November 24, 2009

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

T

www.msureporter.com

Minnesota State University, Mankato

he real work begins

A year after being elected, President Obama is faced with escalating pressure STEVEN PIROSO | staff writer

With the honeymoon period winding to a close, our newly elected president faces a slew of challenges that can make or break his political career.

The 47-year-old Harvard graduate ran his campaign with an ambitious agenda, galvanizing the youth of America and creating a zeitgeist of hope for the United States.

The national deficit is projected to hit 12.7 trillion dollars by mid December and the unemployment rate has hit a record high of 10.4 percent.

Saturated with the current feuds over healthcare, the economy, and the escalating violence in Afghanistan, the local media resonates mixed reviews about our 43rd president.

During his campaign, Barack Obama promised a transformational administration and a bipartisan approach that would not only end the wars in the Middle East, but also rein-

in the national deficit into a manageable debt.

Sam Adams, a construction management major, feels as those promises have gone undelivered.

“There were so many promises during his campaign, but I just really haven’t seen many things change since his administration took office,“ he said. “I think people get caught up in the rhetoric of campaigns and overlook the policies that politicians promote.”

Political science professor Kevin Parsneau understands the multifarious dynamics of being president and questions whether or not the powers delegated to the president by the Constitution sufficiently enable any president to fulfill their promises.

“For any president, what you promise always falls short of what you can really deliver,” he

Work / page 8

Obama has faced criticism for his health care bill and lack of control of the national debt.

web photo

Mankato police arrest for assault, selling drugs HEATHER MOELLER

staff writer

kyle janda • msu reporter

MSU celebrates Korean culture

index

News, page 9

Editorial...................................6 Voices......................................7 Variety....................................11 Sports....................................14 Classifieds.............................19

Police arrested a Minnesota State student on the charge of second-degree assault early Friday morning.

According to the signed complaint filed with the county court administration, Quyumba Ontario Wilson allegedly assaulted Abdirazaq Mohamed Abdullahi near the Verizon Wireless Center with a knife.

Abdullahi reported the assault at the Mankato Public

Safety Center at approximately 12:57 a.m. Friday. Wilson was taken into police custody a short time later while stopped for traffic violation.

Under Minnesota Statute 609.222, if convicted Wilson could face a maximum sentence of seven years imprisonment and/or a fine up to $14,000.

Also this weekend, the Minnesota River Valley Drug Task Force arrested three Mankato men on the charge of first degree aiding and abetting

controlled substance crime.

According to the signed complaint filed with the county court administration, the three men, Jeffrey John Schwictenberg, 22, Andra Artez Jones, Jr., 30, and Kody James Johnson were arrested after allegedly selling cocaine to an undercover agent.

Under Minnesota Statute 152.021, if convicted the men could face up to 30 years imprisonment and/or up to a $1,000,000 fine.

Do you know what your makeup is made of?

Variety editor reviews “New Moon”

News, page 5

Variety, page 11

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Tuesday, November 24, 2009T

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For students, marketing themselves may be the key to finding a job ERIN ROHRER

staff writer

Branding an image is no longer just for businesses.

With graduation dates creeping around the corner, students are encouraged to brand themselves to help land a job and maintain a positive reputation.

In the present economy, the value of an individual’s image is crucial when applying for jobs in order to stand apart from the rest.

There are several ways in which students can market themselves before entering the real world.

Students should begin by assessing themselves, their motivators and their personal principles. Once these key aspects are understood, the next focus should be getting involved and creating network connections with the community and business professionals.

Julie Poyzer, graduate assistant in the Career Development Center, said that students should start early with involvement in campus or community activities as well as volunteer work.

“The big thing is making that connection and building your network components,” said Poyzer “Eighty percent of jobs are not advertised. If students are putting themselves out there and creating a positive reputation within their personal

networks, jobs may be easier to come across.”

In today’s society, personal branding also largely relies on the use of social media. Keeping Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and blogs clean and business-friendly can help students maintain a jobworthy reputation. Through the use of social media, students can express to the world who they are and who they hope to be. When given the opportunity to express personal descriptors online, students must keep identities consistent and illustrate positive characteristics.

According to Denise Williams, East Coast manager and director of strategic marking for Goodman Marketing Partners, a multichannel direct response marketing

agency, personal branding is a powerful tactic for setting students apart in the eyes of prospective employers.

“Branding yourself is a matter of boiling down who you are and what your values are, and then being true to that,” Williams said. “For example, going out of your way to volunteer or lend assistance to other people, rather than always looking out for number one.”

For students graduating in December or May, it’s not too late to brand a personal image and create a positive job applicant status. Connecting with business professionals through means of volunteering, student organizations or fieldwork can create a personal network in just

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a few weeks. Most importantly, students should remember to thank possible referrals or personal contacts that have helped them create a successful personal brand.

“It’s so important to construct a brand for yourself because when you are looking for a job you are competing with thousands of other applicants,” said Kelsey Johnson, a public relations and marketing student graduating in December. “It is crucial to differentiate yourself from everyone else. Personal branding can create a platform in which you can communicate your strengths, key personal and professional assets to your potential employer, team members and clients.”

Branding an image may seem like a time-consuming scheme, but students must realize how much dedication is put into a successful company’s image. If students were to take a third of the amount of time that companies do to brand themselves, they would have the potential of creating a powerful and lasting image.

Students should be aware of their personal brand and continue to be involved in campus activities as well as in the community. It is often said that reputation is everything. Although that is not true in every situation, branding a successful image can help students become who they want to be and secure a stable job in the long run.

illustrations by ann reichel • msu reporter

Page 4 • Reporter

News

Tuesday, November 24, 2009T

Rollin’ down the river Spreading a

merry Christmas Interactive guide to help the curious learn and explore the Minnesota River MSU students to collect gifts for Toys for Tots staff writer

“

DAN BOETTCHER

We’ll have many different perspectives to try to help people to understand this very complicated, diverse basin.”

A team from Minnesota State’s Water Resource Center is trying to create a one-stop online resource for questions and information related to the Minnesota River.

The proposed Web site,

— Kimberly Musser, assistant director of the Water Resource Center “Minnesota River Experts: An Educational Field Trip Online,” will bring together scientists and information users to have their questions “We’ll have many different that previously had been answered via videotaped perspectives to try to help divided between multiple responses from experts in the people to understand this sources. field. very complicated, diverse Project organizers will The project will assemble basin,” said Kimberly Musser, interview around 25 experts professionals into an interassistant director of the Water who will each answer 15-20 agency team comprised Resources Center. questions. Topics will of several environmental The viewpoints will not include erosion, water quality, organizations. Members will only be those of the experts, improving fish populations, likely be drawn from agencies but will also include citizens conservation practices and such as the Department who have contributed to the animals such as mussels who of Natural Resources, the project. For example, high call the river home. The Pollution Control Agency and schools students from the result will be a comprehensive the Board of Water and Soil Minnesota New Country journey that will allow Resources.

River / page 10

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LAUREN MEYER

staff writer

As the holidays approach, donation centers are in high demand for collecting gifts and other essential winter items for families with children.

Now more than ever, families have turned to non-profit organizations for a little help around the holiday season.

The chemistry and prepharmacy clubs are teaming up to collect toys for the Toys for Tots program here on campus.

The organizations have also participated in Colleges against Cancer Benefits, Relay for Life and collecting school supplies.

“Families that were struggling before the [economic] downfall are suffering even more now,” said Souksavanh Phaengkhouane, president of the Minority

Association of Pre-Health. The toy drive will benefit children that live in the Mankato area.

“We wanted to do something that would give back to our own community.” said Chemistry club president Marjorie Ploeger.

“Our mission is to become more active in the community and help out children that are less fortunate.” Phaengkhouane said.

Since this is the first year the organization has collected toys they are hoping to just collect as many as possible and bigger after this year. The organization is also accepting cash donations from students that can’t go out and buy a toy.

“Every little bit helps and everyone is affected.” said Ploeger.

Christmas / page 10

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

MSU accepting entries for 2009 holiday card REPORTER STAFF

Minnesota State is giving students the chance to design what could become the university’s annual holiday greeting card.

President Richard Davenport has invited all enrolled students to submit their designs for the card. If a student’s design is selected, the winner will receive a $500 stipend.

Original artwork, including photography, graphic design and other mediums are acceptable.

There are basic guidelines for submissions, but administration has asked that the entries must not depict any particular religion or creed. In addition, students are encouraged to make a connection to MSU with their designs.

All applicants must submit their entries in electronic format

— JPG, TIF, EPS or PDF files — using 300 dpi CMYK images.

The deadline to submit entries is noon on Monday.

All submissions should be sent to Carol Stallkamp (carol. stallkamp@mnsu.edu), who will also answer any questions regarding the contest.

When Pres. Davenport reviews the submissions, he will do so without the names attached to maintain non-biased judgment. There is no limit on the number of entries per person, but Pres. Davenport reserves the right not to select a design from the entries submitted.

Private donations to the foundation will fund this project. State appropriations and tuition funds will not be used for the card or student-awarded stipend.

News

Reporter • Page 5

ISN’T AS PRETTY AS YOU THINK

illustration by ann reichel • msu reporter

Cosmetic contents aren’t as appealing as their premise LAUREN MEYER

staff writer

Cosmetics, many of which are used to enhance looks, may be doing their users damage that isn’t so readily apparent.

The FDA reported that “nearly 11 billion cosmetics products are sold off the shelf each year.” However, when going to purchase that tube of Midnight Black mascara and mediumtoned bronzer, women seldom think about what ingredients are actually inside of their favorite beauty products.

Toxic carcinogens, including lead, mercury, phthalates and parabens show up in the most popular products women use.

Comsumers might want to start looking past wanting sexier, fuller eyelashes and illuminating, sun-kissed skin to enhance

beauty.

Toxic chemicals found in personal care products are absorbed into the skin. These carcinogens have recently been linked to birth defects, cancer, disruption of the body’s hormone system and neurological problems. The Breast Cancer Foundation has recently taken a more in-depth look at the ingredients that are put into cosmetics, finding chemicals such as lead in lipsticks, mercury in mascara, parabens in hair care products and moisturizers as well other known human carcinogens.

So what makes these products not so easy, breezy or beautiful?

Dangerous industrial chemicals called phthalates, which have been particularly linked to birth defects. These chemicals are used in several cosmetic products, from nail polishes to lip balms

to a variety of deodorants. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (CSC) has discovered a recent study conducted by the FDA on the safety of phthalates in cosmetics. After the study, the FDA refused to release its findings. Cosmetics that contain phthalates have been banned in the European Union, but remain unregulated in the United States.

There is no federal regulation for personal care products aside from color additives, which means that companies like Cover Girl, Maybelline, Neutrogena and L’Oreal, along with others, have the freedom to make their products with as many carcinogens as they wish.

The amounts of mercury, an essential ingredient in eye products that acts as a

Beauty / page 8

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Editorial reporter-editor@mnsu.edu

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

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Wash down the Thanksgiving feast with some good conversation

At last, what can be one of the most stressful months of the year is coming to a close. For the college community, November can be loaded with assignments and obligations — the weight of the closing semester isn't something many students can bear without an occassional crack in their foundation.

Which is why Thanksgiving break is the sigh of relief we all desperately need before finals week brings more due dates and exams our way.

Although most students

probably haven't had the chance to contemplate much outside of their hectic lives this month, there isn't a more appropriate time to reflect than over the holidays.

Passing items from Thanksgiving's elaborate menu of oven-roasted turkey, succulent gravy and savory stuffing shouldn't be the only exchanges at the dinner table this Thursday.

Most of us probably aren't going to go around and list what we are thankful for like the nostalgic days of elementary school, but nothing goes better with friends,

family and food than some meaningful conversation.

Those who have the opportunity to visit their families will probably be spending more time with them than usual over the next few days.

Wrapped up in the college life, it can be easy to take the simple pleasures of life for granted and it can be hard to find the time for them. But while you are at home, try to take a moment to recognize life's positives and soak up your surroundings.

Yes, thank your family

for the delicious food, but also sit down and spend some time with them.

This break will be over before you know it unless you try not to let the anxious feeling of impending finals or other duties consume us and actually enjoy yourselves.

So if you are going home this week, try to surpass the urge to check Facebook every five minutes and participate in the long, lost art of good conversation. Maybe somewhere in the mix we can regain sight of what we truly are thankful for.

compiled by Nate Brennan

How will you spend your Thanksgiving weekend?

Jacqueline Vogel • Jr • Bus. Marketing

“Hanging out with family and getting drinks.”

Letters to the Editor In defense of Obama The not-so-dismal

Minnesota State University, Mankato

I’m writing in response to Brandon Quam’s rather credulous letter to the editor last Tuesday in which he disparaged President Obama and a few other Democrats with baseless assertions and insults. He began and ended his letter with a typically vague argument expounded by Republicans: the Democrats are wavering from the true vision of the Founding Fathers, and we must embrace liberty and justice and other buzzwords.

But how can anyone claim with confidence they know the minds of the Founding Fathers, men who’ve been dead for two hundred years, men who lived in a world vastly different from our own, men with oftentimes contradictory positions?

It’s a fallacy—an appeal to authority— and a weak one at that. And worse for Mr. Quam’s argument: words

like “liberty” and “justice” hold different meanings for different people. Not everyone agrees that liberty involves private corporations dominating society; not everyone believes that justice requires invading and destroying poverty- stricken nations; not everyone adheres to the anti-Obama dogma and the embarrassing ignoramuses who lead its charge (i.e. the Glenn Beck cabal).

To assume these concepts hold objective definitions is to commit another fallacy. As per the Right’s usual tactics, Mr. Quam leveled no facts or statistics to bolster his case.

He merely said that universal healthcare is “illogical, unfeasible, and unrealistic” without offering anything substantive to prove his claims. Perhaps a few more adjectives like “communist” or “evil” would have been

Defense / page 9

democrat In “The dismal democrat” Brandon Quam argues that Obama’s healthcare reform is mindless garbage from the Democratic agenda. He says our president is destroying the framework for prosperity in America by trying to help every American, not just the prosperous ones. It’s time that Brandon Quam gets over it.

This is an issue of morality, not practicality. In a society such as ours it is inexcusable that we fail to help people, sick people, just because money cannot be made in it. Is one trillion over ten years justified to cover nearly all Americans and loosen the chokehold insurance companies have on their customers? Absolutely.

Everyone deserves this, regardless of cost.

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According to a Congressional report, the estimated to cost of the War on Terror is currently just shy of 1 trillion dollars (plus the cost of life). I am not suggesting that our safety from being attacked at home isn’t worth a trillion dollars, but is our homeland truly safe when a USA today study showed that 18,000 die a year from a lack of healthcare?

Our lack of healthcare essentially creates a 9/11 every 2 months.

Quam argues that healthcare should be left alone because our forefathers had neglected to include this right in the Constitution. If Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson were to witness today’s United States I

Democrat / page 10

Brandi Dufour • Sr • Management “Going home to Arizona.”

Emily Bowman • Sr •Communication Studies

“Spend time with my family.”

Phillip LaFleur • So • Athletic Training

“Hanging with friends and family in Rushford.”

OUR POLICIES & OTHER INFORMATION • If you have a complaint, suggestion or would like to point out an error made in the Reporter, call Editor in Chief Nicole Smith at (507) 389-5454. 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, which can be contacted at (507) 389-2611.

• The Minnesota State University Mankato Reporter is a student-run 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 $35.00 and subscribers will receive the paper within three to five days after publishing.

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Letters must contain year, major or affiliation with the university, or lack thereof. All letters must contain phone numbers for verification purposes.

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Tuesday, November 24, 2009

The perils of BLACK FRIDAY

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The biggest shopping day of stems from working in retail, and the year is upon us and I would that is people getting upset if the really like to get through that store I’m working at runs out day without some of the “Black of whatever deal they’re looking Friday” mainstays. The day after for. I personally can’t help if the Thanksgiving has become a day company only sent us twenty of for us to celebrate consumerism those LCD TVs you’re clamoring for, so please don’t yell at me. Of and greed after we’ve celebrated gluttony the day before. course, I can’t say that to Sound harsh? Yeah, anyone, instead kissing their but that’s what gets behinds with apologies and your attention folks. explanations galore.

While Black Friday What I’d really like to (probably so named do is look them in the eye because people got sick and say, “If it was that of saying “the day after important to you, then you Thanksgiving”) doesn’t should have broken down really bother me all the door and elbowed the that much, I can’t help four-year-old kid some other but agree with myself Adam Pulchinski crazy shopper dragged here on the whole greed and at 4 a.m. to stand in line gluttony thing. If I were a smarter for an off-brand television that person and better writer I could get probably still isn’t worth the money you’d have paid for it.” But I offer all seven deadly sins in there, but an apology instead of a rain check, alas, I am a simple man. because the ad specifically states My Christmas wish (because none of those, and explain why they as comedian Lewis Black points can not get said rain check. And out, Thanksgiving is essentially that explanation goes something Christmas: Part One now) would like, “Because the ad specifically have to be getting through Black states none of those.”

Friday without hearing the words I could go on and on about “door” and “buster” put together Black Friday retail woes, but most endlessly to describe the great deals people can get on some pretty of them are common, everyday retail woes, really. They just seem decent products that they, for the to be multiplied in frequency and most part, weren’t thinking of intensity given that particular buying with any immediacy in the first place. I”m not sure why, but day. The interesting thing to me the phrase “door-buster” is akin will be to see how many people to somebody crunching Styrofoam will be shoveling tons of cash right next to my ear. I don’t know and credit limit at their nearest if it’s the words themselves that bug department store, despite having me or what. I shudder and cringe complained about how they canít and all sorts of other similar verbs. afford anything and how much the I do have to admit that I have been economy sucks for the last couple of a sucker some of these Black Friday months. Apparently people donít realize that while things may be a deals. great deal, they are spending more I’m a big movie guy, so of money than they probably should course I always check out what on quite a few of those deals.

DVDs are on sale for the low, low Focusing on bang for your buck is price of $3.99 and then stock up accordingly. Same thing with CDs. good if it truly means maximizing I do draw the line when it comes to your dollars, but is it really a good standing in one, however. It just deal if you werenít going to buy all really isn’t worth it to wait longer this stuff in the first place? than five minutes to get my copy Oh, and please try to remember of a Monty Python movie (Ni!), as to be nice to that sixteen-year-old great as it may be. As for waking behind the electronics counter this up early, no way. I don’t need Tom year if the store runs out of those Petty’s greatest hits so bad that I stylish duvets and shams for the bed set you always wanted. It’s need to rush my local retailer at 5 a.m. If something is there when not his department anyway and he I get myself up and about, then it doesn’t get paid enough to listen to must have been meant to be. If not, it after having to report to work at then I’ll live.

3 that morning.

The other thing I can do without on Black Friday strictly — Adam Pulchinski is a Reporter staff writer

Page 8 • Reporter

News

BEAUTY The more expensive products tend to contain more harmful chemicals than their cheap counterparts continued from 5

Tuesday, November 24, 2009T

WORK Some argue the harsh

scrutiny and slander of Obama is unjustified continued from 1

preservative and germ-killer found in many types of mascara, have been found to be linked to neurological damage. Not only is the mascara absorbed into the skin, but the carcinogen is often breathed in when the tube is open or when the brush is near the face.

In the Deep Skin Cosmetic Safety Database mascaras were compared on a scale from 0 to 10, based on the amounts of carcinogens in the product. The database concluded you don’t always get what you pay for, showing the most expensive products were actually the ones rated higher on the hazardous scale. Brands such as Esté Lauder, Mary Kay, and Clinique have all been reported to have higher levels of mercury then drug store brands.

“I have always used Clinique as my foundation and mascara; now that I know it’s worse for me I might just switch to a cheaper brand sold at Wal-mart,” said Alecia Fruechte, a sophomore at Minnesota State.

The FDA has banned cosmetics that contain mercury, but since mascara is only applied around the eye, cosmetic companies are still able to use the harmful chemical in their products.

Along with the mercury concern, there is also a great concern with heavy metals, such as lead, often found in lipsticks, lip liners and lip glosses. Lead has been linked to cancer as well as neurological complications.

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics did an experiment finding lipsticks containing lead.

For the study, the CSC purchased 30 tubes of lipstick to be tested for chemicals, concluding that 20 out of the 30 lipsticks contained lead. Higher levels of lead were in more pricey brands like L’Oreal, Cover Girl and Christian Dior. The CSC determined “the more expensive brands are no safer than the drugstore brands.”

Top cosmetic companies use words and phrases like “healthy,” “weightless,” “full coverage,” “wax-free,” “organic,” “natural” and “dermatologist-tested,” to get consumers to believe a product is safe for their skin.

Since cosmetics are not FDAapproved, these basic marketing gimmicks have become very

wale agboola • msu reporter Some cosmetics have been found to contain carcinogenic chemicals. Pictured is MSU student Brittany Stamer, holding a popular Maybelline mascara.

successful at distracting us from what is really in our makeup.

Many people turn to natural or organic products because they are led to believe it’s a healthier choice.

“When I buy mascara I just grab the one that claims to be [the] most natural. I just feel like those products won’t make me break out,” said MSU student Heather Christiansen.

Christiansen has only broken out from one type of mascara — that famous pink bottle with a lime green cap, Great Lash Mascara by Maybelline New York. That same mascara claims to be hypoallergenic but contains parabens, which according to the FDA effect estrogen levels linkied to breast cancer.

When confronted about the harmful chemicals in these basic cosmetics, Christiansen responded, “I had no idea that my everyday makeup had all those chemicals. I guess I just figured that if it was on the shelf it was safe to use.”

Most students have said they were unaware about what’s in their makeup. Along with Fruechte and Christiansen, other women informed about

chemicals in their makeup agreed that they were going to try to be more cautious of what they purchase.

“Now that I realize what I am putting on my skin I may switch brands, however, I won’t stop wearing makeup,” Fruechte said.

said. “The president is limited in his power; to be successful, the president has to work in a bi-partisan way.”

During his campaign, Barack Obama captured the minds and attention of people all around the world. He seemed to have held a mythical aura, like a prophet of political change. As time goes on, the infatuation of our newly elected president fades in the minds of most, as we focus more on his political policies as opposed to his deity like characteristics.

With more than 40 million Americans living without health insurance, the debate over healthcare reform consumes the political discourse. Obama has been pushing for a health-care reform bill, but has encountered many bumps in the road coming from Democrats and Republican alike in Congress.

Healthcare reform may be the most significant piece of legislation during the Obama administration, and may define his presidency.

Some argue that the harsh scrutiny and slander on the news about Obama’s stagnant administration are unjustified and lacks credibility. Molly Carmody is one of those people.

“President Obama has passed a major hate crime legislation and has changed our international standing in the world” she said. “ President Obama has avidly defended the constitution;

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ensuring that all people have the right to a speedy trial, that the United States won’t stand for torture. He has also spoken about repealing the militaries Don’t ask Don’t tell policy,” Carmody said. The hate crime legislation passed makes it a federal crime to assault persons based on his or her gender or sexual orientation. The hate crimes bill was named after Mathew Shepard, a teenager from Wyoming who was kidnapped and beaten to death because of sexual orientation; and James Byrd Jr., an African American man who was dragged to death that same year.

Associate professor Fred Slocom agrees that Obama has entered office with an ambitious agenda, but feels that Obama has taken the necessary first steps to make his promises a realization. He said that the wheels of legislation, however slow moving, are in motion.

“All presidents fall victim to the coalition of minorities effect. As a president makes decisions, special interest and subgroups become alienated and therefore the president’s approval ratings gradually decline over time,” Slocom said.

President Obama, who began his presidential career with a 68 percent approval rating, is now looming toward a fifty-fifty split nation-wide.

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DEFENSE Pizza encourages people to investigate both sides of issues rather than accept one ideology continued from 6 even more in line with the Right’s emotional and kneejerk modus operandi. These tactics, of course, make for poor reading. Letters to the editor should not be nothing more than a bullhorn for opinions—one must actually present something fresh.

I would encourage those who want to know more about the healthcare debate to investigate both sides of the issue, instead of merely accepting the platform of any ideology. Understand that the government is neither a

terrible thing existing solely to take away your income, nor a wholly benevolent and efficient thing with no wrongs or faults. The truth is somewhere in the middle.

And as happens to be the case, President Obama’s agenda for healthcare reform is a moderate position compared to the established programs of nearly every other civilized nation. We have nothing to fear except Glenn Beck himself.

Matt Pizza

A long time coming to MSU First Korean night exceeds expectations HEATHER MOELLER

staff writer

Attendance for Minnesota State’s first Korean Night Saturday evening exceeded expectations.

According to the MSU students serving as masters of ceremony, 200 people were expected to attend. But when the night came, more than 400 people filled the Centennial Student Union ballroom for a taste of Korean food and performances.

The evening opened with the Korean national anthem and words from Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Scott Olson and Korean Student Association President Ami Kim. Audience members cheered when Olson began his comments with “Ann yeong haseo,” a formal Korean greeting that translates to “Good day.”

“You’ll taste some of the best food in the world,” Olson said.

Kim said she was glad for everyone’s attendance. Part of her comments, delivered in Korean, were meant specifically for the Korean members of the audience.

“We have had many Korean students, but [this] is the first time to share our culture,” Kim said.

The meal included four

Korean dishes and rice.

Tables at either side of the ballroom served bulgogi, kimchi, jap-chae and pa-jeon.

According to the menu printed in the program, bulgogi is a traditional marinated beef dish, kimchi is spicy pickled cabbage, japchae is a traditional noodle dish and pa-jeon is a type of Korean vegetable pancake.

Many different performances filled the rest of the evening, from a traditional percussion performance by Team Shin Pa Ram from the Twin Cities to traditional games. Music, in the form of singing, dancing and a flute ensemble, was a major part of the entertainment.

According to one of the masters of ceremony, Gayoung Ahn, planning for the first Korean Night started during summer vacation.

She said everyone involved worked hard to make the evening a success.

“All the performers practiced every night after class,” Ahn said.

Another master of ceremony, Bruce Voelker, said he was glad to host Korean Night.

“It was a long time coming,” Voelker said.

News

Reporter • Page 9

Teaching against hate LGBT Center holds transgender workshop on day of remembrance ADAM PULCHINSKI

staff writer

The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Center at Minnesota State commemorated the National Transgender Day of Remembrance Friday with guest speaker Anne Hodson.

Hodson, who works with Minnesota GLBTA Campus Alliance, presented the workshop “Transgender 101.”

The National Day of Remembrance is a 10-yearold event that was established to remember the people killed for being known as, or associated with, the transgender community. The workshop held in the Centennial Student Union is one of many that are meant to spread information and awareness regarding issues with the transgender and gay/lesbian communities.

According to Hodson, the number of violent incidents nearly doubles annually, but she is quick to point out that the numbers could be growing in relation to more and more of the murders being classified as hate crimes. Knowledge of what constitutes a hate crime and better reporting may only be a tip of the iceberg.

“These numbers include just the ones we know about,” said Hodson.

Hodson, whose own journey began about fifteen years ago,

recounted her experiences of coming out to the crowd of 30 who attended the event.

There were ups and there were downs and, as Hodson noted, many times suicide was an option. Eventually, Hodson worked her way through it with therapy and some of her realizations.

“It was very much a sense of relief,” said Hodson. “The thought that, ‘I think I could keep going now’.”

It has been Hodson’s mission wale agboola • msu reporter to “keep going” Anne Hodson led Friday’s workshop on transgenand educate others der issues. Hodson works with Minnesota GLBTA Campus Alliance and create an understanding issues. of these issues so instances “You don’t hear enough,” said of violence might be reduced.

Brittany Wagner, from South During the workshop Hodson Central College. “It’s good to get had 12 attendees read the name the word out and understand that of a victim from the past year any step people take to become and how they were killed. themselves helps us as a whole She chose the names to appreciate diversity.” randomly from a list of Getting the word out was 95. Some of those reading one of many ideas in an open names choked up but finished discussion as to how to better reading them. Everyone at the issues facing the LGBT the workshop agreed that that community at large. Many kind of experience is key to understanding the weight of the Teaching / page 10 Staff: Campus Pastor Wong, Reverend Roger Knepprath, Mark Probst, Vicar Proksch, RA Jon Ibisch

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Tuesday, November 24, 2009

DEMOCRAT Time to stop looking RIVER Ordinary citizens, such as high school students, at history, start towards the future in have contributed to the new program, which will be terms of heathcare presented online as well as in local schools continued from 6 sincerely do not believe they would oppose this legislation because insurance companies won’t be able to make as large of a profit.

Quam reminds us that the healthcare bill is similar to Medicare and Social Security.

I will agree that these are not flawless programs, but they help people, which is all that matters. I once got in an argument, hesitantly, with an old lady protesting healthcare reform where Senator Max Baucus was making a speech.

She told me the VA wouldn’t help her husband. My only response was to remind

continued from 4 her that we need everyone covered so that no one can be turned away.

It’s time to stop looking at our countries history for answers to healthcare and move to the future. Take Bob Dylan’s advice because “your old road is rapidly agin’. Please get out of the new one if you can’t lend your hand, for the times they are a-changin’.”

Alex Cahlander-Mooers Senior Plant Science Major

CHRISTMAS Drive to take place after Thanksgiving continued from 4 Toys for Tots is only able to accept new toys that are still in their original package. Also, toys must not be gift wrapped.

Once the organization has collected the toys they will be separated into age groups and families in need will be able to pick them up and give to the gifts to their children for the holidays.

The Recognized Student Organizations will be going out and purchasing toys with the cash donations they collect.

The Minority Association of Pre-Health also decided that they will spend $100 on science-related toys.

“We want kids to get excited about science and at the same time help the community.”

Phaengkhouane said.

The organizations will be putting on the toy drive starting Nov. 30 and continuing till Dec. 4. There will be a table set up in Minnesota State’s Centennial Student Union from 10 a.m to 1 p.m. Students that wish to donate can also bring toys to the chemistry main office, located in Ford Hall Room 241.

With the drive going on right after the big Thanksgiving sales, the organizations are hoping that students will be willing to make a donation.

“We know that times are tough for everyone around the holidays so every little bit helps,” said Kate Lindberg a senior chemistry major.

TEACHING Some criticize the lack of media attention hate crimes against LGBT individuals receives continued from 9 workshop attendees noted the absence of people who are not part of the LGBT community at the event. Some cited the overall lack of media attention that hate crimes against LGBT citizens gets.

One thing that many attendees noted, including John Lee, a grad student at Minnesota State, was the need for improvement inside the LGBT community itself. While outsiders to the culture may

think that there are definite divisions among those who are gay, lesbian, or transgender, it was pointed out in several stories that there was social hierarchy and exclusiveness among them.

“Don’t hate on each other,” said Lee. “Be inclusive among each other.”

Hodson reiterated that sentiment by saying that they all need to be allies and not just members of the LGBT community.

School in Henderson, the public school in Gaylord and the Dawson-Boyd schools donated their time and ideas for questions that will appear on the Web site. The combination of experts, students and citizens is designed to create a wide array of ideas for larger brainstorming sessions.

In addition to being online, the program will also be located at booths within the three participating schools, and at three other sites within the region including: the Treaty Site History Center in St. Peter, the Ney Nature Center near Henderson and the Regional River History Center in New Ulm. The original idea for the project came to Scott Kudelka, communications coordinator for the Water Resources Center, in the fall of 2007 while he was on a mussel walk with a group led by an expert from the DNR named Mike Davis. He realized that there were a lot of professional and dedicated resource people whose message was not reaching the general public.

“I want to connect people to the resource and to the people that are trying to protect it,” Kudelka said. “I think people are taking more of an active interest in the

Minnesota River.”

Another inspiration for the venture came from the creation of another project included in the Minnesota River Basin Data Center Web site (http://mrbdc.mnsu.edu).

The project featured members of the Water Resource Center interviewing residents of the basin about their personal experiences with the river.

The group allowed the citizens to tell their own unique stories dealing with specific or general landscape features of the valley. All that was left to do was to put it into a form that highlighted the descriptions, Kudelka explained.

The virtual field trip Web site will actually be added to the larger database in an effort to “enrich and update” the existing information.

The site will use concise video clips of experts outside providing visual evidence, in addition to maps, aerial imagery, photographs and Google-Earth fly-throughs.

Much of the map and imagery work will be done by Richard Moore, a geographic information systems specialist with the Water Resources Center. The user will be able to view 360-degree panoramic images that hopefully provide a rich texture for the viewer to absorb.

“It helps people understand the Minnesota River and how it’s formed and what it’s doing, and I think that’s a story I would like to hear told,” Moore said.

The hope is that the interactive nature of the project will attract more attention from a culture that increasingly relies on the internet for information. This approach seems especially applicable to the younger student population.

Musser explained the center’s intention of definitely including at least two students to assist on the project.

Students with specialties such as geography or graphic design could be a valuable addition to the team.

The project has gained an approval recommendation from the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources, which distributes income gained from the state lottery. The project must now pass the legislative session beginning in February. If all goes well the project should receive funding by August, with the site operating by the middle of 2011.

“This will be a great, interactive way that people can find out about these people and what they’re doing,” Kudelka said.

reporter-arts@mnsu.edu

Variety Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Same ‘Moon’

South Asia’s precious metal MITHILA MANGEDARAGE

staff writer

different day

photo courtesy of movieweb.com Vampires, werewolves and brooding whiney girls, oh my! “New Moon” is a more of the same in this preposterous, teen-angst-ridden “fantasy-romance” franchise.

NATE BRENNAN

variety editor

For the “Twilight” series to be self-defined as a saga is like saying “Inglourious Basterds” is the most factual account of World War II ever created.

But whereas Tarantino’s exaggeration and missteps in convention were carefully calculated and executed in an intentional, tongue-in-cheek manner, the series of fantasyromance (a ridiculous genre creation in its own right) takes itself so seriously and, like patching a hole in a tire with duct tape, attempts to hide its glaring holes in plot development and mythological inaccuracy with unrealistic

quick fixes.

And that’s not even the worst of the atrocities that encompass “New Moon.”

Isabella “Bella” Swan may be the most despicable protagonist ever created. The fact that a female screenwriter adapted Stephanie Myers novel to create this weak, completely male-dependent woman as the hero is saddening, if not disturbing.

Throughout the entire film, Bella openly admits in a variety of ways that her happiness is in direct relation with either Edward or Jacob being in love with her and showing her attention. Even when director Chris Weitz attempts to portray Bella as sympathetic or

(507) 389-5157

selfless, it’s ever-apparent that the protagonist is disgustingly selfish, using her human friends to seem normal and keep her father off her trail of mischief or using Jacob to fill the hole she feels has been “punched” through her chest.

Furthermore, this 18-yearold girl, who ironically and continually complains about aging and feeling old when she is so obviously grossly immature, spends the entirety of the film telling others who they are and how to live their lives during a several-monthlong period where she’s having over-the-top night terrors and living in a pitiful state of

Twilight / page 18

Around here at Minnesota State, a random person sporting a Led Zeppelin or Black Sabbath t-shirt is nothing to take a second look at. But thousands of miles away, where people wear Kurtas and turbans; you do take a minute to turn around and take a good look at the guy who walked by in tight jeans and a band shirt.

Despite its more commercial, mass audience-oriented wings, nu and alternative, heavy metal has always been the music

of the oppressed. The angry, inside voice within the men and women of the working class that screams out loud against low wages, social instability and the power and authority of “The Man.” The forefathers of all heavy music, bands such as Judas Priest and Black Sabbath, were born from the dust and ashes of industrial Birmingham, England, giving birth to a whole new, very angry genre of music that has remained quite static throughout the years,

Metal / page 12

photo courtesy of the Rudra fan club Heavy Metal was born in places like Los Angeles, but its power has spread to Asia, creating bands such as Singapore’s Rudra, a Vedic Metal group.

Strokes singer scores solo success CHRISTIAN HAGEN

staff writer

The world reflected on Strokes singer Julian Casablancas’s first solo album is, in many ways, that of the year 2010 envisioned by someone living in the 1970s; everything is a neon-framed laser light show replete with synthy keyboard loops and computerized drums at an ever-bustling pace that is both exhausting and invigorating.

Casablancas is a strong representation of that pastfuture concept. He’s a greasy rocker who’s also notoriously stylish, his band is responsible for the popularization of the contradiction that is loungepunk, and he showcases the ’70s punk vocal style laden with the technology and distortions of

the Internet age.

From the start, the synthesizers on “Out of the Blue” are reminiscent of the days of space-age idealism, while Casablancas sings of his regrets. “Somewhere along the way/My hopefulness turned to sadness./Somewhere along the way/My sadness turned to bitterness,” he vents. The song becomes busy with the chugging guitar that is a trademark of his career to date.

The opening of “Left & Right In The Dark” recalls the falsified days of 1980s dance pop, sounding very close to the opening of Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark,” until Casablancas appears and grounds the tone of the piece in tangible concepts for today — urban decay, dehumanization, etc. The result is fun and upbeat,

like the majority of the album, but it’s very much conscious of the here and now.

The eight tracks that make up “Phrazes for the Young” are mostly tightly controlled, for a solo effort. Most lead singers breaking off and doing their own thing for the first time would be more prone to selfindulgence. But no song cracks the six-minute mark, and even the longer tracks feature enough color to keep the listener on his side.

In fact, the longest of these tracks, “Ludlow St.,” may be the album’s highlight. It is, in part, a folksy bluegrass song, in that the synthesizers are simulating the sounds of twanging guitars and banjos and fiddles. But unlike the robotized country bands with singing forest creatures

Casablancas / page 18

Page 12 • Reporter

Variety

CASABLANCAS which you might see in certain family dining establishments, the computers work in favor of the music; the technology serves almost as a point-counterpoint to the song’s structure and ideas.

Of course, people in the past had just as much fear of the future as we do now, and the almost paranoid tension of “River of Brakelights” paints a cityscape as some sort of controlling force. It becomes a bit over-the-top and doesn’t stand up as well as other songs here, but it’s still not entirely out of place.

Casblancas’s voice has changed significantly over the course of this decade. On the first two Strokes albums, he famously filtered his vocal

Tuesday, November 24, 2009T

TWILIGHT 17-year-old Taylor Lautner’s abs may sell a lot of tickets, but doesn’t add anything to this film

continued from 11

recordings and buried them in the final mix. By the band’s third album, this distortion was stripped bare, and all the grit and tone of his true vocal prowess showed through, as did his flaws.

Now, it seems he’s taken a different tact. The uniqueness of his voice is almost, but not quite, wiped clean by production. This is easily heard as Casablancas takes the surprising turn from the discoglitz of “11th Dimension” to the terrific gospel-soul ballad “4 Chords of the Apocalypse,” a song that shows a side of Casablancas never really seen before. He’s not preaching, but never before has the Strokes singer taken us to

church, and it’s an unusually impactful setting for his musical personality to explore itself.

Still, one has to wonder whether all the gloss is helping or hurting his self-esteem.

What really keeps the “Back to the Future” stylishness of “Phrazes for the Young” from being a brightly colored headache is Casablancas’s sense of honesty and musicality.

Funky dance tunes can only carry you so far as a musician if you don’t care about what you’re singing. It seems, maybe for the first time in years, that Julian Casablancas is truly pleased to be a musician, even if he’s just doing it on his own for now.

continued from 11 depression.

As much as Bella is an awful human being, Jacob and Edward are equally pathetic as her “monster” lovers.

The former allows Bella to continually trample his dreams of love while the former, although actually 109 years old, acts as old as he looks (17), making one poorly explained, rash decision after another.

Although the film has its fair share of transparent blunders, the blame can’t really be attributed to its director, Weitz. He tried to keep the allusions to Romeo and Juliet to a minimum and got some amazing performances out of his actors.

There were also a few eye-opening glimmers of his previous work, “The Golden Compass,” within the portrayal of the clan of Native-American werewolves. So although the film ultimately failed to be of any substance, Weitz did his best with what he had to work with.

METAL The new voice of the oppressed in South Asia continued from 11 voicing the same kind of people, making the same kind of statement and still prevalent and loud as ever.

Heavy metal in Asia was born the same way. It wasn’t just another commercial tactic of multibillion-dollar companies shoved down the throat of developing countries to choke and suffocate on. In fact, it was born as the bastard child of war, poverty, corruption and political and economic instability to grow into a ferocious beast and become the rebellious voice of the frustrated youth and the working class.

Slayer recorded and released “War Ensemble” (from the album “Seasons in the Abyss”) in 1990 in suburban L.A. Several years later, I went to high school in Colombo, Sri Lanka, a beautiful, tropical island below India. While I was there, Sri Lanka was wartorn and suffering under severe political corruption before I left to come to the U.S for education.

“How did I find a way to relate to Slayer?” might seem a sensible question to ask.

My country was neck-deep in a war against terrorism a couple of years before I left. My high school had bomb threats and even public transportation

was not safe at all as bombs were exploding everywhere. I had friends living in terroristoccupied areas, living in the fear of getting their brains blown out by a terrorist sniper. Not only Slayer, but most heavy metal bands catered to the innermost fears I had to live with on a regular basis. And it sure did for a lot of other people too. This is how heavy metal in Asia was born.

So the music that was born in Birmingham, England infiltrated the Asian music industry in its pure, angry and raw form, rough and unfiltered. But as the beast grew, it transformed into a more mature and complex being as heavy metal’s more complicated elements were beginning to be explored by many musicians starting to fuse metal with Asian music.

Rudra, a heavy metal group from Singapore, are a notable band for that. Rudra fuses traditional Carnatic music from the Indian sub-continent with a very, raw thrash sound. Rudra derives its lyrical content from ancient Indian mantras and Hindu/Vedic literature.

While European bands like Korpiklaani, Finntroll and Amon Amarth produced metal influenced by Viking and Celtic

culture and music and gave birth to Viking metal and folk Metal, bands such as Rudra pioneered the birth of what is known as Vedic metal.

Aside from the obvious differences in the sound and musical qualities, Asian heavy metal also relishes and enjoys the tribal feeling of metal, the quality that separates metal from other forms of music. “Seven countries, three continents, one tribe,” said Canadian anthropologist Sam Dunn in his documentary about global heavy metal.

The tribal feeling is what brings metal heads together.

The cultural diversity within the continent of Asia is immense, but this music that is considered a less valid form of music by some and a vulgar display of violence and obscenity by others somehow manages to bring people together no matter the color, race, religion or social status.

As metal fans step into the mosh pit, the music brings people together and makes them forget war, poverty, financial problems, etc., and celebrate life.

Unfortunately, what he had to work with was not much, as the adaptation of Myers’ novel by former “The O.C.” writer Melanie Rosenberg, is some of the worst drivel mistaken as creative writing ever to make it into the public consciousness.

The droll writing that Rosenberg tries to pass off as plot development and dialogue unfolds like a journal entry from a 14-year-old, palemakeup-and-black-lipstickwearing fan of The Cure. The talent of Rosenberg’s writing makes Michael Bay look like Martin Scorsese.

If you have any sense of reasoning left after being bombarded with the mania of “Twihard” fans and the MTV “awards” the first film won, skip this film before it sucks all the life out of you.

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Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Variety

Reporter • Page 13

Mav Boot Camp Colbert sleds with whips students U.S. Winter Olympians into shape DREW CLAUSSEN

staff writer

It’s no secret the exercise is good for the body. It promotes a healthy body, a healthy mind and tends to just make you feel better. There is one common problem for many people though — finding the motivation to go to the gym and work out. This is where Maverick Boot Camp comes in.

The Maverick Boot Camp program, which is currently ending its third session, is a 10-week wellness program for groups of four people. The point of the program is to have the teams compete against other teams and themselves, and to get people excited about exercise.

“There are so many more benefits of exercise than there are excuses both physical and psychological,” said Minnesota State Fitness and Wellness Coordinator Jennifer Myers.

“Our bodies are meant to be used, not just sit around.”

Each team meets with a personal trainer twice a week in the Otto Recreation Center on campus. The trainer puts the groups through an array of exercises including circuit training, weights and highextensity. There are also many group exercises too like having

to do push ups while a partner runs laps, so the faster they are done the faster you are done.

According to Myers, there are numerous benefits to working out with a group because it holds participants accountable, motivates them and forces them to step outside of their comfort zone. Even though the program has only been around for a short time there are already multiple success stories.

“One person lost 25 pounds alone, and one group lost 30 pounds together,” Myers said. “Many people see their muscular strength go up and their mile times get short.”

The next session of Maverick Boot Camp will start Jan. 25.

The cost is $300 per team which covers the 20 personal training sessions. Students can form their own team or sign up to be put on one. The last day to sign up is Jan. 20. Those interested can sign up in HC1410 (across the hall from the pool).

“Anyone can do it, even if you’ve never been to the gym,” Myers said. “And it’s great for the new-years resolutions that everyone makes.”

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. (AP) — Comedian Stephen Colbert took the “Night Train” and it nearly left him speechless.

Colbert donned a reddishorange racing suit Sunday and went on a ride with U.S. bobsled driver Steven Holcomb. He was in the black sled that Holcomb had just driven to the four-man World Cup gold medal at Mount Van Hoevenberg.

With the crowd at the finish line chanting his name, Colbert hopped into the third slot normally manned by Steve Mesler and tucked in tight between Justin Olsen and brakeman Curtis Tomasevicz. About a minute later, Colbert emerged unscathed but breathing hard.

“Having won today's competition, you are today the fastest in the world at this,” Colbert said to Holcomb and his team.

“I had to pick the fastest team.

Thank you. It felt like I was being hit in the head with ice hammers. It was like losing the worst snowball fight of your life.”

Colbert said he looked up for only the first four turns on the way down the 20-turn layout, then buried his head in Olsen's back for the quick ride to the bottom.

"Oh, my gosh! That was the ride of my life,” said Colbert, who is urging his viewers to support the U.S. Olympic speedskating team. "I've ridden with the Thunderbirds. They have nothing on you.”

“I was just trying to make it down, make a safe run,” Holcomb said. "It was interesting. I had a piece of tape hit me in the face from the camera (that fell off) on the way down. That was not cool."

Before he walked away to present World Cup silver medals to the U.S. four-man team led

by John Napier, Colbert tried to console Mesler, a huge fan who was disappointed to be the odd man out for the ride.

“I have some terrible news.

I can't wait to go to Vancouver and be on the Olympic team,” Colbert said. “It's going to be hard to tell Mesler. Is he

emotionally frail? Evidently, I am very good at having weight and allowing gravity to drive me downhill. That's all I contributed to the team. Did you hear me screaming like a little girl?

I had my shoulders up around my ear canal and my head was slamming against the side of this thing. It felt like I was the Liberty Bell."

Colbert also took a skeleton ride. He said it was his favorite of the two for one reason.

“It's slower,” he said.

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Sports

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Tuesday, November 24, 2009

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Mavericks MSU gets spiked out of NCAA tourney split with Wayne State slips by Mavericks in five sets during first-round Seawolves Minnesota State Wayne State

2 3

PAT DELANEY

staff writer

The Minnesota State women’s volleyball team headed to the campus of Concordia, St. Paul Thursday to take part in their first NCAA regional match in two years. The No. 5 seeded Mavericks would take on NSIC conference rival, No. 4 Wayne State. MSU was beaten earlier in the year by the Wildcat’s but what happened in the regular season is thrown away once the postseason begins.

“Once you get in, anything can happen,” said head coach Dennis Amundson.

The Mavericks came in with plenty of enthusiasm but still fell short losing in five sets ending their season. Wayne State would move on to play Concordia in the next round.

The match would prove to be very intense for both teams.

MSU came ready to play and it showed early in the first set. A quick start put the Mavericks

up early 7-2, forcing Wayne State to use a time-out.

“I had never seen our team so fired up,” said junior outside hitter Amanda Beekman.

After leading for most of the set, Wayne State showed why they had emerged late in the season as one of the best teams in the country. The Wildcat’s strong defense brought them into a tie at 2121 and would eventually go on to defeat the Mavericks 25-23.

The Mavericks needed to have a dan moen • msu reporter short memory going Ally Kwikkel (left), Amanda Thompson and the rest of the Mavericks fell to Wayne into the second set.

State in five sets.

On a team with most of its players playing specialist Alli Rice who put up the throttle and scored three in their first post-season, vetone strong dig after another. straight points eventually eran leadership would become The effort was good enough to leading to a 25-21 victory. The evident. The Mavericks rallied help the Mavericks finish off Mavericks were now in great together for one of their most position to finish off Wayne the set with a 25-18 victory. impressive sets of the season.

State heading into set four.

The third set was another Bodies were flying every“I thought we did a good successful one for the Maverwhere as the Mavericks put on job of coming back after losing icks. After Wayne State was a relentless attack. Wayne State able to come back to Volleyball / page 16 had no answer for defensive tie it at 18, MSU hit

Starting where they left off

Mavericks hang banner and give fans a good show at home

wale agboola • msu reporter Sophomore guard was awarded MVP in the Pepsi Tip-Off as she averaged 14.5 points over two games for the Mavericks.

GVU MSU

71 76

WC MSU

77 104

DEREK WEHRWEIN

staff writer

Last season Jennie Noreen, then a freshman, watched as older sister Joanne scored 15.1 points per game for the Minnesota State women’s basketball team.

But with Joanne and MSU’s two other leading scorers from 2008-09 now gone, Jennie has become a key offensive weapon for the Mavericks — and she doesn’t mind taking on the role of prolific scorer.

“I think I can adapt to it,” Noreen joked Saturday. “I’ll learn to adapt to it. It’s a lot better than averaging one or two points last year.”

Noreen had good reason to be happy: her Mavericks had just completed a 104-77 thrashing of Waldorf College in the Pepsi

Tip-Off Tournament at Bresnan Arena. Noreen, who averaged 1.7 points per game last season, posted a career-high 21 points in the win and was named the tournament’s MVP. “[Being named] MVP, that’s a huge accomplishment for me, but I got to give it to my teammates too,” said Noreen, who is averaging 16 points per game through MSU’s first three games.

“I think we have more than one MVP on our team.”

On Friday, MVP honors belonged to seniors Liz Trauger and Tiffany Moe, who played critical roles as MSU barely held off Grand View, 76-71. Trauger led MSU with 18 points and eight rebounds, while Moe, who started the game 3-of-17 shooting, made four straight shots down the stretch to preserve MSU’s narrow lead.

On Saturday, however, the

WBB / page 15

MSU AAU

8 2

MSU AAU

1 4

JOSH BERHOW

staff writer To score nine goals during the weekend and come away with only one win might be a little disheartening for the Minnesota State men’s hockey team. After all, the team was averaging just 2.00 goals per game in WCHA play entering the weekend’s series with Alaska-Anchorage, and failing to capitalizing on opportunities has been what’s plagued the Mavericks all season.

The Mavericks seemed to be on the right track with a 8-1 series-opening win Friday against the Seawolves, but couldn’t turn their scoring outburst into a trend for the weekend, as they added just one goal Saturday in a 4-1 loss to come away with a weekend split in Anchorage, Ala. “I was hoping maybe a breakout game like Friday would help us,” said Mavericks coach Troy Jutting about his team’s scoring woes. “But to get only one Saturday, obviously, we’re not all the way there yet.”

Mavericks forward Jerad Stewart, who has never scored more than seven goals in a season, scored four Jerad Stewart Friday and even added an assist.

“The ‘D’ did a great job of getting pucks to the net,” Stewart said. “That made such a big difference.”

Stewart’s four-goal outburst comes as a bit of a surprise simply because he’s not often asked to be a big-time scorer for the Mavericks; although the Hastings, Minn., native has been more active in the Mavericks’ offense the last couple of years.

“I don’t think there’s a kid who deserves it more than he does,” Jutting said. “His work ethic is second to none and sometimes you get what you deserve.”

The Mavericks got their offense going early and never gave the Seawolves much of a chance to come back Friday. Stewart scored the game’s first goal at 11:41 and less than a minute later Eriah Hayes made it 2-0 with his fourth goal of the season. Stewart

Men’s puck / page 16

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

WBB Three-pointers lead Mavericks past Waldorf continued from 14 pressure’s off and you can let it night belonged to Noreen and fly a little more easily.” fellow guard Lauren Barber.

Noreen did more than score The Mavericks struggled against Waldorf early and trailed for MSU, however. She also added six rebounds 23-19 midway through the and a team-high five first half. But in the final assists Saturday, a seven minutes of the half, statistic that caught the Barber and Noreen buried attention of Gohl. a flurry of 3-pointers to “For her to be our spark MSU, which had lead assist person, that started the game 1-of-9 shows how she can be from beyond the arc. that all-around player By halftime, the MaverPam Gohl that’s really great,” icks were 9-of-19 from Gohl said. “It’s just beyond the arc and held a a beginning for her commanding 49-32 lead. career because she didn’t really “I think 3-pointers are a momentum thing and sometimes play a lot last year, so I’m very excited to watch the next three you just get on a roll,” MSU years and what she’s going to be coach Pam Gohl said. “We’re able to do.” never shy about shooting from The Mavericks (3-0) host the outside, but once you hit a Buena Vista at 6 p.m. Tuesday. couple it seems like it opens the game up a little bit. Then the

Mavericks rally in first game against UMD goals, the Maverick offense finally found its groove midway through the second period.

Senior forward Ida Clark LEE HANDEL notched her first goal of the staff writer season and third career goal on an assist from senior defenseThe Minnesota State womman Holly Snyder to cut the en’s hockey team has always lead in half. struggled against MinnesotaSenior captain Kala BuganDuluth and is usually considski stepped up in a big way ered as the inferior when the later in the second, scoring her two teams match up. first goal of the season as well Apparently, this year’s to send the game into the third Mavericks squad didn’t get the period 2-2.

Buganski was asmemo. The Mavericks traveled sisted by Young and freshman to Duluth and made a huge forward Lauren Smith. statement on Saturday, winYoung would complete the ning the game on a dramatic dramatic comeback with under goal with under a minute left a minute left in regulation, putin regulation. After falling ting the finishing touches on the behind 2-0 early, the Maverteam’s most well-played period icks dominated the game late and game of the young season. while scoring three unanswered “We played our goals. best game of the year Senior forward Saturday night,” Young Ashley Young netted said.

“We played so well, the game-winner, everyone did their jobs securing the team’s and we came together as fourth victory ever a team.

It really shows against the Bulldogs. what kind of team we “It showed we are, being able to come have good character Kala Buganski back after being down the way we battled 2-0. We know how good back on the road,” we can be and play now when said head coach Eric Means. everyone is on board.”

“We took the game over in the Buganski, Smith and Young third period and deserved to each tallied two points in the win.” thriller.

The goal was Young’s Despite falling behind early fourth of the season and perto one of the top teams in the haps the biggest of her solid conference, the Mavericks did career. not give up and willed their “It’s really an indescribable way back to a much-deserved feeling to get such a huge goal victory on the road. and help our team beat the “We played hard, smart and Bulldogs,” said Young. “That with determination,” Means was probably one of the biggest said. “We were finally able to get the breaks we deserved.”

Women’s puck / page 16 After falling behind by two

MSU UMD

3 2

MSU UMD

1 7

Sports

Reporter • Page 15

Mavericks, Davis have strong weekend MU MSU

73 105

UNK MSU

68 108

KYLE RATKE

sports editor

How does a team stay motivated during games when it’s up by 30 or 40 points in the closing minutes? Just ask junior MSU point guard Marcus Hill who dove to save a ball, risking his body going in to the press table in the final minute of Saturday’s 108-68 over the Uniwale agboola• msu reporter versity of Nebraska-Kearney.

Jermain Davis took home MVP honors from the Pepsi Tip-Off averag“Just to see that girls chaming 17.5 points in two games for the Mavericks. pionship banner by the scoreboard is motivation enough,” didn’t stop Jermain Davis and Saturday was more of the Hill said. “That motivates us.

Jefferson Mason from throwing same from the Mavericks. The We want to make big steps and down some dunks, or in Davis’ big difference in the game was do big things this season.” case, three electric dunks. the ability for the Mavericks to The Mavericks certainly “It’s so exciting to get fans force turnovers (31 points on look to be on the right track and coaches off the bench,” turnovers) and their ability to after dismantling UNK on Davis said with a smile. “We get to the free throw line (18 atSaturday night along with beat- want to give them something to tempts compared to Kearney’s ing Maryville 105-73 on Friday come back for.” nine). night during this weekend’s Davis, who scored 19 points, MSU’s depth was very eviPepsi Tip-Off. was MVP of the tournament dent once again, as they were Coming into this weekend’s and likely will be a big reason able to sub in and out players to games, many wanted to see why a few fans walk through press UNK’s offense and forchow the Mavericks would come the doors of the Taylor Center. ing the 21 turnovers into points. out and what rotations they Mason also scored 18 points, Led by Hill (15 points), Mason would go with. going 10-13 from the free (14 points) and Stephen KirschAs head coach Matt Margen- throw line, adding 10 rebounds baum (12 points, 3-3 from the thaler said after Friday’s game, for his second consecutive three-point line), the Mavericks the team isn’t always looking double-double. bench scored 59 points. for the best five players, but Hill scored 14 points off Davis added another 16 the five players that play best the bench, going 3-3 from the points, while Nelson led the together. three-point line. Big man Travis team with 17 points and seven It seemed like whomever the Nelson struggled shooting gorebounds.

Mavericks had out on the court ing 5-13, but still finished with The Mavericks play this this weekend meshed well 12 points. weekend in Sioux Falls against together.

“We are very fortunate Northern State on Friday, Friday’s game consisted of to have that kind of depth,” followed by Winona State on high flying and athletic plays Margenthaler said. “We have Saturday. Both games will be at from two Mavericks that aren’t guys on our bench that could 3 p.m. too familiar with the rims at start. It’s about wearing teams Bresnan Arena yet, but that down.”

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Page 16 • Reporter

VOLLEYBALL Mavericks bring back talent next year continued from 14 the first set,” Beekman said.

“Everyone is always focused and ready to play. We all feel like who ever is out there we can count on.”

Amundson has preached all season the importance of finishing matches, but unfortunately for the Mavericks, this was what they could not do against Wayne State. Despite a back-and-forth fourth set, the Wildcat’s would even the match at two to defeat the Mavericks 25-20.

The victory seemed to drain the Mavericks just enough for Wayne State in the fifth set.

Wayne State held the lead for the majority of the set and finished it off by spiking the last ball down for a 15-11 set win and a 3-2 match victory.

The Mavericks will now begin to look toward the future. The locker room will look different next year while they lose seniors Kelly Sandstrom and Ally Kwikkel who finished their careers with three NCAA tournaments appearances.

“They were huge on our team,” said Beekman. “Their words, their actions, the way they came off to us were so important. We’ll have big shoes to fill next year.”

Reporter Season Awards MVP: Amanda Beekman: The junior outside-hitter was an NSIC all-conference member for the second year Amanda Beekman in a row was second on the team in kills with 394.

Rookie of the Year: Chelsea Fogarty: The freshmen emerged as one of the best offensive players on the team finishing with a team high of 413 kills.

Defensive Player of the Year: Amanda Thompson: The junior middle blocker led the team in blocks with 115.

Leadership Award: Ally Kwikkel/Kelly Sandstrom: The two did a great job of leading a young team and both put up career numbers in numerous categories.

Sports

MEN’S PUCK Stewart scores four goals in Friday’s game continued from 14 added another at 15:37 and Tyler Pitlick scored in the period’s final minute to give the Mavericks a 4-1 lead at the first intermission.

The Seawolves had the lone goal of the second period but the Mavericks scored four more in the third — two by Stewart and one each by Kurt Davis and Jason Wiley — to take the victory.

Austin Lee made 14 saves in his third victory of the season. Ten players were credited with assists Friday. Rylan Galiardi had two.

The Mavericks did suffer a loss Friday, though, as forward Andy Sackrison suffered a broken leg during the game and will likely be

out at least two months.

After scoring a season-high eight goals Friday, the Mavericks managed only one Saturday. Zach Harrison scored his second goal of the season on a power play at 6:13 of the second period. Kevin Murdock, who was making his first start since Oct. 31, allowed three goals and made 21 saves.

The Mavericks (4-7-1, 2-7-1 WCHA) continue WCHA play when they host Michigan Tech this weekend at the Verizon Wireless Center.

For more on Stewart’s four goal game, visit collegehockeynews.com.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

WOMEN’S PUCK “We played well against two of the top teams in the country ...”continued from 15 highlights of my career and having it come against them makes it even better.”

Sophomore net minder Alli Altmann once again showed she could hold up against the WCHA elite, saving 34 shots while keeping the Mavericks within striking distance early in the game.

“We desperately needed those two points,” said Altmann. “I knew I had to stop every single shot down the stretch. We shouldn’t fear any team because we have

the ability to beat any team.”

Despite dropping the series finale 7-1 on Sunday afternoon, the Mavericks picked up two crucial points in Duluth and perhaps more importantly some muchneeded confidence going forward.

“We played well against two of the top teams in the country,” said Means. “However, we have been all over the map consistency-wise and need to fix that and play well every weekend.”

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