APRIL 8, 2014
College of Engineering looks to make changes to student computing needs TESSA MAUER Lode Writer Consider this: some of the college students of our parents’ generation worked through their coursework using typewriters. Nowadays, formal education is not possible without access to the latest technological devices, complex programs, and reliable supporting resources. So what is the best way to help students access these high-tech needs? The College of Engineering is currently exploring potential changes in the structure of student computing within the College in order to answer precisely that question. During an open student forum hosted on Wed., April 2, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs in the College of Engineering, Leonard Bohmann, introduced three potential options of how to spend tuition money in regards to improving student computing. In one scenario, all incoming students would be required to purchase their own laptop equipped with IT-specified minimum hardware requirements. Because these laptops would be considered a part of the cost of attendance, they would be eligible to be covered by financial aid. This type of “Hard Requirement” is in use by schools such as
News:
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Eighty-six students attended the College of Engineering open forum to address student computing needs.
Georgia Tech, Northern Michigan, Ferris and Michigan State. In a second scenario, students would be given a “Soft Requirement,” meaning that
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Student Org Spotlight: Permanent Floating Riot Club
they would not be required to purchase a laptop, but would be responsible for guaranteeing that they have 24/7 access to specific software programs. In this
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case, funding would be directed towards improving and increasing the number of university-provided resources, such as desktops
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A creative solution to Michigan Tech’s plateau tuition
Photo by Pratik Joshi
Continued on page 2
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2 Tuesday, April 8 NEWS College of Engineering Continued from front page and furniture. This differs from the hard requirement scenario in which more money would be spent on upgrading wireless internet availability and access to software programs.
“Unfortunately, no singular solution can equally benefit and please every student.” Finally, the option remains to leave student computing to function “as is” or at the current status. As reported in a summary of this scenario, “IT will continue to apply resources to desktop hardware and support thereof...The number and variety of software currently available for installation on a student’s personal computer will be drastically reduced.” In other words, funding will continue to be directed at updating and improving university-provided resources, similar to that in the second scenario. In an iClicker poll of the 86 students in attendance of the meeting, 45 percent voted to continue with the status quo, 27 percent opted for the soft requirement,
and 23 percent wished to see the hard requirement put into action. The remaining 5 percent of students did not cast a vote for any of the three choices. Common concerns voiced during the meeting included feeling uncomfortable bringing laptops to campus (due to personal information stored on the computer, risk of damage in various labs, etc.), issues related to memory storage, charging needs, processing speed, and internet connection of desktops and laptops, and the limited availability of computers on campus. Some students offered alternative solutions, such as supplying a laptop rental service for the duration of one year. This is something that the College had not yet considered, but will discuss in future meetings. Certainly, after reading each scenario, you’ve already started to form an opinion of the best option. However, it should be noted that each alternative comes with a long list of advantages and disadvantages that may not be apparent after a brief overview of the choices. You are urged to more fully explore the potential pros
and cons of each choice before forming a firmly-set position on this issue of computing. In addition, it’s important to consider that while students of the College of Engineering all study engineering- each
“In an iClicker poll of the 86 students in attendance of the meeting, 45 percent voted to continue with the status quo, 27 percent opted for the soft requirement, and 23 percent wished to see the hard requirement put into action.” leads a vastly different academic life and therefore has greatly varying needs and wants when it comes to computing resources. Unfortunately, no singular solution can equally benefit and please every student.
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While the College of Engineering is not planning to host anymore student forums, IT is planning campus-wide meetings in which the topic may be further discussed. It is important for students of all majors to voice their questions and concerns, as the College of Sciences and Arts and the three other Schools are also considering making changes to how students compute on campus. Specifically for the College of Engineering, a special committee will continue to discuss each scenario until they decide on the best option to recommend to the Department Chairs and the Dean of the College. While IT was not involved in the student forum, their future input will be considered before the decision of the Chairs and Dean is sent to the Provost for final approval. The decision on how to conduct student computing will be made early this summer so that admissions can begin recruiting material for the 2015-2016 school year. Should a new plan be selected, it will go into effect for the 2015 class of first year students in the College of Engineering.
Fair labor practices, workers to strike Friday Settlement reached in case involving Moyle Construction and its workers KATELYN WAARA News Editor Employees from Moyle Construction, a local commercial construction, property developer and general contracting company, sued their employer for allegedly and illegally diverting money meant for workers’ pension funds and were recently awarded the money they were owed. In February, Moyle was ordered by federal court to pay over $450,000 to cover lost contributions and opportunity costs. Originally involving dozens of workers who were employed by Moyle as laborers and construction mechanics, the suit covered four years of unpaid retirement pension funds of the workers involved in construction of Federal Davis-Bacon or State Prevailing Wage projects between 2009 and 2012. According to the Department of Labor website, the Davis-Bacon Act states that “contractors and subcontractors must pay their laborers and mechanics employed under the contract no less than the locally
prevailing wages and fringe benefits for corresponding work on similar projects in the area.” While Moyle reported the pension funds, the affected employees never saw it come into their accounts. The federally-supervised lawsuit came after many workers’ attempted to draw attention to the issue, each time ignored. Workers involved had a lot of continued support from local businesses and community members. Moyle was employed by Michigan Tech to build the Great Lakes Research Center (GLRC), which opened in 2012. According to the GLRC website, the total cost of construction was $25.3 million. In early 2013, Moyle employees and local clergy members, including Pastor Bucky Beach of the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Houghton and adjunct professor for Michigan Tech, wanted the University to address the problem. In all of their contracted construction projects, the University is obligated to choose not only the appropriate and fair bid for a job, but also to ensure the
workers are fairly treated in every aspect, including wages. A letter was drafted and sent to administration, urging them to take notice of and to pay more attention
“Moyle was employed by Michigan Tech to build the Great Lakes Research Center (GLRC), which opened in 2012. According to the GLRC website, the total cost of construction was $25.3 million.” to the practices of their contractors now and in the future. This Friday, April 11, Moyle Construction workers and their supporters will be stationed outside of the Michigan Tech library beginning at 7:30 a.m. near the intersection of MacInnes Drive. The group will be bannering and handbilling to make the campus
community and all area residents more aware of their struggles and to draw attention to the ethical obligation of any institution to make sure the workers are compensated and treated properly. Local news channel ABC 10 of Marquette reported on the settlement, including comments from former employees. The video of which can be found at (bit.ly/1e4yw6W) or by scanning the QR code.
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Michigan Tech crowdfunding is a Superior Idea AUTUMN CHANNEY Lode Writer Superior Ideas is quite an interesting concept. As Michigan Tech’s crowdfunding website, created to raise money for Research and Public Service projects, Superior Ideas is something different than the normal grants and ways to get money for their cause. Crowdfunding consists of numerous people donating and backing an initiative, such as a research project. Crowdfunding is typically done online. Superior Ideas is an accredited service through
“Within a year and a half, success was already becoming apparent. Superior Ideas has hosted a total of 33 projects...” crowdsourcing.org, the organization for the Crowdfunding Accreditation for Platform Standards (CAPS) program. The CAPS program is designed to promote best practices in the operation of crowdfunding sites. Its goal is to protect both the people pledging and the people using the site to raise funds.
Accreditation to the CAPS program is based on an interview and review process. CAPS has only accredited approximately 40 crowdfunding sites. “Achieving accreditation indicates what a great job the whole team did in developing the site,” said Vice President for Research David Reed. From the beginning, it took the designers two to three months to completely launch Superior Ideas. The site was finally launched on October 11, 2011. Within a year and a half, success was already becoming apparent. Superior Ideas has hosted a total of 33 projects, 31 of which are from faculty and students from Tech, two projects were from the schools of Central Washington University and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Each project has their slot on the website, which lasts for 90 days. Each project is able to showcase videos and photos to describe their project to potential funders. Once the 90 days are up, the projects are moved to the “Completed Projects” section of the website. When it comes to donations, anyone can donate to projects on Superior Ideas. Whether you are an individual or a company, you can make a difference to someone’s dream. In some cases, an individuals’ employers may match their
workers’ donations. Hewlett-Packard and Microsoft are two examples of companies that do so. Since its launch, Superior Ideas has raised $76,125.74 for its various projects. Companies have donated $36,555.18 while individuals have donated $39,570.56. Superior Ideas is a great way for researchers and public service groups to raise money to fund their work. However they have to do the advertising and pushing for people to donate to them online, opposed to when they do a proposal they just wait for a reply. With this they can keep pushing until they get closer and closer to more money. Dr. John Durocher, Assistant Professor in Biological Sciences, said, “Crowdfunding is more of a supplemental way to fund research or for smaller scale pilot projects to start off so that you can get larger grants.” Michigan Tech is working on educating more people about crowdfunding and what it can do for them and their work. The Superior Ideas team is currently waiting for a booth to take with them to conferences to show researchers and other universities what the site has to offer them, showing them what they really need to get started with Superior Ideas. Natasha Chopp, Research Development and Marketing Manager
for the Vice President for Research, said “Throughout the whole process I have found it enjoyable from the beginning up until now. I have been able to see the progression from the group I saw start
“Superior Ideas is an accredited service through crowdsourcing.org, the organization for the Crowdfunding Accreditation for Platform Standards (CAPS) program.” “CAPS has only accredited approximately 40 crowdfunding sites.” from basically nothing.” The University will be holding a competition for five to six enterprise teams over the summer. In the Rekhi Enterprise Challenge, the teams will post their projects on Superior Ideas, each attempting to raise the most amount of money for their project. The team who raises the most amount of money will get a monetary match of up to $10,000. For more information, visit (superiorideas.org).
Student conducts survey to assess commuters’ daily parking struggles SIMENG LI Lode Writer Commuters, or those students living off campus, oftentimes drive to class. Recently, searching for a parking space has become a major hassle, one that may be affecting students’ grades. As the figures below tell, commuter parking has become a serious issue affecting the school life of most students who drive to campus daily. According to a recent survey conducted by Michigan Tech student Jennifer Pelto, 86 percent of Tech’s commuter students
frequently struggle to find a parking spot, 89 percent have missed lectures or have been late for classes because of their inability to find a parking spot, 81 percent feel that they are walking unreasonable distances from the commuter lots, and 76 percent are getting parking violation tickets. “The survey is part of the project for a Technical and Professional Communication course that I am taking. We are creating a needs assessment; researching, testing and creating a prototype and also writing a recommendation report that will be shared with appropriate faculty and staff members in the hope that it will incite
change on campus.” Pelto said. When asked what motivated her to carry out the survey, Pelto said, “I’m a commuter myself and I personally face daily parking challenges. I contribute my voice to the conversation when I see something that isn’t acceptable or appropriate. I believe that this project has the potential to inspire real-life change and I intend on following through with administrative members.” Currently, undergraduate students pay $100 annually for the allowance to park in all of the commuter lots. Repeat parking violations can actually cost the student up to $150 per ticket, according to Michigan Tech’s website. Some students are forced
to park very far from their destinations when the closest commuter lots are full and this long walk can be dangerous in severe weather conditions or with severely low wind chills, even when dressed appropriately. A female student that Pelto spoke with expressed her discomfort in walking from the main campus in the dark up the hill (on McInnes) to the other side of the SDC in the commuter lot there, because she had to walk on the streets that are not enforced at night by campus security. There are a lot of safety concerns in addition too economic stress for students under the current parking policy. Pelto suggested a commuter parking Continued on page 5
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The Student Org Spotlight: world at a Permanent Floating Riot Club glance If you live for any and all things science fiction, Michigan Tech’s Sci Fi club is for you!
EVAN MAYER Lode Writer
Ellen Brennan, a native of New York, wears her wingsuit to fly in France. Photo courtest of ellen-brennan.com
Taking a leap Imagine yourself waking up in the morning and deciding you want to jump off the summit of a mountain. No strings or harnesses attached of course, you find yourself soaring down the side of the rocky mound, the wind carrying you. Perhaps to your death, perhaps to the most adrenalinefueled fun you’ve ever had. In Chamonix, France, Ellen Brennan, 26, does exactly the activity described above. Living in the Chamonix Valley, part of the French Alps, Brennan uses her wingsuit to carry her down the jagged mountains. Originally from New York, Brennan moved to France in 2009 looking to learn the language and become a nurse in Western Africa. She gave that up when she found another passion. As one of the world’s top competitors, Brennan was the only female flyer invited to compete in the inaugural World Wingsuit League. While there, her timed races were good enough to land her a spot in the top eight, with no other women in sight. According to the CNN report, Brennan has earned the title “fastest flying woman on earth.” Brennan had proven her mastery in skydiving and BASE jumping when she turned 18, a time when many young adults are planning their college careers. Instead, she ended up turning to a new sport. Since, CNN reports that she has done close to 600 suited jumps. Brennan is the first person to take off from the peaks in Chamonix. (http:// cnn.it/1ehoI3S) When in flight, jumpers can reach speeds of close to 100 miles per hour, sometimes reaching upwards of 125. The sport is small, with small amounts of BASE jumpers and skydivers as participants. More information about Ellen Brennan can be found on her website at (ellen-brennan.com).
If kicking back and reading Ender’s Game or watching Gattaca really gets your blood pumping then Michigan Tech’s resident Science Fiction club may have your name written all over it. The Permanent Floating Riot Club, as it is formally recognized, has its roots firmly ingrained in Michigan Tech as it has been around for decades; since 1976 to be exact. Unlike the club today, which welcomes all things science fiction, in the club’s early days it strictly dealt with all things Star Trek. Back in the Star Trek days, the club used to make voyages to different conventions on a quarterly basis, but now the club only makes about one convention every school year. This year the Permanant Floating Riot club will be headed to Penguicon in early May, which
is being held in Detroit. Penguicon is a general science fiction convention so all members making the trip will be able to find a wide array of
“Unlike the club today, which welcomes all things science fiction, in the club’s early days it strictly dealt with all things Star Trek.” activities that will pique their interest. Members are also looking forward to the convention that will be a highlight of next school year as they will be attending Minicon, which is held in Minneapolis, Minn., next April. Going to conventions and the opportunity to travel is not all the club offers though. When the club meets every Saturday at precisely 7:06 p.m. in
Fisher 101, a wide range of shenanigans may be taking place. Some items on a meeting agenda could include watching movies, playing with liquid nitrogen, making a tesla coil sing and possibly soon experimenting with a 3-D printer when it arrives on the scene next year. Next year, a book club is also in the works so that members can read and discuss their favorite literature of the genre. The club is made up of not just students, but also members of the community so the club is a great opportunity to meet new people that other clubs on campus may not present. The members that are students though come from a wide range of majors and enjoy not having to pay any membership dues to take part in the clubs’ events. So if any or all of these activities speak to the science fiction nerd in you don’t hesitate on becoming a member of Michigan Tech’s Permanent Floating Riot club!
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Commuters’ parking struggles Continued from page 3 garage. “It would be a very appropriate solution and investment that would provide students with safe parking that they are already paying for and deserve,” Pelto said. Pelto also suggests that extending the shuttle service to all commuter lots would be an initial solution until a better, permanent solution becomes available.
“It’s awful that you can hardly get a spot and have to take a long walk to reach school buildings.” -Emily Ulstad “Student safety and accessibility should be a top priority and it’s disheartening to see statistical evidence that students are missing out on valuable class time because of poor parking infrastructure,” said Pelto. “It pains me to pitch such an expensive investment to the university, but I feel that the students have been burdened long enough financially, physically and emotionally.”
Many students expressed their dissatisfaction about commuter parking. “It’s awful that you can hardly get a spot and have to take a long walk to reach school buildings,” said Chemistry junior Emily Ulstad. Meanwhile, students like Jake Grobbel, Mechanical Engineering, feels content with the current parking policy. “The parking is good for me, better than those in other schools that I know. Also there seems to be no additional space for building up new lots around campus,” said Grobbel. More voices are strongly encouraged for helping make a difference in the way we park on campus. “Perhaps we can start a petition and incite meaningful change on campus,” said Pelto. “I love this university and want to leave it a little better than I found it, and I’m sure that this feeling resonates with others on campus as well.” Interested students can take the survey at (www.surveymonkey.com/s/WMBHK7Q). You may also email Pelto at (jhpelto@ mtu.edu) to lend your stories and to the conversation and get involved.
One of the biggest complaints is that commuter lots, such as the parking lot near St. Al’s on MacInnes Drive, are so far from campus buildings. Metered parking is also an issue.
Photos by Alex Mager
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PULSE
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“You’re not you when you’re hungry” YouTube’s viral videos of the week satisfy hunger for humor with Bane Cat, Snickers and a destructive goat ARIC RHODES Lode Writer Viral videos have instilled themselves as a significant part of the Internet culture. While in general they may be stupid, patterned and ridiculously overplayed, the preceding three are diamonds in the rough, and may just brighten up your day. The first video of note comes from Australia, courtesy of Snickers. The video takes Snicker’s trend of having people act against their typical nature in their commercials and applies it to a group of construction workers. These workers proceed to give positive and empowering cat calls to women walking down the street ( w w w . y o u t u b e . c o m / watch?v=0gjsoSY18kg).
“The owner appears to have run out of patience for the talking cat and hilarity ensues. The cat acts as a normal cat does, but the addition of the Bane quotes make it oddly comedic.” Another interesting video was also a commercial, for the fantastic game Goat Simulator. The trailer for the game’s April 1 launch parodied the Dead Rising
trailer. Specifically, the majority of the trailer showed the goat with time moving backward, showing how it got into such a predicament.
“...diamonds in the rough, and may just brighten up your day.” There were also flashes to other instances of things which can happen in the simulator. The game itself is definitely the early front-runner for the game of the year, with this trailer showing much of the reason why (www.youtube.com/ watch?v=dvWGLcdI8o8). A final video to note of the week is “Bane Cat.” That title alone is all the click-bait that is needed, and the video itself does not disappoint those who fall for its allure. The video showcases a rather large cat with a Bane mask from the most recent Batman movie using quotes from the same. The owner appears to have run out of patience for the talking cat and hilarity ensues. The cat acts as a normal cat does, but the addition of the Bane quotes make it oddly comedic ( w w w . y o u t u b e . c o m / watch?v=5ywjpbThDpE). Viral videos such as these are as ubiquitous as they are silly, but finding the good ones can be very rewarding. As short as they are, they’re certainly worth the time.
Screenshots of the top viral videos, including Bane Cat (top), Snickers Commercial (center), and Goat Simulator (bottom). Photos courtesy of (concretehearts.com) and (www.2k2bt.com).
The importance of entrepreneurship SARAH HARTTUNG Lode Writer Is the university just a place to get a diploma? Or is it something more? On Thursday, April 3, Dr. Mitzi Montoya from Arizona State University (ASU) spoke to an audience of students, faculty and community members on the role of universities in entrepreneurship in a presentation titled: “Catalyst for Innovation: University as an Entrepreneur, Putting Theory into Practice.” This lecture was one in a series
of talks of Visiting Women and Minority Lecturer/Scholar Series put on by the School of Business and Economics. A large emphasis was placed on what ASU is doing to facilitate outreach and to encourage students to create. Economic growth is driven by innovation produced from universities, Dr. Montoya said, and universities invest in basic research much more than industry does. “Basic research spawns innovation” in the long run, as this approach can be cost-heavy up front. When universities encourage research, “spillover” of growth into the community
occurs through an increase of corporate research and development. STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education is vital for these practices to work. Dr. Montoya is working at ASU to produce a “cycle of growth and innovation for a more inclusive economy” for the regions in which ASU operates. In order to compete internationally, local economies must be strong. A large part of what ASU is doing is increasing utilization of existing infrastructure, such as libraries, to provide spaces for people to become
innovators. TechShops are beyond useful in facilitating creativity. They provide high-tech manufacturing equipment and work spaces for anyone (Boeing engineers, college students, business owners, and stay-at-home moms alike) for a fee, much like a “gym membership for nerds.” Most university facilities are only open to certain majors; if a student is of a different major, they either have to go through a lab technician to get something produced or look outside of the university. Continued on page 7
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Entrepreneurship Continued from page 6 Innovation, change and restructuring of universities could be wonderful for student-led entrepreneurship. However, several barriers exist that retard or completely prevent this shift from occurring. One is that universities are
slow to change. Why fix a procedure if it isn’t broken? While it may not be in literal pieces on the floor, most schools limp by with duct-taped patches, hoping it will work and being disappointed when it fails.
Arizona State is brave in its restructuring, K. Eugene Kippel, the Dean of Business at Tech, said. “They, nor we, know the outcome… of experiments.” While the future is a mystery, it would not be unreasonable
to hope that other schools catch on and make this a collaborative effort. Both the economy and the students themselves depend on university support and it would be interesting to see where the pieces fall.
Hackers and hackers RENEE OATS Lode Writer As this past weekend revealed, programming doesn’t have to be all work and no play. Whether it was the Film Board presentation of the 1995 thriller “Hackers” or the BonZai Brawl programming competition, the joys of hacking were hard to miss around Tech. “Hackers” tells the story of 11-year old Dade Murphy, alias Zero Cool, who wrote a virus and caused “the biggest crash in history,” making the New York Stock Exchange drop 7 points. This act caused his parents a $45,000 fine and got him legally banned from using a computer or touch-tone phone until his 18th birthday.
JAMES WOOD Lode Writer Last week Minnesota band The Last Revel came up to Hancock’s Orpheum Theater to show off their newest album “Uprooted” to the locals. Before they played, I was able to talk with them about their music, their past and their future. When the band played last year the night of music, dancing and reveling they experienced had the trio from The Last Revel longing to get back to the UP and make even more memories. The Last Revel had some rough beginnings before it was The Last Revel. Between having all their gear stolen, being sued over their original band name by another band and even losing a member, the road hasn’t been easy for this Minnesota group. Having to work four days a week and traveling across the United States on the weekends to go to venues definitely sounds challenging, but
Fast forward to seven years later, Dade, with new alias as Crash Override, moves to New York with his mother and falls in with a group of rollerblading,
“It’s quite a film for its time in mid-90’s to tackle high tech issues as computers were still being quite developed and becoming more popular.” system-hacking teens, including Kate (alias “Acid Burn”), the arch-enemyturned-girlfriend character. Crash and the gang end up running afoul a super hacker, Eugene, (alias “The Plague”) who works at an oil company as their resident computer security expert — and plans to extort the company out of millions with a computer worm virus.
When Crash’s pal Joey hacks into the company’s supercomputer and downloads a copy of a worm virus, the gang becomes a target for The Plague, who misleads Secret Service agents to the gang as the creators of the worm virus, aiming to shift attention away from his own plot. Eventually, Crash and Burn put together a worldwide hacker squad, expose The Plague’s plan and Crash and are cleared of charges. It’s quite a film for its time in mid-90’s to tackle high tech issues as computers were still being quite developed and becoming more popular. However, the fashions, dialogue and graphics are definitely 90’s and are hilariously identifiable throughout. The movie “Hackers” was also presented to coincide with the BonZai Brawl that occurred on Saturday, April
The Last Revel
the members of The Last Revel manage to deal with it and for that the public is very grateful. The band has travelled a distance greater than going all the way around the world; and that’s just considering their trips between Chicago and Minneapolis. Being on the road so often has caused traveling to be the main inspiration for their music, hence the album being titled “Uprooted.” That’s not to say their music should be too deeply dissected for meaning; they make music because it’s what they love to do, not to make a statement or change the world. Some would say music is at its best when it’s making people dance, or it’s making people feel happy and that is just what The Last Revel’s music does. The band is trying to capture the energy from their live performances for their album by recording their live session at the Orpheum. In the past they’d recorded their music
at a cabin in the woods by a lake to focus on their music. According to Ryan, one of the band members, they are “creatively drawn to the U.P. … even though we’re from Minnesota, Michigan is like a second home.” This is great news for the people of Hancock and Houghton because it will likely bring them back to perform year
“Some would say music is at its best when it’s making people dance, or it’s making people feel happy and that is just what The Last Revel’s music does.” after year. Their bluegrass/folk hybrid band creates nice vocal harmonies with upbeat tempos from the classic acoustic instruments one would expect a bluegrass band to play (each member can play a few different instruments), but they can slow it down
5th. The BonZai Brawl is an all-day artificial intelligence programming competition in which teams of one to three players design autonomous programs in Java capable of overcoming challenges and out-performing their opponents. As the game design and mechanics are revealed the morning of the competition, teams are limited to an eight hour period of strategizing, and programming before being entered into the Brawl that evening. Teams learned during orientation that the goal of the game this year would resemble a capture-the-flag theme. Over 45 teams faced off to see who gets the most points outsmarting opponents and ultimately reign supreme as the brawl champions. Cash prizes are also awarded to the top three teams.
and still have great sound. Either way, the music is full of life and each song is unique in some way; the uniqueness of their music in general has received great praise from those who’ve seen them play. All the members can hold their own as lead singer, and the album is kept varied by switching lead singers at times. Even those not typically fans of bluegrass or folk music should consider checking out The Last Revel; they don’t really fit into either category. One good comparison might be Mumford and Sons with more fiddle/violin and less focus on clean vocals. When music is hard to define as a specific genre, the only way to know if you’ll like it is to “go see it and decide for yourself ” as Ryan stated in the interview. Based on the amount of positive feedback they receive from their audiences, you won’t regret it. Music from their latest and previous albums can be found at their website (thelastrevel.com.)
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Michigan Tech Lode
Cadbury Eggs ‘When they moved production from New Zealand to the UK and switched from the runny white centers to the thick, frostinglike filling, it got way harder to cook them scrammbled.’
Comic courtesy of XKCD
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PUZZLES
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Tuesday, April 8
Sudoku
Rules: Fill in the grid so that each row, column and 3x3 block contains 1-9 exactly once.
Last Week’s Solution...
No. 1229 TAKE A BREAK BY JOEL FAGLIANO / Edited by Will Shortz
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RELEASE DATE: 1/5/2014
ACROSS 1 One at a woman’s side? 6 Fixes keys 11 Person who might bump into you on a subway 16 Starbucks size 17 Model/actress Keibler 18 Brother of Prometheus 19 Choice 20 Road runners 21 Animal with a flexible snout 22 Unduly 23 Spoken instruction in animal training 26 Best Musical of 1975, with “The” 27 Completely dominates 29 He said the most important thing for poets to do is to write as little as possible 30 “Oh, hmm …” 31 Elevator ___ 33 New York Titans’ org. 35 Bit of hopscotch equipment 42 Shady spot 44 In a state of conflict 45 Bee product 48 Iowa’s ___ Colonies 49 Name that’s Hebrew for “pleasant” 50 “Something ought to finally go my way” 51 Philadelphia/New Jersey connector 54 Half of sechs 55 “Il était ___ fois” (French fairy tale start) For any three answers, call from a touch-tone phone: 1-900-285-5656, $1.49 a minute; or, with a credit card, 1-800-814-5554.
56 Brand name that’s an anagram of 31-Across 57 Rejections 58 Acted like a rat 60 “Howdy” 62 Item on a chain 65 Center of activity 68 Like some expenses 72 Pop icon? 73 Wash against, as the shore 75 Like some duties 76 Finsteraarhorn, e.g. 77 It’s often divided into sections 0, 2, 4, 6, etc. 80 Country where the Blue Nile originates: Abbr. 81 Part of the healing process 83 ___ distance 84 A balconette is a low-cut style of one 85 Mlle., in Madrid 86 Like a Monday morning quarterback? 87 Symbols of dirtiness 89 “___ the Air” (2009 Clooney movie) 90 Part of FEMA: Abbr. 91 Rat 92 “Shoot!” 93 Pass again on the track 95 Big dos 96 Fake 97 Precept 99 Dangerous person to play against for money 101 Old Olds 103 No-goodnik 106 Sounds from Santa 107 Sincere 113 Ad Council output, briefly 115 First president with a Twitter account 117 Decoration under a dish
118 2010 earthquake site 120 Walk heavily 121 Universal ___ 122 Blown out? 123 Best hand in Texas hold ‘em 124 Talk face to face? 125 Having a ton of money to draw on DOWN 1 Presidential power first used by James Madison 2 Not on deck, say 3 Sometimescaramelized item 4 First National Leaguer with eight consecutive 100R.B.I. seasons 5 Chicken ___ 6 Michael and Peter 7 Lab item that sounds like a popular website 8 Birth-related 9 Reason for a food recall 10 Big name in food service 11 Show anxiety, in a way 12 1989 world champion figure skater 13 Bear necessities? 14 Talk show starting in 2012 15 Miniature 24 To be, to Béatrice 25 Jazz quintet’s home 28 Half of the Nobel Prize winners, typically 30 Secret society in Dan Brown’s “Angels & Demons” 32 “Let’s call it ___” 34 Muslim ascetic 35 Low, moist area 36 On the way out 37 ___ worse than death 38 Hang (over)
39 Harold’s partner in 19 comedies 40 Ice 22 41 Friendly term of address 27 28 42 Madam 43 “The Wire” antihero 31 46 Downhill sport 47 Tight ends? 35 52 “Come again?” 42 43 53 Scott of “Happy Days” 48 59 You’ll trip if you drop it 51 61 “Gross!” 62 Well-protected, 54 nonrunning quarterback 58 63 Sign word often translated into multiple 62 63 64 languages 64 Duds 72 65 Tries 66 Emotional peaks 76 67 Pressing needs? 81 82 69 Unlike eagles 70 Appropriate 86 71 Silver, say 73 Next-to-last 90 #1 Beatles hit 74 Sully 93 78 Spits rhymes 79 Beer buy 97 82 Tongue-lash 85 Subject of a 101 102 2009 national tournament 106 cheating scandal 88 “Meet the Press” 115 116 guest, for short 94 Possibly 120 96 Formed rising bubbles 123 98 It’s “not” in Scotland 100 Apiece, at Wimbledon 104 Freedom Tower 101 Army attack feature helicopter 105 Bar at the bar 102 ___ Pitman, 106 Microwaveable developer of snack item shorthand
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Tuesday, April 8
Un Adam Romanko
LODE
ing
ZONE
Six hundred. That is the number of hours, including weekends, which we have until the end of the school year. It seems like such a large number, but in reality, it is not. It is the same as saying “about four weeks.” Time is a funny thing. When we have nothing to do, it drags on forever. We feel as though time could not be passing more slowly. But when we are busy, rushing to complete assignments, activities and other tasks, it feels as though we have not enough time in the day. We desperately want more. And this is the point in the year where time is most valuable to us. Certain suggestions can greatly help as we prepare to finish up the year. First, time management is going to be key for a successful finish to the semester. That does not mean spending every waking second studying or doing schoolwork. It just means understanding and quantifying the amount of time you have left to do something and setting aside the appropriate time to complete it. Second, do not delay things that you know will have to be finished. As a student body, most of us only have about three more weeks before we take our exams and head home. We cannot afford to waste any time. Putting things off until later never solves anything; it just delays the inevitable. And delaying something usually causes more problems. In the end, it is not the amount of time that you have, it is what you chose to do with it. There are lots of times where I have found myself saying, “I wish I just had a little more time to complete this or study that”. Then I remember, I did have enough time, I just spent it doing other things.
OPINION
Michigan Tech Lode
Computing in Engineering
IT discusses possible future technological updates with students KATHERINE BAECKEROOT Lode Writer This past Wednesday in M&M U115 there was an open forum hosted by the IT department for Michigan Tech computing in engineering. A brief presentation was given with university statistics, followed by group iClicker questions and discussion. A requirement for the incoming freshmen of 2015 to purchase laptops for school is being proposed by the academic departments in the College of Engineering. The overall goals of this initiative are to help Michigan Tech become more technologically advanced, eliminate the need to replace desktop computers every three years and reduce lab costs. The audience was provided with three different scenarios for laptop requirements: a hard requirement, soft requirement and status quo. An implementation of the hard requirement would consist of all
ADAM ROMANKO Opinion Editor In America, we have the opportunity to be free, and we hold these freedoms in high regard. We cherish our Constitution and our Bill of Rights, which allow individuals to make decisions for themselves on a day-to-day basis. Also in America, we hear through the media as politicians and political activists constantly talk about
incoming freshmen to have laptops with certain specifications. To help decrease the up front costs the University would negotiate with vendors as well as with financial aid plans. This is accompanied with the understanding that student computers would not all be capable of running the high-end software and that desktop computers will still be available for these purposes. Wireless networks would be expanded across campus so that accessibility would not be an issue. The soft requirement would be a strong recommendation from the school to purchase laptops and the university would publicize system requirements for software. However, included in this deal are the stipulations that IT will not broker a deal with providers and less software would be available for students to download. For status quo there would be a continuation of the existing situation that we currently have on campus and the university would provide enough on-campus computers, IT would have a greater role in applying resources to
desktop hardware, and there would be limited development of on campus wireless lounges. There are numerous advantages and disadvantages to any of these scenarios. Among the disadvantages financial concerns, installation hassles, accountability, maintenance, classroom distractions and inconsistent usage, were all addressed by the College of Engineering. In terms of its technological advantages there would be enhanced productivity, portability and greater independence overall. However, after listening to the concerns of the students what it really comes down to is the school is attempting to advance the university in terms of technology use in order to stay competitive with the times as well as with other tech universities. Whereas the students are concerned about change, ultimately no one likes having the way they have done things to change so quickly as it will be very different for everyone who has had access to campus computers their entire academic career.
War on science how one segment of the population is being treated unfairly, and how these social injustices must be addressed. Anyone who is connected to the Internet should be familiar with the terms War on Religion, War on Women and War on Poverty. But there is a larger, full- scale war going on, that makes the rest of these seem like child’s play. I am referring to what I call the War on Science. The War on Science is one that spans all
political and religious demographics, and is constantly undermining the truly amazing interconnected society that we have founded. In all channels of the media, we are witnessing as hundreds of thousands of people wage war against countless scientific advancements, allowing dangerous decision making to become commonplace amongst their followers. Critical thinking is in danger. The most notable current movements of
A creative solution to Michigan Tech’s plateau tuition GAGE HEERINGA Lode Writer If you’re a student or faculty member at Michigan Tech, you are probably already aware of the recently implemented plateau tuition. It can be a little confusing, but in essence, a student who took 12 credits this spring semester paid no more for tuition than a student who took 18 credits this spring semester. With a little math, it comes down to paying for about 15 credits per fall or spring semester for tuition. Beginning in fall of 2014, the tuition policy is being adjusted again based on degree programs. The $755 additional fee that particularly engineering and computer science students with sophomore status
or higher paid in previous semesters will change. Now all upper-division students will pay an additional fee based on unspecified costs of studying in the student’s respective degree program. For example, a sophomore computer science major is estimated to pay an additional $900 per semester rather than $755; a sophomore psychology major will pay an additional $150 per semester instead of $0. (These exact numbers are estimates until the Board of Control votes at their May 2, 2014 meeting.) Students who are able to take an 18 credit course load every semester are taking advantage of the deal, but students who take less than 15 credits are essentially paying more for nothing. It may not be an option to take more than 12 major credits if they are difficult courses that require extra
study time and at the same time you work and are involved on campus. An interesting solution could be to offer full time, academically achieving students who take less than 15 credits in a semester the equivalent remainder in summer courses credits. For example, if a student took 14 credits in the fall and 12 credits in the spring, they essentially paid for 30 credits, but only took 26. A student would be able to take that remainder of four credits that very same summer if they wished. The tuition of four credits worth would cost the student nothing as long as the student is in good academic standing and plans to continue their education at Michigan Tech. This would afford many students who cannot afford summer tuition at Michigan Tech many opportunities.
Michigan Tech Lode
OPINION
Simple misunderstanding of social media JOE ANDRES Lode Writer It’s not exactly a secret anymore that the many, if not most, Americans get their news from sources like The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, and you would be hard pressed to find a college student who didn’t at least occasionally watch at least one of these shows. But what happens when stories on comedic news outlets get taken out of context? “The Washington Redskins Original Americans Foundation,” was set up by the Redskins owner, Daniel Snyder. Steven Colbert chose to make fun of this arguably racist charity name, on his show, and formed his own clearly racist charity, “The Ching-Chong Ding-Dong Foundation
for Sensitivity to Orientals or Whatever.” This bit on the show was met with much applause and laughter. No one cried foul over the comedic charity name until Thursday Evening when a Comedy Central twitter account posted the charity name out of context. “The twit hit the fan,” according to Colbert, when describing the mountain of negative tweets and backlash he received. “#CancelColbert” was one of the top five trends for over 36 hours. Because the negative response occurred after the final taping of The Colbert Report for the week, Colbert was unable to respond till Monday night’s taping, which he did in spectacular fashion. In an entire segment devoted to clearing up the misunderstanding, Colbert begins
by stating people were attacking his “core conservative values and youth friendly product placement.” He kicks off the bit by drinking a Bud Light Lime to drive his joke home. He continues by explaining, in depth, the situation and the confusion. It is a testament to how powerful social media can be that Colbert took nearly eight minutes to quell the negative publicity Comedy Central had generated. Colbert came under fire from a tweet that he had no control over, but he handled it incredibly well. The calls for the cancellation of his show have since ceased. Comedy Central almost immediately took the offensive tweet down but the damage was done. However, the bad press caused by a joke taken out of context demonstrates how fickle and harmful social media can be.
European Law may effect students at Tech DAVID MOREHOUSE Lode Writer A recent article by the Michigan Tech Lode discussed issues of net neutrality and how it affects college students due to possible price ranges from Netflix to cable style pay per website. Some of these effects certainly are more probably and may come sooner than others. However, there is some good news, mainly for European citizens. Recently passed regulations in the European parliament will allow for equal treatment of data, so whether you use Netflix or Xfinity, a cable company couldn’t charge you different rates. So how does this help people who aren’t European citizens? In today’s global economy, political pressure often dictates
action in Congress. Right now, internet companies such as AT&T and Comcast have the money to impact Congress, but with the push both in Europe and Google’s expansion to provide internet, this could mean faster service at a cheaper rate even for U.S. citizens. The news is even better for Yoopers and others that live in less populated areas. Often times ISPs will focus on higher density, higher income areas such as New York or San Francisco, but legal laws and precedent could help prevent this by mandating common carrier methods similar to your water, gas and electric bills. Many wonder what the problem is, why there isn’t more competition and why sometimes the choice is between two horrible ISPs. This is a thorny issue but can be ascribed to three main facets:
War on science Continued from page 10 the War on Science are the anti-vaccination movement and the anti-Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) movement, but there are countless others, all of which are equally damaging. I will focus on the dangers of the first two, showing how they are damaging society in ways that we cannot fathom. Roughly a decade ago, the antivaccination movement when full-scale, and over night, ignorance was being spread rapidly. After a scientist falsely linked the MMR vaccine to autism, rioting began. Thousands of scared, concerned, and confused parents scrambled to keep their children from receiving their vaccinations, especially in Britain. Not only was this study false, every subsequent study of the MMR- autism link provided the same data-
no link whatsoever. But that is only where the story begins. Today, over 10 years later, parents are still buying into the junk-science that vaccines are gravely dangerous. And of course, previously irradiated diseases are being contracted in first-world countries, and a lack of herd-immunity is allowing them to spread through communities like wildfire. Ultimately, when you are trying to make a decision about a medical procedure, you should look to the people in the medical community to provide you with facts and answers, rather than the mass-hysteria portrayed by the media. GMOs are the same story. Humans have been genetically modifying their foods for thousands of years by selective breeding. But the moment that technology catches
monopolies, expense and profit. Many local governments make deals that allow one company to provide internet service, the idea is that it will attract a business to invest and provide these services. One case is Seattle, where the mayor was dismayed when Comcast, granted a monopoly by the city, provided subpar service with many outages. However, when Google was interested in providing competition they were quick to move to other places such as Portland when seeing Seattle already had a monopoly with Comcast. While Google Fiber is not likely to come to the UP anytime soon, the general threat posed by Google as well as potential legal movement on net neutrality legislation may yet bring the ability for more college students to binge on Netflix at even faster speeds.
up to this trend and helps us to modify food more effectively, we suddenly see as the anti-science crowd rises up in protest. And of course, they have no real argument. Over two decades worth of research has been done studying the effects of eating genetically modified food as opposed to organic food. The result- there was no significant difference. Don’t be fooled, and don’t pay more for something that you really don’t need. The War on Science is really a battle against critical thinking. Luckily, we are all students at a technological university. Let us join together to combat the dangers that society is generating by raising hysteria over nonsense, and let’s make the future a better place for us, and the generations to follow.
Tuesday, April 8
11
Antisocial Networking JOESPH PIETRZYK Lode Writer
In the age of technology, most people are a member of one or more social networks. Be it Facebook, Twitter or even MySpace, these medias are largely responsible for the current trend of the deprivatizing of people’s lives. With the increasing amounts of information being posted to these networks we’re seeing a decreasing amount of personal contact needed to communicate with people. Ironically, it seems that these social networks are actually creating an increase in antisocial behavior. Long gone are the days when we needed to have a phone call with someone to get information from them. Now we can just text, email or ask them on Facebook. Granted, these forms of communication are far more convenient, but they do remove all forms of personalization. You no longer have to see the person or even hear their voice. You don’t even have to carry on a complete conversation. This level of depersonalization is becoming increasingly popular-- more and more people are actually saying they dislike having phone calls and would rather email or text someone for information. Academically, the preference for digital contact over personal contact is evident as well. Obviously, this varies by class difficulty and subject, but many professors are complaining about a lack of visits during office hours and an influx of emails from students. The correlation between these two suggests that students would rather email their professors than visit their office hours. So what do social networks have to do with this? They even further eliminate the amount of contact you need to make with someone. With Facebook and Twitter, you don’t have to catch up with someone. All you have to do is read their posts and tweets. Catching up with someone is a thing of the past when you’ve already liked all of their posts. In theory these networks increase the number of people one can keep in contact with. In practice they do just that, but they also reduce the amount of personal contact you have with each person. They make it possible to be social with others without actually being social.
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SPORTS
Tuesday, April 8
# the By
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The place earned by men’s tennis in last year’s GLIAC Tournament
Michigan Tech Lode
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Jonathan Kilpela
ELLIE FURMANSKI Sports Editor Distance runner Jonathan Kilpela of the Michigan Tech Men’s Track and Field team recently became the new holder of Michigan Tech’s 10-kilometer record. Breaking the record was one of his goals this year, and he sure accomplished it early in the season. The senior competed in the 10-kilometer race at the San Francisco State Distance Carnival on April 4. Kilpela completed the course in a time of 31:11.94. He finished 20.83 seconds ahead of the old record, which was set back in 2010 by
Ben Stetter. Overall, the Atlantic Mine, Mich., native placed 26th in his heat. His competition featured a handful of top Division I distance runners. So far this season, Kilpela has been a strong asset for the Huskies. At the Coastal Carolina Invitational in mid-March, he placed fifth in the men’s 5000-meter run. His time of 15:01.66 is the second fastest in school history. Kilpela has earned other impressive top-ten finishes as well. With about a month left in the regular track season this spring, Kilpela will look to break the 31 minute barrier to qualify for the NCAA Championships. In the meantime, he’ll no doubt be a reliable competitor for the Huskies in their remaining meets and at the GLIAC Championships come the end of April.
11 MTU engineers as dedicated 20.83 to sports as school Days until football’s annual spring outdoor intrasquad game (weather permitting)
Seconds by which Jonathan Kilpela broke the 10-kilometer school record
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The place where men’s tennis stands in the GLIAC with three matches left
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Home games left in the regular season for Men’s Tennis
IAN HATZILIAS Lode Writer
Engineers make up about two-thirds of the Michigan Tech community, and it is well known around campus that the typical engineering student lives a very time consuming and sometimes stressful lifestyle. Despite this, many Tech engineers dedicate just as much of their time to the love of sports as they do toward their academic requirements. David Walsh, a chemical engineering undergraduate in his third year of study, is one such person who happens to be a multi-talented athlete. Throughout the school year, Walsh plays floor hockey, roller hockey, ice hockey, golf, frisbockey and he is on two broomball teams. One may ask, “How on earth can one person handle engineering school and all those sports?” This is definitely a reasonable question because anyone could imagine the difficulty of dedicating themselves to as many classes as they do sports. Walsh may at times resemble a superhuman, but in the end it all comes down to proper time management. Without it, the other responsibilities in school begin to pile up. “I have to admit, sometimes I feel like
I’m juggling too many things at once, but I like staying active,” said Walsh. “And when I look back, I feel more satisfied knowing I was too busy versus not being busy enough. Sometimes that means losing sleep to get the job done.” Last week was one of the most stressful for the Shelby Township native. Between three exams, numerous lab reports, the promise of homework assignments and gearing up for his golf tournament, he essentially lived in the library this week when he wasn’t in class. While it may be stressful in the midst of it all, the sense of accomplishment after tackling it all successfully is just one of the reasons Walsh stays so active. Walsh noted, “It was a constant struggle, but now I’m able to look back at everything. It’s a huge confidence boost to be able to say that I finished everything that I needed to finish.” Camaraderie is just as much a part of it as is the rewarding feeling to oneself of feeling accomplished. Joining with friends in support of a common cause
Photo courtesy of Michigan Tech Athletics
also provides a valuable feeling. A true sportsman gets this, and Walsh is a perfect example. “You get really close with everyone on the team, and the memories I get from playing will stay with me forever. Every aspect of being on the team, from practice to travel and actually competing, is more fun than anything else I can think of,” explained Walsh. Even though the clubs haven’t had the opportunity to compete at the national level, they all strive to give themselves a fighting chance in every game played. Yes, the academic aspect of school can get overwhelming at times (okay a lot). The best way to ease the mind from coursework is to focus on something else. It goes to show that an education at Michigan Tech provides much more than knowledge of one’s field of study. With dedication, time management and perseverance, anyone can acquire a sense of pride, developed character and a lifetime’s worth of memories through their extracurricular efforts.
“I have to admit, sometimes I feel like I’m juggling too many things at once, but I like staying active.” -David Walsh
Michigan Tech Lode
SPORTS
Tuesday, April 8
13
Husky Football returns for spring Sidelines Intramural practices and intrasquad game Final Deadlines Update PARKER MCCOLL
Sand Volleyball Two’s will conclude this spring’s lineup of intramurals. The deadline to register your team is today, April 8, at 5 p.m. There will be men’s, women’s and co-rec divisions available. The tournament will take place this weekend, April 11 and 12.
Lode Writer Michigan Tech’s football team returned to practice last week to gain early preparation for the 2014 season. The team is allowed 15 practices, which began on March 27 and will end with the annual intrasquad game on April 19. The spring practices serve three main objectives for the Huskies, including individual development, experimenting with new plays and positions and learning more about the new team. According to Head Coach Thomas Kearly, “The first goal is always individual improvement. It’s very valuable for first year players to get themselves in the mix
Athletic Training Clinic for students Michigan Tech athletic trainers will be hosting a clinic for kids in grades nine through 12 on Saturday, April 19. From 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., participants will learn about the athletic training profession and assist athletic trainers at the spring intrasquad football game. Lunch will be provided along with an athletic training kit and prizes. Register by April 17 online at www. michigantechrecreation.com or call 906-481-2073. The cost to attend is $33. For more information, call 906487-1847, or email mogino@mtu.edu.
“Our kids have done a very good job of focusing on practices despite what Mother Nature’s been doing.” -Coach Kearly
for playing time.” Most underclassmen don’t get many chances to play during the season, but in the spring they have more opportunities. The spring practices allow the coaching staff to look at new possibilities, such as the position of a player or different plays. Switching things up in the offseason helps the team find out what works and what doesn’t before the fall season begins. Spring training also reveals useful information about the players and how they come together as a team. According to Kearly, they learn answers to questions such as “Who are the leaders? What are our strengths and weaknesses? Where do we need to improve?” The team had just nine seniors last season. With a large number of returners, Kearly stated they have “the chance to become a great football team.” The 2014 roster will contain 21 seniors. “We’ve got some good players,” said Kearly. “It starts with the quarterback Tyler Scarlet.” Tyler holds the school’s career passing record with 7,554 yards, even though he still has one more season with the team. He also holds school records for most passing yards in a game (441) and in a season (2,596).
Tennis drops one at Lake Superior State
Junior Quarterback Tyler Scarlet looks to pass downfield in a matchup against SVSU last season.
Photo by Maxwell Curtis
For the seniors, the spring intrasquad game marks the end of their careers as Huskies. “It’s for the players,” added Kearly. “The seniors pick teams; they get to do just about everything.” Out of the 15 practices which NCAA rules allow in the spring, the team always reserves one for the game. “We’re hoping to get the spring game, but because of the weather we may have to practice instead, but we’re hoping not to,” said Kearly. “Our kids have done a very good job of focusing on practices despite what Mother Nature’s been doing.
We’re still getting work done, even if it’s indoors.” In the upcoming 2014 season, the team will be playing for the championship. “The goal is to win and qualify for the National Championship,” said Kearly. “That’s where we want to be, at the top.” The team’s had a possibility of qualifying for the National Championships in four out of the last six years. The Huskies will open the 2014 season on live TV in Detroit against Wayne State on September 4. “We know we have to be ready to go,” stated Kearly.
In the Huskies’ final road match of the regular season, the team ceded their fifth straight conference loss to Lake Superior State. LSSU won the match by a score of 7-2. The Lakers started out strong with a 3-0 sweep in doubles. In singles, the Huskies’ No. 1 Felipe dos Santos and No. 3 Built Yumuang took their opponents by scores of 6-2, 6-4 and 6-3, 6-1, respectively, to earn the Huskies’ two points of the match. Pedro Rodriguez at No. 2 and Bryan Bartelt at No. 6 singles for the Huskies forced their matches to tie-breaking sets, but each lost in the end. The loss advanced the Huskies’ record this year to 3-5 in the GLIAC and 8-7 overall. Tech will play three matches at home this weekend to wrap up their regular season schedule.
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SPORTS
Tuesday, April 8
Michigan Tech Lode
Copper Country Cycling Club competes ELLIE FURMANSKI Sports Editor Last Saturday, the Copper Country Cycling Club traveled to Ripon, Wisc., to represent Michigan Tech as they competed in their final collegiate competition of the academic year. While there are 40 active members in the club this year, more than double last year’s count, only five members participated in the races, including Andy Reed, Bryan LaRue, Eric Isaacs, Parker McColl and Logan Brueck. The Copper Country Cycling Club is a Division II cycling team which competes in the Midwest Collegiate Cycling Conference (MWCCC). This conference is ultimately governed by USA Cycling. The competition on Saturday was hosted by Ripon’s cycling
club, which included two races. There was a team time trial and a criterium. In the team time trial, teammates work together to race a 10-mile course as fast as possible. Up to four racers are allowed to start per team, but the team’s final time is based on the second rider to cross the line. So, how exactly do teammates work together in a cycling race? McColl explained that sometimes members will go hard early in the race to lead the pack so that the rest can draft and save their own energy for later legs of the race. Reed, LaRue, Isaacs and McColl competed in the C Team Time Trial. LaRue and Reed led Isaacs and McColl through much of the course, including long descents and stretches of uphill, so that Isaacs and McColl could finish strong for the team. They came in third with Isaac’s tire crossing in 29 minutes and three seconds.
The other race, a criterium, entails riders completing laps around a small, enclosed course, usually about a mile long. Participants race for a set amount of time depending on the class in which they are competing. Collegiate D, C and B races, for instance, last 30 minutes while Collegiate A races are one hour long. Isaacs, LaRue and Reed competed in the D race. Isaacs made his way into the first chase group, or group chasing the leader, and ultimately placed third. Reed was not far behind and came in fifth. LaRue took 11th. McColl raced on his own in the C race. A lot of movement occurred throughout the race. After a lead pack formed, McColl along with a Madison and Notre Dame rider found themselves in the second chase group. A sprint to the end for McColl earned a sixth place finish. Brueck competed in the A race. An
“Overall, the Michigan Tech riders represented the Huskies well in their final collegiate race of the academic year.” extended Nordic ski season and little cycling training, however, did not allow Brueck to fare well. He took 34th place. Overall, the Michigan Tech riders represented the Huskies well in their final collegiate race of the academic year. The team will reconvene in the fall after hours of mountain and road biking over the summer. Riders will look to keep improving their individual skills, and the club will be looking to continue expanding and making a stronger presence on campus.
Roller Hockey Club looking to expand JOHN REYNOLDS Lode Writer The Michigan Tech Roller Hockey Club is trying to remain active, despite some tough weather which prevented the team from attending regularly scheduled events this spring. The team competes in the Midwest Collegiate Roller Hockey League, which is a part of the larger National Collegiate Roller Hockey Association. Unfortunately, the club was unable to make regionals this year. Due to inclement weather, the bridge was closed when the team tried to travel downstate for their only scheduled tournament of the spring semester. Despite the director of the tournament trying to get
the team to go around Chicago to reach the tournament in Grand Rapids, they weren’t able to attend. The team quite possibly missed regionals because of missing this tournament. This was especially disappointing because of the team’s success in the tournaments during the fall. “We nearly beat a team that was undefeated for the past two years,” said David Walsh, a member of the Roller Hockey Club. This was especially impressive because the team only managed to bring five people to the tournament. Having five people is just enough to fill the four offensive slots and goalie, meaning there were no replacements for tired players. The games are very similar to ice hockey and use the same strategies as ice hockey with just a few key differences.
The game is a lot more open for one. There are fewer players on the court at any given moment, and maintaining possession is how you win games. “A lot of teams like to slow the game down,” said Walsh. It’s easier to slow it down when there is no checking allowed. “It is nice playing a game that saves your body,” said Walsh. The team practices at a local arena, despite there being no actual roller hockey arenas in the UP. There are two practices a week, which consist of predominantly scrimmages and a few drills as need be. “I wouldn’t trade being on the team for anything,” said Walsh.
“Most of the players have an ice hockey background, but anybody can play.”
Varsity Events Schedule: April 8-14 Tuesday, 8 Men’s Tennis
Track and Field
Wednesday, 8
Thursday, 10
The club currently has about a dozen guys on it, but they are looking to expand. “We lost some good people last year and are losing a couple this year,” said Walsh. Most of the players have an ice hockey background, but anybody can play. They usually bring about eight players per tournament when they can. This club is playing hard and competing in a tough DII conference. With teams like Central, Western, Illinois and Purdue to play against, they have their hands full. Hopefully they can get the players they need and keep up this impressive group of players come next fall.
Home Game Friday, 11
Saturday, 12
Sunday, 13
Vs. Findlay** @ 12:00 p.m.
Vs. Ohio Dominican** @ 10:00 a.m.
Vs. Tiffin** @ 10:00 a.m.
@ Holst Invite- St. Paul, Minn.
** Conference Match Monday, 14
SPORTS
Michigan Tech Lode
Tuesday, April 8
15
Ridge Roamers provide positive community impact JOHN REYNOLDS Lode Writer The Ridge Roamers climbing club at Michigan Tech offers a great opportunity for Tech students to get active, but the club is also staying active in the community. With open climbs three days a week at their custom rock wall in the SDC Multipurpose Room, anybody can begin their venture into climbing the Keweenaw. Throughout the year, the club travels around the Keweenaw for local outdoor climbing, with Red Ridge and Hungarian Falls being the primary places which they visit. The Ridge Roamers can also be found at Cliff Drive or Silver Mountain. They even go ice climbing during the winter months and have been known to take a camping trip or two. “We went camping and would wake up and go climbing. It was very relaxing,” said Taylor Sly, Vice President of the club. Club members are able to rent club equipment. The membership fee is only $20 a semester or $30 for the year. Climbing at the SDC offers members the chance to climb year round and practice different techniques. Although the wall is only set up for top rope climbing, where you have the anchor set at the top, the club also participates in sport climbing. Sport climbing is where the bolts are embedded in the rock and you climb those as you ascend the wall. Outdoors, there’s also trad climbing, which involves no preset bolts, and the climber will place and remove gear as needed throughout the ascent. One of the benefits the Ridge Roamers offer to Tech students is the competitions they host every semester. The team gets sponsorship from local businesses like Downwind Sports and is able to offer prizes to the top competitors. Nalgene also donates water bottles, and the team is able to give out stickers from other sponsoring organizations. The competitions are usually held on a Saturday. Climbers are able to pick a time which is convenient for them and go to the SDC to take their runs. The competitions consist of
The Ridge Roamers climbing club utilizes the climbing wall located in the SDC multipurpose gym.
Photo courtesy of Ridge Roamer’s
three different routes, and each climber gets two attempts to climb each. The winner is the climber that ascends the highest, which is judged by how many holds they use, so it is a point-based system. The competitions are set up so that participants climb against others of similar skill level. There is a beginner, an intermediate and an advanced division so that the competition can incorporate climbers of all skill levels. “Our competitions are very fair, and even a first time climber can succeed in the beginning competition,” said Sly. These competitions even manage to pull in climbers from
the Marquette area. “Unfortunately at our last competition, it fell during a break on Northern’s campus, and some of the climbers weren’t able to attend,” said Sly. The Ridge Roamers set up a good competition for all of those that wanted to compete from any area. This club offers excellent opportunities for people looking to get out and get active. The rock wall in the SDC is changed every semester, so there are always new climbing routes. It is a strenuous, but safe and fun hobby. The Ridge Roamers offer an excellent opportunity to the Tech community and the Houghton community at large.
DiscoTech returns from Chicago and prepares for conferences PARKER MCCOLL Lode Writer Michigan Tech’s ultimate frisbee club, DiscoTech, is a DIII competitive ultimate frisbee team which competes in the college division of the USA Ultimate organization. Recently, the team hit the road in their first tournament of the spring season. DiscoTech competed in the Chicago Invite tournament the weekend of March 28th. The tournament featured 64 teams, including Oregon State, Missouri and others from across the country. The team had a rough first match but played better each game. “Throughout the day we showed a lot of
improvement,” said Mike Merwin, a senior on the team. DiscoTech usually travels with 17 players, but only 10 were able to make this tournament. “Injuries were frequent, which became a problem,” said Merwin. Nonetheless, the team persisted. “We saw some really good things from our freshmen; they worked hard.” “The tournament was rough, but overall it was a great learning experience for the team,” added Merwin. Participating in the tournament helped the team ready themselves for conferences, which start this weekend in Appleton, Wis. Last year, DiscoTech took fifth in the
Lake Superior Conference. “This year we’re looking to win or take second,” said Merwin. The team hopes to be one of two teams that will advance to regionals. The University of Wisconsin-Parkside, formerly ranked nationally, will be the biggest challenge of the weekend. DiscoTech will treat conferences as another learning experience. Their game strategies will depend on which teams are there and how the other games go. “I think overall it’s going to be more about working together as a team and trying to get better now and hopefully build for next season,” said Merwin. If DiscoTech does advance to regionals, they will face some tough competition. “Our
region is notoriously hard,” stated Merwin. The region includes three nationally ranked teams, and only two or three teams advance from regionals. DiscoTech has been around Michigan Tech since 1999, but it hasn’t always been very competitive. “We’re in a transitional phase where we’re trying to become a serious program,” added Merwin. “This is a very interesting stage for the team.” All but two members of the team will be around for at least another full year, so the team has a lot of future potential. Merwin noted, “Everybody’s young and wants to get better. It’s really cool to see since it doesn’t happen in a lot of college teams.”
Upcoming
Events April 8 - 14 Tough Guise 2-Dial Help
Thursday, April 10. 8 p.m. Fisher 135
Dial help willl be showing Tough Guise 2, a film on the desensibility that society has given to the violence of masculinity. Doors for the showing open at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 10 and the show will begin at 8 p.m. The show is free of charge with free concessions to both Tech students and the community.
Parade of Nations booth trainging-Food Services
Wednesday, April 9.
5 p.m.
MUB Alumni Lounge
Food sevices will be holding the first food booth training session of the year on WednesdaY, April 9 at 5 p.m. The meeting is for any group that is interesting in running a food vendor at the annual Parade of Nations/Multicultural Festival. The event will be held in the MUB aLumni Lounge.
Commentary Meeting-Student Commission
Thursday, April 10. 2 p.m. MUB Alumni Lounge A
The Student Commission will be holding their next meeting this Thursday, April 10 at 2 p.m. in the MUB Alumni Lounge A. These meetings are held to allow students, faculty and staff to share their comments and concerns about Michigan Tech. The committee then address the issues in an effort to improve our campus.
Keweenawawesomefest -WMTU
April 11-13 6 p.m. - 12 a.m. McArdle Theatre
This weekend, April 11-13, WMTU will be hosting the Keweenawawesomefest. The event will start on Friday at 6 p.m. at the McArdle Theatre with live band performances by Frontier Ruckus and more. On Saturday at 7 p.m. the electronic night performance will begin with DJ Erik Dahlstorm. The event will end at midnight. Tickets are $5 per night and $7 for the weekend.
Place your ad here! Special rates on events page advertising. Contact us at lodeads@mtu.edu or for more information call (906) 487-2404.
ASK TECH Riten Munshi
Autumn Giles
“Am I in the right place to work?”
“What type of stock should I make investment in?”
If you can ask your future self one question, what would it be? -Simeng Li
Jack Lubinski “Which bands are going to put on the best concerts?”
Emily Bouckaert “Do you have a job?”