March 1, 2022

TODAY

Greg wilkins’ to be featured in d.c. page

36˚

14

29˚

It’s above freezing, so that’s nice, I guess.

STUDENT RUN NEWS SINCE 1926

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Pan African Conference talks equity

TUESDAY, MARCH 1, 2022

MAVATHON

Russian forces shell Ukraine’s No. 2 city

By YURAS KARMANAU, JIM HEINTZ, VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV and DASHA LITVINOVA

By JULIA BARTON News Director

Minnesota State University, Mankato’s 46th annual Dr. Michael T. Fagin Pan African Conference closing ceremony summarized some key topics when addressing inequalities.

This year’s theme was Closing The Equity Gap In Education: Moving Beyond Conversation Toward Identifying Best Practices.

One of the main objectives made during the conference was to ensure that all students, no matter where they choose higher education, have an equal opportunity to be successful.

The three day long event started Wednesday and went through Friday as many keynote featured speakers shared their knowledge and personal experiences.

The keynote speakers included J. Luke Wood, Justice Alan Page, and StephaCONFERENCE on page 7 

Associated Press

MADDIE BEHRENS • The Reporter

Raising a total of $5,348 for the Gillette Children’s Hospital, Mavathon exceeded their goal of $5,000.

Mavathon event raises thousands for children in hospitals

By HAFSA PEERZADA

Antiracism discussions informs students

By JEREMY REDLIEN

Staff Writer

This week Minnesota State University, Mankato held its annual campus-wide fundraiser event, the Mavathon. Every year, proceeds from Mavathon are donated directly to local Gillette Children’s Hospitals. This event aims to benefit the families of sick children in Children’s Mir-

acle Network Hospitals.

Members from multiple sororities and fraternities on campus were in attendance this past Saturday in the Centennial Student Union ballroom. The evening featured various games and activities to boost attendee engagement and participation.

Activities were led by morale leaders that kept the crowd motivated and involved along with

volunteers that helped in event set up and ensured smooth operation of all activities as the evening progressed.

The most prominent event of the evening was the morale dance that continued throughout the night in frequent intervals followed by fun carnival games and activities such as balloon toss, kerplunk, and Cards MAVATHON on page 2 

Staff Writer

Business students get hands-on experience

By MAXWELL MAYLEBEN Editor in Chief

For Minnesota State University, Mankato students in the United Prairie Business Experience, last week was the most stressful week of their semester.

The business experience, or IBE, is a program within the College of Business that puts together groups of 15 to 20 students to create a business, with all profits being donated to each groups’ charity of choice.

Last Thursday, three groups presented their business plans to bankers from United Prairie Bank and made a request for a loan.

The three businesses formed by students this year are named Kato Kaps, Kato Classics, and Stomper Grounds.

Each business gives a presen-

MAXWELL MAYLEBEN • The Reporter

Antiracism and using universal design in education were the topics of featured speaker Andratesha Fritzgerald at Minnesota State University, Mankato’s Pan African Conference last Friday in her presentation, “Pain. Power. Honor. Does It Hurt Enough to Change?

Antiracism and Universal Design”.

Universal design is a learning structure that was created to ensure all students are equally able to succeed, regardless of disability, race, class, or other marginalizations.

“We think about what the barriers are for the students we serve and then we design to eliminate or mitigate those barriers into the fabric of every core instructional offering,” Fitzgerald said when discussing univerANTIRACISM on page 3 

tation where they lay out their mission statement, the product they will be selling, their marketing strategy, financial projections, and the dollar amount for their loan request. After their presentation the companies are

subject to questioning from the bankers.

One of the bankers is Brett Feldman, an alum from MSU. Eight years ago Feldman participated in the IBE program and BUSINESS on page 3 

Russian forces shelled Ukraine’s second-largest city on Monday, rocking a residential neighborhood, and closed in on the capital, Kyiv, in a 40-mile convoy of hundreds of tanks and other vehicles, as talks aimed at stopping the fighting yielded only an agreement to keep talking.

The country’s embattled president said the stepped-up shelling was aimed at forcing him into concessions.

“I believe Russia is trying to put pressure (on Ukraine) with this simple method,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said late Monday in a video address.

He did not offer details of the hourslong talks that took place earlier, but said that Kyiv was not prepared to make concessions “when one side is hitting each other with rocket artillery.”

Amid ever-growing international condemnation, Russia found itself increasingly isolated five days into its invasion, while also facing unexpectedly fierce resistance on the ground in Ukraine and economic havoc at home.

For the second day in a row, the Kremlin raised the specter of nuclear war, announcing that its nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarines and long-range bombers had all been put on high alert, following President Vladimir Putin’s orders over the weekend.

Stepping up his rhetoric, Putin denounced the U.S. and its allies as an “empire of lies.”

Meanwhile, an embattled Ukraine moved to solidify its ties to the West by applying to join the European Union — a largely symbolic move for now, but one that is unlikely to sit well with Putin, who has long accused the U.S. of trying to pull Ukraine out of Moscow’s orbit.

A top Putin aide and head of the Russian delegation, Vladimir Medinsky, said that the first talks held between the two sides since the invasion lasted nearly five hours and that the envoys “found certain points.”

UKRAINE on page 4 

2 • MSU Reporter

News

Black female WWII unit recognized with congressional honor

Tuesday, March 1, 2022

MSU STUDENTS RAISING MONEY FOR KIDS

MADDIE BEHRENS • The Reporter

During the event they offered many mini game and activites for students to participate in. Some which included cup pong, dancing, and Cards For Kidz.

MAVATHON from page 1 For Kidz. “Mavathon is a super fun way to get involved on campus. You get to dance, play games, and meet new people.

It’s a great way to come together and it feels good to know you’re doing something great,” said Elizabeth Sazma, the Vice President of Council Management for MSU’s Gamma Phi Beta. The goal for the night was to raise $5,000, which was easily surpassed as the night went on.

“As compared to last year, there has already been more money raised this year,” said Morgan Slusher, a junior in Alpha Sigma Alpha.

Donations for Mavathon are collected all year round.

By the end of the night Mavathon successfully helped raise $5,348 for children in need.

“With COVID we took a hit, so this year we really tried to rebuild and branch out to get more people involved on campus rather than limiting it to only sorority and fraternity life,” added Lauren Wojack, Vice President of Dance Marathon and President of Gamma Phi Beta. Planning for the event started as early as last year. From the event’s initial conception phase, down to the 

U.S Army Women’s Museum via AP

In this photo provided by the U.S. Army Women’s Museum, members of the 6888th battalion stand in formation in Birmingham, England, in 1945.

By MICHAEL CASEY Associated Press

The House voted Monday to award the only all-female, Black unit to serve in Europe during World War II with the Congressional Gold Medal.

The 422-0 vote follows a long-running campaign to recognize the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion. The Senate passed the legislation last year. The unit, known in short as the Six Triple Eight, was tasked with sorting and routing mail for millions of American service members and civilians. Only a half-dozen of the more than 850 members are still alive.

“It’s overwhelming,” Maj. Fannie Griffin McClendon, who is 101 and lives in Arizona, said when told of the vote.

“It’s something I never even thought about it. I don’t know if I can stand this.”

The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion was credited with solving a growing mail crisis during its stint in England and, upon their return, serving as a role model to generations of Black women who joined the military.

But for decades, the exploits of the 855 members never got wider recognition. But that has changed, starting several years ago. A monument was erected in 2018 at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, to honor them, and the 6888th was given the Meritorious Unit Commendation in 2019. A documentary “The Six Triple Eight” was made about them. There is talk of a movie.

Retired Army Col. Edna Cummings was among those advocating for the 6888th.

“The Six Triple Eight was a trailblazing group of heroes who were the only all-Black, Women Army Corps Battalion to serve overseas during World

War II,” said Wisconsin Rep. Gwen Moore, who sponsored the bill after being contacted by the daughter of 6888th members Anna Mae Robertson.

“Facing both racism and sexism in a warzone, these women sorted millions of pieces of mail, closing massive mail backlogs, and ensuring service members received letters from their loved ones,” she continued. “A Congressional Gold Medal is only fitting for these veterans who received little recognition for their service after returning home.”

The House also voted Monday night to the rename the Central Park Post Office in Buffalo as the “Indiana Hunt-Martin Post Office Building” after veteran Indiana Hunt-Martin, a member of the 6888th.

Hunt-Martin died in 2020 at the age of 98.

“Throughout her life and military service, Indiana Hunt-Martin experienced racism and sexism firsthand, but no amount of discrimination prevented her from serving her country,” New York Democratic Rep. Brian Higgins, who sponsored the post office bill and also was a co-sponsor of the Congressional Gold Medal bill, said in a statement. “Her courage and bravery paved the way for future generations of African American women serving in the military.”

The 6888th was sent overseas in 1945, a time when there was growing pressure from African-American organizations to include Black women in what was called the Women’s Army Corps and allow them to join their white counterparts overseas.

The unit dodged German U-boats on their way to England and scrambled to escape a German rocket once they reached a Glasgow port.

They were deployed to unheated, rat-infested airplane hangars in Birmingham, England, and given a daunting mission: Process the millions of pieces of undelivered mail for troops, government workers and Red Cross workers. The mountains of mail had piled up and troops were grumbling about lost letters and delayed care packages. Thus their motto, “No Mail, Low Morale.”

They cleared out a backlog of about 17 million pieces of mail in three months — half the time projected. The battalion would go on to serve in France before returning home. And like so many Black units during World War II, their exploits never got the attention afforded their white counterparts.

Despite their achievements, the unit endured questions and criticism from those who didn’t support Black women in the military.

Housing, mess halls and recreation facilities were segregated by race and sex, forcing them to set up all their own operations. The unit commander, Maj. Charity Adams, was also criticized by a general who threatened to give her command to a white officer. She reportedly responded, “Over my dead body, sir.”

Many of the women had plenty of success after getting out of the military.

Elizabeth Barker Johnson was the first female to attend Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina on the GI Bill. She took part in the school’s graduation ceremony at the age of 99 — 70 years after getting her degree.

Hunt-Martin worked for the New York State Department of Labor for 41 years.

McClendon joined the Air Force after the military was integrated and retired in 1971.

schedule for the night itself, event organizers rigorously planned the entirety of Mavathon. This form of dedication is really what contributes to the success of Mavathon each year.

“Beginning of the year we brainstormed different fundraising ideas, we attended multiple RSO meetings to get the word out, and worked closely together to make this event a possibility,” said Wojack.

Despite having such a successful night, planning Mavathon doesn’t end when the night does. Wojack, in her closing ceremony, briefly glossed over the goals and objectives for next year.

“Our goal for the next Mavathon is to expand and get bigger and reach out to more people on campus to let them know the amazing fundraising and the philanthropic work we do here,” she said.

To encourage participation, Wojack added, “It’s really important to be involved in Mavathon because it’s an event centered around helping local children in need. Money from this event goes directly to them, so everyone can participate because it’s for a great cause plus it’s really fun.”

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Tuesday, March 1, 2022

News

MSU Reporter • 3

Machine ‘bleeds purple and gold’

File photo

By ALEXANDRA TOSTRUD Staff Writer

The Maverick Machine is a key part of the Minnesota State University, Mankato campus community. The band currently has 145 members and performs at football, basketball, and hockey games.

“I joined the Mav Machine my freshman year at orientation. I loved marching in high school and I wanted to continue doing it when I got to college, and it’s been the best decision I’ve made since coming to MSU,” says junior Gabriella Sanchez, who acted as one of three drum majors for the band during the fall season. “It’s a blast, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything else.”

The Machine rehearses twice a week during the fall semester, and once a week during the spring semester. Many members balance other activities and work with involvement in the band.

“I’m in the wind ensemble, I’ve been in jazz and vocal groups but I’m not in those currently, I’m in the KSP program, and I am an undergraduate as-

sistant for Dr. Roisum-Foley,” says Sanchez.

In addition to her other commitments, Sanchez also manages the Maverick Machine’s Tiktok page.

The Maverick Machine is open to all MSU Mankato students, regardless of previous marching band experience.

“I have some visions of us continuing to be as accessible as possible to as many students as possible, and I think the style of what we do has a play in that,” says Maverick Machine director, Michael Thursby. “We don’t ever want to put a barrier in place where the music is too hard and it frustrates students and they feel like they can’t be a part of the group.”

Thursby has led MSU’s athletic bands since the program’s revitalization in 2013, which has grown from a 30 person pep band to a staple piece of Maverick pride.

“President Davenport was spearheading a mission to bring more spirit to campus. One of the things that came out of that conversation was bringing back a marching band and a pep band.

In the nine years that we’ve been here, we’ve figured out our niche,” says Thursby.

Though not a music major, senior Nathaniel Fox has played in the Maverick Machine for the entirety of his time at MSU, and was a student leader in the fall 2021 ensemble “Coming here, I knew of the marching band because both my parents were in it, so I gave it a try. Ever since, I’ve loved it,” said Fox. “It’s helped me develop as a tuba player and develop leadership capabilities.”

Thursby explained how each year is different for the Maverick Machine and how they always keep switching things up.

“Our program is about what the students want. At this time of year, we do a self-reflection to look at where we go next year. From year to year, depending on who the student leaders are in the group, the direction changes,” Thursby says.

Applications to join the Maverick Machine for the 2022-23 academic year open today.

ANTIRACISM from page 1 sal design for learning.

Like a song chorus, the phrase “Does it hurt? Does it hurt enough to change?” was repeated by Fritzgerald throughout her presentation over Zoom.

Elija Lewis, a junior in the elementary education program at MSU, introduced Fritzgerald.

“Fritzgerald exhibits an audacious perseverance that calls organizations to evolve into inclusive, anti-racist safe zones for all learners,” said Lewis.

Fritzgerald is the author of “Antiracism and Universal Design in Learning” and has worked in the education field for over 20 years and currently holds the position of Director of Teaching, Learning, and Innovation for the East Cleveland City School Districts in Ohio.

Before going into education, Fritzgerald pursued a career in engineering and even landed an internship with NASA. She ended up pursuing a career in education after she signed up for a six week English course for 9-12 graders. “I found a sense of purpose that was just magnified in me,” Fritzgerald said, referring to her experience with the course.

Fitzgerald frequently put her ideas into action during her speech. At the very beginning, Fritzgerald encouraged the audience to talk with each other via the chat function on Zoom.

She also frequently asked questions of the audience and encouraged them to answer via the chat function as well.

A powerful incident Fritzgerald discussed during her speech came from her first year of teaching. Mario Redding,

a student in Fritzgerald’s 10R taught, wound up serving a 20 year prison sentence. The class 10R referenced the fact it was a 10 grade English class made up of students retaking the class.

“The students are not broken, the system is,” Fritzgerald said in regards to this incident.

“I tried to control them [10R], but they did not need control.

They needed opportunities to show what they knew.”

At the end, the audience was encouraged to ask questions.

One question was, “How can we overcome a barrier or lack of support from administrators?”

To answer this, Fitzgerald said, “Your outcomes will be your best advocacy. It will be seeing students excel with you who don’t excel anywhere else and the question will be ‘how?’”



STUDENTS GET REALWORLD EXPERIENCE  BUSINESS from page 1 saw the opportunities from it.

“I actually got an internship at United Prairie Bank because I was in the IBE company,” said Feldman.

After serving as an intern at the bank, Feldman moved into a full time position, and for approximately six years has been functioning as an advisor for the IBE program.

Following their presentations, each company goes through a round of questioning that is designed to stress test each company as it pushes the students to be ready for any specific concern the bank might have in regard to their business plan and ability to pay the loan back.

“It’s definitely about seeing how they respond to it, and we can definitely tell when they are making up answers,” said Feldman, “and we definitely ask them questions that they don’t know.”

Kato Kaps was the first to present last Thursday. The company’s aim is to sell trendy headwear, with their target market being MSU students.

The company will have two products available, a bucket hat and a baseball cap.

The group requested for $2,940.30 to cover the initial inventory costs as well as operating and marketing expenses.

The cap company will donate their profits to the Jonathan Zierdt Cancer fund via the Mankato Area Foundation.

The next company up was

Kato Classics, which will be selling crewnecks with a retro-style logo.

The company chose crewnecks as their main product, citing springtime increasing demand for a lightweight sweatshirt compared to a heavier hoodie.

Kato Classics requested $3,000 to make the inventory purchases, create marketing material, and have petty cash on hand.

The company chose VINE Faith in Action as their non-profit to make their donation to.

Finally, the company Stomper Grounds presented their products to the bankers.

They will offer a multi-functional can koozie as well as a lawn chair for their products.

With springtime in the air, Stomper Grounds hopes to appeal to students and faculty as they begin to spend more time outside.

Their loan request added up to $5,556.61 in order to cover the costs of their products.

Stomper Grounds will be donating their profits to the Mankato Area United Way. With all of the profits from each company going straight to charity, Feldman is proud to play a role in educating these students while having an impact on the community.

“Just seeing the money that’s donated to charity and knowing that UPB plays a part in that,” Feldman described as his favorite part about the IBE experience.

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4 • MSU Reporter

News

Tuesday, March 1, 2022

RUSSIAN FORCES CLOSE IN ON UKRAINIAN CAPITAL UKRAINE from page 1 As the talks along the Belarusian border wrapped up, several blasts could be heard in Kyiv, and Russian troops advanced on the city of nearly 3 million.

The vast convoy of armored vehicles, tanks, artillery and support vehicles was 17 miles (25 kilometers) from the center of the city and stretched for about 40 miles, according to satellite imagery from Maxar Technologies. 

The Maxar photos also showed deployments of ground forces and ground attack helicopter units in southern Belarus.

People in Kyiv lined up for groceries after the end of a weekend curfew, standing beneath a building with a gaping hole blown in its side. Kyiv remained “a key goal” for the Russians, Zelenskyy said, noting that it was hit by three missile strikes on Monday and

EXIT OUT OF UKRAINE: ESCAPE BY FOOT, TRAIN, CAR By car, train, foot and — in at least one case — office chair, hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian war refugees have sought safety in the bordering nations of Poland, Romania, Hungary, Moldova, Slovakia and beyond.

The chaotic run for freedom was captured by Associated Press photographers as more than 520,000 people have been forced to flee the country during the Russian invasion.

The U.N. has estimated the conflict could produce as many as 4 million refugees with “devastating humanitarian consequences.”

Associated Press photos by SERGEI GRITS, BERNAT ARMANGUE and ANDREEA ALEXANDRU

that hundreds of saboteurs were roaming the city.

“They want to break our nationhood, that’s why the capital is constantly under threat,” Zelenskyy said.

Messages aimed at the advancing Russian soldiers popped up on billboards, bus stops and electronic traffic signs across the capital. Some used profanity to encourage Russians to leave.

Others appealed to their humanity.

“Russian soldier — Stop! Remember your family. Go home with a clean conscience,” one read.

Video from Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-biggest city, with a population of about 1.5 million, showed residential areas being shelled, with apartment buildings shaken by repeated, powerful blasts. Flashes of fire and gray plumes of smoke could be seen.

Tuesday, March 1, 2022

Advertisement

MSU Reporter • 5

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UT ABO EE FR THE T O L

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ANNUAL PUBLIC HEARING

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ABOUT GREEN FEES

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Parking & Transportation Policies, Budget, and Capital Improvements

Thursday, March 17, 2022 CSU 203 • Noon -1:15 P.M.

ABO ELEC UT T VEH RIC ICLE S

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Face-to-Face Meeting

Please email your comments or concerns to: david.cowan@mnsu.edu by 10 a.m., March 17, 2022.

Hearing Docket 1) Review of Proposed Income ($1,496,000) and Spending Plans ($1,635,375) for 2022-23.

• Includes a 3% increase in Permit prices for Gold (From $340 to $350) and Purple (From $216 to $222), an 8% increase for Residence Hall Light Green (From $280 to $302) and Dark Green (from $216 to $234) permits.

• Assumes $1 Million commitment to resurface this summer Lot 1 (Residence Hall Dark Green area of 471 stalls) – payback of internal loan in four to five years.

2) Lot 22 Orange Space & Free Lot Update: • “Free” overflow for Lot 23 (a.k.a. “Free Lot”) users – first 4 weeks of Fall Semester.

• Reduce the Orange semester charge of $76 to $35.

• No ban on employee use of Lot 23 (a.k.a. Free Lot).

• Registration still in place for users of Free Lot.

3) Electric Parking Vehicle Users: • Charge $3 per hour for “idle time” for electric vehicles who have fully charged.

• Include 30 minute “grace period” to allow owner to transfer vehicle out of lot 11A. • They can either buy a parking permit to park elsewhere, use Flowbird curbside stalls, or park in the Visitors Paylot.

4) Green Transportation Fees Proposal: • Fee of $421,713 requested to keep current bus routes active for 2022-23.

• Proposal before Student Allocations Committee and Student Senate.

An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity University. Individuals with a disability who need a reasonable accommodation to participate in this event, please contact David Cowanr at 507-389-6931 (V), 800-627-3529 or 711 (MRS/TTY) at least 5 days prior to the event. This document is available in alternative format to individuals with disabilities by calling the above numbers. SHOP75OT 3-21

Constituency

Parking and Transportation Advisory Committee

Parking Citation Appeals Board

Administration or Excluded or MAPE (Minnesota Association of Professional Employees)

David Cowan, Advisory Committee Chair

Casey Boone, MAPE

Classified Employees

Katie Roeder

Not Applicable

IFO (Inter Faculty Association)

Seong Jin “Tommy” Kim

Lindsay Henderson

Student Governemnt

On-Campus Res. Community

Bennett Hanson

Jacob Glogowski

Student Government

Off-Campus Res. Community

Zachary Nichman

Vacant

MSUAASF (Minnesota State University Association of Administrative & Service Faculty)

Greg Wilkins

Jeremy Riesenberg

Ex-officio Nonvoting - Student Financial Services Representative

Jodi Orchard

Not Applicable

Ex-officio Nonvoting - Parking & Traffic Services Coordinator; Parking Citation Appeals Board Liason

Adam Kruger

Appeals Board Liason

Ex-officio Nonvoting - Planning & Construction Department Liason

Nathan Huettl

Not Applicable

Ex-officio Nonvoting - Office of Residential Life

Matt Burns

Not Applicable

Ex-officio Nonvoting - Residence Comm. Assoc. President

Patrick Flynn

Not Applicable

Ex-officio Nonvoting - Grounds Maintenance Department

Mike Hulscher & Adam Morris

Not Applicable

Ex-officio Nonvoting - MMA (Minnesota Management Associaton)

Vacant

Deb Sanford

Ex-officio Nonvoting - University Scheduling

Jane Kolars

Not Applicable

Ex-officio Nonvoting - Student Government President

Reauna Stiff

Not Applicable

www.mnsu.edu/parking/hearing A member of the Minnesota State Colleges system and an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity University.

6 • MSU Reporter

Tuesday, March 1, 2022

SPRING 2022 EDITOR IN CHIEF:

MAXWELL MAYLEBEN

MN surplus: help support students

maxwell.mayleben@mnsu.edu

MADISON DIEMERT

madison.diemert@mnsu.edu

Editorial Minnesota is seeing a massive budget surplus this year of $9.25 billion, and students participating in higher education deserve to see some of that money.

Minnesota’s state legislature decades ago made a promise to schools in the system that two-thirds of the cost of attending one of their schools would be funded by the state, with the remaining third covered by tuition paid by the student.

This promise was held for quite some time, but when a recession hits the economy, legislators are quick to lean on cutting higher education funding, citing that universities “have another source of income.”

These situations compound until we run into our current scenario, where the funding roles have flipped, with students footing the majority of the bill.

As legislators look to disperse the surplus, it is vital to analyze the costs of attending school during this time of inflation and extra expenses that land heavily on students.

This is especially interesting to examine when you look at the fact that the cost of attending higher education is putting students deeper and deeper in debt.

According to the Minnesota Department of Higher Education, the cost of attending a Minnesota State University in 1971 was $379, which, when adjusted for inflation,

NEWS DIRECTOR: Julia Barton julia.barton@mnsu.edu SPORTS EDITOR: Kole Buelow kole.buelow@mnsu.edu VARIETY EDITOR: Emma Johnson emma.johnson.5@mnsu.edu MEDIA/DESIGN DIRECTOR: Mansoor Ahmad mansoor.ahmad@mnsu.edu STEVE KARNOWSKI • Associated Press

ends up being $2,630.99.

When comparing this tuition price to last year’s, which was $8,807, it is easy to see the actual cost for students is rising, and has not stopped rising.

This is not just ungrateful kids asking for money, but instead an investment that the state needs to make for the sake of Minnesota.

According to the MSU website, the university creates $781.5 million in economic impact every year. This University alone employs several thousand employees, as well as puts students into the workforce, generating higher tax revenue for the state.

There is value in higher education, and the value has been

forgotten from legislators who instead have chosen to put students further and further into debt, instead of fostering an environment that creates financially stable graduates.

Of course there are programs available, like various loan forgiveness programs, but the problem with these is twofold: they are not well advertised to those struggling, and they aren’t enough.

With worsening inflation and the current situation with Russia invading Ukraine, it is becoming clear that another recession could be imminent, and the burden to pay for this should not, once again, fall on the shoulders of the students of Minnesota.

Higher education funding has been taken for granted by lawmakers, who have time and time again chosen other areas to put tax dollars. The impact of this is showing. The average cumulative median debt for students graduating with a bachelor’s degree from MSU was $25,500 in 2020, according to the Minnesota Office of Higher Education.

Given a payback period of 10 years, that is roughly $261 a month, which can be a substantial financial burden on graduates.

It is crucial for legislators to look closely at higher education. Severely indebted graduates will contribute less and less to the Minnesota economy.

“How do you afford college?”

Compiled by Dylan Engel

KUBAN JEAN ILHAN, FRESHMAN

LINDSEY KETTNER, JUNIOR

“Mainly through FAFSA, with “My mom works here, and we help from my parents and both study here.” summer job.”

LUKE GRAHAM, GRAD. STUDENT

BIKASH MALLA, FRESHMAN

PERI ORSTADIUS, FRESHMAN

“I work at Fed-Ex driving a truck, I pay out of pocket.”

“Mainly from my parents.”

“My parents have a fund, outside of tuition. I have a job for spendings.”

ADVERTISING SALES MGR.: Baylee Sorensen 507-389-5097 baylee.sorensen@mnsu.edu BUSINESS MANAGER: Jane Tastad 507-389-1926 jane.tastad@mnsu.edu ADVERTISING DESIGN/ PRODUCTION MGR.: 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.

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

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Tuesday, March 1, 2022

News

California, Oregon, Washington to drop school mask mandates

MSU Reporter • 7

US states adding to financial pressure on Russia over war

KEITH SRAKOCIC • Associated Press

A sign in the vodka area of a Pennsylvania Fine Wine and Good Spirits store reflects the states decision to withdraw Russian-made products for sale, Monday, Feb. 28, 2022, in Harmony, Pa.

By DAVID A. LIEB Associated Press MARCIO JOSE SANCHEZ • File AP

Kindergarteners wear masks while listening to their teacher amid the COVID-19 pandemic at Washington Elementary School on Jan. 12, 2022, in Lynwood, Calif.

By JOCELYN GECKER and ADAM BEAM Schoolchildren in California, Oregon and Washington will no longer be required to wear masks as part of new indoor mask policies the Democratic governors of all three states announced jointly on Monday.

“With declining case rates and hospitalizations across the West, California, Oregon and Washington are moving together to update their masking guidance,” the governors said in a statement. There are more than 7.5 million schoolage children across the three states, which have had some of the strictest coronavirus safety

measures during the pandemic.

The new guidance will make face coverings strongly recommended rather than a requirement at most indoor places in California starting Tuesday and at schools on March 12, regardless of vaccination status.

In Washington and Oregon, all the requirements will lift on March 12.

In all three states, the decision of whether to follow the state guidance will now rest with school districts.

The milestone, two years in the making, comes as much of the country relaxes public health orders, including school mask mandates, in an effort to restore normalcy and boost economic recovery. The changes reflect a growing sense that

the virus is not going away and Americans need to learn to live with it. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, announced Sunday that the state’s masking requirements in schools would be lifted by March 2. New Jersey, Delaware, Massachusetts and others recently made similar adjustments to ease restrictions for schools.

The announcements signal a turning point that is poignant in its timing, coming almost exactly two years after American cities began shutting down to prevent COVID-19’s spread.

California was the first state to announce a shutdown with stay-at-home orders in March 2020, followed soon after by other states.

CONFERENCE from page 1 nie Burrage among others.

Topics during the closing ceremony included equality versus equity, the inequities that came with COVID-19, and equity mindedness and advancing outcomes for black students.

The concept of equity and connecting it to ways education institutions can implement better teaching skills was one of the main messages.

“Asking ourselves if we are doing everything we can as educators, and as human beings to ensure our black students can be successful. Oftentimes in our work what we have found, and in most institutions, the honest answer is no, we are not doing everything we should be doing,” Luke Wood, Vice President of Student Affairs & Campus Diversity and Dean’s Distinguished Professor of Education at San Diego State University, shared. “We have to recognize there are many groups that experience disproportionate impacts.”

Continuing to recognize the disproportionate impact on students of color was voiced throughout the event as well as the aftermath of the dual pandemic and or racial pandemic.

“All of this conversation is happening during a dual pandemic. COVID-19 brought disproportionate infections, unemployment, and loss of life in the black community,” Wood said. “The community that was most likely to lose loved ones were black children.”

This year’s conference, being entirely virtual, was held via Zoom. MSU has functioned as a hybrid style of teaching both online and in person since the pandemic hit in March 2020.

“The education system in the United States was already highly inequitable with opportunity gaps,” Kenneth Reid, Director of African American Affairs, shared during the conference.

“Although we may see a light at the end of the tunnel on the COVID-19 pandemic, the

educational equity crisis is just beginning and these conversations need to continue.

Moving beyond conversations into practices was a crucial aspect of the conference.

Henry Morris, Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, voiced, “While we are improving our students’ success, we also need to improve the success of our BIPOC and domestic students of color. We need to put our energy and support to have students be successful and put additional resources needed to those students who have historically been purposely marginalized.”

Morris’s hope was that attendees learned and left the conference committed to make Mankato State a better place for everyone.

Demonstrating African music and dance, the Titambe West African Drum and Dance group was also featured during the conference, encouraging those to join and participate from their homes.

Associated Press



Seeking to tighten the financial squeeze on Russia over its war against Ukraine, governors and lawmakers in numerous U.S. states were taking actions Monday to pull state investments from Russian companies while encouraging private entities to do the same.

The effect of sanctions by U.S. states often pales in comparison to national ones, but state officials said they wanted to show solidarity with Ukraine and do what they could to build upon the penalties imposed on Russia by the U.S. government and other Western nations. Georgia House Speaker David Ralston, a Republican, got a bipartisan standing ovation Monday when he told

representatives he would seek to have the state’s retirement funds quickly divested from any Russian assets.

“I don’t know about y’all, but I don’t want one penny of Georgians’ money going to subsidize Vladimir Putin,” Ralston said. “While our role in international affairs is limited, we make clear we stand with those who want to live in peace.” The capitols in Arizona, Pennsylvania and Tennessee and the governor’s mansion in South Carolina were lit with the blue and yellow colors of Ukraine’s flag. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, and Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, issued a joint statement condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as cochairs of the presidentially appointed Council of Governors.

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10 • MSU Reporter

Track and field becomes NSIC champs

Tuesday, March 1, 2022

No. 1 Mavs keep on rolling

By KOLE BUELOW Sports Editor

By KARSON BUELOW Staff Writer

It was a busy weekend for the Minnesota State men’s and women’s track and field team as they competed in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference indoor track and field championships at the Myers Field House on campus.

MSU sophomore Makayla Jackson, who previously held the record for the 60m dash, broke her own record in both the preliminaries and the finals, running a final time of 7.32. Maverick sophomore Denisha Cartwright also improved on her time from the preliminaries as she finished with a time of 24.22 in the 200m dash, setting another NSIC record.

Cartwright and Jackson both earned NSIC high point performer honors earning a combined total of 56 points for the Mavericks in the championship.

The 200m dash was an impressive performance for Minnesota State, as the top five runners featured all Mavericks. They combined for 33 points in total for the single 200m event.

Junior jumper Zoe Stone also had a good performance for MSU in the high jump pentathlon competition.

Stone tied for first place with Sioux Falls freshman Emily Swanson, both finishing at 1.70m. Maverick sophomore Samantha Sunnarborg took home first place in the shot put pentathlon event.

She ended with a final distance of 11.49m.

Minnesota State would go on to win its second straight NSIC women’s indoor track and field championship as they ended with 243 team points on 19 events scored.

Several Mavericks were named to the NSIC indoor track and field all-conference team. On the men’s side of things, Maverick senior Kornelius Klah impressed in both the 60m hurdle and 400m dash events. Klah finished with a 60m hurdle time of 7.92 and a 400m dash time of 48.45, taking first in both events.

Senior Nick Durnin also had an impressive day, taking home first in the 60m dash heptathlon with a time of 7.19. Durnin also claimed first in the 60m hurdle heptathlon event with a final time of 8.26.

CHAMPS on page 12 

The Minnesota State men’s hockey team traveled to Houghton, Mich. this past weekend to take on Michigan Tech in their final regular season series of the 2021-22 season. The Michigan Tech Huskies posed a real threat to the No. 1 Mavericks, as they came into the series also ranked inside the USCHO Division I hockey rankings.

The Huskies appeared at No. 14 in the USCHO rankings prior to the series, and also cracked the top 16 in the PairWise rankings at No. 12. The PairWise is the ranking system that seeds teams for the NCAA tournament in late March with the regional champions heading to the Frozen Four in Boston in April.

The Mavericks came into the series ranked No. 1 in the USCHO but fell to No. 2 in the PairWise rankings only behind the Michigan Wolverines. With a win or series sweep both teams could make a splash in the updated rankings come Monday.

After finishing up the closing ceremonies of the Winter Olympics on Feb. 20, Mavericks’ junior forward Nathan Smith made his way back to the United States. The team was unaware until recently if Smith would be ready to compete in the series against Tech, but he made his return to the lineup Friday night.

The teams began the series on Feb. 25 where the Huskies struck first. At the 8:27 mark of the first period MTU senior forward Tommy Parrottino col-

MANSOOR AHMAD • The Reporter

Senior forward Julian Napravnik (15) is tied for the team lead in points at 44 with junior Nathan Smith. Napravnik tallied three points this past weekend against Michigan Tech, scoring one goal and collecting two assists.

lected a two-on-one breakaway pass from Trenton Bliss to score the first goal of the weekend.

The first period expired and so did the first 15 minutes of the second before Smith tied the game. Senior forward Julian Napravnik ripped a shot at the Huskies’ net but it was deflected right on to Smith’s stick where he was able to rip a shot immediately to beat the Michigan Tech goaltender.

Despite several more scoring chances both goaltenders stood

tall and brought the game into overtime. MSU and MTU competed in overtime once before in the first series of the season on home ice, where Smith called game just 31 seconds into the extra period.

The Mavericks would go on to complete yet another 2-1 overtime win as Napravnik ripped a one timer from a Smith pass at the Huskies’ net. In his first game back to the collegiate scene, Smith tallied one goal and one assist as did Napravnik to

both remain the teams’ leading scorers.

The Mavs and Huskies then headed to Saturday where they competed in front of 2736 fans.

Once again Michigan Tech struck first, claiming a one goal lead just 2:47 into the first period of action. Senior Brian Halonen lit the lamp for the Huskies, assisted by fellow senior Parrottino. The Mavericks would respond in similar fashion to the night before, with ROLLING on page 11 

Women’s hoops fall to Bulldogs in semifinals

By KARSON BUELOW Staff Writer

The Minnesota State women’s basketball team traveled west to Sioux Falls, SD to compete in the NSIC tournament this past weekend. The eighth ranked Mavericks came into the weekend with a 20-5 overall record and 15-5 in the NSIC throughout the regular season.

The Mavs opened the tournament against Southwest Minnesota State with the teams splitting the regular season series 1-1.

MSU opened the game with a 7-0 scoring run started by senior forward Mikayla Nachazel.

The Mavericks continued to add offensive pressure, taking a commanding 32-12 lead after the first quarter. Minnesota State shot 62.5% from the field during the opening frame.

The Mavs and Mustangs

traded back to back shots for the opening three minutes of the second quarter. MSU found scoring from 12 different players in the first half and led by as much as 26 points. Minnesota State led 49-25 heading into the second half.

The relentless Mavericks pressure would not slow down as they began their scoring with a 7-0 run. Both teams would go on multiple smaller scoring runs of their own during the third quarter, with the Mavs continuing to control.

With nearly 15 seconds remaining, junior forward Carah Drees would give the Mavs their highest lead of the game at 32 points. MSU led Southwest Minnesota State 76-46 after the third quarter.

The Mustangs saw good offensive pressure during the fourth quarter, outscoring the Mavericks 19-13. The Mavs

DYLAN ENGEL • The Reporter

With the Mavericks’ 66-69 loss to Duluth on Monday the team will now await the selection show to know if they make the NCAA DII tournament.

would not give in as they never allowed their lead to drop below 20 points. MSU walked away with the game by a final score of 89-65.

As a team, the Mavericks

shot 45.7% from the field and accumulated 34 points from their bench. The Mavs defense also shined putting up 22 steals and 35 points off of turnovers.

HOOPS on page 12 

Tuesday, March 1, 2022

Sports

MSU Reporter • 11

Women’s hockey knocked out of playoffs by Bulldogs

By KOLE BUELOW Sports Editor

The Minnesota State women’s hockey team traveled north to Duluth, Minn. this weekend for the first round of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association tournament. The Mavericks came into the matchup as the fifth seed going up against fourth seeded No. 5 Minnesota Duluth.

The two teams played four times earlier in the season, with the Bulldogs holding a 1-3 game advantage over the Mavs. Unranked MSU held most teams close in the waning moments of the season, and would pose a difficult task to the top-ranked UMD squad.

The Mavericks did just that, getting on the board first in game one of the best of three series. Junior winger Kelsey King struck first less than two minutes into the contest, assisted

by Kennedy Bobyck and Alexis Paddington.

The remainder of the first period was littered with goals, with each team claiming another two of their own. With a 3-2

lead heading into intermission, it would only be a matter of time before the Bulldogs claim their first lead of the contest.

Duluth’s Naomi Rogge buried three goals in the second period, including a power play goal to get the period started at the 2:04 mark.

The Mavericks would find a goal of their own while blanking the Bulldogs in the final period of play, but it was not enough to send the game into extra time.

Duluth’s 5-4 win would make them one game closer to a series sweep of Minnesota State.

“We wanted to play a smart game and manage the puck well… They have an outstanding first line and we wanted our players to be aware of that group,” said Mavericks’ head coach John Harrington on heading into the next game.

The Mavs would return with vengeance in game two, scoring first once again at the 10:09 mark on the power play. Senior forward Brittyn Fleming slipped the puck past UMD goaltender Jojo Chobak but the Bulldogs would respond four minutes later to tie the game at one heading

MADDIE BEHRENS • The Reporter Senior defenseman Taylor Wemple (4) along with seniors Brittyn Fleming and Jessica Kondas leave the Maverick program after the team’s best season since 2006-07. The Mavericks finish the 2021-22 season with a 15-19-1 record.

into the intermission.

A Gabby Krause interference penalty at the 7:16 mark would give way for the Mavericks to find their second power play goal of the contest. Freshman Alexis Paddington found the back of the net half way through the second, scoring her sixth goal of the year.

Another Fleming goal just 1:19 later would give the Mavs a 3-1 lead they would hold for the remainder of the contest.

With the series tied at 1-1 the

team would settle the series on Sunday.

UMD got the scoring rolling in the first period, scoring on a too many players on the ice penalty at the 4:48 mark. The Bulldogs would find another goal in the first minutes of the second period, but the Mavericks would respond with a Fleming goal just over five minutes later.

Senior defenseman Jessica Kondas would continue the early scoring trend at the 2:25 mark of the third period, but the

MSU sending two wrestlers to DII Nationals

By KARSON BUELOW Staff Writer

The Minnesota State wrestling team had a successful weekend competing in the NCAA Division II Super Region V tournament in Moorhead. The NCAA holds six different Super Region tournaments across the United States to send qualifiers to the national tournament.

At 285 pounds, junior Darrell Mason came into the weekend 14-0 and ranked No. 8 in NCAA Division II. Mason opened his tournament with a convincing 13-6 decision over MSU Moorhead’s Samuel Grove.

The Chicago native continued his dominating performance with a 16-6 major decision over Joshua Trumble of Northern State to advance to the semifinal.

In the semifinal matchup, Mason stayed hot, defeating Southwest Minnesota State’s Jacob Dykes by a 5-2 decision and moving onto the championship.

The championship round featured Mason and Kameron Teacher of St. Cloud State.

Mason stayed victorious, defeating Teacher 2-1 in a tie breaker match. With his first place finish at regionals, Mason scored 16 team points for the Mavericks and qualified for

DYLAN ENGEL • The Reporter

Junior Darrell Mason remained undefeated at 17-0 this season after winning three duals in the NCAA Regional in Moorhead. Senior Trevor Turriff will join Mason at the NCAA National Championships in St. Louis.

the NCAA Wrestling Championships.

At 174 pounds, senior Trevor Turriff came into the weekend 15-2 and ranked third regionally. The Depere, Wis. native opened the tournament with a 11-4 decision over Moorhead’s Anthony Castro.

Turriff extended his tournament with a 9-4 decision victory over Colter Bye of Upper Iowa. In the semifinal match, Turriff defeated Job Ayala

of Wisconsin Parkside by an 11-4 decision to move onto the championship round.

In the championship round, Cade Mueller of Augustana defeated Turriff by a 3-1 sudden victory. With Turriff’s second place finish at regionals, he earned MSU 13 team points and will qualify for the NCAA Wrestling championships.

Several other Mavericks also placed high this past weekend. Junior Cooper Sie-

brecht took fourth place at 157 pounds, senior Kyle Rathman finished fourth at 149 pounds, junior Brock Luthens finished fifth at 141 pounds, and freshman Isaiah Mlsna finished fifth at 133 pounds.

Minnesota finished the regional tournament with 71.5 pts, finishing sixth. Mason and Turriff will be competing in the NCAA Division II National Championships on Mar. 11-12 in St. Louis, MO.

scoreboard would remain tied at two heading into extra time.

Half way through the five-minute overtime period, UMD standout fifth year forward Elizabeth Giguere would call game, ending the Mavericks season.

“It was tough for our team.

They gave everything they had.”

Coach Harrington was proud of his team’s accomplishments this season especially how well they battled through injury issues.

PLAYOFFS on page 12 

ROLLING from page 10 Smith tying the game up just 3:35 into the second period.

Linemates Napravnik and junior Cade Borchardt assisted on the play, marking their third and first points of the series respectively.

MSU decided to not wait until overtime to bury another one this time around, as they capitalized on an interference minor at the 14:01 mark. At the 15:21 mark of the second, junior forward Lucas Sowder tallied his fifth goal of the season on a dish from senior Reggie Lutz.

The remainder of the game would end scoreless as the goaltenders stood tall.

Senior netminder Dryden McKay collected 25 saves on the night, as well as a total of 46 on the weekend.

McKay’s 46 saves and two goals allowed helped propel him to yet another Central Collegiate Hockey Association Goaltender of the Week nomination, which marked his seventh time this year earning the nomination.

With the series sweep the Mavericks end the season with a 31-5-0 record as well as a 23-3-0 record in CCHA play. The Mavs also extended their win streak to 11, which began back on Jan. 15 of this year during their 4-1 victory over Northern Michigan.Two Michigan losses also helped propel MSU to their first No. 1 ranking in the PairWise rankings. 

12 • MSU Reporter

Sports

Tuesday, March 1, 2022

Towns hits late 3-pointer as T-Wolves hold off Cavs 127-122

TRACK AND FIELD

EMILY LANSMAN • The Reporter

CHAMPS from page 10 Minnesota State also had other first place finishers in individual events. Senior sprinter Shaheed Hickman claimed first in the 60m dash with a final time of 6.74. Junior distance runner Ben Schmied finished first in the 600m run with a time of 1:21.11.

Minnesota State Mankato finished first in the men’s 400m relay event with a final time of 3:18.67.

The Mavericks claimed their 11 straight NSIC men’s indoor

track and field championship.

They ended the weekend with a dominant team score of 200.16 on 19 events scored, which was 65.16 pts ahead of second place Augustana.

The men’s team also saw several student-athletes take home NSIC indoor track and field all-conference team honors. The NCAA National Championships for both men and women will take place March 11-12 in Pittsburgh, Kansas with the field of participants to be announced on March 1 at 5 p.m.

PLAYOFFS from page 11 “We played five different goalies this year, we had people play different positions… You need someone to make a play for you and the play was made but it was by Duluth.”

Minnesota State finishes the season 15-19-1 overall and will begin spring workouts in preparation for the next season. The Mavs’ 15-19-1 record marks their best win-percentage wise season since 2006-07, when the team finished 16-17-2 at .486.

The Mavericks will regain senior captain Anna Wilgren and last year’s freshman of the year Jamie Nelson heading into their 2022-23 campaign. However, the team will be without seniors Fleming, Kondas, and Taylor Wemple.

Fleming’s senior season is one for the history books, where she tallied a team record 45 points and claimed the No. 1 spot in total points as a Maverick in the women’s hockey program at MSU with 114.



RON SCHWANE • Associated Press

Cleveland Cavaliers’ Isaac Okoro (35) drives against Minnesota Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards (1) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Feb. 28, 2022, in Cleveland.

By TOM WITHERS Karl-Anthony Towns wasn’t shooting for a trophy or title. This time, his clutch 3-pointer saved the Timberwolves.On the same floor where he recently won the NBA’s 3-point Contest during All-Star Weekend, Towns drained a 27-footer with 11.8 seconds left as the Timberwolves survived Cleveland’s comeback for a 127-122 win over the Cavaliers on Monday night.

“I was ready for the moment,” Towns said. The 7-footer’s first 3 of the game helped the Timberwolves hang on after blowing a 23-point third-quarter lead. One of the league’s best outside shooters, Towns became the first center to win the 3-point contest, surprising a field of seven guards.

“Oh, yeah,” he said with a smile when asked if he likes shooting at Rocket Mortgage

FieldHouse. “This building has great memories for me.”

Towns missed his first three 3-point attempts before taking a pass from guard D’Angelo Russell and calmly knocking down his winner over Cedi Osman. Towns had been surprised his first three 3-point attempts were off the mark.“The fourth,” he said, “was cash money.”

Russell scored 25 points, and Towns and Anthony Edwards added 17 apiece as Minnesota handed Cleveland its first home loss in nearly two months.Kevin Love led the Cavaliers with 26 points, Jarrett Allen had 21 and rookie Evan Mobley had 15 and 10 rebounds.Cleveland’s trying to scrape by without All-Star guard Darius Garland, who is sidelined with a bone bruise, and the Cavs are also missing guards Rajon Rondo (sprained toe) and Caris LeVert (sprained foot).

Brandon Goodwin had

17 points, 12 assists and just one turnover in 35 minutes for the Cavs while starting in Garland’s spot.Jaden McDaniels made a career-high five 3s and added 17 for the Timberwolves, who opened the third quarter with a 26-7 run and built a 98-75 lead with 2:44 left in the third.

It appeared Minnesota would coast to an easy win, but the Cavs, who have had to persevere through major injuries all season, wouldn’t quit.

With Love leading the way, Cleveland battled all the way back and tied it 122-all on Osman’s 3-pointer with 33.8 seconds left.But on Minnesota’s next possession, Towns, who badly missed a 31-footer moments earlier, hit his go-ahead bucket from the top of the key.

“KAT is such a good shooter, I always think the shot is going in, no matter if he hasn’t shot it in two quarters or whatever,” Minnesota coach Chris Finch said.

HOOPS from page 10 With their win against Southwest Minnesota State, Minnesota State advanced to the semifinals against the thirdranked Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs. The Mavericks and Bulldogs played onced earlier this season with UMD taking the game by a score of 61-52.

MSU opened the game with a 7-0 run started by a Nachazel layup. Duluth would respond with a 12-4 scoring run of their own to take a 12-11 lead. The final two minutes of the first quarter would see back and forth action, but UMD was able to take a 17-15 lead heading into the second.

The first three minutes of the second quarter saw the Bulldogs and Mavericks trade shots, with neither team set-

ting up good pressure. Duluth ended the quarter hitting three shots in a row and took a 3226 lead into halftime.

The Mavericks got out to a quick 6-0 scoring run in the third quarter, tying the game up at 32, but a layup by senior forward Brooke Olson would have UMD up by four points with nearly a minute remaining in the quarter. The Mavs would not shy away as freshman and senior guards Destinee Bursch and Maddy Olson both hit jumpers to tie the game 47-47 heading into the final frame.

Senior guard Rylee Menster opened the scoring for the Mavericks in the fourth quarter with a layup. The Bulldogs would answer back with a 7-0 scoring run to regain the lead.

With 1:35 left, the game would be tied at 62 as Menster would drain two clutch free throws. Three different Bulldogs would combine to bring UMD a 66-62 lead with 40 seconds left.

Minnesota State and Minnesota Duluth would trade baskets for the remaining 40 seconds.

It was too little too late for the Mavericks as they fell to the Bulldogs by a score of 66-69. The semifinal game between Duluth and Mankato saw 7 lead changes and 11 ties.

The Mavericks will await to see if they will be selected to participate in the 2022 NCAA DII women’s basketball tournament where the 68 teams will be selected March 13 at 7 p.m. on ESPN.

Associated Press

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14 • MSU Reporter

Tuesday, March 1, 2022

Wilkins’ artwork featured in D.C.

By EMMA JOHNSON Variety Editor

To influence others through art is one thing, but to be able to connect with others through art that displays social problems is something that creates conversation.

Minnesota State University, Mankato’s Associate Director of Student Activities Greg Wilkins was recently chosen to be one of nine artists to have his artwork honored by the Washington D.C Gay Men’s Chorus.

To do this, the organization will look at Wilkin’s artwork and create a composition and dance influenced by his work.

The event is being hosted through the Gay Men’s Chorus as a part of the Portraits Project.

The nine artists’ submissions will be brought to life through music and dance.

Wilkins originally found out about the project through an advertisement on Facebook and decided to submit a piece.

“Once I got enough information, I put together several images and artist statements and I submitted it, not knowing how many artists would be involved in the process,” said Wilkins. “I didn’t know it was going to be an international call.”

Over 400 submissions from

around the world were considered for the project. When Wilkins found out that he was chosen, he was delighted.

“It’s humbling, as some of the other artists who were chosen are some of the best in the field and to be in such great company is such a huge honor, particularly for someone who has not formally studied art or gone to a fancy art school,” shared Wilkins.

“To just pick up [art] through natural instinct, it makes me beam to be rubbing shoulders with such giants.”

Wilkins’ portrait is titled “Black Lives Matter: Keep Your Eye on the Prize.” The portrait depicts a woman of African descent remembering her past.

She’s blind in one eye, her other eye looking to a future of social justice and equity for all, while a target scope of a gun trained on it. Wilkins was inspired to create the piece to spark conversation after George Floyd’s death and social injustice.

“I used art as a way to express myself and to bring additional conversation to others, so when they saw the image it might help generate conversation,” said Wilkins. “It’s wild that [society] still deals with racism in this great nation.”

While the premiere of the

Laser tag raises funds for children’s hospital

By SYD BERGGREN Staff Writer

DYLAN LONG • The Reporter

MSU Associate Director of Student Activities Greg Wilkins is one of nine artists whose artwork was chosen out of 400 international submissions to be transformed into a composition and dance to be performed in 2024.

Portraits project isn’t opening until June 2024, Wilkins is hoping that viewers will recognize that his portrait is only one component of the entire work. “[I hope] it will create conversation and dialogue, focusing on social justice and how peo-

ple, regardless of the walk of life they’re coming from, that they might be able to be engaged and they will be able to bring their own voice to issues of importance in their local communities and then resonating out into the PORTRAIT on page 15 

CSU Gallery features MSU students’ surrealist sculptures

By LILLY SCHMIDT Staff Writer

The Central Student Union at Minnesota State University, Mankato has put up a new art gallery that features sculpture work from students.

MSU junior Abby Lundebrek wanted to add a piece to the gallery to expand her portfolio.

“Every year we do a couple galleries, and I always make sure to get my name in those,” said Lundebrek. “I’m trying to get [my art] out there as much as I can.”

MSU senior Nell Jasinski-Ernst is a Fine Studio Arts major with an emphasis in sculpture and installations.

Jasinski-Ernst wanted to get involved not only to showcase their work, but because they believe artists get overlooked. “[Art] is around us all the time, and it’s fun to see the way how different [pieces] are done and how different materials are used,” said Jasinski-Ernst.

“It’s fun to also see what other students are doing. It’s very prevalent.”

The piece Jasinski-Ernst is showing has been in the works for roughly three weeks. Jasinski-Ernst explained it as a mixed media wall piece that plays with colors and lines.

“It uses lots of fabrics and different materials that are very versatile and hanging and weaving together,” said Jasinski-Ernst. “I also like to put an emphasis on tension when I make my pieces.”

As for Lundebrek’s sculpture, she drew inspiration from other artists, mainly focusing on the surrealism of Belgian artist Rene Magritte’s paintings. She focused mainly on Magritte’s flat paintings that create illusions for the eye.

“I particularly chose his painting “Son of Man,” which originally has a man in a bull hat and an apple for his face, so I decided to put my own twist on that. I did a bear with a fish because I kind of think the bear is my spirit animal,” said Lundebrek.

“I wanted to keep the whole illusion of surrealism.”

Lundebrek explained the

EMMA JOHNSON • The Reporter

MSU sculpture students art was inspired through surrealism, lines and vivid colors. The work is displayed in the Centennial Student Union Gallery.

process behind the piece as, “Relating one man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” from a mirror she found in the dumpster. “[Rene Magritte] used to do these mirror pools, and so I decided to cut my bear out and put it on here to kind of mimic what Rene had going on. I wanted to create that illusion of it looking like running water, but it’s not,”

said Lundebrek.

“Basically, I just wanted to capture his artistry into 2D and make it 3D, but in my own twist.”

Jasinski-Ernst encourages students to visit the art gallery to support the art department.

“Art is all around you in everything you see. It’s in the GALLERY on page 15 

This past Saturday. Minnesota State University, Mankato’s Student Events Team hosted a Laser Tag event in the Otto Recreation Center’s main gym as a fun closer for the Dance Marathon, otherwise known as Mavathon.

The Mavathon is an annual event run by multiple organizations across campus to raise funds and awareness for sick kids at Mankato’s local children’s hospital.

Groups are encouraged to create fundraising pages throughout the year, along with participating in different events, such as PieIn-The-Face and pumpkin smashing.

This all leads up to a final day of games, entertainment, and connection with the families that the money goes to.

SET got involved with the event this year by orchestrating a huge game of laser tag at the end of the night. SET member Samantha Schneider explained the laser tag event was new to Mavathon this year.

“We usually do Galactic Bingo, but this year we wanted to spice it up instead of having people sit around and play Bingo. We wanted an active event,” said Schneider.

Laser tag was definitely a well loved choice. Multiple teams showed up before the event even started, and there were three different “battlefields” set up in order to have multiple teams playing at once.

SET member Maddie Berndt explained that the courses are DIY- inspired.

“A lot of things are rented through the CSU, like our flex screens, and our cones and rods that we used to make our own obstacles for people to crouch behind.

The flex screens are bigger to hide behind, and then the cones and poles make smaller, knee high obstacles,” said Berndt.

“It’s a capture the flag situation. Both groups have a light up stick on their flex screen, and the goal of each team is to grab the other’s.”

Even though laser tag is a new event, the team was LASER TAG on page 15 

Tuesday, March 1, 2022

Variety

MSU Reporter • 15

Brittney Johnson is first Black woman as Glinda

GREG ALLEN • Associated Press

CHRIS PIZZELLO • Associated Press

Deaf drama “CODA” won awards for Best Ensemble, marking a huge moment for the Deaf community. “CODA” actor, Troy Kotsur won for Best Supporting Actor. Kotsur is rumored to win an Oscar for his role in the movie.

“CODA” wins several awards

By JAKE COYLE In an upset, the deaf family drama “CODA” took top honors at an unpredictable and history-making 28th Screen Actors Guild Awards that also saw wins for the leads of “Squid Game,” the cast of “Ted Lasso” and Will Smith.

The ceremony, held Sunday at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California, and broadcast on both TNT and TBS, was notably border-breaking, with historic wins for deaf actors, Korean stars and some of Hollywood’s biggest names.

It culminated with “CODA,” Sian Heder’s heartwarming Apple TV+ coming-of-age film featuring a trio of deaf actors in Marlee Matlin, Troy Kotsur and Daniel Durant, along with newcomer Emilia Jones, winning best ensemble. The film has been seen as a watershed moment for the deaf community in Hollywood.

“This validates the fact that we, deaf actors, can work just like anybody else. We look forward to more opportunities for deaf actors,” said Matlin on stage before teaching the crowd sign language for “I love you.”

Matlin is the only deaf ac-

tor to win an Oscar, but her “CODA” co-star, Kotsur, may be in line to join her. Kotsur won best supporting actor Sunday, becoming the first deaf actor win an individual SAG award. When his name was read, the 53-yearold veteran actor plunged his head into his hands. On stage, he thanked his wife for “reminding me to check my fly before walking the red carpet.”

Netflix’s “Squid Game,” the first non-English language series nominated by the actors guild, came on strong with three awards, including Lee Jung-jae for best male actor in a drama series and Jung Hoyeon for best female actor in a drama series.

Those wins came over the likes of “Succession” stars Brian Cox and Jeremy Strong, and Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston of “The Morning Show.”

“I have sat many a times watching you on the big screen dreaming of one day becoming an actor,” Jung told the crowd, fighting back tears.

Still, HBO’s “Succession” ultimately reigned in the best drama series category. Cox fittingly accepted the award with an expletive printed on his face mask, and another uttered as he struggled to take it off. But Cox

turned serious when discussing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In the evening’s bluntest remarks on the invasion, he noted that the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, was a comic — and thus a fellow performer.

He urged censored dissenters in Russia to speak out.

“The people in Russia who don’t like what’s going on — and particularly the artists — I think we should join and celebrate them and hope that they can make a shift, as I believe they can,” said Cox while the audience stood and applauded.

The SAG Awards are considered one of the most reliable predictors of the Academy Awards.

Actors make up the largest percentage of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, and their picks often align. In 2020, when the cast of “Parasite” and Brad Pitt won, they matched exactly.

SAG’s track record may also mean Will Smith, star of the Williams family tennis drama “King Richard,” is heading for his first Oscar. Smith took best actor, scoring his first SAG award.

Meanwhile, Ariana DeBose of “West Side Story” confirmed her frontrunner status with a win Sunday for best supporting performance by a female actor.

GALLERY from page 14 T-shirt you’re wearing, in the posters and billboards you see and the commercials you’re

watching, and it’s good to recognize that,” said Jasinski-Ernst.

“We’re just as important as all the other departments.”

The work done by sculpture students in the CSU art gallery is open for people to view through March 4.

LASER TAG from page 14 hopeful for a successful turnout.

“People who go to Mavathon usually show up to our event after, so we’re hoping for a bigger turnout. Even people who don’t typically come to our events may show up if they were at Mavathon,” said SET member Anna Thevenot.

MSU students were fond of

the new event, and most said it brought back moments of childhood nostalgia.

“I loved playing laser tag when I was younger, and I was excited to relive the experience,” said graduate student Toni Bacigalupa Albaum.

MSU student Erin Gellings was another who enjoyed the game. “I was excited to come

with friends and it just sounded like a fun time,” Gellings stated.

The Mavathon event gathered students from all over campus to raise money for a common cause.

The total amount raised was over $5,000 for the Gillette Children’s Hospital, which will assist families of sick and injured kids.

Associated Press





Actors Brittney Johnson appears on stage during the curtain call of the musical “Wicked” at the Gershwin Theatre in New York on Feb. 14.

Johnson is the first Black actor to assume the role of Glinda full-time.

By MARK KENNEDY Associated Press

While many people spent Valentine’s Day with the traditional flowers and chocolates, Brittney Johnson was making theater history.

The young Broadway veteran was gently lowered onto the Gershwin Theatre stage to become the first Black actor to assume the role of Glinda fulltime in “Wicked,” shattering a racial barrier on the day of love.

“One of the most rewarding parts of this is that it’s not just for me. I think it’s the least amount about me,” she says.

“It’s about what it means for other people, for people that are going to see me do it or for people that just know that I’m here.”

Johnson is part of a sisterhood of women who have recently broken boundaries on American stages, including Emilie Kouatchou, who became the first Black woman to play Christine in “The Phantom of the Opera” on Broadway, and Morgan Bullock who has become Riverdance’s first Black female dancer.

“I do see things shifting, and I am very optimistic about

PORTRAIT from page 14 global community,” shared Wilkins.

Wilkins encourages those who are interested in creating and showing on grand scales such as this to find their niche and to keep pursuing their dreams.

“It’s going to take perseverance and community and 

the future,” Johnson says.

“Because specific conversations are starting to happen now, people’s eyes are being opened in ways that they never had been before, either because they never needed to be, or because they just didn’t know what they didn’t know.”

“Wicked,” based on Gregory Maguire’s cult novel, tells the story of two young witches-to-be, one a green brooder who will be the Wicked Witch of the West and the other blond and bubbly, who will be Glinda the Good Witch.

Johnson has ended a 19year run of white actors playing Glinda in any professional “Wicked” company, a milestone made even more powerful since Glinda is the very essence of goodliness.

“I think it’s something that, especially for little Black kids that come and feel the energy that’s being given to Glenda — somebody that looks like them — it might not be something that they experience from the world in their real life,” she says.

Lindsay Pearce, her co-star as Elphaba, says Johnson is someone “obviously born for this.”

by connecting lots of different voices to opportunities, you can shine brightly,” said Wilkins. “I encourage all artists, regardless of age or ability to keep on [creating art] because you never know where that spark of joy might ignite.

Create a forest fire of opportunity and dialogue for others to come and create change.”

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16 • MSU Reporter

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Tuesday, March 1, 2022