October 5, 2021 by MSU Reporter

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2021

BACK ON TOP The Mavs swept UMass, claiming the No. 1 rank in D1 hockey

By JULIA BARTON Staff Writer

By DANIEL McELROY Sports Editor Coming into the 2021-22 season, there were many questions about what the Minnesota State men’s hockey program would look like after losing many players from last season’s run to the Frozen Four. After last weekend, those questions have been answered. The Mavericks went into a sold out crowd at the Mullins Center as the No. 5 team in Division I hockey, and came out as the No. 1-ranked team after sweeping the defending National Champions, UMass. It didn’t take long for the Mavericks to get things going on Saturday in their season opener. Just 10 seconds in, the alternate captain for UMass, Matthew Kessel went to the box for an interference penalty committed immediately off of the opening faceoff. After clearing the zone right after the penalty, Nathan Smith of MSU entered the zone and dropped down to the corner, and passed it behind the net to Cade Borchardt. Borchardt found the new alternate captain, Reggie Lutz circling to the faceoff dot, giving him the puck with the perfect opportunity to take a wrist shot and sent it right over Matt Murray’s shoulder, giving the Mavericks a 1-0 lead less than a minute into the game. From then on, the scoring was much quieter. It wasn’t until just over four minutes remaining in the third period where

MATT DEWKETT • Maverick Athletics Reggie Lutz scoresd the first goal of the season for the Mavericks less than one minute into the game against UMass Saturday, Oct. 2. Lutz entered the season as an alternate captain.

the Mavericks were able to seal the win when the transfer student Benton Maass took a shot from the point. Murray didn’t handle the puck cleanly with traffic in front of the net, allowing Nathan Smith

to grab the rebound and shot it between Murray’s legs. The trickling puck didn’t quite make it past the goal line, as Julian Napravnik finally buried the puck from NUMBER ONE on page 9 u

Minor citations given out during ‘Kato Homecoming By JENNA PETERSON • News Director A normal college homecoming is filled with school spirit, sports games and, of course, alcohol. But for Minnesota State University, Mankato students this year, it seems the alcohol part may have been a lower priority. Dan Schisel, Associate Director of Public Safety Resources for the city of Mankato, noted how different this year’s homecoming was compared to celebrations in the past.

TikTok trend costs MNSU thousands

Even though students could be seen showing their Maverick pride at almost every corner of campus, Schisel said there were far fewer citations handed out for underage alcohol consumption. A quick questionnaire conducted of random MNSU students on campus found very few underage students admitted to drinking over the weekend. A majority of the students in the questionnaire were either drinking legally or didn’t drink at all. Seventeen said they did not drink;

three drank legally; one drank illegally. “We went to a few large parties, or a few calls of service including a loud party. We wrote only a few underage consumption citations. There were very, very few,” Schisel said. While there is no exact number at this time for the number of citations handed out, Schisel said the department was happy with the turnout of events and how smoothly the weekend went. “For the most part, it was a very suc-

MINORS on page 2 u

With Barstool Kato now having over 17,000 followers on Instagram, you may have been among those who saw the now-deleted post of MNSU students cutting down an exit sign in one of the resident halls as a part of the latest TikTok trend labeled the “devious licks challenge.” The trend has brought stealing school property to a whole new level. TikTok is known to skyrocket new trends and dance challenges every week. However, this is one of the first on the app that is negatively impacting schools and costing them thousands of dollars. Middle school, high school, and college students are participating in this challenge where students see how much they can steal or vandalize without getting caught. Places where there are no security cameras such as the bathrooms and residence halls is where most of this activity takes place. Torin Akey, Associate Director of the Department of Residential Life, shared his thoughts on the new trend throughout his 20 years of experience working at MNSU. “Every year a small number of resident hall students or their guests choose to engage in vandalism, so in my 20 some years this happens every year and has continued this school year. I believe some of these actions could be connected to the TikTok challenge, although it is hard to determine if that is the motivation for their behavior,” Akey stated. So far this year about $3,000 worth of damages or stolen property has occurred this fall semester. In response to stolen LICK on page 3 u

2 • MSU Reporter

News

Tuesday, October 5, 2021

Application fee waived at MNSU during October By CLAIRE BRUNEAU Staff Writer

For students who don’t want to bother with paying for an application fee, there is an option for them. Minnesota State University, Mankato is waiving the $20 application fee for new students during October. This opportunity is also known as “College Knowledge Month.” “The big message regarding College Knowledge Month is encouraging students to start the application process early in their senior year of high school,” said Brian Jones, MNSU’s Admissions Director. “By waiving application fees, we hope to provide an opportunity for all students that want to go to college to start the process early. Applying early can help students qualify for more financial aid and scholarships and help them find housing on campus easier. ” MNSU is one of 25 Minnesota higher education institutions participating in College Knowledge Month, a statewide effort to help seniors in high school start planning for their future endeavors. For 45 years, it aims to increase the number of students applying to college. For some students, the free application is something they

MINORS Continued from page 1 cessful and safe weekend,” he said. “The students, I think they had a safe weekend.” He also wanted to thank everyone involved with homecoming in some aspect and how they kept the festivities protected. “We are very happy and appreciative that the community and the people attending and the people holding the events

haven’t heard of before and were excited to know exists for other students who may need it. Raegen Ziemann, a MNSU freshmen said, “I know some schools offer free applications during October and I was very happy when I heard that Mankato did it too.” “I had no idea you could apply for free during October. I applied at the last minute, so I didn’t get the free application. I procrastinate too much,” Gavin Lindemann, a freshman, explained. Hannah Maxwell, a freshman here at MNSU said, “I applied in July of 2020 and had no idea about the free application month.” Hanna Swisher, a freshman, said, “I couldn’t have applied during October. I had planned to go to a different college this year, but the day before I was going to leave I made the decision to come to Mankato and applied that day. I barely made the due date.” Other MNSU students knew about the free application ahead of time and made sure to take advantage of this opportunity. Ethan White, a sophomore at MNSU, stated, “I knew about free application month so of course I applied during October. Every penny counts.

did a really good job of maintaining the event. “They [the events] were sold out or just about sold out, but I gotta compliment the people that held them,” he said. “They held the attendees accountable and we were not called to many of them.” One of the popular events for MNSU students during homecoming is the Kato Jam party held in College Town, and there were some police officers staffed at the party,

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DYLAN ENGEL • The Reporter Minnesota State University, Mankato will waive all application fees for the month of October for anyone still looking to apply for the next academic school year.

Who wouldn’t take advantage of free money?” Aside from financial stresses, there are other fearful things that have to do with college, such as moving away and simply starting a new life. It particularly impacts first-generation college students, and students who haven’t thought about attending college. By waving the

application fee it can greatly encourage students to take a significant step by applying to college their senior year. Mariah Palmby, a freshman at MNSU had an experience very similar to this. “I wasn’t even thinking of going to college. I was so busy with my own life and hadn’t toured anywhere yet. My close friends weren’t even

going to college, so it wasn’t really on my radar.” Despite this, Palmby found out about the free application and made sure to use this source. “But I applied in October because I had nothing to lose without an application fee. Now I’m a full time student and will hopefully graduate with a nursing degree.”

along with paramedics, to ensure the safety of the students. “I think they’ve learned

how to provide a lot of activities and keep them [the students] engaged in activities

that keep them busy,” Schisel stated.

Tuesday, October 5, 2021

News

MSU Reporter • 3

Doctors grow frustrated over COVID-19 denial, misinformation ASSOCIATED PRESS The COVID-19 patient’s health was deteriorating quickly at a Michigan hospital, but he was having none of the doctor’s diagnosis. Despite dangerously low oxygen levels, the unvaccinated man didn’t think he was that sick and got so irate over a hospital policy forbidding his wife from being at his bedside that he threatened to walk out of the building. Dr. Matthew Trunsky didn’t hold back in his response: “You are welcome to leave, but you will be dead before you get to your car,’” he said. Such exchanges have become all-too-common for medical workers who are growing weary of COVID-19 denial and misinformation that have made it exasperating to treat unvaccinated patients during the delta-driven surge. The Associated Press asked six doctors from across the country to describe the types of misinformation and denial they see on a daily basis and how they respond to it. They describe being aggravated at the constant requests to be prescribed the veterinary parasite drug Ivermectin, with patients lashing out at doctors

LICK Continued from page 1 or damaged property, MNSU has a restitution policy in place where students found guilty are held accountable and have the responsibility of paying for the damages caused in order to repair and replace what was altered. “The blessing and the curse of social media is that it creates this type of trend or movement on social media platforms, but social media is also where folks can see that video and report or share it to campus officials which has happened a few times this year also,” Akey said. Overall it is the students choice whether the few min-

DORTHY RAY • Associated Press Dr. Vincent Shaw poses for a portrait in Baton Rouge, La., Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2021.

when they are told that it’s not a safe coronavirus treatment. People routinely cite falsehoods spread on social media, like an Illinois doctor who has people tell him that microchips are embedded in vaccines as part of a ploy to take over people’s DNA. A Louisiana doctor has resorted to showing patients a list of

ingredients in Twinkies, reminding those who are skeptical about the makeup of vaccines that everyday products have lots of safe additives that no one really understands. Here are their stories: LOUISIANA DOCTOR: ‘Just stop looking at Facebook’ When patients tell Dr.

Vincent Shaw that they don’t want the COVID-19 vaccine because they don’t know what’s going into their bodies, he pulls up the ingredient list for a Twinkie. “Look at the back of the package,” Shaw, a family physician in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. “Tell me you can pronounce everything on the

utes of social media fame is worth the consequences of their actions. “I feel like it’s kinda a stupid trend and I’d be mad if someone stole my stuff,” Mia Schnaible, sophomore at MNSU said. “It’s a funny Tik Tok trend but I personally would never do it and I don’t think it’s worth it especially if you have to pay for the damages,” Ally Auger, sophomore at MNSU shared. “I think it’ll be funny for a week but it’s definitely gonna die out like all Tik Tok trends,” Emma Wyffles, sophomore at MNSU said. “I don’t get it because when you post what you stole on Tik Tok or any social me-

dia you are pretty much just snitching on yourself,” Ashley Anderson, sophomore at MNSU stated. Almost always students know who the individual who

has stolen what or have some knowledge of what items was stolen or damaged. If you do see someone vandalizing school property it is important to report it to the

back of that package. Because I have a chemistry degree, I still don’t know what that is.” He also commonly hears patients tell him they haven’t done enough research about the vaccines. Rest assured, he tells them, the vaccine developers have done their homework. Then there are the fringe explanations: “They’re putting a tracker in and it makes me magnetic.” Another explanation left him speechless: “The patient couldn’t understand why they were given this for free, because humanity in and of itself is not nice and people aren’t nice and nobody would give anything away. So there’s no such thing as inherent good nature of man. And I had no comeback from that.” People who get sick with mild cases insist that they have natural immunity. “No, you’re not a Superman or Superwoman,” he tells them. He said one of the biggest issues is social media, as evidenced by the many patients who describe what they saw on Facebook in deciding against getting vaccinated. That mindset has spawned memes about the many Americans who got their degrees at the University of Facebook School of Medicine.

campus so they can follow up and go through the misconduct process and, if necessary, the restitution process.

4 • MSU Reporter

Tuesday, October 5, 2021

FALL 2021 EDITOR IN CHIEF:

MAXWELL MAYLEBEN maxwell.mayleben@mnsu.edu

Devious licks trend: we can do better

MADISON DIEMERT

madison.diemert@mnsu.edu

Editorial Vandalism on college campuses has long been an issue. Whether it is stealing the head of a favorite statue on campus, tossing toilet paper, or writing on walls, there has always been a tradition of tom-foolery that is attributed to college life. This year, there has been a surge in highschools across the country where students choose to steal various items from school property. This trend called “devious licks” was made popular on the social media app “TikTok”. These videos ultimately did find an audience, reaching millions and millions of views and likes on the app. And with that clout, comes escalation. When it started students were stealing little things, like hand sanitizer bottles, but as things escalated, in order to capture the hype of the trend, these items escalated to soap dispensers, paper towel dispensers and even other student’s pants. Often, the more popular videos that come from these “licks” are the different school’s responses, with many schools being forced to close the bathrooms and severely reprimand the students involved. When it comes to the college level, these acts tend to be less prominent, however, they do still occur. This year, our University estimates around $3,000

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

worth of damage has been done from different levels of vandalism across campus. While that number is not too far from the ordinary, it is still baffling to wonder why students might be driven to harm the University that they attend. We as students pay tens of thousands of dollars to attend this university, and to see that money having to be spent on fixing the misconduct of our fellow students. If there is one positive note to come from the “devious lick” trend is it’s inverse that has

become popular, which have been deemed “angelic yields”. These pranks are the opposite of aforementioned licks. Students will sneak various items into their schools to better their settings. Students will sneak in better rolls of toilet paper, high quality soaps, and even comfortable chairs and couches into different bathrooms in their schools. These sort of “reverse pranks” should be what is focused on. Where the “devious licks” negatively impact

the school, the faculty that have to deal with it, and the students as a whole, positive pranks are actually good. Yes, pulling pranks will always be a part of what it means to grow up. Everyone has to partake in some debauchery at some point in their lives. But it’s how that debauchery manifests that is key. Pranking is best when it does not negatively impact someone, and the “devious lick” challenge negatively impacts everyone involved.

“What do you think about parking on campus?” Compiled by Hanna Mun

JACOB KULIG, JUNIOR “I don’t think I have seen anyone stole something from the school.”

ZACH O’BRIEN, SOPHOMORE

ARNAVEE MALTARE, SENIOR

“I have not seen anyone who “Yes, I have seen it a few times like 3-4 times at least. One has steal anything at school” time, It was a air pods, and t-shirts.”

KATHLEEN KURTH, JUNIOR “I don’t think I have seen anyone who has stolen anything from the school.”

SIMRAN CHANRASEKARAN, SOPHOMORE “I have never seen anyone yet.”

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. Subscriptions for the academic school year are $55.00 and subscribers will receive the paper within three to five days after publishing. • Letters exceeding 400 words may not be accepted. The Reporter reserves the right to edit letters to fit space or correct punctuation. The Reporter reserves the right to publish, or not publish, at its discretion. Letters must contain year, major or affiliation with the university, or lack thereof. All letters must contain phone numbers for verification purposes.

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

Tuesday, October 5, 2021

News

MSU Reporter • 5

Jesse McCartney takes the stage

Singer Jesse McCartney performed for this year’s Homecoming concert in the Myers Field House. McCartney rose to fame in the early 2000s with his hit single “Beautiful Soul”.

Photo by MADDIE BEHRENS

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Tuesday, October 5, 2021

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MSU Reporter • 7

CLIMBING THE LADDER Maverick football jumped to No. 11 after defeating Concordia-St. Paul 58-10 By KOLE BUELOW • Staff Writer The Minnesota State football team returned to Blakeslee Stadium this past weekend to face Concordia-St. Paul in their fifth game of the season. After a rough 1-1 start to the season, seeing the Mavericks get dominated by Minnesota Duluth, the team has been on a tear ever since. The Mavs have scored 45 or more points in their last two contests, and brought the juice to their matchup against the Golden Bears for their homecoming game. The Mavericks absolutely dominated the Golden Bears, winning the game by a score of 58-10. Both teams started off the game slow, but only wasted a few minutes on the clock before Minnesota State got the first points on the board. From then on, there was no stopping the Mavericks. The Mavs were able to absolutely light up the scoreboard in the first half and not look back, scoring 38 unanswered points. Minnesota State’s defense and special teams was smothering in the first half which led to holding the Golden Bears to zero points including a 53 yard punt return touchdown from Ty’Shonan Brooks. The Mavericks first half onslaught was highlighted by two rushing touchdowns on back-toback Minnesota State drives by senior quarterback JD Ekowa. Heading into the second half all the Mavericks needed to do was hold on, and they did just that. After letting up a field goal to the Golden Bears on their first drive after half, the Mavs were able to hold Concordia-St.Paul scoreless until late in the fourth quarter. Minnesota State continued their scoring onslaught in the second half, tallying three more touchdowns before the end of the third behind a 21 touchdown pass from Hayden Ekern to Jalen Sample and two rushing touchdowns. The fourth quarter remained scoreless until the final four minutes, where the Golden Bears were able to put up their second score of the game in the form of a 36 yard touchdown run by Brandon Marenco with 3:13 remaining in the game. The final score of the game was 58-10, and the Mavericks improved their overall record to 4-1. Redshirt freshman quarterback Hayden Ekern led the Mavericks

Jalen Sample (10, above) caught three receptions for 39 yards and one touchdown. Ty’Shonan Brooks (4, bottom) had six punt return attempts, gaining a collective 100 yards and returning one for a touchdown. Photos by MANSOOR AHMAD • The Reporter

through the air in this one, while only attempting five passes on the rainy day. Ekern completed four passes for 81 yards

and two touchdowns while senior quarterback JD Ekowa decided to use his legs to his advantage, rushing for 27 yards and

two touchdowns. The Mavs featured themselves as a run heavy team while the rain never held off, rushing a total of 53 times for 350 yards. It was a completely split backfield for the Mavs, while redshirt freshman Charles Coleman led the Mavericks with 88 yards and two touchdowns. Minnesota State’s defense was smothering on Saturday, holding Concordia-St.Paul to only 167 total yards of offense. Senior Amiri Finner led the Mavericks defense in tackles versus the Golden Bears with six. The Mavericks defense also totaled 11 tackles for loss to go along with three sacks, in a truly dominant performance from the defensive side of the ball. Minnesota State returns to Blakeslee Stadium this Saturday Oct. 9 at 1 p.m. to face Wayne State in their sixth game of the season. Wayne State also enters this game with an overall record of 4-1, and should be a great test to prove Minnesota State’s new spot at No. 11 in the AFCA poll.

8 • MSU Reporter

Sports

Tuesday, October 5, 2021

Women’s hockey split games with Bulldogs By KOLE BUELOW Staff Writer Coming off an amazing two-game stretch against Merrimack College, the Minnesota State women’s hockey team had their hands full as No. 5/6 Minnesota Duluth came into town to face the Mavericks in their first conference matchup of the season. The Mavericks came into the two game series against the Bulldogs with an overall record of 2-0, and would get their first real test against a top ranked Duluth team. The Bulldogs had yet to play a game this season before their matchup against the Mavs, so Minnesota State would have to get creative in building their game plan if they were to win either of the two games this past weekend. Game one was quite the wake up call for Minnesota State, as they got shut out by Minnesota Duluth in a 7-0 rout, spoiling the Mavericks’ home opener. The Bulldogs were able to completely outplay the Mavs in game one, outshooting the Mavericks 41-14. The Mavericks started goaltender Calla Frank, where she collected 34 saves on a .829 save percentage. On the other side of the ice stood Bulldog goaltender Emma Soderberg, who got the shutout on the Mavs after facing 14

By DANIEL McELROY Sports Editor

DYLAN ENGEL • The Reporter The Mavericks snag their first win against the Minnesota-Duluth since December of 2016.

shots. The Bulldogs were the only team to fill the score sheet, putting up two goals in each period until the third where they burst open for three more to seal the game. Naomi Rogge and Gabbie Hughes each scored twice for the Bulldogs in game one, while also recording two assists and one assist respectively. Heading into game two the Mavericks had a lot of adjustments to make in order to give themselves a chance against a top ranked Bulldogs team.

Fortunately, the Mavs were able to do just that. One of Minnesota State’s fixes came from staying out of the penalty box, where they visited a total of eight times in game one. The Mavericks let up two power play goals in game one as well, and were able to hold themselves to only one penalty in game two. The Mavs completely flipped the script on the Bulldogs for game two, scoring three goals during power play opportunities on the Bulldogs’ five penalties. Minnesota Du-

luth got on the board first in game two, but their lead slowly dwindled as Minnesota State got everything clicking in the second period. Madison Mashuga was able to get the scoring started for the Mavericks in the second period, scoring a power play goal at the 6:21 mark which opened the floodgates for the Mavs to finish out the second period. Jamie Nelson was able to get on the board for Minnesota State’s second goal of the game on another FLIPPED on page 8 u

The NSIC has some of the fiercest competition in Division II volleyball, and the Mavs were put to the test over the weekend with matches against No. 22 Duluth and No. 16 St. Cloud. Starting off on Friday night, the Mavericks found themselves in an early deficit to the Bulldogs 3-1, but managed to climb back on top with a run of 7-2, making it an 8-5 game and forcing the top 25 team to take an early timeout. The teams stayed close knit after that, going back and forth, when UMD started to regain and extend their lead with some very aggressive offensive plays. The Bulldogs got a little bit more nervous when the score came to 19-17 in favor of UMD, taking another timeout to slow down the momentum. MSU brought it within one point at 20-19, but the Bulldogs pulled away and took the first set 25-19.

In set two, the Mavs came out red hot, getting out to a 5-1 early lead, fighting for their chance to take a set off of the Bulldogs. MSU maintained their lead for the majority of the set, getting out to a 19-15 lead. That was when UMD got their game together and ended up tying it at 19. UMD took control in the points of the set, getting their first lead at 23-22, and taking away the second set 25-22. The Bulldogs took that momentum straight into the third set getting on top of the Mavericks with a 15-5 lead. The teams went one-for-one with their points after that, giving UMD the 3-0 sweep over MSU. That would not be the end of their tough weekend, as they traveled overnight to St. Cloud in hopes of coming out of the weekend with a win under their belts. St. Cloud came out storming in the first set with an early 7-3 lead, and maintained that lead for almost the entirety

DAVID FAULKNER • SPX Sports

Volleyball comes home winless from Duluth, St. Cloud By DANIEL McELROY Sports Editor

Soccer comes home with two shutouts

The Mavericks got swept by both of their opponents, 3-0.

of the set. MSU took control when they grabbed their first lead of the set at 18-17, but it didn’t last for very long as the Huskies took the first set 2522 in what ended up being a neck and neck final stretch of the first set. The early stages of set two stayed very close between the two teams with SCSU holding a 3-4 point lead into even the middle of the set. The Mavericks came close in pulling it within two points at 15-13,

but the Huskies never budged, taking set two 25-21. Set three was all Huskies, taking the lead and never letting go of it. SCSU extended their lead to as much as 10 points, and sent the Mavericks packing with 25-16 set three win, and 3-0 sweep. The losses dropped the Mavericks down to 11th in NSIC standings with an 8-7 overall record (3-4 NSIC).

The streak is extended for the Minnesota State Mavericks soccer team as they come out of their weekend road trip with two wins against Minnesota State Moorhead, and Northern State. On the stat sheet, the Mavericks absolutely dominated the Dragons on Friday, but the score showed a much closer game than it actually was. Jenny Vetter scored the lone goal in the shutout win for the Mavericks in the 79th minute when Olivia Sharar took a corner kick into a header that was blocked by Dragons goalkeeper, Kayleigh Sedlacek. Sedlacek never got a good handle on the ball though, allowing Vetter to come in and snag the first and only goal of the game. That was just one of the Mavs 11 corner kicks, where the Dragons were only able to snag one. The Mavericks dominated the net with total shots and shots on goal with 17 shots, and nine making their way to the net, while the Dragons managed to get only one shot on goal. Fouls were a big issue for the Dragons as well, taking 10 fouls to the Mavericks’ two. The win would keep Moorhead winless at 0-8-0, and push the Mavs to 5-2-1. This put the Mavericks in a good mood heading into Sunday against Northern State. It was in minute 35 where MSU were able to grab the lead against the Wolves, when some tic-tac-toe passing from Maille Mathis to Tia Martin grabbed Martin the first goal of the game, and her first goal of the year. The Mavericks sealed the win with a goal from Claire Cater in the 83rd minute, assisted by Olivia Thoen. The wins boosted the Mavs into sole possession of 4th place in the NSIC with 13 points at 6-2-1 (4-1-1 NSIC).

Tuesday, October 5, 2021

Sports

Cousins, Vikings fall to Browns ASSOCIATED PRESS Needing one big play downfield to stall the Cleveland pass rush and potentially come back to steal a win against the Browns, Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins lofted a deep pass to Adam Thielen in the fourth quarter. The pass was off the mark. Thielen tried to play cornerback Greedy Williams as much as the ball. Williams came down with the interception, the first thrown by Cousins this season and snapping a streak of 224 consecutive attempts without a pick. Cousins and the Vikings had to turn away from their short, quick passing game in an attempt to get anything going against Cleveland’s stout defense in a 14-7 loss on Sunday. “Didn’t put enough points on the board,” Cousins said. “Started fast, had a great first drive but then didn’t do enough the rest of the game. Disappointing when we’re at home to not do more. We have to learn from it, watch the film and be very critical and correct things. Then we’ll move forward.” Minnesota was coming off its first win of the season, but the offense had put the team in a position for more potential victories. The Vikings entered Sunday fourth in the league in total yards per game.

BRUCE KLUCKHOHN • Associated Press Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) passes as he is tackled by Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Malik Jackson (97).

It looked like Sunday might be a repeat after Minnesota drove 75 yards in 14 plays and scored on Cousins’ pass to Justin Jefferson. The Vikings totaled 175 yards the rest of the game. “All I can say is that we just didn’t execute the way we wanted to,” Jefferson said. “The plays were called and we just didn’t get downfield and make those big plays.” After two weeks of having a clean pocket and finding open receivers, Cousins dealt with immediate pressure from Myles Garrett and the Browns’ pass rush. He was sacked twice and didn’t have the time to survey the field he had in the previous two games. On one play, Minnesota tried to have tight end Tyler Conklin block Garrett oneon-one. Cousins found Jefferson for a 37-yard completion,

but Conklin was called for holding. In the fourth, Cousins missed an open receiver after Garrett pressured by bulling straight through left tackle Rashod Hill. Cousins finished 20 of 28 for 203 yards passing. “We moved the ball really well that first drive, went right down the field and scored,” Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said. “The second part of it, they started pressuring a little bit more.” Dalvin Cook left the game temporarily with an aggravation of his ankle injury and finished with nine carries for 34 yards. Alexander Mattison was held to 20 yards on 10 tries. With no success running the ball on early downs, Garrett and company came after Cousins on third down.

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MSU Reporter • 9 NUMBER ONE Continued from page 1 Dryden McKay stayed hot throughout the entirety of the game, earning his 25th shutout of his career, just one short of matching Ryan Miller’s NCAA record from his time at Michigan State. Going into Sunday, the Mavericks felt good about their standing and taking down the reigning champs, but were slow to start. UMass struck first with a goal from Eric Faith just 4:17 into the game wanting to turn the tides from the night before. The Minutemen added another just 30 seconds prior to the end of the period, and again 42 seconds into the second period. UMass had to have been feeling a bit too optimistic with their 3-0 lead after getting shutout the night before, as the Mavericks kicked it into gear in the closing minutes of the second, and the entirety of the third. Nathan Smith snagged his first goal of the season with

FLIPPED Continued from page 9 power play goal just 36 seconds later. Heading into the third period the Mavericks were able to take advantage of an expiring roughing call as Kelsey King buried yet another power play goal for the Mavs only 37 seconds into the third. The Bulldogs were able to get back onto the board late in the pe-

1:12 left in the second period, and again just 4:28 into the second, cutting the UMass lead to 3-2. Just 15 seconds after the second goal, Ondrej Pavel scored his first career goal as a Maverick with the help of Jake Livingstone and David Silye, the transfer from Clarkson, tying the game at 3. Livingstone, Napravnik, and Furry all scored one goal each within three minutes of each other, lifting the Mavericks over the Minutemen 6-3. Despite the slow start, the five third period goals solidified the Mavericks as the No. 1 team in Division hockey, after the first weekend of games, while UMass dropped to No. 7. The Winnipeg Jets prospect Smith led the Mavericks in points over the weekend with two goals and three assists, while Napravnik led the Mavericks in shots with 12 over the weekend. McKay starts out his season with a 1.52 goals against average, a .925 save percentage, and 37 shots on goal.

riod but the Mavs closed out the game on an empty net goal from Kennedy Bobyck to give the Mavericks their first conference win of the season. The Mavericks now sit at 3-1 overall on the season with a 1-1 record in conference play. MSU should gain some national recognition for their win against Duluth and are set to play Lindenwood in another home series this weekend.

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10 • MSU Reporter

Tuesday, October 5, 2021

TikTok star opens Hoco concert By MAX MAYLEBEN Editor in Chief

Singer-songwriter Jax hit the stage for the Minnesota State University, Mankato’s homecoming concert last Friday, opening for Jesse McCartney. Jax has climbed in fame since last November on the social media app, TikTok, performing different silly videos all centered around song-writing. Before TikTok, Jax had moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in songwriting, splitting her time ghostwriting for other artists while also writing for herself. Working day in and day out, doubling up on writing sessions, she was struggling to pay the bills, and started to burn out. But then, everything changed when the pandemic hit. “When quarantine happened, everything was cancelled, so I was forced to stop.” said Jax who went on to quote a popular TikTok trend at the time, “So I just sat, bored in a house, and in a

By SYDNEY BERGGREN Staff Writer

MADDIE BEHERENS • The Reporter Jax on stage opening at the Myers Field House performing during MNSU’s 2021 Homecoming weekend.

house bored.” Enter TikTok. At the advice of the girl she babysat, she downloaded the app, and posted high production content from various music videos, but was not gaining the momentum. “I had no eyes or ears on

my music for so long.” said the singer “but then, I posted ‘Stacy’s Mom’ from Stacy’s mom’s perspective.” Coming up with the idea while watching a movie, Jax rewrote the lyrics to the 2003 hit song “Stacy’s Mom,” but instead, taking the viewpoint

of the creeped out mother. Armed with a bathrobe and an imitation of her own mother, she filmed herself just singing the abridged song while playing the piano. “I thought I had just embarrassed myself,” said Jax, JAX on page 11 u

Various ways students can make a little extra cash By LILLY SCHMIDT Staff Writer

MavPASS leaders are not the only job that can help students earn money as well as gain experience in their degree. Work Studies are another option that some students are offered. Gillian Bowman is employed under a work study in the CIS office. Bowman commented, “It’s nice because I get to do homework while working,” and further explained, “I also get to make connections with teachers.” Unfortunately, not all students are able to find a position they would like to work on campus. Mackenzie Bosch has an off-campus job to help pay for tuition costs. She reported having to balance schoolwork and maintaining a job can be difficult, and it’s one many college students end up facing. Minnesota State University, Mankato offers several on-campus positions for students looking to earn while they learn. To combat the stress of balancing both,

LGBTQ+ speaker talks identity

DYLAN ENGEL • The Reporter Students walking and doing homework outside of the Centennial Student Union also by Jazzman’s Cafe & Bakery. MNSU has a limit of 20 hours for part-time student workers. However, it can still feel like a lot to manage. MNSU student, Zebiba Ousman, works at the computer store on campus as she konws about this feeling. “I’m stressing a lot because I’m working here 20 hours and also because I’m a junior and I have a lot of projects,” she said. “I’m taking 18 credits.” Yet, Ousman realizes the benefits of having a job. “This

is how you’re gonna build up your skills. I can’t say, ‘if you’re a student, do not work’ because you have to work. It’s important for yourself to develop,” she said. Personally, Ousman recommends keeping a schedule and requesting off exam days to stay on track in school. Michael Downes, another MNSU student worker, echoed this sentiment by saying, “I know my schedule each week and I keep an organized

planner and calendar, without which, I would be lost. I think that my social life is very limited during the week since I am so busy but not working weekends is great.” Downes is a MavPASS leader. MavPASS stands for (Maverick) Peer-Facilitated Academic Support System. He explained that “My job as a leader is to attend the class that I’m supporting and hold study sessions. During sessions, I ask questions and prompt students to step outside of their comfort zones to lead discussions and work closely with one another.” Furthermore, oftentimes the class you are a leader for can correlate with your major, which is managing balancing work and school pretty well by setting up a system for herself: “I’ve just been doing my schoolwork during the day and then leaving evenings for work.” Working and maintaining a good GPA while also taking care of yourself can be a lot, but keeping a schedule and developing a system for yourself can help ease the pressure.

On Friday Minnesota State University, Mankato hosted Robyn Ochs, LGBTQ+ activist and professional speaker. Ochs led a workshop in Centennial Student Union 245 titled “The Changing Landscape of Identity: Understanding and Supporting Students of All Gender Identities and Sexual Orientations”. The talk was a partnership between the LGBT Center and the Women’s Center on campus, and drew a small crowd of students with interest in the topic. Ochs, who has written and edited for multiple published works including the Bi Women’s Quarterly, Getting Bi, and Recognize: the Voices of BIsexual Men, said that she has identified as bisexual for 45 years, nearly her entire adult life. Within her career, Ochs’ main focus is on increasing the understanding of complex identities and giving support. “When I came out to myself as bi,” said Ochs, “I came out into a world before Google, a world before the internet. As a bewildered 18 year old, I had nowhere to turn with all my questions. So I came out in silence, I came out terrified. I felt that I was suffocating in my own silence.” Ochs describes her first time actually coming out to someone as something that she had not planned in any way. One of her coworkers came out to her as bisexual, and Ochs excitedly spit out that she was too. After that, most of her coming out experiences were good. “Most people responded better than I feared they would,” she said. After moving to Boston in 1983, Ochs dedicated herself to creating the resources that would have helped her when she was first figuring out her sexuality. “Ultimately, we have LBGTQ+ on page 11 u

Tuesday, October 5, 2021

Variety

MSU Reporter • 11

MANSOOR AHMAD • The Reporter

JAX Continued from page 10 who went to bed after posting, fully expecting the video to flop. Around 4 a.m. that night Jax did a quick phone check to see her video had gained millions of views. “Babe! We went viral!” She recalls screaming, waking up and terrifying her boyfriend, who thought there was an intruder in their LA apartment. “Finally after all that work, of years and years of working in music, breaking through the noise” said Jax, “It was just an exhilarating experience.”

LGBTQ+ Continued from page 10 to exist here, so the world has to learn and change. It’s this idea of ‘how do we explain LGBTQ+ identity to everyone?’” With this, Ochs kicked off her talk with a discussion on the progression of LGBTQ+ representation and rights. She discussed media progression, how characters are given queer identities that are not their only character traits and do not make them villains. Marriage legalization, the trans equal rights bill, language in medicine, such as “gender affirming surgery” and using “what are your pronouns” vs “what are your preferred pronouns” were some of the other topics discussed that morning. Ochs then shared a question that she asks students at each of her events: ‘What are things that queer people un-

Since then, she has continued to see incredible success on the app, gaining over 100 million likes across all of her videos. Jax is thrilled that she is able to keep her clever style of songwriting, largely due to the use of closed captions on her videos. “My whole life, I was told by industry cats ‘your stuff is so tongue and cheek, could you make it simpler?” said the songwriter “But then TikTok came along, and allowed me to use closed captions and put the lyrics right on the screen.”

derstand that is often different from the mainstream?’ To answer this herself, Ochs stated, “LGBTQ+ people create these little bubbles where we feel that we can be more fully ourselves. We create terminology, we create a language.” When she asks, Ochs said that there are some things that always show up on every list: the concept of asking and respecting pronouns; that sex is not gender identity, not gender expression, not sexual orientation; that there are endless gender and sexuality labels; the whole idea of nonbinary; the difference between sexual and romantic attraction; the idea of asexuality; that identity is a journey, and labels can change; the idea of intersectionality (that your identities overlap and affect each other, whether it sexuality, race, ability, etc.); and that stereotypes are incorrect and hurtful. The percentage of people who identify as LGBTQ+ in

Suddenly people were able to follow along, and the little jokes included in the songs weren’t lost within the track. Jax had been writing and performing music from a very early age. Raised in New York, she tempted piano lessons, but learned quickly that she played better by ear. “I’ve always been a songwriter,” said Jax, “I grew up doing musical theatre and that transitioned into my rowdy phase as a teenager in punk bands.” The artist has several new songs in the works for an album, performing many of these at the University’s home-

the US is growing exponentially - the number has risen over 2% in 8 years. Now, nearly 1 in 6 Gen Z people identify as LGBTQ+. “Identities nowadays are being used more as adjectives, less as nouns,” said Ochs. Identities are a way to describe someone, a feature of them, not who they are. Understanding that people have stories- that they are complex humans who have all led different lives- is crucial to progression as a society. Ochs’ talk ended with a Q&A and an invitation for the graduate students attending to join her for lunch. When asked about her experience with the presentation, graduate student and LGBT Center assistant Gabrielle Skibbe said, “In general, having queer women role models is incredibly important. I think Mankato is this mix of conservative and liberal and it’s nice to just have exposure like this.”

coming concert. One of these songs, called “Boys who like boys,” was a huge hit at the concert, with the crowd singing along by the end of the show. Jax was ecstatic to perform at the University. “This is honestly my first ticketed show since TikTok.” said Jax, “This is the first one so there is a lot of built up energy going into this show.” On top of the album, which she hopes to release in early 2022, Jax also has some plans for the holidays. “Your favorite Jew has some Christmas music coming,” said Jax.

Janelle DeReubeis, who attended the seminar with Skibbe, said the conversations were helpful with her career. “I am currently at an internship for mental health counseling, and I am working

with a lot of queer clients. I also love coming to any sort of queer learning event.” DeReubeis said she also greatly appreciated the open dialogue that Ochs offered.

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12 • MSU Reporter

Tuesday, October 5, 2021