April 5, 2022

TODAY

‘K ato gets a taste

49˚

of drag royalty page

14

38˚

A couple of rainy days.

Get a coffee and chill a little.

ST U DEN T RU N NEWS SINCE 1926

TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 2022

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New center for health coming in fall

NEW CANDIDATES

Celebrations by lifting every voice

By HAFSA PEERZADA

By ALEXANDRA TOSTRUD

Minnesota State University, Mankato is establishing a Center for Rural Behavioral Health this fall.

The center aims at promoting the emotional well-being of individuals residing in rural areas by providing services designed to address and resolve mental health issues.

Thad Shunkwiler, assistant professor in the Department of Health Sciences, is the founding director of the behavioral health center.

“MSU is leading the way not just in Minnesota but the entire country in looking at particular issues as they pertain to rural behavioral health. We are not duplicating the work of other organizations; we’re spearheading this at a time in which mental health has never been talked about more. ” The prevalence of mental health issues in rural areas is similar to their prevalence in urban areas yet evident disparities in mental health services exist in rural areas owing to the scarcity of providers, services or centers that provide the necessary help to residents.

The establishment of this center directly addresses those mental health disparities.

The center’s main objective is to improve access to mental health services for residents in rural areas and adopt appropriate services to better cater to the mental health challenges faced by individuals living in rural settings.

“The needs of rural Minnesotans are just different than the needs of our metro counterparts. So, the focus of the center will be to cater to those specific needs and identify what the differences are between rural and metro residents and identify ways to solve those problems through research,” added Shunkwiler.

Adding to the center’s goal of catering to the mental health needs of residents in rural areas, Shunkwiler also stressed the importance of diversity among mental health practitioners.

To best serve the needs of HEALTH on page 4 

This past Thursday marked the end of Women’s History Month, as the Women’s Center here at Minnesota State University, Mankato held “Lift Every Voice: Women Make History!” in the CSU Ballroom to celebrate women’s history and current movements.

The event was open to the public and featured tables representing student and community organizations, a gallery from the Women’s Center’s photo campaign, speeches about influential women across the globe, and Lizzo’s touring DJ Sophia Eris.

The event ran from 7-9 p.m., with the presentation portion beginning around 7:30 p.m. Shadow Rolan, MSU’s Interim Director of Violence Awareness & Response Program, kicked off the program by showing a rendition of the poemturned-song by J. Rosamond Johnson and James Weldon Johnson.

“Lift Every Voice and Sing” has been adopted as a black national anthem, and Rolan encouraged listeners to think about how the lyrics bear similarities to women’s history as well.

This was followed by speeches from various students involved with the Women’s Center, who spoke about the women who inspire them. The selected role models ranged from American historical figures, to modern-day activists, to family members.

One student in attendance was Aisha Maiga, a senior at MSU. “I really enjoyed the speeches, especially the one by Tahmina Sobat. It made me emotional– I cried a bit,” said Maiga. Sobat spoke about her mother’s determination to secretly educate girls in her home country of Afghanistan during the Taliban rule.

Before and after the main program, attendees were free to roam around the space, which was lined with representatives from different campus associations and departments, along with people representing the Greater Mankato community. One student organization in attendance WOMEN on page 5 

Staff Writer

Staff Writer

DYLAN LONG • The Reporter

Student Government candidacy has been announced Idman Ibrahim running for Vice President (left) and Emma Zellmer running for President. Their party Empowering Mavericks will run uncontested.

Meet the candidates for Student Government leadership.

By MAXWELL MAYLEBEN Editor in Chief

As the 89th Student Government’s tenure comes to a close, the question arises as to who will assume the president, vice-president and senate seats.

Emma Zellmer announced

her candidacy for Student Government President last week, along with her running mate Idman Ibrahim for Vice President.

For the second year in a row, the presidential race will be uncontested, meaning there will only be one name on the ballot to vote for.

The two have a platform with several priorities, including increased student consultation, accessibility, and parking.

“I have been very involved in student government, not only at the campus level, but also at the system level,” said Zellmer, who STUGOV on page 5 

Bomb threat on campus resulted in building close

By MAXWELL MAYLEBEN Friday April 1, at 5:15 a.m. an email was sent to all students and staff notifying that a bomb threat was made for Armstrong Hall and Otto Recreation Center on campus resulting in closing those buildings.

The threat was reported to Mankato Public Safety at 11:22 p.m. on Thursday, followed by an immediate investigation by Public Safety and Campus Security as several police vehicles were seen outside of at Armstrong Hall Friday morning.

Out of caution, the buildings remained closed until later that day with the Otto Recreation Center which reopened at 4 p.m. An email sent to all staff, on behalf of Interim Provost & Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Brian Martenson telling faculty members to com-

DYLAN ENGEL • The Reporter

Editor in Chief

municate with their students about either class cancellations or online options. Employees who work in those buildings were also instructed to work from home.

University officials have been working with the Mankato Department of Public Safety and

that the buildings had been searched with nothing found and was determined that there was no risk to the public.

While the investigation is still open, two individuals have reportedly been identified and are cooperating with law enforcement.

2 • MSU Reporter

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MSU Reporter • 3

College of Business’s Research Day kick off lecture series Friday JEREMY REDLIEN • The Reporter

Mankato students walkout to support LGBTQ rights

Mankato West students standing on the sidewalk along Riverfront Dr. near their high school during the walkout.

By JEREMY REDLIEN Staff Writer

Risking disciplinary action and braving near freezing temperatures, over 20 Mankato West High School students walked out of school on Mar. 31 around 12 noon to protest anti-LGBTQ legislation being passed around the United States.

For several hours on a portion of Riverfront Drive, outside of the school, members of the Mankato West Gender and Sexuality Alliance waved a variety of LGBTQ pride flags and carried signs in support of LGBTQ causes.

“There have been extremely homophobic and transphobic laws being passed around the United States such as ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill that passed in Florida. There’s an extremely transphobic law that passed in Texas that any parent of transgender kids who respect their pronouns is going to [be] investigated by CPS,” said Lane Bungum, a Mankato West student who helped organize the walkout.

“All of us here are either in stance with the LGBTQ or part of it, so we don’t want our rights taken away,” said Bungum.

Mankato Wests’ GSA President Alex Glasser was at the event wearing an assortment of pro-LGBTQ buttons. Glasser also wore a hat with the non-binary pride flag colors and had a non-binary pride flag over their shoulders.

“I have friends all over the US and they’re not in as comfortable a place as I am. I am lucky to have a supportive family. Not everyone does and it’s going to get so much worse if we let these anti-trans and anti-gay bills to continue to exist,” said Glasser.

According to KEYC, Mankato West Principal Sherri Blasing supported the right of the students to engage in protest, but the school would still consider the walkout an unexcused absence.

During the walkout, one student stood on the Riverfront medium carrying a sign that said, “honk for the LGBTQ+”.

LGBT on page 7 

AJAY KASAUDHAN • The Reporter

College of Business faculty discussed their research as well as celebrated their inaugural launch of the Tenorio Research Lecture Series.

By JEREMY REDLIEN Staff Writer

Members of Mankato State University, Mankato’s College of Business faculty discussed their research on Apr. 1, in the Centennial Student Union as part of the college’s Annual Research Day. This year Research Day included a presentation from the first Narciso and Luth Tenorio College of Business Research Lecture Endowment Series.

“Today we’re celebrating our inaugural launch of the Tenorio Research Lecture Series, where we bring a researcher with national recognition to the university to really talk about a particular topic,” said Brenda Flannery, dean of the College of Business at MSU.

The Tenorio Research Lecture Series was established by Narciso and Luth Tenario following the death of Narciso Tenario.

“Narciso Tenario was a business law faculty member.

He passed away this summer and Luth and he started a conversation about endowing something at the university to really support faculty. So we worked with her over the last year to settle on this being the legacy that they will establish under their name to support faculty and support the betterment of the student experience,” said Flannery.

“We’re providing the funds for faculty to continue their research because the research faculty does influence how they teach and how they’re evaluat-

“ Libraries are the gateway to knowledge and culture, playing a fundamental role in society. Thank you, Memorial Library faculty and staff for the work you do and your contributions to our campus and our community.”

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ed by the university,” said Luth Tenario.

This year, the first recipient for the Tenario Lecture Series was Kathy Lund Dean whose presentation was titled “Using Experiential Pedagogy Effectively and Ethically Within a Business School Community of Practice.” We want to be the clear business school of real world learning, so experiential learning is really important to us, so we brought in Dr. Kathy Lund Dean from Gustavus who is a national expert on experiential learning,” said Flannery.

There were three presentations by the four MSU College of Business research award recipients. Ishuan Li Simonsons’ presentation was called “The Impact of Financial Literacy on RESEARCH on page 7 

4 • MSU Reporter

News

Bargainers reach COVID agreement

Tuesday, April 5, 2022

Biden: Putin should face war crimes trial for Bucha killings

ANDREW HARNIK • Associatec Press

President Joe Biden speaks to the media at Fort Lesley J. McNair, Monday, April 4, 2022, as he returns to Washington and the White House after spending the weekend in Wilmington, Del. ALEX BRANDON • Associated Press

Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, arrives to watch a speech by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy livestreamed into the U.S. Capitol, in Washington, March 16, 2022.

By AAMER MADHANI, ZEKE MILLER, and CHRIS MEGERIAN

Associated Press

By ALAN FRAM Associated Press

Senate bargainers reached agreement Monday on a slimmed-down $10 billion package for countering COVID-19 with treatments, vaccines and other steps, the top Democratic and Republican negotiators said, but ended up dropping all funding to help nations abroad combat the pandemic. The compromise drew quick support from President Joe Biden, who initially pushed for a $22.5 billion package. In a setback, he ended up settling for much less despite administration warnings that the government was running out of money to keep pace with the disease’s continued — though diminished — spread in the U.S. “Every dollar we requested is essential and we will continue to work with Congress to get all of the funding we need,” said White House press secretary Jen Psaki. “But time is of the essence. We urge Congress to move promptly on this $10 billion package because it can begin to fund the most immediate needs.” Biden and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., his party’s lead bargainer, abandoned Biden’s request to include $5 billion to help countries — especially poorer ones — where the disease is still running rampant. The inability of Biden and top Democrats to protect the additional spending they wanted came after the two parties gridlocked over GOP demands to pay for it by pulling back unspent aid from earlier pandemic measures. It also reflected the diminished political force that battling COVID-19 has this election year, two years into a pandemic that began with bipartisan support for throwing trillions of dollars at it. Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah, the lead GOP bargainer, hailed the accord as one that would address

“urgent COVID needs.” He also trumpeted the measure’s savings, which he said meant it “will not cost the American people a single additional dollar.”

Still uncertain Monday was whether objections by some Republicans might prevent the Senate from considering the bill as before Congress begins a two-week spring recess. It was also not yet certain there would be the minimum 10 GOP votes needed for passage in the 5050 chamber. Its fate was also not guaranteed in the House, where House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and liberals have criticized the ejection of global assistance.

But party leaders there signaled they were ready to compromise.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said, “That’s all the Senate can do right now, which I regret deeply, then I think we need to pass that” as fast as possible. A senior House Democratic aide, speaking on condition of anonymity to describe internal thinking, said it would be best to take what was achievable and fight for more later.

Schumer said the agreement would provide “the tools we need” to help the country recover from the economic and public health blows that COVID-19 has inflicted. But he said while the $10 billion “is absolutely necessary, it is well short of what is truly needed to keep up safe” over time.

He said members of both parties want to craft a second spending measure this spring that could include funds to battle COVID-19 and hunger overseas and more assistance for Ukraine as it continues battling the Russian invasion. The fate of such a measure is uncertain.

Romney also suggested an openness to considering future money. “While this agreement

does not include funding for the U.S. global vaccination program, I am willing to explore a fiscally responsible solution to support global efforts in the weeks ahead,” he said.

The agreement comes with BA.2, the new omicron variant, expected to spark a fresh increase in U.S. cases.

Around 980,000 Americans and over 6 million people worldwide have died from COVID-19.

At least half the agreement’s $10 billion would be used to research and produce therapeutics to treat the disease, according to fact sheets from Schumer and Romney.

The money would also be used to buy vaccines and tests. At least $750 million would be used to research new COVID-19 variants and to expand vaccine production, the descriptions said.

Administration officials have said the government has run out of money to finance COVID-19 testing and treatments for people without insurance. They’ve also said funds are running low for boosters, vaccines focused on specific variants, free monoclonal antibody treatments and care for people with immune system weaknesses.

The deal is also a reduction from a $15 billion version that both parties’ leaders negotiated last month.

Pelosi abandoned that plan after Democratic lawmakers rejected proposed cuts in state pandemic aid to help pay for the package.

Democrats from both chambers complained about the eliminated global spending.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., leader of the House Progressive Caucus, said it is “a big problem” to erase the international assistance and “not spend money on making sure this virus is contained around the world.”

President Joe Biden on Monday called for a war crimes trial against Russia President Vladimir Putin and said he’d seek more sanctions after reported atrocities in Ukraine.

“You saw what happened in Bucha,” Biden said. He added that Putin “is a war criminal.”

Biden’s comments to reporters came after Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Bucha, one of the towns surrounding Kyiv where Ukrainian officials say the bodies of civilians have been found.

Zelenskyy called the Russian actions “genocide” and called for the West to apply tougher sanctions against Russia.

“We do not believe that this is just a random accident, or the rogue act of a particular individual,” said U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan of the images of bound civilians killed. He noted the U.S. had warned that Russia would seek to imprison or kill dissidents or others it viewed as

threats to its attempted occupation of Ukraine. “We believe that this was part of the plan,” he added.

Biden and U.S. officials, however, stopped short of calling the actions genocide.

“We have seen atrocities, we have seen war crimes, we have not yet seen a level of systematic deprivation of life of the Ukrainian people to rise to the level of genocide,” Sullivan said.

The bodies of 410 civilians have been removed from Kyiv-area towns that were recently retaken from Russian forces, Ukraine’s prosecutor-general, Iryna Venediktova, said.

Associated Press journalists saw the bodies of at least 21 people in various spots around Bucha, northwest of the capital.

“We have to continue to provide Ukraine with the weapons they need to continue the fight. And we have to gather all the detail so this can be an actual -- have a war crimes trial,” Biden said.

Biden lashed out at Putin as “brutal.”

“What’s happening in Bucha is outrageous and everyone sees it,” Biden added.

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MSU Reporter • 5

MADDIE BEHRENS • The Reporter

School shooter’s jury selection begins

Students at MSU spoke at the event and shared stories about the women who inspire them. WOMEN from page 1 was the Black Motivation Women group.

“As black women, it’s hard to find other black women on campus. For my first semester, I didn’t really have anyone.

We wanted to create a space for black women to come and be themselves,” said freshman Azariah Haywood, a member of the group.

Some of the tables offered stickers and chances to win prizes, while others were focused on being informational.

One cluster of tables was promoting a petition advocating for free period products in Minnesota schools, which is now over a third of the way to its goal. The Violence Aware-

ness & Response Program had teal ribbons for attendees to take and wear on Tuesdays throughout April for sexual assault awareness month.

Following the speeches, Eris took the stage for the remainder of the night, providing music from female artists for attendees to dance and listen to as they traveled from table to table.

Liz Steinborn-Gourley, the director of the Women’s Center, encourages students to get involved with future events.“The Women’s Center is open to any student anytime the door is open– people can just come in and hang out, and find a niche for themselves,” Steinborn-Gourley said.

STUGOV from page 1 has spent the last year serving as the State Chair of Students United, a nonprofit that represents students from all of the Minnesota State System Universities. “After working at the system level, I realized how much I really missed working for students on my specific campus.”

Prior to Zellmer’s involvement with Students United, she served as a senator at MSU. She held the position of speaker for the Student Government for a year as well.

Ibrahim hopes to complement Zellmer’s experience with fresh ideas, as she has functioned as a student leader separate from the Student Government. “I feel like I will be bringing more ideas and perspectives to the Student Government,” said Ibrahim, “I have experience advocating for students that look like me specifically.”

Ibrahim hopes to bring an added perspective of a first-generation student. “First-generation students can struggle to find resources on campus,” said Ibrahim. “I started running because I wanted to make a change on that.”

In order to increase the weight of student voices, the party hopes to form a new council made up of several student leaders. “One thing we hope to establish is a leadership council,” said Zellmer.

“This is to ensure that we aren’t working on a project that students don’t actually want to see. We want to make sure that the largest number of student voices are able to be involved

in every decision.”

Another platform they hope to address is advocating for increased accessibility on campus, citing recent concerns on campus, as well as ensuring future plans at the University.

“That means, in the residence halls, if there is a fire drill that we are able to get everyone out,” said Zellmer.

The party also hopes to address the parking issue on campus by creating a fee to all students in order to create a larger free lot. “More people are going to need transportation to campus, and more people are going to need the free lot,” said Zellmer, “this is an equity issue.”

Zellmer and Ibrahim are running with the party called “Empowering Mavericks,” which includes more than 20 senators who will be running under the same platform.

Parties — when it comes to Student Government elections — are a collective of a president, vice president and senate candidates who agree to support a specified platform.

Often, party names remain consistent from year to year.

Platforms can change, however, depending on the candidates. The election will be held on April 11 and 12 and will be open to all students at mnsu. edu/voting.

Zellmer and Ibrahim referred to the unique point in time, as students are coming out of a pandemic and back to in-person classes.

“We are coming back not to a new normal, but a better normal,” said Zellmer.



By TERRY SPENCER Associated Press

Jury selection in the deadliest U.S. mass shooting ever to go to trial began Monday with preliminary screening for the panel that will determine whether Nikolas Cruz will be put to death for murdering 17 students and staff members at a Parkland, Florida, high school.

Eighteen members of the first panel of 60 prospective jurors survived the only question they were asked by Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer: Could they serve in a trial that is expected to last from June to September? The 18 will be brought back in several weeks for questioning about whether they could judge Cruz fairly and their views on the death penalty. Two more groups are expected to be screened Monday. Court officials have said 1,500 candidates or more could be brought before Scherer, prosecutors and Cruz’s attorneys for preliminary screening. The expected two-month process will pick 12 panelists plus eight alternates. Cruz, 23, pleaded guilty in October to the Feb. 14, 2018, massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, meaning the jury will only decide if he receives a death sentence or life without parole.

Cruz sat between his attorneys, wearing a gray sweater and an anti-viral face mask, four sheriff’s deputies sitting nearby. He spoke only briefly, waiving his right to participate directly in the screening process.

Eight parents and other family members of some victims sat

AMY BETH BENNETT • South Florida Sun Sentinel via AP

High School shooter Nikolas Cruz enters the courtroom before jury pre-selection in the penalty phase of his trial at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. on Monday, April 4, 2022.

together in the courtroo. When prospective jurors are brought back in a few weeks, they will be asked whether they can judge the case fairly. They also will be asked if they can vote for the death penalty if the evidence supports that verdict, but don’t believe it should be mandatory for murder. Those who can’t will be dismissed.

Seven other U.S. killers who fatally shot at least 17 people died during or immediately after their attacks, either by suicide or at the hands of police.

The suspect in the 2019 massacre of 23 at an El Paso, Texas, Walmart is still awaiting trial.

Death penalty trials in Florida and much of the country often take two years to start because of their complexity, but Cruz’s was further delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic and extensive legal wrangling. Tony Montalto, whose 14-year-old

daughter, Gina, died in the attack, said the trial “has been a long time coming.”

“I just hope everyone remembers the victims,” he said.

Cruz, he said, “told the world his plans on social media, carried out those plans in a cold and calculated manner and murdered my beautiful daughter, 13 of her classmates and three of her teachers.”

The parents and spouses of victims who have spoken publicly said they are in favor of Cruz’s execution. Montalto has not answered the question directly, but has said on multiple occasions that Cruz “deserves every chance he gave Gina and the others.” When the prospective jurors who pass the initial screening return for individual questioning several weeks from now, both prosecutors and the defense can challenge any for cause.

6 • MSU Reporter

Tuesday, April 5, 2022

Editorial

Perspectives

Editorials represent the opinions of The Reporter editorial board.

The opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of the college, university or student body.

Maxwell Mayleben Editor In Chief

Julia Barton News Director

Mansoor Ahmad Media Director

Kole Buelow Sports Editor

Emma Johnson Variety Editor

Jenna Peterson Copy Editor

Advocacy Conference: a great opportunity

Students needed more info. on the bomb threat After the bomb threat that occurred last Friday, it’s safe to say that students felt a wide variety of emotions, namely feeling worried about their own safety.

While no one should have to encounter a bomb threat, preparations for situations like this need to be safely tucked away should they occur.

Despite the two buildings being shut down for investigations, classes went as planned and student life in other buildings continued.

The university did a great job in regards to maintaining the security of the campus by thoroughly investigating the two targeted buildings.

Closing the two buildings for the day was a smart move in making sure that students and faculty remained safe. However, the communication involving the threat seemed to be vague.

While all students were aware that a bomb threat was present on campus, students were left questioning why only two of the buildings were shut down.

The origins of the threat and the degree of severity was left out of emails and text messages sent out to students and faculty.

The threat was obviously viable enough to shut down the two buildings, but how was it determined that only those buildings were in danger?

If the threat was serious, the majority of campus still remained open, making it dangerous for everyone on campus.

Students were left not knowing if the threat truly was just in those buildings, or if it extended to further locations on campus.

It should be of utmost importance for the University to stay transparent when it comes to the security of the campus.

It remains unseen as to why law enforcement and security were on the scene at near midnight, but the email locking down the buildings was not sent out until 5 a.m.

The university left out if the threat was only confined to those two buildings.

The buildings that were targeted were most likely included in the threat, but students were left hanging, not knowing if their classes in Morris or Nelson Hall were also in danger.

Whether this was an extreme April Fools joke or an actual threat, this is a situation that is not to be taken lightly, as if the event was real, the aftermath would have been serious.

At the end of the day, students were scared and weren’t, and still are not adequately informed on the degree of severity of their safety during this time.

MAXWELL MAYLEBEN • The Reporter

This year’s Student Advocacy Conference was held in St. Paul Minn. with students attending from schools all over the state.

By MAX MAYLEBEN Editor in Chief

As I was sitting in the weekly Student Government meeting over a month ago, reporting on the news, I was surprised to hear about an opportunity offered by Students United to attend their Advocacy Conference in Saint Paul for free. Initially, I heard the word “conference” and figured it would be a boring situation of panel after panel, and was inclined not to attend. However, when they said that I would get a free hotel room for the night and lunch on Saturday… let’s just say I am easy to please, so I signed up immediately.

A little background, Students United is a nonprofit organization that represents all students that are in the Minnesota State System. The

board of the organization is made up entirely of student government presidents from every campus. As I attended the mixer on Friday night, I was able to network and get to know several student leaders from other campuses within the Minnesota State System, from Metro State all the way to Bemidji. It wasn’t until bright and early the next morning when I really figured out what I was there for on that day. My Saturday was chock full of sessions designed to inspire student leaders on different ways to develop their skills, specifically when it comes to advocacy. One session that spoke to me was a discussion on student loans and student debt. We sat in small groups and expressed different issues that come with the student loan crisis that each and ev-

ery student experiences to some extent. We ended the day with a town hall discussion among several students about issues that we wanted to see brought to the Board of Trustees.

Topics during this included food insecurity on campuses, housing issues that students face and international student problems.

A big topic was that of student compensation, particularly student leaders, who’s stipends often function as a clever way to subvert minimum wage. Surprisingly, the general consensus in a room full of student leaders was that student leaders deserve more compensation.

Over all, I would highly recommend any student who is even slightly interested in learning more about opportunities to lead and advocate.

“What was your reaction to the bomb threat on Friday?”

Compiled by Dylan Engel

LINDSAY ROBERTS, JUNIOR

MASON HENDRICKSON, SOPHOMORE

RILEY LOUGHLIN, JUNIOR

COLBY WALL, FRESHMAN

OLYVIA WILLFORD, FRESHMAN

DAN KNUDSEN, FRESHMAN

“Was not that worried.”

“Played it off as a joke because of April fools.”

“Used to get threats in high school, but people back then just ignored it.”

“I get the threat level seriousness, I knew it was handled, because of security.”

“April fools joke, figured someone thought it was funny, yet still took it seriously.”

“Surprising and shocking.

Never expected it to happen on our campus.”

Tuesday, April 5, 2022

News

MSU Reporter • 7

Teachers in the US train in mental health

By JOCELYN GECKER Staff Writer

As Benito Luna-Herrera teaches his seventh-grade social studies classes, he is on alert for signs of inner turmoil. And there is so much of it these days.

One of his 12-year-old students felt her world was falling apart. Distance learning had upended her friendships. Things with her boyfriend were verging on violent. Her home life was stressful. “I’m just done with it,” the girl told Luna-Herrera during the pandemic, and shared a detailed plan to kill herself.

Another student was typically a big jokester and full of confidence. But one day she told him she didn’t want to live anymore.

She, too, had a plan in place to end her life.

Luna-Herrera is just one teacher, in one Southern California middle school, but stories of students in distress are increasingly common around the country. The silver lining is that special training helped him know what to look for and how to respond when he saw the signs of a mental emergency.

Since the pandemic started, experts have warned of a mental health crisis facing American children. That is now playing out at schools in the form of increased childhood depression, anxiety, panic attacks, eating disorders, fights and thoughts of suicide at alarming levels, according to interviews with teachers, administrators, education officials and mental health experts.

In low-income areas, where adverse childhood experiences were high before the pandemic, the crisis is even more acute and

DAMIAN DOVARGANES • Associated Press

An unidentified student rests on his desk as the Mojave Unified School District Superintendent Katherine Aguirre addresses students before their spring break at California City Middle School in California City, Calif.

compounded by a shortage of school staff and mental health professionals.

Luna-Herrera, who teaches in a high poverty area of the Mojave Desert, is among a small but growing number of California teachers to take a course called Youth Mental Health First Aid. It teaches adults how to spot warning signs of mental health risks and substance abuse in children, and how to prevent a tragedy. The California Department of Education funds the program for any school district requesting it, and the pandemic has accelerated moves to make such courses a requirement. The

training program is operated by the National Council for Mental Wellbeing and available in every state. “I don’t want to read about another teenager where there were warning signs and we looked the other way,” said Sen. Anthony Portantino, author of a bill that would require all California middle and high schools to train at least 75% of employees in behavioral health.

“Teachers and school staff are on the front lines of a crisis, and need to be trained to spot students who are suffering.”

Experts say while childhood depression and anxiety had been on the rise for years, the pan-

LGBT from page 3 Another student had a sign that read, “Here and queer”.

Plenty of cars honked as they passed the students.

As reported by NBC News, nearly 240 anti-LGBTQ bills have been filed in state legislatures this year. Half of the bills are specifically anti-transgender and represent an increase from

191 anti-LGBTQ bills in 2021.

The phrase “Don’t Say Gay Bill” is what LGBTQ activists use to refer to the “Parental Rights in Education Bill” recently signed into law by Florida Gov. Ron Desantis. The bill itself bans the teaching of sexual orientation and gender identity in public schools. Meanwhile, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has

made attempts to criminalize gender-affirming medical care to transgender youth by declaring it a form of child abuse.

The walkout coincided with Transgender Day of Visibility, which was established to celebrate transgender identity and raise awareness of the discrimination and violence faced by transgender individuals.

HEALTH from page 1 all individuals in the population, it is important for providers to be aware of the unique experiences and perspectives that affect the patients they are overseeing.

“Our center’s mission is to also grow a culturally representative workforce in Minnesota,” said Shunkwiler. “90% of providers in Minnesota are white and 90% of the consumers of mental health care are not white so we are lacking a represen-

tative workforce here and we don’t have people that can better connect with those lived experiences”.

The center will also open multiple opportunities for students here at MSU. Students interested in pursuing a career in mental health have the chance to work with faculty in research and training.

“We need students. They are going to comprise half of the workforce here, so we are going

to be looking for students that have an interest in mental health and in helping other people. We want them to get involved in the center,” said Shunkwiler.

The center is currently looking for partnerships with healthcare and agricultural industries to best achieve its mission.

The grand opening, for the campus and community, of the center is set to take place in the fall semester of 2022 near the end of August.

RESEARCH from page 3 Sub-Prime Mortgages”, while Byron Pike presented on “The Effect of a Deliberative Versus an Implemental Mindset on an Auditor’s Fraud Risk Assessments”. The third presentation was given by both Leon Chen and Ferdinand Siagian and was

called “Analysts’ Target Price, Stock Performance, and Real Earnings Management.”

An announcement for the event stated that, “Each year the College of Business holds a research day, during which the college promotes, acknowledges, and listens to presentations

from award winning research faculty.” “We’re the first event that’s part of research month.

We have a college of business research day and we’ve been doing this for about 10 years,” said Flannery.

The event was attended by a little over 20 faculty members.







demic’s unrelenting stress and grief amplified the problems, particularly for those already experiencing mental health issues who were cut off from counselors and other school resources during distance learning.

For children, the issues with distance learning were not just academic, said Sharon Hoover, professor of child psychiatry at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and co-director of the National Center for School Mental Health.

Child abuse and neglect increased during the pandemic, according to Hoover. For children in troubled homes, with

alcoholic or abusive parents, distance learning meant they had no escape. Those who lacked technology or had spotty internet connections were isolated even more than their peers and fell further behind academically and socially.

Many children bounced back after the extended isolation, but for others it will take longer, and mental health problems often lag a stressor.

“We can’t assume that ‘OK we’re back in school, it’s been a few months and now everyone should be back to normal.’ That is not the case,” said Hoover.

Returning to school after months of isolation intensified the anxiety for some children.

Teachers say students have greater difficulty focusing, concentrating, sitting still and many need to relearn how to socialize and resolve conflicts face-to-face after prolonged immersion in screens. Kids expected to pick up where they left off but some found friendships, and their ability to cope with social stress, had changed. Educators say they also see a concerning increase in apathy and a lot less empathy.

“I have never seen kids be so mean to each other in my life,” said Terrin Musbach, who trains teachers in mental health awareness and other social-emotional programs at the Del Norte Unified School District, a high-poverty district in rural Northern California.

“There’s more school violence, there’s more vaping, there’s more substance abuse, there’s more sexual activity, there’s more suicide ideation, there’s more of every single behavior that we would be worried about in kids.”

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Tuesday, April 5, 2022

SPORTS Mavs sweep Duluth at Bowyer

By KARSON BUELOW Staff Writer

After inclement field conditions forced the Minnesota State University, Mankato baseball team with a schedule change, the Mavericks were still able to defeat the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs in convincing fashion this past weekend at Bowyer Field in Mankato. The Mavericks swept the Bulldogs 3-0 in the weekend series and outscored them 44-2 across the three games.

Senior Brendan Knoll got the start on the mound for game one of Saturday’s double-header and was credited with his fourth win of the season. The Kasson, Minn. native allowed one hit and posted five strikeouts on 22 batters faced.

The game-winning run was scored in the first inning as sophomore outfielder and catcher Hunter Ranweiler scored an RBI on a single to left center. The Mavs continued to add consistent offensive and defensive pressure, tallying eight runs and leading 9-0 heading into the final frame.

MSU opened the floodgates in the seventh inning, pouring on nine runs while letting up zero. Junior infielder Mikey Gottschalk capped off the final frame with his second home run of the game as the Mavericks dominated the Bulldogs 18-0 in the series opener.

MSU and UMD returned to the field at 4:30 p.m. for game two of the double-header. Junior Nick Altermatt got the start on the mound for the Mavericks in game two and picked up his fifth win of the season. Altermatt allowed one run and four hits in his five innings pitched while picking up 10 strikeouts in the process.

Minnesota State’s bats picked up right where they left off from game one as junior outfielder Ryan Wickman, senior outfielder Cam Kline, and Gottschalk contributed home runs in an explosive five-run first inning. Senior first-baseman

DYLAN ENGEL • The Reporter

The Mavericks baseball team swept Duluth in three games this past weekend, out scoring the Bulldogs 44-2. With the three-game sweep, Minnesota State improved to 16-4 overall on the season while holding a conference record of 9-2.

Tosten Mann would get the Bulldogs their first run of the weekend in the bottom of the third inning with an RBI single to right field.

The Mavericks would respond in the top of the fourth as senior catcher Ben Livorsi tallied an RBI single to center field

bringing the lead back to five.

Minnesota State would add seven more runs in the next three innings, putting the 10-run rule into effect in the seventh inning. Altermatt picked up his team-leading ninth home run of the season as the Mavs dominated the Bulldogs

13-1 in game two.

MSU and UMD returned to action at noon on Sunday for the finale of their weekend series. Junior pitcher Collin Denk picked up his first win of the season for the Mavs, allowing only one run and SWEEP on page 11 

Softball splits games with No. 7 Augustana, Wayne State

By KARSON BUELOW • Staff Writer After a convincing double-header sweep last Tuesday against Concordia St. Paul, the Minnesota State University, Mankato softball team returned home this past weekend for double-headers against No. 7 Augustana and Wayne State. The Mavericks dropped game one against the Vikings on Saturday 3-5 before taking game two by a 4-1 final. The Mavs then took game one against the Wildcats Sunday 8-0 before falling 1-2 in game two.

Senior Mackenzie Ward got the start on the mound in game one against Augustana. The Clive, Iowa native was handed just her third loss of the season, letting up five runs on four hits.

Mavericks head coach Lori Meyer spoke briefly about Ward’s struggles in game one. “I don’t think Mackenzie Ward threw well right away, because [I can’t remember] the last time I’ve seen her give up five walks in three innings,” Meyer said.

Sophomore infielder Sydney Nelson

got the Mavericks on the board first in the second inning with a two-run homerun to center field. The Vikings would respond in a big way in the third and fifth innings as they scored five runs including home runs from senior outfielder Mary Pardo and senior infielder Delaney Young.

The Mavericks would add one more run in the fifth thanks to sophomore outfielder Kylie Sullivan, but it was too little too late as they fell to the Vikings 3-5 in game one. The two teams returned to the field at 5:05 for game two of the double-header.

Sophomore McKayla Armbruster started on the mound for the Mavs in game two and picked up her second win of the season. Armbruster allowed only one run and four hits in five innings pitched on 23 batters faced.

Sophomore catcher Sydney Nielsen got things rolling for MSU in the third inning with an RBI single to left field.

Augustana would respond with a run of their own in the top of the fourth that SOFTBALL on page 11 

MADDIE BEHRENS • The Reporter

In the Mavericks’ 4-1 over No. 7 Augustana on Saturday, sophomore catcher Sydney Nielsen recorded two RBIs in three at-bats to help propel the Mavs to their first win over a ranked team this season.

Tuesday, April 5, 2022

Sports

MSU Reporter • 11

A gorgeous day and a beautiful sighting at Masters

By DOUG FERGUSON Associated Press

The buzz built quickly as Tiger Woods finished chipping a bag of balls, gave Bubba Watson a fist bump, and headed to the practice tee to hit a handful of easy drives. A few minutes later he emerged from the clubhouse lawn to rapturous applause as thousands of fans crowded around with phones held high trying desperately to get a glimpse of golf history unfolding in front of them.

On a gorgeous day at Augusta National, the most beautiful sight of all might have been seeing Woods standing on the first tee once again with a driver in his hand.

It certainly was to a group of four female University of Virginia golfers who found their way near enough to the tee to get a selfie of sorts with Woods in the distance behind them. They let out a squeal and fans crowded 30 deep around the tee and all the way down the first fairway screamed in delight.

Meanwhile, defending Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama walked by the first tee almost unnoticed. This was Tiger’s day just like this is Tiger’s tournament, and if anyone thought differently they must have been in the merchandise shop buying souvenirs instead.

Yes, it was just Monday. But, aside from the blue shirt Woods was wearing, it sure felt like a Sunday afternoon.

He may be No. 973 in the world but Woods is always No. 1 at Augusta National, where he won his first major 25 years ago and has won four more green

MATT SLOCUM • Associated Press

Tiger Woods tees off on the seventh hole during a practice round for the Masters golf tournament on Monday, April 4, 2022, in Augusta, Ga.

jackets since — including an improbable 2019 triumph that only Woods himself could top.

That one was magical. Just teeing off in this one borders on unbelievable.

Still, the questions continue. The slight limp that Woods walked with up the steep hill on the first hole prompted even more.

Will he be there again for an opening tee shot in the Masters on Thursday? Will the latest comeback for the greatest player of his time be the greatest comeback of his career as he continues to mend from a car crash

that almost took one of his legs and very well could have cost him his life?

No one outside Woods’ inner circle is letting on. But the odds are looking better every day.

Woods himself called it a “game-time decision” in a weekend tweet that hinted more of “yes” than it did “no.” He played the back nine on Sunday, then came back Monday afternoon for the front nine when fans were allowed onto the course for the first time.

Walking four days straight on a course that’s difficult enough to walk for players with two

good legs might be a stretch. But anyone who remembers how Woods won the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines in 2008 on a bad leg knows enough not to count him out.

And his fellow pros believe he’ll at least give it a try.

“I’d be surprised if it was anyone else that’s ever lived,” Max Homa said Monday. “So, no, I’m not surprised. I am amazed.

It is a true testament to his work ethic because we all know what he does on the golf course, how hard he works, and the stories and the legend. “ “It’s a major championship.

MAVERICKS SWEEP DULUTH SWEEP from page 10 two hits in six innings pitched.

Wickman would pick up his second-straight leadoff home run, giving the Mavericks an early 1-0 lead. Junior infielder Alex Wattermann got the Bulldogs on the board in the bottom of the second with a sacrifice-fly RBI to center field that tied the game at 1-1.

MSU would add one more run in the third before opening the floodgates in the fourth. The Mavericks poured on six runs in the fourth to take a commanding 8-1 lead against the Bulldogs.

The Mavs added three more runs in the sixth highlighted by Kline’s second home run of the season. Minnesota State tallied one more run in the seventh inning before putting the 10-run rule into effect for the second straight game.

The Mavericks defeated the Bulldogs 13-1 in the series finale on Sunday, and will be back in action Apr. 6 taking on Southwest Minnesota State in 

Marshall for an afternoon double-header.

The Mustangs come into Wednesday’s action with an 8-13 overall record and 1-8 record in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play. SMSU is coached by Paul Blanchard, the all-time wins leader at the university, and enters 2022 with a career record of 547-530-2.

The Mustangs’ bats are led by sophomore outfielder Isaac Nett. The Albany, Minn. native owns a team-leading .406 batting average while owning 15 runs off 26 hits this season.

On the mound, freshman Ryan Chmielewski leads the team with a 2-3 overall record and a 7.50 earned run average.

Chmielewski has let up 41 hits in 30 innings pitched so far this season and has accumulated 22 strikeouts in the process.

The Mavericks will take on the Mustangs on Apr. 6 for an afternoon double-header in Marshall. Start times for the games are at 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.

DYLAN ENGEL • The Reporter

Sophomore infielder Adam Schneider has averaged a .211 batting average in 57 at-bats so far this season recording 11 RBIs.

It’s Augusta,” Brooks Koepka added. “Doesn’t matter how much pain you’re in, you figure out a way. He’ll figure out a way. If anybody can do it, he can.”

That it’s been just a little over 13 months since Woods crashed his SUV in California until he returned to the Masters is, indeed, remarkable.

But Woods is a notorious hard worker and this isn’t the first comeback in a career that has been derailed at different times by various injuries and marital issues.

The odds are stacked against him — he’s 80-1 in Las Vegas to win — but the odds on him just getting to this point would have been astronomical after he shattered his leg.

Woods said a few months ago that his shattered right leg looks differently than his left.

But the most important thing right now is how his game looks and watching Woods practice before his nine holes on Monday it looked suspiciously like the Woods of old.

Still, the unknowns loom, both for Woods or anyone who is thinking of trying to make some long money with his long odds.

Will he tee off on Thursday?

If he does, can he make the cut?

Will his leg stand up to four days of walking a golf course that is a lot hillier than it looks on television?

All good questions, though the biggest one has been settled already.

“He’s here, right?” Bryson DeChambeau said. “I guess it’s already a return.”

SOFTBALL from page 10 tied the game at one a piece.

Sophomore infielder and outfielder Ellie Tallman would regain the lead for the Mavericks in the bottom of the fourth, scoring off a wild pitch. Nielsen would add to the MSU lead in the fifth with an RBI double that drove home Sullivan.

Minnesota State would add one more run in the sixth inning, defeating Augustana 4-1 in game two of the double header.

Meyer spoke about her team’s rebounding performance in game two after a tough loss in game one. “We stayed really on beat with them,” Meyer said.

“I told them we were right there, we just had to clean a couple of things up.”

Minnesota State would have the night to regroup before returning to the dome for Wayne State the next day.

Ward returned to the mound for game one against the Wildcats and picked up her 14th win of the season. The Mavericks’ pitcher allowed only one hit on 14 batters faced while tallying six strikeouts.

Sophomore utility Madi Newman opened the game with



SOFTBALL on page 13 

12 • MSU Reporter

Sports

US to play England, Iran and possibly Ukraine at World Cup

Tuesday, April 5, 2022

Edwards has 33, Towns 28, Timberwolves beat Rockets

ERIC CHRISTIAN SMITH • Associated Press

Minnesota Timberwolves forward Anthony Edwards (1) dunks during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Houston Rockets, Sunday, April 3, 2022, in Houston.

By KRISTIE RIEKEN

Associated Press HASSAN AMMAR • Associated Press

England’s head coach Gareth Southgate, left, talks to United States’ head coach Gregg Berhalter after the 2022 soccer World Cup draw at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center in Doha, Qatar.

By RONALD BLUM Associated Press

The United States was drawn to play England in a Black Friday match at the World Cup, a high-profile game that gives American soccer a chance to gain respect in its return to the global showcase.

“It’s the biggest stage in soccer that you can have, to play them in the World Cup and to be playing against players that people know,” midfielder Weston McKennie said after Friday’s draw.

“You can take a step forward in your player growth, in making yourself more known and also just making the team more respected, more looked at, more believed in,” McKennie said. “That’s the goal that (coach) Gregg (Berhalter) set out to accomplish when he took over. And that’s something that’s always reiterated whenever we go into camp, is change the way the world views American soccer, and I think there’s no better place and no better time to be able to do that.”

After failing to qualify for the 2018 tournament, the 15thranked U.S. will open in Qatar on Nov. 21 at Al Rayyan’s Ahmad bin Ali Stadium against the winner of a European playoff among Ukraine, Wales and Scotland. The Americans play No. 5 England four days later at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Al Khor and close the group stage against 21st-ranked Iran on Nov. 29 at Doha’s Al Thumama Stadium.

Christian Pulisic received a call right after the draw from Chelsea teammate Mason Mount, a Three Lions regular.

“It just makes me smile. I’m just excited for it,” Pulisic said.

“I think we all are, and, yeah, just counting down the days really.”

Jesse Marsch, hired by Leeds on Feb. 28, had alluded to a respect factor when he said English players were more welcoming of Americans than British media. “From day one they accepted me. None of (them) made fun of my accent, like some of you,” he told reporters last month.

“You hear Jesse Marsch and some of his comments about what he has to go through, and at some point it’s almost too much,” Berhalter said. “You’re an established coach, you do really well and you’re not treated like that. Whereas, you’re from somewhere else, from Portugal, for example, you’d be treated completely differently.

And Bob Bradley the same way.

I know that there is a lot of respect for American soccer, but I think this an opportunity. For sure, this is an opportunity to show what we’re made of. And they have a good team, but so do we. We have a young team, we have an athletic team, we have a team that doesn’t have a lot of fear.”

In the group stage of the 1950 World Cup, the U.S. famously upset England 1-0 at Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The Americans opened the 2010 tournament with a 1-1 draw against the Three Lions at Rustenberg, South Africa.

“Their players, they’re household names, and then to see us match up against them I think will provide some context,” Berhalter said.

Premier League games on NBC averaged more than double the viewers for Major League Soccer matches.

“We want to have an impact, obviously, on ourselves and our team, but ultimately on how soccer is viewed by the fans in the U.S. after the disappointment, after not qualifying for the last World Cup,”

midfielder Tyler Adams said. “and then ultimately globally you want to gain the respect of some of the best footballing nations in the world.”

No. 39 Scotland hosts 27thranked Ukraine in June in a playoff delayed from March because of Russia’s attack on Ukraine. A few days later, the winner plays for a berth at No. 18 Wales, which advanced last week with a 2-1 win over Austria.

“If Ukraine even makes it there, it’s a wonderful accomplishment. I think if the people of Ukraine can get some hope by their team playing in the World Cup, it’s amazing,” Berhalter said. “It would be more of a celebration in my eyes than political ramifications.”

Since returning to the World Cup in 1990, the U.S. has one win, 11 losses and five draws against European opponents.

Iran upset the U.S. 2-1 at the 1998 World Cup in France, eliminating the Americans after their second game of the tournament.

The top two nations in each of the eight groups advance.

Potential second-round opponents on Dec. 3 or 4 are Ecuador, Netherlands, Qatar or Senegal.

The USSF is trying to schedule opponents with similar styles for exhibitions in June and September. There also are two CONCACAF Nations League matches in June, and Berhalter plans to call in his top player pool.

FIFA met with coaches Friday and said roster size probably will expand from 23 to 26.

Nov. 15 is likely the first day Berhalter will have his entire roster available ahead of the opener, and he probably will scrap plans for a pretournament training camp in Dubai.

Anthony Edwards scored 33 points, Karl-Anthony Towns added 28 and the Minnesota Timberwolves built a huge lead and held on for a 139-132 win over the Houston Rockets on Sunday night.

It’s the second straight victory for Minnesota, which is in seventh place in the Western Conference with three games remaining.

Towns was disappointed that the Wolves let Houston get back in it late.

“We have to understand that we didn’t play defense up to our standards,” he said.

“Mentally we were making too many mistakes. We’re not happy and proud of the showing that we gave tonight... but

all in all we did get the win.”

The Timberwolves led by as many as 25 in the fourth and were up by 16 with about five minutes to go before Houston scored the next eight points, with five from Josh Christopher to get within 132-124 a couple of minutes later.

D’Angelo Russell made a layup for Minnesota before Towns added a basket to make it 136-126 with about a minute to go.

Houston coach Stephen Silas became irate at the officials for foul calls after that and went onto the court screaming at the referees and had to be restrained. He was issued two technical fouls and ejected from the game.

“I’m usually very good with the referees,” Silas said. “Tonight was different.”

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Tuesday, April 5, 2022

Sports

Eriksson Ek sets career high in goals, Wild top Capitals 5-1

MSU Reporter • 13

NCAA: More fixing needed for hoops, all college sports

CHARLIE NEIBERGALL • Associated Press

A referee holds up a ball during the second half of a college basketball game in the semifinal round of the Women’s Final Four NCAA tournament between South Carolina and Louisville.

By EDDIE PELLS Associated Press NICK WASS • Associated Press

Minnesota Wild center Joel Eriksson Ek (14) celebrates his goal during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Sunday, April 3, 2022, in Washington.

By IAN QUILLEN Joel Eriksson Ek scored his career-best 20th and 21st goals of the season and added an assist, and the Minnesota Wild cruised to a 5-1 victory over the Washington Capitals on Sunday night.

Marcus Foligno built on one career-high with his 20th goal and set another with his 16th assist for the Wild, who have won nine of their last 10 games while earning a point in the other.

“Smart puck management, a lot of good decision-making has been put into these wins,” Foligno said. “And each line has contributed, which is nice.”

Tyson Jost and Nicolas Deslauriers also scored as second-place Minnesota extended its lead to five points over thirdplace St. Louis in the Central Division. Jordan Greenway had three assists and Cam Talbot made 25 saves to extend his point streak to nine games.

Garnet Hathaway scored midway through the third period for Washington to end a stretch of eight unanswered goals allowed, dating back to Monday’s 6-1 loss to Carolina.

“It’s hard to paint it with

one brush,” Washington coach Peter Laviolette said. “It wasn’t good enough again. Obviously the start. It might’ve been the only two chances we gave up, but they were mistakes, they were early on, and it’s not the way you want to start the game.”

Vitek Vanecek stopped 14 shots for the Capitals, who are 11 points ahead of the New York Islanders for the second Eastern Conference wild-card playoff spot.

Eriksson Ek now has 12 points in his last 14 games to move past his previous career-best of 19 goals set a season ago. He recorded his first of the evening 36 seconds into the game when he dashed onto Greenway’s layoff to create a break, then scored through Vanecek’s pads.

Jost doubled the lead a minute later on another goal in transition.

“This was a team that hadn’t played in a while, and we knew that we were going to have to come out and not let them get into it I guess,” Greenway said of the Capitals, whose previous game was March 28. “Go right at ‘em.”

Eriksson Ek made it 3-0 with just under seven minutes

to play in the second when he used his skate to control a lose puck, then muscled a shot from in close past Vanecek. He assisted on Foligno’s goal 30 seconds into the third to put the game out of reach at 4-0.

Wild: Improved to 14-0-1 against the Metropolitan division this season. ... LW Kirill Kaprizov’s goal streak came to a halt at six games.

Capitals: LW Johan Larsson made his team debut. He was acquired at the trade deadline on March 21, but missed his first four games for Washington recovering from sports hernia surgery. … C Nic Dowd and D Trevor van Riemsdyk returned from upper body injuries.

With their respective goals, Eriksson Ek and Foligno became the fifth and sixth players on the Wild to reach the 20goal plateau this season, joining Kaprizov (39), Ryan Hartman (27), Kevin Fiala (23) and Mats Zuccarello (20).

“It’s nice to get rewarded like that this season and it’s something I think that has contributed to our success as a team,” Foligno said. “You get a lot of guys that are above that 20-goal mark, you usually have a great regular season as a team.”

SOFTBALL from page 11 a homerun to center field giving the Mavs a 1-0 lead. The Mavericks’ bats remained hot in the first inning as they scored five more runs, bringing the lead to 6-0.

In the bottom of the second, Sullivan would bring the lead to 7-0 as she scored off a ground-out by senior infielder Torey Richards. Nelson would add one more run in the fourth as the Mavs went on to win 8-0 in five innings.

Armbruster got the start in

the Mavericks’ game-two loss against Wayne State. The Faribault, Minn. native let up two runs off of three hits in four innings pitched.

After a scoreless first two innings, Wayne State was the first to get on the board as junior outfielder Riley Holmberg tallied an RBI single to center field. Senior infielder Kim Vidlak added an RBI single to right field bringing the Wildcat lead to 2-0.

In the bottom of the third, the Mavericks would cut the

lead to 2-1 when Newman scored on a ground-out by Sullivan. The rest of the game remained scoreless as the Mavs fell to the Wildcats 1-2.

Minnesota State will return to action this Wednesday taking on Southwest Minnesota State in a midday doubleheader. The Mavericks swept the Mustangs earlier this season in a double-header on Mar. 24.

Minnesota State and Southwest Minnesota State will take part in a double-header Apr. 6 at the Maverick All Sports Dome.

Associated Press



If the nine months that led to Monday night’s national title game between Kansas and North Carolina have proven anything, it’s that college basketball and all of college sports are changing.

Whoever shapes all these changes — and it won’t necessarily be the NCAA — will help decide whether the next decade in this multibillion-dollar ecosystem of sports, entertainment and education grows into an efficiently run business or devolves into chaos. Either is a possibility.

The NCAA has struggled with the rules and outcomes of efforts to pay players, ensure gender equity, lock in the newly relaxed transfer portal,

DRIVERS • • • • •

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streamline an increasingly cluttered infractions system and, of course, deal with the long-debated “One and Done” rule.

And while the governing body is all but waving the white flag when it comes to figuring out many of the transformative shifts that these problems present, there’s a growing sense that that might not be a bad thing.

“This is not the time to look at nits and bits,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said Friday, the day before his loss to North Carolina sealed his retirement.

“It’s time to look at the whole thing.”

Top on the to-do list is figuring out a viable system for “name, image and likeness” (NIL) deals.

Players can now make money off sponsorship deals.

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14 • MSU Reporter

VARIETY

Tuesday, April 5, 2022

ONE HEEL OF A SHOW Maverick Drag Show dazzles students while raising awareness for trans community.

By LILLY SCHMIDT • Staff Writer The “Drag Me With a Spoon” podcast, the LGBT Center, and the Student Events Team drew quite the crowd at the Maverick Drag Show at Minnesota State University, Mankato this past Saturday.

The Maverick Drag Show royalty had both kings and queens taking the stage, proudly representing diversity on campus and in the community. For some students, this was the first drag show they had ever attended. Queens Wanda Gag and Miss Avo Cado were the hosts of the evening and made sure to encourage and welcome newcomers.

Wanda Gag explained drag as an expression of gender while Miss Avo Cado explained that drag is like putting on a persona.

“Imagine Hannah Montana; you throw on the wig, you get to go out and perform and have a good time, and then take it off and no one knows who you are. It’s a very cool performance,” shared Gag. “For some people, it’s an ultimate fantasy of what you admire and what you like, perhaps about gender or perhaps a character,” shared Cado.

Although commonly thought of as a man dressing as a woman, drag has evolved to be more than that.

In order to make this show special, Wanda Gag explained that at the end of the night a group number would be performed to show that anyone can participate in drag. “All the performers plus some of our students from our drag

Over nine drag royalty took the stage in the CSU ballroom Saturday night. With elaborate costumes and thrilling performances, students got a taste of Mankato’s drag scene.

Photos by EMILY LANSMAN • The Reporter

academy that we had this last week [will be onstage],” said Gag. “Anyone can do drag as long as you’re doing it respectfully and with love.”

Miss Avo Cado echoed the growth of drag and how the drag scene has grown in Mankato.

“A favorite drag memory is definitely going to our earlier shows and seeing the huge reception of drag here in Mankato. We kind of were worried that they wouldn’t be ready for it here, but people just love drag,” said Cado.

MSU sophomore Tabitha Bergstrom was one of many who attended the event. While having fun, Bergstrom thought the representation of everyone was considerable.

“It’s great to see everybody here and I’m glad that there was a big crowd today. I’m just having a phenomenal time,” shared Bergstrom.

“Drag’s not an uncommon thing anymore, so I think it’s really important that they’re having it to pay more attention to their LGBTQ students and center.”

MSU sophomore Eric Goulson showed enthusiasm at the return of the event post-Covid.

“They have such a good lineup and I’m just taken away. I’m really excited for them to do this again, because it’s been a while,” shared Goulson. “It’s been too long.”

Goulson struggled to pick a favorite performer of the evening as they all did great in their individual aspects, but eventually decided on two.

“Scarlet Rose is one of my really good friends, and I’m so excited to see her perform.

But, second is Ty Torres, because he’s killing it.

Drag King’s need to [be] appreciated more. They do such a good job,” shared Goulson. “It’s really hard to say who’s one amazing queen because they’re all killing it.”

Whether students have been before or never attended one, Goulson encouraged students to attend next year’s drag show to experience the fun.

“If you haven’t gone to a drag show, and you’ve ever even considered, come,” shared Goulson. “Bring some one, bring a couple friends, and prepare to scream a lot.”

Tuesday, April 5, 2022

Variety

MSU Reporter • 15

DJ Sophia Eris discusses musical journey

By SYD BERGGREN Staff Writer

Minnesota State University, Mankato’s ‘Lift Every Voice’ saw DJ Sophia Eris at the event that was sponsored by the Women’s Center Thursday, March 31. Eris, who is currently based out of Minneapolis, will soon be going on tour with award-winning R&B singer, Lizzo.

Eris has been a music-lover for as long as she can remember.

The Minnesota native grew up with a love for music as it impacted her everyday life.

“I would watch “Star Search” on TV when I was young and pretend to be the singers on there. In high school I would burn CDs and make mixes for my classmates and sell them,” shared Eris.

“I remember my junior year I saw ‘Purple Rain’ and ‘Brown Sugar’ in the same week and was like, ‘Oh my God, I want to be like them. I want to change the world of music.’”

Being a professional musician wasn’t always in the cards for Eris. In her childhood, she was a star soccer player and continued playing in college.

“I had a lot of offers from colleges for soccer, and my parents were much more supportive of that than they were of my musical interests. I went in already having had three concussions,

MADDIE BEHRENS • The Reporter

Minneapolis DJ Sophia Eris pursued music after quitting playing soccer in college. Eris will be touring with pop superstar Lizzo later this year. Eris, Lizzo and Claire De Lune have their own music group called The Chalice.

though, and so I was protective of myself and not playing at my best,” said Eris.

“I wasn’t really happy, and eventually my parents became supportive of me moving to Minneapolis to pursue a music business degree.”

Eris met Lizzo in 2011 and

the singer quickly became a fan of Eris’ work, even though she was making music low key.

“I wasn’t really showing it to anyone until I met Lizzo, and she was like, ‘Oh, I love your songs, I make music too!’ I met her not really knowing anything about her except that we have

mutual friends,” shared Eris.

The pair, seeing a gap in the Minneapolis industry, formed a group with artist Claire De Lune called The Chalice.

The group bonded over knowing several female artists, but not knowing ones that worked together. Eris, while de-

TikTok star Tai Verdes set to perform

By EMMA JOHNSON Variety Editor

Jon Batiste tops the 2022 Grammys

By JONATHAN LANDRUM Jr. Associated Press

Courtesy photo

On Wednesday night, singer Tai Verdes will be performing in the Bresnan Arena at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Hosted by the Student Events Team, the concert will be running from 7:30 to 10 p.m.Born as Tyler Colon, Verdes dropped out of college in order to pursue music full time five years ago. However, it wasn’t until the Covid pandemic that Verdes found success when he released “Stuck in the Middle”.

“Back in 2020, not a lot of artists were using TikTok in creative ways to promote their music,” said Verdes in an interview with bbc.com. “The algorithm is so potent and so ready to share good ideas with people.”

Verdes is currently touring at several colleges around the country, including Purdue University and Oakland University. When Student Events Team Concert Company Chair Will Keebler took notice, he immediately decided to reach out in order to bring a fresh face to the campus.

“Tai is a really exciting up-andcoming artist that has been generating a lot of popularity on TikTok and Spotify recently,” said Keebler.

“After getting an older artist for Homecoming [Jesse McCartney], we wanted to bring in someone younger for the spring.”

Verdes has racked up an impressive 9.5 million monthly listeners on Spotify and has over 2.5 million followers on TikTok. The audience

termined to get into the industry, was intimidated.

“I was the most amateur in my circle for a long time. I was kind of just jumping in with these artists who have been doing it forever and I just got my foot in the door,” she said.

“I remember when The Chalice got our first EP, it was my first time being in a studio.

I was having to catch up with everyone, pretending that I was comfortable when I was really terrified.”

While the specifics of her upcoming tour with Lizzo were not something Eris could comment on, she said, “It is coming, and we are working to be better than ever when we come back.”

Eris’ music career has been based on saying yes, something that she learned from one of her first music industry professors.

She encourages those with similar interests to do the same.

“I say yes to everything, because you never know what you’re able to do. When people say fake it til you make it, I see it in a different way. You aren’t faking your passion, you’re just faking being nervous,” shared Eris.

“The worst thing you can do is limit yourself and say no to something you could be amazing at because you’re scared.

Greatness is on the other side of fear.”

Tai Verdes is set to perform on Wednesday night in the Bresnan Arena at 7:30 p.m.

should expect a lot of Verdes songs to be off of his 2021 debut album, “TV.” The half hour album features Verde’s most popular songs “A-O-K” and “Stuck in the Middle.”

Since “A-O-K” dropped on June 8, 2021, it has received over 178 million listens. The laid back yet upbeat song lets fans know that with all of the troubles in the world, everything will turn out okay in the end.

Verdes’ music is similar in style to Peach Tree Rascals, Tyler Cole, and Oliver Tree, as his music ranges from R&B to soul to pop. Verdes’ musical style was one of the reasons that Keebler chose to invite him to campus.

“In the past, we have tended to book a lot of country and hip-hop shows. Tai is more in the Pop/R&B

genre, so that’ll be a nice change from what we have typically done,” shared Keebler. “He’s also a TikTok star, which is a new trend in the music industry as a whole.”

With fun, easy going songs being performed, the concert will be a great opportunity to let students relax before the stress of finals towards the end of the month.

For those looking to still purchase tickets, they are being sold at mnsuevents.com. Tickets are $5 for MSU students, $20 for one student guest and $25 for the public or MSU staff. For $50, people can purchase a VIP ticket, which allows concert goers early access to the venue and a pre-party that will conclude with a group photo with the artist.

Olivia Rodrigo made an impressive Grammy debut, Silk Sonic claimed two major awards and Jon Batiste had the most stunning victory of the night winning the top prize at Sunday’s Grammy Awards.

Batiste won five Grammys Sunday including album of the year for “We Are” pulling off an upset in a loaded category filled with tough competition from Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, Taylor Swift and the combined talents of Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga.

After his win, the multi-genre performer honored the artists he beat, telling the audience that “the creative arts are subjective. Be you.”

“I just put my head down and I work on the craft

every day,” said Batiste, who won for his song “Cry,” the video for “Freedom” and his work with the Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross on the soundtrack for “Soul.”

Silk Sonic, the allstar union of Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak, took home awards in all four categories it was nominated in, including record and song of the year.

Both were exuberant as they accepted the honor toward the end of the ceremony.

The wins in both major categories put Mars on the brink of history: He became the only artist along with Paul Simon to take win record of the year three times.

He tied the record for most song of the year wins with two.

“We are really trying our hardest to remain humble at this point,” .Paak said.

16 • MSU Reporter

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Tuesday, April 5, 2022