THURSDAY, NOV. 13, 2014
VOLUME 118 ISSUE 22
NORTH DAKOTA STATE UNIVERSITY | FOR THE LAND AND ITS PEOPLE
American Indians’ Forgotten Past, Dismal Today and Glowing Future The ‘disparity within the disparity’ is addressed at NDSU through master of public health care program BY BENJAMIN NORMAN & PHOTO BY JOSEPH RAVITS
Dr. Donald Warne speaks about the woes and hopes of the American Indian population Tuesday.
November is Native American Heritage Month. Today’s story is the first of a reoccurring series “I don’t bring this up to make people feel dedicated to American Indians. cross hundreds of reservations, similar scenes are bad … I talk about these things because found. The infrastructure here is rundown. So are it’s important to understand the truth.” the people. — Dr. Donald Warne, Master of Public Health More than half of the kids starting kindergarten quit Program Director
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before graduation. Limbs that should appear on adults are absent. Poverty is widespread, as is smoking, alcoholism and cancer. Funerals are more commonplace in the community than they should be. “One does not have to cross an ocean to find third-world health conditions,” Dr. Donald Warne said Monday. “It’s right down the street.” American Indian men in North Dakota have a life expectancy 20 years shorter than male Caucasians in the state. In North Dakota, American Indian men can be expected to live to be almost 58 years old. Early retirement in the United States starts at age 62. Warne, who received his Master’s Degree from Stanford and his Master of Public Health from Harvard, said the dismal numbers are appalling. “This is a public health crisis just screaming for intervention,” he said, “but most people are not aware of these statistics.” He hosted an hour-long presentation in the Mandan Room of the Memorial Union Monday called “Everything You Weren’t Taught about Native American History.” “If we’re going to try to understand American Indian disparities,” he said, “doesn’t it make sense that we understand American Indian history?” However dark American Indian history was before and persists today, people are trying to alter the landscape, Warne said. Innovation is occurring exclusively at North Dakota State; original programs are addressing problems found in the lives of the afflicted American Indians.
Poor, hungry and homeless
In Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, the first level, physiological, has requirements that must be fulfilled before climbing the pyramid toward self-actualization. American Indians who struggle cannot climb above that first level because of an absence of basic necessities. The United States Department of Agriculture found food
news
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FARGO POLICE CHIEF RESIGNS
KEITH TERNES RESIGNS AFTER MORALE PROBLEM ALLEGATIONS
insecurity to be twice as prominent in American Indians as the general population in 2003. In Fargo, nearly 20 percent of the homeless population is made up of American Indians, a 2012 City of Fargo point in time survey said. Twice as many American Indians and Alaska Natives are at or below the federal poverty level. That level is defined as anything below $21,000 for a family of four, which Dr. Warne said is already a low figure to set as the precedent. As a result, Warne said problems like food deserts can be identified on reservations, including the one he grew up in. The native from Kyle, South Dakota (pop. 846), said fresh food is hard to come by on the Oglala Lakota Pine Ridge Reservation. “You can bread and deep fry anything and serve it for lunch,” Warne said of Kyle’s café, The Food Stop. This lack of healthy food leads to unhealthy lifestyles and to another phenomenon: a poverty or ghetto tax. This tax is defined as the extra cost it takes for anything to be shipped into an impoverished area. It costs more money to bring fresh produce to food deserts, Warne said. “You are already living in poverty. You want to live healthily. But the choices are so difficult, the cost so much.” Traditional foods like bison are leaner but not as readily available as cheaper options. Bison burgers are not found in the drive-thru lane.
Losing ground
From a cultural standpoint, American Indians have been reduced to a minority group. The dominant, Caucasian culture implemented ideals in America that were foreign to the Natives. “Money is an odd concept,” Warne said, as is the “silly” idea of owning physical property. Without a grasp on the concepts of currency and owning
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land, American Indians started at a disadvantage, creating a disparity that has yet to be closed. With high-end approximations estimating 18 million Natives lived throughout America before colonization, American Indians once comprised of 100 percent of population and land possession. Across the U.S., American Indian numbers dropped to a low in 1950, making up 0.2 percent of the population. Today, the number has rebounded 1.2 percent, or about 5 million. American Indians claim about 300 reservations scattered across the country, representing 2.3 percent of the nation’s landmass. “Does loss of territory, loss of land, loss of economy, loss of purchasing power – does that have an impact on health status?” Warne asked, “Absolutely.”
American mass graves
Warne asked the audience how he should respond to his boy when he asks about the shirts. Some students at the University of North Dakota wore T-shirts last spring with the words “Siouxper drunk” typed across the front, with the traditional, headdress-wearing Sioux logo underneath. The tribesman’s had beer bong, a funnel attached to a tube to guzzle beer, inserted in his mouth. “I’m open to suggestions,” Warne said. He showed a newspaper clipping in his slideshow pulled from The Daily Republican of Winona, Minn., circa September 1863. “The State reward for dead Indians has been increased to $200 for every red-skin sent to Purgatory,” the clipping said, referring to the scalped head of an American Indian as a “red-skin.” “This sum is more than the dead bodies of all the Indians east of the Red River are worth.” This should be offensive to everyone, Warne said, not solely American Indians. Warne also placed photos of American Indians killed by U.S. troops side-by-side with Holocaust victims killed by Nazis. He included photos of the aftermath at Wounded Knee Massacre, which, like the Holocaust, had ditches where bodies were dumped. “I have ancestors in that mass grave,” Warne said. “I don’t bring this up to make people feel bad … I talk about these things because it’s important to understand the
FORGOTTEN PAST | PAGE 3
SPORTS
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BISON LOOK TO BOUNCE BACk after loss
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News
THURSDAY, NOV. 13, 2014
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The Spectrum
FILE PHOTO | THE SPECTRUM
Fargo Police Chief Keith Ternes resigned after renewed allegations of morale problems in the department.
Keith Ternes Resigns as Fargo Police Chief After 28 Years of Service Deputy Chief David Todd named interim chief
The resignation was cleared by city commissioners this recent Monday for Fargo Police Chief Keith Ternes. He had been with the Fargo Police Department for a total of 25 years and served as the police chief for the last eight and a half years. The Fargo Forum said, “After a special meeting at 7 a.m., the commission voted to
BY PACE MAIER
approve a severance agreement for Ternes and appoint Deputy Chief David Todd as the interim chief.” The reason for Ternes resignation had to do with the renewed allegations of his morale problems and management skills throughout the department. Ternes resignation took place on Tuesday
and will be on administrative leave until next July while still getting his paycheck. On the Fargo PD Facebook page, Todd wrote a note to the Fargo-Moorhead public. “I want to thank the city commission and the city administrator for expressing their confidence and trusting me in this position,” Todd said in the Facebook note.
Todd went on to say he wants to thank Ternes and all he has done for the police department in the last 28 years. “We take this responsibility to heart,” Todd said in the note. “And will move forward expeditiously to find (ways) to bring healing and new life into our organization and move forward together as a team.”
Sherri Schmidt Ends Her 23 Years of NDSU Service With a Resignation
Schmidt accepts a job with Scheels All Sports Pace Maier
Co News Editor
Sherri Schmidt, the senior director of engagement at the North Dakota State
Alumni Association resigned last Thursday, ending her 23 years of service at the association. The Fargo Forum said Schmidt accepted a job as a sporting goods retailer with Scheels All Sports in Fargo. Schmidt worked at the Alumni Association as the executive director and vice president. Chairman of the Alumni Association’s Board of Directors told the Forum Schmidt served a key role in the Alumni Association, and everyone is sad to
see her leave. In the last year and a half, about eight employees have left the Alumni Association not due to firing, Handy said. Schmidt’s resignation, along with the other eight or so employees resigning and retiring, may have been done with the landing of new president and CEO of the Development Foundation and Alumni Association, Doug Mayo. Handy told the Forum, “When a team gets a new head coach, some assistant
coaches stay, and some assistant coaches leave.” The Alumni Association speaks for more than 80,000 NDSU alumni while being part of NDSU’s nonprofit foundation by raising money for the university from private donations they receive. It is still unclear why Schmidt accepted the new job at Scheels All Sports, but Mayo did say in an email, “I can’t comment on personnel issues.”
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THE SPECTRUM | NEWS | THURSDAY, NOV. 13, 2014
Around the World in One Day With Pangea
DELANEY FREER | THE SPECTRUM
Pangea: Cultivate Our Cultures exhibited many displays on Saturday.
The HCSCC celebrates different cultures in the FM area Delaney Freer
Contributing Writer
The term “pangea” represents a hypothetical landmass that existed when all the continents were
joined. This occurred about 250 million years ago. True to the origin of its name, the 20th annual Pangea: Cultivate Our Cultures event brought together over 20 countries and celebrated cultural diversity in the FargoMoorhead area Saturday. In 1994, Yoke-Sim Gunaratne and Irene Hogan founded Pangea. Gunaratne
was working with getting services for immigrants and Hogan was new to the area and looking for a service. “I think it’s (Pangea) great for people to understand others,” said Hogan. Between 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Pangea had 18 presentations and performances, including the Polish National Alliance Dancers and Megan
Peterson on the hardanger fiddle. There were more than 20 booths selling products such as clothing, baskets, jewelry, woodcarvings and more. Participants could also have henna done. Pangea-goers bought food tickets for $1 per ticket to purchase meals from 10 different countries, ranging from Asia and Vietnam, to
Haiti and Sri Lanka. “I thought it would be interesting to see cultures not normally represented,” said Hjemkomst Museum Assistant Petra Gunderson. “But to be honest, I was most excited for the food — I got a Kurdistan combo plate.” Children had the opportunity to have their photo taken and put on
fake passport to collect stamps from all the different countries they visited throughout their day. The event took place at the Hjemkomst Center, at 202 1st Ave. N., Moorhead, MN. Pangea was hosted by the Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County and was free and open to the public.
FORGOTTEN PAST | FROM FRONT
AMERICAN INDIANS AND ALASKA NATIVES MORTALITY RATES COMPARED TO THE GENERAL POPULATION
368% Higher
EMILY BEAMAN | THE SPECTRUM
American Indian General Population
177% Higher
138% Higher
82%
Higher
Average Life Expectancy
in North Dakota
a Caucasian man:
75.7
65%
Higher
years old
an American Indian man: years old
54.7
Chronic Liver Disease truth … The truth about the history — not the sugarcoated version that’s in our history books, but the truth. “We have a population within the United States that has been terribly oppressed. “And there are lingering health disparities as a result … If we don’t know the history, we don’t know the best starting points.”
Health woes
The lack of physiological necessities coupled with oppression has led the American Indian population to have among the worst health statuses in the nation, Warne said. A simple, overarching fix is unattainable for all the American Indian tribes, he said, because there are hundreds of tribes with their respective cultures and challenges. Type 2 diabetes is a manageable disease, but
Unintentional Injuries
it ravages the American Indian population, with the American Indian population at a 177 percent higher risk of dying from diabetic complications than the general population. A common program instilled nationally will pay for a ramp if a diabetic has an amputation, but that does not solve future problems, Warne said. “We’ll pay for the ramp, but we will not pay for healthy food that prevents Type 2 Diabetes,” he said. “We invest much more in (addressing) complications of diabetes than trying to prevent it.” Alcoholism leads to chronic liver disease. American Indians are 368 percent more likely to die from liver failure than the general population. Cancer rates are higher among American Indians
Assault/Homicide
than the general population. Cancer is even more evident in the Upper Plains’ tribes, Warne said. “What we have is a disparity within the disparity,” he said. American Indians living in the Dakotas, Warne said, are twice as likely to commit suicide than the general population. More troubling, those killings themselves are increasingly teenagers and young adults. “The years for potential life loss are tremendous,” he said.
“What are we doing about it?”
Amber Cardinal is a second-year master of public health student specializing in management of infectious diseases in American Indian public health. She is a part of an innovative program that
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Intentional SelfHarm/Suicide
“doesn’t exist anywhere else in the world,” Warne said. The program is in its third year of existence and has 30 accepted students studying strategies that address health concerns and promote healthy living within the American Indian community. It is the “largest cohort of American Indian public health students in history,” Warne said. “And it’s happening right here at NDSU.” The College of Pharmacy, Nursing and Allied Sciences Dean Charles Peterson said the program is having a “significant impact” on American Indians. “It is an exciting program with huge potential for putting NDSU on the map as a national leader in American Indian public health,” Peterson said.
Info from Indian Health Services’ website Of the 30, seven said, except about American American Indians have Indians. been accepted, including Why it took so long Cardinal. for the American Indian “Cultural competence community to be addressed is vital in health care, by higher education, he does education and all other not know. industries,” Cardinal said. What Warne said he does “It is hard to be competent know, however, is students in something that you were from around the country hardly made aware of.” are interested in NDSU’s Shedding light on American Indians plight program. “It’s taking off,” he said. is important, she said, and the NDSU American Indian While NDSU is leading public health specialization the world in American “provides education.” Indian public health Founded in 2011, Warne education, Warne does not became the first and, to this want NDSU to be the only day, only American Indian university researching this to direct a master of public topic. health program. He said he wants other “There’s been a huge neglect of American Indian schools to compete with even offering specific issues,” he said, NDSU, NDSU’s curriculum. referring to his studies at “The winners of that will prestigious schools. Harvard professors knew be tribal populations,” he nearly everything, Warne said.
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Features
THURSDAY, NOV. 13, 2014
NDSUSPECTRUM.COM
The Spectrum
JOSEPH RAVITS | THE SPECTRUM
Kaarin Remmich is the coordinator of the Military & Veterans Services Office.
Helping Those Who Have Served The Military & Veterans Services Office gives veterans a hand
“These individuals have given up significant portions of their lives and often times their health for their country to something that a lot of people don’t do. It’s really the least thing we can do to give them a soft landing.” – Calie Craddock, assistant veterans representative
Connor Dunn Features Editor
Veterans are any person who served for any length of time in any military service branch. They served, they endured pain and anguish, they sacrificed time, health and life for the freedoms of this country, but what happens after their time of service and who is there to help? For some veterans, going back to school is a viable option to continue life after service, and some choose North Dakota State. For those students, the NDSU Military & Veterans Services Office is there to help. Through chapters of the GI Bill and other programs, the federal government and North Dakota National Guard has money for veterans. Calie Craddock, the assistant veterans representative on NDSU’s campus and an education specialist for the ND National Guard, said it’s a use-it-or-lose-it scenario. The Military & Veterans Services Office
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exists to help veterans get that money and benefits, and 500 students at NDSU are tapped in to those resources. “We help students with their education benefits,” said Kaarin Remmich, the military veterans services coordinator. “We work with them to fill out their applications and make sure they get everything they need to get.” The Military & Veterans Services Office does not only help with educational benefit assistance, but it has a holistic approach to supporting veterans. “We act as a resource and referral for a variety of different needs and what people are going through,” Remmich said. “We’ve developed a primary point of contact with the NDSU Counseling Center. We also have an extensive network built with federal and state agencies to help students make the connections they need to be successful.” “This office is really the one-stop
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resource as far as promoting assimilation back into civilian life at NDSU,” Craddock said. “Whether it be financial aid, education benefits, mental health and emotional support, networking and outreach to employers or tutoring, we’re here to help make sure this population is successful on campus.” NDSU has an American Legion completely run by students through the Military & Veterans Services Office, which also functions as a student organization. Post #400 is an anomaly in the register of American Legions, as it is one of only three posts run strictly through a university. “Our American Legion is a different way for veterans to give back to their community in a very hands-on, tangible way,” Craddock said. Remmich calls the population of veterans on NDSU’s campus a “special population of special populations.”
“They have a lot of unique challenges that the rest of the campus might not know about or be able to deal with,” she said. Craddock sees education as a major component to success in society, especially for veterans coming off of years of active duty and difficult deployments. “It doesn’t take a lot for homelessness, addiction or other negative things to become primary in their life,” she said. “If we can replace those issues with education and give them a chance, we’ve done our jobs.” “VALOR’s like ‘Safe Zone’ but for veterans,” Craddock said. “We’re creating an alliance group on campus with advisors, staff, faculty, other students that will make sure the transition from active duty to civilian life is as seamless as possible.” Limiting discrimination and ignorance surrounding veteran issues and placing a focus on funneling veterans to people who actively care and promote their success are focuses of the program that will likely take effect Jan. 1. “These individuals have given up significant portions of their lives and often times their health for their country to something that a lot of people don’t do,” Craddock said. “It’s really the least thing we can do to give them a soft landing.”
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THE SPECTRUM | FEATURES | THURSDAY, NOV. 13, 2014
DIY Food ‘Cake’
BY MADISON SCHILL & PHOTOS BY KATIE ANDERSON
Believe it or not, there’s another birthday in my family. I’ve made a Sharpie mug for my mom in September, some delicious inside-out cupcakes for my sister in October and now my dad’s birthday in November. What I’ve come to learn is that shopping for guys is so hard. From my experience, guys don’t like bottles of perfume or lotion or ador-
able bracelets or pink makeup bags. What I do know is that they like food. I mean, who doesn’t? Well, on Pinterest, there was plenty of great Pinsperation (ha ha) for how to put together a food “cake.” What you’ll need is: •An ice cream bucket •Cardboard •Duct tape •Scissors
•A twelve-pack of pop •Ribbon •Some treats to fill the bucket with (For my dad, some RedVines, Reese’s Cup, Tootsie Rolls and Whoppers) Here’s how to do it: Place your bucket in the middle of the cardboard and surround it with the cans of pop, evenly-spaced. Trace around the
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pop with a marker. Trim the cardboard using the line you traced around the bucket and cans and use duct tape to tape the bucket to the cardboard. Tape the cans to the bucket. To do this, roll the duct tape and put a piece on each can. Attach them to the bucket, again, evenly-spaced. Then wrap
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the duct tape around all the cans about three or four times to secure them to the bucket. Use the ribbon to cover up the duct tape (not that duct tape isn’t super classy to use on a birthday gift). I also tied the ribbon and made a bow above the cans for a little extra flair. 5.Now the best part: Fill the bucket up with the treats.
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That’s just one of the ways you can make a food “cake,” so feel free to experiment. Just round up some good treats that your friend or family member likes and the other materials you probably have floating around your house somewhere. This DIY gift makes a perfect present for nearly anyone and it is at a good price.
FARGO FASHION
How-To: Winter Trends Revisited STORY & PHOTOS BY AMBER ZOLONDEK
Last week we talked about winter trends. However, as the season really starts to set in and we see snow on the ground and negative temps drop, the weather becomes pretty real. What I wanted to show you was outfits I put together that leave me nice and toasty walking to class, waiting for the bus and running errands out in the cold. DISCLAIMER: It is a dreadful reminder that I have to say, but remember,
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your safety is number one, always. So let it be remembered that if weather is unsafe to be out for an extended period of time, these are not suggestions for replacements. You’re in North Dakota, not New York, and sometimes we have to replace tights and leggings with snow pants, pea coats or parkas. Now that we have that out of the way, let’s take a look at some ensembles that are stylish and snuggly.
First, let’s bring up that H&M sweater from last week. Knits are always great to have on-hand when it gets cold. You can layer with them, and not to mention, their feel gives off a fallishwintery look. I’ve paired it up with boyfriend crops, ruffled socks, booties and a short-sleeved button-up to put another color in the equation and have a layer underneath if it gets too warm. Next is an outfit I’ve taken
from fall when it is chilly in the morning and rises about 30 degrees later in the day. A layered sundress with scalloped details layered underneath a striped crew neck with cropped sleeves from Target. To make this suitable for winter months, you can throw on a pair of fleece-lined tights and some boots to keep your legs and feet warm. Helpful hint: The best tights and leggings I’ve ever owned are from Urban
Outfitters and are usually two for $20. With both solid colors and fun print, UO always delivers. Lastly, wraps and ponchos are a godsend when lecture halls and classrooms are uncomfortably cold. This particular wrap is from Evereve, formerly Hot Mama, and is 100% wool. With this outfit, all I did was put on a long-sleeve black shirt and black leggings plus knee-high socks and boots. This outfit is meant
for blustery, negative days. Throw on a a wrap and it’s like wearing a fashionable blanket. These outfits are sure ways to keep yourself warm during December through March and have already been declared favorites of mine. Keep your eyes open for potential pieces to layer or outfits to construct, and you’ll be able to come up with ensembles like these and keep yourself toasty for the long months ahead.
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Opinion
THURSDAY, NOV. 13, 2014
NDSUSPECTRUM.COM
The Spectrum
Students Need a Fall Break With few breaks, the fall term becomes drearily long STORY BY CALEB WERNESS & PHOTO BY WHITNEY STRAMER
The semester grind is filled with enough work to make any student feel the need for a breather. With Thanksgiving just around the corner, this upcoming break has been long awaited. People are making plans to return home and spend some much needed time with family and friends. All around, this four-day weekend is going to be greatly appreciated. Fall semester has a tendency to feel exceptionally long due to how few interruptions we have from the five-day school week. In my opinion, a break needs to be implemented during the approximate middle of the fall semester for students and faculty to receive some needed time off. Having a few days would allow both parties to collect themselves and continue on through the rest of the semester. The purposed break does not need to be as lengthy as, say, spring break, but having two or three days off would give students a time for some well-deserved rest. In my high school days back in Minnesota, we had MEA break, which gave students a Thursday and a Friday off approximately the second week in October. I’m sure any fellow Minnesotans out there remember this time fondly. MEA was in the perfect window to give students a break close to the middle of the semester. I would like to see North Dakota State students receive a break similar in style. We begin the semester in the last week to week-and-a-half of August. Mid-October offers the perfect slot – two months into the fall semester – for a short break. As a large portion of college students hold jobs while
A mid-semester break would allow students an opportunity to recharge and enjoy the fall season before the dead of winter.
balancing a full course load, this break would be a great help to keep students from becoming overwhelmed and stressed out. The end of November is such a long time to wait for any sort of pause in the day-today grind we have grown so accustomed to. A mid-semester break would give students
time to recuperate and get any last minute work done before midterms. I know I personally felt the weight of all the work I had to get done and could have seriously used a rest. As the end of the semester begins to break on the horizon, this idea is merely a
vision in hindsight. Hopefully we may have a break like this in the future. Until then, we carry on. At least next semester we have the opportunity to look forward to the weeklong spring break, and if we’re lucky, the warm weather that comes along with it.
Game Developers Treat Gamers Like They Are Stupid Recent games have been watered down to cater to ‘casual’ gamers Nathan Arel
Contributing Writer
Video games are designed to be extremely stimulating. While playing them, hundreds of thoughts fly through the gamer’s head. But one thought I have found myself thinking more and more often is: Do these game developers think I am an idiot? A few years ago I began collecting games, and at this point I find myself playing new releases simultaneously with games almost older than I am. Experiencing this contrast has led me to a realization. Old games tend to be hard — very, very hard. And not the sort of “hard” where your character dies easily — although that
Skyrim used simplified game play in such a revolutionary manner that it became a landmark in bringing video games into the popular culture. I have no issue with the simplified game play. What I have an issue with is the puzzles found in various caves that may be explored. Anyone who has played Skyrim knows these puzzles are offensively easy timekillers which play out like an oversimplified version of the matching game. Skyrim is rated M, which means that players under 17 are not technically allowed to play the game. Is it so much to ask to either have puzzles that are at a high school level or no puzzles at all? The point is, simplifying games for everyone is great. I am not an elitist; I want everyone to be able to enjoy video games. But there is a difference between making a game playable and consistently having notifications that let me know the jump button is used to jump.
“The issue arose when games continued to get easier, long after second graders could complete Grand Theft Auto without much frustration.”
certainly is a problem. They are the sort of “hard” where if you miss one arbitrary stick in one arbitrary corner of one arbitrary cave, you cannot complete the game because that stick was the one weakness of Evil Lord Soand-So. As time progressed, newer games were made to be easier, and likewise they became more popular because “casual gamers” felt they now had the ability to sit down and play a game without fear of being utterly and completely lost straight out of the first loading screen. The issue arose when games continued to get easier, long after second graders could complete Grand Theft Auto without much frustration. Now video games have become so obvious. When I start a new game, I can bet on being able to put my hands on
autopilot and let the whole experience slip past my retinas without me noticing. Take Assassin’s Creed as an example. In the first game, I had to wait and use my powers of observation to find the perfect moment when I could set some unsuspecting politician up for a closed casket funeral. In the game’s sixth edition, I had trouble telling what was going on in the game because of hundreds of indicator icons for enemies, objectives, merchants, mercenaries, cash drops and activities. This is in addition to second-by-second pop-ups with objective updates, hints and tips that ensure not a second goes by where I have to think about what I am doing. To prove I am not biased, I will use one of my favorite games of all time for my second example. The Elder Scrolls V:
EMILY BEAMAN | THE SPECTRUM
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THE SPECTRUM | OPINION | THURSDAY, NOV. 13, 2014
NCAA Football 2007 is the Best College Sports Game Ever The new and improved campus legend mode makes this game great Pacer Meier Staff Writer
This past weekend I made one of the most important adult decisions of my life. I purchased the slightly outdated, slim PlayStation 2 … again. Why would I purchase a console that was introduced 14 years ago when I have the glamorous PlayStation 4? My answer is simple: NCAA Football 2007. Many of you sports gurus and Playstation fanatics may remember such a game that put sparkles in your eyes on Christmas morning when
you unwrapped the video game-looking present. And now seven years later since the fabulous game came out, I’m here to tell you it’s the best college football game to ever surface this planet. Unfortunately, PS4 owners like myself will not be able to purchase another NCAA Football game in our life. For some odd reason, EA Sports has decided to take their talents to the trash. No more NCAA Football games to come in the future, fine; I’ll break out the PS2 controller that actually connects to the console and play college football until there is no tomorrow. I really mean it. This game set the bar so high for EA Sports with the improved campus legend mode the only direction to go after this game was produced
“This game literally made me feel like I was living in a college dorm room, while being the superstar quarterback of the team.” was south. Campus legend is what I live for. And this game literally made me feel like I was living in a college dorm room, while being the superstar quarterback of the team. When you first start your campus legend, you don’t get just one drill to participate in — you get four, like the 40-yard dash and the read option drill for example. Once you finish all four of your drills, it’s selection time. In the NCAA Football games prior to this game you could only pick the three schools that offered you scholarships.
Finally, in NCAA Football 2007, you are labeled as a one-through-five star caliber player and get to choose your school from your caliber rating. Now that you’ve picked your school, it’s time to move into your dorm room. But, not so fast like Lee Corso would say: Don’t forget to pick your major. There are a list of majors to select, from English to Sports Medicine. Your dorm room has: a popularity meter, which tells how popular you are around campus; a closet, where you can increase your attributes and change your
player’s look on the field; a trophy crate; a newspaper; a bed; a computer and most importantly, a calendar. The calendar is your best friend in campus legend mode. Not only does it tell you when your next practice and game is, but the evening activities are legendary. You can attend a social event on campus, visit your tutor, study or participate in extra practice. After your player selects his major, it’s time to hit the practice field. One of the best parts of campus legend mode in NCAA Football 2007 is you are able to not only control your player on the field, but the entire team as well. If you choose to play as the running back position, you can also play the defensive players and stop your opponent from scoring. To
be successful in campus legend mode you have to exceed expectations on the field while maintaining a high GPA. After your first season as a campus legend, you head to the next year and after your third year you are given the choice to export your player to Madden 2008 or stick around for your senior year. The best part is after your senior year of campus legend you have the ability to become a coach in dynasty mode and coach a junky team to the National Championship for 20 years plus. So, come on. Put down your new generation console and dust off that old PS2 to play the best college sports video game ever.
Having Faith Creates Purpose, Value and Morality Worldviews and their implications on the value of life Joshua Majeski
Contributing Writer
I feel at least most people would agree human life is valuable and that life has intrinsic value — that it is the end and not the means to another end. This affects how we live our lives and how we treat the people around us. It is not impossible to act in compassion and kindness without a reasonable basis for why human life has value, but lacking a justification can significantly detract from our efforts if we are ever moved to question the
meaning behind our actions. I believe that Christianity has the most humanitarian worldview available because Christianity is the belief that God loved us so much that He sent His Son to die for us. That is the greatest justification for the value of human beings possible. Without God, we can only try and find sufficient justifications for morality and values from basis of science and reason, but science or reason cannot conjure up a morality. Neither can it assign value to every individual human life. This shortcoming allows changes in definitions or ethics to accommodate to the actors’ will. What we may call a morality that is based on reason or science is impaired in
“What we may call a morality that is based on reason or science is impaired in that they are vulnerable to reinterpretation according to one’s will leaving an environment that is akin to “survival of the fittest.”
that they are vulnerable to reinterpretation according to one’s will leaving an environment that is akin to “survival of the fittest,” with the fittest defending him or herself with physical security and the ability to justify his or her behavior with what “science” deems permissible. Morality can only be subjective if we determine what it is. Even if we try and base it of off something solid such as science or
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reason, people still decide what either of these deems as moral. Another problem with a morality without God is that it isn’t just. In a world with a morality but no god, bad people live happy lives and good people live lives of suffering without justice once their lives are over. A morality that has no consequences for violating is nothing more than a recommendation, carrying no authority and incapable
of changing anyone’s behavior by its own power. And if there is an objective morality with consequences, we can only either live a rigidly legalistic lifestyle and hope that we live sufficiently good lives or at least cover up the bad we do with enough good, or dare to face whatever just deserts we earn in a possibly eternal gamble. But with the God of the Bible, we don’t need to guess, worry or be afraid. The Bible tells us and demonstrates to us that God is just, yet loving; it is His nature. He is also holy, and because He is holy and just and we are sinful, we are separated from Him. But since He loves us, He sent His only begotten Son, who
was fully God and fully man. He sent His Son to live on this Earth and experience the same pain, suffering and temptation we experience. He lived a perfect life and then died to pay the price for our sin and reconcile us to Him. This salvation is free if we put our faith in Him and accept Him as our Lord and savior. This belief I feel best satisfies our desires to find objective purpose and value in human life and provides a valid justification for an objective morality. This worldview best inspires us to serve people and treat them humanely. It gives us reason to value human life without exception because we have a selfless model to follow after.
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Arts & Entertainment
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STEPHEN RISK | THE SPECTRUM
The Fargo-Moorhead Symphony Orchestra continues its Masterworks Series this weekend with “Along the Silk Road,” a Far East-flavored concert offering.
FM Symphony Embodies ‘Embrace the World’ Theme with ‘Along the Silk Road’ Far East-styled pieces will witness guest instruments for exotic sounds Jack Dura A&E Editor
It’s another stop around the world for the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony Orchestra as it continues its “Embrace the World” theme of its Masterworks Series with “Along the Silk Road,” a Far East-inspired collection of concert music, is presented this weekend as the last Masterworks concert of 2014. Drafted by Christopher Zimmerman, music director of the F-M Symphony, “Along the Silk Road” features a few Chinese and Oriental works that range from classical to contemporary. Along with executive director Linda Boyd’s input on arrangements, creating this concert “has been a real collaboration between the two of us,” Boyd said. With pieces like Tan Dun’s “Dragon and Phoenix Overture” and the wellknown “Scheherazade” by Nicolai Rimsky-
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“I think people, even if they don’t consider themselves classical music fans, will probably have heard snippets of this.” – Linda Boyd, FMSO executive director
Korsakov, “Along the Silk Road” is a nice offering of Far East flavors. Unlike many Masterworks Series concerts, the two performances of this concert will not feature any guest artists. Rather, some guest instruments have been rented and shipped in to help bring this music to life. “The Tan Dun piece, that calls for some special instruments, so we are actually renting three, big Chinese tom-tom drums,” Boyd said. The handbell choir of First Presbyterian Church is stepping in to provide the temple bell sound needed in this concert and will be playing their instruments on a bell tree with mallets, adding a certain visual aspect to the musicians’ setup. Marketing this concert has been especially fun for Boyd, who, in addition to posters and advertisements, has put word out
in the form of fortune cookies. “They’ll be shops and restaurants around town” Boyd said of the cookie advertising, adding, “When you order them online, they make them up for you within a couple days, and they’re really fresh!” Students can take advantage of this W symphony offering with the $5 rush tickets available a half-hour before performances (just remember your student ID). They may also find a few familiar sounds in “Along the Silk Road,” as “Scheherazade” is definitely something to prick up the ears. “I think people, even if they don’t consider themselves classical music fans, will probably have heard snippets of “Boyd said of “Scheherazade,” a real musical story that involves a nasty sultan and the woman who outwits him with a nightly story to save her life. After “Along the Silk Road,” the F-M
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Symphony presents its holiday brass showcase in early December, then the Masterworks Series strikes up again on the last day of the first month of the New Year with “All-Beethoven,” a lead into the community-wide Beethoven Fest in February 2015.
Editor’s Choice: Campus Pulses With Activities Memorial Union, School of Music offer places to be, things to see Jack Dura A&E Editor
Whether it’s a recital, an art show, a football game or a road trip, North Dakota State offers much to do on weekends. The Challey School of Music and Memorial Union are both big places to turn to for entertainment and event options, and this weekend is a prime example of what’s typically available. Explore what’s out there and on campus, and enjoy these sample selections.
Thursday: “Oil & Water” exhibition
Stop in between noon and 4 p.m. at the Memorial Union Gallery to see the latest
exhibition “Oil & Water.” Featuring works from seven colleges across North Dakota and Minnesota, this natural resources-based collection calls attention to everything from the Red River flooding to hydraulic fracturing on the Bakken formation. The student and faculty-made prints put the use and misuse of the Upper Midwest’s natural resources under the microscope. Attend between noon and 1 p.m. and be a part of the conversation in the community panel “Oil and Water in Academia.”
Beckwith Recital Hall at Frode Gundersen’s conducting recital. The graduate student is presenting Igor Stravinsky’s “Cantata,” a half-hour piece featuring flutes, oboes and cello. Return to Beckwith later in the day for junior music majors Tyler Olson and Haley Dionne’s vocal recital. Featuring Olson’s tenor and Dionne’s soprano skills, this recital will be a great way to wind down from the week with live music in an inviting ambiance. All Challey School of Music events are free for students, so be sure to take advantage of one or both of these events.
Take an escape from the hustle and bustle of campus and spend your lunchtime in
Saturday: Mall of America trip
Friday: Beckwith Recital Hall events
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America’s largest indoor retail complex. NDSU’s trip to the Mall of America in Bloomington will depart campus at 7 a.m. and return after 11 p.m., allowing for eight hours of recreation and retail therapy. Anybody interested should register at the Recreation and Outing Center in the Lower Level of the Memorial Union. The cost is just $30.
Sunday: Trombone recital Senior music major Greg Calrow takes up his trombone for his 7:30 p.m. recital in Beckwith Recital Hall. This is yet another free offering through the Challey School of Music and precedes more music the week of Nov. 24. While most Sundays can be uneventful or unexciting, step out to Calrow’s trombone recital and see what the slider has to offer.
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THE SPECTRUM | A&E | THURSDAY, NOV. 13, 2014
Video Game Club Hosts Fourth Annual League of Legends Tournament Despite experiencing a series of technical issues, the tournament pushed onward Caleb Werness Spectrum Staff
Students from North Dakota State and Minnesota State University Moorhead took the virtual battlefield Saturday. Fifteen teams competed against one another in the fourth annual League of Legends tournament. The tournament was set to begin at 10 a.m. but due to some technical setbacks, it began slightly later. League of Legends is a free-to-play online game that pits teams of five against each other. Since the games release in 2009, it has accrued notable popularity. The Fargo-Moorhead Video Game Club is one of several student collegiate organizations that host League tournaments. The Quentin Burdick
Building served as the setting of choice for the competitors. From there, teams who were not playing at the time could watch the active teams play. Due to issues getting games running, only a few games could be played at a time. Because of this, the tournament had to be switched from a double elimination to single elimination bracket. It was unfortunate to see happen, but on the bright side, it led to a packed room of excited spectators. Cheers and commentary filled the QBB whenever a big play happened. Watching their fellow competitors play helped teams assess their competition. Many teams huddled up and discussed potential strategies. David Vu, a junior majoring in microbiology, was among the competitors spectating and making mental notes for future games. “Sitting in a room when everyone cheering makes the whole event really fun,”
Vu said. “It also gives us some time to check out the other teams and make any last-minute changes to our strategy.” Vu spends his time in the map’s jungle playing the jungler role. The rest of his team fights in the map’s top, middle and bottom lanes. Vu says his role on the team is to be focused on coming in for surprise attacks and initiating team fights. His teammate Addison Czeck is a junior majoring in physical and health education and plays in the top lane. “We’re not expecting to go too far in the tournament,” Czeck said. “We’re here to have a good time and make fun of David.” Vu and Czeck have been playing together for nearly a year. Although the club had some troubles getting the tournament off the ground, it seems to have been a success. The tournament featured players of all levels of skill. It was nice to see that even in adversity the
group came together in the name of competition and good fun. All in all, the event was that of legend. Students from North Dakota State and Minnesota State University Moorhead took the virtual battlefield Saturday. Fifteen teams competed against one another in the fourth annual League of Legends tournament. The tournament was set to begin at 10 a.m. but due to some technical setbacks, it began slightly later. League of Legends is a free-to-play online game that pits teams of five against each other. Since the games release in 2009, it has accrued notable popularity. The Fargo-Moorhead Video Game Club is one of several student collegiate organizations that host League tournaments. The Quentin Burdick Building served as the setting of choice for the competitors. From there, teams who were not playing at the time could watch the active teams
play. Due to issues getting games running, only a few games could be played at a time. Because of this, the tournament had to be switched from a double elimination to single elimination bracket. It was unfortunate to see happen, but on the bright side, it led to a packed room of excited spectators. Cheers and commentary filled the QBB whenever a big play happened. Watching their fellow competitors play helped teams assess their competition. Many teams huddled up and discussed potential strategies. David Vu, a junior majoring in microbiology, was among the competitors spectating and making mental notes for future games. “Sitting in a room when everyone cheering makes the whole event really fun,” Vu said. “It also gives us some time to check out the other teams and make any last-minute changes to our strategy.” Vu spends his time in
the map’s jungle playing the jungler role. The rest of his team fights in the map’s top, middle and bottom lanes. Vu says his role on the team is to be focused on coming in for surprise attacks and initiating team fights. His teammate Addison Czeck is a junior majoring in physical and health education and plays in the top lane. “We’re not expecting to go too far in the tournament,” Czeck said. “We’re here to have a good time and make fun of David.” Vu and Czeck have been playing together for nearly a year. Although the club had some troubles getting the tournament off the ground, it seems to have been a success. The tournament featured players of all levels of skill. It was nice to see that even in adversity the group came together in the name of competition and good fun. All in all, the event was that of legend.
32 Below hosting CD release party in honor of new studio album Callie Bowen Staff Writer
32 Below has been hard at work on its fifth studio album for just over a year now. “Every Little Thing” is set to be released on iTunes on Friday. The boys from Fargo are hosting a CD release party to commemorate the occasion, and everyone is invited. Party attendees will have the opportunity to hear the band’s brand new CD in its entirety, including their single “You, Me, and the Whiskey,” which hit number 70 on the iTunes Country Charts last week. The song climbed from 198 to 70 overnight. Tyler Waslien, bassist in the band, said he and his
fellow band members were in shock at the success of the song, which was ranked with the likes of Luke Bryan and Big and Rich. “It was so humbling and incredible,” Waslien said. “It was definitely one of the highlights of our career.” Waslien describes “Every Little Thing” as an album that everyone can relate to and understand. It is composed of original songs with familiar subjects. With topics that relate to experiences everyone has had, Waslien said the group’s new album features several party anthems, songs about partying with friends and songs about a girl. In addition to the new album, partygoers will be able to hear fun cover songs the band has put their own twist on. Waslien said they want to put on a show fans,
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32 Below Celebrates ‘Every Little Thing’ with New CD
Fargo-born band 32 Below hits The Venue at The Hub this Friday.
SHAWN RODE PHOTOGRAPHY | COURTESY OF
new and old alike, can come out and enjoy. For those unfamiliar with the musical experience 32 Below provides, prepare to hear three-and-a-half hours of energy and nonstop music. Waslien said they
like to keep the energy going because they have too much to share with the fans, so they charge on through without taking any breaks. “Everybody gets in their zone, and once we’re out there, we lay it all out
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there. It doesn’t matter how many people we’re playing for, whether its 10 or 2,000,” Waslien emphasized. “Something we pride ourselves on is always playing with every ounce of energy we have and leaving it all out there.” With the addition of new members to the band, 32 Below’s sound is different than it has been in the past. Waslien said the direction of the band is the same as it always has been, but each member brings their own individual flavor. The group’s new sound meshes right into sound of songs on the radio today.
The Venue at The Hub jadepresents.com/2014/
“We consider it to be more pop-y, a little more edgy, but it’s still that country focus,” Waslien described. Waslien, along with his fellow bandmates Bryan Loweree, Luke Nygaard and Tyler Steinle, continually emphasized the importance of the support from their fans and all of their continued love and support and expressed their excitement about the new album and CD release party. “We’ve put together something we’re super proud of, and we just can’t wait to share it with everyone.”
Review: Jessica Matson-Fluto’s ‘Solitude: Recent Drawings and Painting’ Local artist presents latest collection of drawings, paintings at Uptown Gallery Tessa Beck Staff Writer
Jessica Matson-Fluto opened her collection “Solitude” at downtown Fargo’s Uptown Gallery last Thursday to a warm, public reception. M a t s o n - F l u t o specializes in both drawing and painting and provided a strong offering of both in a variety of mediums for her exhibition. Works were completed in oil, pastel and charcoal, primarily in a vibrant color palette besides a select few pieces. The work, just as majority of Uptown Gallery’s exhibitions are hung, is placed in the front foyer area of the gallery. The detailing of placement is mainly relevant due to the
large amount of space the gallery typically works with. As a relatively young artist, Matson-Fluto proves her validty presently, while still alluding to future growth. As an associate professor at Minnesota State University Moorhead, and a past student under local greats like Zhimin Guan, she shows obvious technical strength. Matson-Fluto effectively portrayed her technical skills through a variety of figural oil paintings. Many were quite pared down, which expressed the title of her show effectively, while also presenting a sense of self-confidence in her work. The rawness of the figural work is a definitive highlight within the exhibition. One piece in particular stands out among the rest. It is a work done in black and white pastel and is seemingly a self portrait. However, a majority of
the facial features are indistinguishable due to masterful shadow play done by Matson-Fluto. The way that the light rests upon the figure’s collarbones and jawline is remarkable. From a distance, this piece could be mistaken for a film still. As strong as MatsonFluto’s natural talent W reads, and as impressive as select works appeared, the collection lacks cohesion. “Solitude” is a direct, pointed name for an exhibition. At times, like with the skull pastel piece or the separating figural works, this concept was evident. On the contrary, portraits of her young children and friends took the concept in another direction. Additionally, the curating could have aided in preventing the minor confusion. Had the lighting, framing and placement of work been more thoughtful, the pieces could have had
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their own moment. If the bright, joyous works of her children and friends been placed next to one another, and the darker still-life pastels elsewhere, Matson-Fluto’s message may have been heard louder. The challenge with curating is balancing subject matter with the aesthetics of the overall piece. Matson-Fluto proved her strength as an artist with “Solitude,” with additional guidance she can continue to produce thoughtful work.
Jessica Matson-Fluto’s exhibition “Solitude” is in current showcase at Uptown Gallery.
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Sports
THURSDAY, NOV. 13, 2014
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Bounce Back Bison Bison football had not lost a game since 2012 until last Saturday STORY BY COLTON POOL & PHOTO BY JOSEPH RAVITS
North Dakota State football hasn’t had to recover from a loss since October 2012. Bison head coach Chris Klieman emphasized the importance of a bounce back immediately after NDSU’s 23-3 loss to Northern Iowa on Saturday at the UNIDome. He said it was vital NDSU not let a single fall turn into two losses in a row. The loss to UNI was also Klieman’s first as NDSU’s head coach. NDSU will have a chance to make its comeback at 2 p.m. Saturday against Missouri Valley Football Conference opponent Missouri State at the outdoor Robert W. Plaster Stadium in Springfield, Mo. NDSU slipped down The Sports Network and Coach’s Poll rankings off its previous No. 1 spot to the fourth-best position below New Hampshire, Coastal Carolina and Jacksonville State. “We’ll move forward,” Klieman said. “That game won’t define us. It’s one game in a long season. That one won’t define us.” NDSU (9-1, 5-1 MVFC) is coming off the UNI loss in which it gave up 218 rushing yards, which is uncharacteristic for one of the best statistical defenses in the country. One of his biggest worries, Klieman said, will be the attitude of the team. He said he hopes three-straight football championship subdivision titles will be enough reminder that the team still has talent. “I don’t want to see anyone down in the dumps,” Klieman said. “We’ve won nine games for crying out loud.” It will be senior day for MSU (4-6, 1-5) and it will most likely be the last home game for the Bears’ seniors, which Klieman said will provide added motivation. He isn’t sure what the fan environment will be like. The Bears have a losing record,
but this will be the last home game of the season and it will be against the defending champions. Though MSU is on a three-game slide, he said this will be a chance to improve and get back on the winning track. “We’ve got to be able to play our game,” Klieman said. “This is going to be more about the Bison than the Bears.” Kierra Harris will be the focal point of the Bears’s offense. The senior quarterback has a 131.2 passing efficiency and has tossed 18 touchdowns while running for 458 yards and seven TDs. “As he goes, they go,” Klieman said. “I’ve been impressed by him for a number of years. We’ve got to do a great job of containing him. He’s a special athlete that will be trying to win on senior day.” A first step for the Bison to get better is less penalties and turnovers, Klieman said. NDSU committed 12 fouls to lose 94 yards, fumbled twice and Carson Wentz threw a costly interception in the Bison’s redzone that turned the momentum of the game. “We’ve got to play a clean game,” Klieman said. “We talked last week about not turning the ball over… If it’s going to be a cold, windy day, we’ve got to win the battle in the trenches.” MSU is one of the few teams in the MVFC that isn’t ranked, but the Bears have more points and rushing yards per game than its opponents, which was how UNI found a way to take down the Bison. That’s why NDSU can’t let themselves get too emotionally low, Klieman said. “I don’t care what their record is,” Klieman said. “They’re going to be extremely motivated to beat the Bison.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH FOR Kierra Harris, senior quarterback
1,684 passing yards, 18 touchdowns, 131.2 passing efficiency, 458 rushing yards, seven rushing TDs
Julian Burton, senior wide receiver
46 catches, 630 receiving yards,
five TDs
Dylan Cole, sophomore linebacker
79 total tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, two interceptions, eight passes broken up, one fumble recovery Carson Wentz and NDSU’s offense looks to bounce back at Missouri State.
FILE PHOTO | THE SPECTRUM
NDSU Silenced Specialist has High Hopes Bison long snapper has big dreams after snagging starting spot Pace Maier
Spectrum Staff
James Fisher may be the most unknown player to hold a starting position job for the North Dakota State football team. If his name doesn’t ring a bell, that’s alright because he is the lone long snapper on the team. “Being the only long snapper, a lot of people like to overlook that position,” Fisher said. “It’s just kind of an expected (job), so what comes with that is you don’t get looked at too much unless you really mess up.” Fisher is a redshirt freshman from Bloomington, Minn., majoring in business, which was a major reason he came to NDSU. “I had the opportunity to come here and long snap,” Fisher said. “And also, the business program at NDSU is very highly rated and that was a big thing for me.” This past summer, NDSU brought in another long snapper from Nebraska to give competition to Fisher. The two of them had a battle for the No. 1 position. Fisher won. Iowa State was the first game Fisher started this season as long snapper and the game was by far his best memory of his young NDSU career. “The first snap (of my career), I remember my legs were shaking and it was on my mind,” Fisher said. “I couldn’t mess up in front of 52,000 people.” He played quarterback and linebacker in high school but was recruited by NDSU to be the long snapper. “We ask (our) snapper to do something a little different in coverage than other (teams) do,” Bison offensive coordinator
James Fisher (51) has taken over the quiet position of long snapper and has performed well for the Bison.
and running backs coach Tim Polasek, said. “It’s not like he’s a free tackler. He’s got a job to do and he does it pretty well.” Fisher said the long snapper position is complicated because of how technical and
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focused one has to be. “(My) hands have to be placed a certain way on the ball,” Fisher said. “It’s kind of like you are going to throw it and then you have to guide your hand and throw it
back between your legs… It (takes) a lot of repetition to get it right.” Polasek said Fisher has a few elements to work on to become the NFL player he dreams to be. “College game, you don’t have to snap and get your head up,” Polasek said, “but in the pro game you have to snap the ball and then get your head up to block the player in front of you, and that’s something James will have to work on.” Fisher looks up to current Minnesota Vikings long snapper Cullen Loeffler, who signed as an undrafted free agent in 2004. “I would absolutely love the opportunity to get invited to an (NFL) camp,” Fisher said. “This is just my first year of four. (I have) got a long ways to go and hopefully get a lot better.” In theory, practice time would be a cakewalk for the only long snapper on the team. Because Polasek is always trying to make him the best player he can be, that’s not the case. “He encourages me a lot,” Fisher said. “Being the only long snapper, I’m out there for all the punt reps and all the scout punt reps as well. He watches the snaps and makes sure I’m on point day in and day out.” When Fisher was younger, he never dreamed about becoming the long snapper for the Bison. He didn’t even know the school existed until his high school years. “It’s a blessing to be here,” Fisher said. “It’s such a great team and community to be a part of.” Now he’s just the long snapper that comes in during the game every once in awhile to show off his abilities, but he takes nothing for granted. “He’s a joy to be around,” Polasek said. “I really do appreciate his demeanor and his effort level.”
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THE SPECTRUM | SPORTS | THURSDAY, NOV. 13, 2014
Loss Best Thing For North Dakota State Football Defeat to UNI will give spark needed to propel Bison to championship Joe Kerlin Staff Writer
Former New York Yankee great Yogi Berra once said, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” Berra was never short of providing an outrageous quote to those who would listen. This phrase was actually used to title a chapter in his book written in 1998, “The Yogi
Book: I Really Didn’t Say Everything I Said!” This classic Yogi-ism is a great representation where the North Dakota State football team finds itself after its first loss in more than two years. There is no metaphorical fork in the road or crossroad for the Bison season, just an obstacle. Its a challenge they’ll face by providing the country proof they’re deserving of being ranked better than fourth in the country. Following the analogy, we could say forks have littered the road to a 33game winning streak. The Bison have collected quite the silverware set over the past two seasons until finally being pricked by a fork that
was faster and out for blood in Northern Iowa. The Panthers were chomping at the bit to get another crack at the Bison after a heartbreaking loss in 2013, but that’s life in the Missouri Valley Conference. “(It’s) definitely a feeling we don’t want to feel again,” senior defensive end Kyle Emanuel said after the defeat Saturday. “I thought coach Klieman gave us a great speech talking about moving on and not letting this team beat us more than one week, so that’s exactly what we’ll do.” Head coach Chris Klieman pointed out in his postgame press conference that losing is obviously something you never want
to deal with. But what he left out is the loss of pressure applied by the winning streak. A loss to conference rival UNI is the best thing that could happen to this team at this juncture of the season. The loss isn’t a reality check; it’s a relief to a team that have been tackling unrealistic expectations from fans and media since the winning streak started against South Dakota in 2012. The media couldn’t wait to knock down the Bison from being the unanimous No. 1-ranked team in the country for several weeks to fourth this week. The two teams ranked ahead of the Bison with one loss should
be more than enough to fuel a raging fire inside players’ stomachs. Bison fans haven’t seen a Bison loss since Indiana State in 2012 and have been on cloud nine, somehow formulating a sense of lost interest from students at home football games this season. A blemished Bison team has the potential for fans to start rallying behind a team they might still believe is the best in the FCS. Forum of FargoMoorhead Bison reporter Jeff Kolpack noted the lost interest of fans in his column Monday, saying the Fargodome hasn’t been as loud since last year’s playoff run. The Bison
loss will change that, and fans will prove they’re still supporting their beloved players every snap. What’s next? The Bison will take the next fork in the road, if you will, this weekend against Missouri State, a team riding a three-game losing streak, strapped with luggage filled with disappointment from a lost season. Add a cup of ticked off Bison football players and a pinch of that “something to prove” feeling, and Springfield, Mo. will be the perfect place for the Bison to continue the championship journey and spring board the next winning streak.
Zillmer Wins Big, North Dakota State Excels in Bison Open
JOSEPH RAVITS | THE SPECTRUM
Mitch Bengtson (right) was one of nine wrestlers to finish in the top six at the Bison Open. Bengtson was runner-up in the 141-pound weight class.
NDSU wrestlers focus on improvement as season begins Taylor Kurth
Contributing Writer
North Dakota State held the 44th-annual Bison Open on Saturday. For the ninth straight year, the Bison had at least one champion in one of the weight classes. Junior Hayden Zillmer was NDSU’s man of the day. He won all four of his matches to snag the 184 pound class crown. Zillmer
came in to the day ranked 14th and faced Minnesota’s No. 16-ranked Brett Pfarr in the championship match. Zillmer moved his record to 8-1 on the year. “Our biggest team goal is ultimately to find a way to get better every day,” Bison head coach Roger Kish said. “To find a way to continue to make adjustments. To continue to improve on our strengths and to find ways to improve on our weaknesses… This is a building block for what’s to come.” Redshirt freshman Mitch Bengtson was runner-up
in the 141-pound weight class. Bengtson lost his championship match in an 8-4 decision to Minnesota’s No. 4-ranked Nick Dardanes. Dardanes now has won four Bison Open individual titles in his career. Bengtson went 3-1 during the tournament including a pair of pins. Bengtson moved his record to 8-1. Nine NDSU wrestlers finished in the top six on the day. “I think it’s a big deal. I think we have a lot of good competition here,” Kish said. “We got a lot of good
competition for our young guys especially… For our upperclassman, to come out and get their legs under them.” Sophomore Justin Scherkenbach recovered from a 15-4 major decision to Minnesota’s No. 3-ranked Chris Dardanes in the semifinals to place third. Scherkenbach had a 14-5 major decision over Ben Gillette and also got a pin of Gordon. He went 5-1 on the day and improved to 10-3 overall. In the 197 pound class, redshirt freshman Tommy Petersen placed third with a
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12-4 major decision, beating University of Mary’s John Devito. Petersen went 4-1 for the day and improved to 6-3 overall. Redshirt freshmen Clay Ream and Joe Umlauf finished in the top five, at fourth and fifth, respectively, in the 149 pound weight class. Sophomore Matthew Gray placed fifth and junior Anthony Caputo finished sixth in the 165 weight class. Wrestling unattached, NDSU true freshman Kade Johnson had four straight pins and that was enough to help him place sixth in the 174 pound weight class.
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“This is the kickoff to a good season,” Kish said. “That’s what we want, to wrestle a good hard season. This is really the foundation. To make sure what we’ve done in the preseason and the summer months pays off.” The No. 23-ranked Bison opens the dual season away from home next weekend. They wrestle at No. 11-ranked Virginia in Alexandria on Friday and at No. 12 Virginia Tech with Gardner-Webb on Sunday in Blacksburg, VA.
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THE SPECTRUM | NORTH DAKOTA STATE UNIVERSITY | THURSDAY, NOV. 13, 2014
John Crockett and the NDSU football team had memorable wins during its 33-game winning streak, including a 22-10 win against No. 4 Montana earlier this year.
FILE PHOTO | THE SPECTRUM
NDSU’s Win Streak Wasn’t Enjoyed as Much as it Should Have Been Loss may put some perspective in fans’ eyes Sam Herder
Spectrum Staff
Y o u know your football team on campus is pretty good when they make ESPN’s “SportsCenter” solely because they lost a regular season game. Such had become life for North Dakota State. For so long, the Bison were perfect, with the only critiques coming from fans worried about the offense starting too slow and the defense being too young up front.
Such had become life for Bison fans. For so long, fans wore NDSU gear in public like a high school jock in a movie wearing a letterman jacket. Neither ever had to worry about being called losers. But on November 8, 2014, the NDSU football team lost a football game on a football field against a football opponent. The score read 23-3 in favor of Northern Iowa. That hadn’t happened in the previous 33 games. But the run is over now. The word “streak” doesn’t have to be said a thousand times leading up to a game anymore. Maybe more positives will come out of this loss than negatives. We don’t need to question if the Bison needed this as a wake-up game. We
“And any informed fan realized shortly after Saturday’s loss that although the historic run of wins is over, the historic run of championship trophies is as attainable as ever.” don’t need to question if the Bison became too complacent. And we don’t need to question if the Bison will be able to respond. They just lost a game against a team that was better than them on that day. My first question after the final horn ended in the UNI-Dome was this: Did fans enjoy the 33-game winning streak as much as they should have? The Bison won so many games in a row, fans became used to not sticking around for the fourth quarter. It seemed some fans got bored
and the passion became mediocre. The Bison won so many games in a row, some students on campus were still sneaking alcohol out of their parents’ cabinets in high school when NDSU last lost. It seemed some students would rather sleep, drink or just watch the game on the couch instead of go to the Fargodome. Did the win streak become boring for fans? The run was so dominant, only a few of the games had dramatic fourth-quarter finishes.
Sure, the Bison bandwagon got bigger and NDSU became ESPN’s adopted puppy. But as the win streak grew, victories began being treated as just another day instead of a celebratory Saturday. I think everyone realized they were a part of something truly special, but now that the streak ended, maybe it should have been enjoyed a little more. The loss to UNI probably snapped reality back into some fans. After all, it was 108 weeks or 756 days since the Bison’s last loss. Kim Kardashian could probably fit three marriages in that time span. Over that time, some fans may have developed a sense of entitlement like a Kardashian. Being spoiled will do that. Greatness was expected and mediocrity, even if it
only lasted for a quarter, was not. But as NDSU players and head coach Chris Klieman have said all season: The goal is to win a conference championship and then a national championship. Keeping the streak alive wasn’t necessary to achieve those goals. And any informed fan realized shortly after Saturday’s loss that although the historic run of wins is over, the historic run of championship trophies is as attainable as ever. We never really realize when we’re in the glory days until they’re over. Maybe this loss will bring a sense of realization for some Bison fans that the glory days are still upon them. And if anyone has taken the last three years for granted, they still have time to enjoy these next couple months.
BISON ROUNDUP Corrie Dunshee
Contributing Writer
Wrestling
The NDSU wrestling team took home three individual titles and nine other top six finishes in the Warren Williamson/ Daktronics Open at South Dakota State Sunday, Nov. 2. Redshirt freshman Mitch Bengston took home the 141-pound division title over unattached Lucas Zilverberg by medical forfeit. Bengston advanced in the semifinals with a 3-1 tiebreaker victory over Arizona State’s Demechino
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pins and one major decision. Kyle Gliva, Justin Scherkenbach and Hunter Weber took fourth, fifth and sixth respectively in the 133-pound division. Clay Ream and Tanner Carlisle took fourth and sixth in the 149-pound division. Clay Cathey, Steven Keogh and Matt Gray each took fifth in the 141, 157 and 165-pound divisions.
Soccer
The NDSU women’s soccer team dropped an opening round Summit League Women’s Soccer Championship game to South Dakota State Nov. 6
at Denver’s CIBER Field. Trailing 2-0, Anisha Kinnarath kicked a 20-yard goal in the 80th minute to cut the Jackrabbit lead in half. It was Kinnarath’s third goal of the season. The Bison threatened to tie the match three different times, but were unable to score a goal. SDSU outshot NDSU 14-9 and had five corner kicks compared to NDSU’s one. NDSU finishes the season with a record of 8-82.
Volleyball
The NDSU volleyball team won its sixth straight
match of the season with a defeat over Western Illinois Friday at Western Hall. Set scores were 27-25, 16-25, 26-24 and 25-13. The third set saw 14 ties occur as well as seven lead changes. Trailing 24-22, the Bison scored the next four points off kills from Emily Minnick, Emily Miron and Hadley Steffen. Milligan took away 25 digs, and Steffen finished with 17. Miron led the Bison with four blocks, followed by Brainna Rasmusson with three. NDSU then dropped its next match Saturday 3-0 to IUPUI at The Jungle. Set scores were 25-15,
25-13, and 28-26. The third set saw nine ties and three lead changes. With the score tied at 26, IUPUI came back with a kill and an NDSU attack error to win the set. Miron had 11 kills and three blocks in the match. Jenni Fassbender had 10 kills and Steffen and Milligan each had nine digs. Monica Claxton finished with 25 assists. The Bison are now 13-15 overall and 7-7 in Summit League play. The team will be back in action at 7 p.m. Friday at the Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse to take on Fort Wayne (12-16 overall, 6-7 Summit).
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Spraggins and walked away with two pins in five matches. Senior Kurtis Julson took home the 174-pound title with a 3-1 defeat over Arizona State’s Raymond Waters and posted a 4-0 record with one pin. Senior Evan Knutson took the 285-pound championship with a 6-1 win over SDSU’s J.J. Everard and won four matches by decision. Junior Hayden Zillmer took runner up in the 184-pound division after dropping a 4-2 decision to Arizona State’s Blake Stauffer. Zillmer posted a 4-1 record, including two
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