April 8, 2014

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Minnesota State University, Mankato

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TUESDAY

TUESDAY L: 34

H: 51

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H 86 WEDNESDAY Mostly sunny H 86 THURSDAY Cooler; a shower H 86 and warmer in the a.m.

L 66 WEDNESDAY L 66 H:THURSDAY L 66 H: 71 L: 43 59 L: 36

Senate Elections Today SAM WILMES News Editor Ushering in a new year with some new candidates, the Student Senate Elections will be held today from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at various polling booths throughout campus.

Polling stations will be located in Taylor Center, Centennial Student Union, Carkoski Commons and the Margaret R. Preska Residence Community.

There will be four parties involved with the elections: Mavs United, The True Mavericks , Vote Mariah and Joe and Independent.

Four candidates are running for the Presidency of MSSA: •Blake Asbury- The True Mavericks •Trevor Granberg- Independent •Mariah Haffield- Vote Mariah and Joe •Cody Nickel- Mavs United Three candidates are running for the Vice President of the Minnesota Student Senate Association.

•Jessica Herion- Mavs United •Nick Kragness- The True Mavericks •Joe Wolf- Vote Mariah and Joe There is one candidate for the Allied Health & Nursing student senator: PJ Piotrowski, a candidate allied with Vote Mariah and Joe. There are five candidates for the Senator position of the College of Social Behavorial Sciences: •Nolan Brinkman, Not affiliated •Sarah David- Vote Mariah and Joe •Kyler Schoner •Brian Viessman- Vote Mariah and Joe •Miesso Wako- Vote Mariah and Joe Three candidates are running for the College of Science Engineering & Technology Senator: •Arnold Bagamba- The True Mavericks •Noel Leul- Vote Mariah and Joe •Frederick Price De RuiterIndependent

One candidate is running for the College of Arts & Humanities Senator: •Danielle Barr: Vote Mariah and Joe Three Candidates are running for the College of Business Senator: •Elizabeth Anderson- Vote Mariah and Joe •Jeremy Herkenhoff- Mavs United •Skeeter Rogers- Mavs United One candidate is running for the Graduate Study Student senator: •Dillon Petrowitz- Mavs United Seven candidates are running for off-campus senator: •Shahriar Amob- Mavs United •Elizabeth Jacobson- Vote Mariah and Joe •Ashley James- Vote Mariah and Joe •Connor Martin- Vote Mariah and Joe •Patrick Riesterer- Mavs United •Marshall Tromberg- Inde-

MSU Reporter Archives Current student body President Chris Collins and Vice President Ben Shakespear will hand over their executive duties at the end of the year to make way for a new duo to be voted on by the student body today.

pendent •Rebecca Wegscheid- Vote Mariah and Joe There is one candidate for the Newspaper Board: •Matthew Eberline- Not affiliated One candidate is running for

the Centennial Student Union Board: •Loghin Welch- Vote Mariah and Joe One candidate is running for the Athletic Fee Advisory Board: •Jonathan Marquardt- N/A

Dark tourism lecture slated for this morning Lecture to focus on city and government responses to some of the worst murders in US History.

SAM WILMES News Editor

Photo Courtesy of College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

INSIDE:

A lecture on dark tourism will take place today at 11 a.m. in Ostrander Auditorium, located in the CSU. MSU Faculty Member Beth Wielde Heidelberg will discuss “Managing Ghosts: Local Government Involvement in Dark Tourism,” in the 35th annual Frontier Forum Lecture, sponsored by the College of Social and Behaviorial Sciences.

The lecture free and open to the general public.

Wielde Heidelberg will discuss the issue of how some cities cannot shake their ‘ghosts.’

Numerous examples of shock-

ing tragedies will be discussed, including the lingering ghost of a family murder in Amityville, Mass.; the Clutter Homicides in Holcomb, Kan. and the Borden murders in Fall River, Mass.

The Clutter homicides have been made famous by writer Truman Capote.

Wielde Heidelberg’s discussion will center on the role of local government in dark tourism and why cities could want to add their voice to the stewardship and interpretation of their ghosts.

She will also discuss how tragic events gave these cities a level of notoriety that wasn’t welcome.

She will also explain the ethical and logistical questions along

MSU MEN’S HOCKEY SEASON RECAP - PG. 8

with the individual cities discomfort of being known for tragedy.

“Students in political science can come and learn how governments have been managing this program, recreation, parks and leisure services should come to see how cities have been handling it; essentially it,” Wielde Heidelberg said.

Wielde Heidelberg’s main goals revolve around changing theories into something more tangible.

“I hope this event ends up as something that a wide array of academics can come and be inspired to look at dark tourism as a practice instead of a theory,” Wielde Heidelberg said.

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4th annual Midwest Ethnic Studies Conference

Arnold Bagamba • MSU Reporter (From Top to Bottom) Dr. Michael T. Fagin (Left) Embraces Dr. Johnathan Lofgren.

Minnesota Department of Education Assistant Commissioner Elia Bruggeman

GM crimes deserve punishment

SAM WILMES News Editor Since corporations have been deemed people by the Supreme Court, we now have a serial killer on the loose.

General Motors, a car company helped substantially by the Auto bailout in 2008, has now recalled more than 1.3 million vehicles that have been blamed for the deaths of at least 13, as well as 32 crashes.

General Motors CEO Mary Barra testified before Congress about a problem with ignition switches that caused cars to turn off suddenly, disabling power steering, brakes and engines.

If a news clip hadn’t been released to the contrary, while bad this would have been an acceptable explanation, since, after all, mistakes, however tragic, do happen.

Unfortunately for General Motors this wasn’t a simple mistake.

A news clip showed that GM first noted the problem in 2001 and later issued a report in 2005 detailing that costing the problem would take too long and be too expensive.

This reasoning would be unacceptable even if it were true.

Congress has found that fixing the faulty ignition switch would have cost 57 cents per vehicle, a small pittance for the

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lives that were lost.

GM, however, will never face punishment for the negligence they committed. Since the corporation came out of bankruptcy in July, 2009, they are not technically liable for anything before that date.

This is outrageous. Serial killers like Jeffrey Dahmer, Gary Ridgway and other mass murderers didn’t have expiration dates behind their crimes.

Since the Supreme Court ruled that corporations are people, why shouldn’t the company face punishment?

There remains a fundamental lack of responsibility in the upper echelons of the corporate ladder and this case spotlighted what for a long time has been evident.

In 2008, when the economy crashed and lives were ruined, CEOs of many major corporations didn’t face jail, instead

they faced a settlement package worth millions of dollars.

A poor man on the streets who deals drugs, however, could face years in the penitentiary. How can we claim to be the home of the brave and the land of the free when we aren’t even brave enough to ensure justice is done against all who commit crimes?

This isn’t just a call to the average citizen: this is a call to everyone; the Supreme Court justices who ruled that corporations are people, the affluent that can hire the best lawyers money can buy and sometimes wheel their way out of tight situations.

This is a call to everyone that has let this slide for far too long, for now is the time to start to move towards dignity, to move towards a new time and age where we are all accountable, whether big or small.

Web Photo Thousands of GM cars have been recalled as part of the crisis, including the 2005 Chevy Cobalt.

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

Protests over abortion cross line, boundaries HANNAH KLEINBERG Staff Writer Even in a country where the debt is $17 trillion and 1 in 6 struggle with hunger, abortion is frequently the topic of choice.

Al Jazeera: America, a worldwide effort to deliver unbiased news and opinions to all people, directed a short, twenty minute documentary in 2012 about the growing war on abortion, “The Abortion War.” From a neutral standpoint, Al Jazeera brings two ideologies to the table: pro-life and prochoice. The flash documentary begins with a handful of teenagers performing in street theatre on Venice Beach, in efforts to spread the awareness of abortion from a pro-life perspective.

Within the first thirty seconds, these teenagers call themselves “survivors” of abortion.

And this general sense of feeling persists throughout the first five minutes of the video.

It later progresses to a Christian program geared toward elementary to college students, “The Survivors of the Abortion Holocaust Camp.” According to their president, Troy Newman, they will go out and bear witness to the “sea of wounded,” as activists of Jesus, who have had their babies killed and their lives taken away from them.

Their first effort shown in the documentary is taken to Hollywood Boulevard, a place often frequented by tourists and

civilians of all walks of life.

Teenagers as young as thirteen take to the streets with large and graphic photos of aborted babies, paired with gruesome statistics. Stationed in front of the Disney store, they yell and spread their “truth” to people on the street, who are forced to shield their children’s eyes and cover their ears. An angry woman who walked past this protest event brought up a very good point to those who were holding these pictures and handing out pamphlets.

“That kid right there is thirteen years old,” she yelled. “He cannot go to an R-rated movie, yet he is presented with R-rated material.”

Al Jazeera goes on to point

out that “language is everything.” To these teenagers, an abortion clinic is an “abortion mill.” To them, the doctor is an “abortionist.” To them, an embryo or a fetus is a “pre-born baby.”

Jeff White, the founder of this program, says that these children are “smart and determined,” and with their focus they serve as a danger to the “abortion industry.”

These children, most of whom haven’t a single clue of what it’s like to be an adult, are brainwashed. They are led to believe that they are holy warriors of a formidable crusade and that they are the only thing

PROTESTS • Page 5

Letter to the Editor: HEAPR is Cheaper My name is Chris Collins, I am student body president at Minnesota State University, Mankato and I would like to thank the Minnesota legislature for prioritizing state university and college projects in their recent capital investment proposal.

The Minnesota House of Representative proposal to allocate $193 million dollars for new projects will help build and renovate a number of new learning spaces on our campuses. However, the current proposal only funds $30 million of the $110 million Minnesota State College and Uni-

versities (MnSCU) Higher Education Asset Preservation and Replacement (HEAPR) request.

Unfortunately, this falls short of campus needs.

HEAPR funds are vital to ensuring universities and colleges like Minnesota State University, Mankato are able to take care of existing buildings, some of which are in dire need of repair.

There are buildings with leaky roofs, old mechanical and electrical systems, and fire sprinkler systems. These projects are critical for maintaining a safe and up-to-date academic environ-

ment.

There are two solutions to addressing this shortfall. The first would be for the legislature to increase the HEAPR allocation in its final capital investment package. These funds are very beneficial to students, because unlike other capital budget projects, they go to repairs fully funded by the state and do not require students to fund a third of the cost. The second, unique to this year and the budget surplus the state is facing, would be to fund HEAPR with state general fund dollars.

Whatever the solution, it is important to the education of today and tomorrow’s students the state maintains its excellent state college and university learning spaces. I ask the legislature to increase funding in this program, because in the long run HEAPR is cheaper. Thank you for your time.

Christopher James Collins President Minnesota State Student Association Minnesota State University, Mankato

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ROMARIO DASSE, COMMUNITY HEALTH “Yes, I will be voting.”

SAFATH ZAMAN, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY “Yes.”

Minnesota State University, Mankato

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“I didn’t know it was today.”

“I’m not going to vote because I feel that I am not informed well enough to make a good decision.”

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

PROTESTS continued from 4 standing against this “rising holocaust” of abortion. They are not provoked to form their own opinions, but are instead force-fed Christian information by their parents and their pastors and the adult figureheads in their life and therefore blindly pursue a battle that they know nothing about.

Al Jazeera goes on to highlight other parts of the antiabortion and pro-abortion movements and to see it in full it’s available on YouTube. And though it was clearly meant to present two states of mind, it only serves to show how disgusting and savage some prolife advocates are.

Pro-life advocates are often seen outside of Planned Parenthoods nationwide, harassing and mentally scarring men and women who go in for reasons besides abortion, such as sex education, pregnancy prevention, and STD testing.

In some places even, they offer free breast exams to women and have saved thousands of lives by finding breast cancer in women who can’t afford the check-ups. Still, these angry people, often Christians, follow them as they walk inside, yelling absurd and gross things into their face.

These deplorable pro-lifers create a stigma around abortion where none is necessary.

Many women who opt for abortion have no choice, for reasons such as rape, birth complications, low-income life, and teenagers who are still children themselves.

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In the Al Jazeera documentary, they also visit a story of a sixteen year old girl who got pregnant due to a broken condom. While her parents are both strong Christians, they all three decided that abortion was the best option.

Her mother, in tears, explained, “She’s sixteen. She hasn’t completed her education.

If my daughter were forced to have a child she didn’t want, no one would be there to pick up those pieces in five years.”

Her daughter asked, “Will God forgive me?” and that was the hardest part for her mother to stomach.

Women and girls shouldn’t have to live in fear of eternal damnation because they decide that they can’t have a child. Because of sickening pro-lifers like those who call themselves “the survivors,” women worldwide live in fear and have to choke down fake statistics and facts meant to scare them.

In reality, women are 14 times more likely to die carrying their child to term than having a legal abortion. The rates of depression are the same as the rates of depression for women who have miscarriages, which often happens for women who have birth complications. Teen mothers are far more likely to face an unhealthy and unhappy future than women who have children at an older age.

Yet, pro-life advocates stand outside hospitals and clinics and shame them for doing what is right, and continue to brainwash the children that will be our future and call themselves “survivors” self-righteously.

The abortion industry is nothing but a mega-Christian fantasy.

Annual lecture series brings in Rettig

Food entrepreneur to be spotlighted.

SAM WILMES News Editor Dave Rettig, Founder and President of the third-largest egg producer in the United States, Rembrandt Foods in Rembrandt, Iowa, will speak about food entrepreneurship from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. today in Ostrander Auditorium.

The free event is open to the general public. Parking will be available in the visitor pay lot outside the CSU. Rembrandt Foods is an award- winning company, having been named the Egg Products Company of the Year in 2009, as recognition of its continued commitment to sustainability.

The lecture is the 31st in the series and is titled “A Vision, an Entrepreneur, and an egg: Going Global from Rembrandt, Iowa.”

The series was created by Richard and Mary Schmitz to encourage food entrepreneurship education at MSU’s College of Business.

An MSU alumni, Schmitz completed his bachelor’s degree in accounting in 1964 and has served on the Minnesota State Mankato Foundation

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Board of Directors.

Graduate Assistant Elizabeth Johnson described Rembrandt Foods.

“Rembrandt Foods is a company that is growing quickly worldwide, it has a unique perspective on talent needs in recruiting,” Johnson said.

“They provide an example of going global from the heartland.”

According to Johnson, the

Schmitz lecture series “Provides students the opportunities to get a better sense for food entrepreneurship.”

Included in the discussion will be a piece on how the company is going global.

“Dave is passionate about what he does. He is living proof that you don’t have to be on the east or west coast to influence the market,” Johnson said.

Web Photo Founder and President of Rembrandt Foods, Dave Rettig.

NOW HIRING! The MSU Reporter is looking for STUDENT ADVERTISING SALES REPRESENTATIVES. We need outgoing students who are comfortable meeting potential clients in person and maintaining communication with them on a weekly basis.

Position requires 20 hrs./week during daytime business hours and must have access to a vehicle.

Students from all fields of study are encouraged to apply.

Stop by the Reporter Office (CSU 293) for an application or for more information.

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Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Inaugural End of life event presentation slated for slated for today this month Pertinent information to be

SAM WILMES News Editor

The first annual Construction Management Student Association Sporting Clay Event will be held on April 18th at the Caribou Gun Club in Le Sueur, Minnesota.

The cost of the event is $45, which includes 100 shells, food and drink for the afternoon. The program welcomes individual signups but encourages four-person team registrations.

The event is partially being held to provide student members opportunities to participate in different competitions across the nation and for equipment upgrades on campus.

The event will begin with a 12-station course at 1:00 p.m.

The Sporting Clay pigeons shooting will last until 4 p.m.

Afterwards, attendees are invited to attend a social hour, followed by a dinner.

Updates will be provided on the MNSU Construction Management program and shooting prizes and raffle items will also be awarded. A nice, sit-down dinner will be offered.

Beyond the fundraising as-

pects of the event, networking, a key aspect of a job search, will be offered.

“It’s a good opportunity to network with contractors and get to know students better and create a tighter band from student to student, get a feel for future employees,” Junior Construction Management major Heath Dewes said.

Dewes is encouraged by the expected turnout.

“We’re going to have a successful turnout, which is great considering that this is the first year we’ve been doing this, it’s good that we decided to do it.”

Dewes, the President of the CMSA, will be helping out with the operations at the event, a role more acquainted with his position of Fundraising Director for the organization last year.

For more information regarding the event or Sporting Clay Sponsorships, vist the Construction Management Facebook page: Construction Management at Minnesota State University, Mankato. CMSA Faculty Advisor Matt Durand can also be contacted at matt.durand@mnsu. edu, or at 507-389-2718.

discussed by MSU Professor.

MIKELL MELIUS Staff Writer The Chesley Center on Aging at Minnesota State University, Mankato will be holding a conference on “Spirituality and Ethics at the End of Life” tomorrow from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The conference will be held at the Country Inn and Suites, located on Premier Drive in Mankato.

The conference will include discussions on spirituality in health care, current case studies where health care, the law and spirituality have interacted and a keynote address from Christina Puchalski, director of the George Washington Institute of Spirituality and Health in Washington, D.C. Along with her director position, Puchalski is a professor of Medicine and Health Sciences at the George Washington University School of Medicine.

Puchalski will start off the conference with the keynote address at 8:40 a.m. The ad-

dress is followed by the discussion of spirituality in health care, particularly as it relates to end-of-life and palliative care, led by Puchalski and a panel of experts.

The afternoon will consist of more discussions, where the panelists will guide attendees through current case studies directly related to spirituality in health care.

The conference is specifically designed for family members, professional care caregivers working in nursing homes or assisted living, social workers, chaplains, hospice volunteers, elder care staff, residential care services, educators and administrators.

Although the conference is directly focused for these occupations, the conference is open to anyone.

The conference registration fee is $95 at the door, which includes lunch, conference materials and continuing education credit; However,

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the fee for hospice volunteers, full-time students and those 60 and older who are not seeking educational credit is only $45.

Online registration is available at 2014 Palliative Care Conference Registration.

The Chesley Center features multiple events focused on the areas of dementia and palliative care. Other upcoming events by the Chesley Center include the Chesley Lecture on Aging on May 6, a presentation on Ethics and Aging on June 10, and the Dementia Care Conference on September 4.

The other “Spirituality and Ethics at the End of Life” conference sponsors include the Mayo Clinic Health System, Mankato, Hospice and the Minnesota River Area Agency on Aging. More information regarding the up-coming conference, as well as future events, can be found on the Chesley Center on Aging’s page, mnsu.edu/chesleycenter.

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Tuesday, April 8, 2014

MSU Reporter • 7

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Pro-Russians call east Ukraine region independent

Talks of independence and referendum are heard again as Pro-Russian activists in eastern Ukraine look to follow Crimea in favor of Russia. gey Lavrov warned the Ukrainian government against using force in response to the “legitimate demands” of people in eastern Ukraine.

Eastern Ukraine, which has a large population of ethnic Russians, was the base of support for ousted President Viktor Yanukovych, who fled to Russia in February after months of protests. Economic and cultural ties to Russia are strong here, and many are wary of the new government, which favors closer ties to the European Union.

In a video posted on the Internet, an unidentified pro-Russian activist in the Donetsk government headquarters asked Russian

Photo Courtesy of Associated Press

Activists wave Russian national flags on the balcony of the regional administration building in Donetsk, Ukraine Monday. A Ukrainian news agency is reporting that pro-Russian separatists who have seized the regional administration building in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk proclaimed the region an independent republic.

DONETSK, Ukraine (AP) — Pro-Russian activists barricaded inside a government building in eastern Ukraine proclaimed the region independent Monday and called for a referendum on seceding from Ukraine — an ominous echo of the events that led to Russia’s annexation of Crimea.

The Ukrainian government accused Russia of stirring up the unrest and vowed to quell it.

Russia, which has tens of thousands of troops massed along the border, warned Ukraine of more “difficulties and crises” if its leaders fail to heed Moscow’s demands.

In Washington, the U.S. said any move by Russia into eastern Ukraine would be a “very serious escalation” that could bring further sanctions. White House spokesman Jay Carney said there was strong evidence that some of the pro-Russian protesters in Ukraine were paid and were not local residents.

At the same time, the U.S. announced that Secretary of State John Kerry will meet with top diplomats from Russia, Ukraine and the European Union in a new push to ease tensions. The meeting, the first such four-way talks since the crisis erupted, will take place in the next 10 days, the State Department said.

Pro-Russian activists who seized the provincial administrative building in the city of Donetsk over the weekend announced the formation Monday

of the independent Donetsk People’s Republic.

They also called for a referendum on the secession of the Donetsk region, which borders Russia, to be held no later than May 11, according to the Russian news agency Interfax.

A similar action was taken in another Russian-speaking city in the east, Kharkiv, where pro-Moscow activists declared themselves “alternative” regional legislators and proclaimed a “sovereign Kharkiv People’s Republic,” Interfax reported.

Russia annexed Crimea last month, following a referendum called just two weeks after the Black Sea peninsula had been overtaken by Russian forces.

Ukraine and the West have rejected the vote and the annexation as illegal.

The activists who occupied the government building in Donetsk blocked off the entrance with 6-foot barricades of car tires lined with razor wire.

Inside, dozens of people — almost all men, many of them wearing balaclavas and carrying clubs — stood around in groups.

They refused to speak to journalists about their immediate plans.

As darkness fell, people in a crowd of a few hundred fired off a brief fireworks salute that was greeted by chants of “Russia, Russia!”

The Donetsk and Kharkiv regions — and a third Russianspeaking city besieged by pro-

Moscow activists over the weekend, Luhansk —have a combined population of nearly 10 million out of Ukraine’s 46 million, and account for the bulk of the country’s industrial output.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk accused Russia of fomenting the unrest to create a pretext for sending troops in and taking another piece of Ukraine.

“The plan is to destabilize the situation. The plan is for foreign troops to cross the border and seize the country’s territory, which we will not allow,” he said, adding that those taking part in the unrest had distinct Russian accents.

Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt also said the events in eastern Ukraine were part of Moscow’s “destabilization strategy.”

“Those who thought that it ended with Crimea were wrong,” Bildt said.

The Russian Foreign Ministry rejected the Ukrainians’ allegations but reaffirmed its long-held demand that Ukraine change its constitution to turn the country into a federation with broader powers for provinces.

“If the political forces that call themselves the Ukrainian government continue to take an irresponsible attitude to the fate of the country and its people, Ukraine will inevitably face new difficulties and crises,” the ministry said in a statement.

Russian Foreign Minister Ser-

President Vladimir Putin to send peacekeeping troops into the region.

“Without your support, without the support of Russia, it will be hard for us to resist the Kiev junta on our own,” the man said, referring to the interim authorities that took power in Ukraine after the overthrow of Yanukovych.

But a senior Russian lawmaker suggested Monday that such a move was not imminent. Viktor Oserov, head of the defense committee in the Russian Parliament’s upper house, said Moscow cannot send peacekeepers in without a U.N. Security Council resolution, according to Interfax.

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Tuesday, April 8, 2014

MSU Reporter • 9

fourth best in the NCAA. He also finished with a career-high 28 points in his 31 games.

Johnny McInnis also carried a big load up front for the Mavs. The senior captain from Boston, Mass. came to MSU and saw limited ice time in

The Captain

season WCHA champions started picking up their play thanks to players stepping up and playing big.

Junior forward JeanPaul LaFontaine led the WCHA in scoring for much Zach Lehrke of the season, finishing with 20 goals and 20 assists for 40 points, all career highs. LaFontaine also led the country in power play goals for a good stretch of the season, and finished second in the NCAA with 14 goals on the man advantage. Additionally, he was named All-WCHA Second Team.

Another junior who played a large role in the Mavericks’ success was forward Matt Leitner. Leitner led the team a year ago with 47 points and once again led the team this season, posting a teamhigh 33 assists and 45 points, which landed him at 14th in the nation in points. Leitner was one of three players that were picked as a preseason favorite to win the Hobey Baker Award as college hockey’s top player. He and LaFontaine were both nominees for the award, but failed to make it into the top ten finalists. Leitner was also named AllWCHA First Team.

Aside from the junior duo, there were also a couple of seniors that added some firepower to the Maverick lineup.

Senior forward Zach Lehrke had retired from hockey before the season due to Johnny McInnis a muscle condition, but decided to finish out his senior season and joined the team after the first ten games. With Lehrke’s return, the power play went from a nine percent success rate to 25.25 percent which was

Power Play Guru

year’s team set the stage for this program on the rise.

“The aspect of experience teaches you quite a bit,” Hastings said. “A year ago we had a real good regular season and won our first playoff series, but the loss to Wisconsin in the Final Five carried over to the NCAA tournament against [Miami-Ohio].”

After the slow start to the season, the team who was selected as the pre-

26-14-1 Overall, 20-7-1 WCHA

ericks to national recognition as a top program in college hockey.

After a slow start going 4-7 through the first 11 games, MSU went on a seven game winning streak through December, setting up for a second half of the season push for the NCAA tournament.

When first place in the WCHA seemed out of place in January, the Mavs took down the no. 2 team in the country at the time, Ferris State University. Hastings’ Mavericks swept FSU in a two game series, which was the first implication that last year’s success wasn’t a fluke. This team is a contender.

Two weeks after the sweep of Ferris, MSU went on a 13 game unbeaten streak where they went 12-0-1 to finish out the regular season and the WCHA Final Five tournament. Although the Mavs finished second behind Ferris in the WCHA regular season, they went on to sweep Northern Michigan in the first round of the WCHA playoffs before beating Bowling Green State on their way to face off against Ferris in their first Final Five title game.

In the Final Five championship game in Grand Rapids, Mich. the Mavs defeated Ferris 4-1, winning the Broadmoor Trophy for the first time in program history. With the conference tournament title in hand, the Mavericks earned an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, only their third appearance to the NCAA tournament, but the second in as many years.

While this year’s team was expected to have a great year and make the NCAA tournament, last

Despite a slow start...

All good things must come to an end, and the saying couldn’t ring more true for the Minnesota State University, Mankato Maverick hockey team. The Mavs fell to the University of Massachusetts-Lowell Riverhawks 2-1 in the NCAA Northeast Regional semifinal game two weekends ago, ending their season. While it was a tough pill to swallow, the Mavericks had plenty of success this season and plenty to be proud of.

“We have no regrets,” Maverick head coach Mike Hastings said. “We left it all out there.”

In his second season as bench boss for MSU, Hastings brought a program that he used to set their sights on a .500 season to a program that is a contender for the Frozen Four and a National Championship.

Going 26-14-1 this year, MSU set a school record for wins in the Division I era, passing last season’s record of 24. Not only that, the Mavs also finished 2nd in the WCHA regular season standings, the highest finish in the program’s 15 years in the conference. Though they fell short of the Frozen Four, the season once again brought the Mav-

DEREK LAMBERT Staff Writer

2014

David Bassey • MSU Reporter

Second place in WCHA regular season

2013

WCHA Final Five Champions

coming years.

“I know the Frozen Four is in Boston next year, and with the firepower and goaltending coming back along with our coach, there’s no reason why they shouldn’t make it,” McInnis said.

Over the past two years the Maverick program has been building the foundation for a prominent program. While the players put in the work and get the job done, it’s clear that the change came when Hastings was hired as coach.

“He came in here with a plan and made us believe we were a good hockey team from day one,” McInnis said. “He told us we were going to go to places we’ve never been and really made us believe in ourselves.”

Though MSU fell short in the NCAA tournament for the second consecutive season, they accomplished plenty to build on for the future. With their first back to back trip to the NCAA tournament, first WCHA Final Five championship, and a record 26 wins, the Mavericks will once again

Right man for the job

All-WCHA Rookie Team defenseman Sean Flanagan will likely log the majority of minutes on the blue line next season. Behind them was another all-star goaltender.

After sophomore Stephon Williams was named the WCHA Goaltending Champion and WCHA Rookie of the Year last season, it appeared the Mavs goalie situation was set. But after a shaky start to his sophomore season, freshman Cole Huggins took over between the pipes. The Centennial, Colo. native was great in net and racked up honors of his own. Huggins set a school record for single season shutouts with six, and finished as the no. 2 goaltender in the NCAA behind UMass-Lowell’s Connor Hellebuyck. Huggins was also named this year’s WCHA Goaltending Champion and All-WCHA Second Team. Coming back for next season, he will be the backbone of this Maverick team.

“It’s hard to step in as a freshman and do what he’s done,” freshman forward Zach Stepan said. “It helps us knowing he’s back there to back us up and he’s the biggest reason we’ve come to where we’ve come.”

With two years of NCAA tournament experience under their belts, the Mavericks are now a team on everyone’s radar and a team that can contend for a National Championship in the

Welcome Mr. Huggins

All-Tournament team.

While the Mavs seem set up front, on the backend they are also in good shape. On the blue line, junior Zach Palmquist anchors the defensive core.

An All-WCHA First Team player, Palmquist led all Maverick defenseman with 23 points. He and

3rd appearance in NCAA Division I Tournament

his first two seasons as a Maverick. When former coach Troy Jutting was replaced by Hastings, McInnis’ game changed. His junior year, McInnis had somewhat of a breakout season, scoring 13 goals, five of which were game winners. In his final season at MSU, the captain posted career highs of 21 goals and 38 points, and six more game-winning goals, leaving him with 14 in his collegiate career. McInnis and Lehkre both were named to the All-WCHA Third Team.

Coach Hastings knows the kind of impact McInnis had on his team.

“It’s going to sting not having him in the locker room,” Hastings said. “If we continue to bring in people and players like Johnny McInnis we’ll be successful. He’s done some Evan Karambelas heavy lifting for our coaching staff and he’s going to have the opportunity to play hockey for a while.”

Indeed he will. McInnis signed a tryout contract with the Lake Erie Monsters of the American Hockey League, the minor league affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche. He will have the opportunity to join fellow Maverick alumni Eriah Hayes, Tyler Pitlick, Travis Morin, and Ben Youds, who all currently play for AHL teams.

While the loss of Lehrke and McInnis hurt, the Mavs’ future is still bright.

After winning their first Final Five title and making their second NCAA tournament appearance in a row, MSU is now a much more appealing program to prospective hockey players. As the no. 11 team in the NCAA, Mankato is now a destination for hockey players who want a chance at playing in the NCAA tournament, and the attitude in the locker room is that they want more.

“This year was a bit different for us,” Hastings said. “The guys weren’t Josh Nelson content with just having some success.”

The freshman class next season appears to be a pretty deep class of recruits, but the returning Mavs will provide an already scary lineup to face.

Leitner and LaFontaine lead the way for the returners, but the emergence of young stars give the lineup even more depth.

Sophomore Bryce Gervais had a breakout season, finishing third on the team with 16 goals. Gervais was essential down the playoff stretch, posting 18 points in the final 16 games of the season while also being a top penalty killer. At the WCHA Final Five tournament, Gervais was named to the

MAVERICK HOCKEY RECAP

8 • MSU Reporter

10 • MSU Reporter

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Mavericks on an 18-game winning streak entering tougher part of schedule While trying to break MSU’s streaking record, the squad is looking sooner than later to earn head coach Lori Meyer’s 1,000th career win.

JOEY DENTON Sports Editor The Mavericks took twoNSIC series sweeps in two days, defeating the Northern State Wolves and Minnesota State University, Moorhead Dragons to increase their winning streak to 18 games, the longest streak since 2008.

With head coach Lori Meyer at the helm, you know there

Anna Cole .327 batting average, 4 home runs, 29 RBIs, 12 doubles, 2 walks

are some tough records on the board, but these Mavericks are aiming for one in particular—the winning streak. In 1987, Meyer’s squad reached 23-games before taking a loss, and to put that into perspective, that was during the third of her 30 seasons here in Mankato.

It has been just an impres-

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sive fluctuation of offense and pitching in these last 18 games, the Mavericks are winning in every fashion. Whether it was 1-0 or 10-running the team, one of those aspects of the game just dominated. Offensively, the team is averaging just more than eight runs a game, while the pitching staff owns a 1.39 ERA in that span. While the most runs given up was six against Pittsburg State University back on March 22nd, the staff has accumulated nine shutouts.

Sunday’s sweep over Northern State wasn’t as smooth as Moorhead, but not by much. In their first win, the best scoring team in the NSIC with 233 runs didn’t find their first one till the third inning with a sac-fly by senior shortstop Samantha Holien. The fifth inning included two scores one two singles; centerfielder Tatum Klein bringing in rightfielder Karli DesLauriers and senior catcher Lindsay Erickson with Klein coming in to give the Mavericks a 3-0 lead. One more run was added in the sixth by a fielder’s choice grounder by designated hitter Laura Milligan.

Due to how great she is pitching these days, it was just

MSU Reporter Archives

another day for freshman pitcher Coley Ries. Not only did she complete her fourth shutout of

SOFTBALL • Page 11

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MSU Reporter • 11

Sports

SOFTBALL “It has been just an impressive fluctuation of offense and pitching in these last 18 games, the Mavericks are winning in every fashion.” continued from 10 the season, but she only allowed one run in the seven innings and struckout 11 batters in the process. There’s more from her later on.

Game two got out of hand for the Wolves, especially in the third inning. With already a 1-0 lead going into the inning, Erickson led off the scoring with a solo shot to right field, her NSIC-leading ninth home run. The rest of their runs were unearned due to the ball bouncing around the infield for the Wolves, but designated hitter Abby Whritenour finished the scoring with a double to bring in Milligan. The Wolves saw their first player cross home plate for the first time in the weekend in their frame of the inning, but it turned out to be their only run of the weekend.

Along with a two-run homer by Cole in the sixth, the Mavericks finished in Aberdeen, S.D. with a 11-1 win.

Junior pitcher Brittany Lauterbach was outstanding again, completing the game with only allowing two hits and fanning 11 Wolves.

The Mavericks would stay in Aberdeen to put on a hitting clinic against the Dragons.

With only five innings needed, the Purple and Gold brought

home 14 runs. Cole started it out in the first inning with a two-run RBI double, bringing in Erickson and Holien. After six more runs crossed the plate for the Mavericks, freshman infielder Molly Sager hit one over the fence for the first time in her collegiate career, bringing in two more runs—that was also just in the third inning.

Ries once again only allowed one hit in her start in the circle. In four innings of work, she struck out eight batters. The Eagle Lake native is currently Photo Courtesy of Minnesota State Athletics Freshman Ashley Thell is batting .342 with one home run and 14 RBIs and has stolen eight bases so far in the 2014 season.

Molly Sager .214 batting average, 4 RBIs, 1 walk. Hit her first career home run yesterday in game one against Moorhead.

leading the NSIC in ERA (1.48),

opposing batting average (.188) and strikeouts per game (9.50).

Erickson led the way offensively going 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs. Trailing 2-0 entering the third, the Mavericks changed that to a 4-2 advantage pretty fast. Holien and Erickson both singled for an RBI, then Cole smacked a double for two more runs. That’s all the Mavericks needed and with four more runs in the sixth, only six innings was needed to decide the 10-2 victory, win number 28 in 2014.

Both Wood and DesLauri-

Kelly Wood .358 batting average, 3 home runs, 22 RBIs,6 stolen bases, 6 walks.

ers had a three-hit game while Wood brought home a run and DesLauriers scored two. Holien added one more RBI and ended with a 2-for-4 game and scored two runs.

Lauterbach struggled in the first inning, giving up two runs, but she was back to her old self, allowing just two more hits and striking out seven of her nine total strikeouts.

If weather is permitted go check out the Mavericks in action today at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. as they take on the Upper Iowa Peacocks at the Diamond.

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Captain America: The Winter Soldier double-take review

ANDREW SIMON Staff Writer

In a cast of characters that includes a billionaire playboy with a armor suit, a god with an indestructible hammer, and a scientist with green rage issues, no one would expect the jolly good boy scout Steve Rogers aka Captain America to have the most interesting stories in the Marvel arsenal. Captain

America and any who stand beside him.

What works best in The Winter Soldier is the story, achieved in such a way it could only be told through the eyes of Captain America. Frozen in 1945, Steve Rogers is the living embodiment of those ideals, of a crystal-clear morality of right and wrong, of a country that put their people first and fought for their safety against evil forces.

This world he lives in now, he

percent of other films would.

With a cast that also includes the likes of screen legend Robert Redford (saying a line at the very end that nobody ever thought he’d be willing to say), Emily VanCamp (in a small teasing role), Cobie Smulders (also small, yet more vital), and Anthony Mackie (as the charming ally the Falcon), it’s difficult to give service to them all in this review, but they’re all wonderfully impressive in their

JAMES HOUTSMA A & E Editor With Marvel at the top of their (financial) game, it’s easy to forget that the successful superhero studio has had a serious problem bringing their solo characters back for a second round.

The refreshing wit and soul Robert Downey brought to Iron Man was simply rehashed to a lesser effect in Iron Man 2, while the

has always made movies that are packed with superhero action and quips but are light on staying power. Their reputation thus far has been one of fun weightlessness. Captain America: The Winter Soldier changes all that.

The second Captain America installment not only delivers high-octane action and welltempered humor, but provides a story that is brimming with political commentary and relevance. Instead of immersing

Web Photo The fate of the world is at stake. Let’s strike a pose!

America: The Winter Soldier, the third title in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase Two series, is a Marvel franchise highlight, exemplifying the best the studio and characters have to offer, while presenting an entertaining, resonating, and game-changing production.

Defrosted from Arctic ice after seventy years of hibernation, Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) still doesn’t quite know what to do with himself. As a soldier, he’s aligned with S.H.I.E.L.D. to protect the world, but can’t fully trust its actions or director, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson). An organization charged by secrets and weapons, S.H.I.E.L.D’s biggest secret, ranging back to its inception, is revealed, and sets its sights on eliminating Captain

doesn’t recognize it, he doesn’t understand it, and that puts him in conflict with S.H.I.E.L.D and their plans. Only Captain Rogers can stand up and question their authority, and does so. As layer after layer is peeled back revealing how toxic and malformed S.H.I.E.L.D actually is, the face of the real enemy comes into the light, but that doesn’t discount Roger’s understanding of how very wrong the system is.

Teamed with Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), the two make for a very interesting combination. She works in secrets and lies, and he works in truth and friendship. The chemistry between Johansson and Evans is vibrant, and it’s admirable the writers didn’t take their arc into a direction ninety

roles.

But the real stunner is the Winter Soldier. Minimal in his screentime, he nevertheless is an imposing threat. Ruthless, powerful, unstoppable -- when the Winter Soldier is on screen, there’s a genuine sense of jeopardy for the heroes, as if the Terminator itself is coming after them. Neither the Mandarin, the Chituari, nor Malekith remotely felt as formidable a foe as the Winter Soldier.

There are cracks, however, in this seemingly impenetrable armor of awesomeness. The titular villain feels ultimately underused, and the third act could use a retooling. For the Winter Soldier, when he’s onscreen, he’s a powerful presence, but he

WINTER SIMON • Page 13

promising world and characters set up in Thor were left hanging in Thor: The Dark World.

Ironic then that Captain America, dubbed by Honest Trailers as “nobody’s favorite” and the star of a not-so-great first film, now holds what may be the best Marvel film ever.

Following the events of The Avengers, Steve Rodgers, aka Captain America (Chris Evans), is adapting to modern life in Washington D.C., while doing secret cleanup jobs for superspy organization S.H.I.E.L.D. on the side. But with a radical new operation about to launch in the organization, the murky history behind the group comes to a horrifying head, allegiances shift and the very power balance of the planet is put in jeopardy.

Up until this point, Marvel

itself in gloom, the film finds a perfect balance for it’s blockbuster bang-bangs and its more serious messages on the surveillance state and government motives, while keeping some of its lighter edge. The danger here is real for Cap and the entire world of heroes and the ramifications of this story will be felt in a serious way like no previous Marvel movie.

The risks Marvel takes here are admirable; comparable even to the giant one taken by simply making The Avengers. Not all elements pay off, as the story occasionally muddies itself along the way with unclear reasoning and a few contrivances, but if there’s ever been an argument for the end justifying the means,

HAIL HOUTSMA • Page 13

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

MSU Reporter • 13

A&E

HAIL HOUTSMA “The danger here is real for Cap and the entire world of heroes and the ramifications of the story will be felt in a serious way like no previous Marvel movie.” continued from 12

WINTER SIMON “Ruthless, powerful, unstoppable -- when the Winter Soldier is on screen, there’s a genuine sense of jeopardy for the heroes, as if the Terminator itself is coming after them.” continued from 12

Web Photo “I’m de captain now.” (Wrong Captain).

this is it.

Not only does the story hit a grand new level, the action sequences soar. Cars are annihilated in grand fashion, gunplay gets downright imtense, aerial sequences thrill and hand-tohand combat has power behind it, despite being occasionally filmed too close. But instead of glorifying the violence for the sake of it, it’s there in service of characters we care about, like the ever-dubious Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Nick Fury (Samuel Jackson) in full kickass mode, and Cap’s new army ally Sam Wilson, aka The Fal-

con (Anthony Mackie). It’s in pairing the altruistic Cap with these shades of gray heroes and villains that film finds the heart behind its clever soul (the story).

A big reason for Marvel’s sometimes-hollow presence in the past has been its mishandling of the villains. Without revealing all elements at play, it’s important to note the vast improvements made in that department here with the Winter Soldier. The character only appears in a very minimal fashion (probably not enough for the film to be named after him) but when he appears, it’s as a harbinger of doom. He’s

effectively lethal but he also has depth to him and holds more meaning than ‘I’m evil just because’.

All together, these elements form a slick espionage thriller with honed superhero flair. It is, simply, its own superb beast.

The future in the fictional Marvel world is in a chaotic place right now but in our world it’s never looked better. Not that they creatively should, but if every forthcoming Marvel flick emulates Captain America: The Winter Soldier, we can at least expect a lineup of consistently great films.

comes in and out of the narrative with little emotional impact, and with the personal connection to Captain Rogers, there should be a greater emphasis on that connection.

By the same token, it could be argued the Winter Soldier’s time onscreen was appropriate enough, leaving room for that Steve/Soldier story to grow in the third installment in two years’ time.

The third act is the most troublesome. This carefully laid out espionage thriller of deaths, resurrections, and conspiracies devolves into a thirty minute digital fiesta of explosions, bullets, and hand-to-hand combat. That’s not to say the final confrontation between Rogers and the

Winter Soldier isn’t engaging or powerful, but resorting to a melee of destruction seems like a cop out ending to a movie that was otherwise constructed quite intelligently.

Small nitpicks aside, Captain America: The Winter Soldier shakes the MCU up in its foundation, and promises a lot of interesting curveballs in the films ahead. The film isn’t perfect, but the story is thought-provoking and smart, and Captain America is quickly heading to the forefront as the most likable Avenger in the lot. A solid cast, one hell of a finale, and a frightening foe, Winter Soldier is one of Marvel’s best.

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A&E

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

The Franco fiasco

Again the center of controversy, star James Franco has been getting flak as of late for hitting on a young fan. Harmless?

Creepy? Or is it all the just a big publicity stunt?

MADELINE ZAFFT Staff Writer There comes a time in every celebrity’s life when they make decisions they end up regretting -- from Chris Brown hitting Rihanna or any behavior exhibited recently by Amanda Bynes. Now James Franco seems to be under intense scrutiny for his lack of good judgment. No matter how many celebrities use social medial in a positive way, there are still others that do things to prove that is not always the case.

It all began last Tuesday when a fan uploaded an Instagram video of the celeb after meeting him outside of his Broadway hit show Of Mice and Men. Lucy Clode a 17-year-old fan, tagged him in her video where it appeared the two had started to flirt with each other. The incident escalated to text messages where Franco asked Clode if she was 18 yet, if she has a boyfriend and “should I rent a room?”

The texts and messages were leaked and went viral. The actor went on Live! with Kelly and Michael the next morning and said, “I guess I’m just a model of how social media is tricky. It’s a way people meet each other today.”

“I used bad judgment and I learned my lesson,” he added.

Web Photo

Please tell me that this boggles everybody’s mind as much as mine. While he was on Live! he did not talk about their age difference or any inappropriateness of his actions at all.

Franco was actually there to talk about Of Mice and Men, but he obviously felt the need

to address the topic of the text messages stating that he did so to avoid feeling “awkward.”

Kelly Ripa, always wanting her guest to feel at ease, made light of the situation when she told Franco, “I will not reveal our text messages.”

Clode, a Scottish fan,

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thought that it was one big April Fools joke until Franco sent her ‘selfies’ of him holding a piece of paper with her name on it. The actor told Clode not to tell, but how can you not brag to everybody that James Franco is coming on to you?

The media heard from Clode’s

84-year-old grandmother, Beryl Sussex, when she said, “It shows how little these famous actors know about normal people and how to behave. They’re out of touch with reality.”

One speculation that circulated once this incident happened is that this whole thing is a media stunt. In Franco’s new movie Palo Alto, he plays a role where he is a soccer coach who is romancing an underage girl. The plot of the movie is obviously very similar to the incident he is finding himself in. I don’t know if I buy into the idea that this is a publicity stunt though. Why would he go through all of this public humiliation and now always be labeled the guy who tried to seduce an underage girl as research for a movie? Seventeen is the legal age of consent in New York, so Franco can be given credit in that aspect that he won’t go to jail over this incident.

Publicity stunt or not, Franco has dealt with this sticky situation pretty well. The last part of this situation that caught me a little off guard is Franco’s latest that read “I hope parents keep their teens away from me.” I feel the position this well-known actor has found himself in is truly a ‘Franco Fiasco’ and, hopefully, this only teaches other celebrities to not make the same mistake.

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