March 25, 2014 by MSU Reporter

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Minnesota State University, Mankato

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TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY periods of sun clouds; warmer L 66 H: L 66 L: 14 45 L: 33

H: 22

Cold with H 86

Some sun,H 86 then

THURSDAY

A chance for rain H 86 and snow L 66

THURSDAY L: 18

H: 37

LGBTIAQ* Film Festival this week Series of films chronicle the struggle of the LGBTIAQ* community. EMMA DEPPA Staff Writer This weekend, Minnesota State University, Mankato will be holding it’s first ever LGBTIAQ* film festival. LGBTIAQ* includes an asterisk as the acronym can be interpreted in several different ways. LGBTI stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersexual, whereas AQ can stand for either asexual, an individual with no sexual preference or an absence of sexual attraction; ally, a heterosexual individual who is an ally to the LGBT community; queer, an umbrella terms for those who are not heterosexual; or questioning, an individual who may not know what category they fall under yet. This makes sure to include all individuals of all sexual preference. Four films will be featured

over four days during MSU’s LGBTIAQ* film festival from Wednesday to Saturday, March 26-29. One film will be shown each night at 7:00 p.m. in the Centennial Student Union in Ostrander Auditorium. Admission is free and open to the public! There will also be free popcorn available and other movie snacks will be available for purchase. Tomorrow night the movie Bridesgroom will be shown. It is a documentary that illustrates the emotional journey of two young men who are very much in love and are in a long-term, committed relationship, when one has a tragically young death. It documents how these couples deal with death when they are unable to gain the legal protections of marriage. This movie is in English. Thursday night another movie, Reaching for the Moon, will

be played. This is a film about two women in love, one an American poet and the other a Brazilian architect. It is the tragic chronicle of two women who are deeply in love but are challenged by alcoholism, distance and a military coup. This movie illustrates how their relationship impacts their art and work. This movie is also in English. Friday night the movie Mosquita y Mari will be shown in it’s original Spanish language with English subtitles. This story follows two young Chicana girls who have an unbreakable commitment to their families, however, as their friendship blossoms into more, they are faced with the tough choice between their families’ high expectations and being true to themselves. Lastly, Saturday night the movie Blue is the Warmest Color will be shown in French with

Broadmoor Bliss Legendary trophy comes back to Mankato for first time after Saturday’s 4-1 victory over Ferris State.

English subtitles. This movie is for mature audiences only and is rated NC-17, which is more intense than movies rated R. This movie follows a young woman named Adele, whose world is forever changed by a young woman with blue hair, Emma. Emma helps Adele to assert herself as a grown woman and also

Web Photo Bridesgroom (Couple shown here) chronicles the journey of a long-term, committed couple that meets tragedy.

Office to host open house today

SAM WILMES News Editor

DAVID BASSEY • MSU Reporter The Broadmoor Trophy, given annually to the WCHA tournament champion will head to Mankato this week after MSU’s 4-1 victory over Ferris State in the Championship game to earn them a berth in the NCAA tourney.

INSIDE:

helps her to discover desire. This movie follows Adele’s journey of finding herself through love and loss. All movies are critically acclaimed and have very high ratings. They are for all to enjoy, so come to Ostrander Auditorium to enjoy wonderful feature films at the LGBTIAQ* Film Festival.

Accessibility Resources (formerly Office of Disability Services) will host an open house today, March 25, 2014 in 132 Memorial Library from 1 to 3 p.m. The purpose of the open house is to celebrate their new name, new look and new easyaccess entrance via the link between Centennial Student Union and Memorial Library. Accessibility Resource coordinates accommodations for eligible students and

WCHA FINAL FIVE RECAP/NCAA OUTLOOK - PG. 9

serves as a resource for faculty, staff and the University community. The new name “Accessibility Resources” was chosen to better describe what the office does for students and the university community. All of the services we provide, all of the information we distribute, all of the collaboration and advocacy we facilitate are resources for accessibility” Director Julie Snow said. Bars and coffee will be served and students, faculty, staff and administrators are invited to attend. ED/OP

SPORTS

A&E

2 • MSU Reporter

News

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

MSU Alum wins prestigious award SAM WILMES News Editor A recent graduate of Minnesota State University, Mankato has been named a winner of a prestigious accounting award. Brittany Kruse, a 2012 graduate of MSU’s College of Business, was one of 55 nationwide winners of the 2013 Elijah Watt Sells Award, an annual award by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Kruse, who is now employed with Deloitte, LLP in Minneapolis, graduated with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance. She was a highly decorated student, winning the Minnesota State Mankato’s 2012 Accounting Student of the Year. “Kruse’s award proves that the best accounting students at Minnesota State Mankato can compete with the best students in any accounting program across the nation,” according to the Chair of the Accounting and Business Law and Director of the University’s Master of Accounting program William Brown. “The recent addition of Minnesota State Mankato’s Master of Accounting program has po-

sitioned the accounting program to provide more exceptional graduates in coming years,” Brown said. “We have had some incredibly talented women coming out of the accounting program and she is representative of that,” Brown said. “We’re all really proud of her.” According to Brown, MSU is one of three major accounting programs in the region- St. Cloud State and the University of Minnesota being the other two. Brown contends that Kruse’s award should be an inspiration for other students in the accounting program and for others who are thinking about the accounting major. “It sends a message to College of Business students that the doors are open for career advancement,” Brown said. More than 94,154 candidates took the CPA exam last year and Kruse’s performance ranked her among the top 55 places. Kruse was one of only two recipients to be awarded the Elijah Watt Sells Award in Minnesota. Kruse’s peer group included most who had completed a master’s degree in accounting or

Web Photo MSU alum Brittany Kruse is a rising star in the accounting profession, proven evident by her top 60 finish in the CPA testing.

equivalent education. Recipients of the award must attain a score of over 95.50% across all four sections of the test, which may include of hundreds of questions. Elijah Watt Sells was one of the pioneers of the accounting industry, as he and Charles Waldo Haskins founded Haskins& Sells in 1895, a firm that later became Deloitte, one of four major accounting firms that are mainly responsible for auditing, tax, and financial advising of most major corporations in the United States.

Campuses crack down on illegal downloads RYAN BERNDT Staff Writer Malibu Media, labeled as a “copyright troll,” recently had one of their pending lawsuits shut down by a Florida District Court Judge on the basis that an IP address isn’t a person; thus, a single person can’t be charged with the actions that occurred from the address’s location. This represents a huge win for the peer-to-peer sharing community. Judge Ursula Ungaro, who has worked on cases related to illegal downloading before, stated that “Plaintiff has shown that the geolocation software can provide a location for an infringing IP address; however, Plaintiff has not shown how this geolocation software can establish the identity of the Defendant.” In layman’s terms, the judge stated that although the Plain-

tiff, Malibu Media, has correctly identified the computer used to download the files, that doesn’t mean a single person can be accused of the crime. Usually, owners of the account tied to the IP addresses would be charged with the crime and be forced to pay a lump sum of money. Depending on the files downloaded, fines can be up to hundreds of thousands of dollars. “There is nothing that links the IP address location to the identity of the person actually downloading and viewing Plaintiff’s videos and establishing whether that person lives in this district.” Judge Ungaro stated. Malibu Media filed more than 1,000 suits last year alone. Torrenting communities across the internet have accused Malibu Media of making a living off suing those who illegally download their content, rather than legal sales.

MnSCU is known to crack down on students as well; with some campuses monitoring downloads to make sure nothing illegal is channeled through the system’s wifi network. Campuses that don’t comply with the demands of corporations who own copyright privileges to certain files face hefty lawsuits if they don’t crack down on students. Music, movies and even textbooks can all be downloaded through the use of torrenting and peer-to-peer connections; however, the pornography industry is known to go through extensive measures in order to capture those who illegally download their material With software such as Spotify and Rdio offering free streaming of music, however, it may be safer for students to use their services instead of accessing unsecure websites.

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

MSU Reporter • 3

News

Malaysia: Missing flight crashed in Indian Ocean The plane itself from Flight 370 is still missing, but the Malaysian officials say it crashed into the ocean via evidence from satellite data.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — The missing Malaysia Airlines plane crashed into a remote corner of the Indian Ocean, the nation’s prime minister said Monday night, citing a new analysis of satellite data. The statement was the first major step toward resolving a 2-week-old mystery that has consumed the world. But with the location of Flight 370 itself still unknown — most likely somewhere at the bottom of the sea — profound questions remain about what brought down the aircraft and why. Dressed in a black suit, Prime Minister Najib Razak announced the news in a brief statement to reporters, saying the information was based on an unprecedented study of data from a satellite that had received the final known signals from the plane. He said the data indicated that the Boeing 777, which took off from Kuala Lumpur for Beijing on March 8 with 239 passengers and crew, flew “to a remote location, far from any possible landing sites.” “It is therefore with deep sadness and regret that I must inform you that, according to this new data, Flight MH370 ended in the southern Indian Ocean.” In Beijing, relatives shrieked and sobbed uncontrollably and men and women held up their loved ones when they heard the news. Their grief came pouring out after days of waiting for definitive word on the fate of their relatives aboard the missing plane. The family members in Beijing had been called to a hotel near the airport to hear the announcement. Afterward, they filed out of a conference room in heart-wrenching grief. One woman collapsed and fell on her knees, crying “My son! My son!” Medical teams arrived with several stretchers and at least one elderly man was carried out of the conference room on one of them, his faced covered by a jacket. Minutes later a middleaged woman was taken out on another, her face ashen and her eyes blank and expressionless. Nan Jinyan, whose brotherin-law Yan Ling was aboard the flight, said she was prepared for the worst. “This is a blow to us, and it is beyond description,” Nan said.

In Kuala Lumpur, Selamat Omar, the father of a 29-yearold aviation engineer who was on the flight, said some family members there broke down in tears at the news. “We accept the news of the tragedy. It is fate,” Selamat told The Associated Press. “We know there are no words that we or anyone else can say which can ease your pain,” Malaysia Airlines said in a statement. “The ongoing multinational search operation will continue, as we seek answers to the questions which remain.” An airline official, who declined to be identified citing company policy, said there are no plans to fly the families to the Australian city of Perth, where the search is centered, until wreckage is found. The plane’s disappearance shortly after takeoff from Kuala Lumpur on a routine flight to Beijing has baffled investigators, who have yet to rule out mechanical or electrical failure, hijacking, sabotage, terrorism or issues related to the mental health of the pilots or someone else on board. Malaysian authorities have said that evidence so far suggests the plane was deliberately turned back across Malaysia to the Strait of Malacca, with its communications systems disabled. They are unsure what happened next. Officials have said the plane automatically sent a brief signal — a “ping” — every hour to a satellite belonging to Inmarsat, a British company, even after other communication systems on the jetliner shut down. The pings did not include any location information, but an initial analysis showed that the location of the last ping was probably along one of two vast arcs running north and south. Najib said Inmarsat had done further calculations “using a type of analysis never before used in an investigation of this sort,” and had concluded that the plane’s last position was “in the middle of the Indian Ocean, west of Perth.” He gave no indication of exactly where in the Indian Ocean the plane was last heard from, or what the next step in finding it would be. The grueling hunt could take years, or the plane’s main fuselage may never be found at all. Search teams from 26 nations

have pored over radar data and scoured a wide swath of Asia for weeks with advanced aircraft and ships in a deeply frustrating attempt find the plane. On Monday, planes and ships from Australia to China

were crisscrossing the southern part of the ocean after multiple satellites had detected objects that could have been possible remains of the lost airliner. The search is now considered a race against time because of

the battery life of the “pinger” in the black box, which may run out in the next two weeks. On Monday, an Australian navy support vessel, the Ocean

FLIGHT 370 • Page 7

Photo Courtesy of Associated Press Malaysia’s Prime Minister Najib Razak , left, and acting transport minister Hishammuddin Hussein speak during the press conference for the missing Malaysia Airlines jet, MH370, at Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Monday, March 24, 2014.

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4 • MSU Reporter

Tuesday, March 25, 2014 Follow the Reporter on Twitter @MSU Reporter or Like Us on Facebook.com/ msureporter

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Common Core Standards Initiative debated as Indiana drops out The states decision to steer away from a centralized education system has the nation discussing what to do with the kids. REECE HEMMESCH Editor in Chief In the ongoing issue over the future of education in America, the state of Indiana took a big step Monday in the direction of statewide standards as preference to national criteria over math and reading departments. Indiana withdrew from the Common Core Standards Initiative Wednesday that had been ratified by 45 states in the union since its inception in 2009. The Common Core Standard Initiative is sponsored by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers and aims a centralized education reform across the country with each state taking part. Their goals are simple: according to corestandards. org, to adapt high-quality academic standards in mathematics and English language arts that summarize what a student should know and be able to do at the end of each grade. In short, for example, every 17-year-old boy or girl would have to take the same math test at the end of their junior year to ensure they are all ready to move on to the next year of mathematics in their educational timespan. These standards are to certify that all students graduating from high school have the “skills neces-

sary to prosper in their college career, or career in life.” According to the website, the initiative feels that the high remediation rates found in American schools can be traced back to the “uneven patchwork of academic standards that vary from state to state and do not agree on what students should know and be able to do at each grade level.” Indiana revoked their admittance into the initiative Monday when governor Mike Pence told the Associated

Press he would rather have education decisions be made at the state level, or local level, opposing a national core standard. “I believe when we reach the end of this process there are going to be many other states around the country that will take a hard look at the way Indiana has taken a step back, designed our own standards and done it in a way where we drew on educators, citizens and parents and developed standards that meet our peo-

ple,” Pence said. Indiana now joins the likes of Alaska, Nebraska, Texas, Virginia and the District of Columbia as states not adopting the initiative. The state of Minnesota has decided to adopt the English modem of the initiative, but not the mathematics, as they are looking to keep those standards at the request of the state. Oklahoma also voted Monday at a state Senate panel and found favor-

COMMON CORE • Page 7

STAFF

SPRING 2014 EDITOR IN CHIEF: Reece Hemmesch.......389-5454 NEWS EDITOR: Sam Wilmes..............389-5450 SPORTS EDITOR: Joey Denton.............. 389-5227 VARIETY EDITOR: James Houtsma.......... 389-5157 ADVERTISING SALES: Natasha Jones........... 389-1063 Mac Boehmer............389-5097 Parker Riesgraf.......... 389-1079 Brandon Poliszuk.......389-5453 BUSINESS MANAGER: Jane Tastad............... 389-1926 ADV. DESIGN MANAGER: Dana Clark............... 389-2793

POLICIES & INFORMATION • If you have a complaint, suggestion or would like to point out an error made in the Reporter, call Editor in Chief Reece Hemmesch at 507-3895454. The Reporter will correct any errors of fact or misspelled names in this space. Formal grievances against the Reporter are handled by the Newspaper Board. • The Minnesota State University Mankato Reporter is a studentrun newspaper published twice a week, coming out on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The Reporter generates 78 percent of its own income through advertising and receives approximately 22 percent from Student Activities fees. The Reporter is free to all students and faculty, but to start a subscription, please call us at 507-3891776. Subscriptions for the academic school year are $55.00 and subscribers will receive the paper within three to five days after publishing.

Web Photo Shown here in dark are the states that have already decided not to go with the Common Core Standards Initiative (Alaska, Nebraska, Texas, Virginia, Minnesota) with Indiana added to that list this morning. Many more states could be in line with Oklahoma now in talks of revoking the initiative as well.

“Should all states have the same testing in high school?”

RONALD SEJJOBA, SOPHOMORE ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING “Absolutely, yes, to be standard.”

Minnesota State University, Mankato

MAI HANG, FRESHMAN PRE-NURSING “No, because not everyone has access to the same academic materials.”

ABDUWALID TAJIR, INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS “Yes, since they all are in the same level of education.”

STEPHANIE WALDOCH, ENGLISH LITERATURE “Yes.”

• 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.

Compiled by Arnold Bagamba

GABRIELA GONZALEZ, JUNIOR MANAGEMENT “Yes, so the education system will be standardized!”

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

MSU Reporter • 5

News

Important tips and life lessons learned after the vacation of a lifetime A trip to the warm southern beaches of PCB is detailed by writer who wouldn’t trade the memories she made during the break for the world. MIKELL MELIUS Staff Writer Panama City Beach, Fla., is a popular destination for spring breakers. This year, it was also a popular spring break destination for many Minnesota State University, Mankato students, including myself. I wasn’t exactly sure how the trip to PCB was going to go, or how I was going to afford everything, but I knew I was going to make it there. Although I had many hesitations and concerns, after experiencing PCB for myself and talking to other MSU students who made the trip as well, I can easily say it is one crazy adventure I’d never take back. When I started planning my trip to PCB and with money concerns in the front of my mind, I knew that the transportation and hotel would be the most expensive items. Flying is usually the most popular means of travel, but the cheapest plane ticket I found was for $385 through hotwire.com. That isn’t the most expensive plane ticket ever, but I knew travelling to PCB could be a lot cheaper. Using a road trip calculator on roadtrippers.com, I found that the cost of gas to drive to Florida and back was only $440. The three girls I travelled with and I decided to take on the 22 hour drive since each of us would only be paying $110 each. I’m not going to lie; it wasn’t the best drive of my life, but being able to

drive through other states was pretty neat and by the time we returned to Mankato the total cost was cheaper than we calculated, $100 each. Okay okay, it wasn’t much cheaper, but still! Nick Schmidt, an MSU student, also decided to drive the 22 hours it took to get to PCB. “Driving to PCB was great, everyone in the car was in high spirits and all were looking forward to the memories we would make.” “However driving back was probably one of the most hellish experiences of my life, the excitement was gone and all anyone wanted to do was get home and sleep through the entire car ride.” As I said, not the best drive, but definitely cheaper than flying. The hotel plans were not complicated to figure out, it just involved a lot of research on different hotels in Panama City Beach; many hotels also had spring break package deals. Although the girls and I were trying to be cost efficient, we had a checklist of what we wanted in a hotel. We wanted a good location, we wanted a room with a kitchen and, of course, affordability. We ended up choosing SeaHaven Beach Hotel. It wasn’t the cheapest hotel on the PCB strip but we had a king suite, with a kitchen, right off the beach, and it only cost each of us $360 for the entire week. Well, $372.50 if you count the $50 cleaning fee

we had to split, whoops! But, with having our own kitchen, we only ate out on the drive to and from Florida and we could literally walk out of our hotel room and be on the beach. SeaHaven Beach Hotel also provided their guests with wristbands to get into two of PCB’s most popular clubs for free. Like I said, there are spring break deals! Kathryn Hagen is another MSU student who chose PCB as their spring break destination. “I wasn’t really sure what to expect from PCB on spring break, but I think it delivered in every way. I went to South Padre last year so I had an idea of what it would be like, but PCB is definitely a different experience.” A different experience is certainly accurate. While there are activities such as parasailing and jet skiing, just walking along the beach is exciting. When the girls and I first arrived, we changed into our swimming suits and hit the beach. We instantly found ourselves playing beer pong on a table dug in the sand with college students from Ohio. We played volleyball with girls from Texas, attended a concert with people from Tennessee and hung out with people from Scotland, Peru and Brazil. “The beach is pretty much like a club, but outside and during the day. It was packed, alcohol and bodies (covered in varied amounts of clothing- aka some or none) ev-

erywhere,” Hagen said of her take on the beach. “We bought these cards so we could get free cover and drinks at certain places. If you go next year- it’s worth every penny!” I would, without a doubt, recommend PCB to anyone as a spring break trip. Take

on the 22 hour drive, bite the bullet and pay for a hotel that’s right on the beach, risk getting behind on school work a little, because I can easily say that, although some things are a little fuzzy, my spring break trip to PCB was something I will always remember.

Photo Courtesy of Mikell Melius Mikell Melius ( far left) had the time of her life at the last spring break she will enjoy as an undergraduate.

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6 • MSU Reporter

News

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Ryan comments untimely, unacceptable

SAM WILMES News Editor Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan’s comments earlier this month about poverty in inner-cities are reminiscent of a time and age where racism was more of a widely- accepted point of view in society. However, the tactics Ryan used were veiled and, therefore, impossible to prove as malicious. “We have got this tailspin of culture, in our inner cities in particular, of men not working and just generations of men not even thinking about working or learning to value the culture of work, so there is a real culture problem here that has to be dealt with,” Ryan told radio host and well-known conservative Bill Bennett. It is incredible that a Republican with presidential aspirations would say something like this. Maybe it’s just my politically correct nature, but this seems to be a thinly veiled swipe at black people nestled in the poverty-stricken sections of inner city America. Who is Mr. Ryan to say that inner-city residents don’t value the culture of work or even think about working? Ryan’s comments seem to have a dark undercurrent of racism. The case that Ryan is being racist gained even more steam once he cited Charles Murray, a conservative political scientist who has argued that IQ and race are genetically linked and that a

lot of people who are poor were born lazy. This is one example of a greater problem within the Republican party in relation to the race issue. Black voters voted for President Obama at a more than 96% clip in 2008. You can’t continue to be a nationally relevant party when some of your leaders are saying things like this- especially with the demographics of America steadily changing. That’s when it becomes tough for the GOP, however. When President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act into law in 1964, the racists didn’t go away; while institutionalized racism is an issue of the past, racists didn’t become extinct. It is tough to be both a welcoming and inclusive party while catering to the more regressive aspects of society. The unfortunate thing is that Ryan is correct in certain aspects of the issue: inner city poverty is too high, crime is rampant and murder is often an unfortunate daily reality in many cities. Ryan cites laziness and contentment as reasons for these issues and this is unacceptable. There are sociological issues far deeper than Ryan cares to go. To paint the whole picture with one massive brush does no good, by doing so, you are offering no solution to the problem. What Mr. Ryan and many others still need is a reality check: to attribute laziness and a fundamental lack of smarts to the extremely complex and

THE KITCHEN IS OPEN!

intricate issue of poverty is ignorant, insulting and, to some

degree, racist. Skin color is just that: we are

all human, we all bleed red and we all deserve respect.

Web Photo

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Tuesday, March 25, 2014

COMMON CORE “In short, for example, every 17-year-old boy and girl will would have to take the same math test at the end of their junior year to ensure d they are all ready to move on to the next year of mathematics in their educational timespan.” continued from 4 ing opinions towards the halt of Common Care within the state. The CCSI’s most negative check mark is that many feel it turns out “average” individuals, where the idea of passing the core test is more important than going above and beyond. Minnesota representative Jim Abeler sees the core as “discarding of ingenuity and thinking outside the box for a model that inhibits student achievement” in his public commentary found in the Star Tribune. Although the Core will initiate all the same standards for each state if all states were to join, the CCSI feels that no state would lower their initial standards in an attempt to bring the standards to one low, centralized figure. In my opinion, I am in an agreement with Abeler that states should have their own rights as to whether or not they feel their education standards are high enough. Minnesota, for example is one of the leaders in education in the country, so why should an initiative turn the education standards of this state on its head to preserve the idea of “unity” in education?

MSU Reporter • 7

News

There are some legitimate pushes in the initiative, especially the reading section that could parlay to a better system where not all students at the same level read the exact same list of books, but states are perfectly capable of making educational decisions on their own and should not be swayed by the power party to join forces. I admire the state of Indiana for dropping the initiative and hope that others continue to persistently challenge the idea of a nationally centered education system in favor of a system where every state has its own ideas on how to function. The idea of a federally mandated system with little-to-no local control that is still paid for by the local taxpayers who ultimately have no say in the process cannot be understated and could be detrimental to the state. I understand that test scores are sluggish at this point as Americans see their system falling further behind the world powers, but a consolidated system of education is not the way to go and should not be forced upon states (like Minnesota) who have no previous education quarrels in the past.

FLIGHT 370 “Medical teams arrived with several stretchers and at least one elderly man was carried out of the conference room on one of them, his face covered by a jacket. Minutes later a middleaged woman was taken out on another, her face ashen and her eyes blank and expressionless.” continued from 3 Shield, was headed toward the search zone and was expected to arrive in three or four days, a defense official said. The ship is equipped with acoustic detection equipment that can search for the black box. The U.S. Pacific Command said it is also sending a black box locator in case a debris field is located. The Towed Pinger Locator, which is pulled behind a vessel at slow speeds, has highly sensitive listening capability that can hear the black box pinger down to a depth of about 20,000 feet (6,100 meters),

Cmdr. Chris Budde, a U.S. 7th Fleet operations officer, said in a statement. He called it “a prudent effort to pre-position equipment and trained personnel closer to the search area.” The ocean depth in the current search area ranges between 1,150 meters (3,770 feet) and 7,000 meters (23,000 feet). U.S. Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes on Monday stopped short of saying the U.S. had independent confirmation of the status of the missing airliner. He noted the conclusion of Malaysian authorities that the Boeing 777

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The MSSA will be holding an election for the following positions: • PRESIDENT (1) • VICE PRESIDENT (1) • COLLEGE OF SCIENCE, ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (3) • COLLEGE OF ALLIED HEALTH & NURSING (3) • COLLEGE OF SOCIAL & BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES (2) • COLLEGE OF EDUCATION (1) • COLLEGE OF ARTS & HUMANITIES (1)

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had plunged into the Indian Ocean and said the U.S., which has been assisting the search effort, was focused on that southern corridor of the ocean. Earlier Monday, Malaysia’s police chief, Inspector General Khalid Abu Bakar, reiterated that all the passengers had been cleared of suspicion. But he said the pilots and crew were still being investigated. He would not comment on whether officials had recovered the files that were deleted a month earlier from the home flight simulator of the chief pilot.

• UNDECLARED MAJORS (1) • GRADUATE STUDIES (2) • OFF-CAMPUS (8) • COLLEGE OF BUSINESS (2) • NEWSPAPER BOARD (2) • CSU BOARD (2) • ATHLETICS FEE ADVISORY BOARD (2) • STUDENT HEALTH ADVISORY BOARD (2)

Elections will be held Tues., April 8th • 8:00AM-6:00PM Online at www.mnsu.edu/voting CANDIDACY APPLICATION DEADLINE: TUESDAY, APRIL 1ST, NOON Application Available on the MSSA MavSync Page

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Tuesday, March 25, 2014

MSU Reporter • 9

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Follow the Reporter on Twitter @MSU Reporter or Like Us on Facebook facebook.com/msureporter

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Last WCHA team standing DEREK LAMBERT Staff Writer What did the Minnesota State University, Mankato Mavericks do when their NCAA tournament bid was in question? They forced their way in. Fifteen years after joining the WCHA, the Mavs are finally the champions. Winning their first ever WCHA Final Five tournament secured an automatic big to the NCAA tournament starting this weekend, consisting of just the final 16 teams left in college hockey. It’s the second straight season MSU has made the NCAA tournament, the first back-to-back appearance in program history for the division one era. The road to the Broadmoor Trophy wasn’t an easy one, though. MSU took on the Bowling Green State University Falcons Friday afternoon in the semifinal game and what was anticipated to be a battle until the final buzzer. In four meetings between the Mavericks and the Falcons this season, each team won

a pair of games to go 2-2 in the regular season rivalry, with three of the games going to overtime. This time, overtime wasn’t necessary. After a scoreless first period, junior Chase Grant gave the Mavs a 1-0 lead on a pretty passing play set up by Matt Leitner and Bryce Gervais. Gervais, who has been red hot the past two months, would be heard from again when he scored a shorthanded wraparound goal after some miscommunication between the Falcon goaltender and a BGSU defenseman. With a 2-0 lead after the second period, the Mavs knew they had to keep pressing to prevent a third period push by the Falcons. Senior captain Johnny McInnis would give the Mavericks an insurance goal when he buried his 21st goal of the year on a great passing play by sophomore Teddy Blueger. McInnis’ goal would give MSU a 3-0 lead and all but seal the game until Leitner scored an empty net goal late in the game so put the nail in the coffin, win-

David Bassey • MSU Reporter

Arnold Bagamba • MSU Reporter Sophomore forward Dylan Margonari (right), junior forward Chase Grant (left) and the Maverick forwards consistently put the pressure on their opponents, scoring eight goals in two games at Grand Rapids.

ning 4-0. Gervais would assist on Leitner’s goal, giving him his second consecutive three-point game. Also notable was the Mavericks breaking their school record of 24 wins, which was set last season, by earning their 25th this season with the semifinal victory. Not the only record to be broken in the game, Cole Huggins’ 36-save shutout, his sixth of the season, set a school record for single-season shutouts. Goose egg number six also puts Huggins at second in the NCAA in shutouts. Just a freshman, Huggins carried his outstanding play into Saturday night. While on paper Ferris State looked to be the Mavericks’ opponent in Saturday night’s championship game, Alaska-Anchorage made things interesting. The Seawolves led the Bulldogs 4-2 at one point of the game before FSU tied the game and eventually won in overtime, making the WCHA Final Five Championship a true 1 vs. 2 match up. If there was any buildup for a college hockey conference championship game this weekend, it was for this one. With the University of Minnesota, St. Cloud State, Mercyhurst and Boston College all exiting their confer-

ence playoffs early, the WCHA Final Five was the only tournament that pegged the top two seeds against one another. With some of the top teams losing early in their conference playoffs, the road to the NCAA tournament was open for unranked teams to push their way

Cole Huggins WCHA Final Five Tournament MVP

in, pushing ranked teams out. Ferris State already secured a spot in the tournament, but for MSU the future was uncertain. It became seemingly more likely that the Mavericks would need to win the Final Five to make their second consecutive NCAA tournament appearance. Ferris and Minnesota State

had faced each other twice this season when the Bulldogs visited Mankato back in January, where the Mavericks swept FSU in a series that included a fight between every player on the ice, multiple game ejections from both sides and at the time, an unranked Mavs team taking down the no. 2 team in the country. This game is the championship the WCHA had hoped to see, and they got to see a good one. In a game where it was a must, MSU played like a team that not only wanted to win, but had to win. In what is typical of playoffs in the sports universe, grit and determination won this game. FSU did a good job of keeping the Mavericks to the outside, limiting the quality of scoring chances. With the Maverick leaders being watched closely, it paved the way for some role players to shine. Maverick freshman Mike Huntebrinker, playing in just his 19th game of the season, got the Mavs on the board first. Scoring just his second goal of the season, Huntebrinker found himself all alone in front of Bulldog goaltender C.J. Motte and redirected a Zach Lehrke pass over Motte’s

FINAL FIVE CHAMPS • Page 10

10 • MSU Reporter

Sports

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

FINAL FIVE CHAMPS “When I first got here it was pretty much a fantasy to be lifting this trophy someday,” McInnis said. “It shows how far we’ve come in the last four years, especially the last two.” continued from 9 shoulder for a 1-0 lead. Carrying the momentum, the Mavericks made a push to extend the lead, and found the back of the net again just less than five minutes later. Again, a role player stepping up to score a goal, junior defenseman and assistant captain Brett Stern, known for his stay at home defensive playing style, looked like a pure goal scorer when he gave MSU a 2-0 lead. With Blueger skating into the offensive zone, Stern followed the play, getting a pass from Blueger and ripping a laser of a shot off the crossbar and into the net to give the Mavs a two-goal cushion heading into the second period. Despite the highlight reel caliber goal, Stern credits his teammate for the setup. “It was a great play by Teddy,” Stern said. “He just found me and the puck had eyes.” The Bulldogs would score the only goal of the second period when Gerald Mayhew scored his third goal of the tournament to bring the score to 2-1 with just 46 seconds remaining in the period. There was a penalty on the play, which resulted in a FSU power play to start the third period, but the final period was all Mavericks. MSU appeared to be a team of destiny in the third period. They played hard, they played well and the bounces seemed to be going in their favor. Sophomore Brett Knowles scored possibly the big-

gest goal in this game to extend the lead back to two when he gave the Mavericks a 3-1 lead. All alone in front of Motte, Knowles jammed the puck into the back of the net off a Blueger setup for his first goal of the season, and yet again it was a role player giving MSU the momentum. “Knowles and Huntebrinker, they’re our energy guys,” Stern said. “They’re always wheeling around giving us energy so it’s good to see them rewarded for it.” Ferris kept their foot on the gas though, and created plenty of scary moments for the Mavericks towards the end of the game. With Motte pulled in favor of the extra attacker, MSU sealed the deal when Leitner was able to clear the zone and slide the puck over to Blueger, who scored an empty-net goal and his third point of the game to secure a 4-1 victory and MSU’s first Final Five Championship. The Mavericks celebrated the final buzzer with a team hog pile and the chance to hoist the Broadmoor Trophy. Aside from the team hardware coming back to Mankato, individual honors were given to the Mavs. Huggins was named the Final Five Tournament MVP, while he, Blueger, Gervais and Stern were all named to the All-Tournament team. The leaders of the weekend enjoyed the limelight, but celebrated as a team, enjoying how far they’ve come. Senior forward and team cap-

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tain Johnny McInnis knows just how hard it was to get to this point. He spent is first two seasons at MSU playing for former coach Troy Jutting, when the Mavericks had below .500 records in both of those seasons. Now his junior and senior seasons have seen him breakout as a goal scorer and a leader, as well as two straight NCAA tournament appearances. “When I first got here it was pretty much a fantasy to be lifting this trophy someday.” said McInnis. “It shows how far we’ve come in the last four years, especially the last two.” Riding high on a wave of emotion, the captain credited his coach for taking the program to the level of national recognition. “I can’t say how thankful I am for [coach Hastings] for coming on board and turning us around,” McInnis said. “He’s been a blessing to our university and to our community.” Coach Hastings inherited a Maverick team that had gone 1224-2 the year before, and hadn’t had an above .500 season since the 2007-2008 season. He took Jutting’s team and brought them to the NCAA tournament last season for the first time in ten years with a 24-14-3 record, a program best. He has now surpassed his own program record for wins he set last year with a now 26-13-1 record this season and another trip to the NCAA tournament. Hastings doesn’t want to take all the credit, though.

Arnold Bagamba • MSU Reporter Sophomore forward Brett Knowles put in his first goal of the season at the 8:38 mark of the third period in the WCHA Final Five Championship.

“When you put in what you should put in, more often than not the hockey gods pay you back,” Hastings said. “You take a look at any level and you can’t get it done without outstanding goaltending. They put a push on and [Huggins] made some saves that he shouldn’t have.” The Mavericks came in at tenth in the NCAA pairwise and received a no. 3 seed for the NCAA tournament. In their third NCAA tournament appearance, it is the Mavericks’ first appearance being seeded higher than a no. 4 seed. The Mavs will take on

the University of MassachusettsLowell Riverhawks this Saturday in the NCAA Northeast Regional Semifinal. It’s do or die for the Mavericks from here on out, as the NCAA tournament is single elimination. If MSU gets past the no. 2 seeded Riverhawks, they will meet with either no. 1 seeded Boston College or no. 4 seeded Denver for the championship game, leading them to the Frozen Four. The puck drops at 6:30 p.m. this Saturday at the DCU Center in Worcester, Mass., while the game can be viewed on ESPN3.

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MSU Reporter • 11

Sports

23-win season wasn’t enough for Mavericks The women’s basketball team finished second in the NSIC standings and sat on top in offense, scoring 82.5 points a game and fifth defensively, giving up 66 points per game. The Mavericks landed an 18-4 record in the NSIC, which gave them second place outright in the

Karlee Gengenbacher

Arnold Bagamba • MSU Reporter The Mavericks possess five juniors who will play a key part in next season’s success. Junior forward Jamie Bresnahan (left) averaged 6.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists a game while shooting 46 percent from the field.

JOEY DENTON Sports Editor Most collegiate teams would see a 20-win season as a step in the right direction or a superb season, but that’s what makes the Minnesota State University, Mankato women’s basketball team stand out. While winning nearly 80 percent of their games, it still wasn’t enough. While wearing their March madness goggles, if someone

were to see a 23-6 record, they would assume that squad had an easy shot of laying an at-large bid. Unfortunately for the Mavericks, it wasn’t enough. “I feel like we really had a strong season. Obviously we didn’t finish where we wanted to, but we just have to look to the future,” junior guard Ashley Olson said. “There are a bunch of things we need to work on, because we don’t want to be that team that’s hoping to get in.”

Head coach Emily Thiesse, who has masterminded her second consecutive 20-game season, would agree with Olson. In sports, or in life for that matter, programs can’t be satisfied without holding the championship trophy in their hands. “To accomplish (23) wins is a really good accomplishment for any program. We’re proud of that, but ultimately our goal was to be a championship team,” Thiesse said.

conference and Thiesse’s second time taking the silver. 12 of those wins came consecutively, right before the NSIC tournament and those 12 wins were a great example of how collectively talented this team was and showed a bright spot for the future. After falling to Wayne State back in January, their defense shut down the next 13 teams that took the court. Before that, all five of the Mavericks’ losses resulted in the squad giving up at least 79 points, but in their 12-game streak, they gave up 61 points on average and scored 83.8 points a night. “Every win was great for us, because we continued to learn and grow in each of those games,” Thiesse said. When Thiesse first stepped foot on the MSU campus as the

head coach three years ago, she had four sophomores who showed great devotion and love for the game and their academic careers. Now, these four will leave their legacy as the four who helped jump start her coaching success for this program. Seniors Alli Hoefer, Hillary Paulson, Karlee Gengenbacher and Ali Wilkinson, according to their teammates, impacted this squad with their leadership and their way of playing the game of basketball. “They definitely impacted this team in huge ways, making their own shots, driving to the basket and leadership,” junior point guard Aubrey Davis said. “We are definitely going to miss them big time.”

Hillary Paulson

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WOMEN’S BASKETBALL continued from 11 sions. They’ve each had their own strength and each of those strengths they’ve played to really well and complemented our team,” Thiesse said. Hoefer started every game this season at shooting guard and provided a great outside presence shooting an astounding 48.1 percent from behind the arc, while

Alli Hoefer

defenders had to respect her drive-and-dish abilities. She was second on the team in assists (70) and second in steals (42). The Mavericks put a big piece of their offense through Gengenbacher, and she enjoyed that. While averaging 11.3 points in 28 starts this season, the Quincy, Ill. native produced a seven-game double digit scoring streak in the team’s 12-game winning streak. She could score in any way, whether it was a put back or from downtown and she was never scared to go up strong for the foul and sink two from the line. Paulson was a very versatile athlete who could do anything Thiesse asked her to do. She could come in and play the three, four and five. Her 4.2 points and 2.6 rebounds per game kept the Mavericks in games while her fellow teammates were resting and some of these 23 wins wouldn’t of existed without such great depth. And last, but certainly not least, Wilkinson exemplified what a student-athlete should be. She enjoyed every aspect of college athletics, whether it was competing for a conference title, studying for a big final or helping out the Mankato community. Early this winter, she was named to the Women’s Basketball

Sports Coaches Association Allstate Good Works team for her work outside the gym and classroom. Her numbers will always speak for themselves, but her and the three other seniors’, devotion to this program won’t be forgotten. We can’t forget what she did on the court though: Her 17.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and two steals a game earned her a spot on the All-NSIC First Team and the Daktronics Women’s Basketball All-Central Region secondTeam, and among others. She finished her career as one of the school’s best in scoring, rebound, stealing and free throw shooting. Even with these four leaving, the Mavericks will still have a target on their backs in the NSIC as the returners also bring a lot of talent. Davis, who hails from Bloomington, will bring her ability to control the floor back for one more season. She dropped 8.7 points per game and finished the season with a team-high 91 assists. Olson is one of the biggest outside threats in the NSIC and her 34.2 three-point percentage (40-for-117) will be back at the Taylor Center. Junior forward Jamie Bresnahan was another starter for the Mavericks that showed that she can do anything on the floor, whether it’s putting the ball in the hoop, taking a rebound from the opponent, or setting up her teammates with a good pass. She averaged 6.9

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Arnold Bagamba • MSU Reporter

great talent to build around, but what made this squad so deadly this season was their depth. The Mavericks had three freshman make big contributions in forward Tyra Johnson, guard Sam-

mie Delzotto and guard Britney Scherber, who was named to the NSIC All-Freshmen Team. “We have a lot to continue to build off of. We got some key minutes out of freshman this

year, and they are only going to get better and better,” Thiesse said. “I think our team is in a really good spot, and a lot of that is because of what those four seniors did for us.”

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points, 5.7 rebounds, 2 assists per game and shot 46 percent from the floor. Junior forward Lexie Ulfers saw her minutes skyrocket throughout the season and she become a dominant force in the paint. In the last seven games of the season, the Waseca native swatted 14 shots away and stole the ball six times. Her 5.8 points per game will be back in Purple and Gold for one more season. These four juniors provide

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A matter of Trust Loyalties blur in MSU’s production of Trust, opening Wednesday MIRANDA BRAUNWARTH Staff Writer Sometimes it can be hardest to trust the ones we are closest to. This is certainly true in upcoming studio production of Trust in the Department of Theatre and Dance at Minnesota State University. The show, a contemporary dramatic comedy, takes place in the ‘90s and follows the story of characters who get caught in a tangle of lies and love. The main characters in this tangle are Cody, a young up and coming musician played by sophomore Charlie LansingLibra, and his fiancée Becca, a publisher’s assistant played by junior Kendra Verhage. The young, soon-to-be married couple get caught in a web of lies. Cody has a secret

love for Leah, an older musician played by senior Morgan LeClaire. Gretchen, played by senior Amanda Foreman, is the dressmaker for Becca’s wedding who has a past with Leah but also is attracted to Becca. In addition there is a Holly, a young bohemian played by Colee Luedtke, who has a crush on Cody. Holly is being hilariously charmed by Roy, a public radio announcer played by TS McCormick -- an MFA Acting Candidate. From beginning to end, new friendships are formed and everyone is wondering who they can trust. The show was written by Steven Dietz and originally produced at A Contemporary Theatre in Seattle Washington in April 1992. At that time it was directed by Dietz and ap-

Photo Courtesy of Mike Lagerquist Becca (Kendra Verhage, center) considers who she can really trust, Gretchen (Amanda Foreman) or Cody (Charlie Lansing-Libra).

peared in New York in 1995. Dietz is an American playwright with over 30 original plays. His work is primarily produced in colleges, universities and regional theatres. He spent some years in Minneapolis where he worked on Trust – which is why local references are made within the play. Currently, the playwright lives in Austin, Texas where he

teaches playwriting and directing at the University of Texas. The MSU production of Trust is directed by Michael Sheeks, an MFA Directing candidate in the theatre department. Sheeks comments on the comedy of show being dark but bittersweet. “We laugh along with the characters as they look for love. When the play isn’t

Photo Courtesy of Mike Lagerquist Who do you Trust? Left to Right: Leah (Morgan LeClair), Becca (Kendra Verhage), Gretchen (Amanda Foreman), Cody (Charlie Lansing-Libra), Holly (Colee Luedtke) and Roy (TS McCormick).

comic, it creates poignant and dramatic moments in the journey through love,” said Sheeks Playwright Diets has been known for his witty dialogue. Sheeks said that one of the reasons he choose the show was for the dialogue and Dietz Characters. “He has a way of bringing honesty to his dialogue this is also smart and funny. His characters ring true for audiences and most of us can find pieces of ourselves in every character. It is that characteristic that drew me to Trust,” said Sheeks. Sheeks said “I hope that audiences leave the show thinking about their own secrets, choices and jealousies…and maybe something new to bring to their own loves.” Trust will run from Wednesday to Saturday. All performances will take place at 7:30 p.m. in the Andreas Theatre at the Earley Center for Performing Arts on campus. Tickets are $10 for adults, $9 for seniors and $8 for MSU students when purchased at the box office with MavCard. You can purchase tickets at msutheatre.com or by calling or stopping by the Theatre and Dance Box Office located in the Earley Center for Performing Arts Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Or call the 507-389-6661. The Box Office asks that you let them know in advance of any special accommodations.

14 • MSU Reporter

A&E

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Divergent ditches the beaten path of other YA adaptions ANDREW SIMON Staff Writer Forget the negative reviews and low box office buzz, Divergent stands tall against the naysayers by being not only competently well made, but a story well worth telling. Forget the much-remarked-upon similarities between The Hunger Games and Divergent, as both films diverge considerably in more ways than one, but most importantly in their central characters. And forget the book by Veronica Roth, as only the film is under review here. Divergent takes place in a post-apocalyptic Chicago, where society is slotted in five specific categories with their individual values. Now sixteen, Tris (Shailene Woodley, The Spectacular Now), born into the selfless Abnegation faction, takes the customary test to decide what faction she will live. Except the test doesn’t work on her, because Tris isn’t just one thing, one category, she’s divergent – a horrifying abnormality punishable by death. Pressured to keep her test a secret, Tris enlists in Dauntless, a faction of fearless fighters tasked with protecting the city from outside forces. Inside Dauntless, Tris is forced to push herself harder than ever before, face fear both physical and mental, and confront adversaries that could change her world. In the last decade there has the film market has run rampant with young adult novel adaptations, and more often than not, they’ve been hit with devastating commercial and critical response. It could be that, in many cases, perhaps the production team’s hearts just weren’t in it, and that kind of disinterest translated onscreen. It could be that the stories weren’t original or interesting enough, not worthwhile in what they had to say or their reason for being, instead a retreat of what’s come before but with different names. Divergent doesn’t suffer from any such problems, and is a strong story led by an equally strong creative presence, and here’s why it stands mighty against a backdrop of YA movies, in bullet points: • Regardless of gender, Tris is a wholly unique and interesting character in YA films, and also wildly important. Tris’ journey begins out of fear, fear of her own reflection based off her faction’s rejection of vanity, fear of her results meaning she’s abnormal, but once she enlists in Dauntless, she takes control

of her own life and destiny and becomes, in a sense, free. This change is perfectly encapsulated in the running-for-the-train sequence (accompanied by the uber-catchy Woodkid song “Run Boy Run”), or when she volunteers to jump first, or when she refuses to quit and runs to catch a train . . . again (there’s a lot of train catching in this film). This is a film largely about owning individuality and conquering fear, two important topics relevant today and beautifully portrayed in Divergent. • Fear is represented both in the societal oppression of individuality and the mental recesses of Tris’ brain. The society of Divergent fears free-thinkers that can’t be labeled in one category, and Tris’ fears stem from what she can’t control, losing her family, or the fear of intimacy (in one pivotal and powerful sequence). The creative team fantastically captured the look and feel of each faction (although simply dressing up the Dauntless members all in black is a bit of a cliché), and director Neil Burger gets aggressively up close and personal in the fears Tris tries to overcome. From the larger issue of dystopian Chicago to the personal power of Tris conquering each layer of fear, Divergent rises above the rest of its ilk in creating a character that is triumphant and whole, fearless and strong. • From the opening infodump narration to the final tragic-but-hopeful end, Divergent is clearly made with the enthusiasm and belief of all the major players. Director Neil Burger crafts a good looking movie, tightly edited and movingly scored. The cast of actors – even Jai Courtney, who is usually more miss than hit – all bring their A-games. Watching Woodley’s Tris smile as she runs with her Dauntless crew, or Kate Winslet’s Jeanine Matthews give her a icy head tilt, or Theo James’ Four amused and flirtatious looks at Tris, they all work marvelously. Zoe Kravitz (After Earth) is another scenestealer, as Tris’ friend Christine, smart-mouthed but tough, is an interesting enough character that a spin-off series following her arc would not go unappreciated. Maybe it was low expectations, or maybe it’s surprising that this unsuspecting YA movie would sport so many important ideas and themes about individuality, society, and fear, but regardless of the greater net of reviews, Divergent is a solid effort that deserves recognition for

Web Photo Theo James and Shailene Woodley are rebels with a cause in Divergent.

all that it does right, not simply being some supposed Hunger Games knockoff. Hear-tell is that

the remaining installments of the trilogy are less than spectacular, but even with that possibly be-

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Tuesday, March 25, 2014

MSU Reporter • 15

A&E

The footage fallacy Two major superhero blockbusters are fast approaching but one is hitting hard with promotional material early. Is it for the better? JAMES HOUTSMA A & E Editor The time: this May. The place: your local movie theater. Two massive superhero epics will be vying for your money and admiration at the cinema – how they’re going about doing that couldn’t be more different. In some respects, both The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and X-Men: Days of Future Past are underdogs this summer. In addition to battling an insane amount of villains, Spider-Man must overcome a lot of mixed feelings after 2012’s The Amazing Spider-Man left some underwhelmed. Meanwhile, XMen: Days of Future Past has a lot of expectations to live up to and ambition to follow through on. The combining of the old and new generation of X-Men cast members into one massive acting behemoth is a daunting idea -- one that hasn’t exactly calmed fan fears that not every character will be utilized. Director Bryan Singer has not been in the same favorable light recently either, having slipped in some ways from his days directing the first two X-Men films. The need to succeed is present in each film, but with roughly two months out, the different approaches to marketing are clear as crystal. In the end, one method may serve its respective film much better.

For X-Men: Days of Future Past, less is more. Yesterday saw the release of the movie’s second trailer. Since the first footage debuted in November,

Man 2, more is never enough. After the first trailer debuted in December, the film’s promotional team has been selling the movie like it’s coming out next week. A constant barrage of new trailers, clips, images, news, interviews and reveals has been the norm for almost all of 2014. There’s sure to be much more promo material in the buildup

I can’t say yes enough. Between the insane action, interpersonal struggles and ramped up humor, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 looks like an absolute blast. But if it is, it’s an absolute blast that they’re overselling. It’s gotten to the point now where we have at least half an hour of footage to process, which is easily enough to piece together how the story will shake out for yourself. If I

wasn’t already stoked to see the film, I could just say I saw the whole movie in the trailer. Releasing a ton of preview info this early can be seen as creating brand awareness but it can also be seen as not having confidence in people to go out and see your movie. Yes, The Amazing Spider-Man didn’t make as much money as its predecessors (though $752 million is still a pretty penny) but it wasn’t because Sony didn’t release half the movie beforehand. If you show just enough footage to excited and intrigue them (like the presence of a certain green menace in the movie) you shouldn’t have anything to worry about. Otherwise you risk burning everyone out. X-Men, while it has just as much of a chance of not turning out, has embraced the other side and created just as much buzz because of it. Fox has shown just enough exciting footage to get people talking without revealing every plot detail that’s going to happen. Moderation, in this case, is just as effective as excess. Maybe Spider-Man still has many secrets to reveal and the X-Men just don’t have an abundance of great footage to show, but that’s for us to find out come May. Until then, keep an eye on how many previews you see for each film. Chances are you can already recite quotes from one of them.

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time travel is used or why there are giant robots flying around or why Jennifer Lawrence’s Mystique is looking so forlorn. As for The Amazing Spider-

to each film’s release date, but before then it simply has to be said: Spider-Man needs to cool it. Does the footage look great?

Web Photo With previews, when is it too much of a good thing?

the only real marketing for the film has been a smattering of still photos and images of cast members. The promotional team behind the newest X-pic has put their money behind showing the epic cast assembled for the film and let the rest speak for itself. The trailer footage centers itself around highly charged emotions and glimpses of conflicts but never reveals the details of how

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16 â&#x20AC;˘ MSU Reporter

Tuesday, March 25, 2014