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Thursday, February 14, 2013
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Minnesota State University, Mankato
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THURSDAY
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FRIDAY
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SATURDAY
International Mavericks standing up to bullying Center hosts MSU student athletes are using their study abroad pull in the community to fight bullying in schools. fair
Kearney International Center aims to inform students about merits of studying abroad. JENNA SCHLAPKOHL
staff writer
A sea of people meander their way through the multitude of tables strategically placed amidst the busiest hallway on campus. Purple and yellow balloons dance above student’s heads, yearning to grab someone’s attention. The tables support various posters and brochures; vital information covering every open space. Knowledgeable eyes peer around the displays, prepared to unveil their pride and joy. A world of intelligence taxiing at the tip of their tongues. Running from 10am-2pm on Tuesday, Feb. 12, the Study Abroad Fair, hosted by the Kearney International Center, took over the CSU. Faculty and program representatives graced the halls with an abundance of knowledge regarding the opportunities for students to take their studies outside these walls. Within the string of tables, students were able to explore programs most suited to their wants and needs. Whether drawn to a specific country, time frame, or price range, there was a booth available to address those desires. Programs can last from a few weeks to a full academic year, and MSU has partnerships with many companies to offer more opportunities. Traveling through a study
abroad company is not the only route, however. Many faculty members host trips of their own geared towards certain majors and minors. This option allows students to travel with their class, and teachers to tailor the trip to their specific program. Among the booths presenting trips, financial aid representatives were there to help break down the money barrier that seems to deter many students from traveling. They made it known that scholarships and lower cost programs were available, making studying abroad that much more appealing. Mandy Prorok, Education Abroad Advisor and world traveler, is a huge advocate of embracing the chance to study abroad. As the main person in charge of the fair, she explained that it is “the best opportunity all semester to find out what all of your options are.” With all the information f loating around the CSU, the International Center uses their annual photo contest to show, rather than tell, what studying abroad can do for a person. Photos from around the world decorate the “fishbowl, “ the nickname give to CSU 123, showcasing the endeav-
Study Abroad / page 8
web photo MSU’s student athletes have come together to fight bullying, giving talks to area youth, and asking them to sign an anti-bullying pledge. The results have been largely positive. REECE HEMMESCH
sports editor Athletes are normally portrayed in the media world as the bullies within schools across the country. Try telling that to the Minnesota State University, Mankato’s athletic department, which has just launched a new Mavericks Stand Up Campaign in an effort to stop bullying within elementary schools in Mankato. The campaign hopes that this new program, which is shown to fifth graders at elementary schools in the city, will help raise student awareness to what bullying is and show them the best way to stand up against it. Stephon Walter, a graduate student at MSU first got the idea for this campaign from professional football player Ray Rice, who began his own anti-bullying campaign in October. When he presented the
idea to Nathen Christensen, the director of Marketing and Sales at MSU, Christensen jumped on the opportunity. “It’s an issue but no one has really stepped up and done anything through college athletics departments,” Christensen said. “We are teaching these kids to stand up for themselves and for their peers to these bullies. We teach them to not give the bully credit for what he is doing.” Walter believes that this program has a positive effect on these kids not just because athletes are the ones that are teaching these kids, but also due to the prominence of MSU athletics in the area. “With how close MSU is to the community, any type of Maverick involvement gets them really excited,” Walter said. “It really helps get their attention for what we’re trying to teach them.”
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Every seminar the athletic program does runs for about a half an hour, which features a video and a demonstration on bullying, put on for the kids. Mavericks mascot, “Stomper” also comes to all demonstrations along with MSU junior forward Courtney Vallarelli, a prominent role on the perennial powerhouse women’s soccer team who scored three goals in MSU’s 2012 campaign. Vallarelli has had to go through a lifetime of bullying herself due to her small stature at a younger age, which she incorporates in her story to the kids, something that on one occasion was truly grasped by the kids. “One of the seminars we were at she told her story about being picked on for being small and a girl in the
Bullying / page 9 A&E
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INDEX: SPORTS
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CLASSIFIEDS
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