January 12, 2021

S T U DE N T RU N N E WS SI NC E 1926

TUESDAY • JANUARY 12, 2021

BACK IN BUSINESS

The Minnesota State University campus community was busy once again as students, and a squirrel, returned to campus for the first day of classes of the spring semester Monday, Jan. 11. Despite the pandemic, many students chose to return to the campus and the dorm halls.

Students Begin Spring Semester Amidst Pandemic, Uncertain Future Story by ASHLEY OPINA • Staff Writer Photos by MANSOOR AHMAD • Photo Editor

As students wrap up their winter break and head back to campus, many are curious as to how their Spring Semester at Minnesota State University, Mankato will look as COVID-19 continues to pose a prevalent problem in the United States, and more specifically, in Southern Minnesota.

Luckily, Richard Davenport, president of MNSU, anticipated the future inquiries on the matter and released an announcement early last week about the University’s plans regarding the upcoming semester.

In his announcement, Davenport said that campus will be reopening and that the buildings available to students will be the academic buildings, the dining center, and the residence halls.

This means that students living in the dorms will be allowed to continue doing so, and that in-person classes will be available during the Spring Semester as well.

In his words, Davenport said, “classes will be offered this semester through online, remote, FlexSync, and in-person delivery.”

Not much of the delivery methods of teaching and learning has changed from the semester prior, however, Davenport said that any class that offers FlexSync and in-person as a delivery method will be conducted remotely at the start of the new semester.

Further information on FlexSync and in-person classes will be communicated to the students by their profes-

IN THIS MAV MACHINE ISSUE: KEEPS DRUMMIN’

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sors.

Towards the end of his announcement, Davenport reminded everyone that the pandemic is still among the public and in order to keep everyone on campus and in the Mankato area safe, it is important to keep your health and the health of those around you in mind.

Davenport recommended a 10-day lay-low period with reduced interactions with other people in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

He also advised to get tested before or after their return to campus.

“Consider downloading the Minnesota Department of Health’s free COVIDawareMN app,” said Davenport, “which will notify you if you’ve

FIGHT AGAINST MISINFORMATION

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been near someone who tested positive for COVID-19 and anonymously notify anyone you’ve been near if you tested positive.”

Davenport’s recommendations only go so far as he mentioned that the severity of the pandemic continues to change, and with it, the University’s plans.

He asked students to be flexible as the University navigates their way through the semester and assured that he will remain in touch with further updates.

“Changes can be expected over the next several weeks,” said Davenport.

“Please know that we will keep you posted as guidelines issued by the local public health officials evolve.”

MAVERICKS SWEEP VIKINGS

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2 • MSU Reporter

News

Students Excited to be Back after Lackluster Winter Break

GAGE CURETON • KEYC News Now

Maverick Machine Keeps Drumming Up School Spirit

Tuesday, January 12, 2021

Members of the Maverick Machine \ band practice while being socially distant and adhering to COVID-19 guidelines in the fall.

By JULIA BARTON Staff Writer

The Minnesota State University, Mankato Maverick Machine is the well-known marching band here on campus for their outstanding performances. Many students have seen this group, whether it be at sporting events or around campus, but may have never recognized who they were.

Director of Maverick Machine Michael Thursby commented on the organization, “We provide music and spirit for athletic events, but we are more than that. The Machine is also a community for students to come basically from all across campus to play music and just kind of hang out and be together.”

While the organization is primarily a marching band, the students play a large mixture of music genres, including hip hop, pop, and musical theater.

The band includes students with skills in marching band, pep band, percussion, color guard, and baton twirling in order to bring together a wide variety of people with different backgrounds in music.

Students involved in the Maverick Machine will receive many opportunities while in the program. While there are performances to cheer on the athletic teams, there are also travel opportunities for the musicians.

“In a normal year when there is no pandemic, there is usually a travel opportunity for the Maverick Machine. In the past, we’ve been to Puerto Rico and Hawaii to explore new music and enjoy what’s outside of Minnesota,” Thursby commented.

Continuing off of this, Thursby explained, “Performing at the sporting events also allows students to play for almost every sport, to get into the sporting events for free, and just be involved in what it is to be a Maverick and be

involved in the culture of the entire University.”

According to Senior Mav Machine member, Brook Ford, “Becoming a member of the Maverick Machine has been one of my best decisions.

I have made lifelong friendships, had many opportunities for traveling and performing in places I would have never thought, and made some of my favorite memories with my Mav Fam.” Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Maverick Machine has been putting on virtual performances to still entertain the MSU campus community.

Recently, the band completed their second virtual show called ‘Hope’. The purpose of this show was to help bring people virtually together during a time when hope is needed. This performance used songs from Lizzo and the musical Hamilton to entertain audience members of all kinds.

Fans of the Maverick Machine can watch this showcase on YouTube.

Moving into the spring semester, the Machine has another virtual performance called ‘Tribal Effect’ planned, with the release date to be announced on the band’s Facebook page.

Even with the plans for another virtual showcase for this upcoming semester, the band is hopeful they will have the opportunity to have an in-person show by the end of the semester.

The Mav Machine is always looking for new members to join their community. There is no cost in being in this program. The band provides large instruments to students, and each student is provided with a full uniform at the beginning of the semester.

They meet twice a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5 - 7 p.m. Students looking to join the machine can find more information on the MNSU website or can contact Michael Thursby at michael. thursby@mnsu.edu.

MANSOOR AHMAD • The Reporter A student returns to the MNSU campus for the first day of classes of the spring semester Jan. 11, 2021.

By JULIA BARTON Staff Writer

Students of Minnesota State University, Mankato return back on campus after winter break as the Spring 2021 semester will start January 11.

Following a long winter break most students have returned to campus after spending time at home with family and friends over the holiday season.

“Over winter break I spent a lot of time with family and friends and also took a trip to Duluth,” Maya Keaveny, freshman at MNSU said.

Sophie Littman, freshman at MNSU, said,“I spent Christmas in an airport this year trying to get to Florida.

My flight with Spirit airlines got so mixed up and delayed for hours and I ended up sleeping at the airport into Christmas Day.” The whole state of Minnesota, however, prohibited indoor dining in restaurants

throughout the holiday season making this year’s New Year’s Eve a staying at home event.

Although restaurants were open for takeout, students were still able to enjoy their meals at home with loved ones.

“I hung out with friends over break and took a day trip to downtown Minneapolis to have fun and take pictures,” Lexi Kvistad, freshman at MNSU said.

Student Kaleb McDonald said, “The most fun thing I did over break was going ice skating with my girlfriend.”

“The best part of break for me was having my entire family home and getting to spend time with them,” Carter Hubener, freshman at MNSU stated.

Getting back into a regular routine as classes begin to start online as well as limited in-person classes on campus, students can expect this semester to carry on as usual.

Student Kaitylyn Swaney said,“I’m glad to be back on

campus and get back to a good schedule. I didn’t do much over break with everything going on.”

“Over break I hung out with my friends a lot and spent most of winter break together before we all went back to school. One thing I’m looking forward to most this semester is getting to know more people since this is my first semester here at MNSU,” Grace Sieber, freshman at MNSU said.

Restaurants are predicted to open back up on Jan. 11.

Limited indoor seating and social distancing will remain in place as expected as restaurant owners can start to serve customers inside during the colder winter season.

“Something I am excited for this semester is meeting new people,” Ashley Rademacher, freshman at MNSU said.

MNSU students are starting to appear back on campus as most are back living in the dorms and some students staying at home continuing their spring semester online.

WELCOME BACK

E N D TS! U T S

Tuesday, January 12, 2021

News

‘Most Dangerous Time’: UK Sees Toughest Virus Threat Yet

MSU Reporter • 3

US Ramps Up Vaccinations to get Doses to More Americans

EDDIE MULHOLLAND • Associated Press Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson watches first responder Caroline Cook receiving an injection of a Covid-19 vaccine at Ashton Gate Stadium in Bristol, England, Monday Jan. 11, 2021.

ASSOCIATED PRESS The U.K. opened seven mass vaccination centers Monday as it moved into the most perilous moment of the COVID-19 pandemic, with exhausted medical staff reeling under the pressure of packed hospitals and increasing admissions.

England’s chief medical officer, Dr. Chris Whitty, warned people to strictly follow measures to prevent the spread of the virus while they wait their turn for a vaccine shot. The government is trying to vaccinate some 15 million people by Feb. 15 — but Britain’s National Health Service is struggling to treat those who are ill now.

“I think everybody accepts that this is the most dangerous time we’ve really had in terms of numbers into the NHS,” Whitty told the BBC. People in the U.K. already face severe coronavirus restrictions but political leaders are considering tightening the rules further as a new, more transmissible variant of COVID-19 aggravates the health care crisis. Leaders want to vaccinate the country out of the crisis, but with hospitals under siege, they must persuade the public to take prevention methods more seriously.

“We don’t rule out taking further action if it’s needed, but it’s your actions now that can make a difference: Stay at home!” Health Secretary Matt Hancock said during a press conference Monday.

Britain, with over 81,000 dead, has the deadliest virus toll in Europe and the number of hospital beds filled

by COVID-19 patients has risen steadily for more than a month. English hospitals are now treating 55% more COVID-19 cases than during the first peak of the pandemic in April.

“Everybody knows what they need to do. And I think that’s the key thing — mini-

mize the number of contacts,” Whitty said.

England last week entered a third national lockdown that closed all nonessential shops, schools, colleges and universities for at least six weeks. The lockdown is slightly looser than the one in the spring with many more workplaces and businesses open, but police across the country have issued fines for breaking rules that require people to stay home except for essential reasons such as exercise or grocery shopping.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservative government hopes the restrictions will reduce the strain on the NHS while it ramps up a nationwide mass vaccination program using vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and a second from Oxford-AstraZeneca. A third vaccine that has been approved for use, by Moderna, won’t arrive until the spring.

Seven large-scale vaccination centers are opening, joining around 1,000 other sites across the country, including ones at hospitals, general practitioners’ clinics and drugstores.

At one vaccination center in Stevenage, north of London, medical workers administering shots described the mood as marked by relief and joy.

“They’ve been quite emotional actually, really pleased that there is some hope at the end of this tunnel, this very long tunnel for everybody,” said Caroline Shepherd, clinical expert for immunizations at Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust. “A few people (were) quite teary, saying ‘I’m really pleased to be here, thank you so much, we’re really grateful for the NHS.’” Nearly 2.3 million people in the U.K. have received a COVID-19 vaccine so far. The government’s goal is to vaccinate the most vulnerable by mid-February, targeting people over 70, healthcare workers, nursing home residents and others who’re vulnerable.

KRISTYNA WENTZ-GRAFFD • Associated Press Medical professionals from Oregon Health & Science University load syringes with the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at a drive-thru vaccination clinic in Portland, Ore.

ASSOCIATED PRESS The U.S. is entering the second month of the biggest vaccination drive in history with a major expansion of the campaign, opening football stadiums, major league ballparks, fairgrounds and convention centers to inoculate a larger and more diverse pool of people.

After a frustratingly slow rollout involving primarily health care workers and nursing home residents, states are moving on to the next phase before the first one is com-

plete, making shots available to such groups as senior citizens, teachers, bus drivers, police officers and firefighters.

“It gives you hope,” said David Garvin, a New Yorker who turns 80 next weekend and got a vaccination at a city-run site in Brooklyn on Monday, the first day the state made people over 75 eligible along with various front-line workers. “I’ve been in my room for six months.”

In Southern California, 41-year-old nurse Julieann Sparks received a shot through her car window at a drive-thru

vaccination site that opened in a parking lot near the San Diego Padres’ baseball stadium.

“It really truly was a hassle-free experience,” she said.

After receiving a vaccination, drivers had to stay there for 15 minutes so that they could be watched for any reaction.

Similarly, in Britain, where a more contagious variant of the virus is raging and deaths are soaring, seven large-scale vaccination sites opened Monday at a convention center in London, a racecourse in Surrey and a soccer complex in Manchester.

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4 • MSU Reporter

Tuesday, January 12, 2021

FALL 2020 EDITOR IN CHIEF:

MAXWELL MAYLEBEN maxwell.mayleben@mnsu.edu

Editorial: We Need to Fight the Spread of Misinformation

MADISON DIEMERT

madison.diemert@mnsu.edu

MANSOOR AHMAD • The Reporter

NEWS DIRECTOR: Jenna Peterson jenna.peterson-3@mnsu.edu

Several members of the Maverick’s men’s basketball team took a knee during the national anthem in the series against the Bemidji State.

Editorial

We all know what happened last week at the US Capitol. A Trump supporting “Save America” crowd marched all the way to Capitol Hill and violently entered our nation’s capital, interrupting a ceremonial counting of the nation’s electors that would solidify Joe Biden’s win in the 2020 presidential election.

The group responsible for the invasion of the home of our democracy was fuelled with allegations of election fraud, perpetuated by the sitting President Donald Trump and his supporters.

While these allegations are the basis and bedrock for the aggressive acts taken at the

capital, they have been proven false time and time again both in the court of law, and by people close to the matters at hand.

Claims of “glitches” in a voting system called “Dominion” were cited as a source of election fraud. And while there were voting issues in counties that used this system, the claims of systemwide software glitches were proven to be baseless.

Another common claim of fraud comes from this year’s increased usage of absentee ballots due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These claims were also proven baseless after election officials audited absentee ballots finding no fraudulent ballots.

These people stormed our

capital with information that has been disproven, but perpetually claimed as a way to claim that the election of Joe Biden was a sham.

We need to take this time as a nation to reevaluate how and what we believe when it comes to news and information as a whole. As young people, growing up in the day and age of social media, it is easy to believe and trust the headlines we see in “Twitter moments”.

It is easy to get caught up in the “he said, she said” information transfer that seems so common in today’s social media sphere, that we may start to believe falsehoods over facts simply due to who “shared” it to their timeline.

It is easy to look at the people who believe in the election

fraud claims down the end of our nose and say “that could never happen to me.” In reality, in the system that we have subscribed to of shotty information and blind trust of headlines, an event like this could have easily happened to either side of the aisle.

So where do we go from here?

We as consumers need to take a step back and think about where we are getting our information. Basing worldviews solely on a social media timeline designed to keep you engaged in that app/website is inherently a flawed approach.

The same could be said

TRUTH page 5

“What do you think about last week’s events at the US Capitol?”

Compiled by Daniel McElroy

ASHLEY KITZMAN “I don’t think it’s right. If it was a person of color, they’d be called a terrorist”

HAILEY ZINNEL

EUSTACE AWERE

ANWAR DAHIR

“Racial inequality is horrible.

“As a black male, it was “If black people did the same If it was a POC, it would be expected. The amount of pride thing, they would’ve been handled much differently. is disturbing.” shot.”

Trump should be held accountable”

RYAN GUSE “It showed how divided our country is.”

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Tuesday, January 12, 2021

News

MSU Reporter • 5

TRUTH Continued from page 4 Trump Hits Cuba with New Terrorism Sanctions in Waning Days

about pledging allegiance to one news source and accepting all that is said on that source as absolute truth. Equally, swearing off of all news sources and getting all of your news through the “grapevine” of what other people tell leaves you extremely vulnerable to accepting said source’s bias.

We need to seek objective facts, not facts that support our own beliefs. It is simple, misinformation is the root cause of the divide in our country. We as a country will only unite when the information in which we use to gauge our ideology comes from fact, rather than confirmation bias.

RAMON ESPINOSA • Associated Press A man transports children on his tricycle, in Havana, Cuba, Friday, Jan 8, 2021, amid the new coronavirus pandemic.

ASSOCIATED PRESS The Trump administration on Monday re-designated Cuba as a “state sponsor of terrorism,” hitting the country with new sanctions that could hamstring President-elect Joe Biden’s promise to renew relations with the communist-governed island.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the step, citing in particular Cuba’s continued harboring of U.S. fugitives, its refusal to extradite a coterie of Colombian guerrilla commanders as well as its support for Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.

The designation, which had been discussed for years, is one of several last-minute foreign policy moves that the Trump administration is making before Biden takes office Jan. 20.

Removing Cuba from the blacklist had been one of former President Barack Obama’s main foreign policy achievements as he sought better relations with the island, an effort endorsed by Biden as his vice president. Ties had been essentially frozen after Fidel Castro took power in 1959.

As he has with Iran, Trump has sought to reverse many of Obama’s decisions involving Cuba. He has taken a tough line on Havana and rolled back many of the sanctions that the Obama administration had eased or lifted after the restoration of full diplomatic relations in 2015.

Since Trump took office, after a campaign that attacked Obama’s moves to normalize relations with Cuba, ties have been increasingly strained.

In addition to attacking Cuba for its support of Maduro, the Trump administration has also suggested that Cuba may have been behind or allowed alleged sonic attacks that left dozens of U.S. dip-

lomats in Havana with brain injuries starting in late 2016.

However, few U.S, allies believe Cuba remains a sponsor of international terrorism, quibbling with either the definition based on the support for Maduro or outright rejecting American claims that Cuban authorities are bankrolling or masterminding international terrorist attacks.

Rep. Gregory Meeks, the new chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said Trump’s designation would not help the Cuban people and seeks only to tie the hands of the Biden administration.

“This designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism with less than a week to go in his presidency and after he incited a domestic terror attack on the U.S. Capital ... that’s hypocrisy,” Meeks said in an interview with The Associated Press.

Nonetheless, cheered on by Cuban American and Venezuelan exiles in south Florida, the Trump administration has steadily increased restrictions on flights, trade and financial transactions between the U.S. and the island.

The latest sanctions put Cuba alongside North Korea, Syria and Iran as the only foreign nations deemed state sponsors of terrorism. As a result of Monday’s actions, most travel from the U.S. to Cuba will be barred as well as the sending of remittances to Cuba from relatives in the United States, a significant source of income for the impoverished island.

But with dollar-generating business already reeling from the effects of the coronavirus and previous measures like Trump’s ban on cruise ships and cap on remittances, the biggest impact will likely be diplomatic.

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8 • MSU Reporter

Tuesday, January 12, 2021

Mavericks Sweep the Vikings over the Weekend

By DANIEL MCELROY Sports Editor The MSU men’s basketball team rounded out the weekend with a sweep against Augustana University.

On Friday night, the Mavericks won their first conference game against the Augustana University Vikings in a 72-67 win in a tight matchup that came down to the last seconds.

The scoring started off with sophomore guard Quincy Anderson, stepping through the Augustana defense for a layup.

Several Mavericks’ would follow up in scoring including Devonte Thedford with a 3-pointer and free throw, Brady Williams with a pair of layups, and Anderson again from 3. The Mavericks started the game with a 15-6 lead.

During this run, Kelby Kramer, the 6’ 10” center, would make a block in the paint, his first of three in the contest. Kramer led the team in blocks last season with 79, and leads the team with 15 blocks in four games this season.

After the Mavericks lost the lead about halfway through the first half with a score of 19-17, the home-

MANSOOR AHMAD • The Reporter Devonte Thedford (13) played a crucial role in the Mavericks’ sweep over the Vikings, scoring 30 points over the weekend.

town team went on a 15-6 run to the end half at 34-23.

At the half, the Mavericks’ shooting percentage was at 45.16%, going 14-31 in field goals, 5-12 in 3-point shots, and 1-2 in free throws. The Mavericks kept the lead for almost the entire second half of the game, until Augustana would tie the game in a series of events with one minute remaining. Anderson, the leading point scorer with 20 on the day, would make a deep 3-pointer to put the Mavericks ahead, 68-65, with less than a minute remaining.

Augustana returned down the court to make a layup, draw a foul, but miss the extra point. In an attempt to regain possession, the Vikings foul on Ryland Holt, who made

both free throws, putting the Mavericks up 70-67.

Augustana, again, returned to the opposite side of the court to try and tie the game, but missed two shots from 3 in the last 10 seconds.

Thedford drew another foul with .7 seconds left of the game, sealing the 72-67 win for the Mavericks.

A key point of the win for the Mavericks was their points from the free throw line, going 9-9 in the second half, finishing 10-11 in the game. Head coach Matt Margenthaler commented, “When you step up there and knock down those free throws like we did, that’s the recipe to win these close games.”

Saturday’s matinee showed both teams coming out to play with something to prove. The Mavericks, however, come out on top for their third straight win.

The Vikings started the game with a 7-0 lead from three layups and a free throw. Malik Willingham finds his chance to get the Mavericks first points on the board with a 3-pointer and an assist from Jamal Nixon.

A close first half showed the

MAVS page 9

By DANIEL MCELROY Sports Editor The Minnesota State (4-71) women’s hockey team swept the Bemidji State University Beavers (1-6-1) at the Sanford Center this weekend.

The Mavericks took their first win of the weekend on Friday in a close 2-1 contest.

The Beavers started off the scoring just three minutes into the second period with Claire DeGeorge and Reece Hunt entering the offensive zone in a 2-on-1 rush. Goaltender Calla Frank made the initial save from Hunt’s shot off the shoulder that ended up behind the net and into Hunt’s glove. She placed the puck down in front of her and centered a pass to an open Lydia Passolt, who fired it past Frank’s right leg for the Beavers first and only goal of the weekend.

The Mavericks fought back hard and scored two goals in under two minutes. The first came from Brittyn Fleming with 4:30 left in the third period. Fleming grabbed a rebound in her own zone and went coast to coast for an unassisted wrap around goal,

good for her fourth on the year.

The Mavericks then took the lead less than two minutes later on a powerplay goal when Fleming sat on the right side boards, gave a pass to Tristen Truax, who then gave and took a pass back from Kelsey King. Truax walked the puck up from the point and fired a slap shot that hit off of Kerigan Dowhy’s glove, and trickled inside the right post.

This counted for Truax’s first goal of the season, and both Fleming and King’s third assist on the season.

Frank stopped 18 of 19, playing her part in an important conference game.

Saturday’s matinee displayed a Maverick team that came out to win, scoring four goals in a shutout win and sweep over the Beavers.

The Mavericks got their first goal on the board when Jamie Nelson sauced a pass from the far boards to Anna Wilgren. Wilgren then passed it over to Jessica Kondas who took a slap shot and trickled in between Dowhy’s legs.

King secured the next two goals for the Mavericks, as

MANSOOR AHMAD • The Reporter

Frank, Women’s Hockey Win Two, get Shutout against the Beavers

Calla Frank (77) recorded her first shutout of the season in a 4-0 win over the Beavers on Saturday.

Truax passed the puck over to Wilgren, who took a slap shot from the point. King deflected the flying puck right in front of the net, going past Dowhy’s legs. King’s next goal came from a leading pass from Madison Mashuga, giving King the breakaway and firing the puck in between Dowhy’s legs.

These goals are good enough

to put King at four on the year, tying Fleming and Nelson with the most goals on the team.

The final goal of the game came from Mashuga, as Dowhy failed to control a routine rebound on a shot from Kondas, when Mashuga fired the puck point blank past Dowhy.

Through all of this, Frank stayed strong in the net, stop-

ping all 23 shots she faced.

Frank would stop 41 of 42 on the weekend, securing her first shutout of the season.

The Mavericks will take this weekend off and travel to Columbus, Ohio on Jan. 22 to take on The Ohio State University in a two-game series.

Tuesday, January 12, 2021

Sports

Mavs Wrestling Starts Season with Convincing Win over Minot

By DANIEL MCELROY Sports Editor The Mavericks wrestling team started their season last Thursday in a 31-12 win over Minot State.

The Mavericks had a successful season last year with a 10-3 record, getting fourth place at the NCAA Super Regionals, but did not have a chance to finish their season at the National Championships due to COVID-19.

This year, the Mavericks came out hungry to get back to that same spot last year. In this far from close matchup, the visiting Mavericks won seven out of 10 matches in the inner conference victory.

Trenton McManus started the day off for the Mavericks getting a 2-1 win over Oscar Nellis of Minot State.

Brock Lethens then took the win over Kelby Armstrong 6-4 at 133. Then, junior Kolbe O’Brien pinned Lincoln Stormer at 141.

Kyle Rathman, senior All-American and back-toback national championship attendee wrestler, pinned Shadi Mitwalli, improved his all time record to 78-19.

The Mavericks’ first loss

Continued from page 8

MANSOOR AHMAD • The Reporter

MAVS

came from Cooper Siebrecht dropping a 3-1 overtime decision to Nathan Baca at 157.

Mike Smith pinned Austin Frantzich and Trevor Turriff beat Noah Gallardo 12-1.

Minot State’s Keegan Berry took a win over Minnesota State University’s Dylan Butts, while Matt Blome won a 7-0 decision over Dustin Swisher.

Minot State’s third and final victory came in the last match of the night, where Jordan Will took a 3-1 win over David Griffit.

The Mavericks ranked No. 13 in the preseason rankings poll, and lived up to that expectation with a convincing win over Minot State.

The Mavericks are undefeated against the Beavers in all nine meetings between the two squads since 2013, with the largest margin of victory being a 54-0 win in the first contest.

In a shortened season, the Mavericks will play in only six matchups, all against conference teams.

Minnesota State University’s next sets of matches is against Augustana University on Thursday, Jan. 14 at home at the Taylor Center in Mankato.

Reigning NSIC Freshman of the Year Ryland Holt (0) helped the Mavericks to victory, scoring 22 points in two games against the Vikings.

Mavericks desperately wanting the lead back, as Brady Williams made back to back three-pointers to make it 1514 in only his fourth game as a true freshman.

Margenthaler praised Williams after the game, saying, “He battles down at the post, he’s athletic, and he’s going to have a great future here.”

The back-and-forth scoring would change the lead three times in one minute. The Mavericks would build off of the last lead change, and go on a 14-4 run in the last five minutes. Augustana’s Isaac Fink made a deep 3-point, buzzer beater to end the half in a 3229 deficit.

The first eight minutes of

the second half saw four more lead changes, with no lead bigger than four points. The Mavericks regain the lead for the last time when Williams drained a 3-pointer, made a layup, and converted for another 3-pointer, with Nixon securing three defensive rebounds in that span.

The Mavericks held onto the lead for the rest of the game finishing with a score of 79-70, with leading scorers Willingham, 20, and Williams, 17, leading the team to their third straight win.

The Mavericks’ next meeting is against the Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs (22) in Marshall on Friday, Jan. 15, and Saturday, Jan. 16.

MSU Reporter • 9

Women’s Basketball Split Series with Vikings

Maverick Athletics Joey Batt (1) scored a career-high 28 points in Sunday’s overtime win against the Vikings.

By DANIEL MCELROY Sports Editor The Minnesota State (22) women’s basketball team split their series this weekend against Augustana University (2-2) in Sioux Falls.

The Mavericks started the game with a quick 4-0 lead, but the Vikings answered back scoring six points.

After a 10-10 tie five minutes into the first quarter, Maddy Olson went on to make three free throws and a 3-pointer, with Tayla Stuttley adding a layup to go up 18-14.

After exchanging baskets, the first quarter ended with a 22-22 tie.

The Vikings came out strong in the second quarter, scoring seven in a row before Rachel Shumski would be able to answer with a layup.

The Vikings held onto the for the rest of the second quarter, going into halftime with a score of 42-35.

The second half of the game would start with Olson draining a three to bring the Mavericks within four, but the Vikings answered in the same way.

The Mavericks regained the lead when Joey Batt and Rylee Menster combined for 11 points in just three minutes in the third quarter, keeping the game within reach going into

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the fourth.

A very close fourth quarter displayed five lead changes in six minutes, but a steal and a pair of rebounds put the Vikings up by six with just 2:30 remaining. The Mavericks attempt to bring the game closer while fouling to regain possession, but come up empty handed as Augustana wins the game 80-72 improving to 2-1.

Stuttley came up big for the Mavericks in this close contest, putting up 18 points and nine rebounds on the day, while Olson added 11 points of her own, and going 3-4 from the free throw line.

The second game of the weekend was as close as could be, as the Mavericks pulled out the win in overtime with a score of 87-82.

The Vikings start out the scoring with seven straight points, until the Mavericks respond going on a 16-5 run, giving them the lead, 16-12 with 3:44 remaining in the first quarter.

A few more basket exchanges ended the quarter with the Vikings holding a 19-18 lead.

Throughout the second quarter, the Vikings held the lead for the entire duration, keeping it within two possessions for almost the whole quarter. The Vikings led at the half 39-32.

Batt led the Mavericks

in scoring with eight points through the first half.

The second half scoring starts in the same way for both teams, with each scoring a layup and 3-pointer. This would lead to the Mavericks going on a 7-0 run, bringing them within one with a score of 50-49.

The Vikings would finish out the quarter stronger with a lead of 58-53.

The Mavericks fought back the entire fourth quarter, regaining the lead when Batt scored six straight points with 3:09 remaining in the final quarter, giving the Mavericks the lead 70-68.

Stuttley scored the final points of regulation for the Mavericks with a layup going up 74-72 with :03 remaining, but the Vikings responded with a layup of their own with zeros on the clock, pushing it to overtime at 74-74.

The Mavericks came up big when it came to the free throw line, scoring 9-11 in overtime, ultimately giving them the win 87-82.

Batt had a game to remember, scoring a career high 28 points, going 8-18 in field goals, and making six 3-pointers.

The Mavericks next meeting is against Wayne State (13) this Friday, Jan. 15 and Saturday, Jan. 16.

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Tuesday, January 12, 2021

Scavenger Hunt Comes to Campus

WOW: Res Halls Welcome Back Students

By DESTINY KEMPF Staff Writer

By JENNA PETERSON News Editor

Courtesy photo

To welcome back students for the Spring Semester, the Minnesota State University, Mankato Student Events Team will be putting on a MavHuntWinter Wonderland From Monday January 11th through Wednesday January 13.

Throughout this event, students are given the chance to win a $100 gift card through participation. Student activities are giving away five $100 giftcards to the top point earners and an additional five $100 gift cards to randomly drawn participants.

The scavenger hunt is located and put together on the GooseChase app which can be downloaded for free on the App Store or Google Play.

On the Goosechase app itself, students can find various challenges ranging from taking and submitting a photo of a beautiful winter scenery to submitting a video of students doing their favorite TikTok dance.

The Student Event Team advertised the event as, “The opportunity to complete challenges, explore off-campus housing properties and celebrate Maverick Pride.”

On Monday, Jan. 11, 15 challenges were released in total. These challenges will

be active until the conclusion of the event. Furthermore, additional challenges are to be released on Wednesday, Jan. 13 for students to complete as well.

Once a challenge is completed the student is awarded a different amount of points.

This ranges from 400 points to 1000 points.

This MavHunt is not the

first from the Student Events Team. In fact, they have done multiple scavenger hunts in the past to keep students engaged throughout their enrollment at the University. Their most recent MavHunt took place at the beginning of the 2020 Fall Semester during the welcome week.

MavHunt-Winter Wonderland still encourages the

practice of COVID-19 Safety Protocols as there are multiple guidelines students must follow in order to ensure the health and safety of everyone.

In the guidelines it states to have no gatherings of people.

Students are told to maintain a six foot physical distance from

MAVHUNT page 11

League of Legends Championship Series to Return

By DANIEL MCELROY Sports Editor Professional League of Legends is almost back with the LCS Lock In, a three week kickoff tournament to start the new competitive year.

The 2021 season entails a new format, combining spring and summer split, into one year-long split, with a mid-season tournament, dubbed the LCS Mid-Season Showdown, to determine who will represent North America at the Mid-Season Invitational, as well as take home the first LCS Championship title.

The LCS spring split will now consist of a double round robin over 6 weeks, with 5 games being played per day, 3 days a week (Friday-Sunday).

The summer split will turn into a triple round robin over 9 weeks. The teams with the best records throughout the entire season will be seeded

accordingly, and compete for the second LCS Championship title.

The LCS Kick off tournament groups were drafted last week into two separate groups. Group A, which consists of TSM, Team Liquid, 100 Thieves, CLG, and Golden Guardians, and Group B, which consists of FlyQuest, Cloud9, Evil Geniuses, Dignitas, and Immortals. The groups were drafted by last year’s summer split finalists, TSM and FlyQuest.

The defending LCS champions, TSM, have a totally revamped roster, with two of their veterans, Søren “Bjergsen” Bjerg and Peng “Doublelift” Yilliang, retiring in the offseason. They also parted ways with their top laner Sergen “Broken Blade” Çelik, and support Vincent “Biofrost” Wang, leaving jungler Mingyi “Spica” Lu the longest tenured TSM player.

SPENCER GREEN • Associated Press Robert Morris University Illinois freshmen, from left, Sondra Burrows, Brian Rodonis and Alex Chapman practice playing the video game “League of Legends” with their collegiate teammates at their on-campus training facility in Chicago.

The new roster will be Heo “Huni” Seung-hoon in the top lane, Tristan “PowerOfEvil” Schrage in the mid lane, Lawrence “Lost” Sze Yuy Hui, at attack damage carry, and for-

GAMING page 11

Following a long winter break, the Minnesota State University, Mankato residence communities are ready to welcome back students with games for all to enjoy and prizes to win.

Instead of the normal, once a week event, all of the residence halls are coming together and hosting events throughout the week to uplift students’ spirits.

The dorms will be taking part in the MavHuntWinter Wonderland event, where students of all years can win prizes by completing tasks that are given to them.

This event will be taking place all week and into early next week in order to give people a chance of winning big.

Along with the hunt there are a few other activities taking place this week for the WOW. Throughout most of the week there will be palm readings taking place on Instagram where the first 100 people to submit a clear photo of their palms to @studenteventsteam will have it be read by Jacob Mayfield.

According to the Student Events Teams website, Mayfield is a leading MInd Reader from the Chicago area who specializes in mentalism. The website also advises students to be ready for telepathy, ESP, and psychic phenomena.

On Thursday, Jan. 14, there will also be a virtual tarot card reading for students to enjoy.

In order to join, copy and paste the Zoom link on the Student Events Team’s website and wait for your future to be revealed to you.

These events are something new for everyone to enjoy and bring a creative aspect to students.

Be sure to join while you can and score some points in order to win great prizes!

Tuesday, January 12, 2021

Variety

With Empty Stadiums, NFL Still a Ratings Monster ASSOCIATED PRESS Regular-season ratings for NFL games declined this season following two straight years of increases. But in a year that saw the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic and a presidential election, the 7% decrease isn’t as bad as the league and its broadcast partners feared before the season began.

Games averaged 15.6 million television and digital viewers, according to the league and Nielsen. The league averaged 16.5 million regular-season viewers last season after posting 5% gains in both 2018 and ’19.

Overall, the continued ratings strength of the NFL — even with most games played in empty or mostly empty stadiums — underscores the financial underpinnings of the league’s decision to play a full season amid a pandemic in which more than 21.5 million Americans have been infected.

The networks pay a combined $5.86 billion per season for the rights to broadcast NFL games, and they are rewarded with huge audiences and revenue from advertisers eager to reach viewers.

MAVHUNT

Continued from page 10

others.

Additionally, it is stated to limit teams to roommates only.

Students are also reminded to wash their hands and sanitize often as well as wearing face covering while inside a building or whenever social distancing cannot be practiced.

These COVID-19 restrictions should not be a problem

CHARLIE RIEDEL • Associated Press A worker cleans seats in Arrowhead Stadium before an NFL football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Chargers, Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021, in Kansas City.

“The NFL is a ratings generator and leader throughout entertainment. It is so big and the audience is so committed, I think the only thing the networks worry about is the score (of the games) which determines how long people tune in,” said former CBS sports president Neal Pilson, who now runs his own sports television consulting company.

During the last presidential election year in 2016, NFL ratings were down 8%. However, that year they were down 14% at midseason before rallying.

In 2020, the declines remained

between 6% and 8% throughout the season.

It was the third straight election year in which ratings have gone down.

The NFL had 20 of the top 25 and 42 of top 50 top telecasts. Only two of the top 100 telecasts from the past year were not sports or news-related.

NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” finished as prime time’s top show for the 10th straight year, but the 17.4 million average was down 15% from last season.

Video Tribute Closes Trebek’s Final “Jeopardy!”

ASSOCIATED PRESS More than two months after Alex Trebek’s death, fans of “Jeopardy!” finally got the chance to say goodbye.

A video tribute to the host closed Friday’s episode of the quiz show, the final one that Trebek taped before pancreatic cancer claimed his life on Nov. 8.

The 90-second montage, set to Hugh Jackman singing the Peter Allen song “Once Before I Go,” is a lighthearted and laughter-filled remembrance showing Trebek’s changing look through his 36 years as host, with moustache and without, with black hair and with grey, with suits from several decades.

It celebrated the wackier moments of the usually straitlaced Trebek, showing him verbally sparring with contestants and arm-wrestling with one.

“You really make me feel inadequate,” he tells a child contestant.

“Sorry about that,” she sassily answers.

Trebek is shown walking on the set pants-less in one clip, dressed as the Statue of Liberty in another, and wearing the costume of a Trojan solider in another.

A clip of the host declaring “I don’t dance” is shown amid scenes of him dancing through the years.

MSU Reporter • 11

GAMING

as most of the activities can be done almost anywhere, making it much less likely for there to be a conglomeration of people.

Students can start participating in the event right away and earning points for their team by entering the code L7EVVV into the GooseChase app.

Continued from page 10

mer world championship runner up Hu “SwordArt” ShuoChieh.

There are several different opinions about this roster going into this season, but longtime TSM fan and Maverick League of Legends member Luis Garcia says, “It’ll be interesting to see a dynasty be rebuilt with new players. I’m excited for this new generation of TSM.” Another notable team to keep an eye out for is Team Liquid. TL signed one of the best, if not the best, top laners from Europe in Barney “Alphari” Morris. They also added veteran jungler Lucas “Santorin” Tao Kilmer Larsen to their roster in what will be one of the strongest rosters to ever see the LCS stage.

The mid lane will stay the same with Nicolaj “Jensen” Jensen, who signed a 3 year contract extension worth $4.2 million in the offseason. The bot lane will also stay as is with former rookie of the year Edward “Tactical” Ra, and former world champion Jo “CoreJJ” Yong-in.

Minnesota State University, Mankato Varsity League of Legends assistant coach Ali

Abulizz, has some very strong thoughts about this iteration of TL saying, “TL is stacked, if they don’t have any visa issues and started [scrimmaging] together, they will dominate.”

Ali also noted that “C9 is the most exciting team to watch because I’m curious how Luka “Perkz” Perkovich will do in NA and compete against a strong TL. C9 signed Perkz in a potentially record breaking deal, rumored to be getting $2.7 million per year, with a $5 million buyout from G2 Esports.

Another addition C9 made in their roster is promoting Ibrahim “Fudge” Allami, to the main roster from academy, where he won the Academy World Championship with Cloud9 Academy.

C9 is sticking with their jungler Robert “Blaber” Huang, and their bot lane, Jesper “Zven” Svenningsen, and Phillippe “Vulcan” Laflamme.

This is an exciting Cloud9 roster and one that is looking to end next year much better than they did the last.

The LCS Kickoff Tournament begins on Friday, Jan. 15 at 5 p.m., on Twitch or lolesports.com.

FIND A PLACE TO RENT AT RICHARD SHOTWELL • Associated Press Alex Trebek poses in the press room at the 46th annual Daytime Emmy Awards on May 5, 2019 in Pasadena, Calif. More than two months after Trebek’s death, fans of “Jeopardy!” finally got the chance to say goodbye.

The tribute is still plenty sad and sentimental, though, as Jackman sings “it’s so hard to say good-byes, when there’s so much that’s left unspoken in your eyes,” and “once before I go, I would like to let you know, that I would do it all again.”

And in its final moments it shows Trebek through signing off through the decades, repeatedly saying, “So long, everybody.”

Trebek died Nov. 8 at age 80 but had pre-taped several weeks of shows that have continued to air. He kept working for nearly two years after his diagnosis with pancreatic can-

cer, remaining in place at the podium where he had become an institution since starting in 1984.

The show will continue next week with a series of interim hosts, starting with veteran “Jeopardy!” champion Ken Jennings.

The week’s final Trebek episodes began Monday with the host urging viewers to give to others who were suffering during the coronavirus pandemic.

“We’re trying to build a gentler, kinder society, and if we all pitch in just a little bit, we’re going to get there,” Trebek said.

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Tuesday, January 12, 2021

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