November 19, 2020

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

THURSDAY • NOVEMBER 19, 2020

Student Gov: IT Update, D2L and COVID

Trouble: LOCKDOWN, AGAIN Urine Security Tackles Public Wizzing

By JULIA BARTON

By BAILEY BRENDEL

Staff Writer

The Minnesota State University, Mankato Student Government hosted their weekly meeting in the Ostrander Auditorium Wednesday, Nov. 18. After roll call, they called up presentations.

The first to present was Mark Johnson with an IT Solutions update. He called up Matthew Clay, who elaborated more about the OER program that was discussed last week. Clay then discussed with the Senators about how they can work to provide the OER program to students and help them save money.

Next, they called up Elizabeth Harsma to talk about D2L. In her presentation she discussed how the overall usage of tools, such as the Grades, Content, and Announcements tabs.

She also mentioned how the IT Services have been instrumental in helping to fix errors professors experienced within D2L services, and took suggestions from the Senators about what in D2L can be fixed..

After presentations came an open forum. In this open forum, David Jones talked about how the University can move forward with the new COVID-19 spikes. He brought up how new restrictions within the residential hawks including only those living in that specific dorm hall can enter.

The school is urging students and faculty to wear masks properly while inside and outside to protect all community members.

They are also encouraging all Flex Sync classes to go full online by Monday, Nov. 23.

To finish up the meeting, Senators Parte, Wickman,

Minnesota State University, Mankato’s security team has had a rather strange semester with seven recorded cases of public urination in the past month, five of which were reported in the last week and a half.

University Security’s role on campus is in charge of a variety of responsibilities, one having to respond to calls they might receive needing an officers assistance, looking into concerns about suspicious behavior or crimes, and making observations and patrolling the residential halls and parking lots.

When it comes to public urination on MNSU’s campus, campus security is very likely to come talk to students about this unusual behavior.

“Generally, it is our dispatcher that observes the incident. Sometimes our security witnesses it, but most of the time our dispatcher sees it on the cameras. The majority of these incident reports are mostly males and occurring late at night or over the weekends,” Sandi Schnorenberg, Director of University Security stated.

There isn’t anything on state statutes that addresses public urination. In most cases, if arrested, such acts would be classified as “disorderly conduct.” There is also a “disruptive intoxication” city ordinance in Mankato that mentions public urination, violation of which would constitute a petty misdemeanor.

With the addition of porta-potties around campus, especially because of the COVID-19 global pandemic, MNSU had provided some restrooms outside as well.

GLEN STUBBE • Star Tribune/Associated Press

Staff Writer

Gov. Tim Walz announced more restrictions for Minnesotans to control the spread of COVID-19.

Gov. Walz Restricts Dine-in, Youth Sports, Gyms

By MAXWELL MAYLEBEN Editor in Chief

Governor Tim Walz announced a series of returning restrictions to Minnesotans Wednesday evening. These restrictions include in-person dining, fitness centers and youth sports. All of these restrictions will come into effect on Friday November 20.

These new restrictions were decided after a large surge of

cases have been found in Minnesota in the last few weeks.

The Minnesota Department of Health reported that there were 5,102 newly reported cases of COVID-19 reported in Minnesota.

This brings the total cumulative positive cases to 242,043 in the state as of November 18.

The new restrictions are reminiscent of the lockdown that Minnesotans experienced last spring, when the Governor

Walz instated a stay at home order for everyone in the state.

The aim of the Governor is to slow the spread of the virus, and subsequently assist in keeping hospitals functioning to their full capacity.

Governor Walz spoke to the importance of keeping frontline healthcare workers safe during

LOCKDOWN page 3

Hockey to Start Upcoming Season Amidst Pandemic

By DANIEL MCELROY Staff Writer The wait will finally be over for Division 1 Maverick Hockey when the men’s team will travel to Bemidji State University this Sunday in what is the first game of back-to-back weekends against the Beavers.

The teams will take the ice for the first time this season at 3:07 p.m. on November 22. The Mavericks will have a different look this season as a large portion of the group has graduated.

With this, the incoming senior class is ready for this change.

“The seniors are comfortable stepping into these roles. Riese Zmolek is our rock. He’s made a positive impact on the sheet and off it,” said Head Coach Mike Hastings. “We’re going to be a team that beats you with depth,” Coach Hastings also said regarding the absence of last season’s senior class.

GOV

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IN THIS OP: WEAR A MASK; HELP OTHERS ISSUE:

File photo

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HOCKEY page 3

ESPORTS COACH JACQUIE LAMM

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SECURITY page 5

PAGE DORM FOOD: CHEESE RICE BOWL 11

News

Pfizer: COVID-19 Shot 95% Effective, Seeking Clearance Soon

Thursday, November 19, 2020

Senator Spotlight: David Alimo

By BAILEY BRENDEL Staff Writer

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND SCHOOL OF MEDICINE • Associated Press This May 4, 2020, file photo provided by the University of Maryland School of Medicine, shows the first patient enrolled in Pfizer’s COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine clinical trial at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore.

AP- Pfizer said Wednesday that new test results show its coronavirus vaccine is 95% effective, is safe and also protects older people most at risk of dying — the last data needed to seek emergency use of limited shot supplies as the catastrophic outbreak worsens across the globe.

The announcement from Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech, just a week after they revealed the first promising preliminary results, comes as the team is preparing within days to formally ask U.S. regulators to allow emergency use of the vaccine. Anticipating that, a Food and Drug Administration advisory panel is on standby to publicly debate the data in early December.

The companies also have begun “rolling submissions” for the vaccine with regulators in Europe, the U.K. and Canada and soon will add this new data.

Pfizer and BioNTech had initially estimated the vaccine was more than 90% effective after counting a group of the earliest infections that occurred in its final-stage testing.

With the new announcement, they have accumulated more infections — 170 — and said only eight of them occurred in volunteers who got the actual vaccine rather than a comparison dummy shot. One of those eight developed severe disease, the companies said.

“This is an extraordinarily strong protection,” Dr. Ugur Sahin, BioNTech’s CEO and co-founder, told The Associated Press.

Even if regulators agree, he dispelled any notion that an end to the pandemic is around the corner, warning “we are now awaiting a hard winter.”

“The available vaccine doses are just too small to ensure

that we could make a significant difference to the society” right away, Sahin said. But next year if several companies’ vaccine candidates also work, “we might be able to get control of this pandemic situation late summer 2021.”

The companies have not yet released detailed data on their study, and results have not been analyzed by independent experts. Also still to be determined are important questions such as how long protection lasts and whether people might need boosters — leading experts to caution that people should focus less on the specific numbers and more on the overall promise.

Earlier this week, competitor Moderna Inc. also announced similar effectiveness of its own COVID-19 vaccine candidate, which is made with the same, brand-new technology — using a snippet of the genetic code of the coronavirus to train the body to recognize if the real virus comes along.

For both, “there’s every reason to be enormously optimistic,” said Dr. Paul Offit of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, one of FDA’s advisers.

“When these vaccines roll out, you’re only going to know it’s effective for a limited period of time,” he cautioned, adding that more follow-up information will come. “You don’t want to oversell it, but you don’t want to undersell it.”

All eyes are on the progress of potential vaccines as the grim infection toll jumps in the U.S. and abroad as winter weather forces people indoors, in the close quarters that fuels viral spread.

Pfizer and BioNTech said the vaccine was more than 94% effective in adults over

age 65, though it is not clear exactly how that was determined with only eight infections in the vaccinated group to analyze and no breakdown provided of those people’s ages.

Sahin said there were enough older adults enrolled in the study and among the placebo recipients who became infected that he is confident “this vaccine appears to work in the higher-risk population.”

While initial supplies will be scarce and rationed, as the supply grows Sahin said the companies have a responsibility to help ensure access for lower income countries as well.

In the U.S., officials expect enough doses of both Pfizer’s and Moderna’s vaccines to vaccinate only about 20 million people at first. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will determine who is first in line, expected to include health workers and older adults.

Whatever that prioritization, Gen. Gustave Perna of the Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed pledged a “fair and equitable” distribution across the U.S. of FDA-authorized doses as they become available. Pfizer would handle shipping of its own doses; the warp speed program will help with support and distributing additional companies’ vaccines if and when they become available.

In addition to the protection findings, Pfizer and BioNTech also said no serious vaccine side effects have been reported, with the most common problem being fatigue after the second vaccine dose, affecting about 4% of participants.

This week’s Minnesota State University, Mankato Student Government Senator spotlight is on Senator David Alimo. Alimo is currently a junior majoring in Business Management with a minor in Marketing.

Alimo currently is one of the two College of Business Senators. He is also on the Academic Affairs Committee.

“I wanted to become a senator because I wanted to make a difference for our community,” Alimo said. “I just wanted to make a difference and to help out all of our students as much as possible.”

Currently, in his position, Alimo is working on two projects. The first is what Alimo calls Project-Based Learning.

“We’re trying to get students to be more active in terms of learning rather than just focusing more on exam quizzes,” says Alimo.

Through this program, the government hopes to give students a more real-world aspect to what they are learning.

“We want students to be able to apply the knowledge that they are learning in class and put them into action,” Alimo added.

Another project he is working on is called Zoom Etiquette, in order to get students in the right mind space while attending classes and meetings online.

“A lot of students right now are not creating the proper habits in terms of when they’re on Zoom. Some examples include students not turning on their cameras, tuning in from their bed, or being distracted with other things when they are on Zoom,” stated Alimo.

Through this project, he hopes to increase professionalism within the Zoom classroom environment. He believes that through building healthy Zoom habits, students will retain more information and do better in school.

Courtesy photo

2 • MSU Reporter

David Alimo

Outside of student government, Alimo is also involved in the Return to Learn Faculty Development. In this program he helps develop a plan to help engage students through the online format and helps students and faculty work together to develop a better experience with the FlexSync format.

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MSU Reporter • 3

HOCKEY Continued from page 1

File photo

One change that the players were not as ready for, is how COVID-19 has impacted their schedule and atmosphere.

Players have been tested several times each week in anticipation of the season beginning.

One of the biggest changes for the players, is the split locker room.

“The locker room is for the players, so the coach and staff don’t go in there often. What you miss most as a player is the locker room and the bonding,” said Coach Hastings.

Due to COVID-19 guidelines and restrictions, players must stay 6 feet apart with a mask covering their face whenever they are not on the ice. This means using an additional locker room to maintain social distancing.

The season opener for the two teams was delayed two days from Friday and Saturday, to Sunday and Monday, following an already delayed

LOCKDOWN

schedule release. As stressful as this can be for a student athlete, the players are staying calm and keeping a cool head.

“We’ve been taking it day by day, trying to keep each other positive, and push each other and get ready for the start date,” said senior defenseman Riese Zmolek.

Zmolek is one of the players that has been stepping up as a leader on the team as the captains await to be cho-

sen. Coach Hastings says that affair “will be addressed in the next 48 hours,” when the players vote on which of their teammates will be chosen as captains.

Zmolek finished last season with a career-high in goals and points with a score line of 3-8-11.

The games will be available to watch via the FloHockey subscription service or KTOE 1420-AM.

GOV Continued from page 1 Bygd, Stiff, Alimo, and Salim gave their reports.

In their reports, some of the topics discussed include working with the aviation, military science, and education departments to provide more opportunity for students.

In the more social aspect, topics of creating a monument for Greek life, starting an advisory board at each college, creating a bond between the school and off campus housing managers, and providing more project based learning

were discussed.

As a last announcement, a senator position for the College of Allied Health and Nursing as well as a new Residential life Senator position is open.

Continued from page 1

this time of pandemic.

“They are the ones who have to be there day in and day out,” said Walz in his announcement livestream on Wednesday night.

While many things will be restricted, several examples of unchanging industries and services were given, such as schools, childcare providers, grocery stores, retail stores, takeout services, salons/barber shops and places of worship.

There is a mixed reaction from students at MNSU when it comes to the new announcement.

Some students, like Alex Hermann, a junior psychology major at MNSU and restaurant server spoke to the difficulties of changing from traditional dine in to takeout services.

“It feels a lot more hectic because it’s out of routine, and everything is new every day,” said Hermann. “But for our personal safety, it’s a good thing to go to takeout, because we won’t need as many people in the restaurant, and will be less likely to get the virus.”

Emma Kelly, a senior student at Bethany Lutheran College, believes in keeping the businesses open.

“I believe that the people

File photo

Thursday, November 19, 2020

who should have stayed inside, should have stayed inside the whole time, and the rest of America should have treated it like the regular flu,” said Kelly in reference to the nation’s reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic.

A law enforcement major at MNSU, Tate Marschall, is disapproving of Governor Walz’s actions.

“I think that it’s ridiculous that Walz thinks that he can tell people what to do in their own homes,” said Marschall, in reference to the Governor’s statements against having house guests, “Limiting how many people you have in your own home is basically tyranny.”

In his statement, Walz was very hopeful for the vaccine to begin distribution before the end of the four-week period.

4 • MSU Reporter

Thursday, November 19, 2020

FALL 2020 EDITOR IN CHIEF:

MAXWELL MAYLEBEN

Peterson: ‘Wear a Mask; it Protects Everyone’ Opinion

maxwell.mayleben@mnsu.edu

MADISON DIEMERT

madison.diemert@mnsu.edu

By JENNA PETERSON News Editor

During the struggle with COVID-19, everyone has had to adjust in their own ways.

For some, it involved picking up new hobbies, and for others it involved providing essential services during a lockdown.

Personally, I made the choice to continue working at my job, even if it meant risking my health. I made this decision because I needed to work for money, needed a sense of normalcy, and a way to distract my mind from all of the mental issues I was going through in this challenging time.

In the beginning, I will admit, I didn’t fully grasp the importance of wearing a face mask and didn’t wear one at work until it was required, which wasn’t until the end of April and early May, but looking back on it now, and with all of the accessible information now, I want there to be a requirement in all public locations to be set and followed through.

During my time working, I’ve run into many people with differing views on how to tackle this pandemic.

There are those who are taking every precaution necessary to keep themselves and others safe while there are people who couldn’t care less and don’t even bother wearing a face mask.

With more research and information being released from the CDC, I finally began to wear face masks anywhere I went and really started to

NEWS EDITOR: Jenna Peterson jenna.peterson-3@mnsu.edu PHOTO/WEB EDITOR: Mansoor Ahmad mansoor.ahmad@mnsu.edu ADVERTISING SALES: Anna Lillie 507-389-1063 anna.lillie@mnsu.edu Yasir Wedatalla 507-389-5097 yasir.wedatalla@mnsu.edu

ANTHONY SOUFFLE • Star Tribune/Associated Press Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz wore his buffalo plaid cloth mask during questions at a press conference to announce statewide mask mandate Wednesday, July 22, 2020, to help slow the spread of COVID-19.

see the impact of this virus.

Throughout the summer people began to take the mask

quired for my coworkers and me to wear a mask, but the same doesn’t go for the guests.

“I want there to be a requirement in all public locations to be set and followed through.” mandate less seriously. The Minnesota stay-at-home order was lifted by May 18, and despite the state requiring face masks to be worn in all public facilities, my job didn’t want to take on this responsibility.

Since May it has been re-

The city of Mankato requires a mask in all public places and there is a sign in these convenience stores to wear a mask, but the coworkers cannot ‘police’ this policy and ask guests to wear a mask if they aren’t doing so already.

This can be frustrating because I am ensuring the safety of our guests with the mask, but they can’t do the same for me and my coworkers.

From the Minnesota Department of Health, Blue Earth County has a total of 2,335 positive cases, and this number continues to rise.

While it may seem like a small step, requiring people to wear a face mask in all public places and enforcing that rule will help control the number of cases not only in the county, but in the state as well. If essential workers are taking the necessary steps to protect those they are serving, then others can take the same steps to protect the workers.

“How do you think the city of Mankato is handling the mask mandate?”

Compiled by Kjerstin Hall

MIRA NAUGHTON, SOPHOMORE “I think pretty well from what I’ve seen.”

BELLA FIERRO, FRESHMAN “I’m not sure, I haven’t left campus much.”

KATEY JEWETT, JUNIOR

HANAN BASHA, SOPHOMORE

FATIMA TASKIN, SENIOR

“They’re handeling it well, I see people following rules.”

“I think it should be mandatory everywhere.”

“I think it’s pretty good, even social distancing is good.”

Logan Larock 507-389-5453 logan.larock@mnsu.edu BUSINESS MANAGER: Jane Tastad 507-389-1926 jane.tastad@mnsu.edu ADVERTISING DESIGN/ PRODUCTION MANAGER: Dana Clark 507-389-2793 dana.clark@mnsu.edu

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

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

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

Subscriptions for the academic school year are $55.00 and subscribers will receive the paper within three to five days after publishing.

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The Reporter reserves the right to publish, or not publish, at its discretion. Letters must contain year, major or affiliation with the university, or lack thereof.

All letters must contain phone numbers for verification purposes.

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

Thursday, November 19, 2020

News

MSU Reporter • 5

Dems Nominate Pelosi as Speaker Again to Lead into Biden Era

ELAINE THOMPSON• Associated Press A Boeing 737 Max jet, piloted by Federal Aviation Administration Chief Steve Dickson, prepares to land at Boeing Field following a test flight, Sept. 30, 2020 in Seattle.

Boeing Max Cleared for Takeoff, 2 Years After Deadly Crashes Associated Press photos This combination of file photos shows from left, Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md.

AP — House Democrats nominated Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday to be the speaker who guides them again next year as Joe Biden becomes president, and she quickly seemed to suggest these would be her final two years in the leadership post.

The California Democrat, the first woman to be speaker, was nominated by acclamation as the party’s lawmakers used a pandemic-induced virtual meeting to pick their leaders. Pelosi already has served six years in the job, but the next two loom as her toughest.

After unexpectedly losing at least 10 incumbents in this month’s elections, Democrats will have about a 222-213 majority, the tightest margin in two decades. That prospect has demoralized many Democrats and ignited blame-trading between moderates and progressives over why they flopped on Election Day. In addition, Biden and Congress will confront an uncontrolled coronavirus pandemic, a virus-stifled economy and jagged divisions among voters who largely either idolize or detest outgoing President Donald Trump. And there’s anxiety already among Democrats looking ahead to 2022

and the midterm elections, which historically are punishing for the party that controls the White House.

Against that backdrop, many House Democrats have for years impatiently insisted it’s time for fresh leadership.

Pelosi and her top two lieutenants, Steny Hoyer of Maryland and Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, have served in their positions together for over a dozen years and each is age 80 or older.

Pelosi called for unity when she addressed her colleagues Wednesday after winning the nomination. “The theme, I think, of what we do next has to be about justice” in the economy, health care and policing, she said, according to a transcript released by her office.

When a reporter asked Pelosi later whether the next two years would be her last as speaker, it was little surprise that she mentioned a commitment she made in 2018.

Scrambling to win enough votes to become speaker, she said then that she would agree to limit her term to four more years.

“I can’t wait to be working with Joe Biden and preparing us for our transition into the

future,” she said Wednesday.

“So I don’t want to undermine any leverage I may have, but I made the statement.”

Biden’s office said the president-elect called Pelosi to congratulate her selection and spoke of working together “on a shared agenda to get COVID-19 under control and build our economy back better.”

All House members will pick the speaker when the new Congress convenes in early January. Hoyer was reelected majority leader and Clyburn as the No. 3 Democratic leader on Wednesday, party posts that need no House approval.

Pelosi, Hoyer and Clyburn all won without opposition.

To become speaker again, Pelosi will need more votes than House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., who’s likely to garner nearly unanimous GOP support.

That means Pelosi will need roughly 218 votes to prevail and can ill afford to lose more than a sprinkling of Democratic support.

Though she’s likely to succeed, it won’t be simple because when Pelosi was elected speaker in January 2019, 15 Democrats opposed her.

SECURITY Continued from page 1 “For urination generally we will try to stop and talk to them and just tell them that next time they need to use the bathroom. We’ll also collect their information for the report. As for citations, we don’t usually give those for public urination, we just give them a warning and make it known that their behavior isn’t OK,” Schnorenberg continued.

Campus security is always on the clock whether it’s a fulltime campus security officer

or a supervising student.

“I’ve never felt nervous or threatened on campus, I think security does it’s job well and I always see security around,” Grace Andrews, freshman at MNSU said.

Making their presence known, the campus security’s white cars with purple and gold detailing are very recognizable.

“Campus security is definitely around, I know for sure because they gave me a park-

ing ticket,” Maddie McCoy, freshman at MNSU said.

With MNSU going completely online for the last couple weeks of the fall semester the campus will be quieter as the majority of the students will be back home.

As for campus security, roaming empty parking lots and patrolling empty buildings is what they may transition to for the remainder of the semester post-Thanksgiving break.

AP — After nearly two years and a pair of deadly crashes, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has cleared Boeing’s 737 Max for flight.

The nation’s air safety agency announced the move early Wednesday, saying it was done after a “comprehensive and methodical” 20-month review process.

Regulators around the world grounded the Max in March 2019, after the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines jet.

That happened less than five months after another Max flown by Indonesia’s Lion Air plunged into the Java Sea. A total of 346 passengers and crew members on both planes were killed.

Federal Aviation Administration chief Stephen Dickson signed an order Wednesday rescinding the grounding.

U.S. airlines will fly the Max

once Boeing updates critical software and computers and pilots receive training in flight simulators.

The FAA says the order was made in cooperation with air safety regulators worldwide.

The move follows exhaustive congressional hearings on the crashes that led to criticism of the FAA for lax oversight and Boeing for rushing to implement a new software system that put profits over safety and ultimately led to the firing of its CEO. Investigators focused on anti-stall software that Boeing had devised to counter the plane’s tendency to tilt nose-up because of the size and placement of the engines. That software pushed the nose down repeatedly on both planes that crashed, overcoming the pilots’ struggles to regain control.

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6 • MSU Reporter

News

Judge Orders US to Stop Expelling Children who Cross Border

Thursday, November 19, 2020

Stocks Give up Early Gains and End Lower on Wall Street

FRANK FRANKLIN II • Atlanta Journal-Constitution/Associated Press In this Oct. 14, 2020 file photo, the American Flag hangs outside the New York Stock Exchange in New York. U.S. stocks are drifting close to their record highs Wednesday, Nov. 18 as hopes for a coronavirus vaccine coming in the future collide with worries about the worsening pandemic in the present.

ERIC GAY • Associated Press In this Aug. 23, 2019 file photo, immigrants seeking asylum walk at the ICE South Texas Family Residential Center, in Dilley, Texas.

AP — A federal judge on Wednesday ordered the Trump administration to stop expelling immigrant children who cross the southern border alone, halting a policy that has resulted in thousands of rapid deportations of minors during the coronavirus pandemic.

U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan issued a preliminary injunction sought by legal groups suing on behalf of children whom the government sought to expel before they could request asylum or other protections under federal law.

The Trump administration has expelled at least 8,800 unaccompanied childrensince March, when it issued an emergency declaration citing the coronavirus as grounds for barring most people crossing the border from remaining in the United States.

Border agents have forced many people to return to Mexico right away, while detaining others in holding facilities or hotels, sometimes for days or weeks. Meanwhile, government-funded facilities meant to hold children while they are placed with sponsors have thousands of unused beds.

Sullivan’s order bars only the expulsion of children who cross the border unaccompanied by a parent. The gov-

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ernment has expelled nearly 200,000 people since March, including adults, and parents and children traveling together.

“This policy was sending thousands of young children back to danger without any hearing,” said Lee Gelernt, a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union. “Like so many other Trump administration policies, it was gratuitously cruel and unlawful.”

The Justice Department did not immediately say whether it would appeal. It has appealed another federal judge’s order barring the use of hotels to detain children.

The incoming administration of President-elect Joe Biden has not directly saidwhether it will keep trying to expel immigrants under public-health authority. Biden is expected to roll back several Trump administration policies restricting asylum as part of a broader shift on immigration.

The Trump administration has argued in court that it must expel children who have recently crossed the border — whether they had authorization or not — to prevent the infection of border agents and others in immigration custody. The emergency declaration was made by Dr. Robert

Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Justice Department on Oct. 2 cited the judgment of “the nation’s top public health official” in urging Sullivan not to stop the expulsion of children.

The Associated Press reported on Oct. 3 that top CDC officials resisted issuing the declaration because it lacked a public health basis, but that Vice President Mike Pence ordered Redfield to move forward anyway.

Opponents of the policy accuse the administration of using the pandemic as a pretext to restrict immigration and say agents can safely screen minors for COVID-19 without denying protections under federal anti-trafficking law and a court settlement that governs the treatment of children.

U.S. Magistrate Judge G. Michael Harvey recommended on Sept. 25 that Sullivan grant an injunction barring expulsions of children, saying the government was claiming power that was “breathtakingly broad.”

Children and parents who have been expelled have reported believing they would be allowed to reunite with family in the U.S.

AP — A late-afternoon slide on Wall Street dragged stocks broadly lower Wednesday, wiping out early gains and adding to losses from a day earlier as investors worry about the economic fallout from surging coronavirus cases in the U.S. The S&P 500 fell 1.2%.

It had been up 0.3% in the early going after Pfizer and BioNTech reported updated data suggesting their potential COVID-19 vaccinemay be 95% effective. The companies said they plan to ask U.S. regulators within days to allow emergency use of the vaccine.

The news, which followed encouraging data on Monday about a vaccine being developed by Moderna, initially gave investors cause for optimism that the virus-ravaged economy could begin to heal next year. But such optimism is being tempered by a spike in

coronavirus cases and worries that it will lead to widespread restrictions on businesses once more.

Coronavirus counts and hospitalizations are up across the country, and health experts are warning about the possibility of a brutal winter.

“This is a market that is fluctuating as it makes a determination about the effect that the COVID-19 restrictions and lockdowns have on the reopening of the U.S. economy, versus the positive news that stems from potential vaccinations beginning in 2021,” said Quincy Krosby, chief market strategist at Prudential Financial. “It’s sort of a tug-of-war.”

The S&P 500 fell 41.74 points to 3,567.79. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 344.93 points, or 1.2%, to 29,438.42.

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Thursday, November 19, 2020

News

MSU Reporter • 7

COVID-19 in Photos: A French ICU in the Pandemic

MARSEILLE, France (AP) — Four more calls to go, each with careful words, painful silences.

It’s 2 p.m. in the intensive care ward of Marseille’s La Timone hospital, and Dr. Julien Carvelli is phoning families hit by the latest coronavirus surge with news about their children, husbands, wives. With intensive care wards at over 95% capacity in France for over 10 days, Carvelli makes at least eight of these difficult calls a day.

Carvelli warns one father that his son may need to be put into a coma. “For the moment, he’s holding on.

But it’s true that — I don’t know what you’ve been told already — his respiratory state is worrying,” Carvelli acknowledges. There’s a long pause on the other end.

“Listen, do your best,” comes the strained reply.

Photos by DANIEL COLE • Associated Press

Wind Forecast Raises Fears After Nevada Fires AP — Another lashing of strong winds expected in northern Nevada raised concerns Wednesday about reviving a wildfire that roared through a neighborhood in Reno in similar weather a day earlier, destroying at least five houses, damaging 15 other structures and forcing people to flee from hundreds of homes.

A separate fire about 100 miles (160 kilometers) south and across the border in California exploded in whipping winds Tuesday, killing one person and burning an unknown number of homes in a small community.

Both blazes got help from rain that moved in overnight, but the new forecast raised fresh fears in Reno.

“We’re looking at 40 mph (64 kph) winds in the valleys again today, 70 mph (112 kph) over the ridgetops, so that will be a concern for us,” Fire Department incident commander Mark Winkelman said.

Two firefighters were injured while battling the blaze over 2 square miles (5 square kilometers) but have been treated and released. One suffered an allergic reaction, and the other tore a calf mus-

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Jason Bean/The Reno Gazette-Journal • Associated Press A large home burns during the Pinehaven Fire in the Caughlin Ranch area of Reno, Nev., on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2020.

cle helping evacuate residents from up to 500 homes threatened Tuesday in southwest Reno.

Extremely dry conditions helped fuel the blaze in rugged, hard-to-reach canyons that run between homes in the densely populated neighborhood, Reno Fire Chief David Cochran said.

“Even though there was literally snow on the ground in some areas, a wind-driven fire like that is almost impossible to stop,” Cochran said.

Nevada is experiencing drought, with much of it in extreme drought, and has

moved in and out of such dry conditions for years. Numerous studies have linked bigger wildfires in America to climate change from the burning of coal, oil and gas, which has made parts of the U.S. West much drier and more flammable.

Investigators from the state and Reno fire marshal’s office as well as the utility NV Energy were trying to find the cause of the fire.

Winkelman said it started about 200 yards (183 meters) from the origin point of a November 2011 fire that destroyed 27 homes.

8 • MSU Reporter

News

Thursday, November 19, 2020

Berlin Police Forcefully Disperse Protest Over Virus Rules AP — German police used water cannons and pepper spray Wednesday to disperse people protesting coronavirus restrictions in Berlin’s government district, after crowds ignored calls to wear masks and keep their distance from one another in line with pandemic regulations.

As water sprayed from the cannons rained down on protesters outside the landmark Brandenburg Gate, police in riot gear moved through the crowd carrying away some participants. Some demonstrators threw fireworks, flares and other objects in response as police helicopters hovered overhead.

Officers avoided shooting the cannons directly at protesters because there were children in the crowd, and they worked slowly and methodically to disperse the crowd, Berlin police spokesman Thilo Cabiltz said. Some protesters popped open umbrellas and held their ground until they were eventually forced back.

More than 100 people were arrested, Cabiltz said, and many more temporarily detained. Nine police officers were injured. The protest

MICHAEL SOHN • Associated Press Police uses water canons to clear a blocked a road between the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag building, home of the German federal parliament, as people attend a protest rally in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020 against the coronavirus restrictions in Germany.

crowd thinned significantly by late afternoon as many demonstrators marched back to the city’s main train station, chanting and blowing whistles.

One protester held a sign saying “Infection Protection Law Dictatorship.” Another waved one reading “Truth,

Freedom, Don’t Touch Our Constitution.”

The protests came as German lawmakers debated a bill that would provide legal underpinning for the government to issue social distancing rules, require masks in public and to close stores and other venues to slow the spread of

the virus.

The bill easily passed both the lower and upper houses of Germany’s parliament and was fast-tracked to the country’s president, who signed it later Wednesday.

While the virus-prevention measures are supported by most people in Germany, a vo-

cal minority has staged regular rallies around the country, arguing that the restrictions are unconstitutional.

Health Minister Jens Spahn, defended the measures in parliament ahead of the vote, telling lawmakers that authorities “struggle every day in trying to strike the balance” between restrictions and safeguarding democratic freedoms.

But he insisted that Germany had found the right path, noting that it has fared much better during the pandemic than many of its European neighbors.

“Where would you rather be than in Germany?” He asked lawmakers from the farright Alternative for Germany party who criticized the lockdown measures.

Overall, the country has reported about 833,000 coronavirus cases and more than 13,000 virus-related deaths in the pandemic, a death toll onefourth the size of Britain’s.

Spahn also praised the efforts of German pharmaceutical company BioNTech, which together with Pfizer is leading the race to develop a vaccine against COVID-19.

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MSU Reporter • 9

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

TRAILBLAZER

eSports Coach Jacquie Lamm Leads New Team Tryouts for the Minnesota State University, Mankato League of Legends Varsity team have now concluded and the roster began practicing in the brand new Dell sponsored eSports Training Facility in Wissink Hall.

For Head Coach of eSports Jacquie Lamm, she’s ready to give students a place to play.

“I’m really excited for students to be able to play video games and say ‘so what?’ I’m still earning a degree and I’m doing what I love and what I’m passionate about,” said Lamm.

If there’s one thing you should know about Lamm, it’s that she’s a lover of games and has been throughout her entire life.

For her, it all started with the early 1990s releases of “Zombies Ate My Neighbors” and “Monkey Island,” which were both played on the Super Nintendo.

“They were really difficult at the time but I’m sure now they wouldn’t be,” Lamm said while reminiscing about the early days of gaming.

Although she has transi-

Courtesy photo

By DANIEL MCELROY Staff Writer

Jacquie Lamm

tioned into a PC gamer, primarily playing “Call of Duty” and other first person shooter games, Lamm has nothing against console gamers, as many people do in what’s

called the PC master race.

“I’ve been a huge Call of Duty fan since the very beginning,” Lamm stated. ““Call of Duty: Warzone” is all I want to play.”

There are hopes of a Call of Duty team to come to campus

by Fall 2021. If not a varsity program, be sure to look out for the Call of Duty RSO. When it comes to being a woman working in eSports, Lamm has faced many challenges in getting to where she is today.

“I always feel like I’m doing something wrong,” Lamm states. “I always feel like someone is going to be judging me, or if this program fails, are they going to relate it to being a woman, and ‘oh a man could’ve done it better.’ It’s something that I’m constantly stressed about.”

If she has any advice for any girls in the gaming community, or girls who want to be in a position like hers, it’s to surround yourself with other girls in the same position.

“I would advise getting into Discord servers that promote leadership and women in general,” said Lamm.

“One of the servers I go to daily is called The*Gamehers. I’ve met a lot of great women there and being able to talk about struggles with other people and hearing stories from other women really helps.”

Mavs in the Kitchen: Students Learn “Friendsgiving Squash”

By AMANDA FILREIS Staff Writer Friendsgiving Squash is the latest thing on the streaming menu for Minnesota State University, Mankato’s new program called Mavericks in the Kitchen.

With this virtual program, viewers can learn to cook the chosen dishes from the top chef’s at MNSU. (In the last event, viewers learned how to make a simple and easy chicken alfredo dish. But let’s focus on the present now, shall we?)

In order to make this festive dish, all you’ll need is butternut squash, leeks, spices and bacon stuffing. After putting everything together, this can feed about 20-30 hungry people.

The livestream began with an introduction from the Student Events Team before handing the reins over to the executive chef of the University Dining Center at MNSU, Tim

Born. Born is from Mankato and attended Mankato East High School before obtaining a degree in culinary arts from South Central College in North Mankato. He worked in the food industry as a souschef and a chef manager before becoming an executive chef at MNSU. This dish was selected because Born wanted to introduce a dish he believed the students have never tried before.

While many have tried some form of stuffing, this will offer a new flavorful experience while still keeping that spirit we know and love around this time a year.

After the dish was completed, a member of the Student Events Team was able to sample the dish.

“It’s great this program is so accessible,” said MNSU student Samantha Beaumont, who attended the event. “I have a real passion for cooking. I’m glad that

Courtesy photo grab from Mavericks in the Kitchen livestream Friendsgiving Squash prepared by Executive Chef Tim Born

there’s an opportunity for others to learn it.”

Some of the students who joined in that day felt that they would definitely see themselves returning for the final livestream.

“It’s very beneficial to learn about different dishes, or at least overall cooking tips,”

said MNSU student Kirsten Artz.

“While it’s not completely relevant for those who live in the dorms, it’s certain to be when we begin living independently. After all, we can’t live on take-out food and frozen dinners.”

Virtual Craft Project Pulls 300 Viewers

By DESTINY KEMPF Staff Writer On Tuesday the Minnesota State University, Mankato Student Events Team hosted a Turkey Lantern Craft on its Facebook Page.

This event was put on as a fun way for students to take a little study break and get into the Thanksgiving holiday spirit. Throughout the livestream, calm music played in the background, adding to the relaxing experience of a simple, fun craft.

The event lasted around 15 minutes in which the head of Homecoming competition for the Student Event Team, Hunter Whitmore, guided viewers on making the lantern.

The number of viewers during the event varied throughout time but mostly stayed between four to 11 viewers. However, the day after the event total views for the video exceeded 300 viewers.

Students picked up a kit with all the materials needed for the craft project prior to the livestream. Kits were handed out at the Student Activities Office in the Centennial Student Union.

While the Events Team had only 50 kits available, students could gather the needed materials on their own and use the saved Facebook live footage as a guide to make the lantern.

Kits included a mason jar, modge podge, foam brush, red and yellow construction paper, a leaf, googly eyes and a tea light candle. A scissors is also necessary to complete this craft.

At the end of the livestream, Whitmore said, “If you post your completed turkey lantern craft on your social media and tag the Student Events team, we may showcase and repost your craft on our platforms.”

To keep up with all current and future events, you can follow the Student Events Team’s Instagram page @studenteventsteam or their Facebook page @ MNSUStudentEventsTeam.

10 • MSU Reporter

Variety

Tory Lanez Pleads Not Guilty in Megan Thee Stallion Shooting

MATT DUNHAM • Associated Press

Review: A Punk Drummer’s Life Upended in ‘Sound of Metal’

Thursday, November 19, 2020

Rapper Tory Lanez performs at HOT 97 Summer Jam 2018 at MetLife Stadium, June 10, 2018 in East Rutherford, N.J. Los Angeles prosecutors have charged Lanez with shooting Megan Thee Stallion during an argument on July 12, 2020.

Amazon Studios/Associated Press This image released by Amazon Studios shows Riz Ahmed in a scene from “Sound of Metal.”

The film “Sound of Metal” starts with the uncomfortably loud noises of guitar feedback and ends two hours later with absolute silence. The trip through those extremes is a worthy one, if sometimes exasperating.

British actor and rapper Riz Ahmed absolutely shines as Ruben Stone, an American punk-metal drummer whose life is upended when he abruptly loses his hearing while on tour.

“Eliminate all exposure to loud noises,” a doctor advises Ruben. That’s not so easy.

He’s a punk-metal drummer, after all. Loud noises is what he does.

The diagnosis threatens Stone’s livelihood but also his four-year streak at sobriety.

His girlfriend and bandmate (a superb Olivia Cooke) convinces him to drive their Airstream across the country to a rehab facility that specializes in deaf addicts. There he must leave her and learn how to be deaf.

And that’s where most films would usually end.

But that’s not what director and co-writer Darius Marder is after in his feature directorial debut. Yes, there’s a discussion of cochlear implants and how some in the deaf commu-

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nity see them as a betrayal, but deafness isn’t what “Sound of Metal” is about. It’s about belonging.

Marder, who wrote the screenplay with his brother, Abraham Marder, takes far too long to get to his points in a sluggish middle but has crafted a quite lyrical tale of a man trying to find his way when everything he knows is taken away.

Our hero’s backstory isn’t revealed until the 100-minute mark and there are too few clues to what’s churning in his interior life. But Ahmed is a revelation, another notch for a rising star. Watching his character take in and process information is riveting. Listening to him lost in silence and despairing with his big, expressive eyes is devastating.

“Sound of Metal” is also the first film you’ll see where you’ll want to instantly find out who oversaw the sound design. That would be Nicolas Becker. His team jumps in and out of the world of hearing, creating scrapes, choppy distortions and muffles in the twilight between those worlds that feel just out of reach. The film has been subtitled so it can be experienced by both the hearing and deaf communities.

At the rehab facility, our drummer goes through the difficult process of rebuilding his life. Without a language in the deaf world, he is doubly lost.

He learns American Sign Language with deaf elementary school kids and becomes a sort of big brother to them.

He also becomes a helpful part of the adult recovery group, drawing tattoos and following the demands of the facility owner (a terrific Paul Raci) to sit every day with a pen and paper and write his feelings out.

Ruben seems to have found his way. “You’ve become very important to a lot of people around here,” the rehab head tells him. But Ruben is really an undercover agent — he hasn’t given up on the world of the hearing.

The film has another, unexpected chapter, one set in Paris and, to be honest, it’s not seamlessly attached. Reunited with his girlfriend, Ruben now has to decide where he really fits. And if he can just enjoy the silence.

“Sound of Metal,” an Amazon Studios release, is rated R for “language throughout and brief nude images.” Running time: 130 minutes. Three stars out of four.

AP — Rapper Tory Lanez pleaded not guilty through his attorney Wednesday to felony assault charges in the July shooting of hip-hop star Megan Thee Stallion.

Lawyer Shawn Chapman Holley entered the plea in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom to counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm and carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle on behalf of Lanez, 28, who was not at the hearing.

In a criminal complaint, prosecutors said Lanez, whose legal name is Daystar Peterson, fired on a victim identified as “Megan P.” after she got out of an SUV during an argument in the Hollywood Hills on July 12, and “inflicted great bodily injury” on her. Megan Thee Stallion’s legal name is Megan Pete. If convicted, Lanez faces a maximum sentence of 23 years.

The Canadian rapper was charged in October after months of speculation and publicity surrounding the incident. At first, Los Angeles police reported the incident only as shots fired, a woman with foot injuries, and a man arrested on a weapons allegation.

Megan Thee Stallion, whose legal name is Megan Pete, revealed a few days later that her foot injuries came from gunshots, and more than a month later said in an Instagram video that it was Lanez who fired them. She slowly revealed more via social media in subsequent weeks.

“The way people have publicly questioned and debated whether I played a role in my own violent assault proves that my fears about discussing what happened were, unfortunately, warranted,” she wrote.

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Thursday, November 19, 2020

Variety

Quick Dorm Foods Recipe: Cheese Broccoli Rice Bowl

This Week’s Crossword: Thanksgiving

When you’re on the go and need something filling to eat real quick, this cheese, broccoli, and rice bowl is perfect for you. I adapted this from a similar recipe off of biggerbolderbaking.com, and after only one try I realized this is something I enjoy on busy evenings when I feel that I don’t have time to leave my dorm for dinner.

Bigger Bolder Baking has an amazing collection of mug recipes I found back at the beginning of summer when I was first preparing for dorm living. I enjoy the simplicity and ease of this recipe, along with it being one of the more nutritious mug-cooking options that I have found.

Coming in at around 300 calories, 14 grams of protein, and 32 grams of carbs, this is a warm, lightweight meal for keeping full without having to venture out into that Minnesota winter.

Requiring only rice, broccoli, cheese, some spices, and water, this recipe takes little time to make and is fairly cost effective. I tend to use frozen,

pre-cut broccoli, and cheese cubes which I’ll then cut up into smaller pieces.

I’ve also found that I enjoy adding cut up beef sticks during the second round of microwaving if I’m needing a more filling meal.

Enjoy, and as usual, be careful taking your bowl or mug out of the microwave.

Ingredients: • ½ cup quick cook rice • 2⁄3 cup water • Handful of broccoli florets • 3 tablespoons milk (or add additional water) • Handful shredded or cubed cheese • Salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste Directions: • In a large, microwavable bowl (or mug) add your broccoli, rice, and water.

• Microwave for 3 ½ - 4 minutes. Ensure water does not overflow –possible if the bowl is too small.

• When the rice is fully cooked, remove from the microwave and add milk, cheese, and seasoning.

• Place back in the microwave to heat the ingredients together for another minute.

DOWN 1. Perfect for post-meal watching 2. Red, jello-like food from a can 5. Two people pull, one’s wish gets granted 7. Baked dessert from the forbidden fruit 8. “Everyone say what they are _____ for” 9. This is where the beginning of the long-standing tradition began 12. Stove Top 13. Native American who showed pilgrims how to plant corn 15. Coma resulting in everyone falling asleep on the couch while the football game is playing 17. Essential Thanksgiving bird

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Students can now open a Zoom session within an Ask a Librarian visit! libguides.mnsu.edu/ask/

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ACROSS 3. Topping of mashed potatoes 4. Food-filled horn for center of the table 6. Famous ship carrying early settlers 9. Settlers who gathered together to pray for their thanks 10. Best when mashed 11. Delicacy dessert often paired with whipped cream 12. Gourd that isn’t a pumpkin 14. Friday following day where everyone goes crazy for reduced price items 16. A topic that shouldn’t be brought up, but will be 18. Bring your own food

By JENNA PETERSON • News Editor

Courtesy photo

By SYDNEY BERGGREN Staff Writer

MSU Reporter • 11

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FROM YOUR FANS AT

12 • MSU Reporter

Variety

Thursday, November 19, 2020

New Orleans: Coronavirus Nixes Mardi Gras-Season Parades AP — The raucous Mardi Gras parades where riders on elaborate floats toss trinkets to adoring throngs have been canceled in New Orleans because the close-packed crowds could spread the novel coronavirus.

At least for 2021, the pandemic has put an end to the New Orleans Mardi Gras season as it’s long been celebrated, though Mayor LaToya Cantrell has asked the public for safe-celebration suggestions.

City spokesman Beau Tidwell said Tuesday that no parades will roll during the weeks leading up to and including Fat Tuesday because they can’t meet restrictions meant to slow the spread of the virus that causes the disease COVID-19.

The cancellation is based largely on a 250-person cap on outdoor crowds, Tidwell said.

“You can’t have traditional parades with that small a group,” he said.

The city’s statement came on a day when diagnosed cases of the coronavirus rose 2,592 statewide, for a total of 207,685. In New Orleans, the day brought 125 new positive tests as the country grapples with a worsening of the outbreak.

GERALD HERBERT • Associated Press Float riders toss beads and trinkets during the Krewe of Thoth Mardi Gras parade Feb. 11, 2018 in New Orleans.

All told, the virus is blamed for nearly a quarter-million deaths and over 11 million confirmed infections in the U.S. “We have had nearly 1,000 new cases over the past 10 days,” Tidwell said. He said the city first posted its no-parade decision online Monday afternoon in a list of frequently asked questions about the coronavirus.

The Carnival season and Mardi Gras are New Orleans’ biggest tourist draw.

Two Tulane University professors found, in a study commissioned by parade groups, that the 2020 festival brought the city $145 million, The Times-Picayune / The New Orleans Advocate reported.

February’s Carnival crowds may have been among the reasons New Orleans was hit

early and hard by COVID-19, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said.

Not only do parade crowds cram the streets with a mix of tourists and residents, but the season ended Feb. 25, well before people were urged to wear masks.

The next Mardi Gras will be Feb. 16.

Fat Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday and was

traditionally the last chance to use up any fat in the larder before the 40-day austerities of Lent. Since it’s based in religion it can’t be canceled, Mayor LaToya Cantrell has noted.

But, she has said repeatedly, this year’s event will be different.

Some groups already had canceled their parades. Others were trying to figure out just what they could do under pandemic restrictions.

“We understand the seriousness of the pandemic, and we fully support our city’s fight against COVID-19,” said an emailed statement from James Reiss of the Rex Organization.

The Rex Organization dubs its monarch king of Carnival, and its parade on Mardi Gras is one of the day’s biggest draws.

“Rex and our fellow parading krewes are working now to determine definitive plans for Mardi Gras 2021 and anticipate being able to report to Mayor Cantrell and our city’s citizens in the coming days,” Reiss said.

The rise in virus cases also could jeopardize Mardi Gras celebrations outside the city in neighboring Jefferson Parish, where the size and opulence of the parades rivals those in New Orleans.