April 19, 2022

TODAY

Mckay suspended

46˚

for six months

Page 10

41˚

Mostly cloudy, I think.

Very mostly cloudy, I think.

ST U DEN T RU N NEWS SINCE 1926

TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2022

MSUREPORTER.COM

BIG IDEAS, TO INSPIRE

MSU celebrates research in the month of April

Annual competition brings innovative ideas to life on campus.

By HAFSA PEERZADA Staff Writer

By HAFSA PEERZADA Staff Writer

The Big Ideas Challenge is an annual venture competition hosted at Minnesota State University, Mankato where students pitch their innovative business ideas to faculty and peers and compete to win prizes. Applicants send in their applications, containing their initial idea for review a few months prior to the competition. Before being selected to compete, finalists go through a rigorous qualification and evaluation phase and are then connected with mentors that work with students and help them formulate and finalize their business plans. The competition is open to all majors.

“It’s a great opportunity for anyone that has an idea, that they need help starting or have already started but just need a little bit more help, to get it off the ground and win prizes that they can put towards their business,” added Ashley Niss, the administrative coordinator for the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, when explaining the opportunity the competition provides for students here at MSU. Last Thursday, the finalists for the 2022 Big Ideas Challenges gathered in Ostrander Auditorium in the Centennial

AJAY KASAUDHAN • The Reporter

The Big Ideas Challenge is an annual competition that showcases various students’ business ideas and inventions. This year thousands of dollars were awarded to a variety of categories.

Student Union to showcase their business plans. The finalists prepared presentations that discussed future milestones and included profitability projections and revenue and loss forecasts for their startups to convince the judges to vote for their ideas.

The start-ups presented by the finalists this year were ELEVATUS, Dialekt, USIL, X-Lease, and Dr. Queen Bee LLC. A panel of judges evaluated the ideas presented and analyzed their business plans while

reviewing key financial information.

Logan Sendel, the first-place winner of the Big Ideas Challenge in 2020 for his company Lakeshore Potential, was also in attendance and a judge on the panel.

Sendel spoke to the audience about his own experiences when competing in 2020 and spoke on how the opportunity along with the prize money helped his company get its initial kickoff.

“Thank you to everybody that donated that prize money

and to everybody that puts this event on,” said Sendel. “It was a great experience for us, and I don’t think we would have been able to get as far without this experience.”

He also had advice for the students in the audience that intend on being future entrepreneurs and are interested in starting their own businesses and encouraged them to feed their entrepreneurial spirit.

“If you have an idea and you’re passionate about it just jump in and do it and ask for CHALLENGE on page 3 

By ALEXANDRA TOSTRUD Staff Writer

The Minnesota Senate and House will vote today on an education omnibus bill that includes a period equity bill, which will provide free menstrual products to Minnesota students in public and charter schools. Graduate students in Gender & Women’s Studies Collective Action course hope their activism has made a difference in the bill’s consideration.

Collective Action is a graduate-level course that gives students a chance to put skills learned throughout their education to use at a practical lev-

el. This spring, the course has seven students who together decided to focus their efforts on period equity in Minnesota schools.

This past Thursday, they held their final event, a letter-writing session geared toward high school students in the Mankato community.

Maya Wenzel, one of the students in Collective Action, was inspired by her sister’s experiences at Mankato West for the course’s project.

“My younger sister told me about how one day she saw a bucket of period products in the girl’s bathroom, and someone put a note on it reading ‘period products should be

Courtesy photo

Graduate students fight for period equity in MN

From left to right: Maimuna Fariha, Maya Wenzel, Dominik Drabent, Rhonda Italiano and MeMe Cronin.

free’. It was definitely an issue when I was in school, and it’s clearly an important issue to young people in the community. I brought that to the group,” said Wenzel.

Throughout the semester, the graduate students have

spread awareness, created petitions, and educated other MSU students as well as the greater Mankato community on the subject of period equity.

“We had a small group event writing letters with our PERIOD on page 5 

Minnesota State University, Mankato is dedicating the entire month of April to commemorate the research conducted on campus.

In-person and online events will be held all throughout April providing faculty, staff, and students the opportunity to showcase their research, and scholarly and creative works.

Research is an iterative process that enables students to focus their skill set and apply their expertise to areas that spark their interests.

It helps them gain a better understanding and insight into certain areas within their fields of study and provides the opportunity to hone their skills.

“The process of research provides students with opportunities to learn important skills used in further education, the workplace and life: critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, and teamwork,” said Teri Wallace, the Interim Associate Vice President for Research and Dean of Extended Campus, when explaining the premise of conducting research.

In addition, the collaborative nature of collecting, analyzing, and disseminating information as well as its understanding and interpretation is another element that provides unique opportunities for all researchers to further broaden their intellectual horizons.

“Graduate and undergraduate students benefit from studying in an environment rich with discovery – research, scholarly and creative work. Students get to learn from faculty and staff that are working at the leading edge in their disciplines,” added Wallace when talking about the importance of research and the opportunities it provides.

Aside from providing researchers with the opportunity to work with faculty, research also helps students build connections and see the first-hand impact of their research.

“There are opportunities for students to engage with faculty as part of their research teams as well as to co-author publications, present at conferences, make RESEARCH on page 3 

2 • MSU Reporter

News

Tuesday, April 19, 2022

Abortion training under threat for students

By LINDSEY TANNER Associated Press Browse any medical dictionary, and before hitting appendectomy and anesthesia, you’ll find abortion. The first two procedures are part of standard physician education. But for many U.S. medical school students and residents who want to learn about abortions, options are scarce. And new restrictions are piling up: Within the past year, bills or laws seeking to limit abortion education have been proposed or enacted in at least eight states. The changes are coming from abortion opponents emboldened by new limits on the procedure itself, as well as a pending Supreme Court decision that could upend the landmark Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion.

“It’s quite terrifying what’s going on,” said Ian Peake, a third-year medical student in Oklahoma, where the governor on April 12 signed a measure outlawing most abortions.

Abortion training is not offered at Oklahoma’s two medical schools and education on the topic is limited. Aspiring doctors who want to learn about it typically seek out doctors providing abortions outside the traditional medical education system.

Peake, 32, said if he wanted to learn to do colonoscopies, for

PAUL VERNON • Associated Press

Dr. Keith Reisinger-Kindle, associate director of the OB-GYN residency program at Wright State University’s medical school in Dayton, Ohio, leads a lecture of OB-GYN residents in the Wright State program, April 13, 2022.

example, he could work with school staff to shadow a doctor doing research or working in a clinic.

“That would be easy,” he said. “To do the same for abortion, that’s almost impossible.”

He said it took him six months to find a provider willing to

teach him. Nevada medical student Natasha McGlaun got outside training and created a workshop on how to perform a standard medical procedure used in abortions. She offers it at night, in her own free time.

The 27-year-old is the daughter of “pro-feminist” parents and

the mother of two young girls whose right to reproductive choice she wants to protect.

“It was kind of a joke in my family: If people tell me I can’t do something, I’m going to do it twice as hard,” she said. “I kind of feel this moral, righteous drive to go for it.”

U.S. physician education typically includes four years of medical school, where students learn the basics of general medicine and hands-on patient care.

They graduate with a medical degree that officially makes them doctors. Most then spend at least three years in residency programs where they receive intense on-the-job training and specialty skills. U.S. medical schools require students to complete a clerkship in obstetrics and gynecology, but there is no mandate that it include abortion education. At the post-graduate level, OB-GYN residency programs are required by an accrediting group to provide access to abortion training, though residents who object can opt out of performing abortions.

OB-GYNs perform most U.S. abortions, followed by family medicine specialists. But these aren’t always the first doctors that women encounter when they learn of an unintended pregnancy. Abortion rights supporters argue all physicians should know enough about the procedure to inform and counsel patients, and that such education should start in medical school.

In 2020, Stanford University researchers said they found that half of medical schools included no formal abortion training or only a single lecture.

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Tuesday, April 19, 2022

News

Mask mandate for planes voided

By CURT ANDERSON Associated Press

A federal judge in Florida has voided the national mask mandate covering airplanes and other public transportation as exceeding the authority of U.S. health officials in the coronavirus pandemic.

The decision Monday by U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle in Tampa, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, also said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention improperly failed to justify its decision and did not follow proper rulemaking.

In her 59-page ruling, Mizelle said the only remedy was to vacate the rule entirely across the country because it would be impossible to end it for the limited group of people who objected in the lawsuit.

The judge said “a limited remedy would be no remedy at all” and that the courts have full authority to make a decision such as this — even if the goals of the CDC in fighting the virus are laudable.

“Because our system does not permit agencies to act unlawfully even in pursuit of desirable ends, the court declares unlawful and vacates the mask mandate,” she wrote.

The Justice Department declined to comment Monday when asked if the government planned to appeal the ruling.

Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who was not directly involved in the case but has battled against many gov-

ABORTION from page 2 “Abortion is one of the most common medical procedures,” they wrote. “Yet abortion-related topics are glaringly absent from medical school curricula.”

McGlaun helped sponsor a measure last year that asked the American Medical Association to support mandated abortion education in medical schools, with an opt-out provision. The influential group has long opposed curriculum mandates and turned down the proposal, but it said it supports giving medical students and residents the chance to learn about abortion and opposes efforts to interfere with such training.

Legislative efforts to curb abortion target all levels of medical education. An Idaho law enacted last year exemplifies the trend. It bars using tuition and fees for abortion and related activities in schoolbased clinics at institutions that receive state funds. Other efforts include a Wisconsin bill that would bar employees of the University of Wisconsin and its hospitals from participating in abortions, including training. It failed to advance in March but its sponsor plans to reintroduce the measure. Similar proposals target public universities in Missouri and Ohio.

Divya Jain’s introduction to 

MSU Reporter • 3 CHALLENGE from page 1 help from other people around you,” added Sendel.

The night concluded with the announcement of the winners. Dailekt took home a collective prize money of $5000 by winning the People’s Choice Award as well as winning the High-Tech Division.

ELEVATUS won $2000 in third place, Dr Queen Bee won $3000 in second place and USIL took home the first

place title and the $5000 award.

The first-place winner automatically qualifies for the 2022 Minnesota Cup in the youth division. Minnesota Cup is a startup competition for Minnesota’s entrepreneurs.

The competition kicked off in March of this year and will conclude in September.

The final award ceremony is scheduled for Sept. 19, 2022.

RESEARCH from page 1 important connections, and explore post-graduate possibilities.

They learn how scholarly work can benefit the community, region, state, and world,” added Wallace, encouraging students to participate.

The month will feature numerous in-person and online events centered around research done here at MSU. These will provide students with numerous opportunities to present their ideas to the community on campus and get feedback.

An event that took place last week was the Undergraduate Research Sympo-

sium on April 12 that will provided students with the opportunity to present oral presentations to an audience of their peers.

The symposiums’ purpose is to recognize the achievements made by students in research and encourage and reward them for their work.

The Research Symposium this year will be held in person in the Centennial Student Union as well as online on April 25 for students that are not present on campus.

Students interested in partaking can fill in a form, confirming their presence, and submit and present a presentation of their proposed ideas.



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TED. S WARREN • Associated Press

Travelers walk through Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Friday, April 1, 2022 in Seattle.

ernment coronavirus requirements, praised the ruling in statement on Twitter.

“Great to see a federal judge in Florida follow the law and reject the Biden transportation mask mandate. Both airline employees and passengers deserve to have this misery end,” DeSantis tweeted.

The CDC recently extended the mask mandate, which was set to expire Monday, until May 3 to allow more time to study the BA.2 omicron subvariant of the coronavirus that is now responsible for the vast majority of cases in the U.S. The mask requirement for travelers was the target of months of lobbying from the airlines, which sought to kill it.

The carriers argued that effective air filters on modern planes make transmission of the virus during a flight highly

unlikely. Republicans in Congress also fought to kill the mandate.

Critics have seized on the fact that states have rolled back rules requiring masks in restaurants, stores and other indoor settings, and yet COVID-19 cases have fallen sharply since the omicron variant peaked in mid-January.

There have been a series of violent incidents on aircraft that have mainly been attributed to disputes over the mask-wearing requirements.

The lawsuit was filed in July 2021 by two plaintiffs and the Health Freedom Defense Fund, described in the judge’s order as a nonprofit group that “opposes laws and regulations that force individuals to submit to the administration of medical products, procedures and devices against their will.”

abortion came not at her Missouri medical school — where she said the procedure is rarely discussed — but at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Kansas.

She was a clinic volunteer and saw the hurdles out-of-state women faced in obtaining the procedure. Some mistakenly ended up at a crisis pregnancy center across the street that tried to change their minds, Jain said.

At that moment, she knew she wanted to provide abortions. “It was like a snap of finger. That kind of changed it for me,” said Jain, who is studying public policy at Harvard while on leave from medical school at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

The daughter of open-minded but traditional parents who immigrated to Kansas from India, Jain recalls growing up feeling trapped by her family’s traditional culture and a conservative white community where abortion was never discussed.

“I liked to stir the pot” and push boundaries, she said.

Jain knows the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on whether to uphold Mississippi’s ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy could drastically change the U.S. abortion landscape. Regardless of the

decision — expected by summer — Jain said her goal is set: to perform abortions in “hostile” states where providers are scarce.

“It’s really hard for patients to get the care that patients deserve and need, and I just think it’s wrong,” Jain said.

Dr. Keith Reisinger-Kindle, 33, associate director of the OB-GYN residency program at Wright State University’s medical school in Dayton, Ohio, said his aim to boost abortion training “has been an uphill battle” because of legislative obstacles.

When he arrived at the school almost two years ago, he said, “there was zero formal abortion education available.” He created and implemented abortion coursework for medical students and residents, with support from his university, and offers training at a nearby clinic where he also performs abortions.

The physician said a state legislator has lobbied university administrators to fire him. And in December, Ohio’s governor signed into law a measure that limits doctors who work at state institutions from working as backup doctors at abortion clinics when rare complications occur. The clinic where Reisinger-Kindle works is suing to block the law.

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4 • MSU Reporter

News

Confusion reigns as school shooter’s jury selection moves on

Tuesday, April 19, 2022

Sensors were adjusted on ride where teen fell to death

STEPHEN M. DOWELL • Orlando Sentinel via AP

Heart-shaped balloons drift under the seats of the Orlando Free Fall drop tower in ICON Park in Orlando during a vigil at the ride on Monday, March 28, 2022.

By MIKE SCHNEIDER

Associated Press AMY BETH BENNETT • South Florida Sun Sentinel via AP

Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooter Nikolas Cruz at the defense table during jury pre-selection in the penalty phase of his trial at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. on, April 12, 2022.

By TERRY SPENCER and CURT ANDERSON Associated Press

Confusion reigned as jury selection in the death penalty trial of Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz concluded its second week with no immediate end in sight.

Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer, presiding over her first death penalty case, united prosecutors and defense attorneys in protest over her plans for concluding the lengthy process of picking the panel that will decide if Cruz is executed for killing 17 people at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Valentine’s Day 2018.

That confusion and other issues mean opening statements in Cruz’s penalty trial, already delayed two years by the COVID-19 pandemic and legal battles, likely will move from May 31 to mid- or late June.

Scherer took the blame for the confusion late Wednesday afternoon but also expressed frustration with the attorneys.

Jury selection is being conducted Mondays through Wednesdays only — with next week off — to give both sides time to depose expert witnesses expected to testify.

“I apologize if I didn’t do it the way you all wanted,” said Scherer, a judge for 10 years.

Still, she said, “In what universe does it take three months for jury selection?”

But that process might get even longer. Earlier this month, Scherer summarily dismissed 11 potential jurors who answered “no” when she asked their group of 60 if they could follow the law — a question she hadn’t asked any previous panel. The defense protested that she hadn’t questioned each individually to assure they

meant what they said. Those jurors have received summonses ordering their return April 25, but if any don’t, the defense might seek a mistrial. If granted, jury selection would start anew, delaying the trial further.

“I won’t make that mistake again,” Scherer told the attorneys.

Cruz, 23, pleaded guilty in October to murdering 14 students and three staff members during a five-minute rampage through a three-story classroom building.

Scherer and the attorneys are picking a panel of 12 jurors and eight alternates for a fourmonth trial that will determine if he is sentenced to death or life in prison without parole. They will weigh whether the prosecution’s aggravating factors such as the multiple deaths, Cruz’s planning and his cruelty outweigh mitigating factors such as his lifelong mental health problems, possible fetal alcohol syndrome and the early deaths of his adoptive parents.

Robert Jarvis, a professor at Nova Southeastern University’s law school near Fort Lauderdale, said he understands Scherer feels pressure to complete the trial, but speed cannot be a priority.

“Because Cruz admitted he’s the killer, much of the public doesn’t understand what there is to talk about and why the case is still going,” Jarvis said.

“A more experienced judge would have realized that this was always going to be a very long process.”

Any mistakes Scherer makes throughout the trial could be a basis for a Cruz death sentence being overturned, meaning a second penalty trial would be needed years from now. Melisa McNeill, Cruz’s lead public defender, told Scherer: “If we do it right, we do it once.” Prose-

cutors made similar statements.

David Weinstein, a Miami defense attorney and former prosecutor, said Cruz’s attorneys are banking Scherer’s mistakes for a potential appeal.

Individually, they might not be enough to overturn a death sentence, but they add up.

“If it is one or two small things, that is not going to do it. But 15 or 20 small things that pile on top of another and that creates a bigger thing, that could do it,” he said. “Each error creates more opportunity.”

The scale of Cruz’s killings, the extensive local media coverage and the trial’s length are requiring an extra large pool of prospective jurors. The case is the deadliest U.S. mass shooting to make it to trial — seven other shooters who killed at least 17 died during or shortly after their attacks either by suicide or police gunfire. The man accused of killing 23 at an El Paso, Texas, Walmart in 2019 is awaiting trial.

More than 1,200 potential jurors have been screened since April 4, with about 250 passing the first hurdle: Can they serve from June through September?

Another 700 or more are likely to be screened starting April 25.

Potential jurors who can serve fill out a lengthy questionnaire about their backgrounds, knowledge of the case and views on the death penalty.

Scherer told them they could be brought back twice for further questioning in May. Both prosecutors and the defense thought that meant that at the next session, the potential jurors would be asked about the questionnaire. Those who passed that hurdle would be brought back for deeper questioning to determine if they can be fair and haven’t made up their minds whether Cruz should be executed.

Sensors on a Florida amusement park ride had been adjusted manually to double the size of the opening for restraints on two seats, resulting in a 14-year-old boy not being properly secured before he slipped out and fell to his death, according to an initial report released Monday by outside engineers.

The average opening for restraints on the seats on the 430-foot (131-meter), free-fall amusement park ride located in the heart of Orlando’s tourist district was 3.3 inches (8.3 centimeters). However, the opening of the restraint for the seat used by Tyre Sampson was as much as 7.1 inches (18 centimeters), and the one for

another seat was 6.5 inches (16.5 centimeters), according to the report commissioned by the Florida Department of Agriculture, which is investigating the accident. Sampson was only 14 but already 6 feet, 5 inches tall (195 centimeters) and well over 300 pounds (136 kilograms) when he slipped out of his seat as the ride plunged to the ground at speeds of 75 mph (about 121 kph) or more.

An inspection of the seats showed that sensors used to activate safety lights on the two seats, indicating the harness safety restraints were in place, had been adjusted to allow for the wider openings. As the ride slowed down, Sampson slipped through a gap between the seat and safety harness, the report said.

RIDE on page 5

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Tuesday, April 19, 2022

News

Doctors suggest new names for low-grade prostate cancer

MSU Reporter • 5 PERIOD from page 1 course to practice, we had a letter-writing event with the Women’s Center, and we had a table at the Lift Every Voice women’s history event. We got a lot of traffic at that event,” Wenzel explained.

The writing event aimed at high school students was held at the YWCA center in downtown Mankato. The Collective Action students put together materials to help attendees structure letters to send to district legislators and had small bags filled with stickers, informational fliers, and free menstrual products.

Another member of the course, MeMe Cronin, gave a brief presentation about the history of the period equity bill and how period poverty has increased in recent years due to COVID. After the presentation, the high school students in attendance wrote letters along with the graduate students.

Because the topic chosen is currently under consideration by Minnesota legislation, it added an extra challenge for the graduate students, including Dominik Drabent.

“It’s been a journey with a lot of different diversions.

Activism is not always straightforward. It’s nice that we’ve focused on letter writing events because the bill is going through the house and senate,” Drabent said.

The period equity bill was first proposed by the National Council of Jewish Women, has since been combined into an education omnibus bill, and has met little opposition on its journey.



YOUR IT SOURCE FOR COMPUTER SALES, REPAIR & SERVICE DR. EDWIN P. EWING JR. • CDC via AP

This 1974 microscope image made available by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows changes in cells indicative of adenocarcinoma of the prostate.

By CARLA K. JOHNSON A cancer diagnosis is scary.

Some doctors say it’s time to rename low-grade prostate cancer to eliminate the alarming C-word.

Cancer cells develop in nearly all prostates as men age, and most prostate cancers are harmless. About 34,000 Americans die from prostate cancer annually, but treating the disease can lead to sexual dysfunction and incontinence.

Changing the name could lead more low-risk patients to skip unnecessary surgery and radiation.

“This is the least aggressive, wimpiest form of prostate cancer that is literally incapable of causing symptoms or spreading to other parts of the body,” said University of Chicago Medicine’s Dr. Scott Eggener, who is reviving a debate about how to explain the threat to worried patients.

The words “You have cancer” have a profound effect on patients, Eggener wrote Monday in Journal of Clinical Oncology. He and his co-authors say fear of the disease can cause some patients to overreact and opt for unneeded surgery or radiation. Others agree. “If you reduce anxiety, you’ll reduce overtreatment,” said Dr. David Penson of Vanderbilt University. “The word ‘cancer,’ it puts an idea in their head: ‘I have to

have this treated.’”

Diagnosis sometimes starts with a PSA blood test, which looks for high levels of a protein that may mean cancer but can also be caused by less serious prostate problems or even vigorous exercise.

When a patient has a suspicious test result, a doctor might recommend a biopsy, which involves taking samples of tissue from the prostate gland. Next, a pathologist looks under a microscope and scores the samples for how abnormal the cells look.

Often, doctors offer patients with the lowest score — Gleason 6 — a way to avoid surgery and radiation: active surveillance, which involves close monitoring but no immediate treatment.

In the U.S., about 60% of low-risk patients choose active surveillance. But they might still worry.

“I would be over the moon if people came up with a new name for Gleason 6 disease,” Penson said. “It will allow a lot of men to sleep better at night.”

But Dr. Joel Nelson of University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, said dropping the word “cancer” would “misinform patients by telling them there’s nothing wrong. There’s nothing wrong today, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have to keep track of what we’ve discovered.”

Name changes have hap-

pened previously in low-risk cancers of the bladder, cervix and thyroid. In breast cancer, there’s an ongoing debate about dropping “carcinoma” from DCIS, or ductal carcinoma in situ.

In prostate cancer, the 1960s-era Gleason ranking system has evolved, which is how 6 became the lowest score. Patients may assume it’s a medium score on a scale of 1 to 10.

In fact, it’s the lowest on a scale of 6 to 10.

What to call it instead of cancer? Proposals include IDLE for indolent lesion of epithelial origin, or INERRT for indolent neoplasm rarely requiring treatment.

“I don’t really give a hoot what it’s called as long as it’s not called cancer,” Eggener said.

Steve Rienks, a 72-year-old civil engineer in Naperville, Illinois, was diagnosed with Gleason 6 prostate cancer in 2014.

He chose active surveillance, and follow-up biopsies in 2017 and 2021 found no evidence of cancer.

Calling it something else would help patients make informed choices, Rienks said, but that’s not enough: Patients need to ask questions until they feel confident.

“It’s about understanding risk,” Rienks said. “I would encourage my fellow males to educate themselves and get additional medical opinions.”

RIDE from page 4 “The cause of the subject accident was that Tyre Sampson was not properly secured in the seat primarily due to mis-adjustment of the harness proximity sensors,” said the report from Quest Engineering and Failure Analysis, Inc.

The Orlando Free Fall ride, which is taller than the Statue of Liberty, didn’t experience any electrical or mechanical failures, the report said.

The release of the report marks the initial phase of the investigation into the teen’s death, and “we are far from

done,” Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried said at a news conference in Orlando.

The report said there were many other “potential contributions” to the accident and that a full review of the ride’s design and operations was needed.

Associated Press

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6 • MSU Reporter

Tuesday, April 19, 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

Wow, reading is actually really fun

We need to cut McKay some slack With the recent upbringing of drug rules within the United States Anti-Doping Agency due to Minnesota State’s senior goaltender Dryden McKay testing positive for Ostarine, it is arguable that the USADA’s rules might be a bit too tight.

The senior goaltender, although unannounced, was selected to join team USA as a member of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics as a reserve netminder. Due to rule, athletes must get urine-tested to see if the athlete is using any performance enhancing drugs. McKay’s test came back positive for Ostarine, which generally requires a fouryear punishment which would have inevitably ended his hockey career. Unfortunately, the USADA requires punishment for any testing of a foreign substance whether on purpose or not. In McKay’s case, it is almost unrealistic to give someone a ban from their respective sport for something they have nearly no control over. The senior goaltender’s test came back positive for one trillionth of a gram of Ostarine, which slipped into a supplement he was taking as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. McKay was using the supplement as an immune-booster and recovery method for COVID-19 during its peak in the 2021-22 hockey season.

McKay was required to hire a lawyer with doping regulation experience to help appeal his case, which went from what could have been four years and no chance at a professional career, down to his current suspension of six months.

The USADA is unbelievably harsh when cracking down on dope and other performance enhancing substances on athletes who will be competing for team USA, which is completely warranted. But in McKay’s case, what could he have done differently? In accordance with the rules, everyone has to be more careful on what they are putting into their bodies. This means more than reading what is on a label. Athletes must be testing unopened and opened versions of the supplements to make sure the contents they are consuming have no altercations. But how can you be safe 100% of the time?

It probably is not possible. At this point, McKay has made it clear it is what it is, but will be postponing his career as a professional athlete until the six-month period is up. There has been a lot of buzz around why the senior goaltender has not been signed by an NHL team yet, especially after winning the Hobey Baker. Now we all know why. Although it was completely uncontrollable for McKay, outside of not taking a supplement he believe would help keep him healthy during a pandemic, he decided to accept the six month penalty and will await its expiration before either signing with an NHL team as a free agent or possibly returning to the Mavericks for his final season of eligibility.

JENNA PETERSON • The Reporter

Reading can be a relaxing way to unwind after a long day or a hobby on days where you have nothing to do at all. No matter the age, reading is something anyone can do.

By MAX MAYLEBEN Editor in Chief

As I woke up on April 9, I was bombarded with Snapchat memories of muddy boots, partying and backpacks filled with choice alcohol. I looked at these memories with fondness, and appreciated how much fun I was able to have with my friends at events at College Town, whether it was a homecoming celebration or Spring Jam. I hadn’t missed the so called “darty” in three years.

Then, I set my phone down, grabbed the latest mystery novel I had picked up off of Amazon, and commanded my smart home device “Alexa, play relaxing jazz music.”

I continued to read for three whole hours, occasion-

ally checking the exciting Snapchat stories of classmates going berserk in the mud, jamming out to the hype dance music.

I came to a striking realization…I am an old man.

But worse than that…I kind of liked it. As I sat glued to the page turner of a book, window slightly ajar to allow for a cool breeze, I felt an incredible sense of calm and relaxation that I hadn’t been able to reach in a very long time.

For anyone who knows me personally, I am hardly one to turn down an exciting day, or night for that matter, of dancing and debauchery.

Perhaps it is the slow approaching graduation date, or the relative lack of interest amongst my immediate friend group that kept me from the massive party.

While those might be true, in my soul, I truly believe the reason I was okay with skipping out on the fun this year was because I was truly enthralled in the book I was reading.

After years of trying my hardest to enjoy reading non-fiction books, purchasing a book every few months, and never getting past the first chapter, I had finally decided to try something, reading for pleasure.

It has truly shifted my entire view on the media that I consume. My screen time on TikTok So, while my days of muddy dartys and outdoor consumption are not over completely, I have definitely found a worthy contender for my relaxing weekend plans inside the pages of an engaging novel.

“Who is your celebrity crush?”

Compiled by Dylan Engel

EMMA PALM, SOPHOMORE

GRIFFIN ATHERTON, FRESHMAN

“Harry Styles.”

“Doja Cat.”

MACKENZIE MARKHAM, SOPHOMORE “Ryan Reynolds.”

MIKE DOWNES, SENIOR

MADELINE EARHART, SOPHOMORE

TRAVIS RUSSELL, JUNIOR

“Emma Watson.”

“Justin Bieber.”

“Emma Stone.”

Tuesday, April 19, 2022

News

MSU Reporter • 7

Clashes erupt near flashpoint Jerusalem site

By JOSEF FEDERMAN Associated Press

Israeli police on Sunday entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem’s Old City to secure the way for Jewish visitors to the flashpoint holy site, fueling clashes that left 17 Palestinians wounded, according to Palestinian medical workers.

The unrest happened just two days after clashes with Palestinians at the same site. Violence in Jerusalem between Israeli security forces and Palestinian demonstrators a year ago escalated into an 11-day Gaza war.

The hilltop compound housing the mosque is the third-holiest site in Islam, while it is the holiest place for Jews, who refer to it as the Temple Mount.

The competing claims to the site have sparked numerous rounds of violence. This year the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Christian holy week culminating in Easter Sunday and the week-long Jewish Passover are all occurring at the same time, with tens of thousands of visitors flocking to the city after coronavirus restrictions have been mostly lifted.

Israeli police accused Palestinians of “defiling and desecrating” a holy site, while Palestinian officials accused Israel of trying to divide the sensitive holy site. “What happened in Al-Aqsa Mosque is a dangerous escalation, the repercussions of which are to be borne by the Israeli government alone,” said Nabil Abu Rdeneh, spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Police said they entered the compound to facilitate the rou-

MAHMOUD ILLEAN • Associated Press

Israeli police is deployed in the Old City of Jerusalem, Sunday, April 17, 2022. Israeli police clashed with Palestinians outside Al-Aqsa Mosque.

tine visit of Jews to the holy site. They said Palestinians had stockpiled stones and set up barriers in anticipation of violence.

Amateur videos circulating on social media appeared to show police officers using batons to subdue arrested Palestinians and clear people from the esplanade, drawing accusations they were using excessive force.

In one video, an officer clubbed an apparently unarmed man as he stood next to a child. Omer Barlev, the Israeli minister in charge of the police, said it was important to ensure freedom of worship “but we will not com-

promise when violence and terror take place.”

The police cleared Palestinians out of the sprawling esplanade outside the mosque itself early Sunday, while dozens of Palestinians remained inside the building chanting “God is Greatest.” Video released by police showed small groups of youths throwing stones, as well as fireworks being fired from inside the mosque.Palestinians reported brief clashes with Israeli police just outside the mosque compound, while police said Palestinians had thrown stones at buses outside the Old City.

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Paramedics said five people riding in buses received treatment for minor injuries in the attacks.

Police released a video showing a crowd of youths pelting a passing bus with stones just outside the Old City.

Another video from the police, taken inside one of the buses, showed Jewish families sitting on the floor of the vehicle as it continued on its way.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett ordered additional security on public buses going to the Old City after a situation assessment with top defense officials.

“We are working to calm

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things down on the one hand and are taking vigorous action against violent individuals on the other,” he said. The Palestinian Red Crescent medical service said 17 Palestinians were wounded, including five people who were hospitalized. Israeli police reported nine arrests. By midday, witnesses said police had moved out of the compound. Jordan, which serves as custodian of the holy site, issued a statement condemning Israel’s actions, saying they undermine “all efforts made to maintain the comprehensive calm and prevent the escalation of violence that threatens security and peace.”

Under longtime understandings, Jews are allowed to visit the Temple Mount but are barred from praying there. For decades, Jews avoided worship there for religious reasons.

Israeli authorities say they are committed to maintaining the status quo, but in recent years large groups of nationalist and religious Jews have regularly visited the site with police escorts, something the Palestinians view as a provocation.

The number of visitors often rises during religious holidays.

Palestinian officials said nearly 550 Jewish visitors entered the compound, compared to just a few dozen on most days.

Such practices have fueled concerns among Palestinians that Israel is plotting to take over the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound or partition it.

Israel strongly denies such claims, saying it is committed to protecting freedom of worship for all.

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10 • MSU Reporter

SPORTS

Tuesday, April 19, 2022

CRUISE CONTROL

Mavericks sweep the Warriors, extend win streak to six.

By KARSON BUELOW • Staff Writer After yet another schedule change this season, the Minnesota State University, Mankato baseball team has now won 16 of their last 18 games and have improved to first place in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) with their series sweep last weekend against Winona State. The Mavericks were set to take on the Warriors in a four-game series with doubleheaders Friday and Saturday, but impending weather in Winona, Minn. dropped the series to just three games.

The Mavs got out to a hot start in Friday’s game, winning by a final score of 12-3. Senior pitcher Brendan Knoll picked up his sixth win of the season in Friday’s game as he recorded seven strikeouts in 5.2 innings pitched.

MSU kept the ball rolling in the first game on Saturday with another high-scoring, 12-4 win against Winona. Junior pitcher Nick Altermatt kept his perfect season alive with his seventh win of the season and allowed only four hits in five innings pitched.

The Mavericks finished off the Warriors with a close 5-4 win on Saturday.

Junior pitcher Jack Brown was credited with his first win of the season, pitching one inning in relief of junior Collin Denk and allowed only one hit and one run.

The Warriors were the first to get on the board in Friday’s game as seniors Carter Brinkman and Nick Herbst tallied RBIs to give their team a 2-0 lead in the fifth inning. The Mavericks would respond in the sixth inning with four runs of their own.

Winona would bring the lead to 4-3 in the bottom of the sixth as junior catcher Dane Weiland was walked with the bases loaded. MSU would answer back in a large way, pouring on eight runs in the remaining three innings.

Their eight runs were highlighted by homeruns from senior infielder Ross Indlecoffer and senior catcher Ben Livorsi. Minnesota State won in convincing fashion by a 12-3 final.

The Mavs and Warriors returned to action the next day at 1 p.m. for game

DYLAN ENGEL • The Reporter

Senior pitcher Brendan Knoll is a go-to for the Mavericks this season, allowing a 1.23 ERA while holding a solid 6-1 record in 44 innings pitched.

two of the series. MSU was the first to get on the board as redshirt-freshman Aidan Byrne picked up a two-run RBI double down the left-field line in the top of the first.

Junior outfielder Ryan Wickman would expand the lead with a solo homerun in the top of the second in-

ning. The Mavericks would then explode for six runs coming in the fourth inning to take a commanding 9-0 lead.

Byrne picked up his second RBI of the game in the sixth inning, bringing the lead to 10-0.

Indlecoffer would finish off the scoring for the Mavericks with a two-run

RBI double to left field in the sixth inning.

Winona would finally get on the board in the seventh inning, scoring four runs off two homeruns and a tworun RBI single. The Mavericks defeated the Warriors 12-4 in game two. The teams had a short break before returning to the field at 3:45 p.m. for the series finale. Winona was the first to get on the board in game three, scoring two runs in the first inning.

Indlecoffer would answer for the Mavs in the second inning with a threerun homerun that gave his team the lead. The Warriors would tie the game in the fifth inning as Weiland tallied an RBI single to left field.

Winona would take their first lead of the weekend in the sixth inning of game three as freshman infielder Joshua Hawksford scored on a wild pitch from Brown. MSU would answer back once again as Wickman tied the game in the seventh with an RBI single to right field.

The game-winning run would be scored shortly thereafter as redshirt-freshman Spencer Wright scored on a passed ball by the Warriors. The Mavericks would go on to win the series finale in a 5-4 thriller.

Minnesota State will be back in action Apr. 19 as they take on Concordia-St. Paul in an afternoon doubleheader. The Golden Bears come into the games with a 15-18 overall record and 9-12 in the NSIC. The Mavericks own an impressive 27-5 all-time record against the Golden Bears. The last matchup between the two clubs occurred on May. 3 of 2021, where MSU dominated CSP 184. Concordia’s hitting this season is led by junior infielder Jarod Wandersee.

The Minnetonka, Minn. native owns a consistent .352 batting average and has 22 runs and 31 hits through 88 at-bats this season.

On the mound, the Golden Bears are led by senior Luke DeGrammont. DeGrammont, leads the team with a 2.42 earned run average and has a 3-2 record this season. Start times for today’s games are 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. at Bowyer Field in Mankato.

The Reporter staff Minnesota State’s goaltender Dryden McKay received a sixmonth suspension for violating United States Anti-Doping Agency’s illegal substance policy.

McKay claims it was “trillionths of a gram,” but the USADA prohibits any amount of banned substances.

Although it was never announced, McKay had been chosen as an alternate for the 2022 USA Olympics men’s ice hockey

team. As such, he was required to test for foreign substances due to USADA rules. McKay’s results came back positive for Ostarine.

McKay had been taking vitamin D3 supplements at the time to boost his immunity to avoid contracting COVID-19. But the supplement had trace amounts of Ostarine, which resulted in his positive test.

McKay quickly hired a lawyer, Paul Greene, who has dealt with drug violation clients pre-

viously.

Greene was able to minimize McKay’s suspension to six months starting April 12, three days after the Frozen Four Championship game. The suspension will last until October, where the goaltender will be unable to sign with an NHL team or return to MSU. In a statement on Twitter, McKay said, “I have decided to put this case behind me and accept the six-month sanction.”

File photo

Mavs’ McKay receives drug-involved suspension

Tuesday, April 19, 2022

Sports

MSU Reporter • 11

Softball collects weekend sweep

By KOLE BUELOW Sports Editor

The Minnesota State University, Mankato softball team was back in action this past weekend taking on Minnesota Crookston and Bemidji State in two separate double headers.

The Mavericks returned home in great fashion, sweeping both double headers to improve to 32-10 and extending their win streak to six.

MSU started off their weekend with Minnesota Crookston this past Friday, with a 7-0 win and 6-1 win at the Maverick All-Sports Dome in Mankato.

Standout senior pitcher Mackenzie Ward got the start on the mound for the Mavs, pitching all seven innings while only allowing two hits.

Ward shut out the Golden Eagles, collecting 10 strikeouts in 23 at bats. Redshirt freshman Brianne Stone helped the Mavericks gain the first lead of the contest when coming in as a designated hitter in the second inning.

Stone sent a single to right field which scored senior shortstop Torey Richards. A sacrifice fly would send home another runner to round out the second to give the Mavs a 2-0 lead. A steady inning by inning scoring approach helped drive home Minnesota State to a 7-0 win.

Game two of the double header started off with the Mavericks finding scoring first once again, with freshman third

EMILY LANSMAN • The Reporter

Sophomore Kylie Sullivan has been great at the plate for the Mavericks this season, batting a .328 average while collecting 40 hits and 20 RBIs in 122 at bats.

baseman Cheyenne Behrends and sophomore outfielder Madi Newman both stealing bases.

Newman stole home on the play to give MSU the first lead of the contest.

Later, sophomore Kylie Sullivan would single up the middle to send home Behrends to round out the first inning of scoring.

The Mavericks would gain another in the second on a sacrifice fly but Crookston would get

their first run of the contest in the top of the third. The Golden Eagles doubled to right center field which proceeded to score junior Alyssa Stillman to cut the Mavericks’ lead to two.

MSU would wait to respond in the fourth inning, where they tallied three runs to wrap up the scoring in the contest. Sophomore McKayla Armbruster collected the win, improving her season record to 3-5 and the

Minnesota State record to 3010.

The Mavericks then awaited their games against Bemidji State on Saturday which kicked off at 11 a.m. Behrends got the scoring rolling for the Mavs in the first inning, singling to left field to score sophomore Ellie Tallman.

Behrends’ RBI would stand as the only score of the contest, but a double in the top of the

seventh by the Beavers would entail and switch in pitching for MSU. Sophomore Katie Bracken came in as relief for Armbruster, grounding out the last batter to earn her third save of the season.

The second game of the double header did not see any scoring until the sixth inning, where Richards would reach second on a bunt while sending home Behrends to give MSU the only lead of the contest. Sophomore Courtney Baxter would pinch hit to send home Richards on a single to center field, giving Minnesota State a 2-0 lead.

Ward would close out the seventh inning despite letting up a double on the first batter, improving her season record to 21-3.

The Mavericks have a quick turnaround to Sioux Falls, S.D. to another Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference double header against the Sioux Falls Cougars. History has been kind to the Mavs as they have won 14 of 15 contests against the Cougars all-time.

Sioux Falls comes into the contest 17-17 overall and 5-8 in NSIC play which finds them in the bottom half of the NSIC standings.

MSU is third in the NSIC currently, with a 14-4 conference record. The Mavs have the second-best overall record in the NSIC, only behind Augustana who supports a 32-7 record and 13-game win streak.

Bristol on dirt was messy, unusual Easter entertainment

By JENNA FRYER Associated Press

Credit must be given to NASCAR for at long last shaking up the status quo and trying new things, no matter how outlandish the idea.

Progressive thinking is how the Cup Series wound up back at dirt-covered Bristol Motor Speedway for a second consecutive year, this time racing late into the night on Easter Sunday — a previously taboo date for a sport deeply entrenched in the Bible Belt.

The first edition of Bristol dirt last year had its challenges. The 2,300 truckloads of red Tennessee clay at first turned to mud and blacked out the driver windshields. When the dirt dried out, it turned the bullring into a blinding dust bowl. Heavy rains also pushed the race to the next day.

Drivers did their best with the weird and unfamiliar conditions, and even before the inaugural Bristol dirt race was over, Speedway Motorsports announced it would do it all over again in 2022.

It was the same vibe over the weekend, only this time the

drivers weren’t pleased to have lost their annual holiday weekend and that contributed to their disdain over reconfiguring a perfectly racy concrete short track into a dirt track.

After watching attendance for its spring race plummet over the last 15 years, Speedway Motorsports CEO Marcus Smith was willing to spend the money on the experiment, which became a made-for-TV event when Fox Sports successfully pushed for the race to fill a holiday primetime slot. A full day before the green flag even fell, Smith was confident dirt would be back at Bristol in 2023.

“Dirt has been voted on by the fans, and they told us by their ticket purchasing that they want dirt back at Bristol,” Smith said Saturday of the projected attendance Sunday.

Except that the crowd wasn’t all that spectacular — maybe better that what Bristol had been getting for its spring race in the years leading into the pandemic — and as veteran driver Kevin Harvick noted all weekend, the entire effort will have been an incredible waste of time if Fox Sports fails to deliver a strong television rating.

WADE PAYNE • Associated Press

Driver Kyle Busch celebrates after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race, Sunday, April 17, 2022, in Bristol, Tenn.

It didn’t help that the race was delayed twice by rain, and Harvick was mortified when NASCAR had to call a caution so drivers could have the mud cleaned off their windshields.

“We all look like a bunch of bozos coming in to pit because we don’t know how to prep the track,” he said.

Even the winner had mixed feelings. Kyle Busch backed into his first victory of the season when he skirted past the spin-

ning lead cars of Tyler Reddick and Chase Briscoe headed into the final turn. Reddick was going to win before Briscoe made him spin. Busch wound up with tying Hall of Famer Richard Petty in winning a race for the 18th consecutive year.

“You saw what it’s like on the last corner, the last lap, to drive around here every single lap,” Busch said of winning on dirt. “You’re just not breathing because you’re so tensed up of

not crashing. If it’s a good show, it’s a good show. I think Bristol is fine with or without (dirt).”

Adding a dirt track to the Cup calendar was initially an attempt to add variety to a schedule that had grown but not changed much since NASCAR’s 1949 inaugural season.

But this year was clearly about television. NASCAR had raced on Easter 10 times before, but all were weather-related reschedules and never deliberately marked for a holiday. It was Fox Sports that said NASCAR should seize the day the way the NFL does on Thanksgiving and the NBA on Christmas, even if it meant cutting the 38-race Cup schedule from February to November to just one off weekend.

The problem with making Bristol on dirt a television event is that any new viewers won’t see another race like it the rest of the year. It is an anomaly, not even close to what NASCAR does every week.

Harvick said it was “ridiculous” and even reigning series champion Kyle Larson, arguably the best dirt racer in the country, thought NASCAR should be racing on Bristol’s concrete. The BRISTOL on page 12

12 • MSU Reporter

Sports

Olympic champ Jepchirchir wins 50th women’s Boston Marathon

Tuesday, April 19, 2022

BRISTOL’S MESSY EASTER

WADE PAYNE • Associated Press

Driver Kyle Busch (18) races with Chase Briscoe (14).

BRISTOL from page 11 track goes back to asphalt for its fall playoff race.

“I think everybody assumes my opinion would be to race dirt every weekend, but no I don’t think Cup cars should be on dirt,” Larson said.

At least half the field also proved to be unclear of the rules during the first rain delay.

NASCAR had told teams in its pre-race rules video that, unlike all the other races, scoring would be paused at the end of the stages. Despite the advisory, the teams were dumbfounded at the end of the second stage 

WINSLOW TOWNSON • Associated Press

Peres Jepchirchir, of Kenya, crosses the finish line to win the women’s division of the 126th Boston Marathon, Monday, April 18, 2022, in Boston.

By JIMMY GOLEN Associated Press

Reigning Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir capped the celebration of a half-century of women in the Boston Marathon with a finish to top them all.

The 28-year-old Kenyan won a see-saw sprint down the stretch on Monday, when the world’s oldest and most prestigious annual marathon returned to its traditional spring start for the first time since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.

On the 50th anniversary of the first official women’s race, Jepchirchir traded places with Ethiopia’s Ababel Yeshaneh eight times in the final mile before pulling ahead for good on Boylston Street and finishing in 2 hours, 21 minutes, 1 second.

“I was feeling she was strong. I pushed it,” said Jepchirchir, who earned $150,000 and the traditional gilded olive wreath to go with her Olympic gold medal and 2021 New York City Marathon title. “I fell behind. But I didn’t lose hope.”

Evans Chebet completed the Kenyan sweep, breaking away from Gabriel Geay with about four miles to go to finish in 2:06:51 for his first major marathon victory.

The 2019 winner Lawrence Cherono was second, 30 seconds back, defending champion Benson Kipruto was third, and Geay fell back to fourth.

Daniel Romanchuk of Champaign, Illinois, won his second career wheelchair title in 1:26:58. Switzerland’s Manuela Schar won her second straight Boston crown and fourth overall, finishing in 1:41:08.

Sharing a Patriots’ Day weekend with the Red Sox

home opener — the city’s other sporting rite of spring — more than 28,000 runners returned to the streets from Hopkinton to Copley Square six months after a smaller and socially distanced event that was the only fall race in its 126-year history.

Fans waved Ukrainian flags in support of the runners whose 26.2-mile run Monday was the easiest part of their journey.

Forty-four Ukrainian citizens had registered for the race; only 11 started, and all finished.

“I decided to come here and show that Ukrainians are strong, we’re fighting and we hope peace will come soon,” said Dmytro Molchanov, a Ukrainian who lives in New York.

“It’s really tough, basically, being here while all my family, my friends and Ukrainians are fighting over there for peace in my country, in Europe and the world overall,” said Molchanov, who finished in 2:39:20.

“When it was really tough I tried not to give up and tried pushing, kind of fight with myself the way Ukrainians are fighting against Russia right now.”

Athletes from Russia and Belarus were disinvited in response to the invasion.

Ukrainians who were unable to make it to Boston were offered a deferral or refund.

“Whatever they want to do, they can do,” Boston Athletic Association President Tom Grilk said. “Run this year, run next year. You want a puppy?

Whatever. There is no group we want to be more helpful to.”

Jepchirchir and Yeshaneh, who was third in New York last fall, spent most of the morning running shoulder to shoulder — or even closer.

Just after the 25-kilometer marker, the Ethiopian’s eyes wandered from the course and

she drifted into Jepchirchir.

Yeshaneh reached out to apologize, and the two clasped each other’s arms as they continued on.

“In running, we understand each other and we maybe somebody came and bumps, but it’s OK,” Jepchirchir said.

“It was not rivalism; it was just an accident.”

Beaten, Yeshaneh finished four seconds back. Kenya’s Mary Ngugi finished third for the second time in six months, following her podium in October after the 125th race was delayed, canceled and delayed again.

About 20 men stayed together — with American CJ Albertson leading for much of the way — before Chebet and Geay broke from the pack coming out of Heartbreak Hill.

Chebet pulled away a couple of miles later.

“We had communicated earlier, all of us. We wanted to keep running as a group,” said Chebet, who finished fourth in London last fall. “I observed that my counterparts were nowhere near me and that gave me the motivation.”

This race marked the 50th anniversary of Nina Kuscsik’s victory in the first official women’s race. (But not the first woman to finish: That honor belongs to Bobbi Gibb, who first ran in 1966 among the unofficial runners known as bandits.)

At Wellesley College, the women’s school near the halfway point, the iconic “scream tunnel” was back after the pandemic-induced absence — and louder than ever. One spectator in Wellesley held a sign that read “50 Years Women Running Boston,” along with names of the eight who broke the gender barrier in 1972.

when Briscoe pitted from the lead and was still scored the leader over Busch, who stayed out to cycle to the front.

Winning crew chief Ben Beshore said he did watch the video but clearly didn’t understand the rule and “I’ve been in Xfinity or Cup for 18 years.”

It was never pretty on Sunday, despite the exciting finish and the claims from some drivers that they actually enjoyed the race. They’ve been there, done that twice now, and NASCAR’s gimmick is quickly growing tired.

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Tuesday, April 19, 2022

MSU Reporter • 13

VARIETY

FRIENDSHIP GOALS

Minnesota State University, Mankato’s final theatre production “The Wolves” debuts.

Photos by AJAY KASAUDHAN • The Reporter

Cast members of “The Wolves” warm up for soccer practice. The final theatre production of the year focuses on a girls high school soccer team through their weekly warmups.

By LILLY SCHMIDT • Staff Writer Minnesota State University, Mankato’s theatre department is proud to be showing their final production of the year, “The Wolves.”

The play focuses on a high school girl’s soccer team through their weekly Saturday morning warm-ups. The girls navigate big questions and small battles through their adolescent eyes.

Senior Hannah Sayler plays one of the soccer girls in the production.

Sayler explained the play is not only about teamwork, but also about growing up and friendship. Sayler was drawn to the production by how realistic the show is.

“I saw this play a few years ago, and it’s been on my bucket list of shows because it’s so real. It feels like something that you’ve lived,” said Sayler.

“For most of us in college, it’s less than four years out of high school.

I think it’s an escape, but it’s also a

good reflection for people.”

This show, for many of the cast members, is their last show at MSU.

For Sayler, this is her final production.

“I think it’s gotten us more excited. It’s very easy to bond as a group just by the nature of the show, but I think that having so much of us be the same age and going towards the same thing has increased that bond a little bit,” shared Sayler.

The play includes a close-knit group of girls, and this real-life bond was created by the cast. Sayler said, “Just figuring out the funny bits has been hysterical. It’s a really funny show. And then when we’re doing the really emotional parts, it takes a toll, so then at the end you’re in a weird kind of blur and you say some really funny things.”

Sayler will be able to walk away from the production with lots of happy memories.

THEATRE on page 14 

Loteria Night draws excited attendees to Ostrander Auditorium

By SYD BERGGREN Staff Writer

Last Thursday, Minnesota State University, Mankato’s Student Events Team and Latinx Student Union teamed up to put on a game of Lotería both in the Ostrander Auditorium and over Zoom.

Lotería is a traditional game of chance, similar to BINGO, except it’s played with picture cards instead of numbers. Originating in Italy in the 1500s, Lotería was brought over to Mexico and quickly became very popular.

The event had an attendance of over 50 people, most of

which participated over Zoom.

Prizes included a set of pots and pans, yoga mats, and an air fryer. Players were able to join via virtual Lotería cards on their phones and send their “Lotería” to the Student Events Team Instagram to claim their prizes.

Student Events Team member Madeline Berndt helped

coordinate the hybrid event and was excited to work with the Latinx Student Union.

“Lotería Night is one of the many hybrid events that we’ve hosted in the past year, and we were very excited to be working with the Latinx Student Union to show students something new and encounter a new cultural

experience,” said Berndt.

Berndt explained the event came to be from the events team wanting to work with other student groups on campus and to expand relationships to provide better events for students.

“In the process of reaching out, we offered up the idea LOTERIA on page 14 

14 • MSU Reporter

Variety

‘Fantastic Beasts’ series has a diminishing return to box offices

Tuesday, April 19, 2022

Charlie Rose reemerges with first interview since firings

CAROLYN KASTER • Associated Press

Charlie Rose, whose career as a journalist imploded in 2017 due to sexual misconduct allegations, emerged Thursday, April 14, 2022 by posting online a lengthy interview he conducted with investor Warren Buffett.

By DAVID BAUDER Associated Press WARNER BROS. PICTURES via Associated Press

From left, Dan Fogler, Jessica Williams, Eddie Redmayne and Callum Turner in a scene from “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.” The third movie in the “Fantastic Beasts” series had the lowest opening weekend.

By LINDSEY BAHR “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore” got off to a less than magical start in its first weekend in U.S. and Canadian theaters.

The third installment in the Harry Potter spinoff opened to $43 million in North America, according to studio estimates Sunday.

It was enough to secure the film the top spot on the box office charts, but it’s also a low for the franchise. The first film had a $74.4 million debut in 2016

and the second, “The Crimes of Grindelwald” opened to $62.2 million in 2018. “The Secrets of Dumbledore,” which Warner Bros. released in 4,208 locations in North America, also carries a $200 million production price tag.

It’s more common than not for sequels and threequels to come in lower than their predecessors, but “Dumbledore” also follows several franchise titles that defied that logic, including “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and “Sonic the Hedgehog 2.”

Critics were largely not on

board with “Dumbledore.”

With a 49% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, most came in on the negative side.

The eight Harry Potter films were responsible for over $7.7 billion in box office, while the first two “Fantastic Beasts” films made $1.5 billion total.

This installment stars Eddie Redmayne, Jude Law, Ezra Miller and Mads Mikkelsen, who replaced Johnny Depp as Grindelwald.

As with previous “Fantastic Beasts” films, however, “Dumbledore” has more hope internationally.

THEATRE from page 13 Early in the play, there is a scene in which all the girls put orange slices in their mouth and take an orange peel smile picture. Sayler explained that one of her favorite memories of the show was the first time they practiced this scene.

“I enjoyed figuring out how to talk with the orange slices and not spit everywhere,” shared Sayler.

Of course, though, the show

took some grit. Since the production is about a soccer team, the cast had to touch up on their skills at the sport. Sayler claimed the hardest part of preparing for the show was teaching everyone how to play soccer. “[It was hard] not kicking the ball into the audience. We had a lot of small injuries and a couple of near decapitations of audience members,” laughed Sayler.

With all the hard work put in, Sayler encourages students to come out and see the last show of the year.

“It’s super short and it’s a good break from finals. We would love the support,” said Sayler.

“The Wolves” runs April 20-23 at 7:30 p.m. in the Andreas Theatre. Tickets are $10 for adults, $9 for seniors and children under 16, and $8 for MSU students.

LOTERIA from page 13 of teaming up on a hybrid event with the Latinx Student Union,” shared Berndt. “We decided it was a perfect time to switch things up and introduce a cultural experience through playing a game.”

Maria Rios De Santigo, the Latinx Student Union’s PR chair, was also involved in orchestrating the event and was also fortunate to expand their relations.

“I’ve always found it valuable to work with groups outside of our Multicultural Center circle to help expand the coverage of culture beyond the limits of those who it’s already accessible to,” said Rios

De Santiago. “This means that when opportunities like working with the Student Events Team appear, we are nothing but excited to start working on projects that showcase Latinx culture while engaging others in fun.”

People from a variety of backgrounds attended the event to learn something new and vie for some prizes.

“I am a member of both the Latinx Student Union and Latino Wellness. I always like playing bingo at MSU and I’ve played Lotería with my friends, so this seemed like a fun event,” said attendee Orlando Hernandez.

MSU junior Kara Svercl

added, “I was excited to attend because I love BINGO games and I liked that I could attend online in my apartment.”

Lotería Night provided a fun middle ground where people were able to come together to win prizes while playing a familiar game through the lens of another culture. Rios De Santiago is proud of the outcome of the event.

“Oftentimes the hardest part of hosting ‘cultural events’ is that the moment it’s labeled as such, people who don’t belong to the community shy away,” said Rios De Santiago.

“Lotería night was one of those events that meets people in the middle.”

Associated Press





Charlie Rose, whose career as a journalist imploded in 2017 due to sexual misconduct allegations, emerged Thursday by posting online a lengthy interview he conducted with investor Warren Buffett.

Rose said in a message on his website that he was proud to have the recent conversation with Buffett.

The 80-year-old journalist said it was the first interview he had conducted in more than four years.

“It’s great to see you,” Rose told Buffett, the 91-year-old chief of Berkshire Hathaway and one of the richest men in the world.

“It’s great to see you,” Buffett answered. Their talk lasted

75 minutes and focused solely on Buffett. Rose’s experiences were not discussed.

Rose’s television talk show, which had aired on PBS since 1991, ended abruptly in November 2017 after The Washington Post published a story in which several women who had worked with him alleged a pattern of sexual misconduct that included groping and walking naked in front of them.

He called one 21-year-old staffer to tell her his fantasies of seeing her swim in the nude, the Post said in its investigation, published at the height of the #MeToo movement.

Rose apologized for his actions but it didn’t save his job.

He was also fired from “CBS This Morning,” which he had co-hosted with Gayle King since 2012.

Tuesday, April 19, 2022

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Tuesday, April 19, 2022