooter is neutralized. Get into a separate

room, lock the door and barricade it with furniture. Turn off the lights and make sure your cell phone is on silent. If the shooter gives voice commands to lure you out of your location, do not respond, even if you believe the authorities have arrived.

3. Fight. Fighting back should be your last plan of action. Only if you are unable to escape or hide should you engage a gunman. If this happens, try to approach from the side or rear so you can seize their weapon. It can be done, and if you do not fight back, you will surely end up as one of their victims. Martial arts classes and conceal and carry classes will both help you with this final step, but taking those depends on how prepared you want to be.

4. When the authorities arrive, do not run toward them or make sudden movements.

They need to know that you are not the threat. Keep your hands visible when you are in their sight.

A mass shooting could happen to anyone at any time. With careful preparation, an otherwise victim can become a formidable opposition and slow the spread of violence.

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4 • MSU Reporter

News

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Shedding some light on SAD and the winter blues Feeling down in the winter is common; take action to feel your best.

MARJAN HUSSEIN Staff Writer Every season comes with glad tidings; each has something magnificent to offer.

Yet, even here at Minnesota State University, Mankato, we can at times feel down in the dumps.

Feeling blue, low or just under the weather, SAD just might be the problem. Seasonal Affective Disorder is the depression that is related to changes in season. Some people suffer from symptoms of depression during the winter months, with symptoms subsiding during the spring and summer months. These symptoms may be a sign of seasonal affective disorder (SAD).

SAD is a mood disorder associated with depression and related to seasonal variations of light. SAD affects half a million people every winter between September and April, peaking in December, January, and February. The “Winter Blues,” a milder form of SAD, may affect even more people. Most individuals focus or put too much energy into one season and when it passes they are dull and drawback.

Symptoms of SAD include depression, social problems, sleeps problems, mood change, anxiety and lethargy just to mention a few. Three out four suffers of SAD are women and the disorder occurs within the onset age of

Some causes of SAD may be disruption of the body’s balance of melatonin due to change in season. Melatonin, a sleep-related hormone secreted by the pineal gland in the brain. Another cause may also be an individual’s biological clock, reduced level of sunlight in fall and winter may cause winter-onset SAD. A drop in serotonin, a brain chemical that affects mood, might also play a role in SAD. Reduced sunlight can cause a drop in serotonin that may trigger depression.

Thorough evaluations may be carried out to determine whether one actually suffers from SAD, tests like a lab test, physical evaluation or psychological evaluations. For mild symptoms or cases a person should expose themselves to more light. Taking a walk outside for an hour or two or walking in artificial light should do the trick.

In more serious cases other methods are employed one of them being Light Therapy, where one is exposed to bright lights over a period of time. The artificial light mimics sunlight and appears to cause change in brain chemicals linked to mood.

Other treatments are medication, an antidepressant drug is administered and may prove effective in lowering symptoms, but there may be unwanted side effects to consider. Psychotherapy is another treatment where the ailed individual can express themselves by word of mouth and since a problem shared is half solved, the patient may be on their way to recovery after a couple of sessions.

In addition to these treatments, people can also apply these activities in their daily

“SAD is a serious issue, and if anyone is feeling any discomfort they should see a doctor.”

18-30. The severity of SAD depends both on a person’s vulnerability to the disorder and his or her geographical location. The disorder is also highly likely to occur with change in one’s environment as cases are extremely rare in places within 30 degrees latitude of the equator.

lifestyle. One way to reduce SAD is to exercise regularly as it reduces stress and anxiety.

It is also good for one’s health as it keeps you fit and benefits your spiritual, mental and physical health.

Making your environment sunnier and brighter is also

“Depression” (CC BY 2.0) by Ryan_M651

a good way to get out of the blues. Sitting near the windows, opening blinds in houses and reducing tree branch sizes can aid in literally brightening up your life.

One other way of getting rid of your dull days is getting out more, locking up yourself in the house for hours does no good to your health. Take a stroll in the park, eat lunch on a bench outside, smell the roses and take in the fresh air outside.

SAD is a serious issue and if anyone is feeling any discomfort they should see a

“SAD is a mood disorder associated with depression and related to seasonal variations of light.” doctor. Otherwise, it may also be helpful to just explore the amazing outdoors as it is an all around beneficial factor; mind, health and spirit wise.

So don’t get stuck in a rut.

Take advantage of these winter months at MSU and use the tips above to lighten your mood.

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Tuesday, January 12, 2016

News

MSU Reporter • 5

Get in shape with MSU’s new fitness classes

JAMIE KANKAALA Staff Writer Now that the holidays have come to an end, many of us cannot stop thinking about the exciting parties and family events that we attended.

However, those events also bring back the dreaded memories of all the cookies and candy that we ate. Maybe now you start to notice that your favorite pair of pants is just a tad too tight, or that your once baggy sweater isn’t so baggy anymore.

Well you don’t have to worry anymore! Now is a better time than ever to remember MSU’s group fitness classes and to take a look at

mnsu.edu 102, 104, or Highland North (HN) 225. These classes are fun, challenging, and definitely a great workout. The best part is that they are free to MSU students and Otto Rec Center Members! The spring fitness schedule still includes

“The spring 2016 fitness classes run from Jan. 11 to April 29 and are between 35-55 minutes long depending on which class you choose to participate in.” the new classes added to the schedule.

The spring 2016 fitness classes run from Jan. 11 to April 29 and are between 3555 minutes long depending on which class you choose to participate in. Classes are located in Pennington Hall (PH)

some old classes like Zumba and Vinyasa Yoga but, MSU has also added some exciting new classes for students and members to try out. These classes include Shred Your Body, Yoga Pilates Fusion, Ashtanga Yoga, Cardio 30 +

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Reporter – Editor in Chief Application deadline is Monday, February 8th, at noon.

For more information or to pick up an application, stop in the Reporter Office (CSU 293) or call 389-1776.

Core, and Kickboxing.

Shred Your Body is a newly added 35-minute fitness class located in PH 102. This class is a high intensity and endurance based workout using a 3-2-1 interval circuit format.

This means that you will complete four circuits of 3 minutes of strength, 2 minutes of cardio, and 1 minute of core.

You can participate in this challenging class on Mondays and Wednesdays at 4 p.m.

Yoga Pilates Fusion is also a newly added fitness class that is 55 minutes long and is located in PH 102. This class is an intense combination of yoga and mat Pilates that will strengthen, stretch, and tone your whole body. This fitness class also provides you with a wonderful mind body expe-

rience and will take place on Mondays at 4:45 p.m.

Ashtanga Yoga is another class added to the spring fitness schedule that is 55 minutes long and is located in PH 102. It should be noted that this class in not for beginners and experience with yoga is strongly recommended. This challenging class includes postures designed to bring strength, flexibility, and endurance to the body while also practicing parts from the full primary ashtanga series.

You are able to attend this fitness class on Tuesdays at 8 p.m.

Another new class is Cardio 30 + Core which is also 55 minutes long and is located in PH 102. This class starts with 30 minutes of intense

cardio-respiratory endurance training which will really help you burn off some calories.

The rest of the class will train your core muscles and finally finish with some stretching.

You may attend this class on Tuesdays and 4 p.m.

The last new fitness class added to the schedule is Kickboxing that is 55 minutes long and is located in PH 104.

It is a combination of cardio, boxing, and martial arts which adds up to a total body workout. This class aims to improve strength, balance, aerobic fitness, speed, flexibility, and coordination. Weight lifting or boxing gloves are recommended so you do not damage your knuckles while punching the bag. This class is also the only fitness class on the schedule that is free to faculty and staff without an Otto Rec Center Membership. You can participate in this class on Wednesdays at 5 p.m.

If you would like to look at the full spring fitness schedule for 2016 or have any questions about the fitness classes, you can access this information on the MSU website by typing “Group Fitness Schedule” in the search box at the top of the page. It will feel great to burn off some of those holiday sweets so feel free to try out any of those fitness classes!

6 • MSU Reporter

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Editorial & Opinion

EMAIL THE EDITOR IN CHIEF:

RAE FRAME

Don’t be filled with greed; do a good deed

alyssa.frame @mnsu.edu

The act of selflessly helping others is worth the effort.

OR AT reporter-editor @mnsu.edu

SPRING FALL 2015 2016 EDITOR IN CHIEF: EDITOR IN CHIEF: Rae Frame.............................389-5454 Rae Frame.............................389-5454 NEWS EDITOR: NEWS Schmidt.

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MARJAN HUSSEIN Staff Writer Do a good deed everyday is probably something most of us have heard once or twice while growing up. Often, good deeds are an act of good gesture especially as illustrative intentions that show good character. A good deed can be anything from giving charity, to opening or holding a door for someone or even helping the elderly cross the street.

Good deeds are hard to come by these days though, most people focus on personal gain rather than worry about someone else and in actual sense they are not to blame as you reap what you sow.

The thing about good deeds is that they do not necessarily make you wealthy or aid in your success, but you gain an immeasurable amount of joy knowing that you made a difference in someone else’s life.

People may not notice and in fact, no one may care but the warmth and fulfillment you as an individual feel inside is truly intangible. Good deeds should be done with inten-

“If you’re happy and you know it...” (CC BY 2.0) by katerha tion, not for attention.

There is an anecdote where a mother and her son were in a bus. People kept on boarding and alighting at every stop that the bus made, the mother and son finally got the chance to actually have a seat after the bus made some of its stops. They both sat down knowing that they still had a long way to their final destination. The bus made one more stop and picked up a few more passengers. All the seats were filled on the bus and an elderly man remained standing, he walked up to the boy and made him stand. His mother did not say anything

Pulse

and instead smiled at the man. The boy felt offended and continued the rest of the journey with a frown on his face. As time went by, he always remembered that fateful day and as he grew older he understood why his mother had actually done nothing.

There are some unknown etiquettes that are never taught in class and neither will your parents inform you of them, you have to learn them in life.

They are kind of like good deeds, you will never know when the time or the place you may help someone or how it may actually change your life, but you will always

feel it.

Another scenario was when a teacher was just about to leave her classroom for lunch. She saw a scarf on the floor and decided to sit there and see if anyone would pick it up. During her classes she didn’t even teach, instead she told her students to read some chapters of their text books. She never left that seat up to when the day was almost over.

In one of her last lessons,

DEEDS page 11

“What did you think of the new Star Wars movie?”

POLICIES & INFO • If you have a complaint, suggestion or would like to point out an error made in the Reporter, call Editor in Chief Rae Frame at 507-389-5454. The Reporter will correct any errors of fact or misspelled names in this space. Formal grievances against the Reporter are handled by the Newspaper Board.

• The Minnesota State University Mankato Reporter is a student-run newspaper published twice a week, coming out on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The Reporter generates 78 percent of its own income through advertising and receives approximately 22 percent from Student Activities fees. The Reporter is free to all students and faculty, but to start a subscription, please call us at 507-389-1776.

Subscriptions for the academic school year are $55.00 and subscribers will receive the paper within three to five days after publishing.

• Letters exceeding 400 words may not be accepted. The Reporter reserves the right to edit letters to fit space or correct punctuation. The Reporter reserves the right to publish, or not publish, at its discretion. Letters must contain year, major or affiliation with the university, or lack thereof. All letters must contain phone numbers for verification purposes.

THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN THE MSU REPORTER ARE NOT NECESSARILY THOSE OF THE COLLEGE, UNIVERSITY SYSTEM OR STUDENT BODY.

Compiled by Yohanes Ashenafi

JEREMY REDLIEN LAW ENFORCEMENT

WAYNE WHITHMORE GRAD, ED LEADERSHIP

SELINA SCHEUMANN CREATIVE WRITING

JOSHUA OUYANG ENGINEERING

JOHANN HOLLER HISTORY

“Didn’t like it. It was too quickly paced for anything to actually mean anything.”

“Have not seen it yet, but I think it will be awesome!”

“Good start to a new Trilogy! And anything is better than Jar Jar.”

“I did not like it because it seems Disney kid-ified it.”

“Best movie of the decade.”

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

News

MSU Reporter • 7

Cross country skiing beckons outdoor athletes MSU students shouldn’t hesitate to strap on the skis this winter.

ELLYN GIBBS Staff Writer I hate choosing between the gym and the outdoors. To me, the landscape of frozen trees and glittering heaps of new fallen snow is more appealing than four walls full of exercise equipment. I love when I can combine fitness with fresh air, and cross country skiing is a hobby that helps me do just that.

Some people may wonder why I get so excited about this sport. Isn’t it basically

every muscle in your body.

Miami neurologist Stephen Olvey, M.D., states that this sport burns more calories than nearly any other activity.

Picture this: if you weigh 150 pounds, you can burn around 600 calories per hour.

This is the perfect way to power through your New Year’s resolution about exercise, and get rid of your post-holiday pounds. Cross-country skiing is also a sport of endurance.

In contrast to alpine (downhill) skiing, which requires short bursts of energy assisted by gravity’s pull, cross-country is an aerobic sport in which your heart must keep pumping over long stretches of trail.

True, cross-country is not for the adrenaline junkie.

For that type of human, I suggest skiing down alpine

“Picture this: if you weigh 150 pounds, you can burn around 600 calories per hour [while cross country skiing].” a glorified walk, with long pieces of fiberglass strapped to your feet? Maybe, but it’s also a full-body workout that, when done correctly, works

deathtraps full of moguls and jumps. However, in addition to fitness, cross-country skiing brings a quiet peace into my winter. It allows me time

“Sisimiut vinter cross country skiing” (CC BY 2.0) by Greenland Travel Cross country skiing is an excellent way to get outdoors during the winter months and get a full-body workout. to see my snow-covered surroundings through a magical lens, similar to how I remember my winters from childhood.

Rent Equipment Cross country skiing requires skis, ski boots, and poles. There is a sad lack of ski rental opportunity in the Mankato area. If you’re fortunate enough to have a friend with skis and boots in your size, take advantage of that and ask to loan them out. If they trust you, people are usually more than willing to share their equipment if it means you are interested in one of their favorite hobbies.

If you are visiting the Metro

area, there are more options.

You can rent equipment at Hoigaard’s in St. Louis Park for $18 a day, or Joe’s Sporting Goods in St. Paul for $15 a day. Hopefully one day, MSU will offer ski rental for students and the community.

Places to Ski in Mankato Skiing on trails is free; however, for skiing on state trails, all skiers 16+ must purchase a ski pass at the park office.

This pass is $6 for one day, or $20 for a full year.

1. Minneopa State Park has 4.5 miles of groomed cross country ski trails.

2. Sakatah Singing Hills State Trail - 39 miles of paved trails for cross country skiing,

as well as horseback riding and snowmobiling.

3. Rasmussen Park has 5 miles of trails located just across the university on Stoltzman Rd. 4. Sibley Park is located on Mound Ave., and takes up 100 acres of land. There is a sliding hill in addition to skiing trails.

This winter, combine the satisfaction of a good workout with beautiful Minnesota scenery. You will not regret getting out in the snow.

Staff: Campus Pastor Wong, Pastor Roger Knepprath, Mark Probst, Vicar Chris Johns, RA Jesse Lindloff

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8 • MSU Reporter

News

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

How to successfully survive a Minnesota winter Tips for staying safe and warm in the crazy northern temperatures.

GABE HEWITT Staff Writer It’s reached that point in the winter where temperatures drop into the negatives and the cold chills to the bones. The wind chill seems to hit straight into the heart and soul. The best way to deal with the winter is to stay inside, but sometimes that’s not possible. There a number of ways to stay warm and safe during the winter season and here are a few.

Layer up Just like an onion, it’s important to layer up. This includes but isn’t limited to wearing long underwear, sweaters under jackets, wearing gloves under mittens or wearing a hat and scarf to

lator for warmth. The constant removal of layers upon entering a warmer building will be an inevitable acceptance.

Keep an emergency pack Car owners should keep an emergency pack in their cars and non-car owners should have one in their backpacks.

This pack should have anything one might need in case they become stranded. This could be hand warmers, food and water and a fully-charged external battery in case a call has to be made and a phone is dead. Car owners should have these items in addition to an extra coat, blanket, pillows and jumper cables in their cars.

Stay hydrated Drink water. According to the Indiana Department of Health, breathing in cold air dehydrates the body. Additionally, drinking a hot beverage can raise the body’s temperature. And even though the harsh winter season may never stop the fun, the Mayo Clinic says that alcohol can actually cause the body to

“Saul, bundled up” (CC BY 2.0) by shawncampbell

to watch while snuggling up with someone special and a future edition of the Reporter.

If you don’t have a significant other, Netflix is also a viable option.

“Cold [020/366]” (CC BY 2.0) by Tony Webster

cover the head. According to the Mayo Clinic, wearing loose clothing is important.

The air pockets act as an insu-

lose heat faster.

Get close to someone Steal someone’s body heat.

Look for a list of best movies

Be aware of thin sheets of ice A lot of injuries during the winter are credited to slipping and falling on ice. Pedestri-

ans should be extra cautious about ice on the sidewalk and

through others is crucial for avoiding the outside. Stu-

“Car owners should keep an emergency pack in their cars and non-car owners should have one in their backpacks.” road they tread across daily.

Thin and shiny sheets of ice are death traps and should be avoided if possible. Instead, try to walk on top of snow.

Don’t put your tongue on metal poles Not even if someone triple dog dares you.

Walk to class without being outside Nearly all of MSU’s buildings are connected in some way or another. Knowing the campus map and how to get to other buildings by walking

dents parking in far lots can take advantage of the free shuttle that transports from the lots to campus buildings.

Plan ahead Check the weather before going out. See what the wind chill is going to be like in relation the temperature. More often than not, the “feels like” temperature is a good depiction of what the temperature is with the wind chill added.

The daily weather will determine if all or only a few of the previous tips should be used.

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• Sign-up for notifications about Mankato's snow emergency messages on Facebook.

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• Sign up to receive snow emergency alerts by text message at: www.mankatomn.gov/city-services-a-z/customer-service/snow-emergency-alerts • Subscribe to receive news updates by email at: www.mankatomn.gov/about-mankato/news/subscribe-to-mankato-news

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

News

MSU Reporter • 9

Feature Photo: Dog sledding on campus

Photo By Ellyn Gibbs

MSU student Samantha Meyer poses with three of the dogs on campus Monday, Jan. 11. Five dogs gave students rides around a small area of snow on this chilly day. This event let students experience a unique form of travel during the winter months.

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10 • MSU Reporter

News

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Armed group says it has accessed government files BURNS, Ore. (AP) — The leader of a small, armed group occupying a national wildlife refuge in southeastern Oregon said Monday he and his followers are going through government documents stored inside refuge buildings.

Ammon Bundy told reporters the documents will be used to “expose” how the government has discriminated local ranchers who use federal land for cattle grazing.

Bundy said the documents would also help secure the release of Steven and Dwight Hammond, two area ranchers convicted of arson who returned to prison last week to serve longer sentences. The Hammonds’ case set off the occupation of the Burns-area refuge on Jan. 2.

Bundy said his group is not accessing government computers at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, including personnel files.

After the news conference, the group drove in a convoy

to a ranch near the refuge and tore down a stretch of government-erected fence. The goal, according to the armed men, was to give the rancher access to the range that had been blocked for years.

It’s not clear where the fence was located or which rancher sought the group’s help.

The refuge is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Spokesman Jason Holm said because the documents and files at the refuge may have personally identifiable information, the agency “is taking necessary steps to ensure employee and family safety.”

The agency strongly condemned the destruction of the fence and said the action undermines hard-earned conservation impacts achieved in the area.

“Removing fences, damaging any Refuge property, or unauthorized use of equipment would be additional unlawful actions by the illegal occupiers,” Fish and Wild-

life said in a statement. “Any movement of cattle onto the Refuge or other activities that are not specifically authorized

by USFWS constitutes trespassing.”

Sixteen full time employees and one part time employee usually work at the refuge, Holm said. Some who can’t work away from the refuge have taken administrative leave, while others are working from home or another office.

In Burns, about 30 miles from the refuge, schools reopened after being canceled for a week over safety concerns due to the refuge standoff.

Government offices in the area remained closed, including those of the Bureau of Land Management. BLM spokesman Randy Eardley said about 60 BLM employees were working from home.

“There is a very clear threat to BLM employees,” Eardley said, but he did not cite any specific threats.

Ammon Bundy called his group’s occupation of the refuge “peaceful” and said the armed men would not leave until the Hammonds are out of prison and abuses against ranchers are exposed. Bundy called the occupation a “moral and righteous stand for the

ation executive director Garrett VeneKlasen. The group represents sportsmen, including hunters and anglers.

Federal, state and local law enforcement officials are monitoring the occupation but have not taken any action.

The county sheriff and

“Bundy said his group is not accessing government computers at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, including personnel files.” future of this country.”

A man representing hunters and anglers, who arrived in Oregon from New Mexico this weekend, condemned the Bundy group at the news conference.

“What I see is a lunatic fringe of extremists who have taken my land over,” said New Mexico Wildlife Feder-

many locals have asked that Bundy and his group leave.

But Bundy says he is not ready to go.

Ammon Bundy is a son of Cliven Bundy, a Nevada rancher who was at the center of a tense standoff with federal officials in 2014 over unpaid grazing fees.

Barnum & Bailey circus elephants to retire in May one of the biggest defenders of this kind of archaic animal exploitation, and the imminent end of its traveling elephant acts signaled that even one of the most tough-minded and hardened animal-use companies now recognized that the world is changing and it had to adapt.”

Elephant acts have been showcased by Ringling for more than a century and have often been featured on its

posters.

But because so many cities and counties have passed “anti-circus” and “anti-elephant” ordinances, it became difficult to organize tours of three traveling circuses to 115 cities each year, Feld Entertainment CEO Kenneth Feld

ELEPHANT page 12

Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus is ending its elephant acts a year and a half early, and will retire all of its touring elephants in May. The move comes amid increasing scrutiny of circus elephant acts with local governments passing “anti-circus” and “anti-elephant” ordinances in response to concerns over animal cruelty.

The circus’s parent company, Feld Entertainment, told The Associated Press exclusively that all of the iconic elephants will be permanently retired to the company’s 200acre Center for Elephant Conservation, located between

Orlando and Tampa.

The company announced in March that it would retire the full herd to the center by 2018. But once officials began planning details, they realized “we could actually do this a lot sooner” because building the new structures to house the retiring elephants didn’t take as long as they originally thought, said Alana Feld, Ringling’s executive vice president and show producer.

It costs about $65,000 yearly to care for each elephant, Feld said.

Eleven elephants currently tour with the circus.

“They’ll be joining the rest of the herd,” Feld said. She’s

part of the family that owns Feld Entertainment, which owns the largest herd of Asian elephants in North America.

In addition to the elephants still touring, 29 of the animals are on the property now, and two are on breeding loans to zoos, Feld said.

Animal rights groups on Monday applauded Ringling’s new timeline and announcement.

“Like the elephants themselves, it had outsized importance because of the symbolic value of the enterprise,” wrote Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States. “Ringling had been

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Tuesday, January 12, 2016

News

MSU Reporter • 11

The not-so-talked-about benefits of the cold Chilling temperatures tempt distaste, but science shows cold can be healthy.

MARJAN HUSSEIN Staff Writer Frostbite and hypothermia both sound like things we would not like to be hearing this year. When the weather dips into the single digits, most of us want to do nothing but dive back under the covers. Ironically the cold weather offers endless benefits and gives a new outlook on the environment if one chooses to look at it from a different perspective. Most people fear the cold and have had bad experiences in snow. Yet, this should not bring you down as every day is new that is why

“121206-F-LX370-400” (CC BY 2.0) by Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift.

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“Cool temperatures not only help one sleep better and burn more unnecessary fat but also keep one looking younger and aid one to think better.”

benefits of the frosty weather outside is that it increases your energy expenditure for hours afterwards. Humans may acclimate to cool temperature by increasing brown fat, which in turn may lead to improvements in glucose metabolism. These changes can be dampened or reversed following exposure to warmer temperatures. Brown fat is a dark-colored adipose tissue with many blood vessels, involved in the rapid production and helps maintain body temperature. Therefore even going for a quick walk in the icy temperatures could lead

to a great deal of improvement in your health.

Cold temperatures always aid one in sleeping better; that is why most of us prefer the cooler side of the pillow and will always wake to flip it over when necessary. Cool temperatures not only help one sleep better and burn more unnecessary fat but also keep one looking younger and aid one to think better.

Another major benefit of cold weather is cleaner, better, breathing air. If you walk, run or jog outside and inhale the winter air it truly feels refreshing. The crisp, clean quality of the air as it enters your lungs is magnificent.

The most obvious positive side that people often see is the beauty of the winter. Ev-

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Continued from page 6 just when she thought nobody would ever pick up the scarf, a girl walked by and noticed it just lying on the floor. The minute she picked it, the teacher walked up to her and said, ‘You are the only one out of all the students in this class that walk in and out that bothered to pick up this scarf.’ The girl just thought it was a scarf she found; ironically the teacher saw something else in the girl, good will.

These events just show that you can be on either end of the good deed. The moment you were down, you felt like there is nothing in this world that can

brighten up your spirits and someone comes along and does something so simple and before you know it you are back on your feet.

My belief is that good deeds are a two-way street, if you do something wonderful or helpful for someone, that moment when you feel you have had enough, someone will do something just as amazing for you. People are meant to pick one another up and uplift each other’s spirits.

Take it upon yourself this year as a test, try and do a good deed and you will see the benefits. They may not come today or tomorrow but you will definitely see

erything looks so peaceful and breathtaking engulfed in massive amounts of snow.

One can easily be drifted away into their thoughts or may just need a minute to take it all in.

The snow is truly an amazing phenomenon that is in all ways just astonishing. Looking at various horizons, views and sites in the snow is just something else. The winter is also the reason for many outdoor activities like skiing, snowboarding, ice skating just to touch on a few. The winter has also led to the development of the Winter Olympics and Winter X Games where various athletes from the world over, compete and show case their talents and abilities in the cold to prove that their country is a force to be reckoned with.

The cold is a very dangerous thing and there are a number of reasons to be cautious and weary of any activity you do outdoors. Some people, if not most, have even developed cheimaphobia, and with good reason. All this may be so, but it does not mean that one should not explore.

This year, you should be ready to endeavor in new things, push your limits and conquer your fears.

For the rest of the winter break, I challenge you, to take a step into the cold and discover something extraordinary.

them and they may change your perspective on things.

A word of advice though, do not necessarily force yourself into doing something good to please someone or to get credit.

Do something good because you as a person see it fit and see the delights that come from pleasing someone else.

So this year at Minnesota State University, Mankato, don’t be afraid to “pick up that scarf” and make someone’s day. Who knows? It may be you who will need the pick me up sometime.

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12 • MSU Reporter

News

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Feature Photo Continued: Dog sledding on campus

Photo By Ellyn Gibbs

ELEPHANT Continued from page 10 said last year. Fighting legislation in each jurisdiction is expensive, he said.

Los Angeles and Oakland prohibited the use of bullhooks by elephant trainers and handlers last April. The city of Asheville, North Carolina, also nixed wild or exotic animals from performing in the municipally owned, 7,600-seat U.S. Cellular Center.

Ringling’s new show will begin in July without the giant pachyderms.

“We’re looking at a lot of new ways of doing things,” Feld said.

She said the retired elephants at the CEC will also be part of cancer research.

Cancer is much less common in elephants than in humans, even though the big animals’ bodies have many more cells. That’s a paradox known among scientists, and now researchers think they may have an explanation —

one they say might someday lead to new ways to protect people from cancer.

Compared with just one copy in humans, elephants’ cells contain 20 copies of a major cancer-suppressing gene, two teams of scientists reported in October. The gene helps damaged cells repair themselves or self-destruct when exposed to cancer-causing substances.

The findings aren’t proof that those extra p53 genes make elephants cancer-resistant, but if future research confirms it, scientists could try to develop drugs for humans that would mimic the effect.

Dr. Joshua Schiffman, a pediatric cancer specialist at the University of Utah, is one of the researchers trying to find clues in the blood samples of some of the Ringling elephants.

“There’s so much to be learned from their DNA,” Feld said.

Animal rights activists have long alleged that circuses have mistreated elephants.

In 2014, Feld Entertainment won $25.2 million in settlements from a number of animal-rights groups, including the Humane Society of the United States, ending a 14-year legal battle over allegations that Ringling circus

employees mistreated elephants.

On Monday, Ingrid Newkirk, the president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, called on Ringling to end all animal acts and that “vigilance will be needed to determine how they are treated” at the Florida sanctuary.

Elephants have been a symbol of the Ringling circus for decades. P.T. Barnum brought an Asian elephant named Jumbo to America in 1882.

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Tuesday, January 12, 2016

News

MSU Reporter • 13

Tickets surge as Powerball jackpot increases to $1.4B OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The Powerball jackpot has grown to $1.4 billion, and the drawing is still two days away.

The prize was already the world’s largest before lottery officials increased it Monday.

And the jackpot could grow even more before Wednesday’s drawing if ticket sales remain intense. Officials review the estimate daily.

No one matched all six Powerball numbers Saturday night, leading to the astronomical prize.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information.

AP’s earlier story is below.

Disappointed you didn’t win the Powerball jackpot this weekend? Don’t be.

Lottery officials say the prize has swelled to an estimated $1.3 billion — the world’s largest. Ever.

“Biggest jackpot in the history of the world. Absolutely confirmed,” Texas Lottery executive director Gary Grief said.

The jackpot is so big that billboards in Texas and around the country have to advertise the price as $999 million because they’re not built to show billions. The lottery computers will handle the decimal point without a problem.

No one matched all six Powerball numbers Saturday night, leading to the astronomical prize. And that is all but certain to grow before the next drawing Wednesday, according to lottery officials.

“We’ve never been at these levels,” said Grief, whose state lottery is part of the Multi-State Lottery Association that runs Powerball.

The odds to win are one in 292.2 million. Seventy-five percent of all the possible combinations were purchased before Saturday’s drawing, Grief said, and he expects that enough tickets will be sold to cover about 80 percent by Wednesday. About 95 percent of Powerball tickets have computer-generated numbers.

“I’ve been in the industry over 20 years, and I’ve seen jackpots hit when we hardly have any of the potential numbers covered — like 5 percent of the possible combinations covered. And I’ve seen other jackpots when we’ve had 95 percent of the combinations covered and it rolls,” Grief said.

The jackpot has ballooned since its Nov. 4 starting point of $40 million and spurred huge ticket sales.

In Omaha, Les Wheeler said he probably overdid it by buying $30 worth of tickets for Saturday’s drawing with a few friends, but they plan to do the same for this next jackpot.

“I didn’t expect to win, but I had big dreams,” said Wheeler, 53. He said a new home in another state away from Omaha’s 16-degree temperatures were at the top of his wish list.

Saturday’s winning numbers — 16-19-32-34-57 and

Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press Powerball number of 13 — did gain some people a little wealth: 25 tickets won $1 million by matching five numbers, and three other tickets won $2 million because they paid extra to multiply smaller prizes.

Darryl Collins, of Phoenix, and his husband each won $24 from the 70 Powerball tickets they bought. They plan to use that money toward buying more tickets for the new, higher jackpot. Collins said it was a shock that nobody won.

“It was like only 500 people who missed it by one number,” Collins said. “It shows you how hard it is to win.”

The 55-year-old real estate

agent said he and his husband would definitely share the wealth.

“I would give a lot of it to family and friends,” Collins said. “Who needs that much money?”

Michael Montecelo, a security guard in San Francisco’s financial district, said he spent $20 on Powerball tickets and hasn’t yet checked if he won anything. He said he will buy another $20 worth of tickets even if thinking about winning more than a billion dollars scares him a bit.

“I think I would go into a state of anxiety, but it would be a good anxiety,” he said, smiling.

Montecelo, 50, said he would retire and donate some of that money and work on administering the rest.

“I would have to open an office and get a team of experts. I think my job would be to keep tabs on that money,” he said. “That would be a fulltime job.”

The record jackpot lured an unprecedented frenzy of purchases. Between Jan. 6 and Saturday’s drawings, more than $900 million in Powerball tickets were sold.

Officials expect similar sales before the next drawing, but Grief said it’s hard to predict how excitement about the record jackpot will boost sales.

“It’s exponentially greater than any sales that any of the states involved have ever seen,” he said.

Oregon man caught smuggling python in his clothing.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A snake thief smuggled a 2-foot-long python from a Portland pet store by stuffing it down his pants.

Sgt. Greg Stewart said no arrests have been made in Friday’s theft. But Christin Bjugan, an owner of A to Z pet store, said video surveillance has helped viewers and police detectives identify a suspect, and she expects to have the snake returned soon.

“We know who did it,” she said Monday. “We know where he lives, we know where he works, we know all about him and his girlfriend. We’re just waiting to get our snake back.”

The video shows the suspect with a blue-haired woman who appeared to be in on the theft. He handed her some keys before taking the snake from a tank and shuffling out of the store.

Bjugan says it was “pretty gutsy” for the man to put the python down his pants, and potentially a bad move because it was close to feeding day.

On the other hand, she added, the snake does like warm, dark places.

The snake is a black pastel ball python and sells for $200.

“We have a cheap price, usually they go for about

$400,” Bjugan said.

Stewart said the department has investigated thefts at pet stores, but this is the first time it has involved someone putting a snake in their pants. It also seemed more purposeful than usual.

“If you look at the theft of stuff from pet stores, a lot of times it’s someone wandering in drunk and doing something stupid,” he said. “This one’s a little bit different, although putting a snake down your pants is not super bright. There’s a lot of different ways that could go wrong.”

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14 • MSU Reporter

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Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Sports

MSU Reporter • 15

Sports Men’s hockey picking up after slow start ERIC KRIESEL Staff Writer While many students were traveling to see their families, the MSU Maverick Hockey team stayed late and came back early to grab three additional wins to the 2015-16 regular season. The Mavericks hosted both University of Alabama-Huntsville Chargers and the Northern Michigan Wildcats for two games each at the Verizon Wireless Center in downtown Mankato.

Alabama-Huntsville was the first team on the schedule for the Mavericks and although the scoreboard doesn’t necessarily show it, it was largely a dominate performance from the MSU squad in game one despite only winning 2-1.

They fell behind early but were constantly on the attack, outshooting UAH 32-9 in the first game. Despite the large shot numbers the Mavericks were unable to get the puck into the net until the third period, when they managed to take the lead with two goals, both assisted by sophomore forward CJ Franklin. Franklin was able to first find Michael Huntebrinker who proceeded to beat UAH goalie to tally his second goal of the season and extend his point streak to 8 games. Teddy Blueger then gave the Mavericks their first lead of the night 2-1 after yet another CJ Franklin assist, and that was all Maverick goaltender Jason Pawloski needed as he managed to stay unbeaten for the Mavericks who are

SCORES: MEN’S HOCKEY

January 16, 2016 Mavericks........................................... 3 Wildcats.............................................. 1

MEN’S BASKETBALL January 9, 2016 Mavericks........................................ 91 Vikings............................................ 101

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL January 9, 2016 Mavericks............................... 73 Vikings....................................... 87

WOMEN’S HOCKEY January 9, 2016 Mavericks...................................3 Huskies.........................................4

Photos by Yohanes Ashenafi 6-0-4 with him starting in net.

The next night was another positive performance from MSU as they fell behind 1-0 once again in the first period, but used a three goal second period to distance themselves from UAH, and added another empty net goal in the third to complete the sweep 4-1. Michael Huntebrinker kept his hot streak alive by grabbing two goals including the one in the second to tie it up at 1-1. Sophomore Jaden Schmeisser got his first goal in a Maverick uniform in the second period as well as an assist to total two points on the night.

The series was a nice way

to send the team off into the final stretch of the season as they took a streak of being unbeaten in nine consecutive games into the break and possessed a 10-6-4 record overall and an impressive 9-14 in WCHA play before getting a couple of weeks off for the holidays.

Coming back out of the break the Mavericks hosted Northern Michigan for two WCHA Conference games.

The Mavericks and the Wildcats quickly traded goals with each other as the first period of game one ended 1-1, then the Wildcats consistently grinded away at the Mavericks scoring goals in each of the final two periods to win a 3-1, despite being more than doubled up on shots 42-20 in favor of the Mavericks. Jason Pawloski started in his ninth consecutive game in net for the Mavericks and suffered his first collegiate loss of his career as his record ended the night at 7-1-4 respectively.

The Mavericks were able to bounce back on Saturday night largely in part to a big performance from freshman forward Max Coatta who notched an assist on all three Maverick goals for the night.

Don’t let the size of Coatta fool you though; he is a grinder who can wear another team out with his relentlessness.

“I kind of try to be an energy guy now, and I think going to the net and being hard in

the corners, that’s one way to do it,” Coatta said.

The game was tied after the first period 1-1 after Senior Jon Jutzi of MSU and Dominik Shine of Northern Michigan each found the net.

A scoreless second period saw the game head into the third tied and then the Mavericks put it away with goals from Dylan Margonari and Casey Nelson to salvage a series split after the 3-1 victory.

Coach Mike Hastings was very happy with his team’s performance as of late despite its tendency of starting off behind, the team has given up the first goal of the game 15 times this season.

“You don’t like it, I think we’re numb to it by now because its happened so many times,” Hastings said, adding later, “When it’s happened I haven’t seen us panic, I haven’t felt that on the bench, I haven’t seen it.”

That slow starting tendency extends even further from just individual games to the season as a whole as the Mavericks started the season 0-4 but have since gone 11-3-4 to improve to 11-7-4 overall including a 10-2-4 WCHA record, good enough for first in the conference. They hope to continue their recent success into the final stretch as they travel to Houghton Michigan to take on Michigan Tech. next weekend.

NEXT UP: MEN’S HOCKEY January 15-16, 2016 @ Michigan Tech Houghton, Michigan

WOMEN’S HOCKEY January 16-17, 2016 @ University of Minnesota Minneapolis, Minnesota

BASKETBALL January 15, 2016 Bemidji State Taylor Center

EMAIL THE SPORTS EDITOR:

LUKE LONIEN

luke.lonien @mnsu.edu OR AT reporter-sports @mnsu.edu

16 • MSU Reporter

Sports

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Women’s basketball goes 3-4 over semester break

KELCIE RICHMOND Staff Writer The Minnesota State Maverick women’s basketball team may have taken a break from classes after the fall semester ended but they kept going on the court.

The Purple and Gold played seven games over the winter stretch. They faced Upper Iowa Friday Dec. 11 and Winona State University Sat. Dec. 12 for their third and fourth NSIC games of the year. The Mavericks then played one more home game against Concordia St. Paul Saturday Dec. 19 before the players were able to take a break from the court for the holidays.

MSU returned to action Sat. Jan. 2 at St. Cloud State and then Sunday they faced Minnesota Duluth in Duluth.

The Mavs rounded out winter break with home games against Wayne State Friday Jan. 8 and Augustana Sat. Aug. 9.

The Purple and Gold went 3-4 in those seven games.

Winning against Upper Iowa, Concordia-St. Paul and Minnesota Duluth and losing to Winona State, St. Cloud State, Wayne State and Augustana.

Although the Mavs suffered four losses only two losses reached double digits against Winona State 74-59 and Augustana 87-73. The other two losses were very close and decided by less than nine points. The St. Cloud State game ended 62-57. Finally, the Mavs could not conquer Wayne State, losing 72-63.

The Mavs played hard against the Upper Iowa Peacocks. Junior Britney Scherber led all Purple and Gold scorers with 22 points, 17 coming in the first half. Senior McKenzie Hoelmann also gave the Mavericks a huge boost by posting 14 points, shooting 5-6 field goals. Sophomore Claire Ziegler helped out with 10 points of her own.

Helping out on the defensive end against the Peacocks was junior Karina Schroeder who tallied a game-high 12 rebounds along with three important blocks and six points.

The Mavericks outscored the Peacocks 36-28 in the first half. The team shot an overall 45.6 percent from the field and 89.5 percent from the free throw line. There was never a lead change in the game. The Mavericks took control until the end.

MSU fought until the end against the undefeated Winona State Warriors but fell short. Hoelmann played a big part again in this game with 15 points, seven rebounds, two blocks and two steals.

Scherber contributed 10 points.

The Purple and Gold struggled heavily in the second

Photo by Yohanes Ashenafi half shooting only 21 percent from the field and scoring nine points in the fourth quarter. The Mavs ended the game against the Warriors with an overall 29 percent from the field.

The squad got one more win before leaving for break against Concordia-St. Paul.

With the second-highest scoring game of the season for the Mavs, each quarter posted at least 21 points.

Ziegler continued to perform well during the third game of winter break as she scored a career-high 29 points against the Golden Bears.

She also topped the stat sheet with a new career-high of 13 rebounds. Ziegler shot an impressive 12-14 from the

field, ending with a field goal percentage of 86 percent.

Scherber also had an outstanding performance with 26 points, 10 of those points came from the free throw line.

The Mavericks returned to action after a few weeks off with a game against St. Cloud State. MSU was unable to connect in the second half and let their three-point halftime lead slip away, falling to the Huskies 62-57.

Ziegler led the team in scoring again with 18 points and nine rebounds, just one shy of a double-double.

Up next for MSU came the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs.

The Mavs were able to conquer on the road with the help of freshman Taylor Paul-

srud who scored a career-high 17 points in the win.

The last two games during winter break did not goes as well as the Mavs hoped, losing home games against Wayne St. and Augustana.

Ziegler still managed to lead the Mav scorers with 24 points against Wayne State and 15 against Augustana After posting a 3-4 record over break the Mavericks overall record comes to 4-9 and 3-6 in the NSIC Conference.

The Mavericks return to action this Friday and Saturday against Bemidji State and Minnesota Crookston.

Vikings fall in epic fashion on Wild Card weekend

TOMMY WIITA Staff Writer January 17th, 1999.

Minneapolis, Minnesota.

That was an awful day as a Minnesota Vikings fan, as the Vikings lost to the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Championship game 30-27 due to former Viking kicker Gary Anderson missing a key 38yard field goal in the fourth quarter. On January 10th, 2016 the Vikings would be reminded of this loss in an unfortunate ending at TCF Bank Stadium.

The game was as best described by Patrick Reusse of the Star Tribune, saying the

game was “hellacious, snotnosed game of pigskin.”

The game was indeed a theatrical drama, having both teams grueling out the third coldest game in NFL history.

Temperatures were at -6 degrees at kickoff, and never reached positive throughout. A crowd of 52,090 filled TCF Bank Stadium to witness what could be the last outdoor home game in Vikings history. Minnesota Viking fans are something special, as no temperature could keep them away from their beloved Vikings.

The Vikings and Seahawks traded turns with the football early in the first quarter, as defense was definitely going to be the name of the game throughout this contest. Seahawks punter Jon Ryan received a bad snap and decided to run instead of punt, and that proved to be costly as he

failed to make it to the first down marker and the Vikings would later capitalize on it. Blair Walsh would connect on a 22-yard field goal to put the Vikings up 3-0.

With 55 seconds remaining in the first quarter, the Seahawks had only ran three offensive plays. The Vikings defense excelled with most of their opportunities, but the offense was struggling to find consistency.

Not saying the Seahawks defense was anything less than superior, as the Vikings had made great plays on offense but it was negated by an even better play by the Seahawks defense. An example of this was during the second quarter, as Minnesota quarterback Teddy Bridgewater threw a terrific pass to the speedster running back Jerick McKinnon.

Football is a game of inches, and safety Earl Thomas

III made sure to further back that saying up by knocking the pass away from McKinnon. It very well could have been a touchdown for the home team.

Early on, the Vikings needed to set the tone with their defensive front seven, and that was to pressure Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson

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at all costs. They were succeeding in doing that for the majority of the contest, as Russell looked frustrated early on. The game was almost entirely depending on each team’s defense to pull out the

Vikings Page 18

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Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Sports

MSU Reporter • 17

Maverick women look to turn the tables in 2016

DREW MEZZANO Staff Writer The Mavericks would open up 2016 with a series against Lindenwood which was played last weekend. They would start the New Year off right, by defeating Lindewood 3-2. The Mavs would then lose the next game to Lindenwood, 3-1. This past weekend the Mavericks would take on the St. Could State University Huskies. The girls battled hard in this weekend series earning a tie and a loss, showing glimpses of great improvements.

On Friday afternoon the two teams would square off and the Huskies would find themselves ahead early on

another goal scored until early in the third period. At 2:51 of the third, the Mavs own Jordan McLaughlin would score to tie the game, giving the Mavs new life. When the buzzer went at the end of the period, the score remained tied at 1-1 forcing the game to go to over time.

The over time period would generate zero shots and zero chances for either team, ultimately ending the game in a tie and sending the game into a shootout. The Huskies would go on to score twice in the shootout over the Mavs one. The Mavericks outshot the Huskies 30-21 but would only pull out a tie.

The Huskies and Mavericks would face off again on Saturday afternoon. The Mavs were able to draw first blood scoring at the 4:27 marker of the first period. Amanda Conway was able to bury the puck into the back of the net from a terrific set-up by the captain, Katie Johnson. The

Photo by Trevor Cokley score making it 3-2 in favor of St. Cloud. Then, about a minute and a half later the Mavs would answer the Huskies last goal. Defenseman, Lena Duesterhoeft would score from the point to make the game even, 3-3.

The third period of this game wouldn’t see much offense from either team, yet again. For the second time in 24 hours the Huskies and Mavericks would head to over time. This game, unlike Friday afternoon’s game would be settled in OT. With 32 seconds remaining in the over time period, SCSU’s forward, Molly Illikainen would score to win the game for the

Photo by Trevor Cokley Maverick’s sophomore Hannah Davidson is second on the team with 15 points in 22 games.

She tailed her sixth goal or the season against St. Cloud State this past weekend.

the Mavs. 40 seconds after the first puck drop, the Huskies would go down and find a way to put the puck past Mavs goalie, Brianna Quade.

After this goal was scored, the Mavericks tightened up defensively and there would be no other goals scored in the period. At the end of the first, Minnesota State held the shot advantage over the Huskies, 10-6.

The second period was a defensive battle between both teams. We wouldn’t see

Mavericks were able to hold the lead, but only for a short period of time. Five minutes after MSU pulled ahead, the Huskies were able to score on only their third shot of the period. The game started out with high intensity and a very fast offensive pace. The first period would end with the score being tied at 2-2.

The fast paced game was continued by the Mavs into the second period. About half-way through the period the Huskies would find them-

selves on an odd-man rush.

Quade would make an unreal save on a great 2-on-0 opportunity. With the mid-way point of the period having past, it was easy to say the Huskies had gained intensity from the Mavs. Then at the 15:55 mark of the second period the Mavericks would take their first penalty of the game. At first the Huskies had a difficult time setting up the power play, but with three seconds remaining on their player advantage, they would

Huskies. The Huskies outshot the Mavs in this game 33-29.

Goaltender, Brianna Quade made a heaping 29 saves.

With this loss, it pushes her record to 3-16-2.

After the tie and loss to the Huskies, Minnesota State falls to 3-17-2 on the season (015-1 WCHA play). The Mavs will travel north next weekend to Minneapolis to take on the Golden Gophers. This weekend series will be played at Ritter Arena at 2:07 p.m. on Saturday the and Sunday.

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Sports

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

VIKINGS continued from 16 “The Vikings and Seahawks traded turns with the football early in the first quarter, as defense was definitely going to be the name of the game throughout this contest. Seahawks punter Jon Ryan received a bad snap and decided to run instead of punt, and that proved to be costly as he failed to make it to the first down marker and the Vikings would later capitalize on it. Blair Walsh would connect on a 22-yard field goal to put the Vikings up 3-0.”

Photo Courtesy of Associated Press victory, as at one point the Seahawks decided to go for it on fourth and 13 at Minnesota’s 30-yard line instead of a 47yard field goal with one of the better kickers in the league, Steven Hauschka. Maybe it was the cold temperatures, wind, or just a classic game of field position. The Vikings did not capitalize, as they punted on the next drive. Not much else for offensive fireworks occurred in the second quarter, as the two teams went to their respective locker rooms for halftime with the score still 3-0 Minnesota.

Entering the second half, the Vikings were dominating the time of possession category, as they had the ball for seven more minutes than the Seahawks had the pigskin in the first half. Every other stat was pretty even, as both teams were struggling on offense. The Seahawks looked lost at times, as the consistency was not established. The Vikings were experiencing the same problem, as most of their success moving the ball was due to penalties called on Seattle. With Wilson throwing an interception on the first drive of the second half to the rookie cornerback Trae Waynes, the Vikings seemed to grasp the momentum. The next drive included a roughing the passer penalty against Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner, which moved the Vi-

kings into field goal range.

Three plays later, Blair Walsh connected for his second field goal of the game, this time from 47-yards out.

That single drive was a prime example of the Vikings’ offense failing to capitalize.

A touchdown would have changed the game completely, especially coming off a Seattle turnover. The Seahawks yet again endured a threeand-out, and the Vikings went down the field once again thanks to a Seattle penalty.

Cornerback Richard Sherman was called for defensive pass interference two plays into the drive, helping the Vikings move into Seattle territory.

Walsh would later hit another 47-yard field goal to cap off the drive and put the Vikings up two scores, 9-0.

According to a stat from ESPN, since the merger in the NFL teams had tallied a record of 1-43 when shut out for three quarters in a playoff game. Entering the fourth quarter, TCF Bank Stadium was rocking. Sitting in the press box, you could feel the stadium literally shaking. Up 9-0 against the Seahawks entering the final quarter of play, the fans had many reasons to be feeling confident. A play that will forever haunt Vikings fan’s minds came on the first drive of the fourth quarter.

Seattle was on offense, facing a third-and-two situation

at Minnesota’s 39-yard line.

Russell Wilson received an unexpected snap from center Patrick Lewis and the ball traveled back to the 44-yard line.

Most quarterbacks would fall on the football and waited to be downed by an opponent, but the quick-thinking Wilson picked the ball up, scrambled away from defenders and delivered a throw downfield to a wide open Tyler Lockett.

Lockett would get all the way to Minnesota’s four-yard line on the play, as the Vikings defense broke down for what seemed like the first time in the ballgame. “That’s the epitome of Russell Wilson,” receiver Doug Baldwin said after the game. “When something bad looks like it’s about to happen, he works his magic.” Two plays later, Wilson connected with Baldwin for a three-yard touchdown pass.

A pin dropped in San Francisco could then be heard after that touchdown, as the crowd noise disappeared.

On the following offensive drive for the Minnesota Vikings, that old feeling of being a Vikings fan started to settle in. On the second play, Bridgewater completed a pass to Adrian Peterson for eight yards. Safety Kam Chancellor striped the ball from Peterson and the ball was recovered by Seattle at Minnesota’s 40-yard line. That was the 38th career fumble

for Peterson, and it could not have come at a worse time.

Seattle would eventually work their way a little deeper into field goal range to set up a 46-yard field goal from Hauschka. Seahawks were now leading, 10-9. Plenty of time to recover, as there was 8:04 remaining in the game. Both teams put on a showing of strong defense for the next six minutes or so, then it was the drive Viking fans will forever remember in infamy.

Minnesota would get the ball back with 1:42 remaining, and received help yet again from a Seahawks penalty that would move the Vikings into game-winning field goal range. Teddy Bridgewater then delivered a 24-yard pass to tight end Kyle Rudolph, marking the ball at Seattle’s 18-yard line. A couple short runs from Peterson would set up a 27-yard field goal for Blair Walsh with 26 seconds remaining. The Vikings faithful was on the brink of exploding, as everyone was awaiting the game winning kick. “Wasn’t a doubt in my mind,” safety Harrison Smith said. “We were figuring out what we were going to do next when [Seattle] got the ball back.”

Then it happened.

Walsh’s kick was not even

close, wide left. Seattle kneed the ball, and the game was over.

Walsh was very upfront about his kick to the media afterwards, taking full blame for the outcome.

“This team has so much in store for it and I am excited for where this team is going to go, but we needed this one and I didn’t come through for us in that moment and that hurts,” Walsh said, teary-eyed.

The team was immediately there for Walsh, as they all know you cannot blame it on one single player. “For us to look down like it was that play that ended it is ridiculous,” Captain and Linebacker Chad Greenway said. “That’s why you call it a team game and he’s certainly a big part of this team.”

Head Coach Mike Zimmer was clear as day when talking about how proud he was of his team, saying “They worked their rear ends off all year for me…I’m still proud of them, I’m proud they’re my team.”

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Sports

MSU Reporter • 19

Men’s basketball dominates over semester break

COREY YUMAN Staff Writer The Minnesota State, Mankato Mavericks men’s basketball team had themselves quite the winter break, as they dominated competition throughout. The men were able to take home wins in six of their eight games.

The break wasn’t all kind though, two streaks the Mavs

row before losing their first game at the Taylor Center this past weekend.

The eight game win streak at home started all the way back on opening night against the Clarke University Crusaders. The Mavs then plowed through teams that tried to come into the Taylor Center, making a statement that it was their house that visiting teams were in. On average, the Mavs defeated teams coming into Mankato by a wide margin of 19.5 points per game.

Like all streaks though, it must come to an end. This past weekend the Mavs hosted the 12-1 Augustana Vi-

“Prior to this game, the Mavs were riding on a five game winning streak, but the Bulldogs shut the door on that. Senior Jalen Pendleton did his best to keep the Mavs in the game, putting up 30 points against the Bulldogs but it wasn’t enough.” had going ended up being broken. At one point they had a five game winning streak going, and were undefeated at home with eight wins in a

kings. The Vikings spent the majority of the time in firm control, and the two teams went into the locker rooms at half time with Augustana

Photo by Yohanes Ashenafi Jalen Pendleton (1) is turning his game on as of late, bringing his season scoring average to 15 pts/game. He is also finding his teammates passing out 33 assist in his late five games. holding a 22-point lead over Mankato. The Mavs came out into the second half ready to fight. Although they were not able to secure a victory, they did manage to narrow the 22-point lead down to 10 by the end. Despite the valiant effort of mounting a comeback, the Vikings defeated the Mavs 101-91.

Their only other loss over the break came from the weekend prior on January 3rd. Mankato was on the road, and travelled up to Duluth to

play the University of Minnesota, Duluth Bulldogs. Prior to this game, the Mavs were riding on a five game winning streak, but the Bulldogs shut the door on that. Senior Jalen Pendleton did his best to keep the Mavs in the game, putting up 30 points against the Bulldogs but it wasn’t enough. Duluth shot a great 57 percent on their way to a 91-84 win over Mankato.

It wasn’t all woes for the Mavs though. Of the seven total games played, the Mavs

were able to walk away with wins in five of their encounters. Their biggest win came after a 22-point thrashing of the Upper Iowa Peakcocks.

Junior Jon Fuqua lead the charge against the Peacocks by scoring 20 points, while senior Jalen Pendleton put up 17, and sophomore TJ Lake added 17 of his own.

Men’s Basketball Page 20

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20 • MSU Reporter

Sports

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

MEN’S BASKETBALL continued from 19 “Of the seven total games played, the Mavs were able to walk away with wins in five of their encounters. Their biggest win came after a 22-point thrashing of the Upper Iowa Peakcocks. Junior Jon Fuqua lead the charge against the Peacocks by scoring 20 points...”

Witthus has also been working to make his name known, and appeared on several point leader sheets at the end of games. Over the break Witthus averaged 13 points per game.

Minnesota State, Mankato is now sitting on a 11-4 record, and hold a record within the NSIC of 6-3. They’ll be returning to action this weekend as they look to regroup,

and bounce back at home.

This weekend the Mavs will be welcoming the Bemidji State Beavers and the Minnesota Crookston Eagles to the Taylor Center.

Photo by Yohanes Ashenafi

Early in the season it was said that this Mavs team would have varying leaders on a night-to-night basis, and they’d be able to attack in a variety of different ways. This has proved to be true, and they have gotten a diverse

group of guys out there scoring.

Leading the way has been Pendleton. Over the break the senior guard averaged 18 points per game, including meeting his season high of 30 in the game against Duluth.

Not to be outdone, forward Fuqua has been putting in work to help extend games himself. Fuqua averaged 14 points per contest over the break, including nabbing an average of six rebounds a game. Freshman guard Joey

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A&E

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

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Review Wars: The Force Awakens A double-take of the blockbuster film, Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

MSU Reporter

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MATTHEW EBERLINE A&E Editor This review contains spoilers for Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

To say that Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens is the best entry in George Lucas’s landmark series since Return of the Jedi would be an understatement. It’s certainly better than the prequels, which were rife with breathtaking landscapes and stunning fight scenes but seriously lacked any meaningful character development and were bogged down by wooden performances and flat, uninteresting dialogue.

The Force Awakens suffers from none of these problems, introducing us to a new set of interesting and likable characters while simultaneously retaining the stunning visuals and awe-inspiring vistas the

FEATURing: Star wars: Episode vii--the force awakens

series is known for. This may be director J.J. Abrams’ finest film to date, and with the The Force Awakens he’s proven himself better equipped to handle this series than even Lucas himself. The Force Awakens is certainly an enjoyable film, but does it come close to capturing what made the original trilogy so great?

Well, yes and no.

Set 30 years after the end of Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens begins on the plan-

et of Jakku, a desert world littered with the lifeless wrecks of old Rebel and Imperial starships from the Galactic Civil War. Here we are introduced to Rey (Daisy Ridley), a resourceful young woman living alone as a scavenger among the hulking wrecks of Jakku, and BB-8, a quirky little droid who serves as the source of most of the film’s comic relief. We quickly learn that BB-8 is carrying valuable information concerning Luke Skywalker, for which he is

being hunted by the First Order, a dark and sinister group founded upon the remnants of the Galactic Empire from the first trilogy. At the forefront of the First Order is Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), a masked and sinister figure who seeks to carry on the dark legacy of Darth Vader. Also among the legions of the First Order is Finn (John Boyega), a storm-

AWAKENS page 23

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SHAWN CLOSE Staff Writer In what may go down as the single least controversial statement ever printed in the history of this publication, I will say, on record, that I, of sound body and mind, am a Star Wars fan. I mean I couldn’t really avoid it. I grew up when they re-released the original trilogy, and it was everywhere. Star Wars, being the unstoppable merchandising juggernaut that it is, had its fingers in just about every aspect of my childhood.

My mom had the movies on VHS, and since it was one of the few movies that we could both enjoy, we watched them more times than I could count. I had Star Wars toys,

CC BY 2.0 by StratoArt Star Wars video games, and I had a Star Wars themed birthday party (and attended a few more).

Even with all that I wouldn’t say that I’m a super fan. I don’t have an encyclopedic knowledge of the (mostly redacted) Expanded Universe,

I don’t cosplay as Boba Fett and I didn’t wait in line for The Force Awakens (I did see it three times, so I do fall into that troupe), but I would put my fandom at a solid 7/10.

So even with three prequels worth of disappointment (of a quality, depending on who

you ask, that is somewhere between literal war crime and meh), I was just about as excited as I could be for

DOUBLE-TAKE page 24

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

A&E

MSU Reporter • 23

The five most iconic Nicolas Cage films A rundown of some of this well-known actor’s best known movies.

MARYSA STORM Staff Writer Whether you’ve only seen National Treasure or you’re a devout follower of Reddit’s r/onetruegod—an entire subreddit dedicated to the notorious over-actor—it’s worth celebrating the fact that January is Nicolas Cage’s birth month. The star, who turned 52 on the seventh, according to IMDb, has been in more than 70 movies and it would be a sin not to watch at least one this month. Not sure where to start? Well, here are five iconic Nicolas Cage movies to send you on your way to enlightenment.

The Wicker Man (2006) Have you ever heard someone scream, “Oh no!

Not the bees!” or “How’d it get burned?! How’d it get burned?!” If so, you were listening to someone quote The Wicker Man, a remake of a 70s film that is, in all sincerity, an incredibly pointless, borderline plot-less film. The movie stars Cage as a detec-

CC BY 2.0 by Doug Kline tive sent to a mysterious island to look for a missing girl.

He soon discovers that things aren’t exactly right on the island and things spiral from bad to worse when he realizes that he’s stumbled onto a sort of Goddess-worshipping cult. There are numerous Nic Cage freak-outs circulating but this film has some of the best.

Face/Off (1997) Nicolas Cage and John Travolta in the same movie?

Sounds too good to be true, right? Wrong. What about Nicolas Cage and John Tra-

volta becoming each other’s characters in said movie?

That’s just crazy! And yet it was done. Face/Off features an FBI agent (Travolta) who undergoes face surgery in order to impersonate a terrorist (Cage). This film starts with a bang (Cage disguises himself as Catholic priest) and it continues on into a delightful mess of over-acting and shootouts from there.

Ghost Rider (2007) Looking for a movie with awesome special effects and a riveting story line? Well, Ghost Rider doesn’t have any

of that—but it does have Sam Elliott! The film, which has its origins in Marvel comics, features Cage as Johnny Blaze, a stunt rider who sold his soul to Satan in order to save his father’s life. In return, he must later become the devil’s bounty hunter. It’s quite the ride and, if you’re feeling especially masochistic, you might as well follow up Ghost Rider with Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance because, let’s face it, it’s even more ridiculous.

Vampire’s Kiss (1989) Before Twilight and True

Blood there was Vampire’s Kiss, a hidden gem from the 80s that casts Nicolas Cage as a businessman convinced that he is turning into a vampire. The film contains the origins of the infamous “You Don’t Say” meme and ridiculous antics usually paired with a lot of yelling, including the shouting of the ABCs and “I’m a vampire! I’m a vampire!” If you can’t find the film itself, I highly recommend simply searching for a best scenes compilation on YouTube. You won’t regret it.

Raising Arizona (1987) Nicolas Cage has sported a lot of looks over the years.

His hair styles range from bird-like to long and blonde, but its undeniable that he looks sharp as a mustached, Hawaiian-shirt wearing excon in Raising Arizona. The film, which takes place in Arizona, follows the trails of Cage and his wife (Holly Hunter) who steal a child after they find out they are unable to have one of their own.

It was one of Cage’s earlier films and one has to wonder if anyone who originally saw this knew just what Cage had in store for the world.

AWAKENS Continued from page 22 trooper who becomes disillusioned with his place in the order and escapes to seek a better life. Through a series of events I won’t spoil here, Rey, Finn, and BB-8 band together to flee the First Order and deliver BB-8’s vital information to the New Republic and the Resistance, a group very much like the Rebel Alliance that seeks to topple the First Order and the Imperial remnants once and for all.

If all of this sounds vaguely familiar, that’s because it is. The Force Awakens draws heavily from A New Hope and follows the same plot structure almost beat for beat. A droid named BB-8 (R2-D2)—carrying vital information for the Resistance (Rebellion)—is hunted across a desert world by the First Order (Galactic Empire), led by a dark and sinister warrior named Kylo Ren (Darth Vader). Here the droid meets a young Force sensitive character named Rey (Luke) and they must flee the planet with First Order forces (Imperial troops) in hot pursuit.

There’s even another Death Star thrown into the mix for good measure, albeit this one is called Starkiller Base, is the size of an entire planet, and can destroy a whole star system in one shot instead of a single world. And let’s not forget Supreme Leader Snoke—leader of the First Order and Kylo Ren’s master—who only appears for a few brief scenes and is an obvious parallel to the Emperor

from the original trilogy, or General Hux who commands Starkiller Base same as Grand Moff Tarkin who commanded the original Death Star.

The plot structure is extremely formulaic and I’m sure there are a great many fans who would decry The Force Awakens as nothing more than a flashy rip-off of A New Hope. With that being said, revisiting a tried and tested formula actually works

and the few plot holes that I could find are far less noticeable than some of the gaping maws present in Abrams’ prior Star Trek films.

What sets The Force Awakens apart from the prequel trilogy are its characters. Rey, Finn, and of course BB-8, are all quite likable and each character has their own distinct personalities and desires. And, unlike in the prequel trilogy, the characters actually develop throughout the story! Rey starts off as a loner with no desire to get sucked into the events CC BY 2.0 by StratoArt transpiring around her, but soon grows into her own as quite well for The Force she discovers and develops Awakens and rarely does her innate Force abilities. it detract from the overall Finn begins the film as a forquality of the film. Of course, mer stormtrooper who wants there are a handful of monothing more than to escape ments where the script stumas far away as he can from the bles (Starkiller Base appears First Order, but find himself way too abruptly; it suddenly an unlikely hero as he aids shows up halfway through Rey and the Resistance in the film with nary a word about it, yet it’s supposed to be such a dire threat to the Resistance and the galaxy), but they’re small grievances

AWAKENS page 27

24 • MSU Reporter

A&E

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

A marketing master plan: The Force Awakens How merchandise from the latest movie has saturated the market.

GABE HEWITT Staff Writer The amount of marketing Disney did for Star Wars: The Force Awakens in the months and weeks leading up to its release was absolutely crazy. We saw something Star Wars-related everywhere, whether it was merchandise at a store, or an advertisement on TV, or the Internet.

At some point we have to ask ourselves just how much Disney can shove the galactic series in our faces.

According to Forbes, Disney made over $3 billion in

CC BY 2.0 by StratoArt perspective, the media giant paid $4 billion for the rights

Merchandise spanned across the whole memorabilia

“I realized this when I was at Target this past Christmas Eve and saw a board game titled ‘Loopin’ Chewie.’ The front of the box featured Star Wars character Chewbacca, known for being a ruthless warrior and faithful companion, sticking out of a disproportionate Millennium Falcon with a horrifying ecstatic smile.“ Star Wars merchandise sales in 2015 alone. To put it in

to the Star Wars franchise in 2012.

spectrum. Typing “Star Wars” into online retail website will

DOUBLE-TAKE Continued from page 22 The Force Awakens (not Mad Max: Fury Road excited, but that’s not really fair). So after multiple viewings and some time to let the dust settle, I can say that The Force Awakens is good. Really, really good. And I am very, very happy.

See Matt’s review for the plot synopsis, since I hate writing them and he will do a better job than me anyways.

From a purely technical standpoint, The Force Awakens is an excellent film.

It looks good in a way that only happens by throwing a large amount of money in all the right places. The camera work is good, the CGI is good, the practical sets and effects are good, overall it’s just a damn good looking movie. A movie can be technically sound, but if the designs are bad then it just falls flat (a good example of

this is John Carter, not that you should ever watch that movie).

Fortunately, the characters, vehicles, and set designs are great, unlike most of the prequels. There’s also a good mix of classic designs (the Millennium Falcon’s back, eat your heart out nerds) to go with some really good new stuff. The sound design is also great; everything sounds the way it should, and the score is the kind of great orchestral pieces that you expect from the series. This is how, from a technical standpoint, a big budget space epic should look, sound, and feel. But we knew that was going to happen. Lucasfilm has been ahead of the special effects curve for the better part of three decades and even the underwhelming prequels were technological marvels

at the time. So what’s really important, and what we all really care about, is the plot.

I love the new cast. Rey is a good, strong lead; Fin is super relatable with just the right amount of badass when he needs it; and Kylo Ren’s a pretty good twist on the familiar Sith archetype that were used to. Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher’s role reprisals are awesome for the most part, although my least favorite scene of the whole movie was when they stood about six feet apart and talked to each other like a couple of plot dumping robots. I’m also not a fan of the new ball droid; I don’t know what it is. It just seems like they tried too hard to be the

DOUBLE-TAKE page 25

output thousands of page results. Anything used or seen in everyday life received the Star Wars treatment. You could wake up in your Imperial logo bedsheets, check your phone protected by a Rebellion logo phone case, go and eat your favorite oat cereal with Jedi Master Yoda on the front of the box, and then round out your morning by showering with the R2-D2 shower head.

The Force Awakens was a fantastic film but its marketing campaign was excessive.

I realized this when I was at Target this past Christmas Eve and saw a board game titled “Loopin’ Chewie.” The front of the box featured Star Wars character Chewbacca, known for being a ruthless warrior and faithful compan-

ion, sticking out of a disproportionate Millennium Falcon with a horrifyingly ecstatic smile. The expression on Chewbacca’s face was something I had never seen in a Star Wars film. This amazing character was transformed in a way so that it could appeal and sell to a certain audience. This was unsettling. I soon put pieces together to see just how much merchandise was exhausting the characters from the Star Wars universe in any way they could.

Disney invited Star Wars’ marketing into our lives and it overstayed its welcome.

Of course, Disney made a product and they have to sell it through merchandise and advertisements. That’s part of business. There will always be a place for merchandise for collectors when it comes to Star Wars. But the truth is that The Force Awakens was oversold. It quickly grew to become one of the highest grossing films of all time, but I wonder how much of that can be credited to the marketing campaign.

Don’t expect the abundance of Star Wars to disappear from your life anytime soon. Disney expects to release at least one Star Wars film a year until 2020 and I can’t imagine a scenario where they don’t repeat a similar marketing campaign they used with The Force Awakens.

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Tuesday, January 12, 2016

A&E

MSU Reporter • 25

Music legend David Bowie dies at age 69 One student reflects on the impact of a legendary artist.

KAARINA MAKI Staff Writer I was in my car Monday morning, pulling out of my parking spot. I decided to listen to 100.5 FM, which is an oldies station that features a few minutes of ABC News in the morning. I was halfway out of my parking spot when I heard those words that made me stop for a few seconds: “David Bowie has died at the age of 69.”

I was shocked. I couldn’t

believe what that woman on the news had just said. Immediately, memories of listening to his music and loving every second of it had flooded my mind. In middle school and high school, I was never one to listen to a ton of new music. I enjoyed some songs, sure, but for the most part I enjoyed, and still do, older music that had deep messages and unforgettable rhythms. Of all of the music I listened to, from The Who to A-Ha, David Bowie was the one who had a special place in my heart.

Of all of his songs, and there were a lot, “Space Oddity” was always my favorite. The story of an astronaut who gets lost in space was, to

Photo Courtesy of The Associated Press

“Of all his songs, and there were a lot, ‘Space Oddity’ was always my favorite. The story of an astronaut who gets lost in space was, to me, such a sad story, but for some reason it always made me feel hopeful.“

me, such a sad story, but for some reason it always made me feel hopeful. I can’t quite

DOUBLE-TAKE

Continued from page 24 new R2-D2, and I don’t think they succeeded. The story is pretty good; it hits all the Star Wars sweet spots, and is, at its core, fun. I think the biggest problem about the prequels was the original trilogy’s sense of adventure and humor, which is something I think the new movie nails.

So I’ve been hearing some gripes about this movie from that hive of scum and villainy that is the Internet. I heard some people say that the plot is a little too close to A New Hope, and to those people I say, get over it. I will admit that if you put a list of plot points next to each other you are going to see some overlap, and the fact that they blew up a third spherical planet destroying space station does seem like phoning it in (admittedly, in the most awesome way possible). So maybe the central conflict is just Rebels vs. The Em-

pire with different names, and that it’s still about some backwater hillbilly discovering space magic and learning to laser sword fight, but that doesn’t mean it’s the same. Rey isn’t Luke, Fin isn’t Han (they have Han to be Han) and Kylo Ren is not Darth Vader (as much as he would like to be), and the hero’s journey (the central plot theme to the original trilogy) is as old as humanity, so saying that Luke and Rey’s story are too similar is like saying Neo from The Matrix is too similar to Hercules (or a thousand other stories that share similar plot points). The Force Awakens is a good bridge from the original movies, an excellent set up for the new movies, and an entertaining movie on its own. I couldn’t have asked for more.

Reporter Rating

5 5

explain it, it’s more of a feeling in your gut than a thought you can put into words.

Many knew him for his music, and still others knew him for his role as Jareth, the King of the goblins in the film Labyrinth. I knew a lot of people who had never heard Bowie’s music, but who knew him for that film. Some may only know Bowie by his alter ego with the iconic red lightning bolt on his face, Ziggy Stardust.

Bowie had been battling cancer for over a year, and died peacefully Sunday night surrounded by family. Many people all over the world are paying tribute to the artist,

and many famous singers are thanking him for being a truly inspiring artist. Musical artists ranging from Lorde to Madonna have named him as a source of inspiration for their music.

Even though he’s gone, David Bowie’s music will live on as something that was wildly experimental and astoundingly surreal. In other words, he left this world a little more weird and wonderful for people who need that in their lives.

26 • MSU Reporter

A&E

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Feature Photos: The Govenaires Drum and Bugle Corps

The St. Peter based Govenaires Drum and Bugle Corps will host weekend rehearsals for the brass section, front ensemble percussion, and color guard.

The rehearsals will be held at the St. Peter High School on January 16 and 17, and again on February 13 and 14.

Photos Courtesy of the Govenaires Drum and Bugle Corps

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Tuesday, January 12, 2016

A&E

MSU Reporter • 27

New Star Wars breaks box office records Hit film earns $812 million domestically, $1.73 billion globally.

KAARINA MAKI Staff Writer A lot happened over winter break: the Vikings beat the Packers, hover boards were being banned from campuses all over the country, and a new generation was taken to a galaxy far, far away.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens was predicted to be one of the most important films

CC BY 2.0 by StratoArt released in 2015. Boy, were

those

predictions

correct!

The film broke numerous box

AWAKENS Continued from page 23 their desperate fight against the First Order and Starkiller Base. And BB-8 is, well, BB8. For a droid with no real lines and who is as small as a soccer ball, BB-8 carries as much personality as R2-D2 ever did and is often the real star of the show (the scene with the thumbs-up and the lighter may be hands-down one of the best things I’ve ever seen).

Of course, plenty of old familiar faces return as well, including Han, Leia, Chewbacca, and a few cameos such as Admiral Ackbar (“It’s a trap!”), but they serve mainly to provide backstory and bridge the gap between the original trilogy and the new.

The new trilogy is all about Rey and Finn and I expect the older characters will con-

tinue to take more of a backseat as we delve further into the series. One of my only grievances here is with how small Luke’s part in this film was. I expected to see much more of him considering the size of his role in the original trilogy, but again, this is a set-up movie and I expect we’ll see plenty more of Luke before the trilogy is all said and done. I also expected to see more of Captain Phasma (Gwendoline Christie), considering how often she showed up in the promotional materials leading up to the film’s release. But as with Luke, I’m sure we’ll see more of her character as the series progresses.

As with the previous installments in the franchise, The Force Awakens is a visual

masterpiece, featuring some of the most breathtaking landscapes in cinema history. From the monolithic Star Destroyers resting silently on Jakku, to the titanic Starkiller Base, and the menagerie of aliens in Maz’s cantina, The Force Awakens delivers a visual spectacle that rivals even Avatar, a film that, in the end, was really only ever about spectacle. When the Millennium Falcon flees from an incoming squad of TIE fighters, we don’t just watch this happen, we move with them as the camera follows along, weaving through sand dunes, blaster fire, and immense piles of wreckage.

It’s all quite impressive and I suspect the movie wouldn’t stand half as well without it.

It’s a testament to the abili-

ties of the production crew and shows us just how strong J.J. Abrams’ directorial skills are, despite however clumsy his writing may be.

Overall, The Force Awakens is a solid entry in the famous franchise and proves itself worthy of the name Star Wars. It has its ups and downs, particularly in the plot department, but none of this is bothersome enough to “ruin” the film in any way (except, of course, for those most hardcore of Star Wars fans). It’s still a great new addition to the Star Wars lineup and with the almost eleven year gap since the last movie, isn’t that all any of us have ever really wanted?

Reporter Rating

4.5 5

office records, and they all occurred before the film had even opened in China. Over the weekend, the film was close to losing its #1 spot at the box office with the wide release of Leonardo DiCaprio’s new film The Revenant.

However, it was still able to keep its spot for a fourth week, earning approximately $41.6 million.

The film has now earned $812 million domestically, the first movie in history to surpass $800 million. Once the film opened in China over the weekend, the film had the biggest weekend opening ever in the country, earning $53 million.

The Force Awakens has now earned $1.73 billion globally, and now holds the spot for biggest domestic movie in history, dethroning James Cameron’s Avatar.

However, Avatar still holds first place for global earnings, with $2.79 billion. Titanic is still at second with $2.19 billion, and The Force Awakens is now at third place, passing films like Jurassic World and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part II.

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28 • MSU Reporter

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Tuesday, January 12, 2016

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