September 11, 2012

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9/11 Global Perspective

Has America’s viewpoint changed after 11 years?

• web photo MSU is one of the first institutions to utilize the newest version of the TelePresence system.

Teaching in Two Places at Once

TelePresence system branches classrooms in Edina and Mankato ELISE KONERZA

news editor • web photo Politicians are excluded from speaking at 2012’s memorial event as families show concern that political struggles have hindered the building the Sept. 11 museum.

SAM WILMES

staff writer

On the 11th anniversary of 9/11, it is important to remember the attack’s victims — the firefighters, the police, those who worked in the Twin Towers and the volunteers who sacrificed their lives.

We were united in tragedy. Jews, Muslims, atheists and Christians died on that horrific day. Since then, we have faced many challenges — two wars, terroristic threats and a sense of freedom lost.

Unity did not last long.

Muslims, who also died on Sept. 11 were easy targets for blind anger. Hate crimes against Muslims increased by 1,600 percent in a single

year. More than 481 hate crimes against Muslims were reported in 2001. In the years since, a proposed mosque in Tennessee caused a hate-filled counter reaction.

Hate groups have since prospered. Hate group monitors estimate that there are more than 1,000 active hate organizations in the United States today. Sept.

11 is considered the number one reason behind their growth.

The Kearney International Center here at MSU makes it possible for students to learn more about other cultures. Although it doesn’t specifically talk about religion, the center focuses on “Promoting global awareness, interna-

Global / page 3

This fall nursing students returned to class with a virtual spin on the everyday classroom.

Entering the “classroom,” whiteboards and uncomfortable desk chairs are a thing of the past welcoming in a discussion-like atmosphere and close quarters with Minnesota State University, Mankato’s sister university in Edina.

MSU has been contemplating new technology to branch the Twin Cities university with its home in Mankato for about seven years. The TelePresence system had been merely used as a business tool for executive boards and wasn’t quite ready to transform an everyday classroom.

The Cisco TelePresence TX9200 system has taken the place of Wissink Hall 116 for three months practicing its contemporary technology and high definition interface with nursing students in Jean Humphries nursing research class.

Classroom Tech Support, Matt Clay, said students can virtually

run class on the remote side, and all that teacher’s need to do is call and connect to the remote side of class.

Clay said this technology transforms the old system of a classroom where students cannot look across to see other students and be engaged in interactive conversation, debate and dialogue.

“If we eliminate the walls of the classroom, soon people from anywhere in the world can be in contact with the University,” Clay said.

One detriment to the system is that whiteboards cannot be used with the system. However, Apple Ipads and laptops can be plugged in to a Cisco tablet to take the average everyday whiteboard to the next level.

“This takes away from the old type of technology,” Clay said.

Bryan Schneider, Director of Technical Services, said teachers now have the ability to be more engaged with students in a closer atmosphere and can call on students virtually only a couple rows away, rather than the back row.

“TelePresence is part of a broader orientation, a pedagogical strategy,” Jude Higdon, assistant

HOW TO SPEND YOUR IN MANKATO STUDENTS APPEAR IN SUMMER SHORT PLAY FESTIVAL PAGE 9

chief information officer at academic technology services, said.

As more course material is assigned online, future projections predict that more work in careers will also be done online.

The TelePresence system is a tool in which students can adapt to higher technology and use it in the future with ease and experience.

Student Health Services is taking advantage of this new technology expanding on “Telemedicine.” Patients can virtually sit with a doctor and undergo a medical examination over the screen, and with its high definition formatting, it’s easy to see dilated eyes and abnormal skin colors.

“How do we make the distance disappear?” Higdon said.

Cognitively, socially and behaviorally, students can practice engaging conversation with students in the Twin Cities that feels like the person is actually sitting across the table from you.

Students in the Twin Cities who need these courses now have the opportunity to take these virtual courses closing the gap on the two campuses.

TelePresence / page 5 SPORTS

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INDEX: VARIETY

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CLASSYS

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Page 2 • Reporter

News

Tuesday, September 11, 2012T

Stormchaser winds Delay paying, get a master’s up at MSU

Brandon Ivey visits with Tornado Intercept Vehicle

Growth in student loans and diminishing jobs turn into MBA’s

CHRIS HOUCK

staff writer

emre erku• msu reporter Meterologist Brandon Ivey brought his Tornado Intercept Vehicle for MSU students and faculty to tour.

EMRE ERKU

a&e editor

It was a quite the fascinating sight this past Monday as Brandon Ivey, a meteorologist and navigator from the popular Discovery Channel show, Storm Chasers, and his armored Dodge 3500 Chassis, showed up on the campus of Minnesota State University, Mankato for his Tornado Intercept Vehicle (TIV) Tour.

The well-known meteorologist calmly stood near the MSU fountain, alongside his almost science-fictional looking vehicle, answering questions from whoever had the interest of asking them. Students, faculty and reporters alike all individually took turns asking the courageous 32-year-old storm chaser about his experiences in the risky business, the vehicle, and how strong the weather can actually develop into.

Ivey, the Wichita, Kan. native, had been interested and involved with meteorology ever since he was a student attending high school. The stillvery-young researcher received a geosciences degree from Mississippi State University in 2007, but had been documenting storms since 2001. And in his years of solid bravery, the man has literally been dangerously near or inside the cyclones of six tornados around the country.

Even here in the harsh Minnesota weather, Ivey has been in close encounters with an EF4 force tornado that spiraled through Wadena, Minn., on June 17, 2010 destroying the entire west end of the township.

According to experts from

The Weather Channel, EF force denotes Enhanced Fujita Scale, and based on the damage it creates, is scaled from 0 to 5. To put things into perspective, this means that on an EF 5 scale, winds are traveling more than 200 mph, and on a scale of EF 0, winds are traveling at a maximum of 85 mph. Ivey was close to an EF 4 tornado traveling between 166 and 200 mph – a tornado that has the power to take out the entire MSU campus. This is a stunt that any death fearing person would avoid doing with extreme prejudice.

“Being up-close to even an EF 3 tornado is exciting; my adrenaline is pumping. But I’ve been doing this a long time,” Ivey said.

So how is this made possible? How can someone possibly endure the strengths of an unforgiving tornado? Well that’s very simple: being inside of a 7-ton tank of a highly equipped Chassis that’s covered head-totoe with armored plating.

The beast of a vehicle looks like an ironclad submarine from the Civil War, and, with its 2 spikes on the front end that can dig 2 feet into the ground, can withstand oncoming winds of more than 160 mph as well as high-leveled barometric pressures.

The Dodge has two main functions: capturing film of the tornados on its high powered IMAX camera which is positioned inside of the make-shift turret on the top of the truck, and, also, collecting readings from directly inside of the funnel of the tornado. This is the reason why the tank is well

protected.

“Any tornados with flying projectiles or multiple vortexes can cause too much damage to the vehicle and can be too dangerous to go near,” Ivey said.

Ivey and his crew used to own an older generation of TIV, which was a Ford F 450 that just “wasn’t as roomy inside,” and therefore they upgraded to the Dodge.

But Ivey’s visit wasn’t just all about the exhibition of the storm-chasing tank, which sat like a dark rock in the MSU courtyard. It was also about promoting a 10-year in-themaking documentary dubbed

Stormchaser / page 5

With the start of the fall semester at Minnesota State University, Mankato, a large number of students have been attending classes, living in the dorms and essentially living off of their student loans. However, the amount of borrowed money in order to stay in school does indeed need to be paid back someday and with the increase of tuition in hard economic times, it is proving to be a difficult thing to do.

In recent years, MSU’s enrollment has been steadily increasing. According to the MSU enrollment summary on its website, the enrollment at the school increased by 1,100 students between 2008 and 2012.

With the recession dampening the job market, many people have turned to post-secondary education in order to help them get a job when the economy recovers.

According to a study by the Institute of Education Sciences, the enrollment in post-secondary establishments increased from 15.3 to 21 million people, a 37 percent difference from the decade between 2000 and 2010.

Those numbers are compared to the previous decade from which there was only an 11 percent increase in enrollment.

The result of the increase in

student enrollment, combined with the recession that struck the United States a few years ago, has made it increasingly difficult for recent graduates to find a job within their field. According to a study by Northeastern University, only 55.6 percent of college graduates under the age of 25 were employed at a job that was within their field of study in their major.

In similar fashion, a study released by the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University, has also reported that there was a drop off of in salary for young college graduates.

The study shows a difference of about $3,000, from $30,000 to $27,000 from the years 2006 to 2008 in salary for people working in their major.

Graduates from the state of Minnesota are typically paying more for their college education than the rest of the nation as well. According to Production Student Debt, the average student debt at the time of graduation is $25,250 with the average debt of students from Minnesota at approximately $29,058 with 81 percent of graduates from MSU in debt in 2010.

Unemployment for recent college graduates rose from 8.7 percent to 9.1 from 2009 to 2010.

While overall enrollment in

Grad. School / page 6

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Tuesday, September 11, 2012

News

Learning Community Learning Communities enhances communication with students

• courtesy of the learning community msu website MSU Learning Communities recently adopted a highway to extend service to the Mankato community.

SARAH TANVIR

staff writer

From one-on-one conversations to addressing a large crowd in a public arena, communication is a part of our daily lives. Learning Communities prepare students for almost any career path you choose: from public speaking to being an effective manager capable of conveying ideas and resolving workplace conflict.

A learning community is a group of students who take classes and live in the same area as one another. These communities range from students partici-

pating in the Honors Program to pre-nursing majors.

All Learning Community members are first year students who are aided by a student Learning Community Coordinator. These coordinators are responsible for helping students set academic goals, the development of study groups and the organization and execution of various community events.

The broad spectrum of options allow students to tailor their experience to fit their professional goals — whether on campus or online. These communities help students grow in their profession-

al, personal, and civic lives.

The students involved in these communities develop highly interactive public speaking, intercultural communication, conflict management and communicating with technology, allowing students to practice real-world applications.

Learning Communities serve as a tool for students to improve their surrounding experience and works to provide programs and opportunities to address the academic and social needs. The officials behind learning communities have effectively increased their presence on campus by simply making students aware of their potential influence, in the form of changing and choosing majors.

These programs have been shown to enhance student’s interpersonal skills, giving them valued accountability for the better future horizons. Such an environment is indispensable for the imminent career development and will benefit the learners immensely their whole life.

All majors at Minnesota State University, Mankato have functional and effective ways to advance the employment opportunities of its pursuing students.

These departments give students knowledge of the crucial role communication plays in com-

Learning / page 6

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GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE “Why would we want to put up a monument to the people we are fighting against close to ground zero?” continued from 1

tional understanding, and personal sensitivity to nations across the world,” according to Kearney International Center graduate assistant, Kyle Goodfellow, said it is important for people to know more about a specific religion.

“It’s important to understand there are some people that don’t agree with the people of their faith,” Goodfellow said. “They might not subscribe to some of the ideas that certain members believe. The big push here is to get students to understand that point.”

The 2010 debate over building an Islamic Community Center two blocks from Ground Zero rubbed emotions raw. Many people believed it was a mosque.

I worked with someone this summer who is Muslim.

The man, who fought in the Bosnian War of Independence in the ‘90s, said that Muslims should build the center somewhere else.

“Why would we want to put up a monument to the people we are fighting against close to ground zero,” he said.

The situation — and the comments the co-worker made — show that tensions still run high.

A 2004 report done by Pew Research shows that nearly four in ten Americans hold an unfavorable image of Muslims. An August 2010 survey done by PEW found that 30 percent had a favorable view and 38 percent had an unfavorable view of Muslims.

However, religious intolerance isn’t limited to Muslims. According to the U.S. Justice Department, 132 of 201 hate crimes reported last year were against Jews.

The recent massacre at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin by a neo-Nazi is the latest example of blind hatred.

On the 11th anniversary of 9/11, it is vital to remember the heroes that gave their lives on that day.

Many Americans still have unfavorable views of Muslims. More than 11 years after the tragedy a lot of animosity remains. Will ever-present suspicion about those among us who are different ever disappear? Only time will tell.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Ed/Op

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What do you remember about Sept. 11, 2001?

11-years after the terrorist attack, horrific memories are still present ERIC PERRINE

staff writer

If you asked the average Minnesota State University, Mankato student what a day in grade school was like he or she more than likely wouldn’t remember; but, it’s hard for any grade-schooler to forget the Sept. 11 attacks that took place during what might have been math class or study hall.

Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001, was like any other day for MSU sophomore, Sarah Hoverson, 18, who sat in her first-grade classroom in Albert Lea, Minn.

Hoverson and her classmates were partaking in a grade school rite of passage, show and tell, when she learned of the events unfolding in New York City.

“I think if I remember correctly, we were doing show and tell when it happened,” Hoverson said. “And then a teacher came in from another first-grade room and told us that, well told my teacher, that it was happening.”

What was happening would soon become the worst terrorist attack in the history of the United States. The terrorist group al-Qaida, which was

LOREL CHRISTENSEN, DENTAL HYGIENE SPRINGFIELD, MINN. “I was in sixth grade I don’t even remember.

Teachers were freaking out, it was on the televisions in every room, I really didn’t know what it was.”

headed by Osama bin Laden until his death in May 2011, using box cutters, hijacked four airplanes and turned them into weapons.

Two flights leaving from Logan International Airport in Boston, Mass., were flown into the north and south towers of the World Trade Center, according to the Los Angeles Times website.

Another two flights, one leaving from Dulles International Airport in Dulles, Va., was flown into the Pentagon building; the other, leaving from Newark International Airport in Newark, N.J., crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers attempted to overtake the airplane from the terrorists, according to the Los Angeles Times website.

The response from Hoverson’s elementary school was minimal. Each student had his or her questions about the attacks, as any young, naïve child would, but those answers had to come from elsewhere.

But, what the school did have was quiet time in order to show respect for those who died.

“I don’t think we did any counseling,” Hoverson said. “I know there was a lot of ques-

• web photo Children in a Sarasota, Fla. classroom watched as former President George W. Bush recieved the startling news that the United States was under terroristic attack.

tions asked about what was going on, because we were all young and kind of naïve, so we didn’t really know exactly what was going on. I know we did quiet time to show respect.”

When looking back on the attacks, Hoverson is reminded of the sadness she felt that day in elementary school. A sadness she relives through the

watching of 9/11 TV specials and YouTube videos.

“I was sad, I get sad about everything,” Hoverson said.

“I still like to watch it now since I wasn’t really capable of understanding what was really going on.”

Age is one of the major contributing factors that decide the affect an event will have one

“Where were you and what were you doing when you found out about Sept. 11 in 2001?”

NATHANIEL RHODY, GERMAN SPIRIT, WIS. “I was in Venezuela when I heard, people were talking about it, then I heard it from my mother. I felt suprised. It was a historic event.”

KELSEY KOTZENMACHER, PSYCHOLOGY WILMUR, MINN. “I was in fifth grade, I don’t remember much.

On the bus home people were talking about it and then when I got home my parents explained it to me.”

NATE SEGAL, BUSINESS MANAGEMENT CHAMPLIN, MINN. “Getting ready for school in third grade, eating waffles. My mother came in screaming, I didn’t know what about, so I went back to eating waffles.”

someone’s life. Had the students at Hoverson’s elementary school been older, they might have been able to relate to 9/11 better, despite the Midwest’s distance from New York City.

“Probably, because I could understand more of what was happening,” Hoverson said. “I could relate to it more. I could

9/11 Morning / page 5

Compiled by Emre Erku

BRITTANY STAMER, HUMAN BIOLOGY HUTCHINGSON, MINN. “I was in sixth grade outside of my math class, the teacher said it was just an accident.

We were watching the television all day and all night - everyone was panicking.”

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

9/11 MORNING “The image of people so desperate to find reliefe from the fire or maybe to die on their own terms, they took to the tower windows and jumped.” continued from 4 have more personal experience with things that I could relate it back to what I’ve been through in the past since, you know, I was only in first grade, I don’t really have much to compare to or the brain capacity to comprehend everything.”

Despite Hoverson’s young age there is still one memory that sticks in her mind. The image of people so desperate to find relief from the fire or maybe to die on their own terms, they took to the tower windows and jumped.

“I remember watching on TV the people falling from the buildings just so they don’t have to burn to death, and that really hit hard,” Hoverson said.

“People are so desperate for their life that they’re willing to jump out of a building.”

It’s hard to determine whether or not the 9/11 events could have been avoided or if the United States’ reaction was the correct one; no one will ever have the answers to those questions. But, a greater security presence and awareness of al-Qaida’s feelings toward the U.S. could have aided the day’s events, according to Hoverson.

“I think there should have been a lot more security,” Hoverson said. “Well, there’s always a risk of something happening. I mean, we’ve had terroristic threats before, as I recall. I think maybe they should have just been more aware.”

Each year since that Tuesday 11 years ago, U.S. citizens celebrate the lives that were

lost from coast to coast by erecting new memorials, devoting news coverage to presidential speeches or by simply talking about friends or family members who died that day. However, almost each year since the towers collapsed, the United States has waged war in the Middle East; seeking what many would call revenge.

Rather than seeking revenge, the United States needs to celebrate and remember the lives that were lost and forgive those who were responsible for 9/11, according to Hoverson.

“Forgive, everybody should just forgive people,” Hoverson said. “It’s hard, but you’re not going to get anywhere if you don’t, it’s just going to be a battle back and forth, back and forth and getting revenge. And it’s not the answer, to get revenge. Look at what happened and the people that have apparently done it are gone now, so I don’t think we need to keep killing people over there.”

Difference is inherent in human nature, but that doesn’t mean we need to treat others differently. If the people of New York City and the volunteers from around the world could set aside their differences in race and religion to pull the city out from under the towers’ rubble, then we as Americans should have the courage and ability to set aside our differences with the world so terrorist organizations like al-Qaida no longer have to exist.

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News

Reporter • Page 5

TELEPRESENCE continued from 1 Clay said that the TelePresence system would add more classes to France 7700.

“It only benefits as many students in Edina are non-traditional students and can add a different perspective to discussions for MSU, Mankato students,” Clay said.

Schneider added this will not take teaching positions, that it will only add more teaching opportunities as professors can now add sections either in the cities or in Mankato rather than commute.

The Twin Cities and Mankato can benefit from each other’s expertise in opposite ends of Minnesota, and prospectively around the world with the TelePresence system.

It’s too early to mark the progress of students in the remote section from the teacher’s section.

“It’s experimental in some ways,” Higdon said.

Higdon plans to do a more formal evaluation on how the TelePresence system can better serve MSU students.

Higdon has seen a good response with instructors laughing and joking with their students so far.

“It’s easier than a telephone call,” Higdon said.

Clay said the nursing research class is “pretty ecstatic” seeing each other and talking over the television screens.

Previously in computer labs, setting up laptops, notebooks, projection screens and television screens distracted professors from their teaching abilities Clay said.

Schneider wanted this new technology to be underwhelming, so that students and teachers “don’t have to think about the technology anymore.”

The large classroom holds 18 seats, which Clay said they hope to make larger, nearing 25 to 27 seats.

Next door to the large TelePresence system classroom, is a medium sized classroom and system. This room has a camera feature that allows a person to move about the room freely and the camera will follow the projected voice for receivers on the other end of the classroom.

Clay said they also purchased a small number of TelePresence iMac computers with a 29-inch screen that has a telephone and an added camera at the top, which can be applied to documents or for a face-time feature.

Schneider said students in Edina can schedule a meeting whether it is advising or tutoring, which is said to be difficult for Edina students. Connecting is easy and the quality is outstanding.

STORMCHASER “Gustavus Adolphus College was unfortunately the main subject of a colossal tornado intercept back in 1998.” continued from 3

Tornado Ally, which debuts on Friday, Sep. 28. Director Sean Casey and the US National Science Foundation have put together and funded this film of tornados in order to actually capture an intercept of a tornado and a city, which is the collision between city and tornado, and many of the shots included in this film were taken by the TIV’s IMAX camera.

Gustavus Adolphus College was unfortunately the main subject of a colossal tornado intercept back in 1998 when it was struck by an EF 3 scale tornado, causing 80% of the colleges windows to shatter. In fact, because of the disaster, Gustavus’s financial institute was forced to promote enrollment with cashback incentives. Everyone feared that the fine campus would be struck again by disaster.

Let’s hope MSU never encounters such an attack by the wicked ways of Mother Nature.

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Page 6 • Reporter

News

LEARNING COMMUNITY continued from 3 munity, professional and civic contexts as well as the ability to use communication behaviours ethically and effectively.

Students can learn how to think critically by developing influence beliefs, attitudes, values, and practices through interdisciplinary learning in the liberal arts. Learning communities are offered within many majors at MSU and are proven to reflect students’ integration by promoting them academically.

The Residential Hall Association has given another extensive prospect to those students living on campus by inviting them to practice communication skills in their social and academic lives.

RHA provides a variety of social, educational programs and events that develop the healthy learning environment and contributes to the academic success of MSU. “When developing learning community opportunities for our students, it is important to incorporate experiences that will lead to the desired outcomes by engaging them through unique learning environment,” said Ruru, a CA in McElroy residence Community.

These exclusive learning surroundings encourage students to contribute their constructive input by their innovative ideas.

The RHA Executive Board is improving valuable learning environment by involving resident students in various committees, including those that focus on events, specific issues and news.

These extra-curricular activities have created a strong, healthy community for freshmen living

in MSU’s residence communities.

“Living on campus is another way to learn by living all by yourself with freedom” said Cory, a resident of Julia A. Sears.

Additionally, Residential Life provides academic and social endeavours. These social activities provide far-reaching opportunities to realize the importance of human kindness, working in a team and being a strong leader in all aspects of life.

The Center for Academic Success has also played a crucial role in advancing students of all abilities to obtain the skills needed to become more confident about succeeding in their academics as another valuable learning community.

It has contributed enormously to students in improving their academic performance by providing free tutoring.

“We facilitate learning, as we believe people learn best from each other and we value the sharing ideas of our peers and their in-built talent,” said CAS Assistant Director Karthryn Inskeep. “We believe that peers can interact with each other in the way that professor can’t.”

The CAS also provides academic support programs to assist students.

Many believe that learning communities have greatly benefited participating students in social and academic capacities through giving them opportunities to involve themselves as confident and independent learners to fulfil the missions and goals of MSU.

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Tuesday, September 11, 2012

GRAD. SCHOOL “It is easier for some students to pay off their loans compared to others.” continued from 2 post-secondary institutions has risen over the years, there has been a slight drop in the number of people enrolling in graduate programs at universities. The Council of Graduate Schools reported that the enrollment for graduate students fell by 1.1 percent in 2010, which is in stark contrast to the 5.5 percent increase from 2009.

The New York Times reported that a reason for the decline may be because people considering graduate school, may already have a job and are

unwilling to risk it during a recession for an uncertain future beyond graduate school.

The gamble may pay off, according to a study by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which says that by the year 2018, there will be 2.5 million more jobs will require an advanced degree for employment.

It is easier for some students to pay off their loans compared to others.

According to the study by Northeast University, 68.5 percent of graduates with a

computer science or mathematics degree were able to find a job by the age of 25. However, only 45.4 percent of humanities graduates were able to find a job in their field within the same time frame.

Paying off student loans has been becoming a more difficult task over the years, with the options and obstacles of paying them off as varied as the students who take them.

Undergraduate Research Grants are available!

Deadline: Wednesday, September 26, 2012 at 12:00 pm in MH 265

Student grant writing workshops:

1st Session Monday, September 17 12 pm – 1 pm | Ford Hall 216 2nd Session Tuesday, September 18 3 pm – 4pm | CSU 201

Grant applications available at www.mnsu.edu/urc Questions? Contact us at urc@mnsu.edu

THIS WEEK IN MAVERICK SPORTS:

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Sports

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TODAY (9/11/12) NO EVENTS SCHEDULED

WEDNESDAY (9/12/12) NO EVENTS SCHEDULED

FRIDAY (9/14/12) 7 p.m. VOLLEYBALL vs. Sioux Falls

All Day All Day 1 p.m.

4 p.m.

6 p.m.

THURSDAY (9/13/12) NO EVENTS SCHEDULED

SATURDAY (9/15/12)

SUNDAY (9/16/12)

MEN’S GOLF @ Wildwood Lodge Invite MEN & WOMEN’S C.C. @ St. Olaf Invite WOMEN’S SOCCER vs. Minnesota- Crookston VOLLEYBALL vs. Southwest Minnesota State FOOTBALL @ St. Cloud State

All Day MEN’S GOLF @ Wildwood Lodge Invite 1 p.m. WOMEN’S SOCCER vs. Bemidji State

FOR MORE COVERAGE OF your favorite Maverick TEAMS VISIT: MSUMavericks.com

Mavericks battle to 0-0 tie with GVSU; dismantle Concordia-St. Paul MSU dominated Concordia-St. Paul 4-1 before fighting to a draw with no. 2 ranked Grand Valley State University.

RYAN LUND

staff writer

Two seasons, two ties and just two goals scored between them.

The Minnesota State University, Mankato women’s soccer team threw everything that they had at Grand Valley State Sunday afternoon, but GVSU was up to the task.

Senior forward Nicole Dooher recorded a team high six shots on goal, while sophomore goalkeeper Molly McGough made four saves, backstopping the Mavericks to a scoreless tie with the no. 2 ranked Lakers.

GVSU trailed only Saint Rose College in the national poll released last week, with a record of 3-0 entering Sunday’s matchup.

The Mavericks, however, equaled the Lakers once again in a game reminiscent of last years contest, which ended in a 1-1 tie.

Dooher had the Mavericks’ best chance of the game, a deflected shot in the second overtime that sailed just inches over the crossbar, but it wasn’t

enough to down a GVSU squad that has given up just two goals this season.

Fellow seniors Brianne West and Brittany Henry were electric against GVSU as well, with the pair nearly scoring in overtime as well.

The tie caps a successful week for the Mavericks in which the defending NSIC Tournament Champions opened conference play with a dominant 4-1 win over Concordia-St. Paul.

Freshman forward Korey Kronforst led the way, netting two goals as the Mavericks finished the game with 35 shots on goal, good enough for third on the school’s all-time single-game scoring record.

A perfectly placed corner kick from senior Amanda Olsen put the Golden Bears on the board first in the 10th minute, but Concordia’s early momentum was short lived.

It took Dooher just 36 seconds to respond, netting her first goal of the season on a feed from captain Cassie Weik.

The Mavericks’ day of firsts

continued in the 33rd minute, when West and sophomore forward Jessica Bowe set up junior midfielder Sydney Temple’s first career goal, the eventual gamewinner.

Kronforst continued the offensive barrage in the 56th minute, driving home a touch pass from Dooher before converting on a rebound in the 72nd minute to complete the route.

With the pair of games the Mavericks move to 2-1-1 on the season, heading into back-toback home contests this weekend.

MSU will take on The University of Minnesota, Crookston at 1 pm on Saturday, before Bemidji State University comes to town on Sunday.

The Mavericks lead the all-time series against Crookston 5-0, having outscored the Golden Eagles 32-2 since their first meeting in 1999.

The team has had success against Bemidji State as well and lead the all-time series 6-1-1 with a combined score of 39-2.

david bassey • msu reporter Freshman forward Korey Kronforst led MSU to a victory over Concordia-St. Paul with her first multi-goal game as a Maverick. She now leads MSU in goals scored this season with three.

MSU cruises to a 38-10 victory over Bemidji State to remain undefeated The Mavericks defense once again proves worthy as it allows just 10 points and forces five Beaver fumbles.

shannon rathmanner• msu reporter Junior quarterback Jon Wolf led all Maverick rushers with 129 yards on the ground with the three touchdowns. He also got it done in the air with 84 yards passing and a touchdown.

JOEY DENTON

staff writer

The Minnesota State University, Mankato football team took advantage of some costly

turnovers by the Bemidji State Beavers to take a 38-10 win on a windy Saturday.

Looking at the stat sheet, you wouldn’t understand how the Mavericks were up 24-3 at

halftime, unless you looked at one stat: fumbles.

The first two drives for the Beavers ended with a fumble, giving the Mavericks to start their first two drives of the game on the Beavers 39 and 30 yard line, which transformed in to 10 points with only 44 total yards of offense.

Junior quarterback Jon Wolf, who rushed for 129 yards, was very appreciative of their defense, giving them great field advantage the whole game.

“It’s an offense’s dream come true to have a defense that’s going to give you the ball in that good field position every time,” Wolf said.

Two possessions later, the Mavericks would come up with another loose ball as sophomore linebacker Kris Fleigle fell on top of the ball on the Beaver’s six yard line. Two plays later, the Mavericks would tack on another six points with a 1-yard touchdown run by Wolf.

Fleigle, who lead the team with 10 tackles, noted that playing for the ball in practice has helped them achieve their five fumble recoveries.

“Our defensive coaches have always preached getting to the ball. Even if we’re doing drills and there’s an incomplete pass,

you’re supposed to scoop it up,” Fleigle said. “It’s just that mentality of getting after the ball.”

Offensively the team improved from last week on getting the ball in the end zone when they are in the red zone, which the Maverick squad calls the “green zone.”

Against Minot State, the Mavericks brought the ball into Minot’s red zone their first six possessions and only came out with two touchdowns.

On Saturday, the Mavericks capitalized with touchdowns all four times the team made it in to the Beaver’s red zone, and one of them Wolf got to show off his arm with a 16-yard strike to senior Adam Thielen.

“I know he can run. The thing I think is most impressive right now is how he is throwing the ball,” Said Head Coach Aaron Keen.

Wolf only threw the ball 11 times for 84 yards, but he definitely made some plays when needed with his arm, including a third down conversion completing a 22-yard pass to freshman receiver Kyle Riggott. That opened up the field for Wolf’s 47-yard touchdown run the very next play to give the Mavericks a 31-10 lead in the 3rd quarter.

The Maverick’s defense

carried their momentum into Saturday’s game only allowing 10 points. Along with giving up 276 yards of total offense, they took the ball away from the Beavers five times with five fumble recoveries.

After the team’s first two performances, Fleigle is confident in how their defense is playing.

“Our defense is really confident and confident in how we are playing right now,” Fleigle said.

Practicing with a defense that flies around and goes for the ball can be difficult to practice with day-in and day-out, but to Wolf, it makes them better every week.

“It’s good competition going against a really good defense at practice and get ready for games,” Wolf said.

The Mavericks next contest is on Saturday Sept. 15 against the (1-1) St. Cloud State Huskies in St. Cloud. The Huskies tied the Mavericks last year for conference champion. If the Mavericks have practice drills called the “huskie drills,” it’s a good indication the Mavericks circled this game on their calendar.

“There’s no doubt this is a big rivalry for us,” Keen said.

Page 8 • Reporter

Sports

Into the homestretch: MLB playoff talk With a little under a month left in the Major League Baseball season, every team has about 20 games left to play in one of the closest playoff races in the history of baseball.

TIM FAKLIS

staff writer

The year 2012 has been an interesting one for an array of different teams in Major League Baseball. The Boston Red Sox currently hold the third largest payroll in the majors ($173 million), but share the same record as the San Diego Padres, who held the lowest payroll to start the season ($55 million).

Neither of these teams stand a chance to make the playoffs at this point, but on the flipside, the Oakland A’s (second lowest payroll at $58 million), currently sit a game and a half behind the New York Yankees (largest payroll at $197 million) and the Baltimore Orioles for the final wild card spot in the American League.

Wait, the Orioles?

Aside from the Yankees’ consistent playoff efforts, along with the Rangers making their mark in the A.L. West, this season is beginning to paint an entirely different playoff picture than most had predicted. Four of the six Major League divisions are experiencing a playoff race of five games or less between the first and second place teams.

Starting off in the AL East, where the Yankees and Red Sox have dominated for a number of years, there are a couple new faces that are trying to make their way into the postseason.

The Yankees and Orioles are separated by just one game; a race for first that even the most devoted fan of Baltimore sports likely wouldn’t have predicted for this season. Adam Jones and Nick Markakis are making a strong push to get Baltimore back into the postseason for the first time since 1997.

The Tampa Bay Rays have made some noise over the past few years in the A.L. East with David Price, Evan Longoria and BJ Upton leading the way.

They currently sit two back from New York and a game behind the O’s. This is the only division that still has more than two teams truly fighting for a playoff spot.

In the A.L. Central, where most people thought Detroit would run away with the first slot, they have underachieved to a certain extent, and the Chicago White Sox currently hold a two game lead over the Tigers.

Newly acquired Prince Fielder has held up his end of the bargain for the most part and Miguel Cabrera continues

to fill up the stat sheet as he has done consistently for the past four years. The local Twins are also sitting pretty, only 17.5 games out of first.

The defending A.L. champion Texas Rangers have a somewhat sizable, yet uncomfortable four-game lead over the Oakland A’s in the American League West. As mentioned earlier, Oakland is also tied with Baltimore at the time for the wild card spot.

Assuming they hold that tie, they will play the second place finisher between the two A.L. East squads and battle it out in the inaugural wild card onegame playoff. The L.A. Angels, who were expected to not only compete, but also win the A.L. West, are currently sitting 3rd in the division, and six games out of first.

The NL East is fairly set, with the young Washington Nationals holding a solid 5.5 game lead, along with the Cincinnati Reds, who lead the A.L. Central by 8.5 games. The N.L. West, on the other hand, may be the most intriguing story of all.

In a trade that was perhaps overly publicized, the Red Sox dumped $250 million in total salary on the L.A. Dodgers, when they traded OF Carl Crawford, P Josh Beckett, 1B Adrian Gonzalez and infielder Nick Punto to Los Angeles for virtually nothing. This adds depth to an already star-filled roster, including the likes of Matt Kemp, Andre Eithier, Hanley Ramirez and Clayton Kershaw. A lot of people thought this move would take them over the top and help them dethrone the division-leading Giants.

To this point, that has not been the case. The Giants hold a 5.5 game lead over the Dodgers and with little time remaining in the regular season, it’s now or never for the Dodgers, as they slowly enter panic mode in Los Angeles.

At this point in the season, baseball fans feel a bit of fatigue. It’s a long season and the games themselves are long.

This season is different.

There is grueling competition in almost every division, the wild card in both leagues is at an all-time competitive high, and teams that haven’t been there in a while (Washington, Baltimore) are making a push to make history. All this leads up to plenty of promise for an exciting potential finish to this playoff race.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Mavericks taste defeat for first time in 2012 MSU goes 2-2 in tough weekend at Kearney, Neb. TIGE HUTCHESON

staff writer

Entering this weekend’s Fall Classic with a 4-0 record, the Minnesota State University, Mankato volleyball team (6-2) appeared to be at the top of its game and ready to compete for a postseason spot in the ridiculously competitive Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.

After splitting the tournament 2-2 against quality competition, while there’s no reason to panic, perhaps it’s just a good reminder of how tough the schedule is about to become.

MSU began the Fall Classic against a pair of NSIC opponents, and learned an early-season lesson about why you can’t look past anyone in the NSIC. The Mavericks began by dropping their first match of the season to unranked Northern State 3-1 (25-17, 22-25, 26-24, 25-19). After knotting the series with a 25-22 win in the second set, the Mavericks were plagued by errors and dropped a heart-breaking decisive third set 26-24 to the Wolves before ultimately losing the match after a Set four loss.

The Mavericks finished the match with 30 total errors (com-

pared to 20 by Northern State), including 12 in the third set loss.

Jill Storlie led the Mavericks with 12 kills and Ellie Van De Steeg recorded a game-high 35 assists, but it wasn’t enough to make up for the points lost and will ultimately be something to work on.

The Mavericks did rebound in the second match of the day, burning St. Cloud State 3-1 with set scores of 25-20, 25-8, 22-25, and 25-23. Chelsea Fogarty led MSU with 15 kills and 13 digs while Courteney Steinhauser added 10 assists and a team-high three blocks.

In perhaps the biggest match of the tournament, the Mavericks began play on Saturday against the second-ranked team in the country, the #2 Nebraska-Kearney Lopers. The Mavericks did a good job getting off to a quick start, jumping on the Lopers right out of the gate and stealing the first set 25-17, but were unable to keep it up.

The Lopers won three straight sets (25-22, 25-8, and 25-18), taking the match 3-1. Fogarty again led the Maverick’s offense with 13 kills, but was unable to keep up with Nebraska-Kearney’s well spread offensive weapons.

In the important fourth and

final match, MSU finished up the tournament with a 3-0 sweep of the Truman State Bulldogs (6-2).

Storlie led the Mavericks with 14 kills while Fogarty pitched in 12 kills and Van De Steeg once again finished with a game-high 38 assists.

The Mavericks will return home to begin conference play against the University of Sioux Falls Cougars (8-1) on Friday.

The Cougars are led on offense

by Emily Johnson (58 kills this season), Sarah Kohler (54), and Samantha Lovell (50), but have yet to get their first real taste of NSIC-caliber volleyball.

Saturday will feature a match against the third-ranked team in the country, the Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs.

Led by juniors Brooke Burmeister (4.57 kills per set) and Mary Groth (4.14), and senior setter Cara Carson (12.52 assists per set), the Mustangs have one of the most explosive offenses in the country.

After a successful start to the season, the Mavericks are just days away from being thrown into the fire in the toughest volleyball conference in all of Division II.

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THIS WEEK’S A&E CALENDAR

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

A&E

MSU STUDENTS IN PLAY, IS IMAX WORTH IT?,

reporter-arts@mnsu.edu | (507) 389-5157

AND SO MUCH MORE!

TODAY’S RIDDLE

QUESTION: We drink it and we all love it Bring the correct answer to CSU 293 to claim today’s prize!

MSU’S OWN IN A SERIES OF PLAYS CAITLYN SCHMID

stff writer

was in grade school,” Zehnder said, when asked how he first got involved with acting, mentioning he was nervous about not getting involved in acting at MSU because he wasn’t a theater major.

There is no need to worry, because there are plenty of opportunities around Mankato to act, for example the Mankato Mosaic Play Festival, which is a company that lets people from around the area send in their poetry, short fiction or dance piece for a chance to get picked and perform it in front of audiences in October.

Linder mentioned he was involved in plays during his high school career at Mankato West High School. He also talked about performing in the “Bar Tales” and in coffee shops around the area. Although he doesn’t mainly focus on his acting all of the time, he is still going to pursue it when he gets the chance.

Both students performed in yet another short called, “Jesus Needs A Photo I.D.,” directed by Greg Abbott, which involved Jesus coming to Mankato to come vote about the limits of marriage.

With Zehnder as Disciple and Linder as Elephant Man, the show was witty and smart, and filled with calculating questions that make you ponder – what would Jesus do?

Chatting with Linder, he said he loves to act for fun and really enjoys the different challenges it presents, and the fact he always gets a little nervous before the curtain opens. It always adds a little excitement to what is about to go down.

When asked if he was going to seriously pursue acting as a career or not, Zehnder said, “I don’t think I would want to pursue acting as a career because auditioning can be so hit or miss.”

He went on to say it would be crazy to keep performing the same show over a consecutive amount of weeks, but really enjoys acting as a hobby.

Asking the same question to Linder, he was quick with his answer.

“Yes, I’ll be participating in Mosaic Theater in October, it is an election themed show.” caitlyn schmid• msu reporter From left; Esther Hoffman, John Zehnder and Bjorn Linder

T

his year at Mankato West High School marked the 4th Annual Minnesota Shorts Play Festival. The huge red auditorium was packed with family, friends and members of the community coming to support the program. The entire show consisted of seventeen, fifteen minute totally different plays that all were based off of real situations that people go through everyday.

Some were light and playful, full of gut busting laughter, while others shifted to the darker comedic side that brought out your inner Adam Sandler.

One of the shorts, “The Real Family,” was directed by Launa Helder. In it, a young boy named Brian believes to be the son of a supermodel mom and a basketball-star dad, and he thought he was adopted at a young age by this new, boring family. But in reality, he came into this world with a normal, short, smart family. As the truth set in, so did the comedy.

In this funny short, our very own MSU student, John Zehnder portrayed the energetic kid who grasped at a fantasy that wasn’t real.

The Shorts Festival didn’t have one; hold on to your seats, but two MSU students performing in the play. Bjorn Linder also accompanied Zehnder in The Real Family, portraying the father figure of Zehnder. His character was a funny nervous dad who, for the life of him, didn’t want to tell his son the truth.

Zehnder said he would be in the Merely Players production of “Helen’s Inner Circle” which is about a couple who are polar opposites but are completely in love, until Helen wants more. As for Peter, “May the odds be ever in your favor” (Hunger Games, 2012?).

Being involved in this play is one thing, but how would one get a chance for this Festival?

“I already knew the directors, Greg Abbott and Launa Helder from Mankato Mosaic Theater,” said Zehnder. We can all agree that it’s always nice to have your foot in the door so you can explore such great opportunities like Zehnder and Linder had.

The Minnesota Shorts Play Festival is something that is going to be around for a very long time. People from around the area come and support fellow actors and friends.

“The lineup for the Shorts Festival is selected a couple months in advance, and the directors of each play find their own cast. Thus there’s no way of knowing who would be in the show next year,” said Linder.

He also added that his favorite part of the show is being up on stage and hearing the audience react because the real thing and practice is completely different. Although he anticipates being in other shows in the future, he expects he will be focusing on his academic work, which will keep him quite busy.

“The Real Family” was quirky and hilariously exaggerated the entire time. A fast paced short that was age appropriate for the younger kids in the crowd, but continuously entertaining for the adults who were attending.

As for Zehnder who believes he will be in graduate school next year and doesn’t know yet if he will be moving away or still staying here, finding a way for him to participate will be that much harder. Although his favorite part of the show was just being apart of the team and hanging out with his fellow cast members, as well as performing new works that the public has never seen before.

Sitting down and talking with Zehnder and Linder, they both had the same mindset.

This years 4th Annual Mankato Shorts Festival was a success, and the community patiently waits for what’s to come.

“I got involved originally with classes from the Merely Players when I

Page 10 • Reporter

A&E

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

IMAX: The Next Step in Film Superawesomeness

JAMES SCHUYLER HOUTSMA

web editor

Film as an

art form is in desperate need of a new wow factor. Enthusiasm for 3D went as fast as it came and filmmakers are abandoning actual film in favor of digital cameras. Worse in all this, theaters can’t compete for audiences against the luxury of home video and some are even resorting to horrendous ideas like texting-friendly screenings.

Yet, amidst all the dread, the answer to this problem has been sitting in plain sight for years: IMAX. If you grew up within a half hour of the Twin Cities, there’s a good chance you may remember when you were in elementary school and your class would, at least every other year, take a field trip to go watch a movie about some hikers on Everest that almost epically failed or the Hubbel Space telescope at either the Science Museum or the Minnesota Zoo. If not, play along. What you watched at either of the two establishments was in fact IMAX.

“What exactly is IMAX?” Glad you asked, inquisitive reader. Traditional film print we see all the time is 35 mm (referring to the width).

IMAX is a type of film print that weighs in at 70 mm. Essentially, that means a bigger picture in every sense.

While people mostly tend to think of IMAX as a medium for the documentary or educational films that still screen today, IMAX started to branch out in the late 90s and early 2000s when a small company called Disney started to get involved.

Fantasia 2000 was the first mainstream movie to be released exclusively in IMAX, followed by re-releases/remasters of Disney classics like Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King.

In the years after the Disney classics were adapted to the big-big screen, mainstream blockbusters made occasional appearances in the format, converting hit movies from way back when, like The Matrix Reloaded, SpiderMan 2 and I Am Legend. But it wasn’t until the last two entries in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy became renowned for their superior use of the format that Hollywood really took notice and reignited interest.

“Why is IMAX such a big, awesometacular deal?”

IMAX is more engrossing than an added third dimension could ever be. Depending on which theater you see

it in, the screen itself can reach near four stories tall and about two stories wide.

And when all of that space is filled, strap yourself in because there likely isn’t any possible way of feeling closer to the action.

Because of the higher quality of film IMAX uses, the picture itself is brighter, clearer and more immersive than traditional film.

Converting the film to the format is common and looks great but, when a filmmaker actually films their movie with the IMAX cameras, the experience is unbeatable.

And I would be remiss to not mention the insane sound system. With such a massive image to compete with, IMAX sound boasts some of the most intense, earth shattering audio to ever lay waste to an audience’s ear drums.

Take for example the recent IMAX triumph, The Dark Knight Rises. The film itself and its narrative tension is enough cause to need a xanex afterwards, but with the added immersive picture and assault of sound, this writer experienced tremors for a considerable amount of time after the movie. Obviously, decide for yourself how you would feel about that.

“What’s holding IMAX back?”

Oh, I don’t know. What holds anything back in today’s world? (If you answered anything besides money… just, nope.) Converting to IMAX obviously costs something but filming in IMAX is tricky and even spendier. The IMAX cameras themselves are extremely heavy and loud like an air boat. This makes filming dialogue scenes, or for that matter, anything other than action scenes, impractical. Movies like the last two Batman movies and Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol are basically limited to filming only key scenes in the format and then converting the rest of the movie.

The screening process of IMAX is also still in an adolescent stage. Each film spool is enormous and can be temperamental. At 2 hours and 45 minutes, The Dark Knight Rises pushed the boundaries and reached the absolute maximum an IMAX reel could hold. There wasn’t even any room for trailers or commercials in front of the movie (added bonus, right?).

An early critic screening before the movie was released experienced some technical difficulties when the IMAX print of the film malfunctioned. Naturally, panic

ensued to make sure IMAX theaters were ready for the workout the projectors were about to get.

More importantly, there just aren’t enough IMAX theaters around. As of this article, the count sits at a total of 643 on the entire planet.

Minnesota currently has only seven. This is sad, because while the IMAX ticket price is a little higher than regular admission, it’s by no means beyond comparison with the average price of a 3D movie.

James Cameron can go on about how great 3D is, but once people are given easy access to compare the two, it’s not so easily in his favor.

“What are some upcoming IMAX movies and what are the nearest IMAX theaters where I can see them?”

The three big IMAX releases this fall/winter are Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie, the new James Bond film, Skyfall, and the first entry of The Hobbit Trilogy, An Unexpected Journey, all of them being post-converted.

When it comes to next year’s IMAX offerings, expect Iron Man 3 and Man of Steel to visit IMAX screens and look forward to Star Trek Into Darkness and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire featuring scenes shot in the dynamic format.

As for where you can go to see these movies, if you’re looking in Mankato, save yourself some grief. There are currently no IMAX screens in town. The AMC theater chain has been the most progressive in introducing IMAX to the public and the two closest AMC theaters are in Edina at the Southdale 16 and Eden Prairie at the EP Mall. Having only been to Eden Prairie, I can attest to the quality of not only the IMAX auditorium, but the entire theater itself and the high standard it holds.

But above all else, if you have a choice in the matter, the pinnacle venue for seeing an IMAX movie is still the theater at the Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley. Nothing quite matches the awesome

power and spectacle that establishment offers.

“Is IMAX worth it?”

No, I’ve been singing its praises just to trash it in the end, ‘cause that’s how I roll.

Of course IMAX is worth it.

Absolutely. I’ll try to restrain myself from making the grand statement of saying that seeing an IMAX movie is worth every penny (which it is), and instead say that if there’s a particular movie coming out that you find yourself especially pumped for, IMAX should be considered the first and foremost option of seeing it, no matter the distance.

With any luck, the new blockbusters that are embracing it and the classics like Raiders of the Lost Ark that are re-releasing in it will help IMAX make a bigger leap to more theaters and reach more burned out theater-goers.

To quote IMAX’s slogan, “IMAX is Believing.” But it first has to be seen to be believed.

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