February 2, 2021

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

TUESDAY • FEBRUARY 2, 2021

Climb to the Top with Maverick Adventures

SCOOTER MANIA!

University to bring electric scooters to students on campus

By ASHLEY OPINA Staff Writer The rock climbing wall at Minnesota State University, Mankato has been a popular activity among Mavericks since its opening.

Unfortunately, like many others, the climbing wall was forced into closure as a result of COVID-19.

“We want students to climb all the time,” began Sam Steiger, Program Coordinator of Maverick Adventures, “So the COVID-19 shutdown has been pretty tough.”

Steiger, along with everyone at the Campus Recreation Center, have prioritized the health and safety of students and staff over the activities they usually offer.

“We wanted to wait until we were sure that we could keep things clean and sanitized,” said Steiger.

After careful preparation to ensure the health and safety of everyone involved, including looking to other climbing gyms for protocol ideas, Maverick Adventures have decided to reopen the climbing wall and are ready to welcome the eager students back.

“I do feel like it’s a good time to reopen the wall,” said Steiger.

This is not without new protocols, however.

Aside from extra sanitization and a mask mandate, there are now limits put in place on the number of climbers and climbing hours.

“In order to monitor our numbers [of climbers and staff], we’re requiring reservations,” said Steiger.

According to Steiger, reservations can be made through a link available on the Campus Recreation Center’s website.

Students can use their StarID’s to reserve a one

WALL page 3

IN THIS ISSUE:

Biden Meets Republicans on Virus Aid, but no Quick Deal ASSOCIATED PRESS

JOHN MINCHILLO • Associated Press MNSU plans to bring electric scooters to campus as an inexpensive mode of transportation for students

By BAILEY BRENDEL • Staff Writer Minnesota State University, Mankato will partner with a company to provide scooters to the university,. which could give students inexpensive and quick transportation around campus.

The University says it’s been working for years on a plan to introduce inexpensive student transport vehicles to campus. At first they considered providing bikes for students’ use. How-

ever, this mode of transportation was not ideal with the winter weather. That is when the conversation switched to electric scooters.

With the scooters, students can go to a charging station, find a scooter to use, put in their desired location and ride. Students are charged 10 cents per minute for scooter use.

Students must park scooters in recharging sta-

SCOOTERS page 3

Mavericks Split Series against Sioux Falls at Home

By DANIEL MCELROY • Sports Editor The Minnesota State University men’s basketball team split their series against the No. 19 University of Sioux Falls Saturday’s game gets started with Quincy Anderson draining an unassisted 3-pointer, Willingham did just the same on the next possession.

The Mavs went up 10-4 following Ryland Holt’s 3-pointer and Kelby Kramer’s layup from under the basket.

A 13-3 run that started with just less than ten minutes left in the first quarter would give the Mavericks a 30-20 lead with four minutes remaining.

The first half ends with a score of 35-27, with seven of USF’s final points coming from free throws.

Ryland Holt started the second half scoring with a 3-pointer followed by a jumper for two, with more points from Willingham and Kramer.

Anderson keeps this momentum going, scoring five points while drawing two fouls giving the Mavs a comfortable 49-31 lead.

ARE SCOOTERS WORTH IT?

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4

MANSOOR AHMAD • The Reporter Sophomore guard Quincy Anderson (10) led the Mavs in scoring against the Sioux Falls Cougars with 21 and 25 points over the weekend series at home.

The Mavs outscored the Cougars 55-32 in the second half, ultimately giving them the 9059 win over the undefeated N0. 19 University of Sioux Falls.

SPLIT SERIES page 9

WOMEN’S HOCKEY SWEEP BEAVERS

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President Joe Biden met for two hours late Monday with a group of Republican senators who have proposed a slimmed down $618 billion coronavirus aid package that is only a fraction of the $1.9 trillion he is seeking. Skeptical Democrats vowed to push ahead in Congress with or without GOP support.

No compromise was reached from the lengthy session, Biden’s first with lawmakers at the White House. But the Republicans said there was agreement to keep discussions going over their smaller, more targeted package that would do away with Democratic priorities but might win GOP support and appeal to Biden’s hopes to unify the country.

“All of us are concerned about struggling families, teetering small businesses and an overwhelmed health care system,” said Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, a leader of the effort, flanked by the other GOP senators outside the White House.

She called it a “frank and very useful” conversation, noting that the president also filled in some details on his proposal.

The two sides are wide apart, with Republicans focused primarily on the health care crisis, tapping into bipartisan urgency to shore up the nation’s vaccine distribution and vastly expand virus testing with $160 billion in aid. That is similar to what Biden has proposed. But from there, the two plans drastically diverge. With less economic aid, the GOP’s $1,000 direct payments would go to fewer households than the $1,400 Biden has proposed, and the Republicans offer only a fraction of what he wants to reopen schools.

ICE SCULPTURE IN PA LAWN

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2 • MSU Reporter

News

Tuesday, February 2, 2021

Pandemic’s Deadliest Month in US Ends with Signs of Progress ASSOCIATED PRESS The deadliest month yet of the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. drew to a close with certain signs of progress: COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are plummeting, while vaccinations are picking up speed.

The question is whether the nation can stay ahead of the fast-spreading mutations of the virus.

The U.S. death toll has climbed past 440,000, with over 95,000 lives lost in January alone. Deaths are running at about 3,150 per day on average, down slightly by about 200 from their peak in mid-January.

But as the calendar turned to February on Monday, the number of Americans in the hospital with COVID-19 fell below 100,000 for the first time in two months. New cases of infection are averaging about 148,000 day, falling from almost a quarter-million in mid-January. And cases are trending downward in all 50 states.

“While the recent decline in cases and hospital admissions are encouraging, they are counterbalanced by the stark reality that in January

JAE C. HONG • Associated Press Transporters Miguel Lopez, right, Noe Meza prepare to move a body of a COVID-19 victim to a morgue at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center Jan. 9, 2021 in the Mission Hills section of Los Angeles.

we recorded the highest number of COVID-19 deaths in any month since the pandemic began,” said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Deaths do not move in perfect lockstep up or down with the infection curve. They are a lagging indicator, because it can take a few weeks for peo-

ple to get sick and die from COVID-19.

Dr. Philip Landrigan, an epidemiologist at Boston College, said vaccines are a factor in the sharp drop in cases but are not the primary cause. Instead, he said, the crisis has become increasingly “depoliticized” in recent weeks as more people come to grips with the threat and how they can help

slow the spread of the virus.

“I don’t think you can underestimate the importance of this culture change. I think it’s critically important,” he said.

After a slow start, the vaccination drive that began in mid-December is picking up the pace. More than 32.2 million doses have been administered in the U.S., according to the CDC. That is up from 16.5

million on the day President Joe Biden took office, Jan. 20.

The number of shots dispensed in the week and a half since Biden’s inauguration has been running at around 1.3 million per day on average, well over the president’s oft-stated goal of 1 million per day. More than 5.9 million Americans have received the required two doses, the CDC said.

However, the CDC reported Monday that many nursing home workers are not getting their shots when doses are first offered.

Researchers looked at more than 11,000 nursing homes and other such facilities that had at least one vaccination clinic between mid-December and mid-January. While 78% of residents got at least one shot, only 37.5% of staff members did. Surveys suggest some nursing home workers are skeptical of the shots’ effectiveness and don’t think viruses spread easily from them to the people they care for.

Three mutated variants of the virus from Britain, South Africa and Brazil have been detected in the U.S. The British one spreads more easily and is believed to be deadlier.

Minnesota Expands Vaccine Supply for Seniors and Educators ASSOCIATED PRESS More than 35,000 doses of the coronavirus vaccine will be reserved this week for Minnesotans aged 65 and older after the state received a boost in supplies from the federal government, state health officials announced Monday.

The state will open largescale community vaccination sites in Minneapolis and Duluth this week for seniors, with the Minneapolis site also serving educators and child care workers. A third site in southern Minnesota will open next week, and additional sites may open in coming weeks or months.

The community sites will be allotted 6,000 total doses for seniors — the same amount in each of the two prior weeks the state was piloting the program. The remaining roughly 29,000 doses will go to more than 100 hospitals, clinics and health care providers across the state so they can administer shots to seniors in their areas.

The state pivoted its pilot program from a first-come, first-served model to a lottery system when clogged phones and a crashed registration website led to frustration among seniors trying to secure

WILFREDO LEE • AP

spots during the program’s first week. The state began the program at 10 sites across Minnesota after the federal government lowered the recommended age for vaccinations to 65 and up, and added educators and child care staff to the eligibility list.

The change in the state’s vaccination strategy also comes after a 16% increase in weekly doses — or nearly 11,000 doses — from the federal government for an allotment of around 79,000 doses this week. Gov. Tim Walz also diverted another 18,600 doses from the federal pharmacy partnership program that the pharmacies were holding for future use to local providers this week.

The Department of Health also unveiled a new vaccine locator map aimed at helping people connect with clinics,

hospitals and other places statewide where they can set up appointments. The map is meant for seniors, but will later expand to serve everyone when more vaccine becomes widely available.

“As the federal government gives us more doses, more providers will come online and more Minnesotans will be able to access vaccine closer to home,” said Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm. “It’s just very important that we ... be prepared to not only administer every dose we have now as quickly as we can but to be ready as that supply builds up.”

The original pilot sites are not scheduling any new appointments but will open again on Feb. 11 to administer scheduled second doses to individuals who received their first dose at those sites. More than 220,000 individuals who pre-registered for a dose at those sites last week will be selected for a spot at either the sites in Minneapolis and Duluth, or will need to use the locator map to secure a dose.

In addition to the Minneapolis site, 35 local public health clinics across the state — as well as pharmacies in Brainerd, St. Cloud and Rochester — will administer doses

to teachers, school staff and child care workers.

As of Saturday, 441,922 individuals had received a first dose and 116,248 had been fully vaccinated, according to the state’s dashboard. More than 559,000 of the more than 834,000 doses shipped to the state had been administered.

GOP Sen. Karin Housley of St. Mary’s Point, who chairs the aging committee, held a news conference Monday announcing a “Seniors 1st” vaccination plan that would prioritize Minnesotans over 65 for the vaccine before all other groups. While Housley said she’s glad the announcement today expands access to doses for seniors, she said the current plan is still not enough.

“It is imperative that these folks are the only priority to receive the vaccine in the coming weeks while the doses keep coming into the state,” she said. “There can be no more redistribution of the vaccine — it has to be seniors first, then move on to the other phases and get the vaccine to everyone else.”

The virus has been ebbing for weeks in Minnesota, but health officials nationwide are concerned about emerging variants. On Monday, the state reported 727 new infections and two new deaths from the virus, bringing the state’s totals to 462,528 cases and 6,202 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

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Tuesday, February 2, 2021

News

Myanmar’s Military Takes Power in Coup, Detains Suu Kyi

AUNG SHINE OO • Associated Press Aung San Suu Kyi, left, Myanmar’s foreign minister, walks with senior General Min Aung Hlaing, right, Myanmar military’s commander-in-chief May 6, 2016, in Naypyitaw, Myanmar.

ASSOCIATED PRESS Myanmar’s military staged a coup Monday and detained senior politicians including Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi — a sharp reversal of the significant, if uneven, progress toward democracy the Southeast Asian nation has made following five decades of military rule.

An announcement read on military-owned Myawaddy TV said Commander-in-Chief Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing would be in charge of the country for one year. It said the seizure was necessary because the government had not acted on the military’s claims of fraud in November’s elections — in which Suu Kyi’s ruling party won a majority of the parliamentary seats up

for grabs — and because it allowed the election to go ahead despite the coronavirus pandemic.

The takeover came the morning the country’s new parliamentary session was to begin and follows days of concern that a coup was coming. The military maintains its actions are legally justified — citing a section of the constitution it drafted that allows it to take control in times of national emergency — though Suu Kyi’s party spokesman as well as many international observers have said it amounts to a coup.

It was a dramatic backslide for Myanmar, which was emerging from decades of strict military rule and international isolation that began in 1962. It was also a shocking

fall from power for Suu Kyi, a Nobel peace laureate who had lived under house arrest for years as she tried to push her country toward democracy and then became its de facto leader after her National League for Democracy won elections in 2015.

While Suu Kyi had been a fierce antagonist of the army while under house arrest, since her release and return to politics, she has had to work with the country’s generals, who never fully gave up power. While the 75-year-old has remained wildly popular at home, Suu Kyi’s deference to the generals — going so far as to defend their crackdown on Rohingya Muslims that the United States and others have labeled genocide.

people at the climbing wall.”

Despite the drastic drop in numbers due to the pandemic, Steiger remains enthusiastic.

“We’re just excited that students can sign up and get some climbs in,” said Steiger.

Steiger mentioned that if COVID-19 cases on campus rise and campus activities are instructed to close, he will act accordingly.

For now, Steiger is just happy that students can enjoy the thrill of climbing again.

Kade Patterson, a student staff member at the climbing wall, could not agree with Steiger more.

“We have such a positive and encouraging community at the wall,” says Patterson.

“I’m super excited that it’s reopening.”

Patterson, a junior at MNSU, began his rock climb-

SCOOTERS Continued from page 1 tions before it will stop racking up scooter fees.

Many students are happy to see this new service.

“I think it will help college students be more efficient with their time and make transportation around campus so much easier,” Freshman Hailey Bacon says.

However, there has been a lot of discussion online about how the school should be using its funds for educational purposes,or should not be forcing students to pay for a service.

“I think it is foolish to introduce a service that students will be charged for during a pandemic,” MNSU Student Senator Frank Vondra says.

According to MNSU Student Body President Andrew Trenne, however, that simply isn’t true.

“This [service] is actually free to the university, the way this company operates is simple, they want our business,” he says.

This means the scooter service will not come out of the university’s pocketbook, but the individual students who choose to use this service.

However, the school chose the cheapest option for students to use.

“To get to the Centennial Student Union from Crawford, it would take someone around three minutes on a scooter, that is about 30 cents.

Compared to using the FlowBird app, which is $3 an hour to park, or a parking pass which costs over $100 for students. So, we have mechanisms that are expensive, but

this is a cheaper option that can help get students around faster,” Trenne says.

Other misconceptions are that scooters will be unsafe e, students will take them to places they are not supposed to, or that students will throw them into the fountain.

“I think it is a great idea,” Freshman Abigail Johnson says. “I just wonder what safety protocols they are going to put in place.”

According to Facilities Service Director and Transportation and Parking Administrator David Cowan, “Within the contract we are working on, docking stations would be located around the campus which would allow for a dependable recharging source and would avoid clutter. The last thing we want to see on this campus are electric foot scooters blocking building doorways or being haphazardly dumped on MNSU grounds.”

Cowan says the unsigned contract requires GEO-fenced areas where the scooter signal works. Other areas, including nearby neighborhoods, will be “safe” as the scooters will be banned from those locations, including routes to downtown watering holes.

This is so the University and the City of Mankato can ensure student and resident safety .

MNSU is currently working on signing a contract with a company that will be unveiled April 1. The plan is to implement the scooter program over the summer and have it ready for the Fall 2021.

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WALL Continued from page 1 hour time slot for up to eight climbers two days prior.

“The reason I chose to let students sign up only two days in advance is to give everyone a chance to climb if they would like to,” said Steiger.

The nights that the climbing wall is open are Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays.

The days in between are used to quarantine the harnesses and safety equipment used during the sessions because they cannot be sanitized.

On the nights that the climbing wall is open, there will only be three shifts of one hour sessions with a maximum of eight climbers at a time, meaning 24 students can climb a night.

“It’s not going to be the same volume as before,” said Steiger. “Before COVID, you could walk by and see 40 to 50

MSU Reporter • 3

ing journey during his freshman year.

“I tried it out during welcome week and fell in love with it,” said Patterson. “Then my friends and I started going regularly and we were at the wall almost every night.”

Aside from being a staff member, Patterson also attends open climb opportunities and participates in competitions. Needless to say, he loves what he does.

“I find it a ton of fun while still being a challenge,” said Patterson.

Patterson hopes that he can spread his love for climbing with his fellow students.

“I highly encourage anyone to try it out,” said Patterson.

“Our staff are super friendly people who want to help other students to find a new passion.”

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4 • MSU Reporter

Tuesday, February 2, 2021

SPRING 2021 EDITOR IN CHIEF:

MAXWELL MAYLEBEN maxwell.mayleben@mnsu.edu

Editorial: Scooters... Good or Bad Idea?

MADISON DIEMERT

madison.diemert@mnsu.edu

Editorial With the announcement of the University choosing to partner with an electric scooter company to bring electric scooters to campus, comes warranted apprehension, concerns and excitement from the student body.

A concern that many students have out the gate is the extremely valid question of who is going to pay for them.

In this time when University money is tight, and students living off campus are already questioning paying activity fees for a campus they do not visit on a regular basis, it would be quite a hard sell to add to the price tag.

That concern can be quickly overlooked, as the company that the University is partnering with will charge per ride, rather than add it to the cost of attending school here.

Another main concern plaguing the plan for the new transportation method on campus is where will the scooters stay while they are not in use. In comparison to a big city like Minneapolis where the electric scooters are ridden and left wherever around the town, the campus scooters will have to be ridden between charging stations.

This means for people living off campus, the scooters will add little to no extra value to the commute to campus. While they may give those living on campus a smoother and quicker ride to campus, the problem of

NEWS DIRECTOR: Jenna Peterson jenna.peterson-3@mnsu.edu MEDIA/DESIGN DIRECTOR: Mansoor Ahmad mansoor.ahmad@mnsu.edu SPORTS EDITOR: Daniel McElroy daniel.mcelroy@mnsu.edu ADVERTISING SALES: Anna Lillie 507-389-1063 anna.lillie@mnsu.edu Logan Larock 507-389-5453 logan.larock@mnsu.edu Baylee Sorensen 507-389-5097 baylee.sorensen@mnsu.edu Olivia Haefner 507-389-1079 olivia.haefner@mnsu.edu BUSINESS MANAGER: Jane Tastad 507-389-1926 jane.tastad@mnsu.edu

commuting from off campus housing is still left unsolved.

The ride from the “Free Lot” could be considered a solution for these commuters, however, there would have to be a significant number of scooters at the ready on a daily basis.

One more concern to consider is that of the weather.

Most of our school months are riddled with snow and freez-

ing cold weather. This will no doubt affect the willingness of students to use the not-soweather resistant rides. Especially when adding the potential for icy sidewalks and roads.

While these concerns should be thought about and questioned, there is little doubt that the scooters will be a welcome addition to campus life. They will un-

doubtedly be an extremely fun way to zoom across campus, whether it’s to visit a friend in Julia Sears or grab a bite from the Dining Center.

When you add into the mix that these scooters are promised to come at no extra cost to students’ tuition, there should be no skepticism for the allowance of them on our campus.

“What do you think of the scooters coming to campus?”

Compiled by Julia Barton

JESSICA HALEY, FRESHMAN

STEPHANIE ROSARIO, FRESHMAN

MATT BOHM, FRESHMAN

“I’m very excited!”

“I think it’d be a good way to get around.”

“Yes, yes, yes! Very excited.”

HAILEY WIRTA, FRESHMAN

AVA OLSON, FRESHMAN

“I’d try it out.”

“Honestly I think it’s a waste of money.”

ADVERTISING DESIGN/ PRODUCTION MANAGER: Dana Clark 507-389-2793 dana.clark@mnsu.edu

• If you have a complaint, suggestion or would like to point out an error made in the Reporter, contact Editor in Chief Maxwell Mayleben at maxwell.mayleben@mnsu.edu.

The Reporter will correct any errors of fact or misspelled names in this space. Formal grievances against the Reporter are handled by the Newspaper Board.

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

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

• Letters exceeding 400 words may not be accepted. The Reporter reserves the right to edit letters to fit space or correct punctuation.

The Reporter reserves the right to publish, or not publish, at its discretion. Letters must contain year, major or affiliation with the university, or lack thereof. All letters must contain phone numbers for verification purposes.

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

Tuesday, February 2, 2021

News

Minnesota House Democrats Launch Push to Legalize Marijuana

MSU Reporter • 5

Myanmar, Russia Pose Early Tests for Biden’s Foreign Policy

PAUL SANCYA • Associated Press Marijuana buds are shown at Huron View Provisioning in Ann Arbor, Mich., Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021

ASSOCIATED PRESS Minnesota House Democrats launched a push Monday to legalize recreational marijuana and automatically expunge most minor cannabis convictions, framing the issue as crucial to narrow racial disparities in the legal system.

“The issue of legalizing cannabis, creating a fair, regulated marketplace, addressing the deep inequities in our criminal justice system, is a mainstream, bipartisan, broadly supported issue,” Democratic House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler, of Golden Valley, said at a news conference.

Fifteen other states plus the District of Columbia have already legalized recreational marijuana for adults to varying degrees, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, They include neighboring South Dakota, a heavily Republican state where it passed with 54% of the vote in November, although it still faces a court challenge there.

Minnesota is one of many states that allow medical marijuana, but its restrictions are some of the country’s strictest.

The legislation has the potential to pass this session in the Democratic-controlled Minnesota House, where Speaker Melissa Hortman, of Brooklyn Park, already has endorsed it. “It’s time. Legalize. Expunge. Regulate,” she tweeted. Democratic Gov. Tim Walz has also expressed support.

But it’s unlikely to get very far in the GOP-controlled Senate, where Majority Leader Paul Gazelka, of East Gull

Lake, reiterated his opposition Monday. He said there’s no reason for Minnesota to rush into it before studying the adverse effects of legalization in other states.

“We are focused on the Minnesota Priorities that balance the budget without raising taxes, safely reopen schools and businesses to recover our economy, and support families,” he said in a statement. “I would not consider legalizing recreational marijuana as a Minnesota priority.”

Winkler urged Senate Republicans to understand that legalization is coming eventually, and that they should help to shape the legislation rather than try to stop it. He also introduced a legalization bill last year before the pandemic crowded out most other issues. He has traveled the state to build support for and develop the legislation, holding forums in 15 cities over the last year and a half.

Rep. Rena Moran, of St. Paul, said the bill fits with a Democratic priority to break down systemic racism.

“Nowhere is the harm of the failed criminal prohibition felt more than for Black, Indigenous and people of color, which continue to experience outrageous disparities regarding enforcement of our current marijuana laws,” she said. “Black Minnesotans are over five times more likely to be arrested for marijuana than those who are white. This is one of the worst disparities in the nation, and true even though both groups use it at similar rates.”

EVAN VUCCI • Associated Press White House press secretary Jen Psaki speaks during a press briefing at the White House, Monday, Feb. 1, 2021, in Washington.

ASSOCIATED PRESS A military coup in Myanmar and a mass crackdown on dissidents in Russia are presenting early tests for the Biden administration as it tries to reestablish American primacy as a worldwide pro-democracy leader.

Having taken office with a pledge to restore ironclad U.S. support for human rights, freedom of speech and political openness, President Joe Biden is being confronted with two serious challenges in two disparate parts of the world that had either been neglected or the subject of inconsistent messaging during the Trump era.

After investing decades of time, energy and money into promoting democracy in both Myanmar and Russia, the U.S. now faces challenges in each that could affect the global balance of power, with the Myanmar turmoil potentially strengthening China’s hand.

And, while neither situation can be directly tied to domestic political uncertainty in the United States, experts believe foreign governments might be taking cues from the vestiges

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of America’s perceived rudderlessness in the final months of President Donald Trump’s term.

“It is not always about us,” said Dan Fried, a former senior U.S. diplomat for Europe.

“Each has its own dynamic, but they certainly take cues from us. What links the two is that during the campaign, the Biden team talked about support for democracy being a North Star — a guiding point for democracy.”

Biden’s aides have rejected suggestions that the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol fueled by Trump will hurt U.S. influence in the long run. But they have acknowledged it as a factor as Biden tries to reassert American moral leadership after four years of Trump’s perceived diffidence.

“The United States remains a country in the world that is looked to for ... leadership, and it’s going to take some time, but he’s certainly committed to doing that,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said of Biden on Monday.

She spoke after Biden released a statement saying he would be looking at reimposing sanctions on Myanmar,

also known as Burma, that had been lifted after the country’s partial return to democracy during the Obama administration.

“The US removed sanctions on Burma over the past decade based on progress toward democracy,” Biden said. “The reversal of that progress will necessitate an immediate review of our sanction laws and authorities, followed by appropriate action. The US will stand up for democracy wherever it is under attack.”

In Myanmar, the army took control of the government after a brief experiment with limited democracy, detaining former opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and giving China an even bigger potential opening into a neighboring country where the West had exerted great effort to blunt Beijing’s significant influence.

“This is a setback for Myanmar and for democratic governance across Asia,” said Danny Russel, a former assistant secretary of state for East Asia and the Pacific, who is now vice president for International Security and Diplomacy at the Asia Society Policy Institute.

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8 • MSU Reporter

Tuesday, February 2, 2021

ANOTHER SWEEP

King’s performance helped the Mavs sweep the Beavers for the second time this season

By JACK RITACCO Staff Writer The Minnesota State’s women’s hockey team swept state rivals Bemidji State with two overtime victories. For the first time this season, fans were allowed at the games in Mankato.

Sophomore Kelsey King led the team to their win on Friday with an overtime goal in the 1-0 win. King came out of the weekend with two goals and one assist while leading the team in points with 12.

Coach Harrington commented in a press conference after Saturday’s game that he told Kelsey to “simplify her game” which has without a doubt made an impact as she leads the team in points.

Saturday’s win was a tough battle, ending at 2-2 in regulation. Jessica Kondas got the game winning goal just 52 seconds into overtime with a great pass from Jamie Nelson to give the Mavericks the win as well as the sweep for the weekend.

Sophomore goaltender Calla Frank, has been sharp lately with a .912 save percentage.

The Mavericks battled hard and created a lot of chances in front of the net.

Freshman Nelson, who is one point behind King, has been on her game with getting an assist and goal in Saturday’s game. Jamie and Kelsey who have both been phenomenal

MANSOOR AHMAD • The Reporter Kelsey King scored the lone overtime goal in Friday’s 1-0 overtime win and picked up another goal and assist in Saturday’s 3-2 overtime win.

Women take Down Top Team in the South in Sioux Falls

Mavs Fall to No. 1 Huskies

By JACK RITACCO • Staff Writer

By DANIEL MCELROY • Sports Editor The Minnesota State women’s basketball team took a massive win over the top team in the standings, University of Sioux Falls on Sunday.

With the win, the Mavericks improved their record to 5-4, as the Cougars fell to 5-2 on the season, and remained in the first position in the NSIC south division standings.

Saturday’s meeting between the two teams was canceled due to COVID-19 testing protocols and will not be rescheduled.

The game immediately starts with Tayla Stuttley shooting and making two free throws following a foul from Sioux Falls’ Krystal Carlson. The teams exchange baskets throughout the first quarter, without the lead exceeding three points.

The cougars shifted the momentum in their fa-

lately can help lead the mavericks to the playoffs.

Coming off a big weekend win will help the Mavericks have the focus and determination to beat St. Cloud in their next series. It was a big win as the Mavericks improved their record to 6-9-1 and stay in the fifth position in the WCHA, behind Ohio. The Mavericks have been struggling in the standings but have a couple of games left to make their way up in the standings. Although the Mavericks have played the most games in the WCHA there is still a chance they could come away with a No. 4 spot in the standings. The WCHA is one of the toughest conferences in women’s hockey with the top four out of five teams in the nation being from the WCHA. While COVID has been a major impact for all sports, the Mavericks is making the most of it by being ready for whatever team is next.

The Mavs will be on the road next weekend, Feb. 5-6 as they play state rival St. Cloud State. St. Cloud is down two spots from the Mavericks in the standings which will help out the Mavericks in the standings if they can come away with another sweep.

As the Mavericks wind down their season, their focus is now on making it to the playoffs and being able to compete with top teams like Wisconsin.

MANSOOR AHMAD • The Reporter Rachel Shumski (45) led the Mavs in points (16) in Sunday’s win against the Sioux Falls Cougars.

HOOPS page 9

The Minnesota state men’s wrestling team fell short to st. Cloud State this past Thursday on the road with a 25-13 loss. This is the Mavericks twelfth loss to the Huskies in the last ten years.

St. Cloud has been one of the best wrestling programs in the NSIC and it showed in their victory over the Mavericks.

Going into the match, both teams were 3-0 and ready to add a fourth victory to their name while claiming the 2nd spot in the standings.

No. 9 Trenton Mcmanus took the mat with a victory over Praxton Creese of 8-3 to add a fourth win to his name this season.

No. 2 Kyle Rathman tied St. Cloud with a ma-

WRESTLING page 9

Tuesday, February 2, 2021

Sports

MSU Reporter • 9

Mavs Drop Nonconference Match to BSU

By DANIEL MCELROY Sports Editor Photos by MANSOOR AHMAD Media Director

Ryan Edquist (above) and Jake Livingstone (below) stopped six shots in his second game, and scored a goal, respectively in Friday’s loss against the Bemidji State Beavers.

SPLIT SERIES Continued from page 1

HOOPS Continued from page 8 vor in the second quarter by going on an 8-0 run in the first three minutes, just for MSU to respond with six points in a row of their own, making the score 24-21 in favor of the Cougars. The Mavs only find the two more free throws from Maddy Olson to end the half, while the Cougars get nine more points, going into the lockers with a score of 33-23.

At halftime, Stuttley led the scoring for the Mavericks with seven points.

After Sioux Falls started the second half with a quick jumper, the Mavs went on a 9-0 run cutting the lead to 35-32, and

eventually taking over the lead with two jumpers and a free throw from Rachel Shumski.

MSU ended the third quarter with a 49-47 lead.

Although a very close fourth quarter, the Mavericks didn’t let go of the lead, with Shumski having a huge final quarter herself scoring ten points. The Mavericks take the win 71-67 over the top team in the south.

Shumski led the team in points with 16 and 7 rebounds, with Stuttley not far behind her, netting 13 of her own.

Joey Batt is getting back into her old self again, after scoring her first double dig-

it game since her career-high game of 28 against Augustana.

Coming into Sunday’s game, Batt scored 74 points in the first half of the season, and just 25 in the second half. Batt scored 10 points in the win, going 4-8 in field goals.

The Mavericks shot a .373 field goal percentage with a .250 percentage from threepoint range, and had 43 total rebounds to the Cougars 40.

MSU will travel to Winona next weekend to take on the Warriors in their final road series of the season, before closing out the season back-toback weekends at home.

WRESTLING Continued from page 8 jor decision of 8-0 over Garret Aldrich, putting the score at 7-7.

Cooper Siebrecht helped the Mavericks take the lead with a sudden death overtime with Coby Njos which resulted in a 5-3 win, which put the Mavericks up 10-7 on St. Cloud.

Things got tough for the Mavericks after that win with

only winning one out of the next five matches.

Devin Fitzpatrick won over Michael Smith with a fall which gave St. Cloud a 13-10 lead. The Mavericks rallied back with a win for Trevor Turriff taking down Devin Donovan 5-3. The Mavericks looked like they could have the momentum but William

Pitzner took a small victory over Dylan Butts of 7-2. Noah Ryan helped St. Cloud stay in the lead with a win over Matt Blome of 7-3 to put the Huskies up 19-13 on the Mavericks. Kameron Teacher sealed the deal over David Griffet with a fall that gave the Huskies the win of 25-13.

MANSOOR AHMAD • The Reporter

In a rescheduled nonconference matchup, the Minnesota State University men’s hockey team fell to conference rival, Bemidji State University.

The Beavers found their first win against the Mavericks since last February, improving their overall record to 6-4-2, with still only two conference games played at 1-1. The Mavericks fell to 9-2-1 overall, and remained at 6-0-0 in conference play.

The Beavers didn’t waste any time getting the scoring started in Friday’s one-game series. Alex Miller fed Alex Ierullo a pass from center ice as Ierullo entered the zone in an odd man rush.

Ierullo Took the initial shot from the bottom of the faceoff circle, saved by graduate transfer Ryan Edquist’s leg pad, but Miller followed up for the rebound through Edquist’s five-hole to take a 1-0 lead less than two minutes into the game.

MSU found their only goal of the game when the Mavs force a turnover in the neutral zone, that eventually turned into a pass from Nathan Smith behind the net to Jake Livingstone at the faceoff dot, where he and Zach Driscoll faced each other in a stare down, as Livingstone rips the puck over Driscoll’s shoulder to tie the game at one a piece.

Two minutes later, BSU’s Lukas Sillinger will take a game mis-

conduct for hitting from behind.

Chris Van Os-Show would take a two minute minor roughing penalty in retaliation to Sillinger’s hit, making it a four on four for two minutes, followed by a three minute major powerplay for the Mavericks. Unfortunately, the Mavericks still struggle to find success on the major penalty, an issue that head coach Mike Hastings has previously addressed.

The Beavers found the back of the net just three minutes into the second period following a hooking penalty from Jake Livingstone when Brad Johnson gave a pass over to Ethan Somoza, who gave it back to Johnson for a one-timer from the point that goes just past Edquists glove, giving BSU a 2-1 lead.

Bemidji State was able to find their third goal of the night following a turnover in the Mavericks zone, where Ierullo fed a pass to Owen Sillinger in front of the net, sniping it over Edquists glove.

The Beavers scored one more goal at the end of the third period in an empty net, as the Mavs made one more effort to get back into the game.

In a game that the Beavers recorded 23 penalty minutes, the Mavericks powerplay unit, that is the best in the conference, could not find any success in this road matchup.

Up next for the Mavs is No. 8 Bowling Green University (16-40), who are coming off of a weekend sweep over the No. 18 Michigan Tech University Huskies.

Jamal Nixon (1) went up for slam dunk against the Cougars that rebounded out of the rim.

In the first game of the season that has allowed fans during the games, the crowd played a role for the Mavs.

Head coach Matt Margenthaler commented after the game, “It’s nice to have somebody in the gym, it brings some energy, and I think it really helped us tonight to have families there.”

Both teams came back to the Taylor Center on Sunday afternoon with the same goal, which turned into a very physical matchup among the top two teams in the south.

The game started with both teams going basket for basket, including a 3-pointer from Anderson. After both teams have several failed attempts, Ander-

son found himself with a steal to then burst down the court with Thedford in a give and go, and dunked it for two, giving the Mavs a 7-6 lead.

The Mavs cut USF’s five point lead with Jamal Nixon’s 3, Anderson’s jumper for two followed by another 3, and Thedford’s layup, making it 25-23 in favor of the Cougars.

In a much closer first half, Anderson led the first half scoring for both teams with 19 points.

In a very tight second half, almost going basket for basket through the entirety, the Sioux Falls Cougars went on a 13-2 run in the final four minutes, taking the win 74-62.

10 • MSU Reporter

Tuesday, February 2, 2021

Snow Days: PA Lawn Sculpture builds Culture A giant snowflake — with Stomper’s face at center — will be sculpted this week near the #MAVFAM sign near Minnesota State University, Mankato’s Earley Center for Performing Arts.

The event is part of “Mankato Winter Pride,” an event planned by the Student Events Team to bring unity, pride, and “Stomper spirit” to campus this winter.

“We have had ice sculptures in the past but this year, we decided that we wanted to do something a little different,” says student event coordinator Ella May. The snow sculpture is projected to stand eight feet tall and feature the Stomper logo in the middle. Words referring to the teachings of the Seven Grandfathers will adorn the outer edge: love, respect, bravery, humility, truth, honesty and wisdom. These teachings are said to form the foundation of an indigenous way of life.

The snow will be sculpted

File photo

By SYDNEY BERGGREN Staff Writer

Ice sculpture of Stomper from spring 2018 to celebrate MNSU.

by three women artists, each of whom has ties to the Anishinaabe community.

Heather Friedli, an oil painter and 13-year veteran of snow sculpting, is the team’s

captain. Friedli is a first-generation descendant of the Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians. She also has family heritage with the Indigenous peoples of Sonora, Mexico.

Heather’s sister, Juliana Welter, is also on the sculpting team. This will be her third season on the team. Welter is an independent artist who is ready to take on another chilling challenge.

Maggie Thompson is a textile artist and member of the Fond du Lac Tribe of Ojibwe.

She is nationally known for her intricately knitted cowls and hats, as these have been showcased in several museums regionally.

The build began Monday morning as the team created a form for the base and started compaction. The Student Events Team has assisted by stomping snow.

The team will start the actual sculpture Tuesday morning.

They expect to work all day and into late evening. They say they expect to complete the sculpture by Wednesday afternoon. It will remain intact until Feb. 13.

Bullpen Opens again for Maverick Community

By JENNA PETERSON News Director After being closed for roughly two months, the Minnesota State University, Mankato Maverick Bullpen is open once again for students to relax in between classes.

The Maverick Bullpen typically offers a variety of leisure activities ranging from 12 lane bowling, 15 regulation billiards tables, and other games and recreation in the designated game area, but with changing COVID-19 regulations, there are now only 6 bowling lanes and 7 billiards tables open for games. This is to help ensure social distancing and keeping all participants safe, as stated by Kyle Bischoff, operator of the Maverick Bullpen and coach to the Maverick Bowling team.

While the University was reporting at the yellow COVID-19 safety level, the Bullpen was able to operate with safety protocols in effect.

This lasted until November when the University reported the change to level orange, where at least 3% of campus

students are infected with the virus, according to the University’s website.

Maverick Bullpen student workers Jocelyn Bode, a MNSU freshman and Siene Haq, a MNSU junior, noted the changes from when the facility was open and closed to the public.

“We closed after Thanksgiving break last semester, and today is our first day open this semester,” Haq commented.

The Bullpen will be following all protocols they’ve had in place to ensure a clean and safe space for all who enter. This all includes consistent sanitation and a requirement of everyone to wear a mask, and to wear it properly.

After only one day, students were already taking advantage of the opportunity to play games in their free time. Junior Maverick Bowling team members Dylan Hanson and Grey Severson were polishing up their skills right away.

“We decided it was time to get back to practice,” Severson commented. The bowling team didn’t have a season in the fall, but are hopeful that

File photo Entrance to the Maverick Bullpen in the Centennial Student Union.

this semester they’ll be able to participate in a tournament or two.

Bischoff commented, “We’ve been open on and off in the past ten months. We were closed over the summer, and we were closed again in November. It’s been a ghost town, but it’s wonderful to get students back down here.”

If you’re not into the gaming scene but want a place to study at, the Maverick Bullpen is the perfect place to do so.

With tables throughout the facility and being close to many other resources on campus, this study spot is sure to help students get their work done while having fun.

“There’s something for students to do while they’re here, which is something they haven’t had in a while,” Bischoff stated.

The Bullpen is open Monday-Friday 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. on the weekend.

Prince Harry Accepts Apology, Damages in UK Libel Suit ASSOCIATED PRESS Prince Harry on Monday accepted an apology and damages from the publisher of British tabloid The Mail on Sunday and its online version, MailOnline, in a libel lawsuit relating to articles about his relationship with the British armed forces.

Harry sued Associated Newspapers for libel over two articles published in October which claimed he had snubbed the Royal Marines after stepping down as a senior royal.

The articles claimed that Harry had “not been in touch” with the force since his last appearance as an honorary Marine in March, and that military leaders were considering replacing him as Captain General of the Royal Marines.

Harry had served for a decade in the British army.

His lawyers said in court documents that he was “frustrated and saddened” because the articles would diminish his credibility with veterans.

Harry and his wife, Meghan, stepped down as working royals and moved to the U.S. in early 2019.

His honorary military titles were put on hold, and they were due to be reviewed in March as part of the monarchy’s review of the couple’s departure arrangements.

Lawyer Jenny Afia, representing Harry, said the publisher has accepted that allegations that he had turned his back on the force were false.

The articles were “baseless, false and defamatory” and “constituted not only a personal attack upon the Duke’s character but also wrongly brought into question his service to this country,” Afia said.

She said Harry was “proud to have served in the British armed forces for 10 years in Her Majesty’s name” and “has maintained active links with those forces ever since and will continue to do so in the future.”

Tuesday, February 2, 2021

Variety

Director: Movie’s Human-Rights Focus Resonates Now

MSU Reporter • 11

Terri Lyne Carrington is the Definition of Black Girl Magic

KEMAL SOFTIC • Associated Press Bosnian filmmaker Jasmila Zbanic speaks and gestures during an interview with the Associated Press in the capital Sarajevo, Bosnia, Saturday, Jan. 30, 2021.

ASSOCIATED PRESS As an independent filmmaker from a country without an established film industry, Bosnia’s Jasmila Zbanic said she is used to improvising. That’s come in handy this past year, when she was finishing up her latest and most ambitious film, “Quo Vadis, Aida?”, during the pandemic.

The film, which has no promotional budget, has generated Oscar buzz anyhow. The Hollywood Reporter described it as “terrifically harrowing” and “impossible to forget.”

Zbanic is cautiously optimistic.

“I think we are managing (well),” the 46-year-old writer-director declared confidently in an interview with The Associated Press, and then broke into a grin. “Of course, we will know if I am right or completely wrong” on Feb. 9, when the shortlist of 15 films vying for nominations in the international feature film Oscar category will be announced.

Based on true events from Bosnia’s brutal 1992-95 inter-ethnic war, “Quo Vadis, Aida?” (Latin for “Where are you going, Aida?”) has been many years in the making. Its central character, Aida, is a United Nations translator who tries to save her husband and sons during the July 1995 massacre in Srebrenica.

The slaughter of over 8,000 men and boys in and around the eastern Bosnian town was the culmination of the war, which pitted the country’s three main ethnic factions — Serbs, Croats and Bosnian Muslims — against each other after the breakup of Yugoslavia.

Zbanic spent over a decade researching and writing the script, and then assembled a coalition of independent co-producers, cast and crew from nine European nations.

The film is the most expensive ever shot in post-war Bosnia.

But while the Balkan country submitted it for Oscar con-

sideration, the government covered only around 10% of its 4.5 million euro budget (around $5.4 million).

A member of the post-war generation of independent Bosnian filmmakers, Zbanic has gained recognition outside her homeland for her minimalist films. And she is used to having to work to find funding and collaborators abroad.

But “Quo Vadis, Aida?” completed in Bosnia in the summer of 2019, was her first experience directing such a large cast and crew: nearly 300, as well as thousands of extras. Zbanic said she expected post-production to be significantly less challenging, and was looking forward to beginning it last March. Then the coronavirus pandemic shut the world down.

Under lockdowns and scattered over five different European countries, Zbanic and her post-production team suffered a four-month delay. By July, they got back to work and put the film together, communicating remotely.

“We did color grading in Berlin, while the color grader was in Romania. ... It was the same with sound mixing — the sound designer was in Bosnia, the sound mixer was in Romania and I was in Berlin,” she recalled. “It was really challenging ... I felt like a woman who is 12 months pregnant.”

Despite the obstacles, Zbanic completed the film in time for its Sept. 3 premiere at the Venice Film Festival – the first such international event to go ahead with live audiences since the pandemic shut much of the movie industry down in spring 2020.

“Everybody who arrived at the festival, they were so excited and so happy to have human beings around them, to be able to watch films together” after spending months in isolation, Zbanic said.

After Venice, Zbanic returned to Bosnia, but “Quo Vadis, Aida?” continued to make the rounds.

CHARLES KRUPA • Associated Press Terri Lyne Carrington poses for a portrait session, Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021, in Woburn, Mass.

ASSOCIATED PRESS Terri Lyne Carrington is just 11 years old and hanging backstage at a concert hall with her friend “Ella” — that’s Ella Fitzgerald to us mere mortals — and the jazz legend wants to introduce her to jazz virtuoso Oscar Peterson, who had just finished performing.

“Ella Fitzgerald says, ‘You need to hear her,’” Carrington, now 55, recalls. “She was just somebody who would encourage me and hang out with me.

She was shy, and I was disarming because I was a kid. She took a liking to me.”

So Peterson invites the young drummer to perform alongside him before the audience escapes. They jam on-

stage, impressing the crowd.

One attendee — the then-President of Berklee College of Music — was so wowed he offered Carrington a scholarship to the exceptional music school.

“It was really because Oscar let me play but (also) because Ella introduced me to him and told him, basically, he should hear me,” she said.

Anointed by jazz legends, literally, Carrington was destined for greatness. Four decades later, she’s proven she is not only great, but groundbreaking.

She’s earning the highest honor bestowed on jazz artists, the prestigious NEA Jazz Masters Award. The three-time Grammy winner is nominat-

ed for best instrumental jazz album – an award she won in 2014 and is the only woman to do so in the show’s 63-year history. She worked as a musical and cultural consultant on the hit Disney/Pixar animation “Soul,” making sure it portrayed the jazz world accurately. And she’s the founder and artistic director of the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice and has spent nearly 16 years teaching at the college, well versed in Zoom thanks to the recent pandemic.

She is the personification of Black Girl Magic.

“I knew she was going to open some doors since she was around 12 years old,” 11-time Grammy winner and jazz icon Wayne Shorter said.

Marilyn Manson Denies Evan Rachel Wood’s Abuse Allegations ASSOCIATED PRESS Rocker Marilyn Manson was dropped by his record label on Monday after actor Evan Rachel Wood accused her ex-fiancé of sexual and other physical abuse, alleging she was “manipulated into submission” during their relationship.

Manson called the allegations “horrible distortions of reality.”

Wood, who stars on HBO’s “Westworld,” had spoken frequently in recent years about being abused in a relationship but did not name the person until she posted Monday on Instagram.

“The name of my abuser is Brian Warner, also known to the world as Marilyn Manson,” Wood said. “He started grooming me when I was a teenager and horrifically abused me for years.”

Manson’s label, Loma Vista Recordings, said in a state-

RICHARD SHOTWELL • Invision/Assocaiated Press

ment that after the “disturbing allegations,” it will “cease to further promote his current album” and has “also decided not to work with Marilyn Manson on any future projects.”

Wood and Manson’s relationship became public in 2007 when he was 38 and she was 19, and they were briefly engaged in 2010 before break-

ing up.

Wood said in her post that Manson left her “brainwashed and manipulated into submission.”

“I am done living in fear of retaliation, slander, or blackmail. I’m here to expose this dangerous man and call out the many industries that have enabled him, before he ruins any more lives.”

12 • MSU Reporter

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