September 15, 2020

S T U DE N T RU N N E WS SI NC E 1926

TUESDAY • SEPTEMBER 15, 2020

Pride Parade appeals for change in Mankato community JENNA PETERSON NEWS EDITOR After a gloomy week, the sky cleared up and the sun came out just in time for Mankato’s Pride Parade Saturday afternoon.

Despite the challenging times with COVID-19 and with such a large turnout, the parade participants took caution with social distancing and wearing a mask to show their pride.

This year’s idea behind the parade was “change” — what Mankato can do, what MSU can do, and what allies can do to implement change.

“Stand next to us when we are confronted by others instead of watching us turn into hashtags,” said Minnesota State University student and parade speaker Drake Burke.

Chris Russert, president of MNSU’s College Democrats, said he was in attendance to support fellow member and parade speaker Margarita Ruiz.

He talked not only about what the campus already offers, but what other steps can

Kenneth Reid, director of African American affairs at MNSU, speaks at the Mankato Pride Parade at the Intergovernmental Plaza Sept. 12, 2020 in Mankato, Minn. Reid identifies as pansexual and believes in the importance of self-expression as a college student. (Mansoor Ahmad/MSU Reporter)

be taken to encourage a better environment for the LGBTQ+ community.

But change doesn’t have to

stop at the campus borders.

Russert said there also needs to be change and acceptance within the city of Mankato.

“It doesn’t stop at the march today, just like it didn’t stop at Stonewall,” Russert said, referring to the riots that erupt-

ed in New York City after a police raid on a gay nightclub.

John McCauley came to the march to show pride, not only within oneself but also with everyone else attending. As an MNSU sophomore, McCauley said he has experienced what it’s like to be part of the LGBTQ+ community on campus and gave some insight on changes that should take place.

McCauley stated how important it is for Mankato to become more open and create an environment where people can be open and supported.

“It would be nice to get groups who specifically help with LGBTQ+ youth in schools,” McCauley said.

“If we could get surrounding schools to do the same, that would be great.”

Another point brought up was the petition to ban conversion therapy in Mankato.

The policy was first brought up in April by a group of MNSU students who want to

PRIDE page 3

College of Business program grooming tomorrow’s AG leaders BAILEY BRENDEL STAFF WRITER Agriculture is a huge part of our lives. It controls everything we do, what we eat, how we shop, and where we live. It is a worldwide industry that embraces new cultures and ideas.

Its influence reaches everywhere, from farmers to business owners to consumers in every corner of the world.

Even during the hardest times in our history, the food industry was there. Yet, this massive industry is often overlooked.

At Minnesota State University, a program within the College of Business aims to open students’ eyes to the myriad leadership and career opportunities that await them in agriculture and the food industry.

The Henze Ag Innovators Leadership Development Program, shepherded by faculty member Shane Bowyer, is

FILE - In this May 6, 2020, file photo, a temporary worker from Mexico plants strawberries on a farm in Mirabel, Quebec as the COVID-19 pandemic continues in Canada and around the world. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP, File)

looking to bulk up its membership.

The program has a select group of 18-20 students who are sophomores through grad students. Students are from a variety of different majors or

OPINION: IN THIS ISSUE: GENDER REVEAL?

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colleges, but they all have a common interest in agriculture, food science or natural resources.

“The group was very diverse as seven were international students and the group

COLUMN: GEN Z AND 9/11

collectively spoke 16 different languages,” said Bowyer, the Agribusiness & Food Innovation Director.

The students in this program get to attend a variety of events during the year.

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“Last year we went out to spend the day at Land O’ Lakes or at Canterbury farm,” Bowyer said.

They also participate in many other events such as networking luncheons, the Agrigrowth annual conference and numerous company tours that let students engage with industry leaders and network with those in similar fields.

By attending these and other training events, students gain leadership development skills that can be useful after graduation. They also conduct a research project with a company, giving them useful skills that apply to their career.

Students who remain active group members are eligible for two internship credits. They’re also eligible for a scholarship.

The deadline to apply for this program is Sept. 22. If interested, or if you have any questions, contact Shane Bowyer at shane.bowyer@mnsu. edu.

THEATRE RETURNS

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2 • MSU Reporter

News

Tuesday, September 15, 2020

The Latest: Wisconsin university eliminates spring break MADISON, Wis. — The University of Wisconsin-Madison decided Monday to eliminate spring break next semester in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

The university’s Faculty Senate voted 140-7 to erase the nine-day break from the 2021 spring calendar. Officials said the move is designed to discourage students and staff from traveling long distances and bringing the virus that causes COVID-19 back to campus, officials said.

“I realize the slog of going through a full 15 week semester with no break would be challenging, but given the vagaries of the pandemic, particularly in cold weather when people are indoors and the like. ... I’m enthusiastically supportive,” said Provost John Karl Scholz.

The proposal has classes starting on Jan. 25, a week later than currently scheduled.

Spring break would be eliminated, but classes would not be held Saturday, March 27, which is the beginning of Passover; Friday, April 2, which is Good Friday; or Saturday, April 3, the day before Easter.

Classes would end April 30,

Freshmen Lauren Tamborini and Bailey Donahue move out of Sellery Residence Hall Thursday, Sept.

10, 2020, the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wis. (Mark Hoffmann/Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel via AP)

the same day as the current calendar.

The idea got a lukewarm reception from some senators and students. Sen. Kurt Paulsen, an urban planning professor, asked why the

spring semester couldn’t start on its regular schedule. Sen. John Mackay, a philosophy professor, warned that students will travel anyway. If the semester goes online, students will just log-on from Florida

for a week, he predicted.

Kevin Jacobsen, shared governance campaign director for Associated Students of Madison, said spring break offers a respite from stress from students, which is worse

in the spring with internship requests and other demands as the academic year ends.

HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE VIRUS OUTBREAK In defiance of Nevada’s coronavirus restrictions and US guidelines, Trump holds indoor rally in front of largely maskless crowd HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING: CARSON CITY, Nev. -Nevada health officials say they expect to see an uptick in new coronavirus cases after President Donald Trump held rallies in the state over the weekend.

Thousands of mostly maskless supporters attended the rallies in Minden on Saturday and Henderson on Sunday, which violated Nevada directives capping at 50 the number of people who can attend public gatherings.

The rally in Henderson was the first indoor event Trump has held since a mid-June arena event in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Nevada has reported more than 73,800 coronavirus cases and nearly 1,460 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

Trump highlights foreign policy wins as he woos voters WASHINGTON (AP) — In the past two weeks, President Donald Trump has notched a string of diplomatic wins he’s highlighting with voters in the run-up to the election, but his report card on the most serious threats to U.S. national security shows an “incomplete.”

The Trump administration will host the leaders of the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain on Tuesday at the White House, where the two nations will formally recognize Israel. Trump officials also brokered an economic cooperation agreement between Serbia and Kosovo, bitter foes in the Balkan wars. And Trump has moved to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq and Afghanistan and held U.S. talks with the Taliban, which paved the way for fragile all-Afghan peace negotiations that began last weekend.

While acknowledging that these are all positive developments, William Wechsler, director of the Atlantic Council’s Middle East programs, said they must be weighed against a much more “negative” set of actions by the president.

Among those he cites: deference to Russian President Vladimir Putin; the president’s love-hate relationship with China; refraining from heavily punishing Saudi Arabia for

the gruesome killing of jour-

more contentious Israeli-Pales-

the struggling economy.

nalist Jamal Khashoggi; and pushing U.S. relations with Europe to a low ebb.

tinian conflict as intractable as ever.

The White House, for its part, casts Trump’s recent flurry of foreign policy activity as evidence that long-sought initiatives are coming to fruition. It dismisses the idea he’s trying to distract voters from matters such as the president’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, racial unrest and

“He’s not running on his foreign policy,” Trump’s senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner told White House reporters last week.

“He’s running on his track record as the president who built the greatest economy in our country and somebody who’s going to keep Americans safe and continue to get things done for them.”

President Donald Trump listens in the Oval Office of the White House on Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

On some of the most troublesome national security challenges facing America — nuclear threats from Iran and North Korea — Trump has failed to make deals. And the pro-Israel agreements with the UAE and Bahrain leave the far

Kushner helped broker the UAE and Bahrain agreements, which the White House has labeled the most significant steps toward peace in the Middle East in more than a quarter-century.

Trump critics and experts in the region say that’s an overstatement because relations between some Arab nations and Israel already had been thawing over their common opposition to Iran and Tehran’s aggression in the Mideast.

Trump disagrees, saying the deals change the dynamics in the region. He predicts that other Arab nations will normalize relations with Israel and that the Palestinians will change their hardline stance against Israel. With an eye to recently being nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, Trump says the deals are the beginning of a movement that will lead to peace in the Middle East.

“I think that so many great things are going to happen. ... I think the Palestinians are going to end up doing something that’s going to be very smart for them,” Trump said last week. “All their friends are coming into this, and they want to come into it — they want to come into it very badly.”

Tuesday, September 15, 2020

News

MSU Reporter • 3

PRIDE

Continued from page 1 protect people from this form of therapy.

Conversion therapy is the controversial practice of trying to change an individual’s sexual orientation from homosexual to heterosexual.

“Banning conversion therapy in Mankato is a step a lot of us want to see taken,” McCauley said.

In her speech, Ruiz assailed conversion therapy and said Mankato needs to come together to ban it. She also discussed the numerous injustices that have taken place and how these numbers need to decrease.

“We will not sit idly by while our community ignores tragedy after tragedy. Not one more death, not one more injustice.”

Edward Ávila, an associate professor in MNSU’s Department of English, offered a suggestion for the University based on what he does in his own classroom.

He said he makes sure to create a safe space for his students and ensure they are com-

fortable in order to learn in a healthy way. Avila said that, because he teaches primarily migrant and immigrant literatures, he’s able to intertwine these conversations with numerous other topics, such as LGBTQ+.

“It’s up to us to create a strong voice against oppression, domination, and systemic racism,” Avila said.

Some changes he stated that need to take place include greater funding in schools, more policy changes and support for MNSU students, staff, and workers.

In order for a school to become more diverse, Avila said, it needs to hire more people of color and transgender people as faculty members.

“In order to bring real change, like the campus slogan talks about big ideas in the real world, we need a more diverse staff,” he said. “This also helps students recognize that they are represented in the greater academic community.”

Kenneth Reid, director of

Photo by Mansoor Ahmad/MSU Reporter

African American affairs at MNSU, said it’s important to create a safe place for students to be able to grow into who they want to be.

Senior Dolly Baruah, founder of the Remember Me Too organization at MNSU, said she attended to represent international students who ar-

en’t always recognized.

Baruah discussed the importance of remembering international students and how MSNU can make positive changes, which can be done by focusing on creating and supplying resources to international students.

As a last reminder to the

audience, Ruiz talked about the history of LGBTQ+ rights and how it hasn’t always been silent.

“The first pride was a riot,” she said. “It was about pride and to tell everyone they were fed up with the injustices perpetrated by the police.”

Oracle and TikTok struck a deal. What it is, none will say The short-video app TikTok has chosen Oracle as its corporate savior to avoid a U.S. ban ordered by President Donald Trump. The U.S. government will review the prospective deal.

That much is known. Everything else is confusion, at least to outsiders. For instance: — What does it mean that, as Oracle declared, it will become a “trusted technology provider” for TikTok? Is this a joint venture, a vendor agreement or something else? Oracle is pointedly not referring to its deal as a sale or acquisition.

— Will Trump approve such an arrangement after having threatened a ban if TikTok remains owned by its China-based parent ByteDance?

Would it answer the national-security concerns around potential data siphoning, censorship and propaganda from Beijing that Trump raised?

— Will the Chinese government go along with it?

— Will TikTok get kicked out of the major app stores after Sept. 20, when Trump’s threatened ban was supposed to go into effect, threatening its future in the U.S.?

“This whole process has been a mess,” said Martin Chorzempa, a research fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics.

Microsoft, an announced TikTok suitor, said Sunday that its rejected bid would have protected U.S. national security interests by making “significant changes” to ensure security, privacy, online

safety, and anti-misinformation measures. Oracle’s statement Monday was more muted, emphasizing that it has a “40-year track record providing secure, highly performant technology solutions.”

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin appeared to support the Oracle bid on CNBC Monday morning. Oracle’s proposal made “many representations for national security issues,” Mnuchin said. He also noted a new commitment — by whom, he didn’t say — to make TikTok’s global operations a U.S.-headquartered company with 20,000 new jobs. Neither TikTok nor Oracle mentioned that pledge Monday, although TikTok said in July that it would add 10,000 U.S. jobs TikTok said in a statement Monday that its proposal to the Treasury Department should “resolve the Administration’s security concerns” and emphasized the importance of its app to the 100 million users it claims in the U.S. TikTok, which says it has about 700 million globally, is known for its fun, goofy videos of dancing, lip-syncing, pranks and jokes. It’s also home to more political material, some of which is critical of Trump.

An Aug. 6 Trump order threatened a vague ban on TikTok, creating a sense of emergency and seeding chaos into an existing national-security review of TikTok by a U.S. interagency group, the Committee on Foreign Invest-

ment in the United States, or CFIUS. A subsequent Aug. 14 order demanded that ByteDance divest its U.S. business.

In addition, Trump insisted that the U.S. government get a cut of any deal, something experts said was unprecedented and possibly illegal.

Matters were complicated further when the Chinese government appeared to suggest that the technology used in TikTok’s algorithm could not be exported without government permission. On Sunday, ByteDance tapped Oracle as its U.S. partner, embracing a company whose co-founder Larry Ellison has raised funds for Trump. Its decision also followed criticism of Microsoft by a Trump trade adviser, Peter Navarro.

Oracle and TikTok did not answer questions about the structure of the proposal on Monday. The Treasury Department didn’t return an emailed request for more information about the proposal.

“We don’t know that this is the wrong outcome. But we do know that (the administration) shouldn’t have politicized it this way,” said Derek Scissors, who studies China at the American Enterprise Institute think tank.

The promise of 20,000 new jobs and a U.S. headquarters for TikTok “certainly smacks of crony capitalism,” said Chorzempa.

Eurasia analyst Paul Triolo noted that if ByteDance retains ownership of TikTok, it won’t have actually sold

anything. China doesn’t want to be seen approving a deal where a Chinese company is forced to a sale or stripped of its intellectual property, he said, while Trump can’t easily walk back a ban without major concessions he can point to. “A face saving way out of this will be very difficult for all parties to find,” he said.

Any deal must still be reviewed by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, or CFIUS, a group chaired by the Treasury Secretary that studies mergers for national security reasons.

Mnuchin said he expects the group to review the proposal this week and later make a recommendation to the president.

The president can approve or deny a transaction recom-

mended by the panel, though Trump has already voiced support for Oracle as a “great company” that could handle the acquisition.

Oracle primarily makes database software. It competes with tech giants such as Microsoft and Amazon that provide cloud services as well as business-software specialists like Salesforce. Some analysts see Oracle’s interest in a consumer business as misguided, but its shares popped 4.3% on Monday to $59.46.

If the arrangement is approved by the U.S. government, TikTok would be allowed to continue operating.

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Tuesday, September 15, 2020

FALL 2020 EDITOR IN CHIEF:

MAXWELL MAYLEBEN

Wildfires due to gender reveal party: are they worth it?

maxwell.mayleben@mnsu.edu

MADISON DIEMERT

madison.diemert@mnsu.edu

JENNA PETERSON NEWS EDITOR Gender reveal parties have gained popularity through the past decade. These parties bring together friends and families to find out and celebrate the gender of an unborn baby, which to me seems a bit strange for numerous reasons.

First of all, the gender-reveal party concept is a bit disturbing. It’s pushing a gender identity and gender stereotypes onto a child that isn’t even born yet. Once the child is born, it further pushes people to imply these stereotypes onto a child who doesn’t even know right from left.

You might think because the child is so young that they won’t remember these ideas pushed onto them, but the parents and peers will subconsciously continue to believe in these stereotypes for years, ultimately teaching the kid what to and to not be like.

This can damage the child’s mental health years down the road and cause them to question everything about them.

I believe we’re at a place in society where everyone should be able to choose their gender identity and expression.

Almost everything associated with gender is a social construct anyway. Having “boys clothes” and “girls clothes” is just a way to label clothing and determine the price and style depending on the gender.

If someone who identifies as a boy wants to wear skirts and nail polish, why shouldn’t they? If someone who identifies as a girl wants to wear

NEWS EDITOR: Jenna Peterson jenna.peterson-3@mnsu.edu VARIETY EDITOR: Mel Stramm merle.stramm@mnsu.edu WEB/PHOTO EDITOR: Mansoor Ahmad mansoor.ahmad@mnsu.edu

ADVERTISING SALES: Calli Seston 507-389-5451 calli.seston@mnsu.edu Anna Lillie 507-389-1063 anna.lillie@mnsu.edu Kali Andriano-Allard 507-389-6765 kali.andriano-allard@mnsu.edu

basketball shorts and cut their hair short, why shouldn’t they?

In the end, it’s just clothing and it’s not harming anyone.

Second, the cost of hosting a gender reveal party can outweigh the pros. I understand having a party and people buying useful gifts for the child and parents to use. And this can be a perfect way to celebrate and cherish this new experience for the parents, but they should make it about the baby and parents instead of the

gender and the ways in which the gender would be revealed.

There are numerous ways these parties reveal the gender, typically using blue or pink inside whatever object that’s decided upon. There’s cake cutting, balloon popping, smoke bomb releasing, and even fireworks shooting.

More recently and famously, there was a couple in California who decided to throw an extravagant gender reveal party, despite wildfires already

taking place. In their reveal, there was a malfunction with a smoke-generating device, causing it to ignite nearby grass and quickly spread fire.

While this wasn’t the couple’s intent, it’s important to note and follow any and all safety precautions. In today’s world where the construct of gender is being called into question, these parties should be celebrating the new life rather than outdated norms.

“How do you feel about gender reveal parties?”

Compiled by Jenna Peterson

COLLINS ONGAGA, FRESHMAN

IYANNA BOOTH, FRESHMAN

“It can get a little messy sometimes.”

“I think they can be dramatic and unnecessary.”

MALLORY STIFF, FRESHMAN

TYLER SODERLUND, SOPHOMORE

THERESA AHLERS, SENIOR

“I think for the parents it’s fun, but some take it too far.”

“I think they’re kinda pointless, especially with today’s society.”

“It’s an exciting thing if you’re having the baby.”

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Tuesday, September 15, 2020

News

MSU Reporter • 5

Too young to ‘never forget’: Gen Z and 9/11 CHRISTIAN LOHRENZ COLUMNIST I was two years old when the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks caused the world to stop. That was 19 years ago. That being said, I grew up in an essentially post-9/11 world.

Along with many students here on campus, I don’t remember where I was that day.

That question is one that holds so much power in this day and age, as almost anyone from the millennial generation and older seem to know where they were and what they were doing when tragedy struck. I myself have heard numerous stories from individuals.

I have had teachers talk about how classes stopped, and in some cases a TV was brought in and teachers and students alike watched as the towers fell. As we approach the nearest election cycle, it appears those like me who were too young to truly experience those horrific events may be in the majority of the eligible voting population.

The world has changed in many ways since 9/11. At first the initial wave of patriotism seemed overwhelming. From what I have since learned,

Mourners hug beside the names of the deceased Jesus Sanchez and Marianne MacFarlane at the National September 11 Memorial and Museum, Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

the world seemed to stop and wonder. I’ve heard some of the most kind and sweet people I know say how much hatred they felt toward Osama Bin Laden in the days and months following the attacks.

After visiting the 9/11 museum in New York, I saw firsthand the evidence of a world

on edge. I heard the voices of those in the buildings calling their loved ones. I saw the ruins of vehicles crushed by debris. It was a truly humbling experience. I found it hard to avoid feeling angry toward those behind such tremendous loss of life.

While we as a country have

never forgotten the events on 9/11, we have pressed forward with a seemingly different mindset. A new wave of fear for those of different racial and religious backgrounds or sexual orientations has been at the forefront of political discussion since 2001.

“From what I have seen and

heard, I know of lots of people who have seen their Muslim parents shave their beards or be attacked on buses because of their appearance,” said Madison Morrisey, a senior studying social studies education. “I don’t remember 9/11 because I was too young, but I want to vote because I feel like every person’s voice matters, and personally I want to see some change.”

After the 2016 election a demographic shift occurred in the eligible voting population.

Many Gen Z’ers like me are now eligible to vote.

The 2016 election cycle, as polarizing and engaging as it was, seemed to have never ended. The Trump presidency has continued to widen the dialogue of politics as we know it.

The Pew Research Center found one in 10 eligible voters will be members of Gen Z. Statistically, younger people have been seen in the past to be much less likely to vote than older ones. However, with the growing divisiveness of American elections, one wonders: Will this fact spur members of Gen Z to vote in large numbers, or make many of us turn away?

The Latest: Biden vows to ‘restore dignity for everyone’ WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the U.S. presidential campaign (all times local): 8:20 p.m.

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is promising to “restore dignity for everyone, especially the poor” if he defeats President Donald Trump in November.

Biden made his pledge Monday to an online convocation of the Poor People’s Campaign, one of the nation’s leading civil rights and social justice organizations.

Biden highlighted several of his economic proposals: raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour, expanding health insurance access, investing billions of dollars in childcare, early childhood education and college tuition assistance. He also cited his plans for a $15,000 tax credit for first-time home buyers and other housing assistance.

The Rev. William Barber, co-chairman of the Poor People’s Campaign, said 140 million Americans are “poor or low-income individuals,” spanning all races and ethnic groups. Biden and Barber say that number is growing because of the COVID-19 pandemic’s disproportionate affects on poor and minority communities.

Barber is lamenting that tens of millions of those poor and low-income Americans don’t vote.

Barber invited Biden and Trump to speak, but Barber says the Trump campaign did not accept. Trump was campaigning Monday evening in Arizona.

HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE: President Donald Trump was in California on Monday for a briefing near Sacramento on the deadly wildfires before heading to Phoenix for a campaign visit. His Democratic challenger, Joe Biden, made a speech in Delaware in which he declared the fires and recent extreme weather underscore an urgent need to address climate change.

HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING: 7:15 p.m.

President Donald Trump is speaking to Hispanic supporters at what was labeled as a “roundtable” meeting in Phoenix, though even the president acknowledges “it looks like a rally.”

The president says he is at the event to listen, but he is also trying to energize the crowd of several hundred peo-

ple, which is mostly unmasked and sitting closely together indoors.

Trump is finishing up a weekend trip to California, Nevada and Arizona. He says, “You need a lot of energy to do this job properly,” and he is criticizing Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden for spending so much time in his home state of Delaware.

“I think Delaware is a good place, but you gotta leave it on occasion.”

Polls are showing a close race in the normally Republican-leaning state of Arizona.

Trump is trying to rally Hispanic voters to his cause, citing low unemployment rates for the Hispanic population prior to the coronavirus pandemic.

Hispanics have been hit hard by the pandemic, with the latest unemployment rate standing at 10.5% in August. Trump is promising to revive the economy and says “we’re coming back very, very strong.” He says Biden would jeopardize that revival.

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Tuesday, September 15, 2020

Campus remains busy as autumn rolls around

MNSU students were busy around the campus as the weather warmed up after a cold spell Monday afternoon. Some students skateboarded around the Trafton Center Plaza, while some set up hammocks and played football in the Performing Arts Lawn on campus. With the first day of fall less than a week away, students made sure to make up the most of the tail-end of the summer. (Photos by Mansoor Ahmad/MSU Reporter)

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Tuesday, September 15, 2020

Untidiness vs. climate change: Candidates on wildfire causes Another record wildfire season in the West put climate change atop the presidential campaign agenda Monday.

Here’s a look at President Donald Trump’s and rival Joe Biden’s sharply different stands on the culprit behind worsening wildfires.

CLIMATE CHANGE Biden in a speech Monday said climate change is worsening, and it’s making wildfires and other natural disasters ever more dangerous.

“The unrelenting impact of climate change affects every single, solitary one of us,” Biden said.

Trump, on the other hand, makes no mention of any role played by climate change in the wildfires raging through the West, even as scientists say it’s behind the rising heat and dwindling snow and rain that are making California far drier and fires far worse.

Trump throughout his term has played down and actively mocked the warnings of scientists inside and outside his administration that damage to the atmosphere from burning fossil fuels is changing the climate and worsening natural disasters, including wildfires.

Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden speaks about climate change and wildfires affecting western states, Monday, Sept. 14, 2020, in Wilmington, Del. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

FOREST FLOORS Trump says the wildfires come down to a single main cause — sheer untidiness. He has said repeatedly that forest managers in Democratic-led California are at fault for letting flammable material pile up on forest floors.

“When you have years of leaves, dried leaves on the

ground, it just sets it up,” Trump said Monday on a visit to the West, where wildfires have rendered thousands homeless and killed at least 33. “It’s really a fuel for a fire.

So they have to do something about it.”

Trump has offered no evidence for that and his earlier claims that cluttered for-

est floors were to blame. On Monday, University of Colorado fire scientist Jennifer Balch said it was difficult to know just what Trump meant.

While it made sense for homeowners to purge yards of burnable material, it was “misguided” to talk of forest managers doing the same across the U.S. wilderness,

Balch said.

Biden largely has stayed out of the finer details of forest management in addressing the West’s wildfires.

E N V I RON M E N TA L POLICY Trump’s administration has encouraged looser regulation of oil, gas and coal industries, and de-emphasized efforts to harden communities, infrastructure and government sites against worsening natural disasters under climate change.

Biden’s campaign proposals include a detailed, $2 trillion plan to stave off the very worst of climate change by reducing burning of fossil fuels over the next several decades. That includes boosting U.S. production of electric cars, eliminating carbon pollution from the nation’s power sector, and retrofitting millions of U.S. buildings for greater energy efficiency.

Biden points not just to wildfires in the West and hurricanes along the Gulf Coast, but to droughts affecting farmers in the Midwest and even climate-related threats to U.S. military installations around the world, as underscoring the urgency.

Once-standout DEA agent says he conspired with drug cartel TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — A once-standout U.S. narcotics agent admitted Monday to conspiring to launder money with the same Colombian cartel he was sworn to fight — one of the most egregious betrayals of the badge in the history of U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

The disgraced agent, Jose I. Irizarry, pleaded guilty to 19 federal counts, including bank fraud and having diverted millions of dollars in drug proceeds from DEA control.

The prosecution was not only an embarrassment for the DEA but could have long-lasting implications on its undercover money-laundering operations. It also raised questions about the level of supervision Irizarry received during his career, in which he had been entrusted with the government’s use of front companies, shell bank accounts and couriers to combat international drug trafficking.

Timothy J. Shea, the DEA’s acting administrator, said Irizarry’s crimes “do not reflect the high standards of conduct we demand of our employees and our agents.”

“Corruption and betrayal of the American people — the very people we stand to protect — have no place at DEA, and neither does Mr. Irizarry,”

FILE - This June 13, 2016 file photo shows Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents in Florida.

(Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP, File)

Shea said.

The former agent looked despondently into his hands as U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas G. Wilson read the charges.

“I’m atoning for my sins,” Irizarry told The Associated Press after the hearing. “I want to move forward.”

Irizarry, 45, had been charged with filing false reports and ordering DEA staff to wire money slated for undercover stings to international accounts he and associates controlled.

He also was accused of sharing sensitive law en-

forcement information with co-conspirators, prosecutors said, including a Colombian public official and an alleged drug trafficker and money launderer.

The conspiracy enriched not only Irizarry but two unindicted co-conspirators, neither of whom was named in the indictment. One was a Colombian public official, while the other was described as the head of a drug trafficking and money laundering organization.

Irizarry faces potentially decades behind bars, though

no immediate date was set for his sentencing.

The plea marked a stunning fall from grace for Irizarry, who had won repeated praise from superiors after joining the DEA in Miami in 2009 — even after he showed signs of deception on a polygraph test.

Before he resigned in 2018, his ostentatious habits and tales of raucous yacht parties with bikini-clad prostitutes had become legendary among agents.

Beginning around 2011, prosecutors said, Irizarry used the cover of his badge to file

false reports and mislead his superiors, all while directing DEA personnel to wire funds reserved for undercover stings to accounts in Spain, the Netherlands and elsewhere — accounts that he controlled or were tied to his wife and his co-conspirators.

In total, Irizarry and informants under his direction handled at least $3.8 million that should’ve been carefully tracked by the DEA as part of undercover money laundering investigations, prosecutors said.

The indictment details at least $900,000 paid out from a single criminal account opened by Irizarry and an informant using the name, passport and Social Security number of a third person who was unaware their identity was being stolen.

Proceeds from the scheme funded a veritable spending spree, including the purchase of a $30,000 Tiffany diamond ring, a BMW, three Land Rovers and a $767,000 home in Cartagena as well as homes in south Florida and Puerto Rico, where Irizarry and his wife had been living. It also funded the purchase in Miami of a 2017 Lamborghini Huracan Spyder on behalf of a family member of one of the co-conspirators.

Tuesday, September 15, 2020

MSU Reporter • 9

ART, MUSIC, FOOD, MOVIES, SPORTS, GAMING, & ALL THE REST

Theatre: Silent Sky opening this week at MNSU DESTINY KEMPF STAFF WRITER On September 16, the Department of Theatre & Dance will begin the 2020-2021 Studio Season with Silent Sky. The cast and crew of Silent Sky have been working extremely hard to put together this 2 hour long play in a little over three weeks.

In accordance with the Center for Disease Control guidelines, the theater capacity for the performances is being limited to 25%. Additionally, all patrons are required to wear masks. Performers will also be wearing masks and be practicing social distancing.

The actors do not allow these precautions to diminish the immaculate storytelling and emotion brought throughout the performance. They enhanced their facial expressions and made some modifications to staging so the play is just as engaging. It is especially difficult to represent intimacy without touching another person, but the director conveyed this emotion with spe-

Photo by Muhammad Ibrahim/MSU Reporter

cific movements and gestures through the actors.

When asked what he thought the audience would enjoy most, the director, Jim Van Oort, commented on the fantastic lighting and sound technicians. The set and effects

used help captivate and immerse the audience’s attention into the story. Additionally, Van Oort highlighted how he was excited for people to hear the crucial message Silent Sky addresses.

Silent Sky revolves around

the true story of female Astronomer, Henrietta Leavitt.

Taking place in the late twentieth-century, Henrietta struggles as she is forbidden from using the telescope or expressing any of her individual ideas.

Through her time working at

Harvard University, Henrietta Leavitt makes groundbreaking discoveries about the vastness of the universe, but struggles to gain credit for her breakthroughs in astronomy.

“It’s important to remember the 19th amendment is only 100 years old…these problems still exist today”, stated Van Oort, “We must recognize and remember these historical figures.” While the play takes place a century ago, the struggles with oppression are still relatable today.

In addition to bringing a light to the difficulties women face in STEM fields, Silent Sky also addresses the philosophical idea of “Why do we work so hard?” Although Henrietta Leavitt may not have been given a fair amount of recognition of her discoveries during her time, her legacy lives on with the advancements in knowledge she has given to mankind.

Silent Sky runs Sept. 16-20, 2020 at 7:30 p.m. and Sept. 19 and 20 at 2:00 p.m. in the Andreas Theatre. Tickets are $8 for MNSU students.

Serendipity Series to return to CSU amidst COVID-19 pandemic AMANDA FILREIS STAFF WRITER Did you ever wonder where the music in CSU comes from?

The answer is the Serendipity Series.

For those who aren’t familiar, this is a program that books singers, duo, and/or bands to play in the Centennial Student Union during the day once a month.

“This is a program to help bring musical spirit into the Student Union,” said CSU and Student Activities Director Mark Constantine when describing the Serendipity Series.

It was started up 11 years ago with a philosophy they wanted to uphold. That philosophy was asking themselves how they can liven up the building which has continued to this day keep their program alive. The firm belief is that the students need to be exposed to different types of music with the hope of creating a kind of home away from home for them.

The performers can set up in the hearth lounge, the gallery downstairs, or even on the terrace. They always try to remain flexible with their ar-

rangements.

While the core has stayed the same all this time, there are many things about this program that had to change.

New considerations need to be taken into account in order to remain COVID-friendly since safety is always a priority. The performers need to wear masks on stage and practice social distancing while on stage if they are outside. It’s a little trickier indoors with only a certain amount of space to work with. They try to make sure the stage is big enough for the performers to safely work on with the chairs being at least 6 feet apart from each other. If wearing masks hinders the performance, they try to enforce a social distance of 10-12 feet between the students and the stage.

The schedule for the Serendipity Series is still under development due to COVID. The hope is to have one in about two weeks with performers coming once a month. This isn’t the only challenge they face. One of the bigger ones is to make their budget last for the entire year.

Another is to make sure the music being played isn’t played

File photo

at a loud volume so as not to disrupt those in meetings. For the most part, their efforts are worthwhile. The majority of the students view this arrangement as a good thing to help them get through the day.

The students all gave similar positive responses when asked about their thoughts about

the series and what they do as a whole. “It’s a nice thing to have in the middle of the day.

Especially on the weekends,” said MNSU student Sydney Belonge.

“It gives off positive vibes.

I think all music is a good thing,” stated fellow student Jacob Meyer.

“It’s a good way to help the students relax,” said student Miles Krueger. “It’s fun having different types of music to listen to when you take a break,” said student Garrett Meier.

“It’s nice to know when all of your hard work pays off.”

10 • MSU Reporter

Variety

Tuesday, September 15, 2020

Netflix’s ‘Cuties’ becomes target of politicized backlash AP - The backlash to the French independent film “Mignonnes,” or “Cuties,” started before it had even been released because of a poster that went viral for its provocative depiction of its young female actors. But the spotlight has only intensified since the film became available on Netflix last week and it has become the target of heightened politicized outrage from members of Congress, including U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, and others online calling for subscribers to #CancelNetflix.

At the heart of the backlash is the idea that “Cuties” is dangerously and irresponsibly sexualizing pre-teen girls, which, ironically, is what the movie itself is criticizing too.

The campaign against the film, which includes calls for the Department of Justice to investigate it and hundreds of thousands calling for subscribers to cancel their Netflix accounts, is riddled with inaccuracies due in part to the fact that some critics have not seen the film (one claims that there is child nudity when there is not).

Netflix said in a statement that it is a, “social commentary against the sexualization of young children.”

Written and directed

by Maïmouna Doucouré, “Cuties” is about an 11-year-

This image released by Netflix shows the cast of the coming-of-age film “Cuties.” The backlash to the French independent film “Mignonnes,” or “Cuties,” started before it had even been released because of a poster that went viral for its provocative depiction of its young female actors. (Netflix via AP, File)

old Senegalese immigrant named Amy (Fathia Youssouf) who is living in an impoverished Paris suburb with her observant Muslim family. She becomes fascinated with a clique of rebellious girls at her middle school who choreograph dance routines and wear crop tops and heels. They talk about Kim Kardashian and diets, practice “twerking” and giggle about boys and sex-related things that they don’t yet

understand.

Netflix acquired “Cuties” out of the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year where it was favorably reviewed and won an award for its direction. It is the kind of film (foreign-language and with no stars from a first-time director) that would otherwise have gone under the radar. But because Netflix’s promotional materials caught the attention of the internet and even led to

an apology from the streaming giant and the removal of the posters, “Cuties” was thrust onto the national stage.

Late last week, Republicans Cruz and U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas called on the Department of Justice to investigate the film’s production and distribution. Cruz in his letter to Attorney General William Barr asked that they, “determine whether Netflix, its executives, or the individu-

als involved in the filming and production of ‘Cuties’ violated any federal laws against the production and distribution of child pornography.”

On Sunday in an interview on the Fox News Channel, Cruz elaborated that Netflix is “making money by selling the sexual exploitation of young kids.” Cruz and others have made it a sticking point that Netflix has a production deal with former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, although neither have any association with “Cuties.”

Congressman Ken Buck of Colorado tweeted that he and Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona also want DOJ to investigate.

Missouri Sen.Josh Hawley, a Republican, also sent a letter to Netflix CEO Reed Hastings asking for the film to be removed from the platform while he awaits answers about how the film was made and marketed.

The criticism is not just from Republicans. Democratic Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, in a Twitter post called “Cuties” “child porn” and included a photo of the recalled poster and wrote that it will “certainly whet the appetite of pedophiles & help fuel the child sex trafficking trade.”

“Netflix, you are now complicit,” Gabbard continued.

Legal advocates line up on both sides of Bill Cosby’s appeal PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Legal advocates are lining up on both sides of actor Bill Cosby’s appeal as the Pennsylvania Supreme Court prepares to review his 2018 sex assault conviction.

Cosby was the first celebrity to go on trial in the #MeToo era, and his appeal could resolve lingering questions about how the cases should be tried.

For starters, the high court will try to clarify when other accusers can testify against a defendant — and when the additional testimony amounts to character assassination.

Public defenders in Philadelphia, in a friend-of-thecourt brief filed in Cosby’s appeal, noted that courts have given conflicting guidance on the issue.

“Courts repeatedly fail to analyze how uncharged misconduct is relevant to prove, for example, intent or identity,” the Defender Association of Philadelphia wrote in the amicus brief, one of several filed in the case this past month.

They say the testimony should only be allowed if it’s linked to a single crime scheme, to avoid “the genuine risk that defendants will be

Bill Cosby departs after a sentencing hearing at the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown, Pa. Legal advocates are lining up on both sides of actor Bill Cosby’s appeal as the Pennsylvania Supreme Court prepares to review his 2018 sex assault conviction. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)

convicted for who they are, or for what they may or may not have done before.”

Prosecutors, in a brief filed late Monday, offered several legal justifications for the accusers’ testimony, hoping at least one of them will stick.

They said it’s needed to show Cosby’s pattern of behavior, to show the encounter wasn’t a

one-time mistake, and to show the complaint wasn’t filed on a whim.

“It is unusual, to say the least, that defendant has been repeatedly ... accused of engaging in sexual conduct with unconscious or otherwise incapacitated young women ... without any consequences,” the Montgomery County Dis-

trict Attorney’s Office wrote in their response to Cosby’s appeal.

Cosby, 83, will mark two years in prison this month and has another year to go before he can seek parole. However, he has vowed to serve the full 10-year maximum rather than show remorse for what he calls a consensual 2004 encounter

with Andrea Constand, a former professional basketball player who worked for his alma mater, Temple University, in Philadelphia.

Cosby won a shot at reversing his conviction earlier this year, when the state Supreme Court agreed to review two central trial issues: the other accuser testimony and Cosby’s claim that a former prosecutor had promised he could never be charged in the case.

Cosby’s lawyers said they relied on that promise when they let him testify in a civil suit that Constand filed in 2005, shortly after the suburban Philadelphia prosecutor declined to arrest Cosby. A successor, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele, arrested Cosby a decade later after the comedian’s damaging deposition from the lawsuit was unsealed.

The Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office, in a brief in support of Steele, said the Cosby camp’s decision to rely on an unwritten promise before he testified in such “a grave matter ... was unreasonable.”

The Supreme Court has not yet set a date for oral arguments.

Tuesday, September 15, 2020

Variety

MSU Reporter • 11

Macy’s plans smaller but camera-ready Thanksgiving parade NEW YORK (AP) — A Macy’s Thanksgiving parade reimagined for the coronavirus pandemic will feature floats, performers and giant balloons along a one-block stretch of 34th Street in front of the retailer’s flagship Manhattan store, Macy’s officials announced Monday.

The spectacle will be broadcast as usual from 9 a.m. to noon Eastern time on NBC and will include both live and recorded elements, Macy’s officials said.

“Under the unique challenges of these unparalleled times, we felt it was important to continue this cherished holiday tradition that has been the opening act to the holiday season for generations of families,” Susan Tercero, executive producer of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, said in a prepared statement.

She added, “While it will certainly look different in execution, this year’s Macy’s Parade celebration will once again serve its historical purpose — to bring joy into the hearts of millions across the nation.”

Macy’s similarly remade its

In this Nov. 23, 1995 file photo Woody Woodpecker leads a line of other balloons and floats into New York’s Times Square during the 69th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. A Macy’s Thanksgiving parade reimagined for the coronavirus pandemic will feature floats, performers and giant balloons parading along a one-block stretch of 34th Street in front of the retailer’s flagship Manhattan store, Macy’s officials announced Monday, Sept. 14, 2020. (AP Photo/Paul Hurschmann, File)

traditional July Fourth fireworks show this year, swapping the big one-night spectacle for a series of smaller fireworks displays.

The 2 1/2-mile Thanksgiv-

ing parade route will be axed in favor of a short stroll for the cameras, Macy’s spokesperson Orlando Veras said.

The giant cartoon-character balloons will be flown without

the traditional 80 to 100 handlers each and will instead be tethered to specialized vehicles that have been tested and approved by the city police and transportation departments,

Veras said.

Most of the parade’s performers will be locally based to cut down on travel, Veras said. High school and college marching bands that had been invited to perform will be deferred to 2021. In accordance with coronavirus restrictions, all performers will be required to maintain social distancing and wear face masks.

Mayor Bill de Blasio thanked Macy’s officials for their effort to stage the parade despite COVID-19 restrictions.

“They are reinventing the event for this moment in history,” de Blasio said at his daily coronavirus briefing. “And you will be able to feel the spirit and the joy of that day on television, online.”

The Macy’s parade has been a traditional holiday season kickoff for more than 90 years and usually attracts throngs of tourists and locals who line the parade route to gawk at inflated characters like Snoopy or Felix the cat.

This year’s lineup of balloon characters and human performers will be announced later, Veras said.

Paris Hilton says she ‘feels free’ after YouTube documentary NEW YORK (AP) — There’s a scene in a new documentary about Paris Hilton, where the so-called socialite is speaking with former classmates from a Utah boarding school. They joke about how on her reality series “The Simple Life,” Hilton pretended to be clueless over many things— including how to perform any sort of manual labor.

One bluntly described it as “some straight-up (expletive),” as they all laughed.

“I don’t think you had like a high-pitch voice back then,” was another observation.

None of this is a surprise to Hilton. What’s revealed in “This is Paris,” which debuted for free Monday on Hilton’s YouTube channel, is that the ultra glam, baby-talking young woman whose standard line was “that’s hot,” was a manufactured caricature not just for fame but self-protection, too.

Hilton says as a teen she got into the nightlife scene and would sneak out and go to clubs while her family lived at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York. Her exasperated parents sent her away to various programs to straighten out. There was an outdoor wilderness camp where Hilton and another girl tried to escape. Hilton claims they were caught and beaten in front of others as punishment.

When she was 17, Hilton was finally sent to what she

describes as “the worst of the worst”: Provo Canyon School in Utah.

“This is the only place where it’s impossible to run away. So it’s basically like that one place that they all talk about at the other places saying, ‘If you run away or you’re bad, you’re going to be sent to Provo,’” said Hilton.

She stayed at Provo for 11 months and says while there, she was abused mentally and physically, claiming staff would beat her, force her to take unknown pills, watch her shower and send her to solitary confinement without clothes as punishment.

The 39-year-old says the treatment was so “traumatizing” that she suffered nightmares and insomnia for years.

“We are aware of a new documentary referencing Provo Canyon School (PCS).

Please note that PCS was sold by its previous ownership in August 2000. We therefore cannot comment on the operations or patient experience prior to that time,” the school said in a statement on its website.

Attempts to find the previous owners for comment were unsuccessful.

Hilton says when she agreed to be the subject of “This is Paris,” it was never her intention to speak about past abuses, but she opened up as she became more comfortable

with director Alexandra Dean.

Hilton said while she was at Provo, she decided she wanted complete control in her life and image. That meant she would never tell anyone about what happened to her there.

She also wanted to be very, very wealthy.

“I saw success as freedom and I just imagined this glamorous life. .. I made all these plans of what I wanted to be.

And all I cared about was be-

ing successful and independent.”

For someone who has been criticized for being famous for no reason, Hilton has built a multi-billion dollar company around her image.

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12 • MSU Reporter

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Tuesday, September 15, 2020

remiNders from your campus bookstore:

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