March 24, 2015

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Minnesota State University, Mankato

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Historical fiction writing workshop Author Susanna Calkins brings her writing experience to MSU students.

YUSEONG JEON Staff Writer Susanna Calkins, author and history scholar, provided a historical fiction workshop titled “Writing Historical Fiction: Balancing Accuracy and Authenticity” at 6 p.m. Monday, March 23 in Centennial Student Union Heritage Room at Minnesota State University, Mankato.

In the free public workshop, Calkins discussed how to write historical fiction without distorting factual information, based on what she has learned from her experience of writing historical fiction and shared her opinion when it comes to publication of the novels.

She also offered her own strategies for avoiding the most common pitfalls and mistakes in writing historical fiction such as how one contextualizes historical stories in order to make readers comprehend, how dialogue can sound more authentic than too outdated and how much historical research should be ful-

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filled before writing historical fiction.

“I think that sometimes people get so hung up on knowing the exact precise detail that

sometimes the whole larger story gets a little bit lost,” Calkins said. “For example, my time period is set in 17th century in London and the way that peo-

ple used to speak is something like what you might know from Shakespeare and the reality is most people even modern British people wouldn’t know what

use some words, so I try to sound authentic, but I am not going to use every word from that time period because nobody would understand me. So trying to balance authenticity and accuracy is something that I spend a lot of time doing.”

“I think that it’s important for people to try to be as accurate as possible but also as authentic as possible because it allows the reader to have more full understanding of the time period,” Calkins said.

Christopher Corely, Honors Program director and associate professor of history department, said he invited Susanna Calkins to help Honors Program students in the honors history seminar course where they are asked to develop historical fiction short stories.

“The workshop was originally designed for the honors program students but like many events in the honors program, we open our workshop up to the community into the university so it’s open for everybody.”

Corely also said, “We are hop-

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some of those words mean.”

“So if I were trying to be completely specific and using only those words a modern reader wouldn’t understand me. So I

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ing that the workshop will influence them (MSU students and Mankato community members)

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Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Local folk duo to perform at Newman Center Secret Hill to bring songs of love and life to Halloran Hall in Mankato.

LUKE LARSON Staff Writer Could your week use a little music? This Thursday at 9:15 p.m., Secret Hill, a local husband and wife duo will be performing a concert for students. Peter and Lauren Bierer have been performing their own original songs together for the past three years in the Mankato area. They have played in coffeehouses and public spaces, and often hold house concerts. They are familiar faces at the Coffee Hag in downtown Mankato. Thursday’s concert will be held in Halloran Hall, part of the expanded facilities of the newly-opened Saint Thomas More Catholic Newman Center, located at 1502 Warren St. across from the clocktower.

“The concert that we are bringing in this week is aimed at promoting good local music in the Mankato area,” says Joe Bakken, campus minister at the Newman Center. “We are trying

to create awareness of the many opportunities that are offered at the Newman Center. We have a variety of different events including just random fun events.”

Peter and Lauren met through a mutual love for music while in Adelaide, Australia, where Lauren is originally from. They have been married for almost nine years and currently reside in Mankato. Peter had been working on his own music, but it wasn’t until the two were invited to perform together at a Valentine’s dinner for couples that they decided to embark on a joint musical endeavor that would eventually become Secret Hill.

“We put together some music, and started working on harmonies and playing together. It really was a fun and fruitful thing, and so we decided to keep it going,” says Peter.

He describes their music as a mix of folk and pop, similar to the band the Civil Wars. It’s clas-

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sic Americana with a heavy reliance on the acoustic guitar. Love is a key theme throughout their work. The inspiration for their songs come from a variety of sources. Sometimes, Peter says, their music is autobiographical

Photo by Luke Larson

and sometimes it is based on the experiences of other people in their lives. Other times, it’s pure fiction. But no matter the inspiration, their work generally focuses on experiences that are common to everyone: the joy of finding love and the pain of losing it.

“My goal is to use the gifts that I’ve been given and the passions that I have deep within me to bring some joy into peoples’ lives and to help others interpret what they’re experiencing, whether it’s joy or sorrow or something in between,” Peter says. “Our greatest desire it to make people experience something deep while we’re performing. That’s kind of what we’re going for.”

For him, Secret Hill’s role essentially is to give people an opportunity to explore and understand the emotions, passions, and longings deep within themselves. He sees each performance as a journey for each

individual audience member to embark upon.

Secret Hill’s songs examine both the ups and the downs of relationships. One of Peter’s personal favorites is “Looking for Midnight,” a fun, upbeat love song whose protagonist stumbles into love by sheer accident.

On the other end of the spectrum is “Sometimes”, which Peter describes as a “desperate breakup song”. It features a guy who’s been dumped, who attempts to reassure himself that they’ll eventually get back together and that it will all work out in the end. Peter hopes that the stories his songs tell are in some way relatable to each audience member on a deep, personal level.

Thursday’s concert is free to the public. Free coffee and refreshments will be provided by the Newman Center. More information on Secret Hill can be found at secrethillband.com.

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Tuesday, March 24, 2015

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Facebook partners online for suicide prevention New features in social media site aim to give users better access to support.

SHESTON STEELE Staff Writer Suicide is the third leading cause of death for collegeaged teens and young adults.

It is estimated that each day in the United States, suicide is attempted over 5,400 times, and over one hundred die. Four out of five teens and young adults that are experiencing suicidal thoughts show warning signs.

The warning signs of someone considering suicide usually include: talking about wanting to die, feeling hopeless, or trapped, spontaneous purchase of a firearm, increased use of alcohol or drugs, disrupted sleeping pattern, displaying extreme mood swings, and giving away personal belongings. Of course, these are only a few of the many signs,

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U of M student assaulted in parking lot Students urged to stay aware in parking facilities.

shutterstock.com Organizations such as Now Matters Now offer resources and information to help persons who are struggling with suicidal thoughts or depression.

any behavior that is alarming or irregular should be taken seriously. Expressing one’s feelings of the want to die or commit suicide is a common way that people ask for help. Facebook, the leading social networking site in the world, has added a new feature to help those reaching out for help.

Partnered with Now Matters Now, Save.org, and other suicide prevention hotlines and outreach programs, Facebook is giving users the option to do something when a friend posts or says something alarming on the site or Facebook’s mobile application. When presented with a post that seems concerning, by clicking on the small arrow in the right upper corner of the

post, users are given the option to “Report Post” where contacting another friend for support, contacting the friend who made the post, or contacting a suicide helpline will be the next steps available. Facebook will review all reports, and if and when it is decided that the post is indeed concerning, Facebook will contact the user that posted it. Once the user in distress logs in next, they will be offered a pop up giving them options to either talk to someone (a friend or a helpline) or get support on how to “work through this”.

Facebook has had it available to report “potentially suicidal content” since 2011, but the convenience of having it readily available for specific posts with-

out having to upload a screenshot or URL of the original post to Facebook’s suicide prevention page might be enough to help more users. Facebook currently has this feature available to about half of the country and is working vigorously to have it available for all in the next few months. On Facebook’s suicide prevention page, it does encourage users to contact law enforcement or a suicide hotline immediately.

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, you can direct them to www.suicidepreventionlifeline.com or call 1-800-273-8255 where you will be connected with a counselor in your area. This hotline is available 24/7.

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MINNEAPOLIS — Police are searching for a suspect who raped a 20-yearold University of Minnesota student as she cleared fresh snow off her car near campus.

Authorities say the woman was ambushed from behind and raped in a parking lot early Monday.

According to campus police, the attack happened in a residential lot about 12:45 a.m., about two blocks northwest of various university athletic buildings and facilities.

In a campus crime alert, university police say the man sneaked up behind the woman and sprayed a chemical irritant in her face. The man then forced the woman to the ground before fleeing down an alley.

The Star Tribune reports the woman was treated at Hennepin County Medical Center.

University police released a suspect description that included few specifics.

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What you missed at African Night 2015 Students and community enchanted by popular international event.

Minnesota State University, Mankato

SPRING 2015 EDITOR IN CHIEF: Schuyler Houtsma........ 389-5454 NEWS EDITOR: Rae Frame.................. 389-5450 SPORTS EDITOR: Derek Lambert.............. 389-5157 A&E EDITOR: Chelsey Dively..............389-5227 ADVERTISING SALES: Mac Boehmer............. 389-5097 Jase Strasburg.............. 389-1079 Jacob Wyffels..............389-6765 Allie Bigbee................ 389-5609 Brandon Poliszuk......... 389-5453 Amber Masloski...........389-1063 Sam Rosenzweig..........389-5451

YUSEONG JEON Staff Writer

African Night 2015 took place Saturday night in the Centennial Student Union at Minnesota State University, Mankato. African Night is one of the biggest international cultural events at MSU and a lot of international students from Africa coordinate and participate in the event. Just like the reputation, 2015 African Night was fabulous.

First of all, it was stunning to

see all the participants wearing traditional African clothes and African women with colorful dresses and high heels for performance. The clothes were generally so colorful and magnificent

BUSINESS MANAGER: Jane Tastad.................. 389-1926 AD. DESIGN/PROD. MGR.: Dana Clark..................389-2793

Photos by Yohanes Ashenafi

that I became excited for the big event even from seeing performers walking around CSU.

“I saw their colorful dresses and that was the most interesting thing to me,” said Jaeyong Son, biomedical major at MSU. “They all had unique dresses. Also, I saw Africans unified

through the event even though they are from all different countries and different cultures in the huge African continent and it was very impressive. In most of Asian countries, we are not that friendly to other people in the first place if we are not from same country, same region.”

The performance was very fun and fascinating, the dances and music were passionate and cheerful, making audience excited. Sometimes performers danced off the stage, jumping out of the stage where audiences sat. I felt the performances tended to arouse the audience’s enthusiasm with exciting dances and music. Audiences hailed with acclamations whenever short performances ended.

There were also plots of their performances and it was witty and fun. Through the traditional songs and dances of Africa, I

also felt like I was able to have cultural experience the night and came to know African culture better.

“Ali (one of the African Night performers) gave a very inspiring speech and the crowd went wild,” said Facial Rayani, computer information technology major at MSU. “He brought up every country in Africa and every time he did the people from that country gave him a shoutout. He spoke in a ton of different African languages and it was an impressive performance. There were a lot of African prides in the air. And it felt exhilarating.

I am very proud of the African community on this campus.”

In addition to the performance, the African traditional art works were also impressive and helped the audience to expe-

CULTURE • Page 7

“What type of event should MNSU host more often?”

BISHWAS LAMSAL, DENTAL HYGIENE

KEVIN BASSAMBILA, CIVIL ENGINEERING

KAPIL SHANMUGANATHAN, I.T.

“MNSU should host more international events, because there are a lot of international students.”

“African night.”

“Fusion events collaborating local theatre students with international students.”

JESSE BEULKE, VOCAL MUSIC “Bring in more guest speakers to give talks--people such as state representitves or public figures.”

POLICIES & INFORMATION • If you have a complaint, suggestion or would like to point out an error made in the Reporter, call Editor in Chief Schuyler Houtsma at 507-389-5454. 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 student-run 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.

Compiled by Yohanes Ashenafi

EMILY GEIGER, PSYCHOLOGY “Events that have something to do with food! College students love free food!

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Archeological find in Madagascar Impeccably preserved bones found in submerged caves.

AMANDA HINDE Staff Writer

are literally mind-blowing.

There are crystallized geological formations coming out of the walls, coming out sideways looking like spaghetti. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

After his first dive Lehman contacted Brooklyn College anthropologist Alfred Rosenberger. After diving down into the three caves, Malaza Manga, Aven and Mitoho divers found the most bones in Aven.

Skeletons of ancient extinct species of gorilla sized giant lemurs, elephant birds, horned crocodiles, giant tortoises were all found during these dives.The excavation team has said that the remains of the animals are “almost pristine,” because they have been away from the elements, traffic, and other animals.

Many questions are posed to this extremely uncommon grouping of almost completely intact bones. Why were there so many fossilized animals in the caves? Did they use the caves as shelter? Rosenberger thinks the cave Mitoho was used as shelter for many of these creatures.

The divers found fossa, a cat-

like animal seen in the movie Madagascar, among smaller bones in the surrounding areas.

It is thought that a catastrophic event like a flood may have pushed the animals into the cave, where they perished together.

The fossils found may have even come into contact with humans, as it is thought that humans first arrived in Madagascar by boat about 2000 years ago. The island of Madagascar is thought by archeologists to have been a major stopping point for prehistoric humans along a trade route that stretched from east Africa to Southeast Asia.

While the caves have yet to be fully excavated, the fossils and clues revealed so far are giving scientists around the world greater insight to the prehistoric world. The age of megafauna on this island may have been a world of gigantic lemurs and mini hippos and this archeological project will be something to follow in the coming months and years as specimens are presented in museums for all to see and study.

Wage battle looms Proposed bill contains changes to minimum wage laws regarding tipped workers.

ST. PAUL, Minn. — It’s time to talk about the minimum wage again.

The Republican-controlled House was expected to take up a bill Monday evening that would allow employers to pay staff $8 hourly if tips bring their pay above $12 an hour.

A vote on the measure wasn’t expected until late Monday night.

The fight over tips has reawakened last year’s debate that resulted in the first minimum wage hike in nearly a decade. Democratic-controlled government passed a law last year bumping the state’s minimum wage to $9.50 hourly by 2016.

After taking control of the House this fall, Republicans say they need to give restaurants and other businesses a reprieve from rising labor costs. Rep. Pat Garofalo, a Farmington Republican and the bill’s author, points out

that his bill wouldn’t bring tipped workers’ wages down to the hourly level in some other states.

But the measure faces dim prospects in the Senate and governor’s office, where the Democrats in control say they have no appetite to discuss treating tipped workers any differently. Gov. Mark Dayton said the minimum wage law enacted last year was one of the best things the state has done in recent years to help those earning the least.

“It’s good family policy and I don’t’ see any reason to tamper with it,” Dayton said Monday.

Protesters of the GOPbacked measure packed outside the House chamber Monday afternoon, singing and chanting “Protect the wage!” well before the long debate was expected to get underway.

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Across the Mozambique Channel, 300 miles from the east coast of Mozambique, is the island country of Madagascar. While many today recognize Madagascar from the 2005 film by DreamWorks Animation, there are lemurs and other unique animals that live there along with something a little more surprising.

A diver recently made a huge paleontological find in three flooded caves in Madagascar’s Tsimanampetsotsa National Park. Australian diver Ryan Dart was exploring the underwater caves and swam upon what is said to be one of the greatest finds of fossils ever found in Madagascar. Dart then contacted his colleague Phillip Lehman, a diver for the Dominican Republic Speleological Society.

Lehman said in a CNN interview that when he went on his first dive to see the caves and their contents, he was blown away. “ The formations [of the cave]

MSU Reporter • 5

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Compiled by Nicole Schmidt Name: Alisa Eimen, Art Faculty Education: MA & PhD in Art History (Islam and South Asia focus) from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. MPhil from the International Institute for Study of Islam in the Modern World (Leiden, Netherlands). BA in German with an Art History minor from the University of Alabama, Birmingham

Spotlight solely on the work of Michelangelo. The in-depth focus was eye opening for me, and the professor’s passion moved me to tears.

From a teaching point of view, my favorite class is a seminarstyle course on Islamic art and architecture from the 19th century through today.

Hobby/Hobbies: Spending time with my family, being outdoors, traveling, reading, singing in a chamber choir, and cinema

Favorite Class: As a student, my favorite class was one I took

Favorite Quote: “Don’t turn away.

Keep looking at that ban-

Alisa Eimen spent her childhood living both in Tehran, Iran and Portage, WI until the Iranian revolution permanently anchored her family in Wisconsin. She came to Minnesota for college but, after meandering a bit, ended up graduating with a BA in German from the University of Alabama, Birmingham. She received some wonderful mentoring while there, which set her on course for studying Islamic

art in graduate school—something that had never occurred to her, but thankfully it did, thanks to an art history professor of hers. She returned to Minnesota for her graduate work, during which time she met her spouse and managed to return to Iran for research and language learning in 2001. This enabled her to reconnect with her father’s family and culture and to complete her doctoral dissertation, so she could get this job. Since joining MSU’s Art Department in 2005, she has been able to continue

daged place.

That is where the light enters you.”

-A passage from a 13th-century poem by Jalal ad-Din Rumi

pursuing her research interests, which in fall 2013 took her to Germany to study the development of mosque architecture with her four year-old daughter in tow, helping her take photographs. Teaching, though, is her primary professional focus, and she has greatly enjoyed working with MSU students. Their engagement and curiosity have been extremely rewarding, and she hopes to be able to mentor them as successfully as her undergraduate instructors mentored her.

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Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Brooklyn fire a reminder for safety Blaze caused by hot plate claims seven lives in home with only one smoke detector in basement.

WORKSHOP “In the free public

workshop, Calkins discussed how to write historical fiction without distorting factual information, based on what she has learned from her experience of writing historical fiction and shared her opinion when it comes to publication of the novels.” continued from 1

Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press

NICOLE SCHMIDT Staff Writer A fire in Brooklyn left seven children dead late Friday night after a hot plate, used for warming food, malfunctioned.

An Orthodox Jewish mother was using the hot plate in the home during the observation of the Sabbath, which prohibits lighting a flame. The hot plate started the fire in the kitchen, spreading throughout the home quickly.

firesafetycompany.com

Seven of the children from ages 5 to 16 were trapped in their room and fell victim to the flames. Only the mother and 15year old daughter survived when they leapt from the second-story windows.

This fire has been deemed the city’s deadliest fire in eight years, when a 2007 fire caused by a cord attached to a space heater, leaving ten dead in the Bronx.

Mayor Bill de Blasio visited the remaining structure of the home Saturday.

The 45-year-old mother became separated from her children by fire and thick smoke.

She leapt from the window and approached the house of her cousin. Shortly after this, the 15-year-old daughter jumped from the window.

Firefighters arrived on the scene soon after. The seven children were pulled from the home, and resuscitation efforts

were made unsuccessfully. The mother was placed in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber made especially for burn victims at Jacobi Medical Center, while her daughter was taken to Staten Island University Hospital North.

Fire Commissioner Daniel A. Nigro said that, after investigation, only one smoke detector was found in the basement.

“That’s always a tragedy in itself,” he said.

This heartbreaking fire serves as an unsettling reminder of the danger of fires. Fires can happen to anyone. Test your fire alarms every few weeks, unplug heating appliances when not in use, and keep blankets and other fabrics away from light sockets and heat sources. It is so important to take as much precaution as possible to protect yourself, family, and friends from such a fate as in the small home in Brooklyn.

influence them (MSU students and Mankato community members) in two ways.

One, it’s really important to be able to hear from authors who are writing and who have book contracts and who are engaged in the issues as professionals.”

“And two, we have a lot of writers in our community. We have a great creative writing program at the university, we are hoping some of those students will come, and we have future historians, students in the history program whom might consider becoming writers in using their skills to develop historical fiction. In the two ways we thought this session will be interesting for people,” Corely said.

Susanna Calkins earned Ph.D. in history from Purdue University. She is famous for her historical mystery fiction

series, “Lucy Campion Mysteries (Minotaur/St. Martin’s Press),” featuring Lucy Campion, a 17th-century chambermaid-turned-printer’s apprentice.

The mystery series include her first novel “A Murder at Rosamund’s Gate,” which was a finalist for the Sue Feder Historical Mystery Award (Macavity), second series “From the Charred Remains,” a current finalist for the Bruce Alexander Historical Mystery Award, third series “The Masque of a Murderer,” which will be released in April 2015 and the fourth series “A Death Along the River Fleet,” which will be published next year.

The event was sponsored by the Honors Program and Department of History in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences at MSU.

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CULTURE “African Night is one of

the biggest international cultural events at MSU and a lot of international students from Africa coordinate and participate in the event. Just like the reputation, 2015 African Night was fabulous.” continued from 1

Photos by Yohanes Ashenafi

rience unique African culture.

When it comes to making audience truly involved in the

MSU Reporter • 7

News

event and enjoy a Saturday night, I think African Night 2015 is one of the best international cultural events at MSU. A lot of public and community members came to enjoy the event along with so many MSU students. As an audience member, I was fully dragged into the performances and shows for the whole event night. I truly love this kind of international event in respect that this is a great opportunity for making Mankato community and society more culturally diverse. I applaud all the students who contributed to organizing this amazing event night.

Re-Skilling Festival held in Mankato Botonists, bakers, and beermakers gather to share their knowledge with a new generation of learners.

RAE FRAME News Editor The first-ever Re-Skilling Festival was held last Saturday, March 21 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Lunch was provided by Freisen’s Family Bakery, a bakery and bistro located in Old Mankato on Riverfront Drive.

Toby Leonard, who taught the “How to Create a Hoop House

for the Garden” class, says he used the event to network with other professionals and get advice from other experts on bike repair and gardening.

“It was a very positive and useful event and I hope that it will be around again next year,” Leonard said.

For more information, contact the Center for Earth Spirituality and Rural Ministry, Transition Mankato, or the Mankato Area Public Schools Community Education and Recreation Department.

Photo by Amber Masloski Instructor Toby Leonard shows how a greenhouse can be created quickly and cost-effectively.

and featured volunteer instructors who offered their creative and practical experiences to a new generation of hobbyists and professionals.

Hosted at the Lincoln Community Center at 110 Fulton Street, the event focused on bringing the community together to learn new skills and share their own. Classes included spinning wool, yoga, composting, clothing repair, hauling by bicycle, beer brewing, chicken ownership, and many arts and crafts for the kids.

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8 • MSU Reporter

Advertisement

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Phi Delta Theta 50th Anniversary Dinner & Dance On Saturday, March 28, 2015, the MSU/Minnesota Concert Choir will be part of the Phi Delta Theta 50th Anniversary Dinner & Dance at the Verizon Center.

2015 Alumni Award Honoree Harold J. Fitterer Service Award Dr. James D. Connors ‘68 Phi Delta Theta - Minnesota Beta congratulates Dr. James Connors on being named by the MSU/Minnesota Alumni Foundation as the recipient of the 2015 Harold J. Fitterer Distinguished Service Award.

Dr. Connors now joins five other Phis who were previously named as MSU/Mankato Distinguished Alumni: 1998: David Hunerberg - Achievement 2003: Loras Neuroth - Humanitarian 2006: Dr. Michael Martin - Achievement 2007: Larry Wild - Fitterer Service 2009: Daniel Mundahl - Fitterer Service Congratulations to all these Phis. We are proud of their success, and proud of the role MSU and Phi Delta Theta played in their lives. These men are examples to all of us striving to become “the greatest version of ourselves”.

MSU Reporter • 9

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

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Another championship for Minnesota State

With the MacNaughton Cup already in hand as the WCHA regular season champions, MSU took home the conference playoff title this past weekend for the second consecutive season.

Trevor Cokley • MSU Reporter

Minnesota State University celebrates back to back Broadmoor Trophy championships after Saturday night’s 5-2 win over Michigan Tech in St. Paul.

DEREK LAMBERT Sports Editor The Minnesota State University, Mankato men’s hockey team knew they would be playing this weekend when the NCAA Tournament drops the puck, but it didn’t mean they didn’t have anything to play for over the weekend.

Heading into the Western Collegiate Hockey Association’s conference tournament last Friday in St. Paul, the Mavericks had a target on their backs as the MacNaughton Cup champions of winning the WCHA regular season. With Ferris State University and Bowling Green State University looking to earn a place in the NCAA Tournament by winning the WCHA Final Five tournament, fans knew

to expect a weekend of great hockey on display, and that’s what they got.

On Friday afternoon, Michigan Tech defeated Bowling Green 5-2 to advance to the Final Five championship game on Saturday night. Following Tech’s win, the Mavericks took on Ferris State in the Friday evening game, and the stakes were high.

For FSU, this game was a must-win to keep their season going in hopes of taking home the Broadmoor Trophy as the Final Five champions and receiving the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. For MSU, defending their title as the 2014 Final Five champions was at stake. Though it would have been a nice story for the Bulldogs to pull off a couple of upsets this weekend and make a

Cinderella run through the playoffs, it wasn’t meant to be.

Freshman Brad McClure got things started for the Mavs in the first period when he tallied an unassisted goal when he collected a loose puck, then turned and fired a high wrist shot past FSU goaltender C.J. Motte. The goal would stand as the only tally of the first period, and the Mavericks were able to hold that lead for the remainder of the game.

In the second period, McClure netted his second of the game when he redirected a Casey Nelson shot from the point into the back of the net.

McClure would factor into the scoring once again on his next shift when he assisted on C.J. Franklin’s highlight reel goal where he made a series of

moves before ripping a shot off the crossbar and past Motte.

Franklin’s goal extended the lead to 3-0 heading into the third period.

The only tally of the third period came on an empty net goal by junior forward Bryce Gervais. With just over two minutes left in the third period, Ferris pulled Motte in favor of an extra attacker. But when a loose puck bounced out to center ice, Gervais won the race to the puck and went in all alone on a breakaway, sealing the game with his 27th goal of the season for a 4-0 MSU win. WCHA Goaltending Champion Stephon Williams recorded his fifth shutout of the season in the win, chalking up 25 saves in the process.

Saturday night’s championship contest would provide a

little more excitement for fans, as could be expected with the no. 1 and no. 2 seeds playing for the title, as it should be.

Michigan Tech would get on the board early in the first period after Maverick captain Chase Grant took a penalty for goaltender interference. Just eight seconds into the power play, the Huskies’ Blake Pietila found himself alone out in front of the MSU net and swatted a loose puck past Williams for a 1-0 lead. the lead wouldn’t stand long, however, as the Mavs came right back.

Just three minutes after the Huskies took the lead, Grant redeemed himself for the penalty which gave Tech the

FINAL FIVE CHAMPIONS• Page 12

10 • MSU Reporter

Sports

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

March Madness living up to its name

TOMMY WIITA Staff Writer

March is a time for dramatic, collegiate basketball. This year, there has been no shortage of that. Entering the Sweet Sixteen this weekend, there is only one perfect bracket remaining in the entire nation, according to ESPN’s bracket challenge. There are sixteen teams to preview and watch for going forward, with eight games slated for the upcoming weekend.

In the Midwest there is the no. 1 Kentucky Wildcats facing the no. 5 West Virginia Mountaineers, and the no. 3 Notre Dame Irish versus the no. 7 Wichita State Shockers.

If there is any hope for most people’s brackets, it is the Wildcats staying alive with their undefeated record. Kentucky defeated 16-seeded Hampton and 8-seeded Cincinnati to get to the Sweet Sixteen. Kentucky still looks like a team that will end up in the Championship game, but West Virginia has been playing much better basketball in the tournament.

While Kentucky has blown out each game, WVU narrowly escaped 12-seeded Buffalo and played a much better game against 4-seeded Maryland.

Kentucky only shot 37 percent from the field against Cincinnati and were outrebounded 45-38, but still won convincingly by 13 points.

The Notre Dame versus Wichita State game could be one of the most exciting this weekend. The Irish won the ACC tournament convincingly, and could still be a threat to anyone.

Notre Dame narrowly won their first game against 14-seeded Northeastern, but came back strong against 6-seeded Butler.

Wichita State will not be an easy team to defeat however.

As long as their three-point shooting and rebounds are on point, there is no chance. The Shockers are fresh off a convincing win against their in-state rival, the Kansas Jayhawks.

Guard play overwhelmed the Jayhawks, as it may have the same effect on the Irish.

In the West, we have the no.

1 Wisconsin Badgers against the no. 4 North Carolina Tar Heels and no. 6 Xavier versus the no. 2 Arizona Wildcats.

When Tar Heels guard Marcus Paige is clicking, so is North Carolina. The Heels have been one of the hottest teams for the past month, and it is just another ACC team looking to dominate in the tourney. They defeated 13 seed Harvard and 5 seed Arkansas to advance. This team could be a sleeper to get by the tough Wisconsin Badgers, as this has been the best basketball they have played all season.

Frank Kaminsky and the Badgers will be tough, as they have one of the best starting five in the nation. Wisconsin has allowed on averaged only 56.8 points per game this season, which is fourth fewest. On the other side of the ball, North Carolina has the 17th highest scoring offense in the country, averaging 77.9 points per game.

This game will be hard fought, with a close finish.

The Wildcats look like a number one seed so far in this tournament. This team could

be destined for a Final Four bid this season, as four of their players are all NBA bound. T.J. McConnell will continue to be the pace of this squad, as he had 19 points, six assists and six rebounds in their monumental win over 10-seeded Ohio State.

Xavier is said to have the easiest path to the Sweet Sixteen, as they took care of play in game winner Ole Miss and ended the possible Cinderella story of 14-seeded Georgia State. The Musketeers could be the most overlooked team remaining, but they have solid production from both ends of the floor. The Wildcats may prove to be too much, but in a tournament like this, you never know what the outcome can be.

The East features no. 8 North Carolina State versus the no. 4 Louisville Cardinals and the no.

3 Oklahoma Sooners against the no. 7 Michigan State Spartains.

The Wolfpack have been looking like they did back in 1983, when they were coached by the late great Jim Valvano.

NC State defeated Duke, North Carolina and won against a number one seed, Villanova, in the NCAA Tournament this season. The last time that was done was in 1983. They may be the dark horse to possibly get to the Final Four, as Rick Pitino’s Louisville team has been “tough to coach”, based on the numerous interviews he has partaken in.

This game could be close, which would play advantage to the Wolfpack. They have continued their great guard play, as Trevor Lacey and Anthony Barber combined for 30 points

over one seeded Villanova. The Cardinals will need Terry Rozier to continue his hot shooting if the Cardinals want to advance to the Elite Eight.

The good matchups keep coming. The Sooners have won against 14 seeded Albany and 11 seeded Dayton to advance, but no doubt they have the talent and depth to go deep in the tourney. Big 12 player of the year Buddy Hield has played mediocre up to this point, so if Hield can pick up his play there may be no stopping the Sooners from booming.

The interesting team we have witnessed to advance is Tom Izzo’s Michigan State Spartans, as they upset the 2-seeded Virginia Cavaliers. The team had been inconsistent all season, but they are now playing much higher level basketball since the tournament has started. Just like last year’s champion in the UConn Huskies, they have the talent to get there and are late bloomers.

Guard Travis Trice will have to keep up the pace on offense, as he scored 23 points vs Virginia game. This could be coming down to defensive play, and both teams will not back down.

The South region includes no.

1 Duke versus no. 5 Utah Utes and no. 11 UCLA against no. 2 Gonzaga.

If there is one team in this bracket that is playing on another level, it is the Blue Devils.

Duke handled 16-seed Robert Morris easily, and embarrassed 8-seed San Diego State by 19 points. The dominance of freshman big-man Jahlil Okafor has the advantage every game for Coach K’s team. Okafor is the

focus, as he can draw a double team to create shots for the rest of the team like guard Tyus Jones and Quinn Cook. Justise Winslow is someone to look for too, as his tempo of the game sets it in stone. This team can D run up and down the court of- S fensively, but sometimes lack on defense. The team has averaged to give up 64 points a game, and h they will need to lockdown the w m perimeter better. t The Utah Utes have been playing much better basketball, r as they took care of 12 seeded D T Stephen F. Austin and no. 4 r seeded Georgetown. Delon Wright is a do-everything kind M of talent, and with recent help i r from others such as Jakob Poeltl with18 points, five blocks n against Stephen F. Austin) and g Brandon Taylor (14 points, five s r assists against Georgetown, Utah could be a team to derail t the Blue Devils. They will have to take care of the ball and keep r l the pace slow, as Duke could easily win this one if they get i a chance to run the break more C n often than not.

It seems like the same ques- e 7 tion each year: will Gonzaga finally avoid the letdown that everyone expects this time around?e They have a favorable matchup t against an UCLA team that has C struggled to find a rhythm this A season, and this does look like i the best team Mark Few has everC coached. On paper, they look like a title contender. Veterans s Kevin Pangos and Gary Bell Jr. show a leadership in this otherwise young team, but the talent

MARCH MADNESS • Page 12

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Tuesday, March 24, 2015

MSU Reporter • 11

Sports

Maverick baseball off to a hot start this spring An eight-game winning streak has MSU starting 13-1 this season.

DENZELL OATS Staff Writer

The Maverick Baseball team has gotten there season underway. After a bevy of spring trip matches over break, the men of the Maverick baseball team have risen to the No. 2 spot in the Division II Baseball News Poll.

This comes after last week’s ranking of no. 5 for MSU. The Mavericks were also joined in the poll by central region rivals St. Cloud who obtains the number 17 spot. Washburn has gained no. 18, Emporia State sits at 22 and Missouri southern ranks 27 among the division in the poll.

The Mavericks have been ranked among many polls in the latest as well. In the latest rankings releases from the ABCA Collegiate Newspaper, Minnesota State was No. 3 and then established themselves at the no.

7 spot in the Perfect Game Poll.

The lowest ranking the Mavericks have received also came this week from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association in which they came in at No. 13 behind Seton Hill College (Pa.).

The now 9-1 Mavericks will start league play in the Northern

Sun Conference tomorrow. They will host the University of Mary Marauders here at home at the MSU Baseball complex.

The Mavericks gained their 13-1 record through the total of 10 games they played throughout their spring trip to Florida over the break. With eight different opponents, MSU found its first two wins of the season over No. 16 Grand Valley State and then followed that up with wins against Drury University, Ohio Dominican University, and Ashland University to increase their record to 5-0.

It was Northwood University who topped the Mavericks in an exciting game that handed MSU their first loss of the season. The Mavericks stood resilient however bouncing back to take over Alderson Broaddus University by a score of 19-4.

There final two wins of the spring trip would come through victories over Saint Joseph’s College and Wayne State University.

In its matchup against Saint Joseph’s the Mavericks found a hero in redshirt freshman Dylan Dresel. The game tied at 3-3 through the top of the ninth, Dresel’s single scored the winning run to help the Mavericks

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defeat the Panthers.

In its final game of the trip against Wayne State, the Mavericks overtook them by a score of 13-5 yielding a 9-1 record.

The Mavericks then went to league play against the University of Mary Marauders last Friday and Saturday in a four-game series. The Marauders held a record of 2-heading into the series with wins over Malone University and Cornell College.

MSU swept the Marauders with a pair of wins of Friday by

scores of 5-4 and 2-1, followed by two more wins on Saturday by margins on 6-3 and 10-7.

With the four-game sweep the Mavericks advanced to 13-1 on the year heading into this weekend’s double-header at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside.

The Mavericks are returning 15 familiar faces and letterwinners among, but lost 12 from last year including much of its pitching staff.

One of the top returners for the Mavericks is senior catcher

Nolan Johnson who started 59 games last season and is looked to be a vital role in the team productivity after its spring trip.

Another senior Connor McCallum, infielder, will also see the field this weekend returning for his fourth season for the Mavericks.

Friday’s first match up at UW-P begins at 2 p.m. on Friday in Kenosha, Wisc., with the second game following immediately after.

12 • MSU Reporter

Sports

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

FINAL FIVE CHAMPIONS “He has a history of scoring big MARCH MADNESS “Entering the goals, scoring a lot of them,” Hastings said of McClure. “He Sweet Sixteen this weekend, there is only made an impact both nights and I’m glad he’s wearing our jersey.” one perfect bracket remaining in the entire nation, according to ESPN’s bracket chalcontinued from 9 lenge.” goal, and scored one of his own. finished off the Huskies. ship gives the Mavericks an auCo-captain Brett Stern skated into the Tech zone with speed, making a quick inside-out move around MTU goaltender Jamie Philips before sliding a pass out front to Grant, who one-touched the puck past Phillips to knot the game at one apiece.

In the second period, Tech’s power play would strike again when Alex Petan fired a onetimer past Williams. The goal would be the only score of the middle period, and would send the Huskies into the third period with a 2-1 lead. The game looked to be leaning in favor of Tech until an explosive third period by the Mavericks.

Sophomore forward Jordan Nelson tied things up for MSU when he quickly buried a loose puck into the Tech net that Phillips seemingly had covered.

From there, it was the Brad McClure show.

After scoring two goals in Friday night’s semifinal game, McClure just couldn’t find the back of the net a third time to complete the hat-trick, a feat accomplished by a player scoring three goals in one game. On Saturday night, it took him a while to get going, but once he did, the Huskies couldn’t stop him.

A little over three minutes after Nelson knotted the game

Zach Palmquist

at 2-2, McClure scored his third goal of the weekend on a 2-on-1 rush where he made a move towards the middle of the ice before roofing a wrist shot over the glove of Phillips for a highlightreel goal and a 3-2 lead, giving the Mavs some momentum. A few minutes after that, McClure struck again.

On the power play just past the midway point of the third period, McClure scored his second of the game and fourth of the weekend while standing in front of the Tech net and deflecting a point shot from Teddy Blueger for a 4-2 MSU lead. Then, late in the game the Huskies took a pair of penalties, giving the Mavericks a 5-on-3 man advantage. With the two-man advantage, head coach Mike Hastings put the guy with the hot stick on the ice, and he

After working the puck around the perimeter looking for a perfect scoring opportunity, senior defenseman Zach Palmquist fired a shot on goal that Phillips blocked, but the rebound landed on the tape of McClure, who fired a quick shot into a wide open goal for a natural hat-trick.

“There were quite a few bounces that went my way,” McClure said. “It’s always nice

Stephon Williams

to have those. There are some nights where you don’t. Tonight, it was on my stick at the right time and I found the back of the net a couple times.”

The hat-trick is the fifth of the season for MSU, with Blueger, Gervais, Brett Knowles, and Dylan Margonari all recording three-goal games earlier this season. The goal also sealed the game with a 5-2 win and back-to-back Broadmoor Trophy victories as the WCHA Final Five champions.

Following the game, McClure was named Most Outstanding Player of the Final Five, and to the All-Tournament team along with Williams, Palmquist, and Stern. It is the second consecutive season where a freshman from MSU was named Most Outstanding Player of the Final Five, as sophomore Cole Huggins won the award after last season’s championship. Coach Hastings felt McClure was certainly deserving of the honor.

“He has a history of scoring big goals, scoring a lot of them,” Hastings said of McClure. “He made an impact both nights and I’m glad he’s wearing our jersey.”

With the win, Minnesota State continues the trend that they are one of the top dogs in college hockey. After making their first NCAA Tournament appearance in ten years during the 2012-2013 season, they did it again last season after winning the Final Five. This season, the Mavericks won their first MacNaughton Cup as regular season champions of the WCHA while being the no. 1 ranked team in the country for much of the season, and now have won the Final Five. The tournament champion-

tomatic bid to this year’s NCAA Tournament, though the Mavs were a lock for the tournament regardless, and were also almost certain to be a no. 1 seed.

“It’s really hard to put into words. Obviously, at the start of the season, it was a goal,” Mavericks captain Chase Grant said. “I think everybody starts out with that goal, but we knew it was realistic. We knew it was going to be hard to do and it’s hard doing it with the target on your back after winning it last year.”

MSU received just that, being named the no. 1 seed in the 16 team NCAA Tournament. The next stop on the Mavericks’ journey to the Frozen Four is South Bend, Ind. for the NCAA Midwest Regional Tournament.

The Mavs will face off with the Rochester Institute of Technology, who won the Atlantic Hockey Association conference tournament en route to their automatic bid to the tournament.

RIT is the no. 16 seed in the tournament, and on paper it is seemingly the Mavericks’ best opportunity to break the NCAA Tournament curse that’s seemed to haunt them.

In three trips to the NCAA Tournament, MSU has fallen in the first-round game each time.

If the Mavericks are able to

continued from 10 is there.

UCLA is peaking at the right time just as Michigan State has, and they have five players that are averaging double figures on the year. The fact they have matured as the year went on is vital at a stage like this. Any one of the five players averaging double figures can be a threat to explode at any point. Bryce Alford can be deadly from three point land, Tony Parker can body up any defender in the paint, and Isaac Hamilton, Norman Powell and Kevin Looney are all considered UCLA’s best players. Gonzaga could have a run for its money, but UCLA will have to keep up the mature, high-level play to create in upset in Houston.

Regardless of how this tournament ends up, it has been all the craziness that it was hyped up to be. With over 11 million NCAA Basketball brackets filled out last week, only a sin-

gle bracket remains perfect, and fans can expect more surprises along the way. The big topic of discussion and media attention obviously goes to Kentucky and whether or not the Wildcats can pull off an undefeated season en route to a national championship.

All signs point to yes for the Wildcats, and it could be assumed that for a good majority of fans who filled out brackets, they too hope Kentucky can finish out the season with a perfect record.

Fans and sports media outlets will watch closely as the final 16 teams in college basketball make their quest for the Final Four, and even if just for excitement, that someone will give Kentucky a run for their money.

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get past RIT, they will see the winner of a match up between Harvard and Nebraska-Omaha with the Frozen Four on the line. If MSU is able to win two games this weekend, they’ll be on their way to the TD Garden in Boston for their first Frozen Four in program history.

The puck drops at 3 p.m.

Saturday afternoon at the Compton Family Ice Center at the University of Notre Dame, where MSU will take on RIT on ESPNU, followed by Harvard versus UNO at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN3, with the winners facing off at 6:30 p.m. Sunday night on ESPNU for a bid to the Frozen Four.

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MSU Reporter • 13

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

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Abani talks narrative on campus Highly acclaimed author helps students hone their craft.

LORIEN MEGILL Staff Writer Highly acclaimed Nigerian author Chris Abani visited MSU last Thursday as part of the Good Thunder Reading Series, and spent the day interacting with and inspiring students, faculty members, and people from the community. Abani has published six novels (the first when he was 16), including Virgin of Flames and The Secret History of Las Vegas and seven books of poetry, including There Are No Names for Red, and Kalakuta Republic. Abani has earned such awards as the Lannan Literary Fellowship, the PEN Hemingway Book Prize and a Guggenheim Award.

Abani opened the morning with a Question-and-Answer session. The conference room was full of undergraduate and graduate students as well as faculty members, all eager to hear from him. Despite having read in Chicago the night before and then getting only a few hours

of sleep, Abani was awake and engaging; he also had a friendly demeanor that set the room immediately at ease. He began by telling listeners that he doesn’t believe in talent and that writing is about hard work and discipline, saying that “It’s all about work…There’s nothing romantic about it.” He also talked about writing in terms of solving problems, puzzling out each project until you have worked it out.

Thursday afternoon Abani gave a craft talk in Ostrander Auditorium. He divided it into two sections, starting with a diagram of the structure of all narrative, be it jokes, text messages, short stories, novels, etc. He talked about the necessity of finding out what a story is really about as a reader or a writer. He also spoke to the crucial nature of change.

Without change there is no story; he remarked that “Literature is just gossip in nice book covers.”

After his discussion of structure, Abani read an essay called “The Graceful Walk.” In it he talked about some of the differences

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between African art, craft, and communication and Western art, craft, and communication. Part of this involved discussion of the formative power of language and thinking of writing working the way that proverbs work, with layers of complexity allowing for deeper and different meanings if the listener or reader is aware of and able to understand each level.

Abani finished his visit with a reading on Thursday evening.

He said that he likes to begin readings by reading a poem by another poet, so he began with a poem by Michael Torres, a current MFA candidate at MSU (and former student of Abani).

He went on to read some of his own poems, and finished with a captivating excerpt from his most recent novel, The Secret

History of Las Vegas.

Abani brought an infectious energy and a wealth of knowledge to the MSU campus, and offered it not only to people affiliated with the University, but also to the Mankato community. All Good Thunder Reading Events are free and open to the public, for more information visit http://english.mnsu.edu/gt/ events.html.

The Gunman review

An explosive dud of a movie in theaters near you.

MARSYA STORM A&E Editor Almost everyone seems to have a special place in their movie-watching heart for those turn-off your brain action flicks.

The type of movie where you can just watch things explode

and the protagonist take down numerous bad guys without having to consider logistics or the laws of gravity. Unfortunately The Gunman doesn’t even fall into that category.

Directed by Pierre Morel, the same man who brought the world Taken, The Gunman follows ex-special forces member,

Jim Terrier (Sean Penn), as he finds himself with a target on his back for knowing too much about a kill he was part of eight years ago. The fact that taking the life of Congo’s minister of mines forced Terrier both into hiding and abandoning his girlfriend (Jasmine Trinca) gave this movie all the story it would need

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but the film didn’t stop there.

Terrier, who must go after his old partners, including Felix (Javier Bardem) who married Terrier’s girlfriend, also must face the fact that his years in combat have caused permanent damage to his brain and come to terms with the kills he made. While these additional elements could have elevated the movie beyond its status as stereotypical and created a lead character easy to care about they only bogged the film down instead.

There was a certain lack of direction in The Gunman and while there are minimal complaints on the visual side it seemed as if things just happened. People came and went, conversations were had and mean-looking bad guys were killed but none of it really seemed to fit together; not to mention that Jim’s love interest, Annie, is about as onedimensional as they come. All of that, paired with awkward drunkenness and a slow-motion sex scene cut with flash backs, didn’t help the film any.

It would be nice to say that

the movie wasn’t all bad, and in all sincerity the quality of the violence and special effects are actually noteworthy, but unless you want nothing more out of life than to see Sean Penn shirtless the movie doesn’t have much going for it. The fact an attempt was made to tackle the concept that hired killers would have both emotional and physical consequences to their past actions and escapades was nice but in this case they only get an “E” for effort – not excellence.

The Gunman is much more than a bad movie – its crime is far more grievous than that – it’s an unmemorable movie. No joy will be felt leaving the theatre, the desire to race around or take on your own bad guys will be nonexistent, but odds are that you won’t feel upset or angry at the film either. In fact, it might feel like you didn’t even see a movie at all. Watching a movie should be an experience or even a journey on some level or another and The Gunman fails to deliver.

14 • MSU Reporter

A&E

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Kingsman review

Will the ambitious film usurp the king of all spy films?

SHAWN CLOSE Staff Writer Pop culture is obsessed with the British gentleman spy. The godfather of this character archetype is James Bond, a fictitious person so well known that his fame rivals (and often surpasses) sports stars, Hollywood elites, heads of states and religious deities. James Bond is a modern legend, if we still named constellations one would be named after the international man of mystery. The character has been portrayed in 24 movies over five decades, with another movie coming out in November, with worldwide box office earnings topping six billion dollars, and has spawned dozens of spinoffs, parodies and imitations.

Any spy movie that comes out is inevitably going to be compared to the James Bond movies. But

Kingsman: The Secret Service does more than escape the shadow cast by 007, it manages to be more entertaining than anything Bond has been in more than two decades.

When the world is threatened by evil tech billionaire Valentine (played by Samuel L. Jackson) it’s up to the Kingsmen, a secret independent espionage organization, to stop him. But after its top agent (Colin Firth) is incapacitated and the integrity of the organization is compromised its up to unrefined new recruit Eggsy Unwin, who’s father died during a Kingsmen training mission, to stop Valentine’s nefarious plot and save the world.

First things first, Kingsman is downright funny. With great dialogue and a fast, sarcastic wit that lends it self well to the movies espionage ascetic with some physical humor thrown in for good measure. The action is

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just as high quality as the humor, with a fast, frantic pace and some unique fights (how many times have you seen a double amputee assassin slice a man in half with her prosthetic running blades?). The camera follows the action well, adds some excellent special effects and is as a whole a joy to watch. Add a story of world domination that would make any classic bond villain envois and you have an action

movie classic in the making.

Kingsman pays homage to its gentleman spy predecessors with a wink and a nod, retaining the cooler than life feel that a spy movie should have while maintaining an identity all its own.

Kingsman never takes itself to seriously (something that cannot be said about the new Bond movies) and created a movie that’s fast, funny and a blast to watch from start to finish. Kings-

man is the best movie to come out this year, and even though it’s only March I think it will remain the years best movie for a while. This is a must see movie for anyone who likes fun things, and is okay with so off-colored jokes.

Reporter Rating

5 5

Oodles and doodles of fun

A look back at the DS-exclusive Super Scribblenauts.

WES HUNTINGTON Staff Writer What do you get when combine the English dictionary or Mad Libs and a puzzle game?

You get Super Scribblenauts,

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the October 2010 sequel to the original game Scribblenauts (2009). This game is published

by WB Games and was released

solely for the Nintendo DS. In the game – just like the original – you use the game’s dictionary and come up with words to solve numerous puzzles to help your hero Maxwell gain “starrites” to progress through the game.

Throughout the 50-plus levels you will encounter enemies, allies and above all an evil version of Maxwell on your way to win in the game. All you have to do is use your imagination and come up with crazy, zany and above all unique words and adjectives (for example, “fire-breathing Dragon” or “cold God”) to complete each level. Each level has a unique set of objectives, so make sure you satisfy all of them to complete the level and gain a starrite.

GAMEPLAY As expected, this is a DSexclusive title, so you have to use the direction pad and the DS stylus pen to move Maxwell and progress in the game. You will

get “merits” for having a certain number of adjectives, words, unique words, etc. These merits earn you extra hint points, so if you’re really stumped on how to create a certain item the level needs, you can use those hint points to help you progress. Be careful, too much use will run them out. Once you figure out the gameplay, the puzzles start to become easier and fun to play.

CREATIVITY The creativity of the game can be really restrictive at points. Once you decide to go with one solution – some puzzles have more than one – you must utilize that solution through and through with no margin for divergence. Unfortunately that restrictiveness can diminish the overall experience of the game.

Being forced to follow a simple solution can be easy, but when you beg the game to diverge from the solution because you might think a certain object will

get the level completed, it can get frustrating and may force you to stop playing for a while.

So, the creativity of the game can diminish the experience and also force you to think some horrible thoughts – as with any gamer – destroying the game.

Don’t do that if you want to finish the game.

FINAL VERDICT This DS-exclusive title is enjoyable to pick up and play. Once you get the first puzzle complete, it is easy to continue to play until you encounter the restrictive-

ness of the creativity of some of the solutions that you encounter in the game. However, using the hint points you accumulate can help to a degree, but using it too often will result in not having any. The game can be described as Mad Libs meets a game like the PlayStation 3-exclusive title Little Big Planet, in terms of its overall addictiveness and replay value.

JOIN THE L I V ING L INKS TE AM! The Awake Overnight Direct Support Professional (DSP) assists clients with developmental disabilities in a group home setting. Duties include evening and morning cares, meal preparation and house cleaning. Hours: Every Other Monday-WednesdayFriday-Saturday-Sunday-10pm-7:30am. Wage: Based on education and experience. Pick up an application/availability sheet at Living Links, 1230 North River Drive in Mankato, or download an application. For more information or to email or fax application, call Kimberley at 507-345-7458.

DEADLINE: MARCH 13, 2015

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Tuesday, March 24, 2015

MSU Reporter • 15

A&E

Back to back rave reviews

The latest and greatest television shows from ABC.

ssninsider.com

WES HUNTINGTON Staff Writer The ABC television network is known for some quite hilarious comedies in recent years.

Such examples can be Modern Family, The Goldbergs, The Middle, and new comedies such as the recently-released Fresh Off the Boat and other freshmen comedies such as Blackish. However, its true audienceladen laughter comedies reside on Friday nights from 7 to 8 p.m. These two comedies are Last Man Standing and another freshman comedy named Cristela.

Last Man Standing Currently in its fourth season, Last Man Standing has aired since Oct. 11, 2011. The show stars Tim Allen as Mike Baxter, a marketing executive with a fictitious outdoor sporting goods store called Outdoor Man (the exterior shots of it look like a Cabela’s or a Bass Pro Shop) living in Denver, Colorado. He also has to deal with the world

around him, which seems to him to be dominated by women. Baxter lives in the suburbs and has a wife named Vanessa (Nancy Travis) a geologist-turned-teacher, and their three daughters Eve (Kaitlyn Dever), Mandy (Molly Ephraim) and Kristin (Amanda Fuller from season two to the present; Alexandra Krosney played Kristin in season one).

The hilarity that ensues from this sitcom (current averaging seven million viewers per episode) comes from Mike’s smartalecky comments about life in his weekly vlogs (which usually bookend the episode now) to his right-wing comments about President Obama, especially when he comes in to contact with Kristin and her soon-tobe husband (as of this writing) Ryan (Jordan Masterson; Nick Jonas of the Jonas Brothers portrayed Ryan in the first season’s Christmas episode).

The show is really enjoyable, especially if you enjoy Allen’s other ABC sitcom Home Improvement, which aired from

nbcnews.com

Cristela This show is what could be considered as “King of Queens meets George Lopez.” Indeed, Cristela is very much like that show in many respects. Currently in its first season, the show stars up-and-coming MexicanAmerican comedienne Cristela Alonso as Cristela Hernandez, a law school student with an unpaid internship at Culpepper Law Associates, a law firm in Dallas. Most of the hilarity in this series comes from Cristela’s home life, as she lives with her sister Daniela (Maria Canals Barrera), her brother-in-law Felix (Carlos Ponce) and her mother Natalia – who steals many of the one-liners in the show to great laughter - (Terri Hoyos), who constantly makes reference of how she lived in a poor Mexi-

can village while growing up.

Those comments draw raucous laughter.

One more thing: on a future episode, currently slated to air on April 4, is to have a crossover episode with Cristela and Last Man Standing. Plot details are hard to come by, but rumors indicate that something is wrong with the building permit with Outdoor Man’s expansion store in Dallas, and Cristela and Mike try to sort it out. So, be on the lookout for that episode. It should be fun to watch! Watch these two shows and you might have a spring in your step afterwards.

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FREE SHOTOKAN KARATE classes offered Monday 6-8 pm, Tuesday 7-9 pm, Thursday 6-8 pm. Room PH 102. Beginners are welcome. Need not to be a MSU student to join. For info call Brad @507-388-5301 or lostgonzo@gmail.com or search MSU Shotokan on Facebook or Yahoo Groups.

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1991 to 1999. In fact, three cast members from that former sitcom have appeared on Last Man Standing. They are Jonathan Taylor Thomas (as two different characters), Richard Karn and Patricia Richardson. Richardson guest-starred in a highlypublicized episode (which aired on Jan. 9) in which her character of Helen Potts has been recently widowed by a character that was similar to Allen’s character on Home Improvement, Tim Taylor.

In fact, the vlogs are similar as well to Taylor’s rants on his tool show Tool Time. The series’ first three seasons are available for instant streaming on Netflix.

Reporter Rating

Expires: 4/18/15

5 5

HELP WANTED THE BICKER INN IS NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS for all positions: servers, bartenders and cooks. If interested please contact us at thebickerinn@gmail.com or by telephone 507-720-6128. 3/31

Reporter Rating

5 5

16 • MSU Reporter

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Tuesday, March 24, 2015