September 30, 2021

· HOM ECOM I NG W E E K 2021 ·

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“HO NO MO”

Alumni prepare for hoco weekend

By JENNA PETERSON News Director

TikTok-famous evangelists Jed and Cindy hit the campus

By MAX MAYLEBEN • Editor in Chief Christian evangelists and newly famous TikTok sensations Sister Cindy and Brother Jed made their annual visit to the campus of Minnesota State University, Mankato to preach inflammatory mes-

sages to an onlooking crowd of students Wednesday afternoon.

Jed Smock, known by most as “Brother Jed”, is the leader of Campus Ministry USA, an organization that travels to college campuses across the country to preach their message to students.

Brother Jed, based out of Indiana, has been traveling and speaking at campuses for over five decades. His wife, Cindy Smock, commonly known as “Sister Cindy”, has been accompanying him for four of those decades.

Sister Cindy has recently gone viral on TikTok for her extravagant and unique style of preaching which includes a new tagline.

“My slogan is ‘Be a ho no mo’” said PREACH on page 11 u

Longtime campus preachers Sister Cindy, and her husband Brother Jed, returned to the MNSU campus Wednesday afternoon. The students answered back by ‘preaching’ their own beliefs through signs and slogans.

Photos by MANSOOR AHMAD • Media Director

Mankato Public Safety takes precautions for Homecoming

By JENNA PETERSON • News Director For many college students, there are plenty of times when the cops are the last people they want to see.

But it might surprise you to know that the Mankato Department of Public Safety’s only goal is to keep you, well, safe.

Especially during a homecoming week, when socializing is at peak levels.

“We’re not trying to prevent anybody from having fun and enjoying the night or the weekend,” said Matt DuRose, deputy director of the Mankato Department of Public Safety.

“But we also want to make sure that people are being responsible, they’re being safe and understand that for some people, with behaviors and age, with that comes some consequences from time to

time. The priority is really making sure that everybody is as safe as they possibly can be.”

Homecoming at Minnesota State University, Mankato is filled with events for students to show their school spirit all week long. During the homecoming concert, parade and football game, as well as the parties being hosted in College Town SAFETY on page 10 u

After graduating from Minnesota State University, Mankato, the love and dedication to the University does not disappear.

MNSU’s Alumni Association gathers alumni together throughout the year to celebrate them and the school.

Brian Zins, Director of Alumni Relations at MNSU, works to create an inviting environment for alumni to return to their old stomping grounds.

“The Alumni Association works on behalf of roughly 130,000 living alumni that we have and works to find ways to engage them, wherever they’re at in life,” Zins explained.

“We’re actively looking to create ways to reconnect [alumni] with the campus.”

With the absence of homecoming celebrations last year due to COVID-19, Zins has planned out a large celebration for those returning students.

“The biggest thing that we’re doing is on Saturday, Oct. 2, we’ll be having the Alumni Zone at the football game.

That is a large tent with food, drink, giveaways, things like that prior to the football game. We’ve already sold out that tent, we’ve got about 175 alumni and their family coming to that event.”

The Alumni Association will also be a part of the Homecoming Parade that will take place Saturday, Oct. 2 at noon on Warren St. and Stadium Rd. to showcase the alumni that have traveled back to Mankato.

Alyssa Lillehaugen, a 2018 graduate and Alumni Board member, has visited Mankato for ALUMNI on page 4 u

2 • MSU Reporter

News

Thursday, September 30, 2021

Homecoming traditions that have stood the test of time

By ASHLEY OPINA • Staff Writer Nobody likes the same-old-sameold. Unless it’s a tradition, then suddenly the same-old-same-old becomes new and exciting each and every time because that’s what a tradition is: Something we keep doing because it makes us feel excited, regardless of how redundant it may seem to everyone else.

At Minnesota State University, Mankato, there’s no shortage of traditions. Especially when it comes to Homecoming week and how Mavericks celebrate it.

Let’s take a stroll down memory lane, shall we?

The first stop on our walk of reminiscing is how Mavericks have kicked off Homecoming week each year since 2015.

Right behind Blakeslee Stadium

from 8 p.m to 10 p.m. a 25 feet tall bonfire birthed from over 250 pallets of wood light up the night right before fireworks take over the job. For 15 grand minutes, over 2400 shells of fireworks erupt in the sky behind Maverick Midway.

Prior to it all, the Homecoming committee gets together and plans activities for students and the public to join in on while they wait for the big event to start. Then, once all is ready, a University representative is chosen each year to do the honors of lighting the bonfire.

The entire event is watched over by the Mankato Fire Department to ensure safety, so all students have to worry about is enjoying the warmth of the fire and the colorful light show in the sky.

The next stop on our walk is the office decorating contest.

In hopes of getting the faculty and staff as engaged as the students are during Homecoming week, MNSU has been hosting an office decorating contest since 2010.

Each year, a theme is announced and the offices are decorated accordingly. This year, the theme is Maverick State Fair.

Registration to participate is free and prizes are awarded to the first, second, and third place winners. This year, the first place winner gets a $200 gift certificate to Pub 500, the second place winner gets a free pizza party, and the third place winner gets a private movie showing.

According to the archives, the contest has grown to be a big hit, with more than 40 offices participating each year.

While on our walk, we can’t forget to stop and reminisce about the top

three traditions that MNSU has kept up with through the years: the Homecoming football game, the Homecoming parade, and the Homecoming concert.

Held at the Blakeslee Stadium every year, the Maverick football team takes on another college while the student section bleeds purple and gold and chants words of encouragement for the home team to get amped on.

This year at 2 p.m., the Mavericks will be going up against the Concordia-St. Paul Golden Bears.

As for the Homecoming parade, the theme for the event coincides with the office decorating theme, meaning that this year, the theme is Maverick State Fair.

The parade takes place around the city of Mankato. In 2018, the parade was held downtown. This year, the paTRADITIONS on page 7 u

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Thursday, September 30, 2021

News

A Homecoming interview with President Edward Inch

MSU Reporter • 3

Health workers once saluted as heroes now get threats

JAE C. HONG • Associated Press

MANSOOR AHMAD • The Reporter President Inch attended the food eating contest Tuesday in the CSU. This is President Inch’s first Homecoming at MNSU.

By MAXWELL MAYLEBEN current student differ from Editor in Chief alumni ‘coming home’?

One is not better than the With homecoming week at other; they are just differMinnesota State University, ent. Our current students are Mankato well underway, the building memories of their Reporter reached out to Pres- experiences here and now. ident Edward Inch to hear his Our alumni are our story; thoughts on his first home- our heritage. coming as president of the I thoroughly enjoy listenuniversity. ing to them talk about their Do you plan on attending life paths, the role education any of the homecoming fes- played for them, and the imtivities? portant relationships many Yes, as many as I can. The still have with people on cambonfire was excellent. The pus. They are what tells me pickle eating contest was fun. that we do an excellent job in I’m looking forward to the educating and supporting our pancake breakfast, parade, students. and football game.

My hope is they genuinely Anything you are particu- feel that this is their “home” larly excited for? and that they and all of our All of it—there is a lot of current students will come energy when we all get to- back regularly to re-engage gether, celebrate, and share. and inspire future students.

What was homecoming This is the first full on like at your previous schools? homecoming since 2019, how Every place has its own do you see the campus poptraditional celebrations. It’s ulation reacting to all the difficult to compare. They events and activities? are all good in their own way A lot of excitement. I was and meaningful to the school. told that the crowd at the How does Maverick Spirit bonfire was the biggest in our differ from that? history. I don’t know if that There is a genuine excite- is true but it was big. Same ment being back together and with the CSU being crowded engaging in all the events that for eating pickles. are unique to us.

Our academic work is How would you assess the important and the focus of value of homecoming week what we do and these activto students? ities that are constructive, It’s important. Whenever community-centered events people can come together in are important breaks along community, share, celebrate, the way that support our stuor just experience something dents’ success. in common, we build memWhat do you think it ories, relationships, and find means to be a Maverick? new opportunities.

These Great question. For me, a are positive experiences and maverick is bold, innovative, strengthen our community. and able to see new ways of How does the value to the

accomplishing great things.

We have quite a few of those people on campus who see paths and opportunities that others miss. That is one of the reasons our campus does as well as it does.

What role do you, as the President, play in creating and facilitating school spirit at MNSU? While I suppose the cliche answer is that the President is the head cheerleader for the campus, I feel very proud to represent us both on and off campus.

Presidents help set the tone. They help shape the agenda and they celebrate the meaningful events with the campus community. That is why I try to be at as many things as I can—even if I can’t stay very long.

In the future, do you envision new homecoming traditions? Anything in specific come to mind as new celebration ideas for campus?

Hmm. I don’t know. I haven’t experienced this homecoming week yet. Once we are through it, I’ll probably have some thoughts. As will others and I look forward to hearing them. Right now, I’m just enjoying the moments of the week and seeing how much people are engaged in the celebration.

Do you have anything you’d like to say to students and alumni in regard to celebrating homecoming?

Have a great week.

Stay safe. Enjoy what this means—a focus on us, our traditions, our history, and one another.

More than a year after U.S. health care workers on the front lines against COVID-19 were saluted as heroes with nightly clapping from windows and balconies, some are being issued panic buttons in case of assault and ditching their scrubs before going out in public for fear of harassment.

Across the country, doctors and nurses are dealing with hostility, threats and violence from patients angry over safety rules designed to keep the scourge from spreading.

“A year ago, we’re health care heroes and everybody’s clapping for us,” said Dr.

Stu Coffman, a Dallas-based emergency room physician.

“And now we’re being in some areas harassed and disbelieved and ridiculed for what we’re trying to do, which is just depressing and frustrating.”

Cox Medical Center Branson in Missouri started giving panic buttons to up to 400 nurses and other employees after assaults per year tripled between 2019 and 2020 to 123, a spokeswoman said. One nurse had to get her shoulder X-rayed after an attack.

Hospital spokeswoman Brandei Clifton said the pandemic has driven at least some of the increase.

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4 • MSU Reporter ALUMNI Continued from page 1 every homecoming game since she graduated and was influenced by this to work with the Alumni Association.

“I come back to campus whenever I can and participate in sporting events. I’ve also come back and I’ve done on- c a mpu s panels for (College of Science, Engineering and Tech- Brian Zins nology) and I’ve also been back for recruiting fairs for the job fairs that they [the University] have in the spring and fall.”

Being a Maverick holds a strong meaning to Lillehaugen, as she’s not the only member of her family to attend MNSU. “My mom was also a Mankato grad, so for me it’s being able to carry out the legacy of being a Mankato alum,” Lillehaugen stated.

“I really enjoy being able to give back to the University because it got me to where I am today and without the University I don’t think I would have had the same opportunities that I have.”

Lillehaugen is one of many alumni coming together to put on the Alumni Zone, and is thrilled to be back for in-person activities again.

“It’ll be good to get back

News on campus and see the energy that the students put out because it’s fun to be around people that are all excited about football and the University in general,” Lillehaugen added.

To put alum in the Maverick spirit before game day, the association is planning on showing the graduates around the campus.

“We’re actually getting quite a few requests for alumni tours,” Zins explained.

“People want to come and actually have someone take them around and kind of explain what we have up here because things have changed significantly in the years.”

But the work doesn’t stop after homecoming.

Zins discussed his goals to create a closer bond between current MNSU students and those who have already graduated.

“To me, the one thing I’d like to see more of is more opportunities for our alumni to connect with our current students. The one thing we hear all the time, alumni love to come back and mingle with each other and talk about those things that happened in the past,” Zins explained.

“When it really gets fun is when you can get them in touch with the current students who can talk about what’s happening now and what they want to do in the future.”

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Thursday, September 30, 2021

Capitol Police chief sees rising threats ASSOCIATED PRESS The newly installed chief of the U.S. Capitol Police says the force, still struggling six months after an insurrection that left its officers battled, bloodied and bruised, “cannot afford to be complacent.” The risk to lawmakers is higher than ever. And the threat from lone-wolf attackers is only growing.

In an interview with The Associated Press, J. Thomas Manger said his force is seeing a historically high number of threats against lawmakers, thousands more than just a few years ago. He predicts authorities will respond to close to 9,000 threats against members of Congress in 2021 — more than 4,100 had been reported from January to March.

“We have never had the level of threats against members of Congress that we’re seeing today,” Manger said.

“Clearly, we’ve got a bigger job in terms of the protection aspect of our responsibilities, we’ve got a bigger job than we used to.”

Manger touted changes that have been made in intelligence gathering after the department was widely criticized for being woefully underprepared to fend off a mob of insurrectionists in January. Officials had compiled intelligence showing white supremacists and other extremists were likely to assemble in Washington on Jan.

J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE • Associated Press In this Monday, Sept. 27, 2021, photo U.S. Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger, who came to the job six months after the Jan. 6 insurrection and attack on the Capitol, answers questions during an interview with The Associated Press, at his office on Capitol Hill in Washington.

6 and that violent disruptions were possible. Police officers were brutally beaten in the insurrection.

The events of that day have redefined how the U.S. Capitol Police and other law enforcement agencies in Washington approach security. Extreme measures put into place two weeks ago for a rally in support of those jailed in the riot aren’t a oneoff, they might be the new normal. Propelled by former President Donald Trump, the awakening of domestic extremist groups and the continued volatility around the 2020 election have changed the calculus.

Manger said putting up temporary fencing around the Capitol and calling in re-

inforcements was a prudent decision. It may not be the same for every demonstration.

“It’s really going to depend on the intelligence we have beforehand,” he said. “It’s going to depend on the potential for violence at a particular demonstration.”

With Manger, the police force got a longtime lawman.

He served as chief in Maryland’s Montgomery County, outside Washington, from 2004 to 2019. Before that, he led the Fairfax County, Virginia, police department.

Those jobs, as well as a leadership position in the Major Cities Chiefs Association, have made him a familiar face in Washington law enforcement circles.

Thursday, September 30, 2021

News

MSU Reporter • 5

Petito’s dad: Give same attention to all missing people ASSOCIATED PRESS The family of slain traveler Gabby Petito on Tuesday implored the public and news media to put the same energy into helping find other missing people as they did Petito, a 22-year-old woman who vanished on a cross-country trip with her boyfriend.

Petito’s parents and stepparents spoke to reporters at a news conference in Bohemia, New York — showing off fresh tattoos based on her designs and mantra “Let it be” — as authorities in Florida continued searching for her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, who is a person of interest in her disappearance and remains unaccounted for.

A lawyer for Petito’s family, Richard Stafford, renewed calls for Laundrie to turn himself in and criticized his parents for what he said was a lack of cooperation in the search that turned up Petito’s remains. The Laundries released a statement Monday saying they weren’t helping him flee.

“The Laundries did not help us find Gabby, they sure are not going to help us find Brian,” Stafford said. “For

JOHN MINCHILLO • Associated Press Nichole Schmidt, mother of Gabby Petito, whose death on a cross-country trip has sparked a manhunt for her boyfriend Brian Laundrie, holds back tears during a news conference, Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2021, in Bohemia, N.Y.

Brian, we’re asking you to turn yourself in to the FBI or the nearest law enforcement agency.”

Petito’s body was discovered Sept. 18 in a remote area in northwestern Wyoming.

A memorial service was held

Sunday on Long Island, where Laundrie and Petito grew up before moving to Florida in recent years. Her family announced it was starting a foundation to support people searching for missing loved ones.

Petito’s case has led to renewed calls for people to pay greater attention to cases involving missing Indigenous women and other people of color, with some commentators describing the intense coverage of her disappearance

as “missing white woman syndrome.”

Joseph Petito thanked the news media and social media for spotlighting his daughter’s disappearance, but he said all missing persons deserved the same attention.

“I want to ask everyone to help all the people that are missing and need help. It’s on all of you, everyone that’s in this room to do that,” he said, pointing to reporters and cameras in front of him. “And if you don’t do that for other people that are missing, that’s a shame, because it’s not just Gabby that deserves it.”

The search for Laundrie is also generating a frenzy, with TV personalities like Duane Chapman and longtime “America’s Most Wanted” host John Walsh working to track him down.

Stafford said Petito’s family welcomed everybody’s help in finding Laundrie and encouraged people with information on his whereabouts to contact the FBI or local police.

Petito was reported missing Sept. 11 by her parents after she didn’t respond to calls and texts for several days while she and Laundrie visited parks in the West.

6 • MSU Reporter

News

Biden caught between allies and critics on border policy

Thursday, September 30, 2021

Some fear boosters will hurt drive to reach the unvaccinated

ASSOCIATED PRESS President Joe Biden is caught between a hard place and an even harder one when it comes to immigration.

Biden embraced major progressive policy goals on the issue after he won the Democratic nomination, and he has begun enacting some. But his administration has been forced to confront unusually high numbers of migrants trying to enter the country along the U.S.-Mexico border, and the federal response has inflamed both critics and allies.

Much of the anger is centered on the administration’s immigration point person, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

“Getting hit from both sides in the matter of immigration is no surprise,” Mayorkas said on NBC last weekend. “We are in the epicenter of the country’s divide, regrettably.”

The result is that immigration has become an early and unwanted distraction for an administration that would rather focus on the pandemic, the economy and other policy priorities.

Just 35% of Americans approve of Biden’s handling of immigration, down from 43% in April, when it was already one of Biden’s worst issues, according to a new poll from The Associated PressNORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Immigration is a relative low point for Biden within his own party with just 60% of Democrats saying they approve.

Images of Border Patrol agents on horseback blocking Haitian migrants from crossing the Rio Grande only added to the angst. While

MARY ALTAFFER • Associated Press ERIC GAY • Associated Press In this Sept. 18, 2021, file photo Haitian migrants use a dam to cross into the United States from Mexico in Del Rio, Texas.

the widely shared photos incorrectly suggested that agents were using their reins to whip at mostly Black migrants, Mayorkas and Biden expressed outrage at the tactics and Homeland Security is investigating.

The outcry was such that Mayorkas was asked if his department was a “rogue agency.” He responded, “I couldn’t disagree more vehemently.”

Some of Biden’s strongest supporters on Capitol Hill and among outside immigrant advocates had already been expressing outrage about the administration’s continued reliance on a Trump-era public health authority, known as Title 42, to rapidly expel migrants, including thousands of Haitians.

Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center and onetime co-chair of a task force on immigration meant to unite Biden supporters with more progressive primary backers of Sen. Bernie Sanders, noted that the White House “has appointed

some of the best people in our movement” to help run immigration programs.

But she is among those opposed to Title 42, which the Trump administration invoked early in the pandemic, ostensibly to slow the spread of COVID-19. It prevents people from making claims for U.S. asylum.

“This is the moment when friends need to have those courageous conversations with friends,” Hincapié said.

“When they’re making the wrong decision.”

The administration’s refusal to halt Title 42 — even appealing a court order to stop relying on it to expel families — along with the lack of progress in Congress on a sweeping immigration bill that Biden introduced upon taking office has prompted supporters to warn of a return to the enforcement-heavy policies of President Barack Obama.

“They’ve been there for eight months,” said Todd Schulte, president of FWD. us, an immigration advocacy group.

GO MAVS!

ASSOCIATED PRESS The spread of COVID-19 vaccination requirements across the U.S. hasn’t had the desired effect so far, with the number of Americans getting their first shots plunging in recent weeks. And some experts worry that the move to dispense boosters could just make matters worse.

The fear is that the rollout of booster shots will lead some people to question the effectiveness of the vaccine in the first place.

“Many of my patients are already saying, ‘If we need a third dose, what was the point?’” said Dr. Jason Goldman, a physician in Coral Springs, Florida.

The average daily count of Americans getting a first dose of vaccine has been falling for six weeks, plummeting more than 50% from

about 480,000 in early August to under 230,000 by the middle of last week, according to the most recently available federal data.

An estimated 70 million vaccine-eligible Americans have yet to start vaccinations, despite a summer surge in infections, hospitalizations and deaths driven by the delta variant. This is the case despite a growing number of businesses announcing vaccination requirements for their employees, including Google, McDonald’s, Microsoft and Disney. Also, big cities such as New York and San Francisco are demanding people be vaccinated to eat at restaurants or enter certain other businesses.

Separately, President Joe Biden announced sweeping new vaccine requirements for as many as 100 million Americans on Sept. 9.

Thursday, September 30, 2021

News

Enbridge: Line 3 replacement complete; oil will flow Friday

MSU Reporter • 7

At least 116 dead in gang fight at Ecuador jail; 5 beheaded

ANGEL DEJESUS • Associated Press

ASSOCIATED PRESS

ALEX KORMANN • Star Tribune via Associated Press In this June 7, 2021, file photo, Everlasting Wind, aka Dawn Goodwin, joins others by raising her fist in the Mississippi River near an Enbridge pipeline construction site, in Clearwater County, Minn., to protest the construction of Enbridge Line 3.

ASSOCIATED PRESS Enbridge announced Wednesday that construction on the upgrade of its Line 3 crude oil pipeline across Minnesota is “substantially complete” and that the company will start filling it with oil later this week.

The Canadian-based company’s president and CEO, Al Monaco, said in a statement that the pipeline “will soon deliver the low-cost and reliable energy that people depend on every day.”

The project was completed despite stiff opposition from tribes, environmentalists and others who argued that the 1,097 mile pipeline would violate treaty rights, worsen climate change and risk spills in waters where Native Americans harvest wild rice. They note it would carry oil from Alberta’s tar sands, a heavier crude that consumes more energy and generates more carbon dioxide in the refining process than lighter oil, making it an even bigger contributor to climate change.

Line 3 opponents prom-

TRADITIONS Continued from page 2 rade will take place on Warren Street and Stadium Road.

The parade showcases numerous floats, vehicles, and even people walking on foot, all representing either the University or the city of Mankato. Registration for the parade is free for student groups, University depart-

ised to keep fighting, though their legal options going forward are fading. And they vowed to hold President Joe Biden and other politicians accountable for failing to stop the project. More than 900 people have been arrested or ticketed at protests along the route since construction began in December.

“This is not the outcome we hoped for, but the fight to stop Line 3 has always been a fight for climate justice and a future free from fossil fuels, and that fight will not stop just because Enbridge has succeeded in building this pipeline,” Margaret Levin, director of the Minnesota chapter of the Sierra Club, said in a statement.

A leading face of the opposition, Winona LaDuke, executive director of the Indigenous-based environmental group Honor the Earth, paid tribute to the many people from across the country who came to Minnesota to protest.

“Your brave efforts about Enbridge’s Line 3 have reshaped the world’s views on

the climate crisis we are in, the Treaty Rights of the Anishinaabe, and the escalating divestment in fossil fuels around the world and here at home,” LaDuke said in a statement. “You are the true heroes of this tragic saga.”

At a news conference later, LaDuke called on Biden to stand by his promise to be a “climate president.” But she said they’re pinning their hopes on the federal courts, which she noted have made rulings against the Dakota Access and Keystone XL pipelines, and on the White Earth Ojibwe tribal court in northern Minnesota.

The main remaining tasks are cleanup and restoration along the route, Leo Golden, an Enbridge vice president in charge of the project, said in an interview. Some parts have already been completely restored with crops and native grasses growing on them, he said. But construction mats still need to be removed from wetlands and other cleanup and restoration work will continue through next summer.

ments, and community based non-profits. All other entries have a registration fee of $100.

The last stop on our walk is the Homecoming concert, a fan favorite. Each year, the University brings in an artist which students can then purchase general or VIP tickets to watch the artist live at Myers Field House.

This year, the University

will be hosting American actor and singer Jesse McCartney on Oct. 1 from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., along with American singer JAX as his opening act.

As the list of traditions gets longer, so will our stroll.

Until then, rest up. You’ll need your energy in order to participate in all of MNSU’s Homecoming traditions this week.

A battle between gangs in a prison killed at least 116 people and injured 80 in what authorities are calling the worst penitentiary massacre in Ecuador’s history.

At least five dead were reported beheaded, officials said Wednesday.

President Guillermo Lasso decreed a state of emergency in Ecuador’s prison system, allowing the government to deploy the police and soldiers to penitentiaries among other powers. Authorities attributed Tuesday’s bloodshed at the Litoral penitentiary in the coastal city of Guayaquil to gangs linked to international drug cartels fighting for control of the lockup.

Lasso, visibly affected, said at a news conference that what was happening in the Guayaquil prison was

“bad and sad” and he could not for the moment guarantee that authorities had regained control of the lockup.

“It is regrettable that the prisons are being turned into territories for power disputes by criminal gangs,” he said, adding that he would act with “absolute firmness” to regain control of the Litoral prison and prevent the violence from spreading to other penitentiaries.

Images circulating on social media showed dozens of bodies in the prison’s Pavilions 9 and 10 and scenes that looked like battlefields.

The fighting was with firearms, knives and bombs, officials said. Earlier, regional police commander Fausto Buenaño had said that bodies were being found in the prison’s pipelines. Outside the prison morgue, the relatives of inmates wept.

8 • MSU Reporter

Thursday, September 30, 2021

FALL 2021 EDITOR IN CHIEF:

MAXWELL MAYLEBEN maxwell.mayleben@mnsu.edu

Lets appreciate Hoco since it’s back

MADISON DIEMERT

madison.diemert@mnsu.edu

Editorial Getting to know the campus and attending events is how a student feels connected with the school they attend. This is how you meet people, make memories, and feel as if you’ve found your home away from home.

Last year, many students at Minnesota State University, Mankato weren’t able to experience the traditional college experience, as COVID-19 took away many of those opportunities.

Now that students are on campus and classes are in-person, there are various events taking place on campus for everyone to participate in, no matter their interests. Recognized Student Organizations are looking to recruit new members, sporting events are encouraging fans to attend their games, and professors are inviting the campus community to listen in on As students are getting settled into the new school year, one way to welcome them back is with a homecoming week to celebrate school pride, as there are activities planned for every day of the week.

The University has reassembled an extensive list of events and activities for students and faculty to take part in. including but not limited to the football game, the homecoming parade, and the food eating contest. All of these are amazing opportunities for students to get

NEWS DIRECTOR: Jenna Peterson jenna.peterson-3@mnsu.edu MEDIA/DESIGN DIRECTOR: Mansoor Ahmad mansoor.ahmad@mnsu.edu SPORTS EDITOR: Daniel McElroy daniel.mcelroy@mnsu.edu ADVERTISING SALES: Baylee Sorensen 507-389-5097 baylee.sorensen@mnsu.edu MANSOOR AHMAD • The Reporter

out and make college memories that will last a lifetime.

After a year off from this tradition, homecoming and all events tied to it are back to get students in the Maverick spirit. Each of these events are designed to get students excited to represent their school, and we need to take advantage of this opportunity.

Why should you participate in these festivities?

Simple answer is, this is one of the many components of college life that students had to sacrifice over the past 18 months due to the pandemic. Being isolated from

the typical college activities has led to students feeling disconnected from the institution they’re a part of.

As we return to a more traditional college experience, we need to take advantage of the things we had to give up all of those months ago.

It was a common occurrence for everyone to be upset about missing out on the key factors of college life, and now that we’re getting some of those back we need to follow up on the complaints we once made and be part of the University again.

For the freshmen and soph-

omores this is their first homecoming experience. This is the first time they get to truly experience the campus at its fullest and portray their Maverick pride. For the seniors this is their last chance to live out the full college experience.

After a year of uncertainty, we were unable to truly partake in what it means to be a college student. So this year, and any year going forward, be sure to appreciate the activities, because as we saw last year, they aren’t always guaranteed.

“What are you most looking forward to for homecoming?”

Compiled by Hannah Mun

CASSIE LARSON, SENIOR “I am excited for the big events.”

EMILY SOUKUP, FRESHMAN

WESTON ARNDT, SENIOR

DOMINIK DRABENT, GRAD STUDENT

JUNGMIN SEOL, JUNIOR

“The games would be fun “The election for homecoming “Nothing. It doesn;t feel like “I am most looking forward to and I’m excited to see a lot of royalty. It’s always exciting to homecoming this year.” the atmosphere on campus due people.” see who wins.” to school spirit.”

BUSINESS MANAGER: Jane Tastad 507-389-1926 jane.tastad@mnsu.edu ADVERTISING DESIGN/ PRODUCTION MGR.: Dana Clark 507-389-2793 dana.clark@mnsu.edu

• If you have a complaint, suggestion or would like to point out an error made in the Reporter, contact Editor in Chief Maxwell Mayleben at maxwell.mayleben@mnsu.edu.

The Reporter will correct any errors of fact or misspelled names in this space. Formal grievances against the Reporter are handled by the Newspaper Board.

• The Minnesota State University Mankato Reporter is a studentrun newspaper published twice a week, coming out on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The Reporter generates 78 percent of its own income through advertising and receives approximately 22 percent from Student Activities fees. The Reporter is free to all students and faculty, but to start a subscription, please call us at 507-389-1776.

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THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN THE MSU REPORTER ARE NOT NECESSARILY THOSE OF THE COLLEGE, UNIVERSITY SYSTEM OR STUDENT BODY.

Thursday, September 30, 2021

News

MSU Reporter • 9

Judge suspends Britney Spears’ father from conservatorship ASSOCIATED PRESS Britney Spears has been freed from her father. And she could be freed entirely from court control within weeks.

In a major victory for the pop star, a judge on Wednesday suspended the singer’s father from the conservatorship that has controlled her life and money for 13 years, saying the arrangement “reflects a toxic environment.”

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny agreed with a petition from Spears and her attorney that James Spears needs to give up his role as conservator. The decision comes months after the Britney Spears pleaded for her father’s removal in dramatic court hearings, saying, “I want my life back.”

“The current situation is untenable,” the judge said after hearing arguments from both sides. “It reflects a toxic environment which requires the suspension of James Spears.”

And with no objections to ending the conservatorship, Penny is likely to terminate it at a Nov. 12 hearing, restoring the singer’s life and money choices to her after years of increasingly vocal calls to #FreeBritney that she eventually joined.

James Spears sought the conservatorship in 2008 and had been its primary controller and biggest champion.

He reversed course in recent weeks, asking the judge to end

CHRIS PIZZELLO • Associated Press Britney Spears supporter Brian Molina of Los Angeles celebrates outside the Stanley Mosk Courthouse, Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2021, in Los Angeles.

the conservatorship immediately, arguing that would render his removal pointless.

The singer and her attorney agreed that the conservatorship should end, but argued that James Spears’ removal was an essential first step.

Britney Spears was not present at the hearing and did not participate in any way.

Her father connected remotely but did not speak during the proceedings. His attorney argued that there was no justification for his removal.

“There is not a shred of evidence to support suspension,”

lawyer Vivian Thoreen told the judge. “His record is impeccable.”

Penny said her decision was “unappealable,” but Thoreen said she would explore options for appeal regardless.

The singer’s attorney, Mathew Rosengart, said after the hearing that Britney Spears “has been faced with a decadelong nightmare, Kafkaesque nightmare orchestrated by her father and others.”

Rosengart pledged to pursue “even more serious ramifications for his misconduct.”

The attorney said he

planned to take a “top-tobottom look” at the actions of James Spears and his representatives and suggested that law enforcement should investigate revelations in The New York Times about a listening device placed in his daughter’s bedroom.

Fans were elated by the ruling.

“My heart’s racing out of my chest,” said Lorin Sisco of Hawaii, who flew to Los Angeles for the hearing and said she’s been at the courthouse for every proceeding for the past year. “I am so excited for

what she has to do with the rest of her life.”

Hours before the hearing, a major street outside the courthouse was closed to vehicles, allowing about 100 Spears supporters to march and host a rally where they shouted “Hey, hey, ho, ho, the conservatorship has got to go!” and other pro-Britney chants. As the crowd grew, fans sang Spears hits “Toxic” and “Baby One More Time,” and speakers described abusive conservatorships that had affected their families.

Rosengart, a former federal prosecutor whom Britney Spears was allowed to hire in July, was one of the few lawyers present in the courtroom and delivered a long, dramatic broadside against James Spears that resembled a closing argument in a criminal case.

He repeatedly used the word “toxic,” alluding to Spears’ 2003 hit, before the judge echoed it in her ruling.

“He has been abusive, he has been cruel, he has been toxic,” Rosengart said.

The lawyer said Britney Spears sent him to court with instructions that he do all he could to have her father out, saying she would be “extraordinarily distraught” if he remained. He said terminating the conservatorship and entering into settlement talks as James Spears’ attorneys proposed would mean her father would still be in power as it was drawn down.

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10 • MSU Reporter

News

North Korea’s Kim seeks better ties with South, but slams US

Korea News Service via Associated Press In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks during a parliament meeting in Pyongyang, North Korea Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2021.

ASSOCIATED PRESS North Korea leader Kim Jong Un expressed his willingness to restore stalled communication lines with South Korea in early October to promote peace while shrugging off U.S. offers for dialogue as “cunning ways” to conceal its hostility against the North, state media reported Thursday.

Kim’s statement is an apparent effort to drive a wedge between Seoul and Washington as he wants South Korea to help him win relief from crippling U.S.-led economic sanctions and other concessions.

Pyongyang this month has offered conditional talks with Seoul alongside its first missile firings in six months and stepped-up criticism of the United States.

The U.N. Security Council scheduled an emergency closed meeting on Thursday at the request of the United States, United Kingdom and France on North Korea’s recent tests.

During a speech at his country’s rubber-stamp parliament on Wednesday, Kim said the restoration of cross-border hotlines would realize the Korean people’s wishes for a peace between the two Koreas, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.

Kim still accused South Korea of being “bent on begging external support and cooperation while clamoring for international cooperation in servitude to the U.S.,” rather than committing to resolving

the matters independently between the Koreas.

Kim repeated his powerful sister Kim Yo Jong’s calls for Seoul to abandon “double-dealing attitude” and “hostile viewpoint” over the North’s missile tests and other developments, saying the fate of inter-Korean ties is at a critical juncture. Some experts say North Korea is pressuring South Korea to tone down its criticism of its ballistic missile tests, which are banned by U.N. Security Council resolutions, in a bid to receive an international recognition as a nuclear power.

South Korea’s Unification Ministry responded that it’ll prepare for the restoration of the hotlines that it said is needed to discuss and resolve many pending issues. It said the “stable operation” of the channels is expected because their restoration was directly instructed by Kim Jong Un. On the United States, Kim Jong Un dismissed repeated U.S. offers to resume talks without preconditions, calling them an attempt to hide America’s “hostile policy” and “military threats” that he said remain unchanged.

The Biden administration “is touting ‘diplomatic engagement’ and ‘dialogue without preconditions’ but it is no more than a petty trick for deceiving the international community and hiding its hostile acts and an extension of the hostile policy pursued by the successive U.S. administrations,” Kim said.

He added: “The U.S. remains utterly unchanged in

posing military threats and pursuing hostile policy toward (North Korea) but employs more cunning ways and methods in doing so.”

North Korea has long called U.S.-led economic sanctions on it and regular military drills between Washington and Seoul as proof of U.S. “hostile policies” on them. Kim Jong Un has said he would bolster his nuclear arsenal and not resume nuclear diplomacy with Washington unless such U.S. hostility is withdrawn.

U.S. officials have repeatedly expressed hopes to sit down for talks with North Korea “anywhere and at any time,” but have maintained they will continue sanctions until the North takes concrete steps toward denuclearization. The diplomacy has been stalled for 2 ½ years due to disagreements over easing the U.S.-led sanctions in return for limited denuclearization steps.

Prior to the launch Tuesday of what North Korea said was a new hypersonic missile, it also this month launched a newly developed cruise missile and a ballistic missile from a train. Both of those weapons could carry nuclear bombs to attack targets in South Korea and Japan, both key U.S. allies where a total of 80,000 American troops are stationed.

Kim said in his parliament speech that “a spur has been given to ... developing a powerful new weapon system capable of thoroughly containing the military moves of the hostile forces.”

Thursday, September 30, 2021 SAFETY Continued from page 1 and downtown, Mankato Public Safety works extra hours to ensure the safety of the campus as well as the Mankato community during these festivities.

DuRose says the department helps establish safe environments by joining forces with the MNSU’s campus security.

“We help supplement [MNSU Security’s] needs,” he said. “Security is there to deal with maybe policy violations or some of those behaviors that can be dealt with at the administrative level, and we’re really there to make sure that if there’s any crimes that need to be addressed we can do that. … When it comes to campus we’re really supplementing or even partnering with MNSU Security.”

Mankato Police will also be patrolling some off-campus events, such as the Kato Jam Party in College Town on Saturday, as well as the bars downtown.

“College Town, they’re hiring security as well and we’ll be a part of that,” he said. “We meet with many of the near-campus apartment complexes and their managers or their property representatives the week before homecoming and check in with everybody. It really is just about partnering with them.”

The preparation the safety team had to go through before homecoming was extensive, as they wanted to make sure they had every necessary area covered with officers.

DuRose explained, “As we get closer to homecoming, we really have a plan in place to make sure that we’re having regular communic-

1tions with MNSU, regular communications with College Town management, and the organizers of the events, and all of the property managers and people like that too.”

He also pointed out the importance of a strong communication line between officers and event organizers to help everyone get through the weekend with minimal issues. While the officers working through the long weekend will be at the events to ensure safety, they also want students to enjoy homecoming, especially since there wasn’t a traditional homecoming last year.

“There’s a certain level of proactivity we want to have and if we see things that are kind of brewing up, we want to make sure we take care of them right away. But, at the same time, we do want to make sure to allow people to have a good time and be safe with it and be able to address any behaviors early on in an effort to prevent something more significant down the road.”

When it comes to dealing with the party scene in Mankato, Public Safety sets forward a plan to not take away any of the party’s fun but still keep everyone safe.

“We’re not trying to prevent anybody from having fun and enjoying the night or the weekend, but we also want to make sure that people are being responsible, they’re being safe and understand that for some people, with behaviors and age, with that comes some consequences from time to time.

The priority is really making sure that everybody is as safe as they possibly can be.”

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Thursday, September 30, 2021

News

PREACH Continued from page 1 Sister Cindy, who went on to explain the reasoning behind the usage. “Its about more than sex. Being a ‘ho’ is committing any kind of sin.”

Equipped with her new slogan written on her tee-shirt, Sister Cindy and Brother Jed took to the Memorial Library lawn Wednesday, hoping to sway students to their belief system.

Before going viral, the organization relied heavily on antagonizing messages to muster up a crowd of college students, but now, drawing such a crowd has gotten easier.

“It all seemed to change back in March when Cindy went viral on TikTok,” said Brother Jed “Now, all of the sudden people are waiting for us when we come to campus.”

Students, on the other hand, attended the gathering with hopes of entertainment, rather than religious fulfillment.

Kye Hanson, a student living in the dorms, was drawn to the crowd when he heard a commotion outside of his dorm window.

“She had a lot of likes on TikTok, and I thought it was kind of funny,” said Hanson, who quickly ran down to see them in action.

Bella Watts, a student at MNSU, also attended the gathering for the entertainment value.

“I’ve always seen them on social media and thought it would be funny to come watch them,” said Watts, “It’s weird because you can’t tell if its satire or if it’s something that they actually believe.”

Student Jillian Brenner had a good time listening to Sister Cindy, but was less excited to listen to Brother Jed’s teachings. “It was just uncomfortable when he was up there,” said Brenner, noting her discomfort due to Brother Jed’s misogynistic rhetoric. “He was talking about women’s bodies.”

Brother Jed stands by that while his teachings might be viewed as silly and provoke anger from the crowd, that it leads to the growth of his listeners.

“A lot of people come out to be entertained and make their jokes,” said Brother Jed, “but over dinner tonight or whatever they are doing in their dorm, they will talk about what they observed here.”

At its peak, over 100 students were listening to the campus preachers on the Memorial Library lawn.

Although Brother Jed (bottom) and his wife Sister Cindy have traveled to campuses for decades, the two have recently found fame and virality on TikTok due to their unusually unique style of religious preaching.

Photos by MANSOOR AHMAD • The Reporter

MSU Reporter • 11

12 • MSU Reporter

Thursday, Sept

MAVERICK HOM

PARADE ROUTE & SC

ACADEMIC & ADMINISTRATION

COLD STORAGE

RESIDENCE COMMUNITY

CORE

CHILDREN’S HOUSE

MAINTE NANCE & PRINTI BUILDINNG G

ATHLETICS/REC

RE

WC

STUDENT UNION

Crawford Residence Community

E HALL

F HALL

LOT 14A McElroy Residence

Community

LOT 13

CR

CARKOSKI COMMONS

CC

L HALL K HALL

UNIVERSITY DINING CENTER

UP

G HALL

MC

H HALL Preska Residence Community I HALL

PS

ANDREAS THEATRE

JANE RUSH GATHERING PLACE

J HALL

ML

PA

MARSOSCHMITZ PLAZA

NH

MEMORIAL LIBRARY

LOT 10

WH

TE

TN

TR

AH SU

JS

BARNES & NOBLE BOOKSTORE

SU

Julia A. Sears Residence Community

SU

CENTENNIAL STUDENT UNION

WA

MH

HN PH

HC

OTTO RECREATION CENTER

FH

TS

ARBORETUM

CLINICAL SCIENCES TOWARD TOMORROW

SCHELLBERG GYM

JS

OSTRANDER STUDENT BELL TOWER

CS

LOT 5A

(

HC

TC

MF

TAYLOR CENTER & BRESNAN ARENA

MYERS FIELD HOUSE

HC POOL

ADMISSIONS

CLIMBING WALL

S

CROSS WALK

TENNIS COURTS

TOUCHDOWN CLUB Tailgating

M

LOT 2

NEIGH BORH OOD DETOU R FOR

DISC GOLF WOMEN’S SOFTBALL DIAMOND

RUGBY PITCH

FIELD #2

BLAKESLEE STADIUM

FIELD #1

FOOTBALL PRACTICE FIELDS

JE A N

PARAD E

FIELD #3

M

PRESIDENT’S PANCAKE FEED 9AM-11AM MAVERICK SOCCER FIELDMIDWAY TRACK

ALUMNI ZONE

MAVERICK MIDWAY CC A

R T HY WAY

BOWYER FIELD BASEBALL DIAMOND

NEIGHBO

CONCESSIONS RESTROOMS

LACROSSE FIELD

WOMEN’S SOCCER PITCH

CLIMBING WALL

NEIGHBORHOOD DET OUR FOR PARADE

NEIGHBORHOOD DETOUR FOR PARADE

THE EDGE APARTMENTS

MULTI-PURPOSE FIELDS FLAG FOOTBALL/SOFTBALL/ HAMMER/DISCUS

This document is available in alternative format to individuals with disabilities by calling “The Campus Hub” at 507-389-1866 (V), 800-627-3529 or 711 (MRS/TTY). Minnesota S

tember 30, 2021

MSU Reporter • 13

MECOMING 2021

CHEDULE OF EVENTS PARADE MAP

EVENTS

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2021

HOMECOMING ROYALTY VOTING

Route

HTTPS://MANKATO-MNSU.PRESENCE.IO/FORM/2021HOMECOMING-ROYALTY-VOTING

Line-Up General Units Neighborhood Detour for Parade Police Officer with Car

Voting opens September 27th at 8 AM and is open until 7:30 PM September 30th

MEDALLION HUNT

Road Blocked

Win the Ultimate Fan Package!

Clues available at: MavAve, Student Events Team Instagram and MNSU Website

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 30 Drive Through Food Pantry

AF

11:00 AM - Parking Lot 20

KMSU-FM (RADIO STATION)

Office Decorating Contest Judging 2:00 PM - Minnesota State Campus

Homecoming Lip Sync 7:00 PM - Bresnan Arena

UNIVERSITY SQUARE MALL

SH

Royalty Voting Closes 7:30 PM - Online

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 1

MAVERICK CORRAL Tailgating

Athletics Hall of Fame 2021 6:00 PM - CSU Ballroom

HOCO 2021 Concert: Jesse McCartney MIDDLE ROAD

NEIGHBORHOOD DETOUR

MIDDLE ROAD NEIGHBORHOOD DETOUR FOR PARADE

7:30 PM - Myers Fieldhouse

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2 President’s Pancake Breakfast 9:00 AM - Blakeslee Stadium

2021 Homecoming Parade

ORHOOD DETOUR FOR PARADE

12:00 PM - Warren Stret, Mankato

NEIGHBORHOOD DETOUR FOR PARADE

SD

MAVERICK ALL-SPORTS DOME

State University, Mankato is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity University. Rev. 8/19

Homecoming Football Tailgating 12:00 PM - Lot 20 - Blakeslee Stadium

Alumni Zone 12:30 PM - Blakeslee Stadium

Football vs. Concordia-St. Paul 2:00 PM - Blakeslee Stadium

14 • MSU Reporter

Thursday, September 30, 2021

SECOND CHANCE Maverick hockey travel to UMass as they take on the defending National Champions

By DANIEL McELROY Sports Editor The long wait is finally over.

Maverick hockey is back.

Minnesota State hockey is getting back on the ice this weekend when they travel to UMass to take on the defending National Champions.

The Mavericks are coming off a trip to the program’s first NCAA Frozen Four, and despite wanting to continue their progress, it is time to move on.

“We’ve got to focus on what’s in front of us,” head coach Mike Hastings said in a press conference on Wednesday.

“At this time of the year when you don’t have anything else to talk about except what has happened in the past, it’s sometimes hard for your student athletes to focus on what’s in your future,” said Hastings.

Hastings has no worries that his team will keep looking forward and focus on what this team can accomplish.

The Mavericks have a new group this year with ten new guys on the roster, including transfers Josh Groll from University of Michigan, Benton Maass from University of New Hampshire, and David Silye from Clarkson University.

“We need those guys to step in and play right away and be effective,” Hastings said. “The things I’ve appreciated from them, getting here and then what they’ve done going forward, is there really hasn’t been a bump in the road for them.”

The new group of players will be replacing seven seniors from last season,

MANSOOR AHMAD • The Reporter The Mavericks come into the 2021-22 season with 10 new players, including three transfer students, and seven freshman.

including captain Riese Zmolek, who is now signed with the Iowa Wild.

Taking over Riese’s role as captain is senior defenseman Wyatt Aamodt, who will look to lead in the form of his predecessors.

“Obviously a great honor, coming

in my freshman year, Max Coatta was our captain and I learned a lot from him. I’ve never been around someone that’s worked as hard as he has the pride to wear the Maverick like he did,” Aamodt said about wearing the “C” for the first time.

Aamodt comes into the season with a 4-13-17 score line in his 82 games as a Maverick.

“It’s obviously hard to beat a team who’s coming off a championship when they’re hanging a banner in WE’RE BACK on page 15 u

Minnesota State Soccer travels to take on Moorhead, Northern

By DANIEL McELROY • Sports Editor

DYLAN ENGEL • The Reporter The Mavericks currently sit in sixth place in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, tied with Northern State, Concordia-St. Paul, and St. Cloud.

After coming off a 1-0-1 week at home last weekend, the Minnesota State soccer team (4-2-1, 2-1-1 NSIC) is set to head out on the road where they will take on MSU Moorhead (0-7, 0-4 NSIC) and Northern State (3-2-1, 2-1-1 NSIC).

Tomorrow the Mavericks will play the Dragons’ home pitch, although they should not be too worried about coming out on top, with the Dragons’ being winless through seven games this year.

Historically, the Mavericks have only lost two matches in the teams history since 1995.

Oh, and those two losses? 1996 and 1997.

15 straight wins for the mavericks and coming off a 5-0 win at home, against a Moorhead team that hasn’t had a regular season win since November of 2019 is a recipe for success for the Minnesota State Mavericks.

The Dragons have only scored one goal through seven games this year, while allowing 18.

Mankato, on the other hand, is seeing a positive goal differential through their seven games this year, scoring 14 and only allowing eight.

Meanwhile, Northern State might give the Mavericks a bit more trouble.

The Wolves are neck and neck with Minnesota State in the NSIC rankings, each having a 2-1-1 NSIC record (7 conference points).

In a series dating back to 2004, the Mavericks hold a 15-1-1 record, taking their lone loss in a 1-0 bout in 2010.

Jenny Vetter looks to lead her team to victory this weekend, tying for the second most goals in the NSIC with four through seven games.

The Mavericks rotations in net can be a defining moment for this weekend, as we saw redshirt freshman Ava Blackney get her first minutes in net.

Thursday, September 30, 2021

Mavs take on top 25 teams in Duluth and St. Cloud

MANSOOR AHMAD • The Reporter

By DANIEL McELROY Sports Editor Duluth and St. Cloud are two cities that have always been relevant to Mankato.

Whether it’s rivalries in sports, or students picking which universities to attend.

Well this weekend, the Minnesota State volleyball team will go toe to toe with both of them.

Tomorrow, the Mavericks will continue their road trip and take on No. 22 Minnesota Duluth as they come off a 3-0 win against Moorhead.

The Bulldogs have gotten the best of MSU in the past, holding a 10-27 record since 1992, and 1-9 record in the last ten meetings.

Despite having a 9-4 overall record this year, Minnesota Duluth is just 2-3 against NSIC teams.

Two of their losses came from top five Division II volleyball teams in Southwest Minnesota State and Wayne State, while the third was a 3-1 loss against Augustana.

Cianna Selbitschka of Minnesota Duluth ranks third in the NSIC in kills, with a total of 210 (4.20/set), and will be a force to be reckoned with against the Minnesota State defense.

That being said, Kiya Durant leads not just the Mavericks, but the entirety of the NSIC in blocks with 56 total,

WE’RE BACK Continued from page 14 front of a sold out crowd, so it’s going to be a good first test for us but we’re definitely looking forward to it.”

UMass starts the season out as the No. 1 ranked team in the country, while the Mavericks sit at rank No. 5.

Senior goaltender Dryden McKay comes back for his fourth season as a Maverick, wanting to make the most of his final season.

No one wants to come out of the college season with-

averaging 1.27/set.

On top of that, Mara Quam ranks third in the NSIC with 246 digs, averaging 4.82/set.

Although, the tough outing won’t stop there.

A couple days later, the Mavericks will take on the No. 16 and second place NSIC St. Cloud State Huskies.

The Huskies are 10-3 this season, while staying undefeated through five NSIC games.

SCSU is coming off a weekend where they took down No. 5 Southwest Minnesota State in dominating fashion, and a close bout with the University of Sioux Falls, taking the road win 3-2.

The Huskies obtained their wins primarily through a team effort and great passing, ranking second in the NSIC in assists with 629 (13.10/set).

The Mavericks have the winning side in the series that dates back to 1992, holding a 33-21 record, while being 7-3 in the last ten matchups.

Minnesota State came out on top in their last meeting in 2019, in a close 3-2 match.

This will be the Mavericks’ second week on road, until they return home for a four game home stand that closes out with the No. 7 Wayne State College Wildcats. out any hardware to bring to home, but that’s not to say he hasn’t earned any accolades in his time at Mankato.

Starting out the season, McKay earned the title of being unanimously voted on the CCHA Preseason All-Conference Team.

Going into his final season, McKay has a chance to beat Ryan Miller’s NCAA shutout record of 26 career shutouts.

Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m. ET and 4 p.m. ET Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

Sports

MSU Reporter • 15

Mavs face CSP for Hoco game

By KOLE BUELOW Staff Writer The Homecoming matchup of the season is finally upon us as the No. 17 Minnesota State football team is ready to host Concordia-St. Paul this weekend. The Mavericks are 9-0 against the Golden Bears since 2011, and are hosting the Golden Bears this weekend in the hopes of continuing their win streak to ten.

The Mavs have historically taken care of the Golden Bears by a decent margin, averaging over 40 points in their last six contests. Minnesota State has also not let Concordia-St.Paul score over 13 points in a game since 2012.

In their previous contest, the Mavericks came out on top with a 29-3 win in St. Paul. This will be the first contest between the teams since 2019 after last season was cut because of COVID-19.

MSU will surely not overlook the Golden Bears in this one, but are poised to put a show on for the homecoming crowd this weekend.

The Mavericks lean on a dual quarterback offense, using quarterbacks senior JD Ekowa and redshirt freshman Hayden Ekern nearly equally. Ekowa brings scrambling upside to the table, currently tied for the team lead in rushing touchdowns with four.

Ekern is the smart pocket passer, supporting a 173.3 rating and a team-leading four passing touchdowns on just 41 attempts. Ekern also brings his own rushing dynamic to the quarterback room, while he leads the position in rushing yards as well.

As far as skill positions go, the Mavericks have amazing talent at the running back and wide receiver position.

The running back room is absolutely filled with telent, led

MANSOOR AHMAD • The Reporter The Minnesota State Mavericks currently sit in second place in the NSIC South division rankings, tied with Wayne State and Winona State at 3-1.

by sophomore Kaleb Sleezer.

Sleezer leads the Mavs backfield in yards and touchdowns, but redshirt freshman Charles Coleman is a very good second running back who averages 11.6 yards per carry.

Junior wide receiver Jalen Sample leads the Mavs wide receiver corps in yards and catches, while senior Nyles Williams backs up Sample and leads in touchdowns.

Williams is also a very dangerous special teams player, and he showed just that against Minot State in the Mavericks’ previous contest.

Williams returned a punt for a 90 yard touchdown against the Beavers, and is prepped and ready to use his elite vision and speed against CSP this weekend.

On the defensive side of the ball, MSU is led by seniors Eli Thomas and Ty’Shonan Brooks. The two either lead or are tied for the lead in total tackles for their respective positions with 17 and 11.

Brooks leads the Mavericks in interceptions on the season with two, each coming in the past two games. Brooks has a chance to make his interception streak three, with

at least one pick this weekend.

The Golden Bears come in with an overall record of 1-3, but have some amazing talent on both sides of the ball.

CSP is led by freshman quarterback Conner Cordts, who is very efficient at his position. Cordts has only thrown one interception on the year, along with 800 yards and six touchdowns.

Freshman running back Jay Richardson and junior wide receiver Isaiah Koran are the Golden Bears leaders in each of their respective skill positions. The Golden Bears strength in offense comes behind a young core, and should be exciting to watch in the future if all holds true.

Sophomore linebacker Andrew Egnarski is the face of the Concordia-St.Paul defense. Egnarski leads the team in total tackles with 27 and has 3.5 sacks on the year.

As only a sophomore, Egnarski is an absolute monster in the box and only adds to the Golden Bears young and impressive core. The two teams are set to kick off Saturday, October 2 at 2 p.m. at Blakeslee Stadium in Mankato.

Beat

CONCORDIA ST. PAUL! PRESIDENT EDWARD S. INCH, PH.D.

16 • MSU Reporter

Sports

Thursday, September 30, 2021

Looking into week 4 of fantasy football in the NFL

By KOLE BUELOW Staff Writer Week three of the NFL season has concluded, which allows us to step back and take a look at the multitude of boom and bust performances across the league.

After three weeks have passed, it is also important to note which players continue to struggle despite having great seasons last year.

You never want to hold on to players for too long, as their trade value can fluctuate tremendously week to week.

Heading into week four there is a lot of buy low and sell high candidates that will catch your eye.

Two amazing buy low candidates include stud wide receivers Stefon Diggs and DeAndre Hopkins.

Diggs has had some decent weeks to start the season, but none compared to the run he made last year that made him a top three PPR format wide out last year.

The Bills keep throwing the ball at a league high rate, Diggs just has not seen his normal produc- DeAndre tion quite yet. Hopkins As far as Hopkins goes, the Cardinals run a similar pass heavy offense like the Bills do.

Hopkins has been dealing with a rib injury, and posted a

ADRIAN KRAUS • Associated Press Washington Football Team’s Benjamin St-Juste (25) defends Buffalo Bills’ Stefon Diggs (14) during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021, in Orchard Park, N.Y.

five point dud this past week against a very bad Jaguars team.

Hopkins is the definition of durable, and may as well be one of the toughest players in the league.

Hopkins has played at least 15 regular season games in every single season he has been in the NFL, and plays through any minor injuries that may be bothering him.

Once Hopkins feels ready to go again, he will be back to putting up monster statlines.

Go trade for these guys at the

low if you can.

On the sell if you can side of fantasy includes last year’s wide receiver nine, Allen Robinson.

Robinson has seemed to QB proof his whole career up to this Allen point, being a Robinson viable fantasy option with nearly all mediocre at best quarterbacks he’s caught passes from for the Bears.

This year might be the year we find out Robinson cannot escape this situation.

Rookie quarterback Justin Fields started his first game for the Bears this past Sunday, throwing for only 68 passing yards and zero scores.

No wide receiver in the league can remain a viable fantasy option with quarterback play that bad. It might be time to panic on Robinson if the Bears continue to struggle.

The waiver wire for week four is loaded with quite a few players worth picking up,

highlighted by Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard and Raiders wide receiver Hunter Renfrow. Hubbard has been the backup to starter Christian McCaffery to start the season, but with McCaffery’s recent hamstring injury, Hubbard is an easy pickup and plug in option this week.

Hubbard is undoubtedly the RB1 in Carolina when McCaffery is down, and an easy fantasy option as he will see nearly all the running back touches.

Renfrow has been a security blanket for Raiders quarterback Derek Carr Darren this season.

The Raid- Waller ers offense runs through tight end Darren Waller, but when he is not open, Carr loves to look Renfrow’s way.

Renfrow has not been an absolute stud this season, but maintains flex spot value week to week if your bench is running thin.

The defensive pickups of the week are quite simple. The two defenses recommended to go for this week should be on the waiver wire, as they have not had the best fantasy starts to the season. However, they both play in good matchups against rookie quarterbacks.

The pickups of the week are the Tennessee Titans and the Cincinnati Bengals, get them and start them if you can.

REPORTER PICK ‘EM • WEEK #4 #3 JAGUARS @ BENGALS

TITANS @ NY JETS

CHIEFS @ EAGLES

PANTHERS @ COWBOYS

NY GIANTS @ SAINTS

BROWNS @ VIKINGS

LIONS @ BEARS

TEXANS @ BILLS

COLTS @ DOLPHINS

WASHINGTON @ FALCONS

SEAHAWKS @ 49ERS

CARDINALS @ LA RAMS

STEELERS @ PACKERS

RAVENS @ BRONCOS

BUCCANEERS RAIDERS @ @ PATRIOTS LA CHARGERS

DANIEL MCELROY Sports Editor KOLE BUELOW Sports Writer MAXWELL MAYLEBEN Editor in Chief JENNA PETERSON News Director MANSOOR AHMAD Media Director DANA CLARK Ad Design Mgr. BAYLEE SORENSEN Ad Sales Rep. ROBB MURRAY Editorial Consultant

STANDINGS After Week #3

1ST PLACE Kole Buelow

Overall (32-16) Last Week (12-4)

2ND PLACE Dana Clark

Overall (30-18) Last Week (11-5)

3RD PLACE Daniel McElroy

Overall (28-20) Last Week (10-6)

4TH PLACE Jenna Peterson

Overall (27-21) Last Week (11-5)

5TH PLACE Mansoor Ahmad

Overall (26-22) Last Week (11-5)

LAST PLACE (TIE) Robb Murray Overall (24-24) Last Week (7-9)

LAST PLACE (TIE) Baylee Sorensen* Overall (24-24) Last Week (10-6)

LAST PLACE (TIE) Maxwell Mayleben Overall (24-24) Last Week (10-6)

Thursday, September 30, 2021

Sports

Manny announces retirement JOHN LOCHER • Associated Press

Maverick hockey will be put to the test against No. 5 Duluth

MSU Reporter • 17

By KOLE BUELOW Staff Writer The Minnesota State women’s hockey team is headed back home from their road trip to Massachusetts for their matchup against Minnesota Duluth this weekend.

The Mavericks walked away from their two-game series against Merrimack College unscathed, coming back to Mankato with an overall record of 2-0.

The Mavs are now set to play their first home series of the year against the Bulldogs, and their first interconference matches as well. The Bulldogs come into this game with no previous games played this season.

We did get to see these teams play last year despite COVID restrictions, where Minnesota Duluth took care of the Mavericks in a 4-0 season sweep. The Bulldogs heavily outscored the Mavericks in the beginning of the season series, by a margin of 12-3.

The same did not hold true for the remaining two games, where each game was decided by a one goal margin. It will be difficult to know what to expect from both teams this weekend with such a small sample size on the season, but we should be in for a great matchup nonetheless.

Duluth has also not lost

Manny Pacquiao, left, of the Philippines, receives a punch from Yordenis Ugas, of Cuba, in a boxing match in Las Vegas.

MANSOOR AHMAD • The Reporter The Minnesota State Mavericks will play their first WCHA games this weekend against Minnesota Duluth.

to Minnesota State since the 2016-17 season, despite several games ending in a tie in that stretch. The Mavericks will look to end that streak this weekend.

There is not much separation in points leaders only two games into the season, but junior defenseman Charlotte Akervik leads Minnesota State in points with five.

Akervik is doing so with one goal and four assists while also leading the team in plus-minus at +8.

There is a four-way tie for second place in points on the team for the Mavs, but senior forward Brooke Bryant is the team leader in goals this season with three. Bryant also has one assist on the season and holds a plus-minus of plus three.

Between the pipes stands junior Calla Frank. Frank only played in one of the two games this past weekend, but seems to be the clear cut first option at goaltender for the Mavs.

Frank has not let in a goal this season after seeing 16 shots in her first appearance.

Behind Frank is sophomore goaltender Lauren Barbro, who played in game two of the two game series against Merrimack this past weekend.

Barbro faced 30 shots against the Warriors, saving 27 of them, good enough to hold a .900 save percentage to start the season, and Barbro looks to be a great second option for the Mavericks if needed.

ASSOCIATED PRESS Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao is officially hanging up his gloves.

The eight-division world champion and Philippine senator on Wednesday announced his retirement from the ring.

“I would like to thank the whole world, especially the Filipino people, for supporting Manny Pacquiao. Goodbye boxing,” the 42-year-old said in a video posted on his Facebook page. “It is difficult for me to accept that my time as a boxer is over. Today I am announcing my retirement.”

Pacquiao finished his 26year, 72-fight career with 62 wins, eight losses and two draws.

Of those 62 wins, 39 were by knockout and 23 by decision. He won 12 world titles and is the only fighter in history to win titles in eight different weight classes.

His retirement from boxing followed a disheartening defeat to Yordenis Ugas in Paradise, Nevada, on Aug. 21. The younger Cuban boxer beat Pacquiao by unanimous decision, retaining his WBA welterweight title. It was Pacquiao’s first fight in more than two years. “Thank you for changing my life.

When my family was desperate, you gave us hope, you gave me the chance to fight my way out of poverty,” Pacquiao said in the video.

“Because of you, I was able to inspire people all over the world. Because of you I have been given the courage to change more lives.”

Pacquaio had hinted at retirement recently. It had also been expected because he is setting his sights on a bigger political battlefield. Earlier this month, he accepted his political party’s nomination and declared he will run for Philippines president.

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18 • MSU Reporter

Sports

Brady vs. Belichick? Numbers don’t lie but it’s not that simple

Thursday, September 30, 2021

Andy Reid back working after brief hospitalization ASSOCIATED PRESS

STEVE LUCIANO • Associated Press Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (12) is interviewed on the field after the NFL Super Bowl 55 football game against the Kansas City Chiefs, in Tampa, Fla., Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021.

ASSOCIATED PRESS Without Bill Belichick, Tom Brady won his seventh Super Bowl and is on pace to throw a career-high 53 touchdown passes at age 44.

Without Brady under center, Belichick is 63-75 over his career, including 8-11 since the future Hall of Fame quarterback left New England for Tampa Bay. Brady vs. Belichick? The numbers don’t lie, but it’s not that simple.

The ultimate NFL grudge match takes center stage Sunday night when Brady returns to face the Patriots (1-2) for the first time with the Buccaneers (2-1).

For many, the Brady vs. Belichick debate ended when No. 12 led the Buccaneers to a convincing 31-9 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs and earned his fifth Super Bowl MVP award last February. Brady’s success in Tampa and Belichick’s struggles since the GOAT left Patriot Place proves the quarterback was more valuable than the coach. It’s clear the Patriots wouldn’t have won six Super Bowl titles without Brady.

Former Patriots cornerback Asante Samuel said Belichick is “ just another coach ” without Brady.

However, it’s fair to say Brady wouldn’t have earned six rings in New England without Belichick. He drafted Brady in the sixth round with the 199th overall pick and built a dynasty around him led by a tenacious defense that helped them tremendously during their two decades together.

The Patriots won their first Super Bowl because their defense stymied Kurt Warner and the “Greatest Show on Turf” Rams. The defense did it again against Sean McVay’s Rams in Brady and Belichick’s final championship season.

Of course, Brady led the offense on the winning drive in the final minutes of that first one and the clinching drive late in the fourth quarter of the last one.

Belichick’s defense was a no-show when Brady threw for 505 yards in a Super Bowl loss to Nick Foles and the Philadelphia Eagles.

That defense needed Brady to bail them out a year earlier in the stunning 34-28 comeback win over Atlanta in overtime.

“What Brady has been able to do in his career I’ll never take anything away from him.

Greatest athlete in my opinion to ever play any sport, and obviously, the greatest football player,” said former Patriots tight end Jermaine Wiggins, a member of New England’s first championship team. “But for me I look at Bill, and what Bill has done for this organization, it’s about drafting guys and bringing guys in here and giving guys opportunities. And he gave Brady that opportunity. Tom Brady, a lot of the stuff he knows now and I think what you’re seeing down in Tampa, Brady has taken everything that Bill taught him and now implemented in Tampa - getting those to buy in down there.”

So, Brady vs. Belichick depends on the question.

Who needed the other more? The best answer just might be they needed each other.

Belichick’s strategy, attention to detail and emphasis on discipline was vital. Brady’s talent, drive and work ethic made winning possible. Brady needed Belichick more in his 20s than he did in his late 30s and now in his 40s.

He’s thriving in Bruce Arians’ offense surrounded by excellent playmakers at the skill positions.

“Well, I have 20 years of being there and, obviously he’s a great mentor for me,” Brady said this week on his SiriusXM podcast. “And, yes, there’s definitely great lessons I’ve learned from him. He’s a great football coach and he does a great job for his team. Any player I think they would just hope that their coaches give them everything they’ve got, and I’m sure every great coach wants every player to give them everything they’ve got. And I think that’s what makes a great relationship.”

Who is more important to a team’s success?

Brady hoisted another Vince Lombardi Trophy and playfully tossed it from one boat to another in his first season after leaving New England. Belichick doesn’t even have a winning record with all other QBs. “Tom’s had an unbelievable career. There’s not enough superlatives and adjectives to compliment him on everything he’s achieved and continues to achieve,” Belichick said. “It’s unbelievably impressive. Nothing Tom does surprises me. He’s a great player.”

Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid was back to work Wednesday as if nothing was amiss, three days after he was taken to the hospital with an illness and dehydration following a loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.

Reid was released from The University of Kansas Hospital on Monday and wasted no time getting back to the team facility on Tuesday, when the team typically goes through film reviews and begins preparation for the upcoming week.

That allowed Reid to move seamlessly into Wednesday, when the Chiefs have their most important full-squad practice of game week. They began putting in the game plan for Sunday’s trip to Philadelphia, where they will try

to snap a rare two-game skid against the team where Reid spent the first 14 seasons of his head coaching career.

“I’m feeling great first of all,” Reid said. “It’s good to be back and just getting on with business as usual here.”

The Chiefs declined to provide any information about Reid’s health, and he was similarly effective in batting away questions on Wednesday. The 63-year-old coach doesn’t have a known history of significant health issues, though he’s spoken about in the past about losing weight and getting into better shape; he was using a cane over the summer.

“I’d probably just skip that. I’ll just leave it,” Reid said of his health. “I’m not much for talking about all that stuff. I wish it had never happened. It did.”

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Thursday, September 30, 2021

What shows are students watching now

By SYDNEY BERGGREN Staff Writer

Every student needs a comfort show, something to watch when they have had a long, stressful day, or even a good day that needs a chilled out ending.

Minnesota State University, Mankato students have a variety of suggestions and shows that they are loving right now.

Anna Hansan suggested cult-followed show “American Horror Story”. “I really like the cast,” said Hansan.

“American Horror Story” is an anthology horror television show with each season being a self-contained miniseries.

Many of the cast members remain the same while they play a new character each season.

Zoe Coates is currently watching, “Criminal Minds right now, because of Spencer Reid.”

This show revolves around an American crime drama that premiered in 2005 and ran for 15 years.

It can be watched on Amazon Prime Video.

Senior, Becca Stark, has recently found a love for “Big Brother Australia”.

“I had seen a bunch of Facebook videos about it, and it looked really cool.

I’m really enjoying it so far.”

“Big Brother” is a show where people live together, isolated from the outside world, to compete for a cash prize.

The Australian version requires a VPN to watch, but the American version can be found on Paramount+.

“I am really enjoying Q-Force on Netflix right now,” said MNSU sophomore, Chase Belka. “It is really funny and entertaining.”

“Q-Force” is a Netflix original animated adult comedy about a group of scrappy underdog LGBTQ+ spies that premiered its first 10 episodes earlier this month.

When asked about her current favorite show, Grace Zimmerman simply said, “Schitt’s CreekWATCH on page 21 u

MSU Reporter • 19

Students getting fired up for homecoming

By LILLY SCHMIDT Staff Writer

To kick off homecoming week, Minnesota State University, Makato hosted a bonfire and fireworks event at Blakeslee Stadium Monday night.

The festivities were welcomed with a short speech from MNSU President, Edward Inch, followed by the encompassing lighting of the fire in front of gathered students and the band playing from behind.

Inch shared that the crowd for the event was the largest in the event’s history.

Phones were raised to take numerous pictures and videos of the fire so students could showcase their school pride.

Following the band’s performance, a DJ played live music for students to enjoy, and giveaway prizes were handed out to students.

Around 9 p.m. the firework show started, lasting roughly 20 minutes.

In addition to this, the school provided an inflatable obstacle course. Tiara Nietfeld, a student at MNSU, was pleasantly surprised by them, saying, “I like the obstacle course!”

Ali Mcnamara, another MNSU student, attended the bonfire and shared, “My favorite part was the community getting together and

MANSOOR AHMAD • The Reporter Members of color guard of the Maverick Machine performing before the Monday night bonfire as students kick off the week of homecoming

it was really fun to hang out with friends.” Mcnamara also plans to attend as many of the other homecoming events as possible.

Christian Hickethier stated “I’m disappointed that this is the only event that I’m able to attend because I work during the other events.”

MNSU student, Tai Craft, explained their expectation and excitement to attend other homecoming events as well in support for friends.

“My CA is one of the royalty, so I kinda have too.”

The week’s itinerary includes the food eating contest held Tuesday, an office decorating contest, lip sync battle, and the closing of royalty voting today.

On Friday Jesse McCartney will be the artist for the homecoming concert, and Saturday is the big day of tailgating, watching the parade, and cheering on the Mavericks in the game.

Of these events, Mcnamara said the one she is most looking forward to is, “Probably the lip sync battle.” This opin-

ion was echoed by MNSU student Lindsay Cortese, who has been encouraging classmates to attend the event.

MNSU student Jackie Krupa is excited to attend the parade, something Nietfeld mentioned as well.

Overall, the school spirit is hard to miss this week, and students are encouraged to participate in events. Mcnamara encourages others, “It’s fun, you’re gonna meet new friends, everybody is super nice you’ll want to come.”

Fall-ow these tips and tricks for the best October

By EMMA JOHNSON Staff Writer

Say what you want about the summer’s heat and all the fun that it entails. Fall is one of the best times of the year.

It’s still sunny and warm, but you get to enjoy the warmth of a sweatshirt. Colorful leaves are scattered on the ground and there are so many seasonal events that are worth attending. If you follow the list below, you are guaranteed to have the best fall.First off, fall is the season of football.

Whether you are a die-hard fan or are just in the stands to make friends, attending at least one game is crucial. Attend a tailgate before the game to pump up your school spirit.

If you like to entertain, why not throw an NFL game day party complete with plenty of snacks such as buffalo chicken dip, wings and nachos?

Second, visit an apple or-

Reporter Archives

chard. Spending an hour or two in the orchard not only is great for those fall photo-ops but you can score some sweet treats, such as fresh-baked apple pie and caramel apples.

Welsh Heritage Farms in Lake Crystal and A-Peeling Acres Orchard in New Ulm make a day trip to an orchard in a pinch.

Throw on your favorite

flannel and get picking!

If you go to an apple orchard, it is necessary to make a stop at a pumpkin patchThe Little Green Wagon and Autumn Acres Farms here in Mankato are worth going to in order to find pumpkins of all shapes and sizes. Find cute small ones to put in your dorm or large ones that can be carved into jack-o’-lanterns.

Bonus tip: hit up a pumpkin patch and apple orchard on the same day and bake treats with all of your new harvests.

If walking through the woods doesn’t seem like the best way to get out and enjoy the air, find a corn maze.

If you can’t find your way to the center, you’ll at least have fun trying. As well as pumpkins, Autumn Acres and Little Green Wagon host corn mazes. For an added thrill, go around sunset. Not being able to see in the dark only adds FALL on page 20 u

20 • MSU Reporter

Variety

Reels, Rosebud and R2-D2: The academy museum is set to roll ASSOCIATED PRESS The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has wanted to open a museum dedicated to films and filmmaking for nearly as long as its members have been making movies with sound and handing out Oscars. It finally happens with Thursday’s opening of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.

Here’s a spoiler-free look at Los Angeles’ new seven-story, 300,000-square-foot movie palace.

The museum has been hanging in the Hollywood air so long that the word “finally” is found in nearly every story or comment on the opening.

“Finally, at last, boy howdy hey, welcome to the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures,” Tom Hanks said at a media preview last week. Hanks, a member of the board of directors, led the fundraising for the $388 million project along with fellow actor Annette Bening and Walt Disney Executive Chairman Robert Iger.

Announced in 2011 and first slated to open as early as 2016, the museum was beset with delays that are typical for such a project, along with novel ones, like the discovery of Ice Age fossils more suited to the La Brea Tar Pits down the block. Then came a wave of pandemic postponements.

Youtube video thumbnail Academy President David Rubin told The Associated Press that the institution was playing the long game, and that the museum, at least in concept, was in the works not for a decade but nearly a century.

“We’ve kept the candle burning for 92 years, said Rubin, the fifth president since the project was announced. ”We’ve weathered a lot of vicissitudes to get here. But it’s time.” Bruce, a shark made from the “Jaws” mold, hangs above the museum’s bank of escalators. It’s one of the few

FALL Continued from page 19 more fun. As October arrives, it is time to get into the Halloween spirit. There are several spooky events to attend.

ValleyScare opens Saturday and runs through Halloween night. With plenty of haunting shows to attend, frightening mazes to walk and terrifying scare zones to make your way through, you’ll leave

RICHARD SHOTWELL • Associated Press The exterior of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures appears on Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021, in Los Angeles. The museum opens in Los Angeles on Thursday.

features visitors can see in its open spaces. In order to take in the ruby slippers from “The Wizard of Oz,” a certain sled from “Citizen Kane” or the droids from “Star Wars,” they’ll need to enter darkened galleries as though they’re walking into a theater.

Filmmaking tools are a major theme inside. One exhibit is built around a Mount Rushmore backdrop used for Alfred Hitchcock’s “North by Northwest.” Another features more than a century of movie-making machines, including the giant-by-today’s-standards cutting machine used

by Thelma Schoonmaker to edit the films of Martin Scorsese.

And moving images abound from nearly every movie featured.

Hanks has measured very specifically how long it will take to watch every clip, look at every dress and read every word: “It’s going to take you 3 1/2 days.”

Academy leaders have been playing catch-up on issues of diversity at the Oscars in recent years. The museum allows them to pursue it from the start.

There are costumes from “The Wiz,” not just “The Wizard of Oz.” The featured inaugural exhibit celebrates the works of the legendary Japanese animator Hayao

Miyazaki.

The “Director’s Inspiration” gallery houses an exhibit on Spike Lee that includes costumes he wore in his films and a purple suit he wore to the Oscars in 2019, when he won best screenplay for “Black KkKlansman” but stormed out in anger when best picture went to “Green Book.”

Designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano, the museum consists of two buildings — one a former department store from 1939 and one newly erected — on Wilshire Boulevard next to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Piano told the AP that cinema informed his design from the start, from his use of shadow and light to the way he thought of the buildings as two character archetypes from classic Hollywood.

“The old lady and the beautiful young lady,” Piano said, and “the two are talking, connected by bridges.”

The new building is topped by a terrace and a concreteand-glass dome that is the museum’s visual signature. Piano thinks this could lead to a nickname like “The Shard,” which was given to a London skyscraper he designed. He said he sincerely hopes this one gets dubbed “the soap bubble,” not “The Death Star.”

with nightmares for weeks.

If you prefer to sleep, stick with the Great Pumpkin Fest side of the park for equally fun activities to participate in.

Haunted hayrides are another chilling event to partake in.

Chaska’s Abandoned Hayride and Cottage Grove’s Haunting Experience on Highway 61 have two of the scariest in the state. Finally, there is no better way to end fall than celebrating Halloween. With

the days of trick-or-treating long behind us, go to a Halloween party all dressed up.

Pro tip: your costume should outdo your last year.

If going out and partying isn’t your style, curl up on the couch, grab the popcorn and candy and throw on your favorite scary or non-scary Halloween movie. If you follow these tips, you should have no problem saying that fall 2021 was the best one yet.

Thursday, September 30, 2021

Activist Nakate seeks immediate action in Glasgow ASSOCIATED PRESS Ugandan climate activist Vanessa Nakate said Wednesday that youth delegates meeting in Milan want to see immediate action from leaders at the U.N. climate talks in Glasgow, Scotland — not cheap, last-ditch grasps at supporting polluting fuels before getting down to business.

Nakate is among 400 activists invited to Italy’s financial capital for a three-day Youth4Climate meeting that will draft a document for the 26th Climate Change Conference of the Parties, which opens on Oct. 31.

“If leaders and governments are going to talk about net zeroes or cutting emissions, halving emissions by 2030 or 2040 or 2050, that means it has to start now,″ Nakate told The Associated Press.” It doesn’t mean, if we are going to do it by 2030, between now and 2030 let’s open a coal power plant, you know, let’s frack some gas, or let us construct an oil pipeline. That is not the real climate action that we want,″ she said. “”If you are to go net zero by 2030, it has to start now.

Although the activists have traveled to Milan from 180 countries, Nakate said many have the feeling that their suggestions for the closing document that will be published Thursday are not welcome. She said the dynamic was “concerning.”

“It really feels like everything has been decided for us,″ Nakate, a 24-year-old with a degree in business ad-

ministration. Swedish activist Greta Thunberg similarly accused the organizers on Tuesday of bringing in “cherry-picked” delegates and pretending to listen.

But she said young people were speaking up, and had created their own working group on fossil fuels.

“Hopefully it’s something they can accept, she said.

Nakate gave an emotional opening speech to the gathering on Tuesday, calling out leaders for failing to meet financial pledges and describing the devastating impact of climate change at home in Uganda. While she said she was overwhelmed by the support she has received after her speech, she rejected the media’s tendency to dub leaders of the movement.

“It’s how people portray the climate movement, Nakate said. “It is not just one face or two faces. It’s communities. It is people who are organizing in different countries. I think that is the true face of the climate movement. The people who are standing up for the planet and a better future.”

In 2020, Nakate was cropped out of an Associated Press photo at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The AP apologized and acknowledged mistakes in how it initially responded.

Pope Francis on Wednesday praised young environmental activists for challenging global leaders to make good on promises to curb emissions and insisted that political leaders make wise decisions.

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Thursday, September 30, 2021

Variety

MSU Reporter • 21

Fighting wave of misinfo, YouTube bans false vaccine claims

Dollar Tree breaks their $1 barrier as costs take a bite ASSOCIATED PRESS

prepared statement.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Dollar Tree embedded in its very name what it stands for: Behind these doors, everything can be had for just $1.

The mantra to which the Chesapeake, Virginia, company has held true for decades will now be only mostly true.

After expanding nationwide from only a handful of stores in Georgia, Tennessee and Virginia, Dollar Tree is breaking the mold and will sell items in some locations that exceed the tantalizing $1 grab-n-go price.

The cost of clothes, cars, food and just about everything else has soared this year as the global economy emerges from a pandemic uppercut and Dollar Tree has not been untouched.

Last month the retail chain said that rising shipping costs would take a bite of $1.50 to $1.60 out of its per-share profits this year. That’s a huge hit for any business, perhaps more so for one founded decades ago steadfastly calling itself “Only $1.00 Inc.” “For decades, our customers have enjoyed the ‘thrillof-the-hunt’ for value at one dollar - and we remain committed to that core proposition - but many are telling us that they also want a broader product assortment when they come to shop,” said CEO Michael Witynski in a

Raising some prices will certainly give the national chain some flexibility and likely more variety on its shelves. But a dollar this year will not buy you what it did in 2020.

Annual inflation in the U.S. reached 4.2% in July, the highest in three decades. And this week in an appearance before Congress, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said that price increases have worsened amid snarled supply chains and rising labor costs.

That has hit businesses of every type, perhaps especially one that has held the line at $1 for decades.

Witynski said this week that Dollar Tree is a “testand-learn” company, and they’ll be watching how customers react.

The company had already begun testing higher prices at several hundred of its nearly 8,000 locations in a section of the store called “Dollar Tree Plus” with items that can go for as much as $5.

Items that can go for $1.25 to $1.50 will soon be found in the mix at some locations amid the typical assortment of $1 products.

Analysts with J.P. Morgan noted past conversations with Dollar Tree executives who cited a significant sales boost at stores offering a Plus section.

YouTube announced a sweeping crackdown of vaccine misinformation Wednesday that booted popular anti-vaccine influencers from its site and deleted false claims that have been made about a range of immunizations.

The video-sharing platform said it will no longer allow users to baselessly speculate that approved vaccines, like the ones given to prevent the flu or measles, are dangerous or cause diseases.

YouTube’s latest attempt to stem a tide of vaccine misinformation comes as countries around the globe struggle to convince a somewhat vaccine hesitant public to accept the free immunizations that scientists say will end the COVID-19 pandemic that began 20 months ago.

The tech platform, which is owned by Google, already tried to ban COVID-19 vaccine misinformation last year, at the height of the pandemic.

“We’ve steadily seen false claims about the coronavirus vaccines spill over into misinformation about vaccines in general, and we’re now at a point where it’s more important than ever to expand the work we started with COVID-19 to other vaccines,” YouTube said in a blog post.

Up until Wednesday, anti-vaccine influencers, who have thousands of subscribers, had used YouTube to stoke fears around vaccines that health experts point out have been safely administered for decades.

The YouTube channel of an organization run by environmental activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was one of several popular anti-vaccine accounts

WATCH Continued from page 19 eeeeew Daviiiiiiid.” “Schitt’s Creek” is a sitcom about a wealthy couple who suddenly find themselves broke and living in a town they bought as a joke. The show can be found on both Netflix and Hulu.

Junior Caitlyn Loya is working her way through “New Girl’’ at the moment, and recommends it to people looking for a comedy. “It is super funny, and a show I always come back to.”

This sitcom focused on four roommates and their shenanigans, and it can be found on Hulu.

PATRICK SEMANSKY • Associated Press This March 20, 2018, file photo shows the YouTube app on an iPad in Baltimore. Video-sharing tech platform YouTube on Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2021, announced immediate bans on false claims that vaccines are dangerous and cause health issues like autism, cancer or infertility.

that was gone by Wednesday morning.

In an emailed statement to The Associated Press, Kennedy criticized the ban: “There is no instance in history when censorship and secrecy have advanced either democracy or public health.”

YouTube declined to provide details on how many accounts were removed in the crackdown. Under its new policy, YouTube says it will remove misinformation about any vaccine that has been approved by health authorities, such as the World Health Organization, and is currently being administered.

False claims that those vaccines are dangerous or cause health issues, like cancer, infertility or autism — theories that scientists have discredited for decades but have endured on the internet — should also be removed.

“The concept that vaccines harm — instead of help — is at the foundation of a lot of misinformation,” said Jeanine Guidry, a media and

public health professor at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine.

She added that, if enforced properly, the new rules could stop bad information from influencing a new parent who is using the internet to research whether or not to vaccinate their child, for example.

But, as is common when tech platforms announce stricter rules, loopholes remain for anti-vaccine misinformation to spread on YouTube.

Claims about vaccines that are being tested will still be allowed.

Personal stories about reactions to the vaccine will also be permitted, as long as they do not come from an account that has a history of promoting vaccine misinformation.

Despite tech companies announcing a string of new rules around COVID-19 and vaccine misinformation during the pandemic, falsehoods have still found big audiences on the platforms.

“The Office is the show I go back to when I want to watch some TV,” said Imran Ali when asked about his comfort show. “The Office”, a sitcom about life in an office, can be found on Peacock.

Junior Matthew Trenne is currently enjoying “Brooklyn 99” on Hulu.

“I enjoy how it is light hearted while still sometimes addressing tough subjects,” He stated.

The American police comedy finished it’s 8th and final season this month.

Katelyn Perkins said that she is working her way through “Switched at Birth”.

“I’m learning ASL right now

and finding it very helpful.”

The drama, which focuses around two teens who were switched in the hospital as infants, can be found on Amazon Prime Video.

“I’m really liking ‘The Circle’ it’s funny watching the people’s strategies in the games,” said Kaleb Howze.

The reality game show is similar to “Big Brother”.

The biggest difference is that players do not interact face-to-face; they communicate strictly through social media. All three seasons of the show can be found on Netflix.

With a variety of choices, there should be no issue finding a good show this fall.

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22 • MSU Reporter

Variety

Thursday, September 30, 2021

Don’t Stop Believing: David Chase returns to ‘The Sopranos’ ASSOCIATED PRESS Destiny hangs over the characters of the “Sopranos” prequel “The Many Saints of Newark,” but none more so than its creator.

David Chase revolutionized television with his monumental mob opera led by James Gandolfini’s Tony Soprano, ushering in a new era of ambition on the small screen.

But what Chase has really always wanted to do is make movies.

“That was my whole goal.

It’s been that way my whole life,” says Chase, who nevertheless spent his career in TV (“The Rockford Files,” “I’ll Fly Away”) before creating “The Sopranos.” “Film, cinema. Film, cinema.”

“There’s something about TV that will always for me have this kind of cheesy image,” he continues. “It’s all about advertising, I guess.

That’s really all it was for how many years — a machine to deliver sales pitches. It will always have that feeling. But theoretically, the television apparatus can beam anything to you.

Great stuff. Things people haven’t even dreamed of yet.

But what it was used for was Pampers commercials.”

Since “The Sopranos” cut to black, Chase made one earlier film, the underrated 2012 rock-and-roll coming-of-age tale “Not Fade Away,” a movie that made explicit the connection music has to his film-

Warner Bros via Associated Press This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Michael Gandolfini, left, and Alessandro Nivola in “The Many Saints of Newark.”

making.

Now, he’s back with “The Many Saints of Newark,” with the added irony that because of Warner Bros.′ strategy shift during the pandemic, the movie will be playing on HBO Max in addition to theaters when it opens Friday.

It’s tempting to quote “The Godfather Part III”: “Just when you think you’re out.”

“When I was in film school in 1969, ’70, my friends and I would sit around getting high,” says Chase.

“We’d talk about: ‘You know, someday, man, movies are going to come into your house. Wouldn’t that be cool?’

Well, it’s not that cool. You’re

better off seeing them in the theater.”

But big screen or not, why would Chase, 76, return to the world he so emphatically concluded? He seemed to leave “The Sopranos” behind for good at Holsten’s restaurant, an ending “Sopranos” co-writer Matthew Weiner called the TV equivalent of smashing your guitar.

“I needed it,” Chase explains over Zoom. “I guess I personally needed it.

I don’t mean financially. I just needed it. I wanted to work on something that I knew was going to get produced.”

Fourteen years after Jour-

ney sounded the final notes of “The Sopranos,” Chase has returned to North Jersey — partly out of necessity, partly because he still likes writing these characters. “The Many Saints of Newark,” though, rewinds “The Sopranos” to late ’60s, early ’70s Newark and a different generation of New Jersey mafiosos.

There are many familiar, if younger faces: Corrado “Junior” Soprano (Corey Stoll), Livia Soprano (Vera Farmiga), Silvio Dante (John Magaro) among them. But the lead role is a fresh one: Alessandro Nivola as Dickie Moltisanti, the mythically spoken of father to Christopher Moltisan-

ti (here just a baby). Dickie takes a teenage Tony Soprano (Michael Gandolfini, son of James) under his wing.

“David’s one word of advice for me when we started shooting was: ‘Don’t pay any attention to what anyone says about Dickie in the series because they’re all liars,’” says Nivola.

While there are countless connections and callbacks to “The Sopranos,” fans will likely be surprised how much of “The Many Saints of Newark” uncovers new narrative territory. It’s set against the fiery backdrop of racial unrest in Newark, and the tumult of the era. Leslie Odom Jr. costars in a pivotal role.

“Lawrence Konner and I wanted to make a gangster movie. We didn’t want to make an origin story,” says Chase. “In fact, I didn’t know what ‘origin story’ meant. I hadn’t heard the term until we got into the marketing of this movie. “ After writing the film with Konner, Chase intended to direct before health issues forced him to appeal to “Sopranos” veteran Alan Taylor. Since helming a number of “Sopranos” episodes, Taylor moved on to shows like “Game of Thrones” and the big-budget spectacles “Thor: The Dark World” and “Terminator Genisys.” He was eager to return to a more familiar fiction world.

Thursday, September 30, 2021

Variety

MSU Reporter • 23

HOCO IN PHOTOS Photos by Emily Lansman and Mansoor Ahmad

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