January 27th, 2022 | Volume 125 Issue 17
News Page 2
Upcoming Spring Events
Opinion Page 6
Your Daily Addictions
Sports Page 9
The Bus From Fargo to Frisco
Recap: RuPaul’s Drag Race Brayden Zenker Variety Editor
*Warning* The following article contains spoilers for RuPaul’s Drag Race season 14 episode 3.
After two weeks apart the queens have finally been brought together. After the elimination of Daya Betty, the queens from the second premiere return to the werkroom where the other queens are waiting for them. As always, the
meeting of the queens was friendly, with some queens having known each other before the competition. As expected, while friendly, each group of queens think they are supreme queens, throwing some light shade. I’m looking at you Willow, youngest in the face, girl you savage. Before the remaining 12 queens find out this week’s challenge, RuPaul has a couple of
The Freedom to Vote Act Abigail Faulkner Opinion Editor
Voters’ rights have been in the headlines recently because of the controversial bills that have been before the Senate. Of these important hot-topic bills is the Freedom to Vote Act. It has recently come to my attention that now we are arguing as a society about voting. This time last year, I thought that we were talking about how more people should be voting. Furthermore, the last election had a record-breaking voter turnout. However, for a reason I suspect is more
announcements. The first announcement is, there are two more queens he is adding to the competition. Just like past queens put in this situation, everyone is visibly upset about the extra queens coming into the competition. Those are two more queens they have to compete against. After what seems like an eternity the two queens are finally revealed to be… Continued on Page 4
VH1| Photo Courtesy
malicious than it may seem, Republicans don’t want people to vote anymore. And that isn’t the stupidest, most antithetical, undemocratic thing I have ever heard.
The Freedom to Vote Act
The Freedom to Vote Act is a revised version of the For the People Act. The legislation is exactly as it sounds; it protects voters’ rights. Some of the key provisions of the act include early voting, mail-in voting, making the election day a holiday, voting rights restoration to those who were previously incarcerated, protections for
Jack Hance, officer of Hack Club | Photo Courtesy
NDSU Hack Club kicks off first meeting of the semester Wikimedia Commons | Photo Courtesy individuals with finance, among many disabilities, enhanced other important ballot and protection changes. record, redistricting reform, campaign Continued on Page 6
Bison Men Roll Over Tommies Mason Urban Staff Writer
A 15-0 First Half Run Ignites Bison Offense to Big Win The North Dakota State men’s basketball team won in blowout fashion Tuesday night, beating St. Thomas 77-56. The game was originally scheduled for Jan. 13 but was rescheduled due to the weather. It was a slow start for the Bison offense, however, they took the lead after a 15-0 run in the first half, with five threes from five different players. Maleeck HardenHayes, Tyree Eady, Sam Griesel, Jarius Cook, and Grant Nelson all got in on the action. That run jumpstarted the offense in a game where NDSU finished with 56 percent shooting from the field and 50 percent shooting from three.
NDSU’s defense was also stellar, holding St. Thomas to 33 percent shooting from the field and 27 percent from threepoint-range, way down from their season averages of 45 percent from the field and 39 percent from three. Rocky Kreuser led the way for the Herd, registering his sixth double-double of the season, scoring 17 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Harden-
Hayes and Eady joined him in double figures, each scoring 12 points. With the win, NDSU’s record improves to 13-7 on the season and 5-3 in conference play. The Bison also remain in third place in the Summit League after the victory. Up next, the Bison head out on a twogame road trip where they will take on South Dakota on Thursday and conference
leader South Dakota State on Saturday. This upcoming road trip is a great opportunity for the Bison as South Dakota and South Dakota State boast the two longest winning streaks in the Summit League. The Coyotes are currently on a fivegame winning streak while the Jackrabbits are on an eightgame winning streak.
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Cybersecurity training is in demand across the workplace and the rate at which people are gaining necessary skills is falling short the importance of Anne Kesler Head News Editor
Did you know that roughly 30,000 cites were hacked daily in 2021? Or that every 39 seconds, there is a new attack somewhere on the web? According to techjury, it has become an issue that “eats deep into the very foundation of a business, crashing the party and costing millions and even billions of dollars in the process.” Usual steps cyber criminals take to breach a company or personal system may be a lot simpler than one would think. First, they need to find out as much information as possible about the person or business and their computer system, then identify a weakness and use that weakness to exploit the vulnerability of the person or business and get into their system. But, hacking isn’t all bad. Learning different code and
cybersecurity to combat cybercriminals is an important skill to have when entering the workplace…and really in any workplace. In fact, according to a Harvard Extension School report, learning cybersecurity is so needed that the demand for skilled cybersecurity professionals is growing faster than the rate at which people are gaining the necessary skills. That is why the NDSU Cybersecurity Student Association (CSA), or Hack Club, has been an organization at the university since the Fall of 2017. “Cybersecurity is still a relatively new field, and as such college programs that teach cybersecurity and teach it well are relatively few and far between,” said Jack Hance,one of the four officers of Hack Club. Continued on Page 3
News
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January 27th, 2022
Democrats Russia and Ukraine tensions rise between Ukraine and Russia are growing as hopeful for new Tensions more troops are sent to the border climate legislation Alissa Knudson
NDSU College Democrats President speaks on Biden’s ‘Build Back Better’ stalling causes Democrats to seek new plans for climate relief
Courtney Entzi Staff Writer
members if they would support a separate climate bill in which, according to the NY Times, they said no. Although Biden and more progressive democrats feel confident in their ability to pass some form of legislation they promised, both parties have expressed frustrations with the packages and many changes made. Felch also expressed his belief in the importance of policy targeted at large corporations rather than individuals blaming themselves for their own contribution to pollution.
President Joe Biden’s ‘Build Back Better’ initiative has been stalled after Democrat swing Joe Manchin opposed it. A large agenda Biden pushed during his presidential campaign was action in climate change policy, which has so far seemed out of reach for the Democratic party with push back from more conservative members of congress. Many Democrats in congress are now pushing a separate climate bill that may be able to gain swing vote supporters more easily. “I’ve been talking To read more, to a number of my vistit our website colleagues on the ndsuspectrum.com or Hill,” Biden told scan below! reporters in a recent news conference. “I think it’s clear that we would be able to get support for the $500 billion plus for energy and the environment.” The NY times recently asked Republican Senate
Co-News Editor
Tensions are rising between Ukraine and Russia, as both countries are preparing for war. Russia has moved troops to the border, which was shortly followed by the Ukraine defense team. The tensions arose as Ukraine was planning on joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Ukraine is preparing for a Russian Invasion, although Moscow denies an attack. On Thursday Jan. 20, President Joe Biden warned Russia that any movement across the border would be seen as a Russian Invasion. “If Putin makes this choice, Russia will pay a heavy price,” said Biden. Russia has moved over 100,000 troops to
the border of Ukraine. “The United States is ordering the relatives of American embassy staffers in Ukraine to leave the country,” which is a sign that the U.S. thinks Russia will most likely invade, according to Politico. Russia has also stationed troops in Belarus. Dr. Thomas Ambrosio is a Professor of Political Science at North Dakota State University. “War clouds appear to be on the horizon,” he said. Russia sees “the prospect of Ukraine joining NATO as a truly existential threat to their National security,” he said. On Dec. 17, Russia sent a proposed treaty to the United States and NATO; although this treaty was not agreed upon by NATO. The treaty called for NATO
to stop expansion into other countries. It also asked that NATO pull their assets from other NATO countries, essentially stopping the aid to NATO allied countries. “It is an impossible demand,” stated Ambrosio. The treaty was “completely unacceptable to the United States, they were meant to be rejected by us,” said Ambrosio. The refused treaty could give Russia an excuse to invade Ukraine. The State Department required U.S. embassy family members to move out of Ukraine. They are also warning Americans to avoid traveling to both Ukraine and Russia, while the tensions are quickly rising. Some U.S. embassy government workers are also departing the
country. As of now the U.S. and the U.K. embassies remain open. “The State Department also cautioned American citizens to consider leaving Ukraine, with U.S. officials warning that an attack could happen ‘at any time’,” according to the Washington Post. Biden is currently not sending troops to Ukraine, although some are suggesting that troops be sent to the Baltic States, which would be a huge step for both the conflict and the Biden administration. The Baltic States, which include Estonic, Latvia and Lithuania are already members of NATO. Currently there are approximately 4,000 NATO troops in the Baltic States, according to the New York Times. There are also about 5,000 both NATO and United States troops in Poland, another NATO country. To read more, vistit our website ndsuspectrum.com or scan below!
Cassy Tweed| The Spectrum
Upcoming spring events you won’t want to miss at NDSU Campus Attractions provides upcoming events for the 2022 spring semester Anne Kesler
Head News Editor As the first few weeks of the second semester begin at NDSU, students are busy with their new classes and activities. But one can only do school work for so long without having a little bit of fun. That’s why NDSU Campus Attractions has created an eventful calendar for students to participate in for the 2022 spring semester. Campus Attractions works hard to provide educational, cultural, social and recreational programs and activities through a wide variety of resources. With many unique and entertaining opportunities including but not limited to late night events, hypnotists, concerts, public speakers and free weekly movies, CA brings the campus to life for NDSU students. Campus Attractions is a student-run programming board that is always trying to add exciting events to the NDSU
campus. They are always looking for upbeat, creative and hardworking students to join its outstanding team. Students who think they have what it takes to be a part of the CA team can fill out their student interest survey. Here are the upcoming events according to the Campus Attractions website
unique style of shortform improv. They are one of the top-ranked traveling comedy companies in the country. The members of Mission IMPROVable adopt the roles of secret comedy agents,
Canvas Night On Feb. 4, Campus Attractions wants students to come show off their creativity and join them for Canvas Night! There will be an artist on site who will be available to guide students through a painting of their choice. The event is sponsored by Campus Live and Entertainment and will take place from 9:30 ready to take you on a p.m. to 1 a.m. laughing roller coaster. The audience members Mission IMPROVable are the co-agents and with TBD Comedy participate in hilarious On Feb. 8 from theater games or 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., “missions” by yelling Mission IMPROVable out suggestions and is a comedy team that performing on stage. performs a totally This highly
interactive show uses a lot of audience members to add to the comedy experience. The on-the-spot randomness provided by the audience makes each mission truly unique and hilarious.
Sponsored by Volunteer Network. The event will take place on Feb. 10 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
of the Union for a fun night of video games and movies! There will be two movies over the night in the ballroom and a Super Smash Dive-In Movie Bros Tournament in Join Campus Hidatsa. The event is Attractions at the pool in sponsored by Campus the Wallman Wellness Live. Center Aquatic Center on Feb. 11 to watch a To check out more movie while you enjoy upcoming events a swim! They will be vistit our website showing the movie ndsuspectrum.com or ‘Jaws’. There will be a scan below! showing at 6 p.m. and one at 8 p.m. This event is sponsored by Special Events.
Drag Show ft. FM Drag United and the Gay 90’s Campus Attractions will be hosting queens from FM Drag United as well as the Gay 90’s in Minneapolis. They have a special treat in Cassy Tweed | The Spectrum store for students with Giving Hearts Day this one so don’t miss it! This event is in The event is sponsored collaboration with by Entertainment and Giving Hearts Day, will be held on Feb. 23 a service promotion from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. day put on by Dakota Medical Foundation. Pajama Jam Check back to see On March 4 from service opportunities 9:30 p.m. to 1 a.m., available to you. gather in the ballroom
Vistit https:// www.ndsu.edu/ campusattractions/. or scan below for the latest at campus attractions
the Spectrum | January 27, 2022
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NDSU Hack Club kicks off first meeting of the semester Continued From Front Cover “NDSU itself has a cybersecurity degree program but it’s still in its infancy.” Hance says the club looks to create a space in which students can learn and teach each other cybersecurity skills without relying on NDSU’s cybersecurity program to get them up to speed. “There is a lot of practical experience in cybersecurity that comes from just playing and working with computers that can’t be taught well in a classroom setting, through hands-on meeting activities led by other students, we look to supply students with these exact skills,” Hance said. The CSA has speakers from industry come in and talk about their experience in the cybersecurity field. Outside of just club activities, employers really like to see the CSA on resumes, as it shows that students are willing to dedicate
time outside of the classroom to learn new technical skills. “We have these speakers come in in hopes of showing students what sort of things they can expect once they begin their journey into corporate cyber.” said Hance. “I thought I may be a bit biased; I can confidently say that being very involved with Hack Club is the single best thing you can do to start a cyber career at NDSU.” The club will have their first meeting on Wed., Jan. 26th. There, club members took the newcomers through the club favorite, Intro to Lock Picking. The officers report that they will provide food and drinks for people to snack on while trying to “pop locks.” “We will have a short presentation at the start to give students the basics of how lock picking works, and then the rest of the meeting will be dedicated to
trying it themselves, hands on, with the rather large collection of locks and lock picks that the club owns and that students bring in,” Hance said. The club welcomes all skill levels and encourages students to try even if they don’t come from a technical background. Hance says much like many other technical disciplines, cybersecurity is not an easy field, and starting out can be frustrating. “At Hack Club we try to flatten the skill curve a bit by encouraging an environment that allows for asking questions and getting advice, as everyone here was a beginner at some point and we all know how it feels when someone shames you for asking a question that seems obvious to them but is totally unknown to you,” said Hance. “Oftentimes, the best hackers actually come from a discipline that has nothing to do with computers, since
hacking, in large part, is about thinking outside the box and pulling knowledge from obscure places to solve problems. Normal meetings for the club are pretty laid back, but the environment tends to get pretty amped up during competitions. “We are very aware how much computer science students
Jack Hance, officer of Hack Club | Photo Courtesy enjoy caffeine, so we open to questions either usually get a few cases via email or Discord of energy drinks for DM. competitions, and that “If you are interested tends to get everyone in learning how to going. hack, and are willing Students who are (or maybe even enjoy) interested in joining to bang your head Hack Club can visit against some difficult the clubs website at problems for a while, https://ndhack.club and then cybersecurity is officers Jack Hance, a great field for you,” Cayden Schmandt, Hance said. Cameron Kolodjski and Devin Gluesing are
Variety
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January 27th, 2022
Recap: RuPaul’s Drag Race Orion Story and Daya Betty. Before the remaining 12 queens find out this week’s challenge, RuPaul has a couple of announcements. The first announcement is, there are two more queens he is adding to the competition. Just like past queens put in this situation, everyone is visibly upset about the extra queens coming into the competition. Those are two more queens they have to compete against. After what seems like an eternity the two queens are finally revealed to be… Orion Story and Daya Betty. I was excited that both of these queens got the chance to come back into the competition. RuPaul really had me believing that he had sent both of them home. I think that both Orion and Daya have so much more to show. Both of them seem like really fun queens that have a unique perspective. I’m glad that we will get to see more from them, but their every move is going to be meticulously watched by both the judges and other queens. The second announcement from RuPaul is, he’s adding yet another twist to the season. This season RuPaul is giving one lucky queen a getout-of-jail-free card. RuPaul has the Pit Crew bring out a cart with 14 RuPaul’s chocolate bars, one for each queen to pick from. Out of the 14 candy bars, one is a golden bar. This golden chocolate bar is the getout-of-jail-free card. Each week, the queen who loses the lipsync will unwrap her candy bar. If she has the golden chocolate bar, she gets to remain in the competition. After dropping both those bombshells, RuPaul tells the queens that this week’s Maxi
Challenge will be the ball challenge. And we’re not just having one ball, we’re having two, the Hide n Chic Ball and the Red, White and Blue Ball. RuPaul breaks the queens up with the week one queens doing the Hide n Chic Ball and the week two queens doing the Red, White and Blue Ball. That means there will be a whopping 42 looks to grace the runway this episode. Maxi Challenge Both of the balls will have similar categories with the Hide and Chic Ball centering around various animal prints and the Red, White and Blue Ball centering around you guessed it red, white and blue. The categories for the Hide n Chic Ball are Zebra Print Resort Wear, Leopard Evening Gown Down and Animal Print Bridal Couture. The categories for the Red, White and Blue Ball are Red Hot Resort Wear, Evening Gown Down: All White and Of the three looks, the queens were allowed to bring outfits for the first two categories, but their wedding gown look needed to be made
from scratch from the various material that was provided to them. Because there are two balls, 14 queens and a total of 42 looks, I will be focusing on the tops and bottoms of the week. This is not to say that the other queens didn’t do well. In my opinion, this was one of the best ball challenges on the show. Michelle said it best, “Finally, it took 14 years of people understanding you need to sew to be on this show, at least a basic way.” This week the top three queens are Willow Pill, Angeria Paris VanMicheals and Jorgeous. The bottom queens of the week are Orion Story, June Jambalaya and Maddy Morphosis. This week I agree with RuPaul’s placement of the top and bottom queens. Watching the episode, the first time I disagreed with some choices, specifically on one of the bottom queens. But, after re-watching the episode I agreed with his reasoning. Top Queens Willow had an amazing week. I thought all three of her looks for this challenge were great. Her first
Continued from Front Cover
look, which was my least favorite, was a little basic. The outfit looked nice but looked like something off the rack that was slightly customized with colorful zebra print. Carson Kressley said he looked the top realestate broker of Boca, and that explains the outfit perfectly. I also liked that she chose a colorful zebra print. It made her look stand out among the more literal interpretations of zebra print by the other queens. Willow’s second look tonight was my favorite of her looks. She presented a beautiful, long, off-the-shoulder gown with black-onblack leopard print with gold chain accents. She looked like a European supermodel from the 90’s. She wore big jewelry that would be extremely expensive all the jewels were real. Her big up-do hairstyle also worked really well with the look. Unlike the other queens in the Hide n Chic Ball, she was able put together a really fashionable look in a print that I feel is the tackiest animal print. Willow’s final look took a unique approach
to Bridal Couture. She chose to do a jumpsuit rather than a gown for her look. The unique choice paid off for her. The jumpsuit fit her like a glove. She chose to do a loosefitting pant leg rather than something more form-fitting and with smaller-figured queens, this can potentially swallow them, but it looked great. The train helped to give the jumpsuit a slight gown-like feel and add more shape. The other accessories and the hair complemented the look wonderfully, making for a great all-around look. Angeria had a great week and is keeping that momentum that she had from her first episode going. Angeria’s first look for her Red Hot Resort Wear was my favorite of all her looks. The cute baby-doll/60’s mod-style dress looked great and flowed even better. The movement of the dress and the personality she infused into the look was what made it my favorite. She also accessorized the look beautifully. Angeria is proving to be a very serious competitor and I would
VH1| Photo Courtesy be wary of her if I were the other queens. Angeria’s second look for White Evening Gown Down was my least favorite of her looks. That is not to say it was bad, far from it. It is just something that I feel like I’ve seen before. The look was accessorized well from the embellishments in the coat, the jewelry and her nails. When Angeria first came into the werkroom I could tell she was a detail-oriented queen, and she is proving to be just that. She is definitely proving that she is going to be fierce competition. Angeria’s final look was beautifully crafted. The fit of the dress was perfect, it hugged every curve of her body. The red sequin fabric looked beautiful on her skin tone. The blue gem details throughout the breast and abdomen provide the perfect amount of contrast to the red sequin fabric and furth accentuated her figure and the construction of the gown. (The story is unfinished and ongoing)
the Spectrum | January 27, 2022
Kilee Blume Staff Writer
Grant Ayers Variety Editor
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Opinion
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Your daily addictions
January 27th, 2022
Addictions and compulsions are part of the norm Patrick Ullmer
Contributing Writer All of us are addicted to something and may not know or acknowledge it. Be honest, when I say the word “addiction”, what immediately leaps into your mind? Drugs and alcohol, correct? These are addictions of course but there are others in your life that are harder to detect and classify as “addictions”. There are also detractors in life which are “compulsions’”, similar in form to addiction but of a different nature. According to the M e r r i a m - We b s t e r dictionary, an addiction is, “The strong and harmful need to regularly indulge in something; a compulsion is an
irresistible impulse to perform an act.” Addiction focuses upon consuming something physical while compulsion deals with partaking within an activity. Let me immediately name a few examples of addiction: coffee, sugar, fast food and sweetness in liquid or solid form. Less flattering and more recognizable examples include drugs, alcohol and smoking. Examples of compulsion can include media-related aspects like video games, movies, the internet, music and other formats of enjoyable output. Chances are good that any one of the examples of addiction or compulsion already plays a part in your life. Is this such a bad thing?
Not always, but you “needs” something should consider having to be satisfied. limitations nonetheless. Your brain then transforms into a shape I’ll stop beating Pretty soon that around the bush and answer something became that’s onthe allquestion your your getaway, minds, “When do we become addicted, your safe-haven. It and when do we compulsory?” may be harmless become With everything enough, but it can since lockdown and quarantine, because eventually become apparently it hasn’t been mentioned burdensome. enough, chances are you turned to something The fact remains which provided a distraction that the delicate brief from the frustrating muscle in your skull, and frightening the brain evolves outside. and reshapes based world Pretty soon that upon the chemical something became reactions of dopamine, your getaway, your a neurotransmitter of safe-haven. It may epinephrine, causes a rush that can be be harmless enough, addicting. Your body but it can eventually teaches itself that it become burdensome.
An example for me would be internet surfing. This became apparent when I would look at the clock and notice I had 15 hours awake in a day and accomplished little. I spent eight hours spent at work, and four to five hours went to videoinduced escapism. This prevented me from getting out and engaging in practical projects including cooking, cleaning, painting and other healthy activities. At the end of the day I would feel drained and less invigorated with my life and without the feeling of accomplishment. I spent a day indulging in some of my compulsions and felt as if there were less hours therein. When I spent a week without satisfying
my compulsions, the week felt like a month. My advice for you would be to acknowledge what your unhealthy habits are and filter out which one you find to be the least beneficial. Take baby steps to avoid whichever one of your choice for at least a day, and then make a note of how you feel without it. Some addictions need no purging, and perhaps should be kept within our schedule, coffee comes to mind. There is at least one unhealthy aspect in every life which needs removal. In the end it’s your choice, but I know for a fact on my end that I can be living a healthier and happier life without at least half of these habits gone.
The Freedom to Vote Act
Continued from Front Cover It didn’t pass the Senate.
All of these changes will help Americans who otherwise wouldn’t be able to make it to the polls get there. It helps make sure every American voice is counted and is heard. Simply put, it’s common-sense legislation. And yet, it didn’t pass. It needed 60 votes to pass, and it was 51 to 49. Not a single Republican senator votes in favor of passing the bill. That is so disappointing. Republican states have been on a voter restricting trend recently, with the Brennan Center for justice reporting, “People in Georgia can now be charged with a crime for handing out water or snacks to voters waiting in line at the polls. In Iowa and Kansas, people could face criminal charges for returning ballots on behalf of voters who may need assistance, such as voters with disabilities.” Why pass legislation to make voting more difficult? Republicans should be making their policies more aligned with the wants and needs of the people,
not making it, so fewer people will vote so they can win. I can’t help but feel that the passing of legislation comes from that reasoning. Voting is so foundational to our country. After so many years that women and people of color have worked for voting rights, it seems like a step backward to enact these new restrictive laws.
Republicans should be making their policies more align with the wants and needs of the people, not making it so less people will vote so they can win Was the Bill Unconstitutional?
The main argument posed by Republicans was that the bill was federal overreach. Garret Epps, a writer for the Atlantic, said it best, “Neither the American people nor the federal courts would tolerate restrictions of this sort if they were imposed on free speech, free assembly, freedom of religion, or freedom to petition the government for redress
of grievances” If the Republican party is going to hold true to our right to bear arms and our right to free speech, it should equally support our freedom to vote. Article 1 of the Constitution says that the right to vote and hold elections should be held and managed by the states. However, historically there have been many amendments to this article. There is the 15th amendment, the 19th amendment, the 24th amendment, and the 26th amendment. All of these amendments essentially are various forms of voter protection bills. All of these amendments make it so that you can not prevent anyone based on color, gender, and age. The 24th amendment also makes it so that things like pole taxes can’t be used to prevent people from voting. Preventing water from being given to people waiting in line making mail ballot boxes more scarce seems almost worse than a pole tax because it is so underhanded, disconnected from what it would be like to vote in the 21 century.
It goes to show how little these government officials understand their constituents. So not only do we have historical precedence for protecting the people’s vote, we have constitutional precedence. And all of these amendments have a second section that says, “The Congress shall have the power to enforce this article by appropriate
Wikimedia Commons| Photo Courtesy legislation.” with their policies to The argument that the vote. That is the only passing of this bill is other explanation I can government overreach think of for why all 50 is shaky at best. If the choose not to move republican party wants forward with a vote. to protect my rights, I think we are about fantastic. Do what you to see some major say you’re going to do. changes to the filibuster Actually, protect my laws that prevented this constitutional rights bill from being passed, then. and I can’t wait to see This leads me to my what happens because earlier statement that removing the filibuster Republicans don’t want to pass the act would be people who disagree unprecedented.
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the Spectrum | January 27, 2022
My Christian concerns Christians should be vaccinated Abigail Faulkner Opinion Editor
The articles that I have written in the past that have left me the most fulfilled have been my Christian articles. Whether it be politics, the church or biblical truths, all have tapped into topics I felt called to talk about on my platform. When I was challenged to write a column, doing one on Christians was the right choice. I know some of you want to explore religion but don’t feel welcome at church. Some people have had super negative experiences with Christians. Some were told that you have to be perfect to be a Christian. I am here to tell you that no matter your past, your present or how you feel about Christians, you are welcome here. That being said, this will be a recurring staple of my tenure as an opinion editor. Bi-weekly I will be publishing this column talking about biblical truths, Christian politics and commenting on culture through my worldview. If you have any issues, questions or anything else under that umbrella that you would like me to address, you can email me at opinion@ ndsuspectrum. com. Please enjoy. I don’t know about the rest of you, but my parents are both my biggest supporters and my loudest critics. They are just as quick to tell me what they think about my opinion piece, and then turn around and compliment me on how lovely my writing is. When I debuted this column, my dad looked at me and said that everyone should be upset when they read your work. And while I don’t necessarily agree with his philosophy, I think he was partially correct. After all, this is the opinion section, and I don’t enjoy writing
fluff pieces. People should be talking amongst themselves about if they think I am coming at an issue from the right angle. Nothing wrong with a little bit of controversy. While I stand by everything I said in my introduction, the nature of my job is that some people will be upset by what I write, and that’s okay. Even if you disagree with me on this topic, you are still wonderfully made and full of value. Even if you think everyone should get vaccinated regardless of religion, great, good for you, but that’s not what I am here to talk about either. We are going to talk about vaccines. Whoo, I know you’re so excited. I am only the millionth person to talk about this issue. I know people have many questions about vaccinations, so this is an opportunity for us to learn about this together from reputable sources.
Are vaccines safe?
First of all, vaccines, in general, are safe and effective. This is not a point I have the energy to argue. Children have been receiving vaccinations for decades in the United States, and we have come damn near to eradicating several debilitating diseases like polio, tetanus, hepatitis, rubella and measles, to name a few. To ignore this is to ignore observable scientific evidence of how low infant mortality and early childhood death have become in our country. I am not going to argue facts. But that’s not really what most of us are worried about, is it? We want to know if the Covid-19 vaccines are safe and effective. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention; yes, they are. “Millions of people in the United States have received COVID-19 vaccines under the most intense safety monitoring
WOMEN! & MEN!
U.S. history.” How do we know the CDC is reputable? The same way we test all scientific research, peer review. The CDC isn’t reporting one side of the data either; they are reporting that there are side effects. There are side effects to just about every medical treatment. Ultimately, you should ask your doctor if the vaccine is safe for you based on your medical history. Still, again, adverse effects are extremely rare. The mRNA makes the vaccine unsafe? Again no, all mRNA means for non-medical folk is that a small portion of the virus is injected into the body so your immune system can recognize the foreign entity and begin creating antibodies. So when the real thing comes, you get far less sick than if you were not vaccinated at all. Does it stop you from getting sick? Yes and no, Sanford Health reported there hospital numbers on their Facebook of who was in the hospital for Covid-19 and at what stage they were in the vaccination process. Of the 231 people hospitalized, 161 were unvaccinated, 70 were vaccinated and 24 were boosted. Of the 52 in the ICU none of them were boosted and only nine were vaccinated. Finally of the 38 on ventilators 34 were
unvaccinated, 4 were vaccinated and again none were part of the boosted group. So can you get sick? Duh, of course, you can get sick. The vaccine’s job isn’t to prevent sickness; it’s to raise immunity. The last of the common misconceptions is, were the vaccines tested enough? The CDC reports that, “[T]he general stages of the development cycle of a vaccine are, exploratory stage, pre-clinical stage, clinical development, regulatory review and approval, manufacturing, quality control.”
I would go so far as to say if you are a Christian, you are morally obligated to get vaccinated. Now that’s a lot of steps, but what allowed this vaccine to be made so quickly was that several of these steps can be conducted at once. So it did have to jump through all the hoops to be approved. So while it’s important to think critically about your health decisions, when looking at the actual science behind the vaccine, there is little evidence to suggest that they are dangerous for
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Please only have sex with someone you would want to marry, have a child with, and live the rest of your life with... If you are involved in an unplanned pregnancy -
in
Creative Commons | Photo Courtesy you. If you’re pregnant except vain conceit. and don’t wanna get it, Furthermore, ya, that makes sense to prioritizing your me. If you’re allergic to “personal freedoms” the ingredients, maybe over the health of your it’s not right for you. fellow Americans is But the vast majority the most un-American of people should be and un-biblical thing just fine getting the jab. I have heard of so far. So what does this “Life, Liberty and the have to do with pursuit of happiness” Christians? is in the declaration Assume with me of independence. for a second that How more you possess all of antithetical can you the aforementioned. get than possibly Why would you denying your fellow not get vaccinated? Americans “life”? It’s I would go so far frankly nationalistic. as to say if you are Even outside of the a Christian, you are political realm, doing morally obligated to for others things at risk get vaccinated. Now to your comfort is a I get it; that’s a pretty super common theme controversial opinion, throughout the Bible. but hear me out. Jesus, even in his Philippians 2:3- teaching, talks about 4 “Do nothing from this very idea. Matthew rivalry or conceit, 5:40, “And if anyone but in humility count would sue you and take others more significant your tunic, let him have than yourselves. Let your cloak as well.” each of you look The political not only to his own correctness of vaccine interests, but also to mandates is a separate the interests of others.” conversation for Herd immunity another day. However, can be reached when if you’re able to, and enough people are most of you should vaccinated against be able to, there is a disease — getting no reason not to. We vaccinated means that are called to live in you can protect others service to others and who are at risk, like live our lives set apart. the elderly, like small So let’s do that. children who don’t Let us show others have young and healthy how much we value immune systems. them by prioritizing The data supports the their health and fact that the vaccines needs. “Do all things are safe, effective and without grumbling have rare side effects. or disputing that you It starts to sound like may be blameless nothing stops you and innocent,” from being vaccinated Philippians 2:14.
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Sports
8
January 27th, 2022
NDSU’s Rodin Sets School Record in 800M
Craig Schwinden Sports Editor
BROOKINGS, S.D. – North Dakota State junior Jacob Rodin broke the school record in the 800m to headline the performances of the Bison men’s track & field team Saturday at SDSU’s Jim Emmerich Invitational. Rodin set a new NDSU alltime best of 1:49.00 in the 800m, winning the meet and ranking 11th in the nation this season. He broke the previous indoor school record of 1:49.90 set | Photo Courtesy by Eric Stroh in 2011.
Bison sophomore Jackson Tracy took runner-up honors in the 800m, clocking 1:53.66 to cut more than one second off his previous best. The Bison men swept the top three places in the shot put – Kristoffer Thomsen in first at 62-4 (19.00m), Trevor Otterdahl in second at 60-3 (18.37m), and Clayton Hannula in third at 56-1 (17.09m). Otterdahl also finished 3rd in the weight throw. Cody Roder was the runner-up in the 400m dash, clocking 48.58, and Jacob Levin took
third in 48.93 – the second-fastest time of his career. Levin, Tracy, Josh Knutson and Roder won the 4x400m relay, running 3:16.45. NDSU junior Brandon Lewis claimed the long jump title with a mark of 24-01.75 (7.36m). Bison freshman Braden Brown won the high jump, clearing 6-06.75 (2.00m). Josh Samyn took first place in the mile, running the second-fastest time of his career at 4:13.72.
Wrestlers swept on the road in Iowa
Lose at Big 12 Conference foes Northern Iowa and Iowa State, home this weekend Craig Schwinden Sports Editor
The North Dakota State Wrestling team was swept in Iowa this weekend suffering losses at Northern Iowa and Iowa State. On Saturday night, in Cedar Falls, Iowa, the Bison dropped a 29-13 decision to the Panthers. The Bison (62, 1-2 Big 12) started slow, as they lost the first four matches. Strong performances by Jared Franek, Owen Pentz and Brandon Metz were not enough to get the Bison the win. Franek, the No. 7 ranked wrestler at 157 pounds, picked up the first Bison win of the night as he claimed his 11th straight victory and improved to 16-1
on the year with a 12-4 major decision victory over Derek Holschlag. Pentz, the Bison’s 23rd ranked 197 pounder, dominated Northern Iowa’s Noah Glaser 10-0 until Glaser had to retire due to an injury giving the Bison another win. Bison heavyweight Brandon Metz, ranked 21st, squeaked out a 3-2 win over the Panthers’ Tyrell Gordon. No. 14 Luke Weber and No. 23 Austin Brenner both finished with tight defeats as the duo lost decisions by two points each. Weber fell to No. 19 Austin Yant 8-6 in the 165 match, while Brenner fell 5-3 to Lance Runyon in the 174 match. On Sunday afternoon, in Ames, Iowa, the
Bison fell to No. 10 Iowa State 26-9. Kellyn March picked up a pin and Luke Weber recorded a victory to lead the way for the Bison (6-3, 1-3 Big 12). Iowa State (9-1, 2-0 Big 12) had eight victories. They were led by their 157 pounder, David Carr, the No. 1 ranked wrestler at the class. Carr defeated NDSU’s Jared Franek 7-3 in a highly anticipated match among top-ten ranked wrestlers. No. 22 March picked up a win at the 133-pound class in the second match of the afternoon, which gave the Bison an early 6-3 lead. March recorded a takedown early in the first period and then converted it into a pin of Ramazan Attasauov at 1:08. It was the
fourth pin of the season for March and the fifth of his career. March improved to 12-6 on the season and recorded his 10th career dual victory. No. 14 Weber grabbed the only other victory for NDSU, as he defeated Isaac Judge
2-1 in the 165-pound match. After a scoreless first, Weber picked up a quick escape on Judge and then secured a riding time point on Judge in the third, as Judge didn’t escape until the final 10 seconds. The Bison will return at 1 p.m. on
| Photo Courtesy Saturday, Jan. 22 and Sunday, Jan. 23 with the first home duals of 2022, welcoming in West Virginia and Air Force at the SHAC. Saturday’s dual vs West Virginia begins at 1 p.m. and the Bison wrestle Air Force at 11 a.m. on Sunday.
Bison Come Out On Top Over Golden Eagles
Bison hold off Golden Eagles, 74-70 but drop another close contest to Kansas City, 67-62 Savannah Lussier Contributing Writer
On Saturday afternoon, the North Dakota State women’s basketball team held off a late rally from Oral Roberts to win 7470 at Scheels Center. After Heaven Hamling hit a 3-pointer at the 6:54 mark of the third quarter, NDSU (8-11, 4-5 Summit) took its largest lead of the game, 53-43. Oral Roberts (9-10, 4-4 Summit) responded with a nine-point run to trim the margin to one, 53-52. The Bison would hold the lead 58-56, heading into the fourth quarter. Oral Roberts kept
the pressure on in the fourth, taking a twopoint lead, 70-68, with 1:41 remaining. Olivia Skibiel responded for the Bison, making two critical free throws to tie the game at 70. NDSU then went 4-of4 from the line to secure the 74-70 victory, with Hamling and Ryan Cobbins each hitting a pair of free throws. NDSU was led by Hamling, who scored 19 points on 4-of-8 three-point shooting. Skibiel scored 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field, a career-high. She also grabbed six rebounds and made a seasonhigh four three-pointers on six tries. Emily
Dietz had a game-high nine rebounds, while Cobbins contributed 12 points. Skibiel was the Nodak Insurance Player of the Game. On Thursday night, the Kansas City Roos used a 9-2 run late in the fourth quarter to defeat the NDSU women, 67-62. Emily Dietz had a season-high 17 points and a teambest nine rebounds to lead the Bison. She also made her 100th career start, putting her in ninth place all-time at NDSU and making her only the fourth player Olivia Skibiel for the women’s Basketball team in Division I history NDSU will play to start 100 or more floor and 33.3 percent games. NDSU shot from three-point land again at home versus South Dakota (16-4, 43.4 perfect from the against Kansas City.
Zachary Lucy | Photo Courtesy 9-0 Summit) a 7 p.m. on Thursday at Scheels Center.
the Spectrum | January 27, 2022
9
See America! Take a Bus from Fargo to Frisco The Road to Texas and Toyota Stadium Leads to Some Interesting People Watching Craig Schwinden
considering exactly how I would get to Sports Editor Texas. Obviously, I Upon receiving my would really like to fly, credentials for the but looking at the prices national championship at the late date I did game in Frisco, I began and watching the pain
the airlines (and their customers) were going through, I thought about a bus trip. After having the first bus line cancel on me, I was able to get a seat
for the trip to Frisco. While I was reading the itinerary, I thought to myself, “this might be a story in itself”. It was…and now after sleep, several visits to
THURSDAY, JAN 6th Two buses depart the Elks parking lot in north Fargo a little late at 6:36 pm. I am on bus #2. We were waiting for a couple of guests that did not show. By 6:46, we are headed south on I-29. As soon as we turn onto the on ramp, “If You’re Gonna’ Play in Texas (You Gotta’ Have A Fiddle in The Band)” plays…hmmm, that didn’t take long. 9:58 pm – We make our first stop in Sioux Falls, SD. I was going to look for a ‘Dakota Marker’, but no one told me we crossed the border. Maybe I am not newspaper reporter ‘material’? We stop at a Flying ‘J’ travel plaza for snacks, drinks, and to stretch our legs. It’s ‘warmer’, but still bitter cold at 8 below zero. After I purchase some snacks and water, I get on the bus. I immediately sense a problem. My Bison blanky is not on the seat where I left it. I look up into the storage compartment and my backpack is gone! You’re kidding me, right? Stolen already?! Now what do I do? So, as I start to ponder my future (maybe they’ll take me back to Fargo? Maybe someone can float me some money? The trip is already paid for, right?), I look up and a gentleman is looking at me with a broad grin. He asks, “did you get on the wrong bus?” I look around and realize there is, indeed, something wrong with this whole bus. “We pulled in shortly after you guys. This is bus #1”. Ooops… this just might be a long bus ride. 10:38 pm – On the road again (and on the correct bus) and the “fiddle in the band” song comes on again…Yeppers! It’s going to be a loooong bus ride. 1:10 am – I awaken to the voices of women singing, “Any Man of Mine” by Shania Twain. uuughhh…zzzzz… 2:31 am – zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz… 4:01 am – zzzz…no…No…NO!!! MOMMY I DON’T WANT TO GO TO SCHOOL TODAY!!! What the…just a nightmare…just go back to sleezzzzzzzz… 5:27 am – somewhere between Topeka and Emporia, in Kansas. We have stopped so the bus drivers can switch out. I’m awake again, but the good news is the bus is quiet. 8:02 am – Guthrie, OK. We have stopped for a refuel and people are up
Busses Leave for Toyota Stadium
mom where she cooked my favorite meals, and some therapy, I’m ready to tell my story. To read the story in ful, visit ndsuspectrum.com or scan the QR code
and about. The gas station we stop at is suddenly packed with the Green & Gold and the locals are staring and confused. After dropping us off, the busses leave to fuel and clean restrooms. Meanwhile, 40-some odd Bison fans stand outside a gas station in Oklahoma…kind of sticking out, don’t cha ya know. A police officer pulls up and says, “ya’ll from North Dakota?” After several people say “YES!” He says, “aren’t ya’ll supposed to be in shorts or somethin’?” Very funny…then I check the weather. It is 6 degrees ABOVE ZERO!! 11:56 am – Back on the road. One of the guides shouts, “we’re about to cross into Texas!” People scramble for their cameras to get a picture as we cross the Red River into Texas. Yes…you guessed it. “If You’re Gonna Play in Texas, (You Gotta’ Have a Fiddle in The Band)” starts playing (again). Well, we did get to Texas…shortly after the border, we see the first building in Texas. It’s an adult video store. One lone person (yes, just one) yells, “Let’s stop!” No one responds and the bus keeps right on moving. That guy is wishing for the fiddle song to play one more time right about now. 1:14 pm – Dallas, TX. Since we can’t get into our hotel rooms until 3:00, we stop at a barbeque place in north Dallas. Excellent ribs and pulled pork. Everyone is in a good mood. Several people come up to some of us and ask, “are you gonna’ win this year?” Or they say, “we sure missed ya’ll last year.” It is true what they say about this area. The people (and yes, the businesses) are all very welcoming. I see signs that say, “Bison Fans 20% off” and “Welcome Back, Where’ve Ya’ll Been?” 3:00 pm – at exactly 3:00pm, Bus #2 pulls into the hotel parking lot. I’m suddenly not tired…I move into my room and unpack. We have about 2 hours before we leave for the pep rally. I turn the TV on, turn my laptop on and catch up on some emails…………………zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. 8:45 pm - I wake up and I’ve missed the pep rally. I look at my phone and one of the guides tried to call me when the bus was leaving…. ooops. Well, now I’m in and might as well get a good night’s sleep. But I start to write this story first…” I start humming, “If You’re Gonna’ Play in Texas, You (Gotta’ Have a Fiddle in The Band”). Just go back to bed, Craig.
The Calm Before the Storm
Departing for Home
Press Box Seats on the 40-Yard Line
Swapping Busses in the Middle of The Night
Required Reading?
Home!
Big Win Once Again
the Spectrum | January 27, 2022
10
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