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Minnesota State University, Mankato
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THURSDAY JANUARY 26, 2017
Data-driven dreamers develop new RSO, DREAM New group aims to draw awareness to new possibilities in technology.
LUKE LARSON Staff Writer What events generate the most excitement among MNSU students? Hockey games at the Verizon Wireless Center? Theatre productions in the Performing Arts building? How about a discussion of data science in a meeting room on the second floor of the CSU on a Wednesday night? It may come as a surprise, but that is precisely where you would find some of the most passion on campus today. Dr. Rajeev Bukralia, who left the University of Wisconsin, Green Bay, and began teaching at MNSU last fall is the faculty advisor of Database Resources for Eager and Aspiring Minds (DREAM), a newly-formed RSO this semester. He and the student members of the group are enthusiastic about exploring the possibilities of
Photo courtesy of Facial Rayani revolutionary is that now, Dr. Bukralia explains, the choices we make throughout the day can be recorded by smartphones, social media, and sensors, among other things. Data in the digital world can be collected, analyzed, and strategically utilized en masse. The accumulated data of billions of people across the globe is so important because it can be analyzed.
“Data in the digital world can be collected, analyzed, and strategically utilized en masse.” data science. For most, the term “data science” may not mean much. They may be surprised to find that behind this vague, unassuming name is a wealth of incredible technology, creativity, and opportunity. We are living in an unprecedented era of data collection. Since the dawn of humanity, humans have been making choices. What is so
Data analysis can tell stories and suggest solutions that we otherwise might have been oblivious to. Dr. Bukralia emphasizes that data science is a broad field, incorporating anything and everything related to data, from its collection, to its analysis, to its practical application. Data science is not a restricted field of study,
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but rather a field of study by which all other fields of study can be better understood. Because of this, data scientists come from a wide range of backgrounds. Dr. Bukralia explains that data science draws not only from fields such as information technology, computer science, and mathematics, but also from some more surprising ones such as philosophy and linguistics. Dr. Bukralia stresses that there is one characteristic necessary for successful data scientists. “The one requirement we have is this: one needs to be curious. It doesn’t matter if they know information technology. It doesn’t matter if they know math. It doesn’t matter if they have business acumen. If they do, that’s great. But one thing they must have is a sense of curiosity.” Without concrete examples, data science may seem confusingly abstract to those unfamiliar with the concept. How is data science applied in the real world? Dr. Bukralia points to several examples of how students have transformed their curiosity into projects.
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One of Dr. Bukralia’s students at UW Green Bay was curious as to how loyal Packers’ fans are to their team in comparison to fans of other NFC North teams. He devised an algorithm that examined the positivity of fan reactions on Twitter before, during, and after games. DREAM’s vice president Umanga Poudel, is focusing on Mankato cell phone users, attempting to determine what factors are most likely to make a customer keep the same phone provider. To do this, he is using Watson, IBM’s supercomputer that is perhaps best known for – as explained in a New York Times article by John Markoff – soundly defeating humans on Jeopardy in 2011. All DREAM members have been granted special licenses to make use of Watson. This is just one of number of opportunities DREAM plans to offer its members. Dr. Bukralia adds that data science is being used to developed such innovations as personalized medicine and furniture. Personalized medicine, with which Dr. Bukralia has had experience, could mean analyzing a patient’s medical
data and translating it into a customized treatment that would optimally accommodate that patient’s unique characteristics. It could also mean analyzing massive quantities of medical data in order to discover new symptoms of deadly diseases that could prove crucial in providing early treatment. Dr. Bukralia uses the example of a chair to illustrate the impact personalized furniture may have on our lives in the future. A chair could be covered with sensors and then given to a customer for a month. After that month, the data recorded by those sensors will give insight into the customer’s sitting habits and body shape. This information could then be used to create the “perfect chair” for the customer. In fact, data science might even be used to answer the question in the opening line of this article. “Any organization can have only two strategic assets – one is data, the other is people,” says Dr. Bukralia. “If you do not know how to really harness data, then you are really in trouble as an organization. All the innovation is coming through the careful analysis of data. Data is everywhere and we are collecting more and more data.” Because of the powerful economic opportunities that data science creates for businesses, data scientists are a highly-valued commodity in the modern workforce. While many jobs are at risk of being swallowed up by automation technology, data scientists are pioneering the frontier of technology. A 2009 article for the Harvard Business Review by Thomas Davenport and
DREAM page 5
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2 • MSU Reporter
News
Thursday, January 26, 2017
Community Engagement Fair comes to MavAve Students explore different learning opportunities within the Mankato area.
ALISSA THIELGES Staff Writer The C o m m u ni t y Engagement Office hosted a fair on the Mav Ave in the CSU Tuesday, Jan. 24, from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Students were able to peruse 19 different non-profit organizations from the Mankato community who set up tables along the hallway in hopes of attracting new volunteers. “This fair is about collaborating with different organizations to see what activities students can be a part of,” said Shuk Ping Wong, a volunteer manning the Community Engagement Office table where people could check in and receive a contact sheet of all of the organizations present. “It’s providing more learning opportunities outside of the classroom and campus.” Community engagement
(CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) by Ängsbacka Kursgård with organizations in the greater-Mankato community in need of assistance, according to the Community Engagement website. Most of the organizations present have recruited volunteers from MNSU before, but others were trying their luck for the first time and finding success.
“‘This fair is about collaborating with different organizations to see what activities students can be a part of,’ said Shuk Ping Wong...” is an ongoing, multifaceted process by which individuals and organizations come together consistently to build a relationship for the benefit of the community. The Community Engagement Office at MNSU is part of Student Activities and strives to connect the volunteer efforts of those on campus
“I am impressed with how many responses I have had, how many people are asking questions [and] looking to for volunteer opportunities,” said Jan Ellanson, Volunteer Coordinator for Habitat for Humanity, South Central. It was Habitat’s first time at the fair but Ellanson reported that many students stopped
by and seemed eager to ask questions and fill out a contact form to request more information. “It warms my heart a little bit to know that young people are really involved and want to give back to the community,” she said. Other tables seemed to fair just as well with many students moving around, talking to representatives, and walking away with pamphlets of information. There were some tables set up to represent on campus organizations, but the main focus was on the non-profit agencies and groups from a variety of fields, such as the American Red Cross and the YWCA. “We’ve been very pleased with the volunteers here at MNSU,” said Vanessa Mack, Assistant Director for Lutheran Social Service’s (LSS) Senior Nutrition program, Meals on Wheels. LSS has been to four different events in the past and keeps returning because they like the diversity that MNSU is able to offer. They utilize students for seasonal work and the flexible hours
they are willing to put in. Many organizations, such as LSS and Habitat, are willing to work with student’s busy schedules, working around
class times and work hours. Even if you can only volunteer a few hours a week, the time is worth it, according to Mack, who regrets not being involved when she went to MNSU. “I think if you don’t get involved in the community, you just don’t know what’s out there, what it’s like,” she said. “You have no idea what other people in the community are offering in terms of new skills and perspectives.” There are both academic and non-academic reasons to volunteer, says Wong. She encourages students to get involved simply for the opportunity to try something new and to meet new people. “Just try something that you’re interested in or even something that you haven’t tried before,” she said. “You’d be surprised how many new people you can meet and how much you can learn from each individual.”
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MSU Reporter • 3
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To protect and serve: Police and their duty to citizens Opinion
always accept things at face value, and one has to confirm that given facts align with evidence. At the same time, I believe he responded with generosity. In a small town that’s hurting for money, he could have written me a ticket but decided not to. Instead, he issued me a verbal warning and suggested that maybe next time I feel so tired, I should take a brief rest before going on the road. He even offered to follow me home to ensure I would get there safely. The second police encounter happened exactly a week ago. Ironically, it was the same state patrol officer. My boyfriend is a trucker,
RACHAEL JAEGER Staff Writer In light of all the negativity surrounding police officers in the mainstream news, sometimes it can be helpful to look at how police personally affect you and your local area. People often forget the main purpose of police — to protect and serve. A CNN article from 2015 agrees that people are not actually seeing more police shootings, just more news coverage about them. Writer Eliott C. McLaughlin adds, “Because humans are visual creatures, videos impact people more than might a written or spoken narrative, and many experts feel the images drive coverage of the incidents.” I will not deny that some police officers abuse their position, but there are also those who want to do their job and not simply because they have to. For instance, I’ve been stopped twice over the course of a couple of months. But I did nothing wrong. Yes, I promise! A state patrol officer stopped me the first time a few months ago because I had been swerving all over the road as I entered Fairmont. He assumed I had been drinking, which is
(CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) by kjd understandable, especially given the long class days last semester that often made my driving erratic as I came home tired. I would wake up at 5 a.m. to prepare meals for the day and would set aside half an hour for extra room in case of traffic or having to wait for the bus. I had also had a night class that day that lasted until after 9 p.m. By the time I arrived home it was at least 10 p.m., and I found myself yawning pretty widely a few times. When I finally almost drove off the road, the state patrol officer pulled me over and asked the usual,
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“Do you know why I stopped you?” I said no, which was honest because I had already taken a moment to steady myself, and he didn’t stop me until a few minutes later. He then asked if I had been drinking, to which I then explained that I commute to Minnesota State University in Mankato. He asked what I was going to school for, and I answered film and media studies, then showed him my Student ID. He still appeared a bit suspicious and waved his flashlight toward the back of my jeep, most likely looking for alcohol. As a reporter
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POLICE page 5
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4 • MSU Reporter
Thursday, January 26, 2017 EMAIL THE EMAIL THE EDITOR CHIEF: EDITOR IN IN CHIEF:
Would you want to go on a date with me? One student examines the nature of dating in today’s culture.
Opinion
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MARJAN HUSSEIN Staff Writer Today, knowing whether two people are in a relationship is one of the hardest things. Sweeping someone off their feet with romance, long walks on the beach, or a stroll in the moonlight has become things that are fading away fast. The true essence of romance where one feels attracted mentally, physically, and spiritually seems lost. So, who or what is really to blame for this? Most people would immediately blame social media and every app created to find the perfect soulmate. These different platforms are trimming down the pressure of expressing one’s feelings and true emotions up front. Thus, it feels as if what two partners claim to feel for one another is missing that special something. However, the same pressure of feeling obliged to create labels for one another is also gone. People can interact freely, post what they are specifically looking for in their soulmates and not feel
(CC BY-NC 2.0) by Brett Sayer ashamed or critiqued. The term commonly used today instead of dating is “hanging out” or “being a thing.” This is where two people constantly talk, mostly via their mobile phones or hangout consistently. However, some people still believe in dating and finding out who may be right for them the old-fashioned way. Social media and other platforms are just a starting point, enabling people to get in touch with whomever they may find interesting. After establishing first contact, individuals then go out on various dates, to see if the spark will light up or die down. In my perspective, any form one chooses to partake in is okay; the main point is finding that special someone.
Pulse
That person who is always on your mind, night and day. Whenever you look to the stars, all you can see is their smile. Finding the person who is not just your romantic partner, but also your best friend. Fully understanding one another is also something taken for granted today. Dating allows people to get to know each other, without necessarily hiding behind the curtains. Nevertheless, individuals change with time, someone you may know today may be completely different tomorrow. Dating also builds up the intensity of a relationship, taking it step-by step-allowing the two people involved to build a bond that only strengthens with time. In summary, knowing what
works best for you as an individual is best. Whichever form of dating or hooking up you may choose to take, either old or new, if it gets you the best possible results then, by all means, you should go for it. Seeking approval is a hard task, especially from every one, find what makes you as an individual happy. Patience is also something that the society today really needs to put into practice. Anything spectacular does not usually happen overnight, it takes time. If it gets tough and nothing good is coming your way, hang in there. Your time will eventually arrive. Dating may come in different forms today, but it still has the same purpose as always: to find the right person to start a future with.
“What is your ideal first date?”
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“A bookstore. I am a book-lover and would love drinking some coffee and talking books.”
“Take her to a nice restaurant.”
“Bowling.”
“Dinner and a movie.”
“Something not generic. It has to be fun, different, and should show what you’re about.”
Thursday, January 26, 2017
MSU Reporter • 5
News
DREAM
Continued from page 1 D.J. Patil describes the data scientist as “the hot job of the decade” because “as companies rush to capitalize on the potential of big data, the largest constraint many face is the scarcity of [the] special talent [of data scientists].” The opportunities in data science are lucrative, but the field is new. Dr. Bukralia notes that only a handful of universities – including his former institution, UW Green Bay – offer programs in data science. Data science is not without potential pitfalls. Because of its sheer power and vast reach, its issues are society’s
issues. The implications of data privacy breaches and artificial intelligence, for example, are hot controversies in the digital world. “As much as we are curious and enthusiastic about the potential of data science to harness value from data and find meaningful insights in it,” says Dr. Bukralia “we have to develop solutions that can mitigate the risk of data privacy, data security, and ethics.” Dr. Bukralia notes that he was surprised by the response from students to the creation of the group. “The response has been
Photo by Luke Larson
POLICE
Continued from page 3 and I spent time on the road with him over winter break since we do not get much quality time together. His dad has also been dealing with cancer, so I had not been home for a month—in fact, due to this family emergency I hadn’t driven during that whole time. So what’s the second reason the officer stopped me? My tabs had expired a month ago and I was oblivious to the fact. The officer let me go on a verbal warning again, and I promised him I would take care of my tabs soon, thanking him for doing his job and being attentive to issues that sometimes go overlooked. There’s another experience I had while I was reporting in a small town up the road where I had developed a professional yet friendly relationship with the police officer. The city council was deliberating on whether the city should keep him but was refusing to be honest about it. Meanwhile, since the city lacked maintenance workers, the police officer would do extra maintenance work around town outside of his police duties. During his rounds, he kept a careful eye on a playground that was commonly unsupervised, and once dealt with an incident involving a bully with a baseball bat. He took the time knocking
on doors around town to investigate who was involved and how the problem could be resolved. I learned over time that he was so good at his job that other cities were offering to double his current salary if he accepted their offers to relocate there. But both he and his wife’s family lived in the area, which is what meant the most to both of them. He also turned those offers down because of how much he enjoyed the opportunity to serve on more of a local level with the people he had grown up with or had grown to know. Sometimes all we hear
is the bad news about police. It’s no different in reporting and writing for media, speaking from my own work experience at a few newspapers. So many people have qualms about trusting us because they think we will twist what they say. Sometimes a person genuinely loves what they do and will take all kinds of abuse for the sake of their career because it involves so much more than just getting through another day. Sometimes they really do want to make a difference.
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tremendous and we have not even been promoting it [much] yet.” Amanda Wunderlin is DREAM’s secretary. “My interest in data science comes from the fact that I love database technology,” she says. “That’s my passion in the IT world. But I also like statistics and analysis and it just meshed the two together really well. I’m excited about it.” David Wahl explains that he was enticed to the group by the enthusiasm of its members, the opportunity to listen to guest speakers working in the field, and the opportunity to participate in workshops. He is particularly interested in data security. “I want to go into business analytics after college,” says Jeremy Klein, DREAM public relations representative. “We get exposure to real world problems and real world softwares. In the RSO, you can bring any problem,
any project, any homework, and there are a bunch of people who want to be there and want to help and want to find answers. DREAM gives you a place to apply the knowledge that you’re learning [in classes].” DREAM meets every other Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. in the MSSA office. The next meeting will be held on Feb. 8. DREAM president Faical Rayani stresses that the group is open to all MNSU students, not just those with experience in data analytics. DREAM’s mission is to raise awareness for this exciting, innovative field of data science and to offer resources and opportunities for students interested in pursuing it. “My students are my inspiration,” says Dr. Bukralia. “I derive my energy from them. When they do exciting things, then I want to do exciting things.”
6 • MSU Reporter
Minnesota State University, Mankato
A&E
Thursday, January 26, 2017 Have a story idea or a comment? EMAIL
A&E Editor Gabe Hewitt
gabriel.hewitt@mnsu.edu
Film review: Live By Night parallels Godfather trilogy Ben Affleck writes, directs, and stars in gangster film about corrupt authority.
RACHAEL JAEGER Staff Writer Live By Night is about a young man named Joe Coughlin who gets swept up in an Italian mob after he is found screwing around with his passionate love Emma, who is in a complicated relationship with the leader. From what I have seen in the movie, it drives a strong theme about how power drives a society and sometimes kills you or those you love or care about. Or those who you love or care about. While director Ben Affleck has helmed other films, his soul emerged from the writing desk for Live By Night to show brilliant parallels with social justice issues that happened almost a century ago to present day. You can clearly see the theme of struggling with corrupt authority or other such powerful figures for the sake of social justice growing stronger as the plot continues to progress. For Joe, he loses Emma because he
(CC BY-SA 2.0) by Sharon Graphics loved her and the mob teaches him a lesson. In return, Joe seeks his revenge by working with the mob. The irony of it all is that he is a policeman’s son and not much later, after he decides to join the mob, his dad shames him. But even Joe has his own struggles with participating in the mob.
So much so that the audience witnesses painful expressions of agony over each person’s head he blows off. Differences between a parent and child is reflected in other characters, too, such as in the choice to act for the sake of change rather than stay complacent. For exam-
ple, Loretta is the daughter of a pastor and the mob sucks her into the middle of their problems. While on the train to pursue a possible acting career, Joe creates a situation where her trip is intercepted and she is drugged with heroin so he can get her dad’s attention. When she returns,
she preaches about the sins of gambling and fornication and the need to repent. Later on, we discover her dad is muttering the same words as he walks from room to room. A scene reveals him whipping her in her private bedroom to cleanse the sin from her. Meanwhile, in Joe’s own story, he falls in love again, this time with an African-American woman, Gracelia, who introduces him to her culture of expressing joy and dancing. She also challenges him to take a closer look at the potential of his two different selves. One is a person he can keep becoming and the other is who he truly is. Deep inside she knows what he will decide because she understands the person who he lets out when they are making love. But she is patient with the timing and lets him figure it out. It shows her inner strength, in contrast to
LIVE BY NIGHT
page 7
Netflix picks: Clinical only worth watching for climax New horror flick lacks originality, substance, and excitement.
CALEB HOLLDORF Staff Writer Repairing the broken pieces of your past can be a daunting task, especially if those pieces come back to cut even deeper than before. Clinical follows Dr. Jane Mathis a year after the anniversary of a client brutally attacking her. The incident left her traumatized and unable to cope with the repercussions. She’s tried moving on, but a new foe brings fresh danger that could ultimately cost her her life. Late at night around Christmas time, a desolate medical treatment center is occupied
(CC BY-SA 2.0) by theglobalpanorama by Dr. Jane Mathis. The rest of the staff have gone home for the night, but she is still at work finishing up some paper work. A loud crash comes from a few rooms away and Dr. Mathis walks through the dimly lit hallway to her client Nora’s room. Nora is an adolescent being treated for
childhood trauma. It seems she is the only client in the building and also appears utterly unstable. When Dr. Mathis enters her room, Nora’s hands are trembling, her arms are drenched in blood up to her elbow and there’s a shard of broken glass is in her cut open hand. Dr. Mathis tries to have Nora
give her the glass, but as Nora cries, “You were wrong, you were wrong,” she keeps digging the glass further and further into her hand. Dr. Mathis tells Nora one more time to give her the glass or she’ll call the cops; and snap; Nora screams as she attacks Dr. Mathis. Making viscous quick jabs and
swipes at Dr. Mathis’s forearm, Nora manages to wrestle Dr. Mathis to the floor and pin her there, where she proceeds with the stabbing. None of Dr. Mathis’ vital organs or arteries have been sliced, and she’s able to kick Nora off of her and catch her breath. The two are standing in Nora’s room gasping for air, Nora calms herself and raises the sharp dagger up to one side of her neck. Shock has taken over Dr. Mathis’s body to the point where she can’t move. Against her will, Dr. Mathis watches Nora drag the sharp bit of glass across the whole front of her neck just above her clavicles. Thick maroon blood gush-
CLINICAL
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Thursday, January 26, 2017
MSU Reporter • 7
A&E
Pioneering TV actress Mary Tyler Moore dies at 80 Moore starred in classics such as The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Ordinary People. NEW YORK (AP) — Mary Tyler Moore, the star of TV’s beloved “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” whose comic realism helped revolutionize the depiction of women on the small screen, died Wednesday. She was 80. Moore gained fame in the 1960s as the frazzled wife Laura Petrie on “The Dick Van Dyke Show.” In the 1970s, she created one of TV’s first career-woman sitcom heroines in “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.” “She was an impressive person and a talented person and a beautiful person. A force of nature,” producer, creator and director Carl Reiner, who created the “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” told The Associated Press. “She’ll last forever, as long as there’s television. Year after year, we’ll see her face in front of us.” Moore won seven Emmy awards over the years and was nominated for an Oscar for her 1980 portrayal of an affluent mother whose son is accidentally killed in “Ordinary People.” Tributes came pouring in. “Mary’s energy, spirit and talent created a new bright spot in the television landscape and she will be very much missed,” Robert Redford, director of “Ordinary People,” said in a statement. Van Dyke took to Twitter to express his grief and included a video link to a songand-dance number featuring himself and his TV wife from their show. “There are no words. She was THE BEST! We always said that we changed each other’s lives for the better,” he said. Ellen DeGeneres echoed the sentiment of others on Twitter: “Mary Tyler Moore changed the world for all women.” Moore’s first major TV
Photos courtesy of The Associated Press role was on the classic sitcom “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” in which she played the young homemaker wife of Van Dyke’s character, comedy writer Rob Petrie, from 1961-66. With her unerring gift for comedy, Moore seemed perfectly fashioned to the smarter wit of the new, post-Eisenhower age. As Laura, she traded in the housedress of countless sitcom wives for Capri pants that were as fashionable as they were suited to a modern American woman. Laura was a dream wife and mother, but not perfect. Viewers identified with her flustered moments and her protracted, plaintive cry to her husband: “Ohhhh, Robbbb!” Moore’s chemistry with Van Dyke was unmistakable. Decades later, he spoke warmly of the chaste but palpable off-screen crush they shared during the show’s run. They also appeared together in several TV specials over the years and in 2003, co-starred in a PBS production of the play “The Gin Game.” But it was as Mary Rich-
ards, the plucky Minneapolis TV news producer on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” (1970-77), that Moore truly made her mark. At a time when women’s liberation was catching on worldwide, her character brought to TV audiences an independent, 1970s career woman. Other than Marlo Thomas’ 1960s sitcom character “That Girl,” who at least had a steady boyfriend, there were few precedents. Thomas on Wednesday called Moore a gifted actress and a wonderful comedian. “I’m proud that we were in that groundbreaking sorority that brought single independent women to television,” Thomas said in a statement. Mary Richards was comfortable being single in her 30s, and while she dated, she wasn’t desperate to get married. She sparred affectionately with her gruff boss, Lou Grant, played by Ed Asner, and addressed him always as “Mr. Grant.” And millions agreed with the show’s theme song that she could “turn the world on with her smile.” Asner paid tribute to his
LIVE BY NIGHT Continued from page 6 giving an opinion to someone why what they are doing is wrong. There’s a stark contrast to the revival meetings in the tent with all the signs stipulating their audiences to repent and draw close to God. While you can voice opinions, sometimes you must be willing to let the heart speak because sometimes that rings louder than a guilt trip. What I learned most in watching the film is that no one can live your life for you.
Somehow you must create a balance of putting critical thought into your own experiences while you wrestle with your true feelings. Only then can you emerge as a strong voice in the world as you take confidence in who you are in your personal sufferings. The film also felt a bit reminiscent of The Godfather trilogy, yet wrestled with its own issues that resonated well in a modern setting. It takes a deeper look into
how far you are willing to go so that you survive personal circumstances, both immediate and local or futuristic and far away. What you decide to do today moves the future forward or hinders it, not only in your world, but in those who you affect around you.
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co-star, saying on Twitter: “A great lady I loved and owe so much has left us. I will miss her. I will never be able to repay her for the blessings that she gave me.” The show was filled with laughs. But no episode was more memorable than the bittersweet finale when new management fired the entire WJM News staff — everyone but the preening, clueless anchorman, Ted Baxter. Thus did the series dare to question whether Mary Richards actually did “make it after all.”
The series ran seven seasons and won 29 Emmys, a record that stood for a quarter century until “Frasier” broke it in 2002. “Everything I did was by the seat of the pants. I reacted to every written situation the way I would have in real life,” Moore told The Associated Press in 1995. “My life is inextricably intertwined with Mary Richards’, and probably always will be.” “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” spawned the spinoffs “Rhoda,” (1974-78), star-
ring Valerie Harper; “Phyllis” (1975-77), starring Cloris Leachman; and “Lou Grant” (1977-82), starring Asner in a rare drama spun off from a comedy. “Mary Tyler Moore” was the first in a series of acclaimed, award-winning shows she produced with her second husband, Grant Tinker, who died in November 2016, through their MTM Enterprises. (The meowing kitten at the end of the shows was a parody of the MGM lion.) “The Bob Newhart Show,” ‘’Hill Street Blues,” ‘’St. Elsewhere” and “WKRP in Cincinnati” are among the MTM series that followed. Moore won her seventh Emmy in 1993, for supporting actress in a miniseries or special, for a Lifetime network movie, “Stolen Babies.” She had won two for “The Dick Van Dyke Show” and the other four for “Mary Tyler Moore.” In 2012, Moore received the Screen Actors Guild’s lifetime achievement award. On the big screen, Moore’s appearances were less frequent. She was a 1920s flapper in the hit 1967 musical “Thoroughly Modern Millie” and a nun who falls for Elvis Presley in “Change of Habit” in 1969.
She turned to serious drama in 1980’s “Ordinary People,” playing an affluent, bitter mother who loses a son in an accident. The film won the Oscar for best picture and best director for Robert Redford, and it earned Moore an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe. “She was a truly amazing
MOORE page 8
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‘1984’ sales soar after Trump claims, ‘alternative facts’ NEW YORK (AP) — After incorrect or unprovable statements made by Republican President Donald Trump and some White House aides, one truth is undeniable: Sales of George Orwell’s “1984” are soaring. First published in 1949, Orwell’s classic dystopian tale of a society in which facts are distorted and suppressed in a cloud of “newspeak” topped the best-seller list of Amazon.com as of
Tuesday evening. The sales bump comes after the Trump administration’s assertions his inauguration had record attendance and his unfounded allegation that millions of illegal votes were cast against him last fall. Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway coined an instant catchphrase Sunday when she called his claims about crowd size “alternative facts,” bringing comparisons on social media to
“1984.” Orwell’s book isn’t the only cautionary tale on the Amazon list. Sinclair Lewis’ 1935 novel about the election of an authoritarian president, “It Can’t Happen Here,” was at No. 46. Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World” was at No. 71. Sales also were up for Hannah Arendt’s seminal nonfiction analysis “The Origins of Totalitarianism.”
CLINICAL Continued from page 6 es down Nora’s body. Dr. Mathis begins to hysterically cry, and the film’s opening scene comes to a close. Remarkably (in fact, almost impossibly) somehow Nora survives. Dr. Mathis undergoes treatment for post traumatic stress disorder while Nora recovers in another facility. It’s ironic how Dr. Mathis treats PTSD patients, yet now she finds herself on the opposite spectrum in the role of a patient undergoing treatment from another doctor. Psychologically, Dr. Mathis
doesn’t seem to recover after a year, which in turns provides an illegitimate narration from her character. She is popping pills daily, and it’s hard as a viewer to believe whether or not the sounds and sights she’s experiencing are real or just hallucinations. Clincial lacks originality in the script that was written and the plot is one which feels all too familiar. Films such as Silence of the Lambs, The Shining, and Shutter Island all had climactic turning points in the movie the viewer wasn’t expecting. That
never happens here. In fact, most of the film feels like a drawn-out build up for the last showdown to take place during the last 20 minutes. The other hour and 22 minutes are wasted on cheesy dialogue and insignificant scenes. With there also being a lack of suspense and stomach jumping moments, your time is best spent doing something else.
Reporter Rating
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MOORE Continued from page 7 person, a great friend, and an inspiration to all,” Timothy Hutton, her “Ordinary People” co-star, said in a statement. “I will always be grateful for her kindness and thankful beyond words for knowing her. She will be missed greatly.” In real life, Moore also endured personal tragedy. The same year “Ordinary People” came out, her only child, Richard, who’d had trouble in school and with drugs, accidentally shot himself at 24. Her younger sister, Elizabeth, died at 21 from a combination of a painkillers and alcohol. In her 1995 autobiography “After All,” Moore admitted she helped her terminally ill brother try to commit suicide by feeding him ice cream laced with a deadly overdose of drugs. The attempt failed, and her 47-year-old brother, John, died three months later in 1992 of kidney cancer. Moore herself lived with juvenile diabetes for some 40 years and told of her struggle in her 2009 book, “Growing Up Again.” She
also spent five weeks at the Betty Ford Clinic in 1984 for alcohol abuse. She served as chairwoman of the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation International, supported embryonic stem cell research and was active in animal rights causes. In 1983, Moore married cardiologist Robert Levine, who survives her. Her marriage to Tinker lasted from 1962 to 1981. Before that, she was married to Dick Meeker from 1955 to 1961. Moore was born in 1936 in Brooklyn; the family moved to California when she was around 8 years old. She began dance lessons as a child and launched her career while still in her teens, appearing in TV commercials. In 1992, Moore received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. A decade later, a life-size bronze statue went on display in Minneapolis, depicting her tossing her trademark tam into the air as she did in the opening credits of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.”
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Thursday, January 26, 2017
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MLB mourns the loss of Ventura, Marte Each individual died in separate car accidents in the Dominican Republic on Sunday.
COLT JOHNSON Staff Writer The Kansas City Royals’ young star pitcher, Yordano Ventura, and ex-Major Leaguer Andy Marte died in unrelated car accidents in their native Dominican Republic last Sunday. Ventura was 25 years-old and Marte was 33 years-old at the time of their deaths. Major League Baseball and the baseball community are mourning the deaths of one of the young, up-andcoming pitchers in the MLB. An espn.com article stated the Dominican Republic’s highway patrol spokesman, Jacobo Mateo, reported Ven-
Photo courtesy of The Associated Press In this photo released by Dominican Republic Highway Police and Military Commission, locals and authorities stand at the fatal crash site of MLB player Yordano Ventura near Juan Adrian, Dominican Republic, Sunday, Jan. 22, 2017. tura had died 40 miles northwest of Santo Domingo. He was on a stretch of highway
leading to the town of Juan Adrian, but Mateo did not say whether Ventura was driving
or not. Metropolitan traffic authorities said Marte died about 95 miles north of Santo
Domingo. An mlb.com article written January 22nd by MLB correspondent Jesse Sanchez reported MLB commissioner, Robert Manfred, gave his condolences to families and friends of the late Ventura and Marte. “Today is a very sad day for our entire game and particularly for the many loyal fans in the Dominican Republic, the home of both Yordano Ventura and Andy Marte,” Manfred said. “I extend my deepest condolences to the families, teammates, friends and fans of both players.” It was indeed a sad day for the Dominican Republic and baseball fans around the world. Major League Baseball has now lost two of its rising star pitchers, with Ventura’s
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Mavericks aim for better success on ice The men’s hockey team is approaching the home stretch of their regular season.
COLTON MOLESKY Staff Writer The Minnesota State Mavericks’ men’s hockey team heads into this weekend’s games against Lake Superior State with a 14-9-3 record and eight games left in the 2016-2017 regular season. While they are still ranked 20th in the nation, this is not the team we have become accustomed to as they have struggled to stay consistent this year. What has been the problem for the Mavericks? What strengths can they build on? Can they make a run in the final months? Time to break down the season thus far to anticipate the home stretch. The main factor has been the inconsistent play the Mavs have displayed, as they have had one road sweep this season and have a 6-61 road record. While they hold an 8-3-2 home tally, it has been a roller coaster-like performance in conference
play with a 10-7-3 mark. The problem for the Mavericks has been a team that averages over three goals a game, but struggles to find consistency winning games down the stretch. This is a squad that knocked off the Minnesota Golden Gophers 4-1, yet they were dropped a few weeks later by Princeton, 6-1. This team has had no problem standing tall for big games, but they continually drop games to teams they have no business losing to. They average 3.1 goals a game, along with 31.5 shots on goal a game. However, they have dropped nine games and been blown out three times. While this is not a down year, this roster has more talent than 14 wins. True-freshman Marc Michaelis has 30 points on the season, junior Brad McClure and junior C.J. Franklin have 23, and sophomore Daniel Brickley has 20. Offensive consistency as a team seems to elude them
during stretches this season. Another part of the problem is momentum, as Franklin and head coach Todd Hastings mentioned after the Bowling Green games. They lack intensity from beginning to finish in some of their games. Their goaltending situation has remained an issue as well. Coming into the year, senior Cole Huggins was the starter in the net and has had a 7-4 season in his starts. He has been supplanted as of late by junior Aaron Nelson, who helped the Mavs achieve their first road shutout. He owns a 4-3-1 record and has grinded out some close victories. The Mavericks remain stuck between a goaltender in Nelson who is hot as of late, yet has experienced cold spots in games, and a veteran in Huggins, who struggled and eventually was pulled. The mid-way point tells us the Mavericks are a team full of talent, yet have constantly shot themselves in
Photo by Mahder Awol Senior Michael Huntebrinker (left) waits for a faceoff against Bowling Green University on Jan. 13 at the Verizon Wireless Center. the feet. This team needs to keep working on keeping intensity and focus at full tilt down the stretch. If they can accomplish that, they will be a challenge for any team. As
of right now, it is hard to say what to expect on a night-tonight basis. Minnesota State has eight games remaining to solidify a playoff spot.
10 • MSU Reporter
Sports
Thursday, January 26, 2017
Mavericks play nail-biters over weekend COREY YUMAN Staff Writer
This past weekend, the Minnesota State men’s basketball team had two games that came down to pivotal, last-second plays that either made or broke the game for the Mavericks. Cole Harper made a clutch shot to give the Mavericks a win, while a turnover from Harper cemented a loss for the Mavericks the following night. The team finished the weekend of NSIC action on the road, splitting games and moving their record to 13-7 overall
and 8-6 in the conference. The first game of the weekend for the Mavericks was on the Jan. 20 against the University of Sioux Fall Cougars in Sioux Falls, S.D. The Cougars’ Drew Guebert and Clint Thomas combined for 21-first half points to control the majority of opening action. The Mavericks were only able to take control of the lead on three occasions, with each of those only amounting to a one-point lead. Sioux Falls took a 33-28 lead into the locker room at the half. Thomas opened the second half with a three-pointer to bring Sioux Falls’ lead up to eight points. MSU’s Joey Witthus responded with five points to help bring the lead down, and two free throws by Jay Knuth and a three from Aarias Austin put the Mavs right back in it. Min-
nesota State regained the lead and held onto it until a three-pointer from Sioux Falls with 6:44 to go put them back in front. The Cougars held onto the lead for the rest of the game, building it to as much as six points. However, the Mavericks didn’t let themselves out of it. With one second left, Harper nailed a go-ahead lay-up to secure the win. Minnesota State’s Jon Fuqua had 20 points, Austin tallied 18, and Joey Witthus scored 11. The following night, the Mavericks traveled to play the Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs in Marshall. Riding the high from the previous victory, Minnesota State jumped to an incredible start against the Mustangs. In the first eight minutes of action, the Mavericks dominated the
scoreboard and built a 19-2 lead. SMSU’s Mitch Weg finally broke the drought and hit a layup. Weg’s points broke the dam that was holding back their offense, as the Mustangs began to chip away at the deficit. The Mustangs’ defense also got back to business as the remaining 12 minutes they allowed 11 points, compared to the 19 in the opening eight minutes. Minnesota State held onto the lead going into halftime, 30-27. Just over a minute into the second half, the Mavericks’ lead evaporated with a dunk from SMSU’s KJ Davis. The lead changed six more times in the game and the decisive moments of the game came down to the last 15 seconds. The score was tied at 56 for just over a minute straight,
when the Mustangs’ Ryan Bruggeman nailed a jumper to gain a two-point lead. Witthus turned the ball over shortly after, but grabbed a rebound after Weg missed. With two seconds to go, Weg made the game-deciding steal over Harper to leave with the win. Minnesota State’s Witthus led in scoring with 13 points, Harper had 10, and Knuth added nine points and 11 rebounds. The Mavs continue to play NSIC match ups on the road this weekend. They’ll play the University of Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles (614, 2-12 in the NSIC) on Friday in Crookston and the Bemidji State Beavers (7-12, 5-9 in the NSIC) on Saturday in Bemidji.
Consistency name of game for women’s basketball
JAMES ANDERSEN Staff Writer The Minnesota State women’s basketball team have gone back to their winning ways over the past couple of weeks. Over the past four games, the Mavericks are 3-1 following a five-game losing streak. This most recent weekend, the Mavericks split the two games 1-1. In their first game they traveled to Sioux Falls, S.D. to take on the University of Sioux Falls. Unfortunately, they fell short. The next day, they traveled to Marshall, Minnesota to take on Southwest Minnesota State University, where they bounced back with a victory. In the Sioux Falls game, the score was kept relatively close, but the Mavericks just couldn’t pull through. In the first quarter, the score was tied at nine with about four minutes left, until the Cougars went on a 10-0 run to give themselves a comfortable lead. The Mavericks spent the rest of the quarter chipping away at the deficit to find themselves down five at the end of the quarter. The second quarter was much of the same thing. The Mavericks let the deficit almost get out of hand. With three minutes left, they found themselves down 37-24. MSU shut down USF for the rest of
the quarter, and went on a 10-0 run of their own to finish the half down 37-34. The third quarter went back-and-forth, yet the Cougars kept the lead steady. By the end of the third, the Cougars were up 61-55. The Mavericks needed to make a run in the fourth quarter, and they kept the deficit manageable up until that point. The Cougars increased their lead to 12 points and sustained that lead for the rest of the game, as the Mavs ultimately lost 84-72. The Mavericks were slightly out-rebounded and outscored in the paint, however the main problem was their
35 percent shooting from the field, while Sioux Falls shot 48 percent. Senior point guard Britney Scherber led MSU in scoring with 19 points. Next up for the Mavericks was Southwest Minnesota State. SMSU jumped out to an early lead and was able to sustain that lead for the entire first half. By halftime, MSU was trailing by nine points. The second half was a completely different story. With four minutes left in the third quarter, MSU tied up the score up at 45. MSU kept the momentum going, as they built up a lead of their own. With ten seconds left in the third, MSU was ahead by
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eight points, but Jamie Spicer of SMSU hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to cut the lead down to five. The Mavs were rolling in the fourth quarter. They outscored the Mustangs 29-17 in the fourth and ended up beating them by 17 points, 87-70. Freshman guard Taylor Klug was the leading scorer for the Mavericks with 18 points. Senior forward Karina Schroeder added 17 points, and junior forward Claire Zeigler notched her fourth double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds. With the win, the Mavericks are currently sitting at 10-8 overall with a 6-8 con-
ference record. “A big factor towards our success in a few of our recent games deals directly with our focus and commitment on the defensive end,” head coach Emilee Thiesse said. “When we play solid defense and when we make plays with our defense, it ignites our team and gets us going on offense.” MSU will face Minnesota-Crookston and Bemidji State on the road this weekend. The first game against UMC is on Friday at 6 p.m., while the BSU game is set for Saturday at 4 p.m.
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“‘Today is a very sad day for our entire game and particularly for the many loyal fans in the Dominican Republic, the home of both Yordano Ventura and Andy Marte,’ Manfred said. ‘I extend my deepest condolences to the families, teammates, friends and fans of both players.’”
Photo courtesy of The Associated Press Andy Marte played seven seasons in the MLB, with stints with the Atlanta Braves, Arizona Diamonbacks, and his longest tenured team, the Cleveland Indians. Marte was 33 years-old. death happening less than six months after Miami Marlins’ ace Jose Fernandez, who died in a boating accident late September. Ventura played four years in the MLB, appearing in his first game at the age of 21. The young, hard-throwing righthander was known for an electric arm and had been clocked throwing 102.9 miles per hour. In his four-year ca-
reer with the Kansas City Royals, Ventura started 93 games and finished his career with a 38-31 record. Arguably his best season was in 2015, where he finished the season going 13-8 while adding a World Series title to his resume. Ventura’s career earned run average (E.R.A.) was 3.89 and he averaged 153 strikeouts in his last three seasons. He only start-
ed three games and pitched 15.1 innings, adding 11 strikeouts in his first season with the Royals. A career cut short by tragedy, Ventura was known for having one of the strongest arms in baseball and routinely fanned hitters. He averaged 7.72 strikeouts per nine innings, as batters struggled to catch up to his fastball that would repeatedly break 100 miles per hour. Ventura was also the starting pitcher in Marte’s final game in the Major Leagues, per Lindsey Foltin of foxsports.com. That game was in 2014 when Marte was a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks. As for Marte, he played seven years in the MLB, spending most his career with the Cleveland Indians. Over those seven years, Marte had a batting average of .218, with an on-base percentage of .276. He finished his career with 21 homeruns and 99 runs batted in (RBI). Marte spent much of his career at third base, but occasionally appeared as a first-baseman. The entire baseball community is mourning the loss of two exceptional ball players, as many hearts and prayers go out to the Ventura and Marte families. It has been a tough year for the Latin community; baseball is so deeply rooted in the Latin American culture and the Dominican Republic’s, and these two exceptional men will be greatly missed.
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Photo courtesy of The Associated Press The late Kansas City Royals pitcher Yordano Ventura was the young ace of a team that won a World Series in 2015. Just like the late Jose Fernandez, Ventura was another up-and-coming star in the MLB that was lost in an unfortunate accident.
12 • MSU Reporter
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