TODAY
A sian cultures
41˚
celebrated at msu page
10
29˚
It’s a shorts and t-shirt kind of day. Go for a walk, or get your car washed.
STUDENT RUN NEWS SINCE 1926
MSUREPORTER.COM
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2022
Black History Month events on campus are in full stride By MAXWELL MAYLEBEN Editor in Chief
As we enter the second week in February, students across the Minnesota State University, Mankato campus have already begun to celebrate Black History Month, hoping to recognize and listen to Black voices. First celebrated in 1976, the
month is dedicated to honoring the contributions of African Americans throughout U.S. History, as well as reflecting on the legacy that comes from the people within the community. Morgan Parham, a graduate student studying ethnic studies, spoke to what Black History Month means to her. “It is special because it is an
excuse to dive deep and focus on yourself and your culture,” said Parham, “maybe learn about people in your culture that you haven’t been able to study.” Already taking part in the events of the month, Parham attended the show, “Wounded Healers”, a piece about the longterm effect that slavery has had on African American men. The
show included several monologues as well as musical pieces, demonstrating the physical and neurological trauma carried by Black male bodies. “It was two hours, it was a musical and spoken word performance going through black history from Africa all the way through different eras,” said Parham, who was particularly
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moved by the piece. “It was hard to watch at the beginning,” said Parham, “but then it was also nice at the end when we did the questions because everyone got to be more open.” While the show is about the turmoil, there was a level of hope that was included, via the BHM on page 5
Cold seasons causing SAD students By SYDNEY BERGGREN Staff Writer
Darrell Mason did a backflip after winning his match against MSU-Moorhead Friday as the Mavericks hosted three home duals over the weekend. The Mavericks ended the weekend with a 1-2 record, finishing up their home schedule for the year. Photo by DYLAN ENGEL • The Reporter
By JULIA BARTON News Director
Upward Bound sponsored the American Red Cross blood drive Monday in the Centennial Student Union Ballroom as they aim to increase donations during a national blood shortage. The American Red Cross is currently facing a national blood crisis, which is set to be the worst shortage in over a decade according to the official American Red Cross website. They state that there is a
10% overall blood donation decline since March of 2020. And a 62% drop in college and high school blood drives due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “We definitely have a lot less donors since COVID has been around. We have to deny walkins sometimes in order to maintain COVID precautions and social distancing. This is the lowest our blood supply has been in a decade,” Alexandra Ortiz, American Red Cross Phlebotomist, stated. BLOOD on page 2
DYLAN ENGEL • The Reporter
Blood drive seeks donations amidst shortage
The American Red Cross host various blood drives at MSU.
With the cold, gloomy days that Minnesota State University, Mankato students (we) are facing right now as they come to mid-winter, many are facing something known as Seasonal Affective Disorder: a subtype of depression associated with the changing of the seasons. According to the American Psychiatric Association, SAD affects approximately 5% of adults in the United States. Symptoms of SAD look like mild depressive symptomslack of energy, moodiness, loss of interest in hobbies, changes in sleep and eating habits, difficulty concentrating and more. SAD may begin at any age, but most commonly occurs between the ages of 18 and 30 during the college years. There are a few different ways to treat Seasonal Affective Disorder, including but not limited to medication, talk therapy and bright light therapy. While symptoms will obviously improve with the changing of the seasons, they can be helped sooner with treatment. Bright light therapy is often the most accessible and recommended treatment for SAD. Professor Miranda Hellenbrand of the MSU Counseling Center explained how the light therapy boxes work. “Light therapy involves sitting in front of a light box for a certain length of time SAD on page 3
CORRECTION: In the article titled “Emergency preparedness addressed at the Stud Gov.”, published in last Thursday’s paper, The Reporter misspelled the name Nancy Fitzsimons. It has been corrected on our website.