The Statesman Jan. 30, 2013

Birch bark: from the forest to your face

see NEWS, A3

Embracing the cold to raise money see STUDENT LIFE, B4

THE STATESMAN

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2013

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA DULUTH

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Gun laws hit close to home Tension grows after mass shooting in Connecticut

BY ANNE KUNKEL CHRISTIANSON kunke063@d.umn.edu

President Obama could possibly be best remembered for issuing one of the boldest attempts to regulate gun control the government has ever seen.

“I intend to use whatever weight this office holds to make them (gun laws) a reality,” said Obama in a press conference on Jan. 16. “If there’s even one life that can be

saved, then we’ve an obligation to try.”

Since the December shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut, Obama has been pushing congress to pass new and tighter gun laws.

These laws would require a universal background check for every gun sale, ban commercial sale of military-style assault weapons, allow gun magazines to hold no more than 10 rounds, and have harsher penalties for people caught illegally selling or obtaining a firearm.

These proposed laws, however, have seen

opposition not only from Congress but from organizations like the National Rifle Association (NRA) as well.

The NRA released an official statement shortly after Obama’s proposed gun laws were made public.

“Attacking firearms and ignoring children is not a solution to the crisis we face as a nation,” the statement read. “Only honest, lawabiding gun owners will be affected and our children will remain vulnerable to the inevitability of more tragedy.”

The NRA also said they look forward to working with Congress to stop gun violence, but the focus should be on gun safety and being responsible.

UMD students, like senior accounting major Christopher Steffenson, are also concerned that the proposed laws won’t have the desired effects Obama is hoping for.

“First off, these people that are doing these horrible activities are criminals,” said Steffenson. “Criminals don’t follow the law. They will get what they want and do what they want, in most instances, because there are already many of these firearms on the market and in people’s possessions.”

Obama has already enforced measures that he hopes will move gun awareness and safety in the right direction.

On Jan. 16 the President implemented 23 executive actions involving gun safety that were to be followed immediately. These actions

include providing law enforcement, first responders and school officials with training for active shooting situations, and funding for the Centers for Disease Control to research gun violence, its causes, and how to prevent it.

As of now, it is unclear how these new laws could affect current gun owners, but Steffenson said he doesn’t think it’s the guns people should be worrying about.

“It’s a lose-lose situation,” he said. “People that are committing these crimes are usually in an unhealthy mental state. And nothing will be done to help people with mental illness because we like to take the easy way out and ignore those situations and blame something else.”

The first congressional hearings to address the potential new laws will be held later this week.

Student’s father killed in Accent Signage shooting

BY JAMIE MERIDETH merid003@d.umn.edu

.

Just four months after her father’s death, Topaz Cooks, 21, is standing strong. Her father, Rami Cooks, 62, died after wrestling with gunman Andrew Engeldinger, who shot and killed six people at Accent Signage Systems in Minneapolis on September 27 before turning the gun on himself.

“I want people to know that gun violence is a very real t h i n g ,” s a i d ILLUSTRATION BY JOE FRASER Cook s, a junior

studying theater production at UMD. Although the newest discussion on gun violence has just begun, Cooks says she’s not ready to completely voice her own personal opinions on the topic.

“It’s such an emotional topic, especially right now,” Cooks said. “It’s just scary that there are people out there who will openly disagree and not care that I lost someone.”

This hasn’t stopped Cooks from continuing forward after the harrowing event that left her without her “biggest supporter.”

“This is a part of me now,” Cooks said. “I feel like talking about it is one of the best ways to get through it.”

She was in Duluth celebrating a friend’s birthday when she got a

phone call from her brother, who told her what had happened. A roommate rushed her to Minneapolis where she saw her father in critical condition at a local hospital. A group of media was waiting outside when she arrived.

“I’m just frantic,” Cooks recalled. “I don’t know where to go. And then when my brother came to get me, he had my dad’s blood all over his shirt.”

Before Cooks saw her father, her brother yielded a warning: their father looked different from the dad she knew.

Rami had been shot twice, once in the arm and once in the head.

“I was in the hospital with him in the last hour of his life,” she continued. “His hands were cold.

He was pretty much gone.” see TOPAZ, A3

Contamination levels in Minn. lakes rising

BY GRAHAM HAKALA hakal045@d.umn.edu

As flu season rages on, students are constantly reminded to wash their hands to avoid catching the bug. A new study from the U of M suggests that people might want to reconsider the products they use to fight off germs.

The study done by U of M’s science and engineering department reveals that triclosan, a common antibacterial agent, has been found in increasing amounts in Minnesota lakes.

The elevated levels are the result of triclosan products, such as antibacterial soap and body wash, being washed down the drain.

“It’s known that triclosan can affect algae, which is important, since they’re kind of at the botINDEX:

News: A1 - A4 |

tom of the food chain,” said Bill Arnold, U of M science and engineering department professor and lead author of the study.

The study found that when triclosan is passed through wastewater treatment facilities and then sent into the environment, it creates potentially hazardous byproducts known as chlorinated triclosan derivatives.

When exposed to sunlight, triclosan and its derivatives form what are called dioxins. According to Arnold, these dioxins are now being found in high concentrations, which is a cause for concern.

“There are some potential toxic effects from the triclosan itself, but triclosan derivatives toxicity really hasn’t been studied,” Arnold said. see CONTAMINATION, A3

RHONDA ZURN/SUBMITTED

Grad students from the University of Minnesota and Professor Arnold (right) collect sediment samples from Lake Superior.

Opinion: A5 - A6 | Sports: B1 - B2 | Outdoors: B3 | Student Life: B4 - B5

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1/27/13

Complete the grid so each row, column and 3-by-3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit 1 to 9.

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News Editor / Anne Kunkel Christianson / kunke063@d.umn.edu

A3

Topaz

Continued from A3

TOPAZ COOKS/SUBMITTED

Topaz Cooks (center) pictured at her high school graduation with father Rami Cooks (left) and older brother Orr Cooks (right).

Topaz Cooks (right) pictured with her father (left).

After his death, Cooks’ stepmother and three older siblings gathered at their home to begin shiva, a Jewish weeklong mourning process. Friends and family visited over the next seven days to offer words of support and comfort.

“The last thing you want to be is alone, because it’s so scary,” Cooks said. “And when they’d leave it was

TOPAZ COOKS/SUBMITTED

lonely.”

Cooks took a couple weeks off of school but finished out the semester. Now, after spending winter break at home in the Twin Cities, she’s back in Duluth to start another semester, but she won’t be doing it alone.

“It’s strange. I almost feel like it’s harder for my siblings because they go to work and go home and

they’re alone. I go to school and then I go out to dinner, and then I go to a party, and when I go home I have four other roommates. I don’t feel alone and (I) feel a lot of support from my friends and professors.”

Cooks also attends a grief support group that holds weekly meetings on campus. Cooks says talking about it helps, but that

some days are better than others.

She explains that the feeling hangs in the background like a weight.

“My hope is to let go of that,” Cooks said.

Cooks is scheduled to graduate in fall 2014. It’s something her father had always wanted for her. “(I) take it one step at a time,” said Cooks, referencing something her father had said to her.

Last year, Cook made a New Year’s resolution: every Sunday she was at school, until she returned home for the summer, she would make a phone call just to catch up with her father.

“He was a good listener,” Cooks said. Even in the midst of a difficult semester when she felt like quitting, he’d remind her: “Take it one step at a time.”

Contamination

Continued from A3

The researchers took sediment samples from eight different Minnesota lakes that varied in size, including Lake Superior. They found that the correlation between wastewater input and increased triclosan levels are directly linked to the use of the antibacterial agent over multiple decades.

Triclosan was introduced to the market in the 1970s, and has since found its way into many antibacterial products found on the shelves today.

After use, antibacterial products are typically washed down drains, which eventually lead to wastewater treatment plants. These plants were never designed to remove triclosans. As a result, the chemical is injected into the ecosystem.

According to the study, changes

in wastewater treatment practices can cause triclosan levels to decrease.

“One of the interesting things we found in Duluth was that the triclosan levels followed a normal trend,” Arnold said. “(Triclosan levels) increased until the mid1990s, and then dropped. That’s because they changed the disinfection practices at the waste water treatment plants.”

Professor Arnold sees two ways to help fix the problem. One way is for the government put regulations on antibacterial agents. This would force companies to stop using triclosans.

The other way is to leave it up to consumers to vote with their wallet.

“The power of the consumer will

have a lot of say,” said Arnold. “If people don’t buy it, it will tell the manufacturer that the consumers don’t want this in their products.

Then, probably things will change.

Studies done by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have shown that the added antibacterial agent is not providing the extra disinfecting power consumers might think.

According to the FDA website, washing with antibacterial soaps and body washes that include triclosans does not provide any extra benefit over washing with regular soap and water.

“It’s a compound we don’t need,” said Arnold. “When we do use it, it’s winding up in an environment far from our homes, and it has potential adverse effects there.”

RHONDA ZURN/SUBMITTED

Special filters are used by Arnold and other researchers to separate sediments from algae in lakes.

UMD Natural Resources Institute partners with U of M to produce natural health products

BY MAEGGIE LICHT licht096@d.umn.edu

of people,” he said. “Instead of burning it, it can be used. We’re taking waste and converting it to Your lotion, shampoo, workout human health.” and dietary supplements, and face To do this, leftover birch trees cream could soon all contain the are taken from paper mills, and the same ingredient—birch trees. bark is then separated from the rest After over 12 years of research of the tree. The bark gets extruded and 20 patents by Dr. Pavel Kra- into palettes so the extraction prosutsky, a professor from the Uni- cess can begin. versity of Minnesota, extracts “We process the bark to extract from birch bark can now be used specific compounds,” Garhofer in products like face creams and said. “Depending on different prolotions, and can help prevent aging cesses, we can get different prodskin, psoriasis, and eczema. ucts.”

Krasutsky worked with the These different products range Chemical Extractives Program from anti-aging face creams, at the University of Minnesota lotions, shampoos and conditionNatural Resources Research Insti- ers, to immune-boosting dietary tute (NRRI) in Duluth, and has supplements and pharmaceuticals. developed a process that allows for According to The Actives Facthe extraction of compounds like tory website, birch bark extracts betulin, oleanolic acid, and lupeol. such as betulin and natural lupeol According to Krasutsky’s research are the compounds that will be published in Natural Product used in cosmetics and body care Reports, each compound carries products. its own specific characteristics, While The Actives Factory won’t THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY like betulin’s SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY anti-cancer, anti-bacbe producing cosmetics products terial, anti-fungal, and anti-viral itself, it will be working on finding abilities. a company to partner with.

Brian Garhofer, CEO of The “We produce the raw materials Actives Factory in Two Har- and work with companies to create bors, Minn., is using techniques products,” Garhofer said. “Right SATURDAY SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY researched by the NRRI to har- now, we’re in active discussions vest these compounds from birch with different companies. We’ll bark that would otherwise be probably start production of the MATT HODSON/SUBMITTED to ash. compounds in the late spring or HI Pavel -1 / Krasutsky LO -18 standsHI 2 / LOa -12 HI 9extracts / LO -3 turned HI 18 / LOa4waste product HI 20 early / LOsummer.”

12 HI 9 / LO -12 Dr. between pair of birch trees, “We’re taking from which can be used in cosmetic products. and repurposing it for better needs Students are excited by the pos-

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sibility of a natural product that UMD’s Natural Resources Institute helped create.

“I think it sounds awesome,” UMD PSEO student Joslyn Danielson said. “It’s cool that a local college is heading it up. Frankly, I’m interested to see if it works.

Also, it’s cool to be a part of research. It could be this whole new discovery!”

Birch bark has been used throughout history, and legends speak of its ability to ward off evil spirits. Dr. Krasutsky was inspired by the honor and respect Native Americans near the U.S. and Canadian borders held for birch trees.

“It was such a big pride,” he said.

“They called themselves ‘birch people’ and prayed to the birch.

They knew how to use them. But now it’s a time of science. Science is doing work; we know how chemicals work against different kinds of pathogens.”

Krasutsky’s research of the birch will continue into the future as he explores its possible role in treatments for pancreatic cancer, melanoma, and tuberculosis. Though the birch tree isn’t his only area of study, he does admire it.

“I just like it because it is beautiful,” Dr. Krusutsky said. “It’s a giving tree.”

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News Editor / Anne Kunkel Christianson / kunke063@d.umn.edu

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30

A4

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A5

COLUMN

EDITORIAL

TALKING NERDY

What is the worth of the student conduct code?

BY SATYA PUTUMBAKA putum003@d.umn.edu

with joe haeg “Gatecrash” pre-release

BY ZACK WEBSTER webst264@d.umn.edu

Just this last weekend I attended the prerelease for the new “Magic: The Gathering” set. You know, that one card game you might have casually played in middle school somewhere? Well, they’re still making it. Actually, this event marks the 60th expansion of the game, which will have its 20th anniversary this year. A little ridiculous, but it still remains the most popular collectible trading game and still draws thousands of people to tournaments and protours throughout the year. Last year’s winner of the pro-tour won 40 thousand dollars for playing the card game—and that’s just from the one tournament. It’s like paying someone millions of dollars to play a sport.

Veering back into “on topic” territory, I’ll admit that I myself am not all that into the game anymore.

It’s not so much that I don’t really enjoy the game (I do), but it is quite an expensive hobby—far too expensive for a poor college student like myself to be able to maintain. However, I do indulge myself every few months to get a preview of what the game looks like now.

A quick intro to those who don’t know the game: “Magic: The Gathering” is a card game where two people “cast” various magical spells and creatures in order to defeat their opponent. As I said before, the game has been around for 20 years, so the available cards number over 12 thousand. Any

detailing of the rules would take up far too much space and even I couldn’t accurately detail how intricate and complex the rules can be.

Once again veering back on the right track, I arrived at eleven o’clock in the morning at Dungeon’s End, a little hobby shop somewhere on the outskirts of Duluth. I should preface this by saying I am not a huge socialite.

I really don’t do too well in most social situations, probably due to my own shortcomings. To put simply, I really don’t get out too much. And, possibly a bit depressingly, this is one of those situations where I find myself fitting in. In any sense, I enjoyed myself. The event took a good six hours and I broke even as far as wins/losses.

The friends I went with all did better than me, but overall I had a good time and picked up a few new cards to add to my rather meager collection. For a quick review of the set for those more initiated: the mechanics seem fairly balanced and are clearly distinguishable from each other.

To end this ramble (and this one certainly did ramble) on an inviting note: the prereleases for “Magic: The Gathering” card collections are, in general, often the easiest times to get into the game.

The cards are new, so even veteran players are not incredibly familiar with them and the atmosphere is a lot less serious than actual tournaments. If you have any interest in playing, I would recommend trying to attend one of these.

When I noticed the administration’s email in my inbox with the imposing words “Student Conduct Code,” (blazing, like the fire on the Yule Log channel), I mildly thought two things: one, that this must be important, two, that this has no impact on my life. I clicked the link included while completely aware that there was no way I was going to read the document, despite all my free time.

Still, complacent as I am, the email struck something in me that kept my hand away from the “delete” button. There are obvious questions—since the email stated that the code was revised to include “provisions against bullying, sexual assault, and providing alcohol to minors,” among others, you have to wonder what was missing in it before. (Maybe three weeks ago, I could’ve sexually harassed my coworkers and totally gotten away with it.) Changes like these might always feel over-

due, but I think we all accept that bureaucracy is slow—and a lot of us even have fun complaining. But because this is change, it makes me wonder what spurred it.

The Vice Chancellor cited us, the UMD students, for creating this change—specifically for limiting bullying and sexual harassment. That we had an active role in this makes me think there was something we complained really well about. But if that is the case, the payback of entering extra lines into the student conduct code doesn’t feel as juicy or as satisfying as I must have once thought it would. Our school has problems, as every school likely does, and I’m certain that there was more highlighted this year. Something vaguely worrying in this email is that it feels like it’s supposed to be the administration’s answer to our complaints.

And honestly—this isn’t going to be the conclusion to our problems. The only writing I can possibly imagine getting less attention is the user agreement form iTunes

that pops up every other week. In the past few years, we’ve racked up a trail behind us of bizarre racially charged incidents and really embarrassing sexual harassment reports, among other things.

That we have more problems than an average school means that the responses from our school should be at least proportional to the issue. If there are real racial issues here, putting up posters for a couple months won’t help any more than a mass email. If there are real sexual harassment issues…

I’m actually not sure what the response is.

The student conduct code isn’t completely useless; it explicitly gives a standard for us kids to abide by, so we can’t claim to be blindsided after we get sanctioned for drinking beer outside Life Science. And as someone who once thought lawyers are cool, I believe in the value of legal documents.

But I would just hope that this addition to the code is part of a serious response to the issues it talks about.

The

Student Conduct Code

INTERNATIONAL ANALYSIS INTERNATIONAL ANALYSIS INTERNATIONAL ANALYSISINTERNATIONAL ANALY

The ongoing struggle over gun control

BY MICHAEL SCOTT scot0459@d.umn.edu

Guns have permeated American society. Consider this: the United States currently has more gun stores than grocery stores and McDonald’s restuarants combined.

Yes, in 2011, there were 51,438 gun shops across the United States compared with 36,536 grocery stores and 14,098 McDonald’s.

This reveals a deeper problem than gun control measures. While these measures will limit violence, guns are completely engrained in American culture.

The major difference between the United States and the rest of the

western world is the ability to enact gun legislation laws. For the rest of the world, gun control measures can be passed into law fairly easily. However, the United States has the right to bear arms clause in its constitution, something unique to the western world. Therefore, gun control is not simply a legislative issue as it is elsewhere, but a constitutional one, among the likes of free speech. Nonetheless, there are examples abroad that Americans should consider.

Australia has been seen by some as a model for the United States to follow. After a tragedy in 1996, where 35 people were killed by a gunman in Tasmania, the government enacted comprehensive gun control laws. This included the government purchasing guns from owners, stricter regulations, registration, and needing a “genuine reason” for buying the weapons.

Self-defense is not considered an acceptable reason for obtaining a firearm. The Australian laws have drastically reduced gun vio-

lence. As ABC reports, “In the last 16 years, the risk of dying by gunshot in Australia has fallen by more than 50 percent. The national rate of gun homicide is one-thirtieth that of the United States. And there hasn’t been a single mass shooting since Port Arthur.”

However successful the Australian model has been, the United States will have a more difficult time with gun control. This goes beyond the Constitution, but in regards to willingness. As Slate magazine explains, “In the wake of the tragedy (in Australia), polls showed public support for these measures at upwards of 90 percent.” Compare that with the United States. According to a recent Gallup, Inc. poll, only 53% of Americans are supportive of President Obama’s gun reforms— a very small majority.

According to an article in ABC, the most successful program of Australia’s reforms was the gun buyback. Approximately onesixth of Australia’s guns were willingly given up. However, this may be a cultural difference. As ABC News explains, “Australians’ willingness to give up their guns sug-

gests a fundamental difference between Australia and the United States’ gun cultures—and why Australia could be looked at for inspiration, rather than a model.” As Philip Alpers of GunPolicy.org told ABC, “Australians are predisposed toward not having guns.”

Yet, the United States can take meaningful action and use some of the models abroad. The “genuine reason” clause in Australia’s laws could not be enforced in the United States. Self-defense from government is the raison d’etre of the Second Amendment. This would require a constitutional amendment. But the United States could attempt a buyback. It’s worth trying.

Furthermore, Gallup has revealed that 91% of Americans do support criminal checks for all gun sales. Currently, purchases of used guns are exempt from these checks. In Canada, to obtain a firearms license, applicants must wait 28 days. These licenses require that two people vouch for the applicant, and that the applicant must also undergo safety

training courses.

In Australia, checks also require information about who the potential gun owner lives with. With overwhelming support in the U.S., criminal checks are a good start to gun control and could become a basis for broader action, such as Australia’s household check. Lastly, the restriction on assault weapons, which was already law between 1994 and 2004 is supported by 60% of Americans. There is no reason a regular citizen would need such a weapon.

The United States’ proposed legislation is a step in the right direction. Unlike other countries in the western world, the United States must tread carefully. Unlike Australia’s overwhelming consensus, the United States is still deeply divided over gun control in general. However, Gallup’s poll does reveal a broad consensus that some action is necessary. These steps would be useful in curbing gun violence. However, the United States will need to have serious discussions about the gun culture that continues to permeate its society.

ban?

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All letters must include the writer’s name, address and phone number for verification, not to publish. The Statesman reserves the right to edit all letters for style, space, libel and grammar. Letters should be no more than 300 words in length. Readers may also submit longer guest columns. The Statesman reserves the right to print any submission as a letter or guest column. Submission does not guarantee publication.

Opinion Editor / Satya Putumbaka / putum003@d.umn.edu

Jonesing on saving money One of the most common New Year’s resolutions is to save money (next to losing weight, of course, but let’s stick to the former for now). If you’re like me, you save for a few weeks and then wake up one day to the realization that the twenty dollars you planned to spend at the bar somehow doubled within the last few hours of the night. Now don’t fret, I will give you a few tips and tricks that will be sure to keep your bank account above negative. They might even save you some money to pay off those loans post-graduation.

One of the first things moneysavers will tell you to do is to track your spending. I don’t know about you guys, but it’s hard for me to write down every single time I swipe my card. My advice is to get text-banking. Wells Fargo and TCF offer a service where you can use text commands such as BAL to view your balance and ACT to view recent activity. It is quite brilliant. I suggest checking your

“BAL” at the end of every week or before you make purchases to keep up with your accounts. That way, you won’t be charged those pesky overdraft fees.

Speaking of overdraft fees, if you refuse to check your balance regularly, there is a better solution than spending seventy-five dollars on that forty-dollar dress. Link your checking account with your savings account and if you happen to overdraft, it will come straight from your savings. No overdraft fees. Certain banks charge a yearly fee for this service, but it’s usually around ten to twelve dollars.

Now, for those of you who are looking to save up for a soon-tocome vacation (e.g. spring break), here are some tips that will save you a few hundred come March.

If you save around one hundred dollars out of every paycheck (two weeks) you’ll have about three hundred come spring break. Personally, I use my debit card like its going out of style. If you’re like this as well, put that hundo in a safe box or a piggy bank (piggy-shape optional) and forget about it until

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the next hundred you put in. Just don’t touch it.

That way, when you’re ready to head out to whatever warm place you’re off to, you’ll have some cash to take with you that you probably forgot about! How great is that?

Just don’t tell your sketchy friends where you put it.

All right, kids, we’re almost done, so hang in there. The last thing I want to touch on is longterm savings. I sincerely hope you are all better at this than most college students (including myself). If you do have a savings account that is linked to a checking account, start a completely separate savings account and label it in your mind “long-term.” Which means, like the piggy, you do NOT take anything out, only put in.

For us kids who don’t earn much, about 10% of every paycheck is a good amount to start putting in without feeling like we might not be able to feed our cats.

This should get you a pretty good nest egg until you get a big-girl-job and can save even more.

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SPORTS

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30

B1

Sports Editor / Kyle Farris / farri060@d.umn.edu

Making a statement Bulldogs top ninth-ranked Buckeyes to grab share of second place

SPORTS BRIEF Track and field Junior Kelsi Ring and freshman Kaelyn Williams headlined UMD’s weekend at the Minnesota State University, Mankato Open with respective first-place performances. Taking top honors in the 60-meter hurdles was Ring, who edged fellow Bulldog Chanel Miller by just .002 seconds with a time of 9.0342. Williams posted the winning clip in the 5,000 meter, with teammate Kara Thul earning runner-up.

Junior Kaitlin Hassing placed second in the 800-meter run, as did UMD sophomore Tatum Garritty in the 600-meter. Next up is the Border Battle meet with Wisconsin-Superior and St. Scholastica on Saturday.

Schedule A look at the week ahead for UMD Athletics.

All events are subject to change.

Men’s Hockey STATESMAN ARCHIVES

Two wins over Ohio State last weekend lifted UMD to a tie for second in the WCHA with Wisconsin. The Bulldogs did not allow a goal in a home sweep of the Badgers in October.

BY KYLE FARRIS farri060@d.umn.edu

Head coach Shannon Miller stood outside the locker room at Amsoil Arena on Jan. 18 and insisted her team was primed to take over second place in the conference. It was hardly a week before her remark came to fruition.

With a road sweep of nationally ranked Ohio State over the weekend to extend its unbeaten streak to 10, UMD (13-8-3, 12-71 WCHA) jumped the Buckeyes in the standings and catapulted itself from fourth place in the conference to a tie with Wisconsin for second.

“We’ve been having team goalsetting sessions and that’s one goal that we (made) as a team,” said assistant coach Steve Macdonald, whose club cracked the national polls this week at No. 10. “It’s definitely a nice reward for players to be able to see kind of the fruits of

their labor.”

Despite scoring a combined three goals in their first series with Ohio State, the Bulldogs had no trouble in the offensive zone Friday.

Jessica Wong started the scoring just 41 seconds into the contest with a goal off a rebound, her sixth of the season, but Ohio State landed the equalizer at the midway mark of the opening period.

The offensive display intensified in the second frame, with sophomore defenseman Bridgette Lacquette twice finding the back of the net and freshman winger Aleksandra Vafina scoring once to stake UMD to a 4-3 advantage at intermission.

Lacquette completed her first career hat-trick with a power-play goal less than a minute into the third period, doubling UMD’s cushion.

The Buckeyes tallied a pair of quick strikes to draw even with roughly 13 minutes to play, but

Zoe Hickel and Vanessa Thibault promptly responded with goals for the Bulldogs, preserving the 7-5 victory.

“We’re getting a lot of quality scoring chances; we’re sharing the puck well,” Macdonald said of the offense, which has been weathering injuries for most of the year.

“We’re finally having some consistency with our lines.”

After making 28 saves while allowing five goals in game one— tying her season high—goaltender Kayla Black faired considerably better Saturday afternoon.

Black allowed just two goals in the contest, both of which came on the power play, and bought the UMD offense plenty of time to work through a slow start.

The Bulldogs were blanked on eight shots in the first period, but erupted in the second frame for their third three-goal period of the weekend.

Sophomore winger Jenna McParland was the first to reach

the score sheet, taking advantage of a two-on-one break for her eighth of the year.

Hickel extended the UMD advantage two minutes later, lighting the lamp on a 5-3 power play.

Brienna Gillanders provided the bookend for the five-minute scoring barrage with another powerplay goal three minutes after Hickel’s.

The Buckeyes chipped away at their deficit to pull within one in the final period, but Black refused to surrender the 3-2 lead.

“I think the biggest thing is the players are buying into the game plan,” Macdonald said. “You see them develop a bond as a team and their work ethic and their commitment to the little things has really helped us put this streak together.”

UMD will put its chain of recent success on the line against the top team in the country this weekend, when the team travels to Minneapolis to take on undefeated Minnesota.

University of Denver Amsoil Arena Friday/Saturday, 7:07 p.m.

Women’s Hockey Minnesota Minneapolis, Minn.

Fri., 6 p.m.; Sat., 2 p.m.

Men’s Basketball Augustana Sioux Falls, S.D. Friday, 8 p.m.

Wayne State Wayne, Neb. Saturday, 6 p.m.

Women’s Basketball Augustana Sioux Falls, S.D. Friday, 6 p.m.

Wayne State Wayne, Neb. Saturday, 4 p.m.

Track and Field Border Battle Superior, Wis. Saturday, 11 a.m.

UMD prevails against scrappy amateur team

BY EVAN SMEGAL smega001@d.umn.edu

Saturday’s game for the University of Minnesota Duluth men’s hockey team felt nothing like an exhibition game.

After suffering a 5-1 loss to Colorado College its last time out, UMD looked determined and set the tone early on their way to a 3-1 victory over the U.S. National Under-18 team in front of 5,920 fans at Amsoil Arena.

“It was a hard-fought game and I liked how we played for 60 minutes, head coach Scott Sandelin said.

Play got chippy during the second period. Seventeen out of 20 penalties were called in the final two periods.

“It was a physical game,” Justin Crandall said. “We all know the WCHA is a physical league.”

Added Crandall, “Exhibition game or not, we want to go out there and win.”

A look inside Amsoil Arena and the team nobody is talking about, B2

The animosity began when Tony Camranesi had a breakaway opportunity but lost control of the puck just before the net, slamming into U-18 goaltender Thatcher Demko.

Chaos erupted and seven penalties were handed out during the scrum at the net.

Later in second, U-18’s Michael McCarron was tossed for hitting Tim Smith from behind and John Hayden was also ejected for contact to the head near the end of the game.

The physical play didn’t slow the Bulldogs (10-11-3, 8-7-3 WCHA) down as they pounced early.

Senior winger Mike Seidel continued to find ways to score, sneaking his backhand shot through the five-hole to give to Bulldogs the advantage at the 6:24 mark in the opening frame.

The US-18 team was able to square the game at one nearly 90 seconds into the second period on a power-play goal by McCarron.

However, it wouldn’t last for

ALEX LEONE/STATESMAN

UMD Bulldog Tony Cameranesi gets tackled to the ice after knocking over the the U.S. National Under-18 goaltender during an exhibition game on Jan. 26.

long, as Justin Crandall provided the eventual game winner and Caleb Herbert would add an insurance goal in the third on a two-man advantage.

Virtually everyone saw ice time for UMD including all three goalies sharing equal time in the net.

Together the Bulldog net minders stopped 24 of the 25 shots they faced.

“It was nice to get guys in there who don’t play much,” Crandall

said. “Our goalies provided a lot of energy for us today.”

The following day, Team USA easily dispelled Wisconsin-Superior 7-1 and improved its record against collegiate opponents to 10-6-4 (6-5-2 versus Division I competition).

“They are a very good hockey team, Scott Sandelin said. “It’s nice to play a team of this caliber instead of having the weekend off.

Everyone played well and we know

it will get tougher from here on out.”

Of their six remaining series, four of those opponents are ranked in the top 15, including a showdown with the top-ranked Gophers near the end of February.

The Bulldogs will remain home at Amsoil Arena with a series against No. 10 Denver this weekend.

Sports Editor /Kyle Farris / farri0060@d.umn.edu

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30

B2

Game days at Amsoil a major production

BY JEREMY SCHENDEL schen204@d.umn.edu

As soon as a goal is scored at a UMD home hockey game, organized chaos erupts in the production room at Amsoil Arena.

“It can get pretty crazy and loud in here,” said Will Seifert, who runs the replay system for Bulldog hockey games. “So communication is a big part of our job.”

All of the videos and graphics displayed on the big screen at Amsoil Arena are created from a production room located right next to the press box. Thanks to the production crew, and various cameras located throughout the arena, replays and graphics are created that can be instantly viewed by the crowd.

There are eight workers in the production room during games.

Each worker is in charge of a different aspect of production. There are positions for replay, technical directing, graphics, music and a producer who makes sure everything flows well. Each worker wears a headset, which allows him or her to communicate more effi-

ciently during the games.

In the production room, there is a four-panel LED video board that controls all video operations in the arena. Three stationary cameras are located in various spots in the arena, one at center ice and one on each side of the ice. There are numerous other cameras in the arena, including a rover camera.

The rover camera is taken around to get crowd shots, starting lineups, promotional shots and more.

All of these cameras feed into a technical directing system called Broadcast Pix. This system allows workers to switch back and forth between cameras to get the shots that they need. All of the animation graphics and video clips are housed through this system as well.

Next to the Broadcast Pix system is a replay system that is run

by Will Seifert. While the game is going on, Seifert works to capture highlights such as a big hit or a goal. When a goal is scored, the crew turns to Seifert to produce the replay.

“I edit and save clips throughout the game so when they tell me they

need a replay, it’s ready to go,” Seifert said.

There is also a separate graphics computer that works in conjunction with the Broadcast Pix system. It is used to create live graphics and overlays such as names and stats. A.J. Liskiewicz and Trisha Holmes, both graphic design majors at UMD, run the graphics computer. Most of their work is done in the week leading up to the games, but they are sometimes called upon to think fast during the action.

“Sometimes we have to make graphics on the fly for birthdays and other events,” Holmes said.

Even though there is a lot of work to do on game nights, the production team starts preparing for the games at the beginning of the week.

“I type the script up on Monday and we have a meeting on Tuesday,” said Brian Nystrom, marketing coordinator at UMD. “The script can change every day up until the game.”

The script tells the crew members which videos and graphics are supposed to be played at specific

ALEX LEONE/STATESMAN

While thousands of fans direct their attention to the ice, a completely different game is unfolding behind the scenes.

points in the game. The team then has to adapt to the script accordingly during the game.

Although the production crew does not work at the away games, some members attend them to see how other schools work their video production and to develop new ideas and techniques.

“We will sometimes go as a marketing staff to visiting games to see other production elements,” Nystrom said. “Last year we went to Wisconsin and this year we went

to North Dakota to see how their production team executes a game.”

Production at Amsoil Arena is used for both men and women’s games, but hockey is the only sport at UMD with the luxury of this system.

From when the puck is dropped until the final whistle blows, the production crew is busy at work.

One thing is for sure: there is a lot of effort put in behind the scenes at each UMD home hockey game.

UMD finds mixed results in trip to North Dakota

BY KYLE FARRIS farri060@d.umn.edu

STATESMAN ARCHIVES

Forty-four points on the weekend from Jake Hottenstine helped UMD halt its losing streak, but not its offensive struggles.

On their North Dakota swing over the weekend, the Bulldogs managed to snap a five-game losing skid, but the team left the state hoping they hadn’t just started another.

A 44-point weekend from senior guard Jake Hottenstine was not enough to propel UMD (5-12, 3-10 NSIC) to a pair of wins, and the club instead had to be content with a split after following up their first victory in three weeks Friday with a loss Saturday.

It was Hottenstine and junior center Brett Ervin who helped the Bulldogs to an early lead over Mary University Friday, collaborating for 22 of the team’s 32 firsthalf points.

UMD dominated the Marauders in the opening minutes for an 8-2 lead, and never trailed in the contest.

Mary clawed back to tie the game at 11, but a 10-0 run by the Bulldogs quickly shifted the momentum.

In what was an even battle across most of the stat sheet, the Bulldogs rode a modest advantage in shooting (48 percent to Mary’s 42) to an

eight-point halftime lead.

Ervin led all scorers with 13 in the first frame, but UMD turned to a different cast of players for offense in the second half.

Hottenstine sank 13 of his gamehigh 22 after the break and junior guard Peter Crawford dropped in 11 of his 13—his largest output in two seasons—to mitigate Ervin’s quiet second half.

The Bulldogs limited the Marauders to only three points from the free-throw line and zero second-chance baskets to craft a lead that peaked at 11 in the second stanza.

Mary sliced the deficit to five inside of a minute, but UMD had few qualms cementing the 64-55 victory and a season sweep of the Marauders.

UMD didn’t have long to enjoy its fifth win of the year, finding stiff competition in its first trip to Minot State in the Beavers’ maiden season in the NSIC. After a sluggish start at the offensive end of the floor, the Bulldogs found their footing midway through the first half, eventually taking a 20-15 lead at the conclusion of an 8-0 run.

Minot State returned the favor by opening a five-point lead of its

own, but UMD ended the seesaw first half with a 3-point play from Crawford to remain three clear of the Beavers.

Hottenstine was impressive for a second consecutive night, knocking down 10-13 attempts on the evening, but managed only three of his game-high 23 points after the break.

It didn’t take long into the second half for Minot State to catch the Bulldogs, as the Beavers regained the advantage with a string of buckets early in the frame.

While bringing down UMD’s shooting percentage from the first half and improving upon their own, the Beavers led by as many as five and held an edge for the bulk of the second half.

The final six minutes of play featured three ties, including a 58-58 line with 1:44 to play after Reece Zoelle connected from beyond the arc, but the Beavers sealed the 62-58 final with two late buckets of their own.

UMD will look to get back in the win column as they continue their road trip with dates at Augustana College and Wayne State this Friday and Saturday.

Bulldogs drop two for second straight weekend

BY KYLE FARRIS farri060@d.umn.edu

After avoiding back-to-back defeats for the first two months of the season, the UMD women’s basketball team has now lost backto-back games in successive weeks.

Playing against the University of Mary and Minot State, two clubs they had beaten by double digits at Romano Gym earlier this month, the Bulldogs (10-8, 7-7 NSIC) failed to establish an offensive rhythm on the road in falling to both teams over the weekend.

A spotty shooting performance in the early portion of the first half Friday pitted the Bulldogs in a 21-12 hole and forced the team to play catch-up with the Marauders.

That’s exactly what UMD managed to do, taking a 22-21 edge when a 10-0 run momentarily recharged the Bulldogs’ dormant offense.

It wasn’t long before UMD got cold from the floor again. The Bulldogs went the final seven minutes of the first half without making a field goal and saw a brief lead become a 30-23 halftime deficit.

“All season we’ve been getting good looks,” junior forward Katrina Newman said. “But we

just have to put the ball in the basket.”

Roles were reversed at the beginning of the second frame, with Mary mustering only one bucket in the first nine minutes of secondhalf play.

The Bulldogs forged a 33-33 tie at the 11-minute mark, but could never overcome their sporadic offense.

In spite of a game-high 23 points from Newman, UMD failed to rectify its shooting woes in taking a 63-53 loss at the hands of the Marauders.

Saturday presented another opportunity for the Bulldogs to get back on track, but poor offensive execution continued to plague UMD—a problem that was only compounded by starters Hannah Rutten and Courtney Doucette being sidelined.

A day after turning in their second-worst shooting performance of the year Friday at 23 percent, the Bulldogs registered a slightly more respectable clip of 38 percent in the first half against Minot State.

UMD scored the first eight points and stretched its lead to double figures midway through the half, but the Beavers whittled the

lead to five, 29-24, by the break.

Newman paced the UMD offense once again, scoring 15 of her season-high 26 in the first frame.

With the Bulldogs shooting just 27 percent after halftime, Minot State slowly clawed back and took its first lead with nine minutes to play.

It was at the nine-minute mark when UMD incurred yet another blow to its lineup, as sophomore guard Alyssa Kerkhoff fouled out.

Down by four with just 13 seconds to play, Newman sank her third 3-pointer of the night to pull the Bulldogs within a single point.

The Beavers missed an ensuing pair of free throws, but sophomore guard Danielle Flood’s jumper at the buzzer was off the mark, sending UMD to a 52-51 loss and its fourth defeat in a row.

“It’s very rare for a college athlete to miss two free throws at the end of a game, so we got lucky there,” Newman said. “We got a shot off; I guess that’s all you can hope for.”

Stops at Augustana College and Wayne State await the Bulldogs this Friday and Saturday, with the team still searching for its first win since Jan. 15.

STATESMAN ARCHIVES

A surge in the final minute Saturday could not prevent the Bulldogs from losing their fourth in a row.

OUTDOORS

Outdoors Editor / Eric Lemke / lemke082@d.umn.edu

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30

B3

Deep cold Musings from a Duluthian

BY ERIC LEMKE lemke082@d.umn.edu

Hartley hosts winter festivities ALEX LEONE/STATESMAN

(Left to right) Sara Vallie, Kristen Hill and Kate Mills get ready to clip-in and ski at Hartley Nature Center for the 7th annual candlelight ski on Jan. 26.

BY ERIC LEMKE Lemke082@d.umn.edu

Savoring the relatively warm temperatures after last week’s deep freeze, Duluthians gathered at Hartley Nature Center on Jan. 26 for its seventh annual candlelit ski and snowshoe event.

The event drew people from all around Duluth to the nature center, where they enjoyed candlelit cross-country ski trails, snowshoeing, and ice skating on Hartley pond. The event was concluded by a dinner served inside the center.

Jenni Stafford, a volunteer at Hartley Nature Center, said that

despite the biting cold weather that winter can bring, there are still several outdoor activities to try.

“It’s fun to get out, and there are a lot of different fun activities to do,” Stafford said as she helped assign guests snowshoes and cross-country skis.

The nighttime event is put on every year to show membership appreciation, but it is also open to the public. It helps Hartley Nature Center promote its mission of getting the community engaged in the outdoors.

“It allows people to come out as a community and enjoy nature together,” said Stafford.

The wafting smells of dinner and campfire smoke mingled in the nature center building as people dished up heaping mounds of food after warming up by the fire.

Patrick Cox, an event attendee, grew up in North Dakota and said he didn’t have these kinds of activities available to him growing up.

“There isn’t a whole lot to do there,” said Cox as he worked his way into a pair of snowshoes. “And it gets to be a long winter with nothing to do.”

For some community members, Hartley Nature Center represents a way of life and the community that surrounds it. Eric Holmstrom is a Hartley member and says the

2013-14

nature center is integral to his family’s lifestyle.

“For us, it’s just a way of life,” said Holmstrom. “I think it’s nice to see everyone come together and it’s a pretty close-knit community.”

Kate Mills, who also attended the event, spent the night skiing on the trails with a few friends. She said this was an opportunity to enjoy some quality time together that their busy schedules don’t usually allow.

A few fresh inches of snow and mild temperatures meant good skiing for Mills.

“It’s going to be perfect,” said Mills as she headed out on the trail.

There’s an old Minnesotan saying that goes, If you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes. Oh, how true this has been for the past two weeks. From freezing rain to bitter temperatures cold enough to form those “snotsicles” hanging from the end of your nose (and then back to rain again), this January has been kind enough to grace us with a full spectrum of wintery pleasures.

We Minnesotans have become accustomed to these new-millennium winters, which are not very reminiscent of our childhood winters but are still brutal enough to make us scoff when Los Angeles complains about its relatively tropic mid-fifties “cold.” The mix of snow and ice combines every year to turn our roads into skating rinks and our ski hills into glaciers, and keep us praying that our cars will sputter to life every morning before driving to school.

Yet, despite the constant flux that Minnesota weather offers, we love to get outside and enjoy it.

Two weeks ago our great state celebrated its heritage with Minnesota Hockey Day. There, fans stood in sub-zero temperatures to watch numb hockey players battle in a gladiatorial ring of frozen ice in the middle of Pokegama Lake. And just this past weekend, the little known but well-respected Arrowhead 135 Ultra Endurance Race—a 135-mile race from International Falls to Tower, Minn.—pitted bikers, skiers and runners against the elements.

It’s these kinds of events that help us enjoy the natural beauty of this state during its worst conditions. They let us gloat to the rest of the country that we are way tougher than they are. We have a strong and proud heritage of celebrating our statehood by doing things that no self-respecting normal person would do in three feet of snow and negative 20-degree temperatures. And that is something I think we should all be proud of.

STUDENT LIFE

Student Life Editor / Kaitlin Lokowich / lokow003@d.umn.edu

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30

B4

Winter camping for a cause

ALEX LEONE/UMD STATESMAN

Aaron Sattler and Missy McCoy brace for the cold for one more night on Jan. 21 (top left). Bundled up to the nose, Missy McCoy wore multiple layers to keep warm (right).

Sunrise view from Sattler and McCoy’s tent (bottom left). Bottom left, middle, and right photos submitted.

BY KATIE LOKOWICH Lokow003@d.umn.edu

Three pairs of wool socks, two pairs of sweatpants, a t-shirt, a long sleeve shirt, a sweatshirt, a hat, and gloves. These are the layers it took for Aaron Sattler and Missy McCoy to stay warm while they slept outside to raise money for the non-profit organization, SocMed. “The organization SocMed is something we’re just really passionate about,” said Missy McCoy, a UMD medical student and onehalf of the fundraising team.

SocMed is a non-profit group that advocates and implements global health education founded on the study of social medicine.

“The mission of the organization is focusing on the social determinants of health,” McCoy said. “So digging a little deeper than, ‘Oh you have a virus and that’s why you have a sickness.’ It’s (more) like, ‘What exposed you to the virus? Do you not have enough money to get a regular checkup?’

Just starting those conversations.”

The organization focuses on the ways in which social determinants of health, like not being able to

sleep in a warm bed, can impact the health and wellbeing of individuals and society. SocMed runs an immersion course in Gulu, Uganda that incorporates modern medical teaching styles with an understanding of the socioeconomic, cultural, political and historical underpinnings of illness.

“You could say that someone’s illness is the biology going on, the bacteria they have,” said Aaron Sattler, a nurse at St. Luke’s and the other half of the fundraising team. “Or you could say the cause is the economics that set up the situation that exposed them to the bacteria—the fact that they don’t have clean drinking water.”

McCoy was inspired to help when she attended one of SocMed’s fundraising nights in the Twin Cities.

“There were (about) 10 people there and I was like, ‘What can I do to help you guys? Is it okay if I do something and put your name on it.’ And they said, ‘We’d love that.’” McCoy said.

SocMed focuses on three “P’s”: personal, partnership, and praxis.

Specifically, partnership in forming relationships with communities and Ugandan students, personal realization that where you

come from matters, and praxis, meaning you live what you believe.

“So we thought, ‘Why not live what we believe in?’” McCoy said.

“I had a cold and my voice was sore every morning, and we didn’t get good sleep for a month. It was pretty rough sometimes, but that was the way to live what we believe and put our money where our mouth is.”

McCoy and Sattler set a goal of raising $2,000 by Feb. 14, and set up profiles on indiegogo.com and Facebook to promote their venture.

“It was just kind of an arbitrary number,” McCoy said. “They’re not using that specific $2,000 for anything but the site works in a way where you have to pay a tiny bit of interest if you don’t reach your goal. So we wanted to make it somewhat attainable.”

In the first 25 days the two raised about $800, but it was the 20-degrees below zero night last week that helped push them to their $2,000 goal.

“We had bundled up to the max on the night it was negative 20,” Sattler said. “So we were a bit worried because 20 more degrees downward was going to be a bit much for us. But then that’s the

day before we made our goal.”

Many of their donations were given anonymously.

“Our biggest (donation) was $200, and we have no idea who it was,” McCoy said.

The money they raised will go towards a few different things for SocMed. It will fund scholarships for Ugandan students and it will help the organization start branches in Liberia and Haiti.

“We were really humbled, I guess. A lot of the time we found ourselves being like, ‘Why are you donating money to us? You don’t even know us,’” McCoy said.

Even small donations helped motivate McCoy and Sattler to brave the cold, and after awhile it seemed strange not to sleep outside in their tent.

“We kind of got used to it; it’s weird sleeping inside now,” Sattler said.

While the two are now back to sleeping inside warm walls, their experience sleeping outside gave them a chance to think about the important things in their own lives.

“Just the fact that there really are people sleeping outside,” McCoy said. “Like that night where it was negative 40, there were people in

Duluth sleeping outside.”

With a tarp, a couple of blankets, sleeping mats, sleeping bags, and more blankets on top, the two still struggled to get a solid night’s sleep.

“The sleep was horrible,” Sattler said. “It wasn’t super restful so even if you got a full however many hours, you still woke up kind of tired and just like drained.”

McCoy made sure to keep up on posting pictures to their Facebook page, trying to make people feel like a part of the experience.

“Everyday we had an update, and a medical statistic that went along with that number,” McCoy said.

The two were excited to reach their $2,000 goal, but it doesn’t stop there. Donations are still welcome until Feb. 14, and more information on SocMed can be found on their indiegogo site: www.indiegogo.com/sleepoutforsocmed.

“We’re just really passionate about their work, and they’re a really small organization,” McCoy said.

Looking for part time employment specialists to assist clients with barriers at their community work sites / community integration. Employment Links, a support agency.

Call Carla or Michelle at:

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Males and females encouraged to apply!

Student Life Editor / Kaitlin Lokowich / lokow003@d.umn.edu

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30

PAUL BLAKELY/SUBMITTED UMD THEATRE

Tyler Goebel and Maria DePesa take on a modern spin of Romeo and Juliet in the student-run production.

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PAUL BLAKELY/SUBMITTED UMD THEATRE

UMD students Tyler Goebel and Maria DePesa dance to the music of Daft Punk on Jan. 28 during rehearsal.

Romeo and Juliet: digital love

BY MAEGGIE LICHT licht096@d.umn.edu

Colleen Dunleap’s sunshinecolored hair shined from underneath a bright blue scarf, and her grin spread from ear to ear. Her creation, “Romeo and Juliet: A Daft Punk Ballet” debuts Jan. 31 at 7:30 p.m. at Marshall Performing Arts Center.

Dunleap, UMD senior and theatre major, came up with the concept for her show by journaling for a dance composition class. She listened to the soundtrack of “Tron: Legacy”—a movie with a score written by the band Daft Punk—as she wrote, and her brainchild was conceived.

“I was listening to ‘Tron,’ and I just imagined how beautiful a classical ballet would be to it,” Dunleap said. “My professor gave me nice feedback on the idea, and the next year, I applied for a UROP (Undergraduate Research Opportunities Project).”

After finishing her UROP, she decided to try to get the show on stage. She applied for the opportunity to direct her show through Stage II, a student-run organization where students direct, act, and facilitate three plays and one cabaret per year. “Romeo and Juliet: A Daft Punk Ballet” was chosen as this year’s cabaret.

The show received a small stipend to create sets, but the real

challenge was taking the show from a UROP to reality.

“Writing it for a UROP, I imagined it with unlimited supplies,” Dunleap said. “Then I started doing it without any money. There were a lot of changes that had to be made (when) taking it from dream-stage to live-stage.”

One main objective in doing so was to make sure the show was accessible. She didn’t want the show to fall into a theater-only or dance-only niche.

“People don’t come to the theatre as often as they should,” Dunleap said. “I wanted to give people a chance to feel welcome. It’s only an hour long. You could take a homework break to come see it.”

Dunleap chose the story of Romeo and Juliet because many people have already studied the plot in school. For her production, she infused her own vision as a director into the famous story.

“Part of it is that I’m a gigantic feminist,” Dunleap said. “I love the idea of strong women taking charge. Juliet is a stronger character. She’s often played as a soft, gentle character, but she’s a feisty one. It’s just more hidden.”

Though the title reads “ballet,” the dancing is not ballet. Instead, it is a dance that tells a story, like many ballets do. Dunleap wants the dancers to bring the story to life. To give an organic feel to the story, she has the cast do improvi-

sational movement.

Tyler Goebel, a freshman in the UMD musical theatre program, plays Romeo. He says he has had a great experience with the cast— unlike anything he’s done before.

“It’s an experience with the lights, and the music, and the dance, and the story,” he said. “All of it together has come into one beautiful piece. It’s a once in a lifetime kind of show.”

“Romeo and Juliet: A Daft Punk Ballet” runs Jan. 31 to Feb. 2 with shows at 7:30 p.m. in the Dudley Experimental Theater (in Marshall Performing Arts Center). Tickets are free, with an encouraged fivedollar donation that helps fund Stage II.

Battle of the Bots

CARL VAN CLEVE/SUBMITTED

BY CARL VAN CLEVE vancl019@d.umn.edu

The outlook was bleak. UMD’s gladiator was helpless in the middle of the ring. Trapped.

Completely unable to move as the opponent closed in, whirling viciously, ready to destroy everything and everyone unfortunate enough to get in the way. CRASH! The crowd gasped and cheered at the gruesome display as a chunk of the champion flew into the air. The foe turned around, ready to deliver another brutal attack. BAM! This collision sent the mangled remains of the warrior flying across the arena where it crashed into the wall.

It was over almost before it even began. Scorpio was defeated.

Such was the fate of UMD’s first battle bot.

“Battle bots are fighting combat robots,” said Anthony Landaeta, co-president of the UMD battle bot club. “You have a robot that’s built to destroy these other robots, and there are competitions all over the country,” he said.

The club is fairly new to UMD, making its debut in 2010. It has been a draw to engineering students ever since. In the club’s first year, students built the robot “Scorpio” and entered it into the national tournament in Miami, Florida, where it did not fare well.

Colin Downing, current member and former co-president of the club, explained how the 2010-2011 members wanted to enter the tournament. They quickly assembled a robot, only to receive a rude awakening once they sent it into the ring. “They were working until

three in the morning every morning for a month straight to get done, and when they went down to the competition it was a spectacular failure,” Downing said.

Their failure was not in vain, though. The students have learned from their mistakes, and are determined to do better in the 2013 tournament. “They built a bot the first year out of basically nothing,” Downing said. “They threw it together very quickly. It wasn’t so much engineering as it was just building something, and this time around we’re actually engineering something.”

There are several different types of battle bots, including “spinner bots” that spin at high speeds in order to tear other robots apart, “wedge bots” that ram into other robots, “flipper bots,” which incorporate a forklift-style arm to try to flip opponents, and “drum bots,” which use a high-powered rolling pin with attached blades that are meant to slice other robots. For the past three semesters, members of the club have been designing their new robot for the national tournament in April.

A great deal of effort goes into designing and building these machines, and most of it requires some knowledge in engineering.

“You wouldn’t believe how many guys with Ph.D.s are fascinated by these,” says Downing. He and his fellow club members have come up with a new design that they hope will be more formidable than the late Scorpio, which was a flipper bot. This year, they know what to expect, and can plan accordingly.

Scorpio’s downfall was its flipping

arm. When trying to move around the tiled arena, the arm slipped into cracks in the floor, immobilizing the robot. The new and improved robot, dubbed “Mustachio,” will have no such trouble.

“This year’s design is essentially a rectangular box with wheels and a large spinning blade on top,” says Landaeta. “Almost an upside down lawn mower.”

Building these bots requires knowledge in both mechanical and electrical engineering, but that is not to say that only engineers are welcome to the club. Take it from Nathan Gerdes, the club’s only communications major, and one of only two non-engineering members. “It’s a good group of people and it’s fun to work with (them),” Gerdes said. “It’s pretty inclusive.

If you don’t know a ton about engineering stuff, like me, everyone’s still really nice and you can learn from what they are doing.” Gerdes has contributed to the club by brainstorming at meetings, as well as proposing fundraising ideas— though most of the club’s money has come from contributions from various departments within the school.

The club is done designing Mustachio now, and they have begun the early stages of building. By the time the new robot is finished, it will have been one and a half years in the making, cost almost $6,000, and will weigh close to 120 pounds. Hopefully, come April, it will be ready to redeem the failings of its predecessor, and bring balance back to the force.

fe i n t L e d u St

WEDNESDAY, JANAURY 30

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