March 26, 2015

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Minnesota State University, Mankato

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MARCH

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THURSDAY HIGH: 37 LOW: 16

MARCH

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FRIDAY HIGH: 34 LOW: 15

MARCH

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SATURDAY HIGH: 42 LOW: 34

Good luck, Maverick Hockey!

New routes, climbers for competition MSU climbing wall prepares to host Whipper Snapper event.

RAE FRAME News Editor The Adventure Education Program (AEP) at Minnesota State University, Mankato will be hosting the 3rd Annual Whip-

per Snapper Indoor Rock Climbing Competition on Sunday, March 29, 2015.

The competition will begin at 10 a.m. at the Indoor Rock Wall in Myers Field House on campus and will feature an all-new set of

Photos Courtesy of MNSU Campus Recreation The outdoor climbing facility at MNSU.

INSIDE:

climbing routes that the Campus Recreation staff will be designing and setting up this week.

The routes, which are measured in difficulty using the Yosemite Decimal System, offers a variety of climbing challenges for both regular climbers at MNSU and for the event climbers.

“Competition climbing is all about technique,” said Sam Steiger, Program Coordinator for the Adventure Education Program & Climbing Walls. “So there’s no speed climbing in this event.”

Part of a national climbing series, the Whipper Snapper is open to climbers of all ages and abilities in southern Minnesota and surrounding areas. Divisions range from beginner to advanced, scoring is not ranged on speed but modified to challenge “clean” climbing—without weighting a rope, slipping on a hold, or using unmarked holds. The routes are marked to test competitors’ endurance and encourage them to do their best while on the wall.

“The competition is bringing in youth climbers, student climbers, and advanced climbers and teams from the five surrounding states,” said Steiger. “I got a call from Marquette University in Milwaukee saying they’re sending their climbing team. To learn

Photos Courtesy of MNSU Campus Recreation MNSU student and climbing competitor Paching Yang.

that people are coming from that far away, I’m amazed.”

Registration for the event is $30.00 per climber, more than 70 climbers are already registered, with more expected to register before the competition on Sun-

THE LAST MAN ON EARTH - PG. 15

day.

Spectators are welcome to attend the event for free.

All participants of the event will be entered into the draw-

CLIMBING • Page 4 ED/OP

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2 • MSU Reporter

News

Thursday, March 26, 2015

Mavericks After Dark host Bollywood Night Introducing the best of Indian pop culture with music and film.

YUSEONG JEON Staff Writer Mavericks After Dark, one of the committees of IMPACT Student Programming Board, will present a cultural event titled Bollywood Night at 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 28, in Ostrander Auditorium and Lincoln Lounge in Centennial Student Union at Minnesota State University, Mankato.

The Bollywood Night event, which was coordinated to bring the best of Indian pop-culture to MSU campus and Mankato community, will start with a music performance by Dolly Baruah and Shekhar Baruah, famous Indian brother-and-sister duo who attend MSU. “They are going to be singing some Bollywood music,” said Rudy Correa, chairperson of MAD.

After the Indian duo’s performance, participants will also be able to have food and receive henna tattoos, along with belly dance performances and giveaways through the event. As a special treat, the event will present the Spice Market, which will exhibit Indian traditional and authentic recipes, spices, teas and quilts and offer lots of giveaways to help participants experience Bollywood culture.

“We are also having Indian foods so we will have traditional Indian foods served, so it’s not specifically a meal, then we are going to have a Spice Market.

So spices, incenses, quilts, recipes, and teas from India, you can sample and take home so it will be like an interactive way to try different things, try to figure out new recipes, things with ingredients from India. Then we are going to have a henna after that we

GO MAVS! Good Luck to the Maverick Hockey Team

are going to have a dance performance from Afrin and some of her dance friends,” Correa said.

Participants will also be able to watch a movie, “A HundredFoot Journey,” at 9 p.m. in Ostrander Auditorium during the event.

“We are going to play the movie, which is not specifically a Bollywood movie, “A Hundred-Foot Journey,” but it’s an Americanized version of what the Bollywood culture is so that everyone can understand the language I chose that movie because it’s English,” Correa said.

According to Correa, the event will be a great opportunity to learn Indian culture and grow global perspective.

“After watching a Bollywood movie with my Indian and South Asian friends, I thought that would be like a good idea to bring that pop-culture of

those areas around the world to Mankato so that people can try different things so the food, colors dances like a free cultural event.”

“Bollywood is like the representation of South Asian pop art culture. So it’s not specifically only seen in India, people in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, they all see and enjoy the Bollywood culture. So I thought that it’s a different way of bringing something that comes specifically from one country but that portrays different cultures,” Correa continued.

The event is free and open to not only MSU students but also community members in Mankato.

Mavericks After Dark (MAD) committee, one of the Impact committees, programs unique late night events once a month.

These themed events include free food, activities, games, bowling and billiards, collaboration with student organizations, and much more.

IMPACT is the student programming board of the Centennial Student Union, run by students and advised from staff in the Student Activities office.

IMPACT is funded by the student activity fees.

For more information, please contact Rudy Correa at Rodolfoabogado.correa@mnsu.edu.

GOOD LUCK MAVS!

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Thursday, March 26, 2015

MSU Reporter • 3

News

Technology Fair 2015 3-D printing, scholarship searches, and prize drawings a hit on MavAve.

Student Senate Report

mnsu.edu

NICOLE SCHMIDT Staff Writer MSU held its fifth annual Tech Fair in the Centennial Student Union from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday. With the theme “Technology Partners Transforming the University”, this year’s Tech Fair sought to inform students and faculty on the topic of technology innovations and services on campus.

Information and Technology Service employee Bailey Johnson further explained the Tech Fair’s purpose before a student started the tour.

“It’s important to see what our university offers technologywise,” she said. “It’s a uniform way to get our information out there for students and faculty.”

The fair captured the interests of many students walking through the CSU corridor; some of the presentations included 3D imaging and printing, cyber security information, and CAHN technology.

One booth introduced the beginning of Scholarship Finder, debuting this year. Scholarship Finder is a website that allows MSU students to enter his or her

Star ID and password and complete a short questionnaire. The site automatically finds scholarships matching that student’s program, with descriptions and deadlines. This makes finding and applying for scholarships easier, and who doesn’t need an easier way to apply for scholarships?

The Wall Street Journal booth was another exciting feature at the fair. Students could participate in a Jeopardy game to win small prizes. The Wall Street Journal is available on campus for free in Morris Hall and Armstrong Hall.

The IT Service Desk booth was informative because students may have been previously unaware of the services offered there. The IT Service Desk offers free Microsoft Office installations, virus removal, and any other aid in issues or questions regarding technology. It’s an easy way to fix your computer or tablet if you are less technologically gifted with the convenience of having it just on the third floor of the library.

In today’s technological world, cybersecurity is pertinent. Guidance was given at the Information Assurance and

Cybersecurity booth to help students have the safest experience on the web.

Prizes were also being given away as students entered to win a HP Dell laptop, printers, Skullcandy headphones, ASUS tablet, and others. To enter to win, students got a “bingo” card signed by each presenter after visiting the booth—this was a smart way to get students to really listen and learn at each booth. Incentives are always a great motivational tool!

Overall, the experience walking through the Tech Fair was fun and educational. Sophomore Jamie Kankaala reinforced this idea by explaining her experience.

“I thought the Tech Fair was very informative and I learned a lot,” she said. “The speakers were very friendly and answered any questions I might have had.”

Junior Shannon Helmer also commented at the end of her tour, “There is a lot of cool, new information and technology out there I didn’t know about like the new MNSU app and the virtual goggles,” she said. “I really liked it.”

GOOD LUCK MAVERICK HOCKEY!

mnsu.edu

RAE FRAME News Editor The Minnesota State Student Association had a change of scenery this week, convening in the Hearth Lounge to host several guest speakers and conduct regular senate business.

The group heard from Senator Conlon and Cindy Janney regarding the renewed room and board rates as well as changes that had been voted upon by the RHA. Students living in campus housing in the coming year will see changes that range from toilet paper upgrades to significant changes in the Carkoski dining hall.

Kevin Buisman presented information from the De-

partment of Intercollegiate Athletics, which included the new athletic fee proposal, increased budget challenges, current student athletic rankings, and community involvement.

Cara Luebke of Winona State University and Lindsey Gunnerson of St. Cloud State University offered statements and answered questions regarding their upcoming campaigns for the position of MSUSA State Chair.

Elections for next year’s student senate will be held on April 14, all students are encouraged to vote online at the MSU voting booth. Presidential and vice presidential debates will be held April 8.

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4 • MSU Reporter

News

Thursday, March 26, 2015

ClosebyNow offers last minute deals

CLIMBING

Local businesses and customers benefit from new app.

“The Whipper Snapper is open to climbers of all ages and abilities in southern Minnesota and surrounding areas.”

VALISA FAIR Staff Writer ClosebyNow is a new app developed to allow local businesses a way to broadcast last-minute deals and generate business during down times.

The app was developed by Minnesota State Mankato alumni Josh Ritzer to enhance local commerce.

“Food isn’t the only perishable in the small business world,” says developer Ritzer.

“Finding a way to keep time from being idle is a challenge to the restaurant owner at 2 p.m.

Space is perishable to the yoga instructor about to close enrollment on a class with a roster that’s one-third its capacity.”

The idea is simple enough: each day, CloseByNow broadcasts limited, last-minute offers by businesses that want customers to come in today, the next few hours, or the rest of the day– when business is slow.

Customers are assured to get the deals by reserving through the app and businesses get the space and time filled. Consumers will now know to check the app daily to see what offers are available in the area.

A sore back is what led Ritzer to the idea for CloseByNow. One painful morning when his back unexpectedly went out, he hobbled online to search for chiropractors in his neighborhood. He called eight, and none answered. He left voicemails and eventually got call-backs, taking

the first one who had an opening that day. “I thought that was frustrating and inefficient for me but super inefficient for those chiropractors as well,” Ritzer recalls.

Later, he enrolled in a spincycling class that had only three participants in a 15-bike studio.

“I thought, ‘wouldn’t it be great if they had a way to offer these unsold goods at a discount to people close by as a way to bring more people to the restaurant when they’re empty’.”

Ritzer refined the idea and co-founded the app with his former instructor at Minnesota

facebook.com/closebynow

“I thought, that’s 80 percent of the owners available inventory unsold that she can never monetize once that class starts.”

Finally, when eating a late lunch at a bagel café, he realized how he was the sole customer and watched as the employees prepared to close for the day. He asked the workers where they were taking the unsold goods, and was told that it’d be donated or tossed out.

CONGRATS MAVS! Best Wishes at the NCAA Tournament from

State University, John Kaliski.

Mankato was chosen to be the test market, Ritzer says, as a way to work again with Kaliski and in the town that launched his career.

While earning his degree in Management Information Systems at MNSU, Ritzer interned as a developer with Mankatobased online-learning software company Anion Systems, founded by one of his former instruc-

tors, John Kaliski. Today, Ritzer is an entrepreneur and software engineer in San Francisco.

Work on the app continues during the trial phases, and involves MSU senior Jack Bostrom who’s interning and working with the local businesses using CloseByNow. Other MSU students helped with the app in the pre-launch phase and have also been working with the local businesses.

“I was excited by the idea of working with some MSU students and giving them a chance to get an experience like the one that John Kalisk and John Weir gave me at Anlon Systems that changed my course in life,” Ritzer says.

The CloseByNow app launched in Mankato in February and today hosts great last-minute offers every day from local businesses including Number 4 American Bistro, Advantage Chiropractic, the WOW! Zone, Chankaska Creek Ranch and Winery, Snell Car Wash, Sun Moon Yoga, Dino’s Pizza and dozens of others in the Mankato area.

I personally use the CloseNByNow app when I’m out on the weekends shopping. I look to see what offers there are in the area to grab lunch, dinner, or even dessert. I think it’s a great app, especially students of MNSU to know about, because what college student doesn’t like to save money? It’s definitely a win-win for the local businesses and customers in Mankato.

continued from 1 ing for prizes that include a slack line, a $75 gift card to Mountain Khakis, and more.

Parking for the event is available in gold parking lots 7 and 8.

The AEP has built both indoor and outdoor climbing facilities in the past three years and has grown the climbing community both on campus and in the Mankato area. For more than 30 years, the program has created adventurebased opportunities for team building, leadership, and skill building for all ages.

The indoor climbing wall offers open climbing throughout the week and will offer regular climbing on the outdoor wall during the warmer months.

Rock climbing hours and more information on the Adventure Education Program is available at www. mnsu.edu/adventure/.

GOOD LUCK TO THE MAVERICK HOCKEY TEAM!

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Thursday, March 26, 2015

News

MSU Reporter • 5

MSU Photo Moment: Charting the Future Gallery Walk

Photos by Yohanes Ashenafi

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6 • MSU Reporter

Thursday, March 26, 2015 Follow the Reporter on Twitter @MSU Reporter or Like Us on Facebook.com/ msureporter

Email the Editor in Chief: reporter-editor@mnsu.edu

New requirement would only be an obstacle Proposed diversity effort could ultimately backfire, make graduation process more difficult.

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

JAMES HOUTSMA Editor in Chief

Ask anyone who has been here for long enough and they will remind you that Minnesota State University, Mankato is renowned for its high standard of diversity. MSU is home to many wonderful diversity groups on campus, the annual “Diversity Week” and ranked 31st last year in the Institute of International Education’s Open Doors Report, up three places from the previous year.

As a university, we are always moving forward with new, innovative ideas to build upon our strengths. However, we must also be wary to ensure that our ideas don’t cause more harm than good.

A new recommendation by the President’s Commission on Diversity has been discussed recently at MSSA regarding a proposed new graduation requirement for MSU students.

If okayed by the President, students would be required to attend eight diversity events from four different categories, including domestic diversity events, international diversity events, gender events and non-traditional stu-

BUSINESS MANAGER: Jane Tastad.................. 389-1926

mnsu.edu

dent and accessibility challenges events. Students could not have more than three events from each category go towards this requirement. Attendance would be tracked via mavcard, an App, or some other mechanism to be later detailed.

The purpose of this new recommendation is for the sake of “fostering an actively engaged and inclusive learning community based on civility, trust, integrity, respect, and diversity in a safe, welcoming physical environment.” This also reportedly comes as an effort to have students leave their comfort zones and encourage mingling and conversations between members of student groups that otherwise would not interact.

Diversity is an important part of any society and, with our already impressive reputation, it’s certainly understandable that the university would take steps to ensure an environment that

continues to foster understanding of diversity. That said, this is completely the wrong way to go about this.

For starters, students simply do not need more graduation requirements. Between gen eds, major and minor credits, writing intensive obligations and purple and gold requirements, students have quite enough on their plate already -- so much so that I have personally known a seemingly disproportional amount of students who have encountered roadblocks when it comes time to graduate.

As an institution, we should be smoothing out the road for students to graduate, not cluttering it.

Beyond the logistical difficulties of the graduation policy, it seems that an underlying element of this recommendation is a view that a requirement of diversity events equates to having a meaningful experience in

the form of a conversation. How would this happen? Students passively listening to speakers and walking away doesn’t seem to lend itself to important conversations between members of different populations. Diversity develops naturally through an active shared environment, or shared work, not through basically passive activities.

By pushing students into events they normally wouldn’t attend, they are just as likely to resent being there. I have seen it time and time again during music events where the students who had no interest in being there except purely for the class requirement made it known by talking, texting, and leaving prematurely. Not only does this sour the experience for the people who want to be there, it turns otherwise neutral minds away because they’re forced into it.

DIVERSITY • Page 7

“How many diversity events do you attend per semester?”

ALI OKU, MEDICAL LAB SCIENCES

NICK EBNER, CHEM. EDUCATION

JESSIE ROWLEY, ALCOHOL + DRUG STUDIES

“I usually attend up to four diversity events every semester.”

“I’ve attended two so far and really enjoyed them. I definately plan to attend more.”

“I’ve attended one so far this semester, really enjoyed the session, and plan to attend more.”

KEBBA DARBOE, PROFESSOR AND CHAIR OF ETHNIC STUDIES DEPT. “Six. I am actively engaged in many diversity events on and off campus.”

b

AD. DESIGN/PROD. MGR.: V Dana Clark..................389-2793 i

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

STEPHANIE HOLTORF, BIOLOGY “As a transfer student, I attended many cultural events to get to know more people and cultures.”

f i

Thursday, March 26, 2015

Maverick

Re MSU

porte

r

DIVERSITY

Name: Professor Steve Kipp Department: Physics and Astronomy Education: B.A., Physics and Astronomy, 1970, University of Virginia. M.A. Astronomy, 1977, Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut. Ph.D. Astronomy, 1980, University of Pittsburgh

Professor Steve Kipp is from back east. He grew up in Fairfax, Virginia just outside of Washington D.C. After graduating from the University of Virginia in 1970 he spent three and a half years in the U.S. Air Force.

Later, after getting his doctoral degree, he took a job in Merida, Venezuela work-

MSU Reporter • 7

News

Spotlight Favorite class: Introduction to Astronomy, Astronomy 101.

continued from 6

Hobby/Hobbies: Reading mysteries, doing crossword puzzles, researching family genealogy and bike riding Favorite Quote: “Get moose and squirrel”, Boris Badenov

ing at CIDA, the Venezuelan national observatory. Steve and his wife Elizabeth, an accountant, spent a year in the Andes Mountains, an unforgettable experience. Professor Kipp started work at MSU in 1981. During his more than thirty years at MSU getting the grants and gifts that resulted in the construction of Andreas Observatory was a real highlight. Professor Kipp has two children who are native

“The purpose of this new recommendation is for the sake of “fostering an actively engaged and inclusive learning community based on civility, trust, integrity, respect, and diversity in a safe, welcoming physical environment.””

Minnesotans. Cathleen graduated from MSU and is a Headstart teacher in St. Paul. Robert graduated from The University of Minnesota and works for the Minneapolis Institute of Art and the Minnesota Orchestra. For many years Professor Kipp has biked to work in good weather.

This accounts for the fact that he sometimes lectures with his pants tucked into his socks.

The concept of helping students understand others’ cultures is crucial on a college campus, especially in an effort to combat exclusivity, racism, sexism, classism, ageism, and insensitivities to disability. Studies have shown conversations fostered by groups that focus on one background, race & gender can be helpful. But surely there is a better way to promote it than an “or else” scenario.

Instead of adding another graduation requirement,

perhaps it would be good to increase extra credit options for classes that tie in to given diversity events. Generally speaking, students will appreciate that more than a theoretical arm-twisting.

In any case, diversity events must be followed by meaningful follow-up conversations with facilitators able to create safe spaces for difficult and important interactions. At the very least, they should not be a checkmark on a list.

8 • MSU Reporter

News

Thursday, March 26, 2015

An American experience with Xiaoyun Li Former MSU student shares her experiences in America and Germany.

LUKE LARSON Staff Writer

I was fortunate enough to get to know Xiaoyun Li last semester. Originally from Beijing, she is now a third-year graduate student studying Intercultural and Intermedia Literature at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in Germany. A course on American literature prompted a deep curiosity in the United States and ultimately led her to spend last fall studying abroad here at MSU. “I had absolutely no idea what to expect,” she told me in a video chat from her home in Germany.

“There were some American TV shows that I liked to watch where everybody just hung out every day, didn’t have to go to work, and had a lot of free time.

That was kind of my expectation of America before coming.”

Her story is in many ways no different from any other international student. There were struggles adjusting, especially to our snowy northern climate and our American automobile culture.

“The best part was that everything was on campus. I could eat, go to class, and meet with my friends all in the same place,” she says. “But to leave campus, you need a car.”

Her experience, however, is quite different as well. She comes from a unique perspective, having experienced Chinese culture, German culture, and now American culture in a personal way. She is fluent in Mandarin, English, and German and is now learning Spanish. As an undergraduate student, she earned Bachelor’s degrees in Germanic Studies and Applied English at Capital Normal University in Beijing. Her uniquely global experience has given her a special multicultural insight.

When she came to Mankato last fall, she was aware of the stereotypes of Americans.

“I was told that Americans were superficially more friendly.

I found this to be true, but it just requires that you make an effort to get to know people,” she says.

“America was better than I expected.”

As she explained to me whether she wants to remain in Germany to gain work experience after graduating with her

Photo Courtesy of Xiaoyun Li

master’s this spring or return to her family in China, she claimed that Americans have such simple lives.

“In America you don’t need to worry about learning other languages,” she says. “You can go almost anywhere in the world and speak English.”

She says she expected Americans to be focused on being the center of the world and “talking about big things,” but was surprised to find that this was not the case. Americans are just normal people concerned with the normal routines of their daily life.

In terms of social interac-

tions, she sees differing themes in each country. American culture, she says, is very peer-oriented, while Germans tend to be individualistic and prefer to be alone more.

“Americans do everything with their groups of friends,” she says. “It was rare to see someone eating alone in the cafeteria at MSU, unlike in Germany.”

Germans tend to be more connected with nature than Americans and enjoy outdoor recreational activities, she adds.

The Chinese, in comparison, are very family-oriented.

“In China, daily activity is based on the family,” she says.

“Even in college, the students go home to their families every week or two.”

She stresses that she can only speak for her own personal observations and that these observations are by no means absolute

and applicable to all people.

The academic atmosphere is also drastically different between the three countries. Even though the workload at her German university is lighter than both here at MSU and at CNU in Beijing, she considers the laissez-faire academic structure to be a hindrance to motivation.

Tests, for example, are not used to nearly the same extent as they are here.

“There’s no one there to make sure that you’re succeeding in Germany,” she says. “You’re on your own and you have to chart your own course.”

In China, elementary and high school are very intensive and Chinese universities are highly selective. But if you do beat the odds and make it to college, the workload decreases significantly compared to high school. She laments the lack of flexibility in Chinese universities, saying that all students are required to take the same classes

STUDENT • Page 9

Good Luck Maverick Hockey

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Thursday, March 26, 2015

Trouble in Tunisia Museum attack threatens country’s tourism.

In the midst of the hailstorm of negative news stories in the world, last Wednesday at least 20 people were killed in a terrorist attack at the Bardo Museum in Tunisia capital, Tunsi.

Tunisia’s Bardo museum is a well-known tourist attraction in the capital city. Two gunmen and one unarmed man entered the museum opened fire on a 9 bus filled with tourists, killing at least 20 and injuring over 30. Security and police killed the two gunmen during the attack, while the third man is currently still on the run. This has been said to be the deadliest attack in Tunisia since 2011.

The two gunmen have been identified as Yassine Abidi and Hatem Khachnaoui. Abidi’s father identified his son’s remains on Sunday and took his son’s body home for burial. While attending a funeral for a neighbor or relative is seen as a requirement in their community, some did not show up, repulsed at what he had done to the victims.

Abidi’s family is still in shock of what has happened. In an interview Abidi’s uncle, Muhamed Abidi stated his sorrow and remorse for the victim’s families.

Even his sister stated her own astonishment, insisting that Abidi was not a violent person. A main theme of many of these stories is that the people were not the violent type, but from poorer family backgrounds and coerce people to do things they wouldn’t usually do with apparent ease.

ISIS came out last Thursday with an audio statement posted onto the Internet, taking claim to the carnage. ISIS also stated that this was “just the start.” But the thought is now that the three men were working on their own with ISIS’s ideals in mind.

According to a New York Times article written in Aug. 2014, of the 12,000 foreign members to join the folds of extremist groups in Syria, 3,000 of them are Tunisians.

Now the major concern for the Tunisian government is with

STUDENT “Americans are just normal people concerned with the normal routines of their daily life.” continued from 8

Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press

AMANDA HINDE Staff Writer

MSU Reporter • 9

News

their tourism industry because tourism is a major part of their country. Tunisia not having many natural world wonders relies heavily on their tourist industry of museums with ancient artifacts and a major collection of Roman mosaics. Two Italian cruise companies have cancelled all planned stops in the Tunisian ports, as many as 3,000 tourists have cancelled their activities in Tunisia; while many of the other tourists are staying put in the country. Many are saying that they are supporting the economy of Tunisia and that the country needs their support right now more than ever right now.

for the most part.

Of all the places she has studied, she considers her American university experience the best.

“Compared to German universities, you have less freedom, which is good for me, because I need some guides and I need to be taken care of,” she says.

“Compared to Chinese ones, there are more possibilities and you have more freedom.

You have exactly the right amount of freedom.”

Xiaoyun’s experience at MSU was without a doubt fantastic. Above all, she cites the great classes she took and the friends she made as key factors in making her experience here as positive as it was. Key Minnesota memories for her include the State Fair, a trip to Duluth and Lake Superior, trick-ortreating on Halloween, and a day spent picking apples and pumpkins at a farm. She did a fair amount of sightseeing across the country as well, visiting Boston, New York, Yellowstone, San Francisco, and North Carolina.

Photo by Luke Larson

“Yes of course!” she says when asked if she considers coming back to the United States sometime in the future.

“My time here was unforget-

table and it is definitely one of my most treasured and precious memories.”

GOOD LUCK TO THE MAVERICK HOCKEY TEAM!

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10 • MSU Reporter

News

Thursday, March 26, 2015

Colombians respond to tragic killing with art More than 5,000 giant murals appear after death of local graffiti artist.

BOGOTA, Colombia — A vibrant stream of giant murals greets people heading in from Bogota’s main airport or walking down the cobblestone streets of colonial downtown.

Stencils of pineapple-shaped grenades and AK-47 rifles arranged in a rainfall formation allude to Colombia’s violent politics. Monkeys and butterflies spray-painted in bright colors pay homage to the country’s natural beauty and provide welcome relief amid the Andean capital’s gray skies and monochromatic red brick architecture.

The proliferation of murals grew in part out of tragedy, when police shot and killed graffiti artist Diego Felipe Becerra in 2011 as he painted his trademark

up for guided graffiti tours on bicycle.

Canadian pop star Justin Bieber even got in on the graffiti action here, rushing after a 2013 concert with a police escort’s red lights flashing for the chance to scrawl on a wall.

Bogota’s laissez-faire attitude toward graffiti contrasts with that in many other Latin American cities. Buenos Aires, Argentina, last year raised penalties for street art, which it considers to be vandalism. In the Peruvian capital of Lima, the mayor this month had city workers cover up several murals by graffiti artists.

Major cultural institutions here are taking notice. The cityrun Contemporary Art Museum held an exhibition this year Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press Street artists paint a mural of late writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez on the side of a building, in Bogota, Colombia. The city also recently commissioned, at a cost of around $10,000, an eight-story-high depiction of the late Colombian novelist and Nobel laureate.

highlighting the work of Bogota street artists who go by aliases such as Joems and the MonsTruacioN collective. The city also recently commissioned, at a cost of around $10,000, an eight-story-high depiction of the late Colombian novelist and Nobel laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

“It’s a way to socially change the perspective of the city and give a present to people,” said Nicolas Castro, a 21-year-old artFelix the Cat. Bogota Mayor Gustavo Petro responded by decriminalizing graffiti painting and even offered several public buildings as canvases.

Street art has subsequently exploded across the city of 8 million. By one count, there are now more than 5,000 large paintings on walls or the sides of buildings, many now wellknown to the tourists who sign

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ist working on the Garcia Marquez mural.

But even amid the freedom, some landmarks, including churches, national monuments and traffic signs, are off-limits.

“We hope that the graffiti continues, that it’s vibrant,” said Clarisa Ruiz, Bogota’s secretary of culture. “But we also hope that young people come to recognize that not everything can have graffiti put on it.”

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Thursday, March 26, 2015

MSU Reporter • 11

News

Iranian filmmakers cause controversy $30 million work on historical figure a hot-button topic.

ALLAHYAR, Iran — Here in this Persian replica of Mecca, built at the cost of millions of dollars, an Iranian film company is attempting to offer the world a literal glimpse of the Prophet Muhammad despite traditional taboos against it.

The movie “Muhammad, Messenger of God” already recalls the grandeur — and expense — of a Cecil B. DeMille film, with the narrow alleyways and a replica Kaaba shrine built here in the remote village of Allahyar. But by even showing the back of the Prophet Muhammad as a child before he was called upon by Allah, the most expensive film in Iranian history already has been criticized before its even widely released, calling into question who ultimately will see the Quranic story come to life on the big screen.

“How should we introduce our prophet?” asked Majid Majidi, the film’s director. “Many relay their messages to the world through cinema and pictures.”

In American cinematic history, films involving the Bible often find the biggest audience and box office returns. Biblical stories have inspired dozens of films from the 1920s all the way to recent blockbusters like “Noah” starring Russell Crowe and Ridley Scott’s biblical epic “Exodus: Gods and Kings.”

But in Islam, portraying the Prophet Muhammad has long been taboo for many. Islamic tradition is full of written descriptions of Muhammad and his qualities — describing him as the ideal human being. But clerics generally have agreed that trying to depict that ideal is forbidden. The Paris terror attack on the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, which killed 12 people in January, saw gunmen target it over its caricature of the prophet.

But while Sunni Islam, the religion’s dominant branch, widely rejects any depictions of Muhammad, his close relatives or companions, Shiite Islam doesn’t. In Shiite powerhouse Iran and other countries, posters, banners, jewelry and even keychains bear the images of Muhammad’s son-in-law Ali, revered by Shiites who see him

Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press In the new 190-minute film, the story focuses on Muhammad’s childhood, never showing his face. The movie instead focuses on others to tell his story.

as the prophet’s rightful successor. The late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomenei, who led Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution and later became the country’s supreme leader, reportedly even kept a picture similar to young Muhammad in his room for years.

In the new 190-minute film, the story focuses on Muhammad’s childhood, never showing his face. The movie instead uses others to tell his story, like his grandfather Abdul-Muttalib, portrayed by Iranian actor Ali Reza Shoja Nouri.

“It was a very heavy role,” Nouri told The Associated Press.

“I cannot express my feelings about it.”

For his vision, Majidi hired Academy Award winning visual effects supervisor and filmmaker Scott E. Anderson, three-time Oscar-winning Italian director of photography Vittorio Storaro and music producer AllahRakha Rahman, who won two Academy Awards for his work on “Slumdog Millionaire.”

By making a high-quality film, Majidi said it will give the world the right impression about the Prophet Muhammad. He blamed Islamic extremists and the West for sullying the image of a pillar of faith for 1.5 billion people across the world.

“For Muslims, the Prophet Muhammad is a mercy to the world and the hereafter,” he said.

Yet, the film already has seen widespread criticism even before being widely released, largely from predominantly Sunni Arab countries. In February, Egypt’s Al-Azhar, one of Sunni Islam’s most prestigious seats of learning, called on Iran to ban a film it described as debasing the sanctity of messengers from God. Meanwhile, the Sunni kingdom of Qatar has announced plans to have its own $1 billion epic shot on the prophet’s life.

Majidi said he would be ready to cooperate with any Islamic country planning a film on Muhammad.

“We are ready to cooperate to produce any movies to introduce Muhammad to the world,” Majidi said. “We are an Islamic country, we know the related culture and we have capabilities for production of such movies.”

So far, the film appears to have the support of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s current supreme leader, who attended an inauguration of the film’s set in 2012.

Iranian film critics generally have praised the film as well, like Mostafa Seyedabadi, who declared its color and lighting as “astonishing,” However, critic Masoud Farasati dismissed some of the film’s shots, like a low-angle view of the prophet as a teen against the sky, as a “Hollywood” knockoff.

Producers plan to ultimately release the film in Arabic, Persian and English, with showings across Iran and abroad in the summer. Filming took a year, while postproduction in Germany took two more years. And if this film is successful, its producers say they hope to film two sequels, one focusing on Muhammad’s life from his teenage years to his 40s and another after 40 when he became the prophet of Islam.

Mohammad Mahdi Heidar-

ian, head of the private Nour-

taban Film Industry company, said his company spent about $30 million in total to make the movie. He and others declined to elaborate on who provided financial backing for it, though there are wealthy investors and religious institutions in Iran that likely would support such efforts.

In the past, such religious films have done well in Iran. The 1977 Quranic epic “The Message,” starring Anthony Quinn as the uncle of the unseen and unheard prophet, drew crowds and long lines to movie theaters in Tehran. And another that did well was DeMille’s own 1956 film, “The Ten Commandments,” with Charlton Heston playing the sea-parting prophet Moses. It’s yet to be seen whether Majidi’s film will be led into the promised land of a wide release.

The only thing better than eating ice cream, is eating it out of the NCAA Championship Cup! GOOD LUCK MAVS!

12 • MSU Reporter

News

Actress raising awareness Angelina Jolie announces preventative surgery.

LONDON — Oscar-winning actress Angelina Jolie revealed Tuesday that she has undergone more preventive surgery, having her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed in hopes of reducing her risk of cancer.

Writing in The New York Times, the filmmaker and philanthropist said a recent blood test showed a possible early sign of cancer. The news was a blow to the star who had already had a double mastectomy.

“I went through what I imagine thousands of other women have felt,” she wrote. “I told myself to stay calm, to be strong, and that I had no reason to think I wouldn’t live to see my children grow up and to meet my grandchildren.”

Jolie, 39, revealed two years ago that she carries a defective breast cancer gene that puts her at high risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer. Her mother died of ovarian cancer, and her maternal grandmother also had ovarian cancer — strong evidence of an inherited, genetic risk that led the actress to have her healthy breasts removed to try to avoid the same fate.

Only a small percentage of women inherit the same faulty gene, known as BRCA1 — the name stands for breast cancer susceptibility gene. These mutations are most commonly found in women of Eastern European Jewish descent, though other groups, including the Norwegian, Dutch and Icelandic, also have slightly higher rates of these mutations.

The average woman has a 12 percent risk of developing breast cancer sometime during her life.

Women who have inherited a

Thursday, March 26, 2015

Pride Dance in Mankato Annual event celebrates the music, fashion, and attitude of the ‘80s.

Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press

faulty BRCA gene are about five times more likely to get breast cancer.

Jolie said that while having the gene mutation alone was not a reason to resort to surgery — other medical options were possible — her family history influenced her decision to have further surgery now. The surgery puts a woman in menopause and Jolie wrote she’s now taking hormones.

Her courageous decision to publicly announce her double mastectomy was praised as a watershed moment in efforts to persuade women to get breast cancer screening — and to raise awareness of the need for early detection. The same sense of mission led her to write about her follow-up care, although she said her decision wasn’t necessarily the right one for everyone.

“There is more than one way to deal with any health issue,” she wrote. “The most important thing is to learn about the options and choose what is right for

you personally.”

Coming forward to tell her story will play a vital role in raising awareness, those who work for cancer charities say. They hope other women at risk will be encouraged to speak with their doctors.

“Angelina Jolie has made a really brave decision,” Katherine Taylor, acting chief executive of Ovarian Cancer Action. “It immediately puts the person into surgical menopause so it is not a decision to take lightly.”

Jolie’s article makes plain the anguish the results of the new blood tests brought. She said she immediately called her husband, the actor Brad Pitt, who flew home from France within hours.

“The beautiful thing about such moments in life is that there is so much clarity,” she wrote.

“You know what you live for and what matters. It is polarizing, and it is peaceful.”

scmnpride.org

RAE FRAME News Editor On Saturday, April 18, South Central MN Pride brings back the best event for big hair, neon spandex, and a chance to get footloose.

The annual 80s Pride Dance will be held at the Morson-Ario VFW at 1900 Riverfront Dr., Mankato, MN 56001. Everyone is encouraged to dress to the nines in 80s inspired outfits with prizes to be awarded for the best 80s inspired costumes.

The event will feature a live DJ with plenty of space for dancers to bust a move, check out the Facebook page, “80’s Themed Pride Dance Party,” for updates.

“Our DJ does a great job of

mixing up 80s music with current music, so there is something for everyone,” says Jeni Kolstad, one of the event coordinators.

The event is 18+ to enter, 21+ to drink and will run from 8:00 p.m. to midnight.

Tickets can be purchased in advance for $5 at the Coffee Hag on Riverfront Drive or for $7 at the door.

Students and community members interested in being involved with South Central MN Pride is invited to attend planning meetings. Meetings are held on the first and third Wednesdays of the month at 5:30 p.m. at the WowZone in Mankato.

For more information, visit www.scmnpride.org.

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Thursday, March 26, 2015

MSU Reporter • 13

News

Secretary of State joins Swiss-Iranian talks Nuclear peace talks resume amid high pressure to resolve ongoing conflict.

GENEVA — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has arrived in Switzerland to resume Iran nuclear talks as negotiations go down to the wire against an endof-month deadline for the outline of a deal.

With just days until that target is reached, Kerry touched down in Geneva late Wednesday and was driving to the lake resort of Lausanne. En route to Geneva, U.S. officials said the deadline is achievable but remains uncertain amid significant gaps in certain areas.

One official traveling with Kerry to the talks said the American side “can see a path forward to get to agreement” by the end of March. The official said the last round of talks, also in Lausanne, produced more progress than

many previous rounds when it ended last weekend. The official was not authorized to discuss the talks by name and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Kerry is hoping to seal a framework deal to roll back Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief in make-or-break talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. The top diplomats from Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia would join if the U.S. and Iran are close to an agreement.

The pressure is high. The seven nations have set themselves a March 31 deadline for the outline of a final accord they hope to seal by the end of June. Both President Barack Obama and Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

Photos Courtesy of the Associated Press

have spoken against what would be a third extension of the talks.

And opponents, among them wary American allies in the Middle East and hardliners in Iran and in Congress, stand ready to complicate the process if negotiators cannot reach a breakthrough in the next six days. American lawmakers have threatened new sanctions on Iran as well as the establishment of a process which would allow them to vote down any final accord.

The United States and its partners are trying to get Iran to cut the number of centrifuges it uses to enrich uranium, material that can be used in warheads, and agree to other restrictions on

what the Islamic Republic insists is a peaceful nuclear program.

Speaking Wednesday morning to U.S. ambassadors, Kerry assailed opponents of a deal.

“What happens if, as our critics propose, we just walk away from a plan that the rest of the world were to deem to be reasonable?” Kerry asked. “Well, the talks would collapse. Iran would have the ability to go right back spinning its centrifuges and enriching to the degree they want...

And the sanctions will not hold.”

Kerry said the whole point of years of U.S. sanctions was to get Iran to agree to limits on its nuclear program. He said it was the Obama administration’s job

to “provide an agreement that is as good as we said it will be; that will get the job done; that shuts off the four pathways to a nuclear weapon.”

The alternative to diplomacy could mean Iran is left to “just expand its program full-speed ahead,” Kerry said. “You know we can’t accept that. So where does that take you? Anybody standing up in opposition to this has an obligation to stand up and put a viable, realistic alternative on the table. And I have yet to see anybody do that.”

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Last Man on Earth review The search for the last laugh continues.

marketinggum.com

MARSYA STORM Staff Writer I’m sure we’ve all thought about what would we do if we were the last person on earth?

Where would we go? How would we live? The Last Man on Earth explores these questions and then some.

The Last Man on Earth, which began airing on Fox March 1, features Will Forte as Phil Miller who, as far as he knows, is the last man on earth.

The first episode begins with Miller traveling across America for any sign of human life. His search leaves him with a map of the United States covered in

black X’s and back in his hometown of dry, desolate Tucson, Arizona. Through a slightly cynical bedtime prayer it is revealed that a virus wiped out the rest of humanity and that Phil would be willing to do just about anything for some female companionship.

After several months of living in filth and loneliness his prayer is

answered and his real problems begin.

Before Phil runs into by the book, grammar freak Carol (Kristen Schaal) he spends his time drinking, talking to the friends he made from tennis and volleyballs and drinking some more. When he does run into Carol it becomes obvious that,

despite being who they believe to be the only people on earth, they are far from compatible.

Both Forte (30 Rock and Saturday Night Live) and Schaal (30 Rock and Bob’s Burgers) are ridiculous as their respective characters and it’s their quirks that bring out the show’s many laughs. While Carol is repulsed by the state of Phil’s house and the fact that he has a “toilet pool” and Phil can barely tolerate Carol and the fact that she demands he actually stop at stop signs they are both desperate to finally talk with another human being. They barely get along but they force themselves together regardless.

As they suffer through conversations and various, comical differences the issue of repopulation comes up. It’s all downhill for Phil from there.

In all sincerity the quality of The Last Man on Earth depends mostly on the viewer and both their sense of humor and patience. Carol and Phil are difficult to like and the choices they

SHOW• Page 16

Save the Boundary Waters bike tour Campaign to preserve clean water comes to Mankato.

LORIEN MEGILL Staff Writer Save the Boundary Waters is going on the road to raise awareness about threat to the Boundary Waters from proposed sulfide-ore copper mining. Erin McCleary, Lisa Pugh and Iggy Perillo, instructors from Voyageur Outward Bound School, will bike from Winona, Minnesota, to Ely, Minnesota on the

Bike Tour to Save the Boundary Waters, to support this Campaign. These three will begin their journey on April, and will cover the 725 miles over 39 days, stopping in communities along the way to interact with people and share the importance of their cause, and how community members can lend their support.

Part of these community stops will be an invitation for people to sigh the Wenonah canoe that will trail behind their bicycles

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savetheboundarywaters.org

along the route.

The campaign is dedicated to creating a national movement to protect the clean water, clean air and forest landscape of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The Boundary Wa-

ters draws in 250,000 visitors annually, and is currently being threatened by proposed sulfideore copper mining operations that would drain pollution into the Wilderness. The Boundary Waters helps sustain the tour-

ism and hospitality industry in Northeastern Minnesota. This industry supports 18,000 jobs and generates $850 million in revenue annually.

WATERS• Page 17

16 • MSU Reporter

A&E

Thursday, March 26, 2015

The park is now closed

Five reasons to miss Parks and Recreations.

LORIEN MEGILL Staff Writer On Feb. 24, sitcom Parks and Recreation ended its seven-season run on NBC. Even though it’s only been a month since the show ended, I’m already experiencing withdrawal from the strange and wonderful world that was Pawnee, and here are five reasons why.

1. Leslie Knope: It’s somewhat impossible not to like Leslie, the main character and driving force of Parks and Rec. With her unflagging optimism and

love for breakfast foods Leslie stood out as a bright spot in a TV landscape often full of cynicism and snark. Leslie was passionate with just about everything, and even though this sometimes resulted in outlandish schemes and got her in trouble, her exuberance tended to take audiences away with her. After Leslie married accountant Ben Wyatt they managed not to fall into the sitcom trap of the bickering married couple, maintaining a sweet and often hilarious relationship that made accountants suddenly seem immensely attractive.

2. Ron Swanson’s stealth gig-

gles: Ron Swanson was Leslie’s government hating, usually stoic boss with a mustache that produced feelings of envy in many.

Every so often though he would giggle, not laugh or chuckle but actually giggle. His serious face would change almost completely and he would make sounds usually heard only from teenage girls. It was almost a game to try and catch the laughter before it was gone.

3. Commitment to running jokes: Parks and Recreation kept lots of threads that ran throughout the series (for example, the Pit, Ben’s continual letting down

wired.com

SHOW continued from 15

make, while humorous, don’t help any. Sure, their over the top personalities help make what would otherwise be an incredibly dark show light and humorous but they may cause you to roll your eyes or maybe even need an aspirin or two as well.

If you’ve ever thought about what it would be like to be the only person on earth you may have had come to the conclusion that it would be fun but only for a little while.

The Last Man on Earth, while an enjoyable enough watch, threatens to be the same way.

At a few episodes in more elements have been added to the show but Phil and Carol’s dysfunctional relationship continues to run the show, and they seem to be driving in circles.

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the accounting firm that so desperately wants to hire him, The Cones of Dunshire). They managed to balance these ongoing themes, keeping them funny in such a way that the show was not inaccessible to new viewers while offering an extra treat to longtime watchers, who would remember that Ron Swanson always had an uncharacteristically emotional attachment to minihorse Li’l Sebastian. This final season was especially rife with returning guest stars and resolution of longtime plots, leaving episodes full of Easter eggs.

4. Leslie and Ann’s friendship: One of my favorite things about Parks and Recreation throughout the show was the friendship between Leslie and nurse Ann Perkins. They were unquestioningly there for each other. Their conversations were honest talks where they told each other the truth and built each other up, and because they also didn’t indulge in the petty,

bickering, man-stealing behavior often written for “comedy,” Ann and Leslie’s friendship was probably one of the healthiest female friendships in pop culture.

5. The Ensemble as a whole: Even though Leslie was the center of the show it would have been sadly lacking without any of the other characters populating the Parks department. The goofy, but lovable Andy, the over-the-top Donna, and the office scapegoat Garry (Larry, Jerry, Terry?) were fully developed, important parts of the show who contributed to both the comedy and the heart that made the show worth watching.

Hopefully another comedy will come along next season that can fill the space left by Parks and Recreation but until then I’ll just have to content myself with watching it all over again on Netflix.

BEST OF LUCK TO THE MAVERICK HOCKEY TEAM! FROM

Thursday, March 26, 2015

MSU Reporter • 17

A&E

Upcoming conventions Pitch Perfect 2 Gaming conventions you can’t bear to miss.

A look back at the first in anticipation of the second.

” s -

: e MATTHEW EBERLINE y Staff Writer e Spring is finally upon us (sort e of), and with it comes a whole - new convention season for - 2015. PAX East and the Game , Developer’s Conference hapo pened earlier this month, but y there’s still plenty of big events w and awesome reveals to look forward to. While not every y convention or trade show caters t exclusively to gaming, each has s something to offer for the inner n geek in all of us. Here’s a look f ahead at some of the largest and n most important conventions and trade shows of 2015.

WonderCon Anaheim kicks things off in California early next month, running from April

WATER continued from 15

For McCleary, Pugh, and Perillo the cause is personal.

“I live and work just on the edge of the wilderness, right near one of the proposed mine sites,” says Pugh. “I worry about pollution to our clean water. The water is everything up here. Any amount of pollution would compromise our ability to take students into the wilderness. But it’s not just about students and my job. This affects the integrity of the wildlife and our community in Ely.” The tour will make a stop in Mankato on April 7 at the Blue Earth County Library, and will be in St. Peter on April 8 at Gustavus Adolphus College. Other tour stops include St. Cloud, Minneapolis, and Stillwater. For more information, visit https://www. savetheboundarywaters.org.

wtvr.com

3-5 in the Anaheim Convention Center. With 2015 marking the show’s twenty-eighth consecutive year, WonderCon is one of the longest running conventions around, as well as one of the largest and most popular shows in the nation, with over 65,000 visitors in 2014 alone. As part of the Comic-Con International family, WonderCon features a variety of attractions including the “Artists Alley,” where comic book artists can sell artwork and sketches, and the “Trailer Park,” where attendees can view trailers for some of the most anticipated upcoming movies.

Later this spring, Wizard World will be hosting the Minneapolis Comic-Con right here in good old Minnesota. The

show will be held in the Minneapolis Convention Center from May 1-3 and all first and third day general attendees will receive an exclusive limited-edition cover of The Walking Dead #1 comic. The convention will also feature a variety of events, including panels, photo ops, and autograph sessions with former X-Files star, Gillian Anderson, and renowned actor Karl Urban.

June 16-18 will play host to the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), one of the largest trade shows in the video game industry and the largest in the United States. While E3 isn’t open to the general public (only press and industry members allowed), the show is still one of

popstaronline.com

JENNA VAGLE Staff Writer Aca-scuse me? You don’t remember spunky Beca and lovable Chloe? Fat Amy didn’t leave a mark on your heart?

Well, they’re back, pitches. On May 15, the all-star cast returns in Pitch Perfect 2 to compete in the World Championships of Acapella. But lets not forget where they made their start. At Barden University in 2012.

Incoming freshman and aspiring dj, Beca (Anna Kendrick), had no plans of getting involved at BU. When her father, who teaches comparative literature at the school, offers her a deal she can’t resist, Beca has no choice but to join in. If she joins one group on campus, her father will help her make her dream of moving out to LA to produce music a reality.

The Barden Bellas, an all girl acapella group, is in dire need of

PITCH• Page 19

GAMES• Page 19

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18 • MSU Reporter

A&E

Thursday, March 26, 2015

Insurgent lacking surge Another forgettable young adult series converted in mediocrity.

JAMES HOUTSMA Editor in Chief With The Hunger Games movies wrapping up soon, Hollywood has fewer and fewer dystopian young adult properties left to cling to. Among the last “big” pillars to topple is the Divergent series, based on a trilogy of novels by Veronica Roth, for which the first film debuted last year to general cricket chirps.

With a new director at the helm for part two, the series is looking

to shake things up and deliver a legit blockbuster with Insurgent.

Did they succeed? Maybe kinda.

When last we saw of our group of heroes, Tris Prior (Shailene Woodley) and her friends were on the run from the government that was out to destroy divergents, a.k.a. people who didn’t fit into society’s impossible-to-remember pre-ordained categories. Taking refuge with the pacifist class system on the outskirts of post-apocalyptic Chicago, it isn’t long before the police class is back on the tails

of Tris, Four (Theo James) and company, instructed to apprehend a special divergent who is capable of opening a mysterious puzzle box that could change everything.

Divergent had a handful of intriguing elements to it but was ultimately weighed down by its familiarity, feeling like a recycled version of just about every YA property in recent memory.

With Insurgent, we don’t have a massive overhaul so much as a step towards a more straightforward story. The requisite expo-

sition dump is a little less overwhelming, the action is more ridiculous and the setup for next time is more prominent.

That’s not to say the series has transcended its trappings.

As with the first movie, it seems destined that this series will always put borrowing elements from other movies over developing its own distinct identity. In addition to The Hunger Games/ Harry Potter/Twilight/whatever14-year-olds-are-into-thesedays smoothie that was the first movie, Insurgent adds recycled

parts from, of all places, The Fifth Element and Inception.

Additionally, the general story of this entry is about as muddled as the first time around, serving as a sort of video game map quest of different forgettable characters and locations and thin motivations before reaching an area of the story where our main character’s inner conflicts are made simulated reality.

Still, I’m reminded that there’s something to be said about unoriginal material that is arranged well. Insurgent is a more well-arranged package in many ways, which is largely its saving grace. The film literally hits the ground running and features a number of serviceable foot chases and action set pieces, all set to a freight train of a soundtrack. The third act, largely a simulation, is so ridiculously over the top in its action/ CGI destruction that it’s not hard to just sit back and let it scoop you up in its overblown arms.

At the end of the day, I hardly imagine I’ll revisit Insurgent in my mind, just as I imagine most people won’t revisit the Divergent series after the third story is finished -- which, of course being a YA adaptation, will be split into two films (because that’s worked so well so far) -but as two hours of entertainment, it’s admittedly not boring and didn’t make me regret my life decisions.

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Thursday, March 26, 2015

MSU Reporter • 19

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GAMES “The show will be held in the Minne- PITCH “Well, they’re

apolis Convention Center from May 1-3 and all first and third day general attendees will receive an exclusive limited-edition cover of The Walking Dead #1 comic.” continued from 17

back pitches. On May 15th, the all-star cast returns in Pitch Perfect 2 to compete in the World Championships of Acapella.” continued from 17 eight hot girls with bikini ready bodies to redeem themselves at the National Championships at Lincoln Center. Front-woman Aubrey (Anna Camp) got a little bit of stage fright and projectile vomited all over the front-row the year before. Her expectations are high, but with the help of her wing-woman, Chloe (Brittany Snow), they produce a diverse group of eight average girls, including Beca. The Bellas don’t stray from tradition, singing songs sung by women only. Aubry and Chloe have their work cut out for them. The struggle is real during their first practice.

Their personalities collide, they can’t harmonize at all, Stacie (Alexis Knapp) can’t stop touching herself and CynthiaRose (Ester Dean) is having a hard time with being a lady. Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson) is hori-

gamespot.com

the biggest events in gaming.

With so many titles set to launch later in the year, this E3 looks to be one packed with previews and hands-on coverage, not to mention all the announcements

ference scene, opting to stream its presentation through its Nintendo Direct service instead.

While its still too early to tell what games will be found on the show floor, expect this year’s E3

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and reveals that come with each annual show. Sony, Microsoft, Ubisoft, and Electronic Arts will each return with their annual press conferences detailing the latest announcements and developments. For the first time in history, Bethesda announced they will also host their own press conference before the show on June 14, causing many members of the gaming community to speculate that the studio may have a big announcement on the way.

In recent years, Nintendo has pulled itself out of the press con-

to be a memorable one.

Perhaps the biggest convention of all is the San Diego Comic-Con, held July 9-12 this year.

Since 1970, the San Diego Comic-Con has been the focal point for all things geeky and has hosted countless special guests over the years, from renowned comic creators to fantasy/science fiction authors and Hollywood film directors. The event has become so popular in recent years that anyone thinking of attending is advised to purchase their tickets one or two years in advance, as they tend to sell out very quick.

Europe’s largest gaming trade show, Gamescom, is set to run August 5-9 in Cologne, Germany. Like E3, Gamescom is one of the largest and most important events in the gaming industry, hosting hundreds of developers from across the world. The trade show first began in 2009 and has since garnered thousands of visitors each year. As with E3, Gamescom hosts press conferences from key companies in the industry, including Sony, Microsoft, Ubisoft, and Electronic Arts.

If you’re looking to attend one of these trade shows, PAX Prime may be your best bet.

Started in 2004 as the Penny Arcade Expo, PAX Prime has since grown into an impressive show all of its own. From developer panels to exhibitor booths and gaming tournaments, PAX Prime has something for everyone, and it’s completely open to the public. PAX Prime is set to run August 28-31 in the Seattle Convention Center.

Finally in September is Japan’s own Tokyo Game Show (TGS) showcasing hundreds of hit games and series such as Final Fantasy, and Fire Emblem, among others. While many of the titles shown at the TGS are released in Japan only, it’s still interesting to see what the types of games enjoyed in the Japanese market. The Tokyo Game Show will take place September 17-20, with the show opening up to the public on the nineteenth.

zontal running during cardio, and no one can hear Lilly’s (Hana Mae Lee) claims of hiding a dead body. Let’s not forget the catfight between Beca and Aubry at the end of practice where Aubrey tells Beca she doesn’t like her attitude and that she has a “toner” for Treblemaker Jesse, who is also interns with Beca at the campus radio station.

Although they have their differences throughout the season, the Bellas learn to work together and through a loop and twist of events, they make their way to the finals at Lincoln Center.

Will they get to the top once more at internationals? They’ve got some fierce competition, but if they defeated the odds once, they can certainly do it again.

GOOD LUCK

MAVERICK HOCKEY!

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Thursday, March 26, 2015

MSU Reporter • 21

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This week, in geek news...

A popular TV series is returning, an acclaimed movie director isn’t and a megastar hangs on to a plane for dear life. and Alexandra Shipp as Storm, among several others.

X-Men: Apocalypse is slated to begin production next month and is envisioned as a third and final chapter of the X-Men trilogy started with X-Men: First Class.

X-Men: Apocalypse is set to be released May 27, 2016.

Jesse Eisenberg is mean-mugging in this first look.

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JAMES HOUTSMA Editor in Chief

and will hit theaters Mar. 25, 2016.

We’re just one year away from the release of Warner Bros.’ Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice in theaters, and new information to the highly-anticipated blockbuster is starting to be released.

Entertainment Weekly released the very first image of Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor Wednesday, laying to rest the rumors that Eisenberg would not be sporting Luthor’s signature bald head.

“He’s not any of the Lexes that you’ve seen, that’s for sure other than him being a captain of industry and one person to the world and another person to himself. And bald, of course,” said director Zack Snyder in the EW piece. “Our Lex is disarming and he’s not fake. He says what he believes and he says what’s on his mind. If you can unravel the string and decipher what he means, it’s all there.”

The reveal of Eisenberg was similar to that of our first glance at Jason Mamoa as Aquaman last month.

The first trailer for Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice is expected to land in May in front of Mad Max: Fury Road.

The Man of Steel follow-up is currently in post-production

Luther star Idris Elba is in talks to join the next Star Trek movie as the main villain.

Elba, known for his roles in Luther, Prometheus and Thor, would be joining the returning cast of J.J. Abrams’ previous two films, this time under the direction of Fast 6’s Justin Lin. Elba’s role has not yet been disclosed, although there has been talk that the Klingons will play a larger role in the next film.

Shooting for Star Trek 3 is slated to commence this June for a July 8, 2016 release date.

The cast for the next X-Men film keeps growing. Director Bryan Singer has chosen unknown actress Lana Condor to play Jubilee in next summer’s X-Men: Apocalypse. Condor has no known acting credits to her name at this point.

In addition to the returning cast of James McAvoy as Charles Xavier, Michael Fassbender as Magneto, Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique and Nicholas Hoult as Beast, Condor is in the camp of other X-Men first-timers with Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, Tye Sheridan as Cyclops, Kodi Smit-McPhee as Nightcrawler

Speaking of X’s The X-Files is officially coming back to television.

Fox announced Tuesday that the beloved sci-fi would be coming back as a six-part event series.

“I think of it as a 13-year commercial break,” said series creator Chris Carter. “The good news is the world has only gotten that much stranger, a perfect time to tell these six stories.”

Production is set to begin this summer for a yet-to-beannounced air date. Original series stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson are slated to return as Fox Mulder and Dana Sculley, respectively, as is series creator Chris Carter as the series’ head.

Avengers: Age of Ultron has not even hit theaters yet, but wheels are already turning for the third Avengers outing.

Badass Digest reported Monday that Joe and Anthony Russo, directors of Captain America: The Winter Solider and the upcoming Captain America: Civil War, will direct Avengers: Infinity War Parts One and Two for Marvel.

The announcement confirms months of rumors that The Russo’s would take over for current Avengers director Joss Whedon, would has mentioned several times in the past months that he will be moving on from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Elaborating on the choice, the Russos teased that Captain America: Civil War will be “instrumental in setting up Infinity War.” Avengers: Infinity War Part One is set to open May 4, 2018 while Part Two opens a year later on May 3, 2019.

Captain America: Civil War opens May 6, 2016. Avengers: Age of Ultron will open in five weeks on May 1, 2015.

Batman: Arkham Knight has been delayed once more, though not as long as previous times. Previously slated to be released Jun. 2 of this year, developer Rocksteady has decided to push the game’s release back three weeks to Jun. 23.

Batman: Arkham Knight is the final installment in the Batman Arkham trilogy and is to be released on the PS4, Xbox One and PC.

his IMF team from previous films, and a rogue new assassin (Rebecca Ferguson) team up to take down The Syndicate, a mirror opposite IMF team of trained mercenaries.

Rogue Nation is directed by frequent Cruise-collaborator Christopher McQuarrie from a script by Iron Man 3’s Drew Pearce. The film was originally slated to debut at Christmas this year, but recently moved up its release date to July 31 of this summer.

Tom Cruise and the Impossible Mission Force are back at it again and performing more death-defying stunts than ever (hard to believe if you saw Ghost Protocol).

The trailer for Mission: Impossible 5 landed this week, revealing the film’s official title: Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation. The story of this outing sees Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt,

i0.wp.com

22 • MSU Reporter

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Hirsch jailed PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — Actor Emile Hirsch made his first court appearance Monday on allegations that he put a studio executive in a chokehold and dragged her across a nightclub table while in Utah for the Sundance Film Festival.

The “Into the Wild” star declined to comment Monday outside court in Park City.

His attorney Neil Kaplan said Hirsch is receiving counseling after going to rehab.

The actor from Encino, California, is charged with felony assault, which is punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine. He also faces a misdemeanor count of intoxication.

Hirsch, who turned 30 on Friday, was clean-shaven and wore a tight-fitting black suit with a white shirt and black tie.

He stared straight ahead as he walked through a small gaggle of reporters, photographers and onlookers at the courthouse. He was flanked by two attorneys and a friend.

After his brief appearance before state Judge Kara Petitt, Hirsch was instructed to walk next door to the sheriff’s office to get his mug shot taken. He isn’t required to be at the next hearing, set for April 13.

Hirsch may also be excused from other upcoming hearings, a concession often granted to outof-state defendants who are cooperating, said Summit County prosecutor Ryan Stack. Stack said he had no comment on a possible plea deal.

The woman Hirsch is accused of assaulting on Jan. 25 is Daniele Bernfeld, an executive for the Paramount Pictures subsidiary Insurge Pictures.

Efforts to reach Bernfeld and her employer were unsuccessful.

Insurge Pictures distributed the Ben Stiller-produced Web comedy “Burning Love,” which also was on E! cable network.

Hirsch lawyer Robert Offer has said the actor was drinking alcohol and does not remember what happened that night. Offer also said last month that Hirsch checked into rehab within days of the incident.

Hirsch is best known for his “Into the Wild” role. He also appeared in Universal’s Navy SEAL drama “Lone Survivor,” Peter Berg’s account of a disastrous 2005 military operation in Afghanistan.

Hirsch was at Sundance for the premiere of the drama “Ten Thousand Saints,” in which he appears alongside Ethan Hawke and Asa Butterfield.

Court documents say the altercation at Tao Nightclub in Park City occurred when Hirsch, looking drunk, approached Bernfeld and asked why she looked “so tough.”

He also told Bernfeld she was a “rich kid who should not be at Sundance,” the documents say.

Investigators say Hirsch grabbed Bernfeld, and she pushed him away. He left and sat with friends before returning and grabbing the woman from behind, the documents say.

Authorities say Hirsch put the woman in a chokehold and pulled her across a table before landing on top of her on the floor.

Bernfeld told authorities she saw things going dark and might have blacked out momentarily.

Hirsch told police at the time that he didn’t know Bernfeld but was having an argument with her.

Thursday, March 26, 2015

150 years later, Lincoln speaks NEW YORK (AP) — Pages of handwritten speeches, terse military communiques jotted by the Civil War commander in chief, many documents signed with the familiar “A.Lincoln” — these make up a major portion of an illuminating exhibit titled, “Lincoln Speaks: Words that Transformed a Nation.”

But the show at New York’s Morgan Library, which overlaps the 150th anniversary of the war’s end and of his assassination, also reveals Abraham Lincoln speaking in a personal voice that adds a touching dimension to the display of public pronouncements that resonate profoundly today.

Anyone who has pondered the mystery of how a young man from the backwoods with virtually no classroom schooling developed such an extraordinary command of language will be moved to see the small, leatherbound English grammar book he studied. This is not just an artifact of self-education, though; it represents, in effect, a love note.

On the title page, Lincoln wrote that he was making his treasured book a gift to his first sweetheart, Ann Rutledge.

In a letter he wrote from the White House to a young woman about the death of her father in the war, he notes: “In this sad world of ours, sorrow comes to all; and, to the young, it comes with bitterest agony, because it takes them unawares. The older have learned to ever expect it.”

Lincoln, who had lost his mother when he was a boy, was then grieving the recent death of his

beloved son Willie.

Here, his eloquence is fatherly, comforting. Other writing in the exhibit, such as that in a decoratively printed and signed copy of the Emancipation Proclamation, employs precise, dry legal language.

This shows his special capacity to move “from role to role” as a writer, said Sandra Trenholm of the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, who with the Morgan Library’s Declan Keily curated “Lincoln Speaks.” They drew from their own institutions’ holdings and from others. The exhibit at the midtown Manhattan museum runs through June 7.

Those unfamiliar with Lincoln the poet will find examples here — he wrote verses occasionally from his teenage to his White House years. No one calls them great literature, but his poems illustrate both his humor and his melancholy. And they remind us of his love of forms that influenced his public writing. Personal copies of some of Lincoln’s favorites are on display — including a collection of Alexander Pope’s witty, wise verse essays and an oversized “Macbeth,” which he would sometimes read from or recite.

The exhibit is full of surprises.

We see the formal “respite of execution” request in 1862 from a man convicted of slave-trading, a capital offense. Lincoln, otherwise known for his compassion and his pardons, refused the man’s bid for clemency.

And in notes for one of his famous 1858 Senate race de-

bates with Stephen Douglas, we see this passage, which seems so modern: “In this age and this country, public sentiment is everything. With it, nothing can fail; against it, nothing can succeed. Whoever moulds public sentiment, goes deeper than he who enacts statutes, or pronounces judicial decisions.”

The curators place a 19-word message to the Union commanding general, Ulysses S. Grant, endorsing a strategy late in the war — “I begin to see it. You will succeed,” it says, in part — near a broadside copy of Lincoln’s second inaugural address, anticipating an end to “this mighty scourge” and calling for “charity for all.” The document is in blue ink, meaning it was printed in the month between the inauguration and Lincoln’s assassination in mid-April 1865, after which black ink was used.

After Lincoln’s death, someone retrieved his quill pen, used to write so many of his words, from his desk at the White House. It, too, is on display here.

Like two sculptural pieces nearby, a life mask and bronze molds of his large hands, this artifact brings Lincoln the man uncannily present.

But in the end, as the curators say, Lincoln lives in his words: “As president, he deployed ethical teaching, painstaking reason, and wry humor; he resisted easy demagoguery and personal abuse. By these means, Lincoln — the common man — reached uncommon heights of eloquence.”

Insurgent matches Divergent debut LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sean Penn’s “The Gunman” was no match for the rebel kids of “Insurgent.”

The second installment in the “Divergent” series easily topped the box office with $54 million from 3,875 theaters, according Rentrak estimates Sunday. Penn’s geopolitical thriller stumbled with only $5 million.

While the second films in both the “Hunger Games” and the “Twilight” series boasted opening weekend gains over the first, “Insurgent’s” opening nearly matches that of its predecessor, “Divergent,” which debuted to $54.6 million just last year.

Many predicted a bit of growth for this second film, which sees the return of stars Shailene Woodley, Theo James, and Kate Winslet to author Veronica Roth’s dystopian world.

But, both distributor Lionsgate and box office analysts see the consistency as a good thing.

“We’re extremely pleased with the outcome,” said Lionsgate’s President of Domestic Distribution Richie Fay. “I think this is exactly where we thought we’d be,” he added.

“We attracted a few more males this time around, and I think we’re headed in the right direction. The uptick from Friday to Saturday was considerably higher than it was for ‘Divergent.’

That, the A- CinemaScore and what’s coming into the marketplace will allow us to grow very nicely.”

According to Lionsgate, 60 percent of audiences were female.

Rentrak’s Senior Media Analyst Paul Dergarabedian credits Lionsgate’s consistent release date strategy and impressive marketing campaign for the strong repeat performance.

“It’s really about driving a very fickle audience, that teen, YA — whatever you want to call them — they’re really tough

to get a handle on. Their tastes change like the wind,” he said.

“The key is keeping the young adult audience engaged, excited and enthusiastic.”

“Insurgent” also performed well overseas, taking in $47 million from 76 markets, bringing its worldwide total to $101 million.

Disney’s live-action “Cinderella,” meanwhile, fell 49 percent in Week 2 to take second place with $34.5 million. The PGrated film has earned an impressive $122 million domestically to date.

Also in its second weekend in theaters, the R-rated Liam Neeson-led action film “Run All Night,” managed a slight edge over Open Road’s “The Gunman.” Neeson’s film, a Warner Bros. release, dropped 54 percent with its $5.1 million weekend, while Penn’s film debuted in fourth place with only $5 million.

“You have a lot of R-rated

competition out there right now,” noted Dergarabedian, who also added that Penn’s foray into the action genre has not garnered the best reviews.

“Kingsman: The Secret Service,” one of the better performing R-rated releases in recent weeks, rounded out the top five with $4.6 million in its sixth weekend in theaters. The 20th Century Fox film has now earned over $114.6 million domestically.

“Over the past couple of weeks, films driven by the female audience have done much better than films driven by the male audience. But that’s all going to change because ‘Furious 7’ is on the way,” Dergarabedian said.

“Put on your seatbelt and get ready, because it’s going to be an incredible ride in the coming weeks,” he said.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to

Rentrak. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. “Insurgent,” $54 million ($47 million international).

2. “Cinderella,” $34.5 million ($41.1 million international).

3. “Run All Night,” $5.1 million ($5 million international).

4. “The Gunman,” $5 million ($900,000 international).

5. “Kingsman: The Secret Service,” $4.6 million ($8.5 million international).

6. “Do You Believe?” $4 million.

7. “The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,” $3.5 million ($3.2 million international).

8. “Focus,” $3.3 million ($7.9 million international).

9. “Chappie,” $2.7 million ($5.1 million international).

10. “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water,” $2.4 million ($3.2 million international).

MSU Reporter • 23

Thursday, March 26, 2015

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NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey: A new champion to be crowned in Division I After defending National Champion Union College failed to make it out of their conference tournament, 2015 won’t see a repeat title winner.

DEREK LAMBERT Sports Editor

Back in October, 59 teams took to the ice across the country to begin the college hockey season. It’s now nearly April, and just the final 16 remain. Last weekend wrapped up last of the country’s respective conference tournaments, and the NCAA Tournament field is set.

Defending National Champion Union College lost in three games to Quinnipiac University in the first round of the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference playoffs, effectively ending their season and repeat title hopes.

With that, we will have a new champion in college hockey this year. Not necessarily completely new, as nine of the teams in the tournament field have won at least one National Championship during their time as a program, but not a back-to-back champion.

For men’s hockey, the NCAA Tournament is broken into four regional tournaments consisting of four teams each, with each regional champion advancing to the Frozen Four at the TD Garden in Boston, Mass. in April.

The Midwest Regional will be held in South Bend, Ind. At the Compton Family Ice Arena on the University of Notre Dame campus and includes Minnesota State, Rochester Institute of Technology, the University of Nebraska-Omaha, and Harvard.

Minnesota State is the no. 1 overall seed in the field of 16, and is a favorite to advance to the Frozen Four. The Mavericks from Mankato, Minn. Boast a very deep and talented roster backed up by a tremendous goaltender. The Mavs went 29-73 leading up to the tournament, and won the WCHA Final Five Tournament to solidify their no.

1 seed.

RIT is a bit of a surprise as they were at no. 38 in the playoff

rankings, winning the Atlantic Hockey Association conference tournament to receive the automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. While the Tigers have a mediocre 19-14-5 record facing a much softer schedule than much of the field, don’t be fooled.

MSU defeated the Tigers twice during the 2009-2010 season, but RIT went on a run to reach their first-ever Frozen Four. While this year’s Tiger squad may not have that same potential, they do have a top ten Hobey Baker Award finalist for the best player in college hockey in senior Matt Garbowski, who has 26 goals and 53 points on the year.

These two teams will face off on Saturday, with the winner advancing to play either Harvard or UNO on Sunday with the Frozen Four on the line.

Harvard is no surprise to be among the final 16 this season.

The Crimson rank ninth in the playoff rankings and are ranked no. 10 in the national polls while going 21-12-3 on the year. Harvard has lost just once since February 28th , and boast the country’s top goal scorer in junior Jimmy Vesey, who has netted 31 on the season.

Nebraska-Omaha is their opponent, and the Mavericks have experienced perhaps the biggest rollercoaster season of any in the tournament. UNO compiled an 18-12-6 record leading up to the tournament, but went just 2-5-3 over their final ten games of the season, including being swept by St. Cloud State in their conference tournament.

In the West Regional, there’s no. 2 seeded North Dakota, the favorite, perhaps, to win the entire tournament. Playing at Scheels Arena in Fargo could also be a major factor in having a largely North Dakotan crowd.

UND held to no. 1 ranking

Trevor Cokley • MSU Reporter Minnesota State won the WCHA Final Five en route to the no. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.

in the country for the majority of the season, recently falling to no. 3. The team formerly known as the Sioux have been one of the best, racking up a 27-9-3 record on the season. UND will square off against Quinnipiac on Saturday to advance to the West final against either Michigan Tech or St. Cloud.

Quinnipiac holds the no. 11 ranking in the nation, and narrowly made the NCAA Tournament coming in at no. 14 in the playoff rankings. The Bobcats are a team that’s been successful in recent history, going 23-11-4 this season, but they may have

trouble taking down the green giant that is UND, especially in North Dakota.

Michigan Tech is perhaps the biggest turnaround team this season, going from not making the WCHA playoffs a year ago to receiving a no. 2 seed in the West regional, no. 7 overall. The Huskies went 29-9-2 this season with one of the best goaltenders in the country, Jamie Phillips.

St. Cloud State was a bubble team to make the tournament heading into last weekend’s National Collegiate Hockey Conference tournament. The Huskies swept the no. 1 team

in the nation at the time, North Dakota, on their way to reaching the no. 12 spot in the playoff rankings. At 19-18-1 SCSU has been very up and down this season, but carry one of the most lethal goal scorers in the nation in junior Jonny Brodzinski, who has tallied 20 on the year, 11 of which have come on the power play.

In the Northeast Regional we have no. 3 overall seed Boston University facing Yale, and no.

6 Minnesota-Duluth against no.

10, the University of Minnesota

NCAA HOCKEY • Page 26

24 • MSU Reporter

Sports

Thursday, March 26, 2015

Captain Clutch delivers heading into NCAA Tournament

LUKE LONIEN Staff Writer

Freshman Brad McClure took the conference by storm last weekend, helping the Minnesota State University, Mankato Mavericks grab the overall number one seed in the NCAA tournament, scoring five goals and assisting on another during the WCHA Final Five Tournament.

He lived up to his nickname from junior hockey, leading his team to a conference tournament championship.

“His nickname up in B.C. was Captain Clutch,” said head coach Mike Hastings. “He’s a guy who has a history of scoring big goals, scoring a lot of them.”

His outstanding performance earned him the WCHA Final Five MVP award, an award won

by MSU sophomore goaltender Cole Huggins last season.

Before coming to MSU, the Stratford, Ontario native, played with Penticton of British Columbia Hockey League were he played in 137 games, putting up 85 goals and a total of 159 points.

His incredible play led him to the BCHL All-Rookie Team in 2012-13. He led the Vees in during the 2013-2014 season in both regular season and playoffs with 80 points. He also was fourth in the BCHL in scoring in 2013-2014, earning himself Frist Team All-Star selection scoring 42 goals.

His goal scoring ability really game to life over a weekend that saw McClure tally a career-high three points with 3 against Ferris State, putting up 2 goals and an assist.

McClure gave the Maverick’s the lead in the first period forcing a turnover in the offensive zone, getting to the slot and fired it into the back of the net.

“I put some pressure on the D-men, the puck ended up on my stick. I pushed the puck into the slot and fired it on the net” said McClure.

His second goal came after Casey Nelson fired a puck and net, and McClure was able to get the deflection.

“The puck went up to the point and I was trying to get some traffic in front of the net.,” said McClure. “It luckily went off my shin pad which was a lucky bounce, but it was good to get that goal.”

His play didn’t slow down against Michigan Tech as the freshman recorded a hat trick, tying his career high in points and his first hat trick.

“Honestly, quite of few bounces went my way, its always nice to have those,” McClure said. He made the most out of

bounces turning them into three goals. “It just seemed the puck was my stick at the right time and found the back of the net a couple times.”

As a Freshman McClure is really coming into his own. He started the year on fire, scoring a goal in MSU’s first three contest and then tailed his first three point game against Alaska in December.

McClure has really turned it on as of late, tallying 10 points in the past six games of the season, putting up multi-point games in the past three games.

He has totaled 15 goals and 29 points in 38 games so far this season.

Even though McClure is getting the attention for putting up a streak of points, and his successful season, he made sure his teammates got the recognition deserved.

“Its nice to step up, but I think there are a lot of things that goes into other lines that don’t get appreciated,” said McClure. “You look at the line of Gaede, Knowles, and Nel-

Trevor Cokley • MSU Reporter Freshman Brad McClure stole the show of the WCHA Final Five with his five goal, six point weekend.

son, they built a lot of energy to start that third period for us and

CAPTAIN CLUTCH • Page 27

Good Luck

The Boulder Tap House staff wishes the Maverick Hockey team Congratulations & Good Luck in the NCAA Tourney!

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Sports

Mavericks rise to no. 2 on the diamond DENZELL OATS Staff Writer After sweeping the University of Mary in league play last week 5-4, 2-1, 6-3, 10-7, the Maverick Baseball team has gotten there season off to a good start and currently sits high in several collegiate polls.

The baseball team was ranked No. 2 in both the D2 Baseball News and American Baseball Coaches Association and Collegiate Newspaper polls this week with their 4-0 conference record.

The Mavericks retained the second spot in the D2 Baseball News poll for the second consecutive week, trailing only Colorado Mesa in the poll.

Rounding out the top five is Franklin Pierce, Tampa and NOVA Southeastern.

In the ABCA-Collegiate Newspaper poll, MSU rose one spot after being ranked No. 3 a week ago. Colorado Mesa was also the No. 1 team in this poll with Tampa being No. 3, NOVA Southeastern ranking No. 4 and Florida Tech remaining in the fifth spot.

The Purple and Gold stayed steady at No. 7 in the poll produced by Perfect Game and moved up five spots to No. 12 by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.

Minnesota State stands 13-1 overall this season and are 4-0 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play. This is after a bevy of spring trip matches over break.

The Men on the Maverick baseball team will face off against St. Cloud in two double headers next week.

St. Cloud currently is competing in a perfect 20-0 season thus far and are 2-0 in the conference only seeing Upper Iowa University.

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.

Weather permitting the Mavericks will face St. Cloud in the first game of the double header Tuesday March, 31st at 1:30 p.m. at the MSU Baseball Complex.

The Huskies from St. Cloud

are an impressive 20-0 on the year, and come in at no. 12 in the rankings. The ranking might seem like somewhat of a snub, but SCSU hasn’t played any ranked opponents yet this season.

St. Cloud has been steamrolling their opponents, however. In ten of the 20 games the Huskies have played this season, they’ve scored ten or more runs. If the Mavericks want too keep their no. 2 ranking in the country, they’ll have to play tough defense to slow down an explosive Huskies offense.

Following the double-header against St. Cloud, the Mavericks will head north next weekend for a four game series at the University of Minnesota-Duluth.

Yohanes Ashenafi • MSU Reporter MSU freshman Dalton Roach with the delivery from the mound.

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26 • MSU Reporter

Sports

Thursday, March 26, 2015

NCAA HOCKEY

C

h “ t

continued from 23 at Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, N.H. BU is the clear favorite as they’ve bounced around the top three in the country all season long and carry the favorite to win the Hobey Baker Award, freshman Jack Eichel. Eichel is slated to go no. 1 or no. 2 overall in this year’s NHL Entry Draft, and is expected to carry the Terriers back home to Boston for the Frozen Four. The rookie’s 66 points are most in the nation, as are his 42 assists which has led BU to a 25-7-2 record this season.

Yale has been good but not great this season. The Bulldogs won the National Championship in 2013, but haven’t been quite as electrifying since. They stand 18-9-5 coming into the tournament, and aren’t expected to do much. But as their upset over the no. 1 seeded Minnesota Gophers in the 2013 regional tournament showed us, you can’t count anyone out.

UMD, the sister school to the Gophers they’ll be playing Saturday, has been great this year. At 20-15-3, the Bulldogs have some very impressive wins on their resume. They split with Minnesota State earlier this year, and have beaten the Gophers three of four times this season, which could play heavily into this weekend’s match up.

Minnesota comes in as the team everyone loves to hate.

Why? Because generally, they are the favorite, but not so much this year. The Gophers struggled this season after being the national runner-up a year ago.

However, their 23-12-3 record was enough to win the Big Ten regular season, and they went on to beat Michigan for the Big Ten Tournament championship.

The Gophers may not be what they were expected to be, but it would come as no surprise if Don Lucia rallied his troops to another Frozen Four.

The fourth and final region is the East, being played at Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence, R.I. between the University of Miami-Ohio, Providence College, Denver, and Boston College.

Miami is the no. 4 overall seed and no. 1 in the region, coming in with a 25-13-1 record after winning the NCHC tournament last weekend in Minneapolis. The Redhawks have a deep lineup with Austin Czarnik, Riley Barber, and Blake Coleman that could carry them to Boston, but they’ll have to get

by Providence in the first round without Coleman, who’s serving a suspension from a gamemisconduct penalty taken last weekend.

Providence is the talk of this region, coming in as a no.

4 seed playing in front of a home crowd. The Friars went 22-13-2 this season , but have a very capable goaltender in Jon Gillies, who’s posted a .931 save percentage. It’s been a while since the Friars have had deep NCAA Tournament success, but they could undoubtedly steal a couple games this weekend and head to Boston.

Denver is back to national prominence after an up and

c

down few seasons. The Pioneers rank no. 6 in the nation with a 23-13-2 record, led by one of the nation’s best defenseman in senior Joey LaLeggia, who has 38 points on the season. DU won back-to-back National Championships in 2004 and 2005, and are looking to return to their former glory.

Boston College is a team that has been a bit of a dynasty the

past couple of decades, but are sort of just in the mix this year.

At 21-13-3, the Eagles are no.

12 in the country, but the loss of last season’s Hobey Baker winner Johnny Gaudreau has hurt, and it’s noticeable. Their offense ranks 23rd in the country and their defense is 15th, but with National titles in 2006, 2008, 2010, and 2012, the Eagles are more than capable of returning

to their hometown to play for another.

Whatever happens this weekend, there should be plenty of excitement for hockey fans as they cheer on their teams in hopes of reaching the Frozen Four. Sunday will feature four regional championships, with all roads leading to the TD Garden on April 9th.

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Thursday, March 26, 2015

MSU Reporter • 27

Sports

CAPTAIN CLUTCH “Honestly, quite of few bounces went my way, its always nice to

have those,” McClure said. He made the most out of bounces turning them into three goals.

“It just seemed the puck was my stick at the right time and found the back of the net a couple times.”

continued from 24 I think its guys like that who don’t get appreciated as much as they should, but they really build team energy for the whole bench.”

Senior Chase Grant saw McClure’s talent in the fall. “Right away you could tell he is really skilled. All of our freshman were extremely skilled and they just seemed to get better and better,” The progression has been there for McClure all season.

“Coming from back then he has progressed a long way this year as the rest of our team has. He is going to be a special player going forward.”

McClure flew under the radar for much of the season, but now

Brad McClure

he may be looked at as another go-to guy for the Mavs as they embark on their journey towards the Frozen Four in Boston. His 15 goals as a rookie are the most for an MSU freshman since now

Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Carter’s 15 in the 2004-2005 season. No Maverick freshman has broken the 30-point barrier since St. Louis Blues captain David Backes, who tallied 37 as a rookie for MSU in 2003-2004.

More recently, senior forward and second all-time leading scorer in MSU history Matt Leitner posted 29 points as a freshman just three seasons ago, the same total McClure has heading into the NCAA Tournament.

Regardless of how McClure finished up, he is putting himself among elite company in the MSU program, and looks to have a very bright future ahead of him.

“Brad was very deserving of

the MVP,” said Hastings. “He made a tremendous impact both nights. I’m happy he’s wearing our jersey.”

McClure and the rest of the Mavericks will continue their

quest for a National Championship as they kick off the tournament against RIT in South Bend, Ind. Puck drop is slated for 3 p.m. Saturday.

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