October 19, 2021

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2021

GROOVIN’

Students get amped up for family weekend

By CLAIRE BRUNEAU Staff Writer

MNSU students Bhavani Nainala, left, and Shreyam Ranjan dance during the International Student Fashion Show & Party in the Centennial Student Union Saturday. Earlier, there was a fashion show where international students displayed their traditional clothing.

Photo by DYLAN ENGEL • The Reporter

Alcohol awareness week promotes responsible drinking

Every year, Minnesota State University, Mankato hosts a family weekend to bring families and students back together. This weekend is filled with sports games, campus-wide events, and school spirit for all who attend.

The MNSU Student Events Team is in charge of many of the events that take place during family weekend, and this year they’ve got a long list of activities for everyone to enjoy.

Friday night includes various activities for people to choose from. At 7 p.m. there will be a “The Price is Right” event in Ostrander Auditorium where attendees can volunteer themselves to participate in the game show activities. To end the night, students and their families are welcome to look at the stars at Andreas Observatory, weather permitting.

Junior Tyler Pickle, president of the Students Event Team, said one of the goals is to make sure people have a good time.

FAMILY on page 3 u

VARP provides domestice violence resources

By JENNA PETERSON News Director

By JULIA BARTON Staff Writer

This week National Intercollegiate Alcohol Awareness Week is being observed on campuses across the U.S. in hopes of bringing light to an important topic among young adults.

National Intercollegiate Alcohol Awareness Week is an annual event that has been celebrated for more than 25 years, usually on the third full week of October.

The event hopes to influence students to make smarter choices when consuming alcohol.

In the state of Minnesota, an underage consumption violation, also known as a ‘minor,’ is a misdemeanor that

carries a fine of about $180.

Irresponsible alcohol use isn’t just an individual’s problem. Poor choices can get landlords and tenants in trouble, too.

The city of Mankato established a three-strike social host ordinance in 2007 that students living in off-campus housing should be aware of.

The policy states that property owners or residents of homes or apartments where police find underage drinking — or repeated noise complaints — would be subject to a strike. If a property owner receives three strikes, criminal charges could result.

Besides the legal consequences that come with underage drinking, alcohol has AWARENESS on page 7 u

October is National Domestic Violence Awareness month and Minnesota State University, Mankato wants students to know there are resources available on campus for anyone who needs them.

One such resource is the Violence Awareness and Response Program.

Shadow Rolan was recently appointed director of the program and is ready to assist anyone who needs it.

“The Violence Awareness and Response program is a program where it is basically bringing awareness to campus on various things, such as domestic violence awareness month and sexual assault awareness month. We also partner with the Women’s

File photo There are many resources for students on campus to avail.

Center to do various programs around that,” Rolan stated.

Liz Steinborn-Gourley, director of the Women’s Center, said reports of abuse are handled with confidential advo-

cates.

“When we say confidential we mean that state employees are mandated reporters for violence, whether that’s sexual assault or domestic violence HELP on page 4 u

2 • MSU Reporter

News

Tuesday, October 19, 2021

Colin Powell dies, trailblazing general stained by Iraq

Speech team places for nationals in home competition

ASSOCIATED PRESS Colin Powell, the trailblazing soldier and diplomat whose sterling reputation of service to Republican and Democratic presidents was stained by his faulty claims to justify the 2003 U.S. war in Iraq, died Monday of COVID-19 complications.

He was 84.

A veteran of the Vietnam War, Powell spent 35 years in the Army and rose to the rank of four-star general before becoming the first Black chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. His oversight of the U.S. invasion of Kuwait to oust the Iraqi army in 1991 made him a household name, prompting speculation for nearly a decade that he might run for president, a course he ultimately decided against.

He instead joined President George W. Bush’s administration in 2001 as secretary of state, the first Black person to represent the U.S. government on the world stage. Powell’s tenure, however, was marred by his 2003 address to the United Nations Security Council in which he cited faulty information to claim that Saddam Hussein had secretly stashed weapons of mass destruction. Such weapons never materialized, and though the Iraqi leader was removed, the war devolved into years of military and humanitarian losses.

Powell was fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, his family said. But he faced several ailments, telling Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward over the summer that he had Parkinson’s disease. Powell’s longtime aide, Peggy Cifrino, said Monday that he was also treated over the past few years for multiple myeloma, a blood cancer that impairs the body’s ability to fight infection. Studies have shown that those cancer patients don’t get as much protection from the COVID-19 vaccines as healthier people.

In a Washington where partisan divisions run deep, Democrats and Republicans recalled Powell fondly. Flags were ordered lowered at government buildings, including the White House, Pentagon and State Department.

President Joe Biden said Powell “embodied the highest ideals of both warrior and diplomat.”

Noting Powell’s rise from a childhood in a fraying New York City neighborhood, Biden said: “He believed in

MARCY NIGHSWANDER • Associated Press In this Sept. 25, 1991, file photo, Gen. Colin Powell, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington, at a House Armed Services subcommittee.

the promise of America because he lived it. And he devoted much of his life to making that promise a reality for so many others.”

Powell’s time as secretary of state was largely defined by the aftermath of the Sept.

11, 2001, terror attacks. He was the first American official to publicly blame Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaida network. He made a lightning trip to Pakistan to demand that then-Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf cooperate with the United States in going after the Afghanistan-based group, which also had a presence in Pakistan, where bin Laden was later killed.

But as the push for war in Iraq deepened, Powell sometimes found himself at odds with other key figures in the Bush administration, including Vice President Dick Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

Rumsfeld also died this year.

Powell’s State Department was dubious of the military and intelligence communities’ conviction that Saddam possessed or was developing weapons of mass destruction.

But he presented the administration’s case that Saddam posed a major regional and global threat in a strong speech to the U.N. Security Council in February 2003.

The following month, Bush gave the go-ahead for the invasion.

The U.N. speech, complete with Powell’s display of a vial of what he said could have been a biological weapon, was seen as a low point in his career, although he had removed some elements from the remarks that he deemed to have been based on poor intelligence assessments.

The U.S. overthrow of Saddam ended the rule of a brutal dictator. But the power

vacuum and lawlessness that followed unleashed years of sectarian fighting and chaos that killed countless Iraqi civilians, sparked a lengthy insurgency, and unintentionally tilted the balance of power in the Middle East toward a U.S. rival, Iran. No Iraqi weapons of mass destruction were ever found.

Still, Powell maintained in a 2012 interview with The Associated Press that on balance, the U.S. succeeded in Iraq.

“I think we had a lot of successes,” he said. “Iraq’s terrible dictator is gone.”

Saddam was captured by U.S. forces while hiding out in northern Iraq in December 2003 and was later executed by the Iraqi government. But the war dragged on. President Barack Obama pulled U.S. troops out of Iraq in 2011, but he sent advisers back in 2014 after the Islamic State group swept into the country from Syria and captured large swaths of territory.

Bush said Monday that he and former first lady Laura Bush were “deeply saddened”

by Powell’s death.

“He was a great public servant” and “widely respected at home and abroad,” Bush said. “And most important, Colin was a family man and a friend. Laura and I send Alma and their children our sincere condolences as they remember the life of a great man.”

Condoleezza Rice, Powell’s successor at State and the department’s first Black female secretary, praised him as “a trusted colleague and a dear friend through some very challenging times.”

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, a retired Army general and the first Black Pentagon chief, said the news of Powell’s death left “a hole in my heart.”

Photo courtesy of MNSU Speech and Debate Team

By CLAIRE BRUNEAU Staff Writer Minnesota State University, Mankato’s Speech and Debate Team met for their third competition of the season Saturday where members performed all day and followed up with an award ceremony.

This competition, known as the Larry Schonor Invitational Tournament, holds a special meaning to the speech team as it’s annually hosted to honor the former director of the team.

In this conference there were speech teams from all around the region that came to compete all day long. The team usually participates in about six to 10 competitions each year but, due to COVID, this number has

fluctuated.

Tristen Xiong, a sophomore and a member of the speech team, said she’s proud to be a part of a team that works together in order to improve.

“I really love the team environment along with all the activities we do as a team outside of practice. Not only that but the support from all members on the team just makes it an even better experience,” Xiong stated.

Douglas Roberts, a graduate assistant coach for the speech team, moved to Mankato to be a grad student to continue his passion for speech.

“I love the activity as a former competitor myself who has had some national

SPEECH on page 5 u

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Tuesday, October 19, 2021

News

MSU Reporter • 3

North Korea fires ballistic missile into sea in latest test ASSOCIATED PRESS North Korea fired a ballistic missile into the sea on Tuesday in a continuation of its recent weapons tests, the South Korean and Japanese militaries said, hours after the U.S. reaffirmed its offer to resume diplomacy on the North’s nuclear weapons program.

The South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff didn’t immediately say what kind of ballistic missile it was or how far it flew. Japan’s coast guard issued a maritime safety advisory to ships but didn’t immediately know where the weapon landed.

South Korea’s presidential office was planning to hold a national security council meeting to discuss the launch.

A strong South Korean response could anger North Korea, which has been accusing Seoul of hypocrisy for criticizing the North’s weapons tests while expanding its own conventional military capabilities.

Ending a monthslong lull in September, North Korea has been ramping up its weapons tests while making conditional peace offers to Seoul, reviving a pattern of pressuring South Korea to try to get what it wants from the United States.

Within days, President Joe Biden’s special envoy for North Korea, Sung Kim, is schedule to hold talks with U.S. allies in Seoul over the prospects of reviving talks

with North Korea.

Nuclear negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang have stalled for more than two years over disagreements in exchanging the release of crippling U.S.-led sanctions against North Korea and the North’s denuclearization steps.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has vowed to strengthen his nuclear deterrent since his diplomatic fallout with then-President Donald Trump.

His government has so far rejected the Biden administration’s offers to restart dialogue without preconditions, saying that Washington must first abandon its “hostile policy,” a term the North mainly uses to refer to sanctions and U.S.-South Korea military exercises.

But while North Korea is apparently trying to use South Korea’s desire for inter-Korean engagement to extract concessions from Washington, analysts say Seoul has little wiggle room as the Biden administration is intent on keeping sanctions in place until the North makes concrete steps toward denuclearization.

“The US continues to reach out to Pyongyang to restart dialogue. Our intent remains the same. We harbor no hostile intent toward the DPRK and we are open to meeting without preconditions,” Sung Kim told reporters on Monday, referring to the North’s official name, the Democratic

PATRICK SEMANSKY • Associated Press U.S. Special Representative for North Korea, Sung Kim, speaks after a meeting with South Korea’s Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs Noh Kyu-duk, back right, Monday, Oct. 18, 2021, at the U.S. State Department in Washington.

People’s Republic of Korea.

“Even as we remain open to dialogue, we also have a responsibility to implement the U.N. Security Council resolutions addressing the DPRK,” he said.

Last week, Kim Jong Un reviewed powerful missiles designed to launch nuclear strikes on the U.S. mainland during a military exhibition and vowed to build an “invincible” military to cope with what he called persistent U.S. hostility. Earlier, Kim dismissed U.S. offers for resum-

ing talks without preconditions as a “cunning” attempt to conceal its hostile policy on the North.

The country has tested various weapons over the past month, including a new cruise missile that could potentially carry nuclear warheads, a rail-launched ballistic system, a developmental hypersonic missile and a new anti-aircraft missile. The test of the hypersonic missile on Sept. 28 came shortly before North Korean Ambassador Kim Song called for the Biden administration

to permanently end joint military exercises with South Korea and the deployment of strategic military assets to the region in his speech to the U.N. General Assembly.

The North in recent weeks has also restored communication lines with the South and said it could take further steps to improve bilateral relations if Seoul abandons its “double-dealing attitude” and “hostile viewpoint” over its weapons development.

FAMILY Continued from page 1 “The two big highlighted events this year are Charlie Barrens, a very popular comedian, who has sold over 2,000 tickets already,” he said. “The other one is one we do every year, The Price is Right. We hand out tons of prizes and we usually sell out of tickets every year.

Hopefully, with everything returning to normalcy, that will continue to be a good turnout.”

On Saturday, students and their families will have a chance to represent their school pride as the football team takes on Augustana at 1 p.m.

“I love being around all these great leaders and being in a great community,” he said, “seeing the impact we make on campus and seeing everyone enjoy what we do.”

For many students, having family on campus will bring some much needed-familiarity. Harrison Lacotts, a freshman who is eager to see his family for the first time since being on campus,

said he plans to show them his favorite dining spot in town.

“Through all of these crazy changes that have happened recently my family has been a constant. It will be nice to have something I’m used to. We’re planning to go eat at my favorite restaurant when they get here. I’m so excited because I haven’t eaten anything but dining hall food since I got here.”

Gavin Lindemann, a freshman, is also excited for the upcoming weekend and all it has to offer.

“Living on my own has been a lot more responsibilities but it’s much more fun on my own. It’s obviously been a big change and It’s a lot harder than it looks. It’s the little things that I noticed the most, like how expensive Tide Pods are. Or have to plan my own meals. Things I never had to worry about before,” says Gavin Lindemann, a freshman who is excited to see his family this upcoming weekend.

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Tuesday, October 19, 2021

Biden’s dilemma: Satisfying Manchin risks losing other Dems ASSOCIATED PRESS It’s Washington’s enduring question: What does Joe Manchin want?

But increasingly the answer is crystal clear. The conservative West Virginia Democrat wants to dismantle President Joe Biden’s proposed climate change strategies and social services expansion in ways that are simply unacceptable for most in his party.

So the question becomes less about what Manchin wants and more about whether Biden can bring him, the party’s other centrist senators and its progressives to middle ground and salvage his once-sweeping $3.5 trillion proposal from collapse.

As the White House pushes its Democratic allies on Capitol Hill to wrap up slogging negotiations before end-of-the-month deadlines, pressure is mounting on the party to hold its slim majority in Congress together to deliver on Biden’s priorities.

The president will meet with House lawmakers from both groups again Tuesday at the White House. And Manchin met separately Monday with two progressive leaders: Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington state.

“We are at a point where we feel an urgency to move things forward,” Biden press secretary Jen Psaki acknowledged Monday.

For months, Manchin

has publicly and repeatedly balked at the size and scale of Biden’s plan to expand the social safety net, tackle climate change and confront income inequality.

Already, he and fellow centrists, including Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, have forced Biden to concede that the final price tag will likely be much smaller, likely around $2 trillion — largely paid for with higher taxes on corporations and the wealthy, those earning more than $400,000 per year.

But as negotiators sift through the details of what’s in and out of the proposal, it’s Manchin’s priorities that are driving much of the debate, infuriating colleagues and complicating a deal.

To start, Manchin is on board with raising the corporate tax rate to 25%, though not quite as much as the 26.5% Democrats have proposed, to finance Biden’s expansive vision, agreeing that corporations should pay their “fair share” at a time when many have reported paying zero taxes.

But after that, the coalstate senator parts ways with progressives and most others in his party.

By insisting on a “fuel neutral” approach to energy policies, he threatens to wreck a cornerstone of the climate change plan, the Clean Energy Payment Program, which would offer grants to power companies that increase clean

HELP Continued from page 1 or threats of self harm,” Steinborn-Gourley said. “This means that if someone shares one of those things with me, as director of the Women’s Center, then I’m obligated to contact the Office of Equal Opportunity and Title IX.” Rolan, like Steinborn-Gourley, is a confidential advocate but her role is a little bit different.

“If any survivors or victims want to come in and talk to me, they can at their own will.

I also connect them to community resources,” Rolan explained. “We work very closely with CADA House, a domestic violence shelter here in Mankato. We listen to their stories.”

Added Steinborn-Gourley, “Shadow’s position, the Counseling Center and Health Services are the three places on campus where students can speak to students, hear their story, and aren’t obligated to start that reporting process unless the student requests it.”

Both Steinborn-Gourley and Rolan grants are available to help students leave abusive relationships.

“For some of our domestic students with low estimated family contributions on their FAFSA, they might qualify for up to $1,000 of an emergency grant,” Steinborn-Gourley explained.

“In some cases students have used that to pay the deposit on a new place. If they’re living with someone who’s abusive then they can apply for that grant and get out.”

ALEX BRANDON • Associated Press Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., speaks with reporters on Capitol Hill, Thursday, Oct. 7, 2021, in Washington.

energy generation by 4% each year and fine those that do not.

On another major issue, by interjecting work requirements or income thresholds for government aid recipients he wants to limit new child care and health care programs to the neediest Americans.

With a striking ability to saunter into the spotlight with wide-ranging demands, Manchin is testing the patience of his colleagues who see a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reshape government programs slipping away to his

Erin Kotten, a second-year graduate student, worked previously as an intern with the Violence Awareness and Response Program.

“I helped put on the sexual assault awareness events, like Denim Day and Take Back the Night. I also had my own event on awareness and education on sex trafficking,” she said.

“I helped educate students on confidential resources on campus and off of campus that they can talk to about intimate partner violence or situations they were going through.”

Although Kotten doesn’t work directly with the program anymore, she says she continues to be an external voice for these confidential resources.

Steinborn-Gourley highlighted some of the opportunities the Office of Equal Opportunity and Title IX has to offer.

Students can talk with the staff in this office to stay away from their abuser on campus.

“If you’re in a class with your abuser they’ll put you in different classes,” she said.

“Or if you live down the hall from your abuser on campus they’ll put you in different residence halls.”

The Violence Awareness and Response Program will be participating in a national event on Thursday that represents support to victims and survivors of domestic violence by wearing purple.

The program will be taking a picture at noon next to the fountain on the campus mall.

personal preferences. With Republicans fully opposed to Biden’s plans, the president needs all Democrats in the 5050 split Senate for passage.

“I would hope that we’re going to see some real action within the next week or so,” said Sanders, the Vermont Independent, after meeting privately with Manchin.

The two had a testy exchange from a distance over the weekend, Sanders blamed Manchin as one of two senators holding up the deal; Manchin decried “out-of-staters” trying to tell West Virginians

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“We discussed the way forward,” Sanders said.

As chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Manchin says he has been forthcoming both publicly and privately about his concern that some Democratic proposals may be detrimental to his coal and gas-producing state.

In conversations with the White House over the weekend, Manchin reiterated his opposition to the clean energy plan.

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Tuesday, October 19, 2021

News

Maduro ally appears in court to face corruption charges

MSU Reporter • 5

Why COVID boosters weren’t tweaked to better match variants

ASSOCIATED PRESS A businessman who prosecutors say was a major conduit for corruption by Nicolás Maduro’s inner circle appeared for the first time in Miami federal court Monday after a weekend extradition that has further strained relations between the U.S. and Venezuela’s socialist government.

Alex Saab’s legs shook nervously while seated as he waited, handcuffed and in an orange jumpsuit, for the start of the hearing, which took place via Zoom with more than 350 journalists, gawking opponents of Maduro and members of Saab’s family in attendance.

Saab’s extradition to the U.S. from Cape Verde, where he was arrested 16 months ago, has already ricocheted far and wide.

Only hours after Saab was placed on a Department of Justice aircraft on Saturday, Maduro’s government suspended negotiations with Venezuela’s U.S.-backed opposition. It also threw back into jail six American oil executives it accuses of corruption. They had been under house arrest in another politically charged case marked by allegations of wrongful detention.

The Maduro government has labelled Saab a diplomatic envoy and has spared no effort to free the Colombian-born businessman, who was arrested on a U.S. warrant in the African archipelago while making a fuel stop en route to Iran.

On Monday, it was joined by ally Russia, whose ambassador in Caracas tweeted his “most energetic and categorical protest against the kidnapping” of Saab.

Saab, 49, raised his bushy eyebrows but was largely silent as magistrate Judge John O’Sullivan, through an interpreter, informed him that he

SPEECH Continued from page 2 success. I especially love this event and I wanted to continue to work on it because it’s something I put so much into,” Roberts commented.

“That’s why I joined the grad program here, so I’m on the forensic program. It’s [the program] meant to train coaches so we can continue this activity for other programs around the nation and that’s important to me.”

CHARLES KRUPA • Associated Press

ARIANA CUBILLOS • Associated Press In this Thursday, Sept 9, 2021, file photo, pedestrians walk near a poster asking for the freedom of Colombian businessman and Venezuelan special envoy Alex Saab, in Caracas, Venezuela.

was being charged with eight counts of money laundering.

The judge set another hearing in two weeks where Saab will have the opportunity to enter a plea.

Saab, was indicted in 2019 on money-laundering charges for allegedly bribing Venezuelan officials and falsifying import documents to pocket more than $350 million from a low-income housing project. On the same day as his indictment, he was sanctioned by the Trump administration for allegedly utilizing a network of shell companies spanning the globe — Turkey, Hong Kong, Mexico and the United Arab Emirates — to hide windfall profits from overvalued food contracts.

But Saab’s connections extend much deeper.

Among those the U.S. claims he paid to win government contracts are Maduro’s stepsons. Commonly known in Venezuela as “Los Chamos,” slang for “the kids,” the three adult children of first lady Cilia Flores from a previous relationship have themselves been under investigation by prosecutors in Miami for several years, two people familiar with the U.S. investigation told The Associated Press.

“Saab is an illustrative

Roberts said being on speech teams throughout his life helped guide him and taught him life lessons.

“I think it also gives you a lot of experience and not being biased on things,” he said.

“Sometimes people argue about things on the speech team that you don’t necessarily believe in. You have to do that with respect for the other side and you have to be able to understand that perspective to explain something. Some

case of the immense level of corruption in Venezuela and the consequences for the region,” said Diego Area, a Latin America expert at the Atlantic Council in Washington.

Michael Penfold, a Venezuelan political analyst, said that Saab’s extradition is likely to freeze all attempts to bridge deep distrust between the Maduro government and its opponents. The two sides have been meeting since August in a bid to jointly address the country’s ongoing humanitarian crisis, which has led more than 5 million people to flee the country in recent years, and pave the way for a democratic opening starting with next month’s regional elections.

The Biden administration, which has tried to downplay the political impact of Saab’s extradition, is key to the success of those talks. After years of cracking down on its opponents, Venezuela’s cash-starved government is considering granting more freedoms in exchange for the U.S. reversing crippling sanctions put in place on one of the world’s largest oil producers by the Trump administration, which was hellbent on ousting Maduro.

ASSOCIATED PRESS More COVID-19 booster shots may be on the way, but when it’s your turn, you’ll get an extra dose of the original vaccine, not one updated to better match the extra-contagious delta variant.

And that has some experts wondering if the booster campaign is a bit of a missed opportunity to target delta and its likely descendants.

“Don’t we want to match the new strains that are most likely to circulate as closely as possible?” Dr. Cody Meissner of Tufts Medical Center, an adviser to the Food and Drug Administration, challenged Pfizer scientists recently.

“I don’t quite understand why this is not delta because that’s what we’re facing right

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people don’t understand that not agreeing with someone isn’t a bad thing. Everyone is supposed to have different opinions otherwise we’d all be the same person.”

At the end of this competition, the MNSU Speech and Debate Team placed in nine categories, all in 6th place and higher. The team will compete in the Vocal Viking Tournament at Bethany Lutheran College later this month.

now,” Dr. Patrick Moore of the University of Pittsburgh said last week as government experts debated whether it’s time for Moderna boosters.

He wondered if such a switch would be particularly useful to block mild infection.

The simple answer: The FDA last month OK’d extra doses of Pfizer’s original recipe after studies showed it still works well enough against delta -- and those doses could be rolled out right away. Now the FDA is weighing evidence for boosters of the original Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.

“It’s less churn and burn on the manufacturing” to only switch formulas when it’s really necessary, said FDA vaccine chief Dr. Peter Marks.

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6 • MSU Reporter

Tuesday, October 19, 2021

FALL 2021 EDITOR IN CHIEF:

MAXWELL MAYLEBEN

Advisors need to guide students

maxwell.mayleben@mnsu.edu

MADISON DIEMERT

madison.diemert@mnsu.edu

Editorial Out of 50 students asked in passing at Minnesota State University, Mankato, 38 said they’re unaware who their academic advisor is. Out of the same 50 students, nine said they knew their academic advisor but had a poor or non-existent relationship with them.

That leaves three students out of the 50 randomly surveyed who know their academic advisor and share a relatively good relationship with them.

Going off of these numbers, that means that, for a University that has a population of 15,000 students, only about 900 of them know their academic advisor and share a good relationship with them.

We believe that should change, and that more, if not all, students should have better access to good academic advising.

An advisor sets up a student for success throughout their time in college. Without proper guidance on what classes to take, what clubs to join in order to maximize their experience, and to overall assist in curating a four-year plan, students are wandering around clueless and unaware of their full potential.

Advisors should also be trained on properly advising all types of students rather than just grouping them all under one category. Like everything else, students are intersectional and the academic advising they need will also be different.

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

File photo

For example, a first-generation college student compared to a student who comes from a long line of alumni. The first generation student may need more guidance while the student who comes from a long line of alumni may already have some background knowledge on those things. In that case, that student would not need a step-by-step guide but the other student would.

Regardless, every student’s situation will differ from their counterparts no matter how similar they all

may seem in the eyes of advisors. That means advisors should be adequately trained to handle any situation a student may bring to the table.

Not only that, but advisors should also make themselves known to the students to which they are assigned.

They can’t help their students if their students are unaware of their existence.

Sending out a welcome email to their assigned students during the first week of classes letting them know of their role as an academic ad-

visor would not only make the students aware that they have one, but could also start a good relationship between them.

A good relationship creates trust, and trust is needed in order for a student to accept guidance about reaching their goals in college. But none of that can happen without everything else listed beforehand.

And let’s not forget the students’ responsibility. Every student must take initiative and seek the advising help they need.

“What do you think about your academic advisor?”

Compiled by Maddie Behrens

EDEN GEBREMARIAM, SENIOR My advisor is interactive and responds to emails quick.”

VICTORIA KUBICEK, SOPHOMORE

DANE DUENES, SOPHOMORE

TABITHA BERGSTROM, SOPHOMORE

NOAH WUELLNER, SENIOR

“She helped me get in higher “They put me in an economics “Being able to ask questions is level electives so I can get my class that I didn’t need for my great, but it’s a little difficult core classes done.” pre-requisites.” to set up meetings with them.”

“They are very helpful.

He recruited me into the accounting majo.”

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Tuesday, October 19, 2021

News

Chinese-North Korean defectors face hardship in South Korea

MSU Reporter • 7

LA County wants Bryant to undergo psychiatric exam

ASSOCIATED PRESS Abandoned, he feels, by three countries, Cho Guk-gyeong shows a visitor his South Korean alien registration card, which describes him as “stateless.” It’s an apt description for what his life is like in South Korea, 15 years after he fled North Korea.

Most North Korean defectors to the South are ethnically Korean, but Cho, 53, is a third-generation Chinese immigrant. While ethnically Korean defectors are entitled by law to a package of benefits designed to help their resettlement in South Korea, Cho can’t receive that support because he maintained his Chinese nationality in North Korea, even though his family has lived there for generations.

“I don’t need a state subsidy or other assistance. I just want South Korean citizenship so I can work diligently until I die,” Cho said during an interview in the southern port city of Gwangyang, where he recently worked as a temporary manual laborer.

It’s unclear how many Chinese-North Koreans have come to South Korea over the years. Activists say about 30 have been designated as “stateless,” after unsuccessful attempts to pose as North Korean nationals landed them in prison or detention facilities in South Korea.

That “stateless” designation makes it extremely difficult for them to find jobs and enjoy basic rights and services in the South, and, while their numbers may be relatively small, their campaign for better treatment illuminates a little-known but important human rights issue.

“They are probably the most pitiful overseas Chinese in the world, as they’ve been abandoned by North Korea,

AWARENESS Continued from page 1 many negative long-term effects on the body.

“I think there’s a lot of health risks with drinking in college. A lot of people binge drink and then don’t eat because they want to get drunk faster or they ‘pull the trigger’ so they can drink more, and I think that’s really dangerous to your health,” said Julia Bolssen, a senior double majoring in psychology and alcohol & drug studies.

Bolssen started working at

HYUNG-JIN KIM • Associated Press Cho Guk-gyeong speaks during an interview in Gwangyang, South Korea, on Sept. 9, 2021.

China and South Korea,” said Yi Junghee, a professor at the Academy of Chinese Studies at Incheon National University. “They don’t get help from any country.”

Returning to North Korea would mean lengthy imprisonment, or worse. Settling in China is often a problem because many don’t speak Chinese and have lost touch with relatives there. It could take years to get local residence cards in China. In 2019, Cho and three others applied for refugee status in the first known such joint efforts by ethnic Chinese from North Korea, and had their long-awaited first interviews with immigration officials this June. Prospects for getting approval aren’t good.

South Korea’s acceptance rate for refugee status applications has been less than 2% in recent years.

In a response to queries posed by The Associated Press, the Justice Ministry said it will review the likelihood of Cho and three other Chinese-North Koreans facing persecution if they leave South Korea, the consistency of their testimony and the documents they’ve submitted before it determines whether

to grant refugee status. The ministry refused to disclose the contents of the June interviews but said its review may take a long time.

Major Chinese settlement on the Korean Peninsula dates back to the early 19th century. An estimated 3,0005,000 ethnic Chinese now live in North Korea. They are the only foreigners with permanent residents’ rights among North Korea’s 26 million people, analysts say.

They can maintain Chinese nationality, visit China once or twice a year and engage in cross-border business. Men are exempt from the 10-year mandatory military service. But their ethnic background also often makes them the subject of greater state surveillance, bars them from joining the ruling Workers’ Party and limits their political opportunities. In general, they consider themselves North Koreans.

Cho said that in his youth he was taught to worship the ruling Kim family with his North Korean friends at school.

“My ancestral roots have dried up, and, quite honestly, I feel like North Korea is my home,” said Cho.

House of Hope Inc., an addiction treatment center, as her job while in college. She then later realized she wanted to look further into this career path.

“I started working at House of Hope and I really liked the environment and wanted to pursue that and make it a career instead of just a college job,” Bolssen said.

During this week, colleges have the chance to highlight the dangers of alcohol abuse.

“I feel as though our school needs to educate stu-

dents on the dangers of alcohol,” she said. “When you are in this setting it’s so easy to get caught up and forget about what you’re doing. It could lead you to getting hurt or in trouble.”

Encouraging students to make smarter decisions when participating in partying and alcohol use is the main reason for this week.

Many schools use this week to promote health and safety as well as a time to reflect on how to address mature and responsible alcohol use.

MARCIO JOSE SANCHEZ • Associated Press

ASSOCIATED PRESS Los Angeles County is seeking to compel psychiatric evaluations for Kobe Bryant’s widow and others to determine if they truly suffered emotional distress after first responders took and shared graphic photos from the site of the 2020 helicopter crash that killed the basketball star, his teenage daughter and seven others, court documents say.

Vanessa Bryant, whose federal lawsuit against the county alleges invasion of privacy, has claimed in court papers that she has experienced “severe emotional distress” that has compounded the trauma of losing her husband and 13-year-old daughter, Gianna.

Kobe Bryant and the others were killed Jan. 26, 2020, when the helicopter they were aboard, on their way to a girls basketball tournament, crashed in the hills west of Los Angeles amid foggy weather. Federal safety officials blamed pilot error for the wreck.

Vanessa Bryant’s lawsuit contends first responders, in-

cluding firefighters and sheriff’s deputies, shared photographs of Kobe Bryant’s body with a bartender and passed around “gratuitous photos of the dead children, parents and coaches.” The Los Angeles Times first reported that a sheriff’s department internal investigation found deputies shared photos of victims’ remains.

None of the first responders were directly involved in the investigation of the crash or had any legitimate purpose in taking or passing around the grisly photos, the suit contends.

Gov. Gavin Newsom last year approved legislation prompted by the helicopter crash that makes it a crime for first responders to take unauthorized photos of deceased people at the scene of an accident or crime.

“Ms. Bryant feels ill at the thought of strangers gawking at images of her deceased husband and child, and she lives in fear that she or her children will one day confront horrific images of their loved ones online,” court documents say.

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10 • MSU Reporter

Tuesday, October 19, 2021

Mavs take down Peacocks with ease

By KOLE BUELOW Staff Writer Four games on the schedule sit between the Minnesota State football team and the NCAA division II playoffs.

Upper Iowa seemed to be no contest for a hungry Minnesota State team, as the Mavericks shut out the Peacocks 58-0 to improve their record to 5-2. The Peacocks now sit at 0-7 overall, still searching for their first win of the season with only one home contest remaining.

The Mavericks still find themselves outside the top 25 of the AFCA coaches poll, but have received votes.

The game script was kind to the Mavs this past weekend against the Peacocks, who were unable to put up any points against the smothering Minnesota State defense. The Mavs were unable to find a sack in the game, but totaled seven tackles for loss to do similar damage.

The defense was also able to intercept Upper Iowa quarterback Zach Reader twice in the contest, one by redshirt freshman Joey Goettl, and the other by senior Ty’Shonan Brooks. It was Goettl’s first pick of the year in which he only returned for seven yards, but Brooks’ third, in which he was able to return for 27.

On the offensive side of the ball, the Mavs were just as dominant putting up 58 points, 48 of which came in

By DANIEL McELROY Sports Editor

MANSOOR AHMAD • The Reporter Ty Brooks had a 68-yard punt return touchdown in the Mavs 58-0 win over UIU, their 15th since 2004.

the first three quarters. Senior quarterback JD Ekowa had himself an absolute day, throwing for 286 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions.

Ekowa also rushed five times for 19 yards, including a touchdown on an 11 yard rush in the first quarter.

Outside of Ekowa’s monster day, the Mavericks seemed to share the love almost anywhere they could.

One great note for the Mavs is that sophomore starting running back Kaleb Sleezer saw the field for the first time since playing Minot

State on Sept. 25. He was used lightly against Upper Iowa, only seeing six total touches on five rushes and one catch.

He did however turn his six touches into 71 total yards, which is great to see for the Mavericks as his role will continue to expand in the coming weeks. Eight different Mavs were able to find the endzone in Fayette, highlighted by a 25 yard touchdown pass from Ekowa to Jalen Sample and a 68 yard punt return touchdown from Ty’Shonan Brooks.

Brooks has had a nose for the end zone on punt returns

this season, scoring touchdowns twice through only seven games. Brooks’ wingman Nyles Williams also has also been a viable choice for the Mavs when the punt return unit hits the field.

Brooks averages 17.46 yards per return, only behind Nyles Williams on the team who averages 20.44, which makes the two a very dangerous combo to punt to. It might be time for opposing punters to try and pin the Mavs deep or kick the ball far out of bounds before either player can return the ball.

Men’s hockey splits in Ice Breaker Tournament MANSOOR AHMAD • The Reporter

By DANIEL McELROY Sports Editor The Minnesota State University Mavericks traveled up north in an attempt to take away the trophy in the Ice Breaker Tournament, hosted by the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs.

With a dominant 5-2 win against Providence on Friday, the Mavericks went on to face Michigan in the championship game.

Unfortunately, the Mavs were not able to come out on top, dropping a close 3-2 contest to the Wolverines.

In the Mavericks first meeting against the Friars since the 2019 NCAA Regional, Reggie Lutz got the scoring started for Minnesota State.

Soccer keeps streak going with 2 wins

The Mavericks dropped to No. 2 in the USCHO Division I Poll.

Lucas Sowder exemplified some great forechecking in the Friars’ zone, taking away the puck from the Providence defender, and creating a scramble in front of the net. With David

Silye nearby, Silye managed to get a hold of the loose puck, finding an open Lutz on the doorstep for the first goal of the game.

Providence answered back

with a one-timer powerplay goal following a Tony Malinowski boarding penalty, tying the game at one with just under six minutes remaining in the first.

The Mavericks once again put on a clinic of forechecking against the Friars, when Brendan Furry grabbed the turnover from Providence, made a perfect pass out to Ryan Sandelin in front of the net, and took the 2-1 lead going into the second period.

Providence didn’t let it last too long, scoring just 1:38 into the second period, but it would not be enough for the Friars.

Minnesota State’s top two scorers in Nathan Smith and Julian Napravnik connected for Smith’s fourth goal of the SPLIT on page 12 u

The streak continues for Minnesota State soccer, as they sweep the weekend against St. Cloud State and Minnesota-Duluth.

The Mavericks are on a seven game winning streak now, taking down their in-state rivals, and improving their record to 10-2-1 (8-1-1 NSIC).

On Friday, the Mavericks found themselves in a neck and neck battle against the Huskies, a team they have historically dominated, but seem to be having trouble against as of late.

Jenny Vetter managed to lift the Mavericks 1-0 with the game-winning goal almost 83 minutes in with the help of Olivia Thoen.

Thoen made a great pass leading Vetter, who then made a couple of swift moves around the St. Cloud State defenders, firing her shot over the goalkeeper’s head and taking the 1-0 lead, and the eventual victory.

Mackenzie Rath started her seventh goal in net for the Mavericks, earning the four save shutout, and improving her record to 5-1-1 on the year.

The Mavericks came out a bit more dominant on Sunday against a struggling Minnesota-Duluth team.

Nadia Lowery was the first to put up a goal for the Mavericks, following Vetter’s cross to Lowery in front of the net, taking the lead just 12:52 into the match.

Vetter netted her own goal in the 27th minute with an assist from Claire Cater, followed by Molly Mosher’s first goal of the year at around the 40 minute mark.

The Mavericks came out of the first half with a 3-0 lead, making a statement against Minnesota-Duluth Just five minutes into the second half, Vetter STREAK on page 13 u

Tuesday, October 19, 2021

Sports

MSU Reporter • 11

Volleyball takes down AU in 5 sets, drop to Wayne

By DANIEL McELROY Sports Editor The Minnesota State volleyball team extended their win streak to three games on Friday against the Augustana Vikings, but was abruptly ended by Wayne State on Saturday.

The Mavericks have historically had a tough time against the Vikings, and Friday was no different. The Mavericks were able to take away the win 3-2, in their first five set match against the Vikings since 2014.

Almost every set was played in a similar fashion, staying neck and neck until just the very end. The Mavericks biggest deficit in the first set was just at two points when they were down 3-1. After that, Minnesota State regained and kept the lead for the entirety of the set, going up 1-0 on the Vikings with a 25-19 win.

Set two played out very similarly, this time though, it went in favor of the Vikings.

Augustana jumped out to an early 7-2 lead, but the Mavericks slowly crawled their way back into the match, but it would not be enough as the Vikings tied it up at 1-1 with the 25-20 set win.

Once again in set three, AU managed to grab an early lead at 5-2, but some impressive defensive skills from the Mavericks brought them back in and stayed a one point game

MANSOOR AHMAD • The Reporter The Mavs played their first five-set match against the Vikings for the first time since 2014.

for the entire set, until it got to 19-19. From then on, the Mavericks went on a 6-2 run and took the lead 2-1 over the Vikings.

With the match point on the table, the Mavericks wanted to end the match right there and then, but the Vikings had other plans.

Just like every other set, Augustana jumped out an early 2-0 lead on the Mavericks, but it stayed just as close for the majority of the set. The

first lead greater than two points came when Augustana grabbed the 16-13 lead, but was cut down to just one point, when they led 22-21.

That’s exactly when Augustana’s head coach took a timeout to slow down the momentum, and it ended up working.

The Vikings got the next three points that they needed to push the match to a fifth set with a 25-21 win.

For the first time all day, the Mavericks were able to get

out to a dominant early lead at 6-0, with their sights set on getting out of there with a win.

Augustana made a valiant effort to get back into it, and came close when it was at 7-5.

From then on, the Mavericks went on an 8-3 run, taking home the sudden death win and improved their record to 11-7 (6-4 NSIC) on the year.

Come Saturday, Minnesota State was not as lucky.

The Mavericks hosted the No. 5 NCAA Division II team

in Wayne State at the Taylor Center.

Wayne State proved why they deserve that ranking in the first set alone with a 25-10 win over the Mavericks.

WSC grabbed their biggest lead of the set when it got to 21-5, and eventually the win.

In set two, the Mavericks made an attempt in proving they can go toe-to-toe with the best, jumping out to an early lead.

When the Mavericks got comfortable in a 12-6 lead, they may have gotten too comfortable.

The Wildcats went on a 5-1 run, making it a two-point game at 13-11, followed by the Mavericks four straight points, followed by another 13-5 run by Wayne State, going up 2-0 on the Mavericks.

MSU and WSC were neck and neck in the third set when it got to 8-8, but the Wildcats put the nail in the coffin after that.

Wayne State went on to score 17 of the next 20 points, winning the set 25-11, and sweeping the Mavericks 3-0.

In light of the defeat, Mara Quam managed to earn nine digs, enough to earn her the title of all-time career digs leader for Minnesota State with 1,742 digs.

The Mavericks will go on the road next weekend to take on No. 10 Southwest Minnesota State, and Sioux Falls.

Women’s hockey drops series to No. 5-ranked Golden Gophers

By KOLE BUELOW Staff Writer Coming into the weekend, it had been the team’s best start since 2003, with a record of 6-0 through their first six games and a 7-1 record through eight. Unfortunately the Minnesota State women’s hockey team was unable to achieve another 7-1 start, falling to the University of Minnesota in sweeping fashion, dropping to 5-3.

It was the Mavericks second season series against a WCHA opponent, first to Duluth and now to the Gophers where they were looking to improve on their 1-1 conference record. It did not go as planned, but the Mavs have put up a fight against their nationally ranked WCHA opponents this season.

The Gophers came into this game on a bit of a skid, with a 1-3 overall record after falling to Ohio State and splitting games with Minnesota-Duluth two weeks prior. Despite their record, the Gophers still

found themselves ranked in both the USCHO and NCAA Division I polls at No. 5.

It was a daunting and tough task for the Mavericks, and that showed the night of the first game. Taking on the Gophers on away ice for the first game of the series, the Mavs could not get anything going offensively and hurt themselves numerous times off penalties.

Minnesota was able to take advantage of three of Minnesota State’s four penalties throughout the game, scoring all three of their goals on the power play. The Gophers were also able to hold the Mavericks on their defensive side of the ice for most of the contest, peppering the Mavs for 47 shots to 14.

Junior goaltender Calla Frank was outstanding for the Mavs. Despite letting in the three goals, Frank saved 44 of the 47 shots faced for a .936 save percentage in game one. Frank did not stop there, bringing the same energy to game two.

MANSOOR AHMAD • The Reporter Kennedy Bobyck (12) scored her third goal of the year in the Mavs’ 6-2 loss to the Golden Gophers.

The teams headed down to Mankato for the second game of the series, splitting the interconference matchup home and away. It was a tough homecoming for the Mavs beginning straight away in the first period.

The Gophers were able to get off to a hot start, completely blowing past the Mavericks in an offensive onslaught. Minnesota was able

to put up three goals including one on the power play in the first period, and brought yet another goal at the beginning of the second.

It was a different story for the Mavs in the second period however, finding their first goal off a front net scramble for the puck where sophomore Sydney Langseth tapped on into the back of the net to cut the Gophers lead to three.

Minnesota State did not stop there, finding their next goal under two minutes later.

Heading the length of the ice on a three on two break were the Mavs, off an outlet pass from senior Taylor Wemple.

From there junior Kelsey King was able to find junior Kennedy Bobyck crashing the net for the Mavs second goal of the game.

That was all she wrote for the Mavericks, as the Gophers took care of the rest of the game, tallying two more goals in a 6-2 rout.

Frank had yet another amazing game despite letting in six goals, saving 43 of 49 shots.

Frank’s save percentage does not do justice for game two, where she looked outstanding, robbing the Gophers several times on what looked to be for sure goals.

The Mavs now have a week off of hockey until consensus No. 1 Wisconsin comes to town the weekend of Oct. 29.

12 • MSU Reporter

Sports

Tuesday, October 19, 2021

Senior Spotlight: Women’s hockey forward Brooke Bryant

By KOLE BUELOW • Staff Writer

An interview conducted with Brooke Bryant, a senior on the women’s hockey team.

Kole: What’s your name, major, and where you’re from?

Brooke: My name is Brooke Bryant, my major is business management, and I’m from Linden, California.

K: What are three words you’d use to describe yourself?

B: I would say pretty outgoing, passionate, and laid back.

K: What are some of the most important things to you in life?

B: Definitely my family. That’s always number one. My friends, teammates and hockey. But family, for sure.

K: Who inspires you to be the best version of yourself?

B: My family. Growing up, my parents always inspired me to be the best version of myself, not only in hockey, but in everything I do.

K: What kind of sports were you involved in growing up?

B: I mainly played roller hockey growing up.

K: How did you get into ice hockey?

B: I didn’t really play ice until I was about eight or nine, I would say. But when I was young, I kind of did everything. It was soccer, softball, swimming, you name it. I just kind of tested out everything and hockey ended up being the go to.

K: What made you stick with hockey over the other sports?

B: I think for me, it was just from what all my friends were doing, especially ice. It’s not very big at all. So I think it was just different, and it was my own thing. And I know I just felt really comfortable there compared to all the other sports I was playing growing up, just fell in love with the game.

K: What is your favorite part about

DAVID FAULKNER • SPX Sports Brooke Bryant has 19 goals and 19 assists for 38 points as a Maverick.

playing hockey?

B: Definitely the team. I love the team atmosphere, and the intensity of it is different from any other sport. I just love the fast pace of it.

K: What is your favorite part about being on the hockey team at Minnesota State?

B: All the people I’ve met, and it’s different. Hockey is such a big thing out here and meeting people from all around that I’ve made such good friendships with is something that I wouldn’t have done without hockey.

SPLIT Continued from page 10 year, and his team leading second game-winning goal.

Lutz went on to score with just over nine minutes remaining in the third period, along with an empty net goal, earning Lutz his first career hat trick.

Come Saturday, the Mavericks had a tougher matchup in the No. 3 Michigan Wolverines, who took down the No. 5 Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs the day before in a 5-1 victory.

On paper, the Mavericks dominated every aspect of the game, except for the goals column. Michigan got the scoring started early in the second period with a slap shot from the point of the stick of Nick Blankenburg, taking the 1-0 lead.

Minnesota State answered back with 6:05 remaining in the second, when the lethal combination of Napravnik and Smith struck again, this time with Napravnik putting the Mavs on the board with a top shelf shot from point blank.

The Mavs took advantage of the powerplay opportunity handed to them, taking the lead with just 49 seconds remaining in the second with Sandelin’s second goal of the weekend.

Though, that would be it for the Mavericks in scoring. Michigan put away two more goals in the third period, with the game winning being scored with just 4:20 remaining in the third period, and Michigan going back to Ann Arbor hoisting the Ice Breaker Tournament trophy. The Mavericks lead the game in shots on goal with 29 to Michigan’s 19, while only taking two penalties to Michigan’s five.

Minnesota State was also better on the dot, winning 41 of the 68 faceoffs in the contest. Dryden McKay made 34 saves across the weekend while facing 39 shots, and bringing his season record to 4-2-0.

Minnesota State will take a break in their action for the weekend, and come back to the Mayo Clinic Health Systems Event Center on Oct. 29-30 to begin CCHA play against Northern Michigan.

The atmosphere, a little hockey town in Mankato, it’s awesome. Definitely something I wasn’t familiar with growing up in California. Yeah, just how passionate everyone is about hockey.

It’s pretty cool.

K: Are there any sports you wish you would have continued playing or possibly been able to compete in at the collegiate level?

B: If I could do anything else it would probably be volleyball. My mom played volleyball in college and professionally for a little bit. My sister

also played when we were younger. So that was kind of a big part of my life growing up, and I loved volleyball. I wasn’t that great at it, can’t really jump that well, but it was so fun.

K: What are your goals for this upcoming hockey season? First as a person and then what are your goals as a team?

B: As a team, we always talk about just getting to playoffs, maybe getting past the first round. Obviously everyone’s number one goal is winning a National Championship, but taking it step by step, getting past the first round playoffs comes first. I mean, that’s always been a big goal for us and something that we try and work towards during the season. So that would be my team goal. Personally, I just want to be able to, even if I’m not putting up the points, be a big team player for this team. I did pretty well my freshman year, but I’ve kind of been in a little slump. So that’s definitely something that the coaches and I talk about. Just have more confidence with the puck on all parts of the ice. Defensively, offensively. Whether it’s not even putting up goals or assists, just being a key player in certain parts of the games.

K: What is your dream coming out of College? Any job dreams that you’re looking at? Any aspirations?

B: I still don’t know exactly what I would do for my fifth year, but I definitely want to keep playing hockey, maybe playing professionally would be pretty cool. I don’t know if I would want to go anywhere outside the US, but just trying to keep playing hockey, maybe get back into the roller world a little bit, I kind of miss out on that being in Minnesota. Job wise, I haven’t really figured it out. That’s probably what’s going to make me take my fifth year. I haven’t found anything I want to lock in on.

Tuesday, October 19, 2021

Osborn lends hand in Vikings’ overtime win

GERALD HERBERT • Associated Press

ASSOCIATED PRESS As Kirk Cousins rolled to the right out on third down in overtime of a game the Minnesota Vikings badly needed to win, Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen were covered.

K.J. Osborn was open on a crossing route, so Cousins delivered a difficult throw on the run and off balance. Osborn secured the crucial catch for 13 yards, despite the ball being slightly behind him and dangerously close to the Carolina cornerback in coverage.

Four plays later, Osborn was diving across the front corner of the end zone to win the game.

Finally, in his fourth season with the Vikings, Cousins has a viable No. 3 wide receiver to go to.

“He’s done everything right. I’m just happy it’s now showing up in games and that it’s showing up a lot in crunch time, too,” Cousins said after the 34-28 victory over the Panthers on Sunday that evened the Vikings (3-3) entering their bye week.

Osborn was obviously not the primary option for Cousins on the third-and-3 play from the Minnesota 43.

Nor was he the first read on the winner, a 27-yard score on a corner route he used to beat the safety in one-on-one coverage.

“I’ve learned and taught myself, playing under Adam and Justin, to expect the ball every play. It doesn’t matter what the play call is,” said Osborn, who had six receptions for 78 yards on seven targets against the Carolina Panthers.

Jefferson and Thielen form one of the NFL’s best pass-catching tandems, as Stefon Diggs did with Thielen in the years prior to Jefferson. They draw plenty of attention, though, with safeties often rolling toward them to try to take away Minnesota’s best weapons. That’s why a productive and reliable third downfield option is so important.

“I’m so blessed to be able to play with those guys. Justin’s even younger, and they teach me so much just by their actions and how they play the game,” Osborn said.

Osborn was drafted in the fifth round last season out of Miami, where he finished college as a graduate transfer from Buffalo.

The 5-foot-11, 200-pound Osborn, primarily picked for his ability to return kickoffs and punts, was one of many rookies last year whose development was stunted by the COVID-19 restrictions that limited offseason activity.

This year, with a regular spring and summer of work, Osborn was one of the true standouts for the Vikings during training camp. Kansas City (1,321), the Los Angeles Rams (1,272) and Tampa Bay (1,247) are the only teams in the league with more combined receiving yardage from their top three pass catchers than the Vikings (1,246) with Jefferson, Thielen and Osborn.

STREAK Continued from page 10 managed to get another one in the net, for her 14th goal of the season.

Just a few minutes later, Natalie Thoen scored her first of the year with an assist from Caitlin Brown.

The Bulldogs managed to sneak one by goalkeeper Clare Longueville, but it would not be enough.

With her three goal weekend. Vetter is now tied for the league leading total goals with Bemidji’s Sara Wendt, and is tied for fourth in the nation for total goals.

Sports

MSU Reporter • 13

LA ready to turn the tides at home ASSOCIATED PRESS Trailing 2-0 in the NL Championship Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers have the Atlanta Braves right where they want them. At their house.

The Braves’ last win at Dodger Stadium was June 9, 2018. They’ve lost nine straight in Los Angeles, getting swept in a three-game series in late August and were shut out twice in the 2018 NL Division Series.

Going back to the 2013 NLDS, the Braves have dropped 19 of their last 22 in LA. The Dodgers were an MLB-best 58-23 at home, ending the regular season on franchise-record 15-game winning streak at Chavez Ravine. But as a wild-card team, they don’t have home-field advantage in the NL playoffs despite 106 wins.

“We’re back home,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Monday. “We expect to win Game 3.”

Charlie Morton (0-1, 3.86 ERA in the postseason) starts for the Braves. Walker Buehler (0-1, 3.38), a 16-game winner in the regular season, takes the mound for the Dodgers.

“If the baseball sayings are right, you’re only as good as your next day’s starting pitcher,” All-Star pitcher Max Scherzer said, “and so we got Walk going on the mound and we definitely believe we can win with him. Our mind-

JOHN BAZEMORE • Associated Press

set is just win the next game.”

Buehler will start on two extra days’ rest after opening Game 4 of the NLDS on short rest a week ago.

“I got a little sick in San Francisco, but I’m feeling all right, so no worse for the wear,” he said Monday, declining to specify how or what made him sick.

The Cy Young Award contender has proven to be reliable in big games, with a 2.50 ERA in 13 postseason starts.

“With Walker being on extra rest, I think to have him, to push him, go deeper is certainly a very good option,” Roberts said.

The Dodgers expect to have Justin Turner back at third base. He was reduced to pinch-hitting in Game 2 because of a neck injury, ending his streak of 77 consecutive postseason starts. He’s struggled at the plate in the postseason, hitting .050 against

San Francisco in the NLDS. The Dodgers have been down before against Atlanta. Playing last postseason at a neutral site in Texas, they overcame a 1-3 deficit to beat the Braves in the NLCS. LA went on to win its first World Series championship since 1988.

Game 4 is Wednesday and a possible Game 5 the following day, cutting out any rest for the bullpen and seemingly making it harder for the Dodgers to use their starters in relief, as they did in the first two games.

“Things just aren’t, can’t be scripted. You’ve got to kind of sometimes go offscript to what we feel, what I feel is the best chance to win a game, let alone a particular series,” Roberts said. “A decision that doesn’t work out doesn’t mean it’s the wrong decision.”

14 • MSU Reporter

Tuesday, October 19, 2021

MNSU student featured in art exhibit

By SYDNEY BERGGREN Staff Writer

Minnesota State University, Mankato’s Mai Tran — a graduate student pursuing an MFA — is holding a featured exhibit at the 410 Project, Mankato’s community art space, until Oct. 23.

Tran’s exhibit, titled Hallucination, contains eight different printed pieces.

Tran also hung the eight matrices, or the carved block used to print, next to their respective prints.

“The pieces themselves kind of have a feeling of hallucination,” said Tran.

“The show is about my experience as a foreigner in the U.S. and Mankato specifically,” the artist noted. “The show has a surrealist kind of thing going on. The prints look kind of weird or unusual.”

Tran made an effort to combine both her own Vietnamese culture and her experiences in Mankato, to show her appreciation for both spaces.

“I really like Mankato. It really has everything you really need,” said Tran.

Tran expressed the tipping point of choosing MNSU was that her cousin went here.

“I was going to study abroad in Japan originally, and then my cousin who was going to school here said they have good programs, and an English program too,” Tran said.

“It was an intense culture shock at first, and I was in shock with the cold.”

Tran came to Mankato already having a degree in interior design, but found herself feeling unfulfilled.

She decided to try different art classes, and ended up falling in love with

Via the 410 Project MNSU graduate student Mai Tran is the featured artist at the 410 Project.

printmaking.

“I was majoring in graphic design and then I was going to choose printmaking as my secondary, but I fell in love,” said Tran.

“It’s been four years and I’m still loving print.”

Tran’s inspiration stems from things she has experienced.

“I am inspired by my own culture and the landscape surrounding me and also the people around me too,” said the artist.

“I am a very emotional person; I could walk outside and be like ‘oh the weather is so nice I need to draw something,’ and then I’d do that drawing and the drawing could turn into a woodcut or an etching. I tend to make art inspired by culture, Vietnamese mythology, and the landscape around me.

I also really appreciate how humans and nature interact with each other.”

The show’s namesake work, a wood block print titled Hallucination, is the piece Tran feels the most connection to.

“It’s the work you walk into, you see it first,” she said.

“It has a Vietnamese figure riding a moped with the Mankato water tower in the background. I made the figure based on my mom from when she was young- it is meant to show appreciation to her too.”

“It’s something different,” noted Tran. “I wish people knew more about printmaking and woodcutting. We have a great program at MNSU.” Tran’s exhibit in the 410 will be featured until Oct. 23. The gallery is also open Wednesday through Saturday from 2-6 p.m.

Muster through midterms without stressing out too much

By EMMA JOHNSON Staff Writer

Not exactly hell-week, not exactly bliss either. Midterms are that annoying middle child who has to ruin the smooth coast of college.

With the impending arrival of midterm season, it’s important to make sure that you’re taking care of yourself while still accomplishing your academic goals. There are plenty of ways to unwind and focus on yourself. Follow this guide to keep your grades and sanity at an all-time high.

First off, get some sleep.

Not a power nap. Not three hours of sleep. We are talking about as much sleep as you can get.

It may seem like a good idea to study until 3 a.m. for your 8 a.m. final, but you

won’t remember most of what you studied and there’s a good chance that you’ll sleep through your alarm anyway.

Set an alarm that stops your study streak and close your books for the night. Take a hot shower and hop into bed. Getting a full night’s sleep (aim for six to eight hours) will not only reduce those under-eye bags but let you ace those exams.

Second, limit your distractions. Playing music on your phone is great until you get a Snapchat notification. Having the TV going is fine until you end up watching half of the episode. Go to the library and leave your phone at home or in your dorm. When the distractions are gone, there is nothing left to do except focus on your work.

After an hour or two, go

MANSOOR AHMAD • The Reporter Students gathered around animals that MNSU frequently brings in.

back and take that much-needed social media fill. Balancing out the workload with pockets of fun makes it easy to remember without burning out.

Third, eat healthily. Now might seem like the perfect

time to hit the gas station for movie theater boxes of candy and Doritos. Don’t deprive yourself of a sweet treat; you deserve it for making all of these deadlines.

However, try to stick to

your regular eating schedule and make sure you are eating plenty of fruits and veggies.

These will supply you with more energy and you won’t feel sick in the middle of your study session.

Fourth, don’t over-caffeinate. The idea of chugging a combination of Monster and Bang sounds idyllic, but you will have more shakes than a diner menu.

Caffeine is a great way to keep you perked up throughout the day, but overdoing it will make sleep impossible. A coffee in the morning and a pick-me-up energy mid-afternoon should be just enough to get you through the day.

Finally, take breaks and do things for yourself. Go to a sports game and yell out your stress. Go down to the CSU HAVE FUN on page 15 u

Tuesday, October 19, 2021

Variety

‘Halloween Kills’ carves out $50.4 million at box office

MSU Reporter • 15

Social media and students: a complicated relationship

JENNY KANE• Associated Press

By LILLY SCHMIDT Staff Writer

Via Universal Pictures

ASSOCIATED PRESS On “Halloween Kills” may be available to watch at home, but the latest installment in the Michael Myers saga is making a killing at the North American box office in its first weekend in theaters.

The David Gordon Green-directed horror scared up $50.4 million from 3,705 locations, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Universal’s “Halloween Kills” far surpassed expectations, which had the film pegged for a more conservative debut in the $30 million range.

It also easily bested its main competition, which included the James Bond pic “No Time to Die,” in its second weekend, and Ridley Scott’s medieval epic “The Last Duel.” Both are playing exclusively in theaters.

The film picks up where Green’s 2018 “Halloween” left off, on the same bloody night, with Jamie Lee Curtis back as Laurie Strode.

Some were surprised when the studio made the decision to release “Halloween Kills” simultaneously in theaters and on NBC Universal’s Peacock for premium subscribers, but the day-and-date strategy does not seem to have hurt its box office haul.“David Gordon Green crafted an incredibly terrifying continuation of this franchise that our core audience was more than eager to come out to the theater to see,” said Jim Orr, Universal’s head of domestic distribution. “Audiences want to be out, they want to be in theaters, and they want to experience it communally.”

Before “Halloween Kills,” which had a reported $20 million production budget, the biggest day-and-date opening of the year was Warner Bros. “Godzilla vs. Kong” which grossed $32.2 million in its first weekend while also being available on HBO Max. It’s a best for a pandemic-era horror opening, narrowly beating out “A Quiet Place Part II.” Denis Villeneuve’s dreams of ‘Dune’ reach the big screen Disney delays ‘Indiana Jones 5,’ ‘Black Panther 2’ releases New this week: ‘Dune,’ ‘Inva-

HAVE FUN Continued from page 14 Lincoln lounge for Hound Hugs and Kanine Kisses from 6:30-8:30 p.m. and pet therapy dogs. Do your favorite self-care activities.

sion’ and an Elton John album Mel Brooks plans sequel to ‘History of the World, Part 1’ The 2018 “Halloween” was a massive hit that opened to $76.2 million and went on to gross north of $256 million against a $10 million budget.

And there are plans for a third that will close out the modern Michael Myers trilogy.

The opening weekend crowd for “Halloween Kills” was slightly more male (52%), and it was diverse (36% Caucasian, 34% Hispanic and 18% Black), according to exit polls.“Horror movies have been a mainstay of the box office throughout the pandemic,” said Paul Dergarabedian, Comscore’s senior media analyst. “Audiences just love seeing horror movies in a movie theater. ... But this also isn’t just a horror movie, ‘Halloween’ is a huge brand, and this is 43 years in the making.”

The James Bond film “No Time To Die” slid into second place in its second weekend in North America with $24.3 million, which is down only 56% from last weekend and brings its total to $99.5 million. Globally, “No Time to Die” has earned $447,521 million.

Further down the charts is “The Last Duel,” Scott’s 14th century drama starring Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Jodie Comer and Adam Driver, which has earned only an estimated $4.8 million from 3,065 locations despite positive reviews and an exclusive theatrical run.

Distributed by the Walt Disney Co., “The Last Duel” was a title the company inherited in the deal with 20th Century Fox. Next week Warner Bros.’ big budget adaptation of “Dune” opens in North American theaters and on HBO Max, as does Disney’s “Ron’s Gone Wrong” and Wes Anderson’s “The French Dispatch.”

“Every week we’re getting a lesson in the dynamics of this marketplace as related to the various release models,” said Dergarabedian. “‘Halloween Kills’ is important because people could have just sat at home where the buyin was modest.

This is evidence of the power of the movie theater and its allure and appeal to the moviegoer.”

On Oct. 4 Facebook and Instagram had a six-hour long outage. Abby VanDien, a freshman at Minnesota State University, Mankato said, “I didn’t even notice that it had happened until I went onto social media later and heard people talking about the outage.”

Social media, including Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok are present in the lives of most students for a multitude of reasons, but exactly how relevant are they?

MNSU junior Joseph Fussy uses social media for news, and said that he didn’t care about the outage. But not every student had the same experience.

MNSU student Jezrah McNinch, on the other hand, uses social media for entertainment purposes. She stated, “It affected me, but not so severe that I was upset with it. I was very confused and was wondering what happened; if it was my internet or something wrong with my phone.”

Since the outage occurred midday, many students had classes to occupy their time.

But it still got students thinking of what they would do with the time they otherwise spent on social media if it were to crash again.

DanVien said, “I don’t know. Because, I would say hang out with my friends, but I don’t know how to connect with them otherwise. But also, I guess, watch T.V. or probably go outside more.”

Similarly, McNinch stated, “I’d probably watch a lot

of movies.”

Ny Robins didn’t even have to think about this question. The sophomore at MNSU doesn’t have social media. She explains her decision, “I feel like people get stuck on their phones. But me, I just enjoy life. I don’t like social media. I think it’s toxic, I run track so I socialize in person instead of on my phone.”

Furthermore, MNSU freshman Brooke Nelson agrees with the sentiment that she’d be more social in person without social media.

“It would definitely get me more involved with people,” she says. “More conversations and group settings.

Definitely prioritize school even more. Maybe emphasize more studying time or working ahead.”

Nelson also mentioned having done a social media break in the past that benefited her. “It was because of a trip,” she explains. “I went camping up north, and I would be like, yeah, okay, no service. So obviously, that kind of forced me to unwind and that was really peaceful and like a breath of fresh air and just a reset button.”

Fussy takes social media breaks as well as he commented on the benefits he experienced, “It was for studying. I go on phone detoxes around finals,” he reported finding them helpful. Perhaps the recent outage served as the required social media break we all needed. Whether social media is your friend, or something you consider to outweigh the positives with the negatives, a detox may help clear your mind.

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While studying is important, taking time to do activities you enjoy helps maintain your sense of sanity.

If you follow this guide, you can pass your midterms and still remain cool and collected.

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16 • MSU Reporter

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Tuesday, October 19, 2021