02/04/2016

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Skiers enjoy Mount Voodoo wilderness

February 4, 2016

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The Other 97 Percent

Feminism matters

The view from Mount Voodoo captures the spirit of the Keweenaw Photo by Davy McLeod

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Thursday, February 4

NEWS

Michigan Tech Lode

Zika virus outbreak

Dr. Ebenezer Tumban, Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences (Left). A Doctor draws blood from Luana, who was born with microcephaly in Recife, Brazil.

Left Photo courtesy of Michigan Tech. Right Photo courtesy of The Associated Press

Sumit Pant News Writer The Zika Virus outbreak in Latin America could be a bigger threat to global health than the Ebola epidemic last year, which killed more than 11,000 people in Africa. The World Health Organization has warned that with rapid spreading of the virus, as many as four million people could be infected by the end of the year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has advised pregnant women not to travel to the Caribbean and Latin American countries where the outbreak is growing at an alarming rate. Government officials in Latin and Central American countries have also urged their women to avoid pregnancy until it’s declared safe. Only two countries in the Americas, namely Canada and Chile, would not be affected by this virus because the climate in these two countries doesn’t favor the survival of Zika Virus-carrying mosquitoes.

Cases of Zika Virus have started to emerge in the United States as well, with 36 people diagnosed with the virus. These cases are all across the country including 11 states and Washington D.C. According to health officials, all those infected patients came into contact with the virus outside

Cases of the Zika Virus have started to emerge in the United States.

the United States.

Dr. Ebenezer Tumban, Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences at Michigan Tech explains that the Zika virus is a virus transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, which are also infamous for the spread of dengue, yellow fever and Chikungunya viruses. These viruses (except Chikungunya) belong to the Flaviviridae virus family and their genomes are made up of RNA. He further explains that the symptoms after getting infected with this virus includes fever, headache, joint pains, rash and conjunctivitis. Most of these symptoms are similar to those of dengue and Chikungunya viral infections.

Dr. Tumban further recommends taking full rest and drinking lots of fluids in case of being diagnosed with Zika virus.

With 80 percent of affected people showing no symptoms, Tumban urged staying away from areas that have Aedes mosquitoes, using mosquito repellents and covering your body if you are visiting such areas. Furthermore, Tumban explained that “due to the abilities of the Aedes sp. mosquitoes to thrive only in warm tropical climate including some parts of southern United States, the possibility of Zika virus carry Aedes mosquitoes in the UP is unlikely during this time of the year.”

Moreover, due to the lack of a vector for transmission of the virus in the UP, the virus poses no serious threat at the moment.

The only possibility of the virus making its way into the UP would be if the mosquitoes somehow travel from the affected country to the UP through some physical means.

The virus has been associated with a devastating birth defect. Tumban elucidates that babies are infected with the virus from the mother through the placenta. The virus causes neurodevelopmental problems and the babies are born with abnormally small heads; a condition known as microcephaly.

Tumban has research experience working with flaviviruses like the Zika virus. He has worked with dengue virus in the past trying to understand what makes the virus uniqely transmitted by Aedes

“...the possibilty of Zika viruscarrying Aedes mosquitoes in the UP is unlikely...”

- Dr. Tumban mosquitoes; published in http://www. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21216984. He thinks the most challenging question that researchers in the field need to address is why the Zika virus causes microcephaly in newborn babies but not dengue and Chikungunya viral infections even though they all cause the same symptoms in adults.

He says the genome size, and genome organization of Zika and dengue viruses are almost the same. He concluded by saying he may continue, in the near future, to work on flaviviruses given the current threat they pose. He is currently working on enhancing the body’s immune response against human papillomaviruses; the viruses that cause cervical, penile, and anal cancers.

Michigan Tech Lode

NEWS

Thursday, February 4

On Docket: DAPA

President Obama speaks about immigration at Del Sol High School in Las Vegas Nov. 21, 2014.

Photo Courtesy of Assoicated Press

Evan Mayer News Writer The power of executive orders is currently under scrutiny as the Supreme Court is reviewing the orders that President Obama gave that resulted in his Deferred Action for Parent of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) acts. The ruling in this case could potentially draw a new line between executive discretion and congressional authority.

As the leader of the executive branch, the president’s job is to ensure that the laws in the country are properly enforced. In allowing his agents to complete this task and to help manage the operations of the federal government itself, executive orders have been used since George Washington took the Oath of Office. These executive orders have been used to determine small issues, like the national mourning of a president and the lowering of flags to half-staff, all the way up to history changing events such as declarations of war and the Emancipation Proclamation.

The first of these orders the president released was in 2012. The idea of the order was to stretch “prosecutorial discretion” on an individual basis to cover a delay in efforts

...”there must be some discretion involved to the president in how he uses the limited resources he has.”

- Dr. Prakash

to deport approximately 800,000 people who were brought into the country illegally.

Prosecutorial discretion is the authority of an agency or officer to decide what charges to bring and how to pursue each case. The authority to exercise discretion in deciding when to prosecute and when not to prosecute based on a priority system has long been recognized as a critical part of U.S. law. A few examples of the favorable

exercise of prosecutorial discretion in the immigration context include a grant of deferred action; a decision to terminate or administratively close removal proceedings; a stay of removal; or a decision not to issue a charging document in the first place.

Following the issuing of the order, the president claimed to have reached the limit of his powers when he said, “If we start broadening this executive action, then essentially I would be ignoring the law in a way that I think would be very difficult to defend legally.”

However, Obama did not stop issuing executive orders on the subject of immigration reform. In 2014 he issued an order that expanded the sweep and protection of his program. The order shields around 4.5 million illegal immigrant adults with children who are U.S. citizens or lawful residents. This order made them eligible to work and receive Social Security retirement and disability benefits, Medicare, the earned income tax credit, unemployment insurance, driver’s licenses and more. The plan was to prioritize the removal of serious criminals while allowing parents of children to work without fear of deportation.

The costs of having to comply with this new policy led to Texas and 25 other states asserting their standing to sue. Texas alone would see 743,000 people directly benefiting from these acts. The states won an injunction, and when the Obama administration appealed to the Court of Appeals, the states won again. Following this defeat, Obama’s administration asked the Supreme Court to rule on the legality of his actions.

The question the Supreme Court will rule on is “Did Obama’s action violate the Take Care Clause?” The Take Care Clause refers to a clause in the U.S. Constitution that imposes a duty on the President to take due care while executing laws. The purpose of this clause is to ensure that the President faithfully executes a law.

Although many are against Obama’s policy, a law professor at the University of Virginia, Saikrishna Prakash, is for it. “The policy is similar to how police officers cannot pull over everyone they see speeding. As a result, they decide informally to only pull over people going ten miles per hour over the limit. This is generally what Obama’s policy is doing with immigration only he is putting it into writing,” Prakash said. “Additionally unless Congress wants to provide enough funding for the administration to deport every illegal immigrant, there must be some discretion involved to the president in how he uses the limited resources he has.”

The final ruling, no matter which side the Supreme Court sides with, will have very interesting consequences for the relationship between the executive and judicial branches.

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World Report Daniel Stockard News Writer

Syrian peace talks off to shaky start Representatives from groups involved in the Syrian Civil War are due to begin negotiations in Geneva this week. However, members of the High Negotiations Committee (HNC), which is composed of several rebel groups, have threatened to walk from the meetings unless the Assad government stopped committing “crimes” against the Syrian people. A few of the conditions set by the rebel groups are that the Assad regime lifts sieges on oppositionheld cities and the release of prisoners. If the sieges are lifted, then much-needed food and medical supplies can make it into those areas.

If they get off the ground, the talks are expected to last for six months, with the goal being a transitional period ending in elections.

Notably, no members of the Kurdish forces are present in the negotiations because Turkey demanded they be barred from them.

Also not present were representatives of the Islamic State or the al-Nusra Front, both of which are considered terrorist organizations.

Japan on high alert over North Korea After allegedly testing a nuclear bomb on Jan. 6, analysts believe that North Korea is planning to test a rocket or long-range missile. As a result, Japan has ordered its military to shoot down any projectile that enters its territory. It is unclear what the nature of the test will be, as North Korea has previously disguised rocket tests as satellite launches. This comes at a time when the international community is struggling to develop a coherent response to the nuclear tests. The United States is pushing for tougher sanctions on the country, an idea that is met with resistance by the Chinese.

Oregon standoff coming to a close Armed militiamen have occupied the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge for nearly a month, protesting federal administration over western lands. Events took a turn for the worse last Tuesday when activist Robert LaVoy Finicum was shot after charging policemen during a traffic stop. Police arrested several more, including group leader Ammon Bundy, on charges of conspiracy to impede federal officers from discharging their official duties through the use of force, intimidation or threats.

On Sunday, Ammon Bundy called for the four remaining militants in the refuge to go back to their homes, as he “never meant [there to be] an armed standoff.” It is unclear whether or not the remaining activists will leave peacefully, as they have stated they will only leave if the FBI promises they won’t be prosecuted. The FBI has made no such assurances so far.

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Thursday, February 4

NEWS

The other 97 percent

Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback is working to prevent Planned Parenthood from receiving any funds through its Medicaid program.

Photo Courtesy of Assoicated Press

Samantha Stein News Writer Planned Parenthood provides many different services including sexual education, access to cheap or free contraceptives and STD testing that benefit women, teens and men in approximately 700 different locations across the United States. These services would be lost with the defunding of the organization. Despite this, many have protested to defund Planned Parenthood and some states are already in the process of defunding the organization including Wisconsin and Texas. With recent attacks and videos showing Planned Parenthood allegedly selling fetus parts, Planned Parenthood has been in the spotlight for the access to abortion that they provide.

The Republicans in the U.S. Senate have put forth an effort to defund Planned Parenthood entirely. In August 2015, they fell short on the 60 votes needed to pass a bill. On Jan. 6, 2016, the House also voted to defund the organization, sending the bill to President Obama’s desk.

Unsurprisingly, President Obama vetoed the bill, allowing for Planned Parenthood to continue to receive funding and for low-income citizens to receive healthcare from such organizations.

With the politicians and people of

America focused on whether abortion is wrong or not, many overlook the other services provided by the organization.

Services provided also include STD testing and treatments, birth control access, HIV testing, general women’s and men’s health care and LGBT services.

Only 3 percent of all services provided are abortion services. Significantly, Planned Parenthood allows for those with incomes at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty level to receive care that they otherwise may not be able to get.

Only 3 percent of all services provided

by Planned Parenthood are abortion services.

Cutting off funds to Planned Parenthood would create issues with access to the services they provide without having any affect on abortion. Title X states that “no funds appropriated under Title X of the Public Health Service Act be used in programs in which abortion

is a method of family planning.” Planned Parenthood clinics that do provide abortion as a service are funded by other means than government funding. Title X also prevents clinics from providing anything but counseling and neutral, factual information on family planning services.

Towards the end of 2015, a movement came about from those who supported Planned Parenthood and their mission. “I stand with PP” was spread across social media to support the funding of the organization. Many of these supporters recognized Planned Parenthood for its services beyond abortion. Jessica Grubba, a Medical Laboratory Science student at Michigan Tech, said “I don’t think it’s a good idea [to defund Planned Parenthood] because what about all the women who go there for their healthcare and can’t afford anywhere else? Where are teen girls who are having sex going to go where they can be educated on safe sex and have access to free contraceptives?

And what about those who choose to have abortions? I’m worried that defunding Planned Parenthood will cause a lot of unsafe abortions.”

Planned Parenthood offers plenty of services besides abortions to women, children and men. Defunding Planned Parenthood would make it more difficult for these people to receive health care.

Michigan Tech Lode

The Hyperloop Aaron Kostrzewa News Writer

Photo Courtesy Hyperlooptech.com It’s the brilliant minds like Elon Musk’s who see the world and find something that needs to be changed. Tesla’s CEO saw a problem with transportation in California.

Traffic is terrible and too many commuters waste significant time on their way to work.

Thus, Musk developed the concept of the Hyperloop: a high speed transportation system that carries travellers in a tube at 700 miles per hour. However, the Hyperloop isn’t the first proposed solution to better travel.

The state of California noticed the issue as well and went to work at solving the problem.

They came up with a $67 billion high speed railway to decrease the travel time between Los Angeles and San Francisco.

While other rail systems would be built as well in California, it would be the most expensive public works project in United States history. So what makes Mr. Musk’s concept so intriguing? The Hyperloop is projected to be one tenth of the cost and can transport passengers 2.5 times faster than California’s proposed railway which only travels at 220 miles per hour. California engineers find the cost projections to be incredibly low given the scale of the project and the introduction of a new type of transportation. However, if it is feasible, the commute between LA and San Francisco would be down to 35 minutes as opposed to the 2 hour 40 minute travel time of the high speed railway.

Despite the fact that cost calculations are in question, engineers from all over the country and other reputable sources such as MathWords ran analyses on the project and found it to be quite feasible. One of the biggest challenges, though, is figuring out how to accelerate the pods up to 700 miles per hour and providing a comfortable ride for passengers. To alleviate incurred forces during acceleration, pod design has been heavily researched. Musk sought external concept designs for the pods and put out a competition for engineering students to develop. Recently, a group of MIT students won the competition with their design.

Whether or not the Hyperloop will replace California’s proposed high speed railway is still up in the air. Regardless, Musk has his mind set on the project and plans to break ground on a 5 mile test track costing $100 million.

NEWS

Michigan Tech Lode

Thursday, February 4 5

Org Spotlight: Nordic Ski don’t even show up to our meetings, and as far as we’re concerned, that’s fine.”

The meetings usually involve things like scheduling and planning trips along with the elections of officers, and can be a great way for members to become more involved in the club.

“If you’re going to school at Michigan Tech, by default, you live in a place that is great for this sport.”

- Douglas Oppliger

Nordic Ski Club Celebrating Pi Day, March 14, 2015.

Jon Jaehnig News Writer This year marks 16 years of the Nordic Ski Club on campus. The group was initially started by three graduate students who had previously been highly competitive skiers but decided they wanted a way to ski on campus in a more relaxed and informal way. Impressively, the club has grown by more than 400 members since its first year. Professor Blair Orr of the Forestry department says that students continually join throughout the semester, and club

numbers may reach 600 by the end of the academic year.

The term “nordic skiing” refers to sports done with a certain style of ski, which allows the heel of the foot to separate from the ski, unlike the skis used for alpine, or downhill skiing.

Sports using this kind of ski include ski-jumping, telemark skiing and crosscountry skiing, though the club is really focused on cross-country skiing. The club membership fee of $10 allows students the use of equipment owned by the club, including skis and boots, that can be used on the Tech Trails. The trails and use of snowshoes are already free to students because of the ExperienceTech

Michigan Tech Lode

Editor in Chief .........Kendall Belopavlovich Business Manager......................James Wood Distribution Manager...........Madison Paris Design Editor..........................Dan Schudlich News Editor...............................Peter Nouhan Opinion Editor.....................Shan Amarnani Pulse Editor..................................Aric Rhodes Sports Editor ...............................Rand Silvers Chief Creative Officer.......Kassia Prystalski Advisor ........................................Mark Wilcox Financial Advisor...............Maryann Wilcox

Photo Courtesy of Nordic Ski Club

fee. Members can also get free lessons through the club. Furthermore, if you are enrolled in a physical education class, you can also join the club and use the club’s equipment for your class.

While many of the members of the Nordic Ski Club are highly competitive, participating in various races and events, “A great portion have very little experience,” according to club coach Douglas Oppliger, a Senior Lecturer in the Engineering Fundamentals Department. Also, not all members of the club participate in competitive events or any formal club events at all.

“People do what they’re interested in,” said Orr. “The majority of members

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Nordic Skiing is seen by many to be a stress-relieving activity as well as a way to get outside and stay fit during the Upper Peninsula’s long winters. “If you’re going to school at Michigan Tech, by default, you live in a place that is great for this sport,” said Oppliger. In addition to the area being good for the sport, it has been a good season. “Compared to previous years the season started later, but the conditions are great and there haven’t been any very cold days.”

Anyone interested in joining the Nordic Ski Club can contact them online at www.ski.mtu.edu or visit the MTU Nordic Ski Club Facebook page, though coming to their office may be the easiest way to join. The regular operating hours of the Club office are from noon to 8 p.m. on weekdays, and from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturdays. The Office is located at the head of the Tech Trails across from Parking Lot 24.

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Thursday, February 4

NEWS

Michigan Tech Lode

Sneak Peak: IT Department Sylvana Finkbeiner News Writer Michigan Tech’s IT department has a staff comprised of about 50 percent student workers. They are available to help students, faculty and staff with an assortment of demanding technical needs. To streamline those demands IT has embarked on a number of projects to increase customer satisfaction.

One of these projects involves self service features. For example, the team is introducing a more efficient method for resetting passwords. In the past, students would walk up to the help desk in the library or contact IT via email or phone in order to reset their password. Now, a link on the IT Support Center page (mylogin. mtu.edu) is giving students the option to follow a link to login to their account. Here, students can make a request using either a security question or a two step verification process, similar to Google’s security. “We get a lot of students saying, ‘hey, I forgot my password.’ This [new service] would be essentially setting a secret question… alternatively, you could get a [verification]

code sent to your phone,” said Brian Hutzler, IT Business Analyst. “This process is being changed to make it much more convenient for the users to manage their own passwords. Convenience can be significant when considering a student’s busy schedule,” said Hutzler.

Perhaps something that students

IT has embarked on a number of projects to increase customer satisfaction. underappreciate, is how meticulously IT works computer software updated for student use. During the summer, the team reimaged about 1300 computers to fit all the needs for the upcoming year. In

addition, IT is always looking to upgrade various spaces on campus. As an example, Dillman 209, a wireless lounge with a husky printer, recently received new desks, new carpet and new paint. The idea is to continue to improve these spaces in a way that utilizes feedback from students and student organizations.

Improving the quality of WiFi is another major focus of IT. One of the most frustrating problems for students is to have spotty or weak signals for campus WiFi. The IT Telcom group is constantly reviewing the consistency of the wireless network on campus to improve connection quality and internet speeds.

IT also provides a very helpful webpage through which most student problems can be solved. Well-organized, the front page offers four sections: “guides”, “support”, “tools” and “resources.” Here, IT helps the students with things that range from managing an account’s subscribed lists and viewing currently available computer lab seats to instructions on how to submit a poster request for a school project or how to install a VPN client on a machine.

Furthermore, the page lists a few quick resources for students such as links to

managing your HuskyCard and access to the software download center. Hutzler works with external departments and requests work flows on projects that include the remodeling of the labs and wireless lounges, and collaborates with groups within IT. A major goal for IT is to continue to improve the the services provided and to respond to requests as quickly and efficiently as possible. “My job is...exactly a lot of things,” said Hutzler.

This is very true, even in the most humble of words.

One of the best ways to appreciate what IT does for Tech is to join the club.

Throughout the year, IT regularly reviews student applicants for employment opportunities. Student jobs typically fall under three main categories: business operations, operations, and user services.

After all, students do make up about half the staff. Interested students can simply send their resume to it-help@mtu.edu. “It’s not that we only base it on your major. It’s more, ‘Can you learn? Are you interested?

Do you have any experience doing this?’” said Hutzler.

The resource for all things MTU techy is https://www.it.mtu.edu/.

Amanda Charboneau

for swearing in front of a 5 year old child.

The law was repealed recently even though it was deemed unconstitutional for violating freedom of speech in 2002.

Prior to December an individual could face 90 days in jail and a $500 fee for shortening the National Anthem. After the appeal it is now legal for it to be played for dancing or used as an outro, this particular law was instituted in 1931 a few months after The Star-Spangled Banner was adopted as the national anthem. Intended to protect the song from tarnish, this outdated law was made with good intentions; however, it didn’t make the cut in 2016.

Have you found a wacky state law that you think should be whacked? Send an email to your state governor’s office, or if it’s something that demands national attention, you can start a petition with We the People.

The site is a government run, and every petition that reaches 100,000 electronic signatures receives an official White House response.

There are some weird laws out there, but remember when you’re competing in a local walkathon, dancing to the national anthem and swearing that the girl you’re with is the prettiest... that last year you could have been thrown in jail for 270 days. Enjoy your new freedom.

Outdated Laws News Writer Michigan lawmakers are required to adhere to the law, and in Michigan some of those are pretty ridiculous, including a ban on hosting or participating in a walkathon: a dance till’ you drop contest or any similar endurance contest. Put in place in the year 1935, the walkathon ban was enacted for public health concerns. Endurance contests were all the rage, and that led to some pretty unfortunate accidents. In 2007 a woman in California died after participating in an endurance contest to drink and retain as much water as possible. The public outcry has since made sure that endurance challenges are well staffed and monitored to prevent future tragedies in other states.

This year Michiganders will be able to participate in local endurance challenges, but remember to listen to your body and not push yourself past your limits.

Another ban that was lifted along with the walkathons was one that took away the right to “curse or damn or swear by the name of God, Jesus Christ or the Holy Ghost” in front of any woman or child.

The law was enforced in 1999 after a man named Timothy swore profusely after falling into a river. Timothy was convicted

Michigan Tech Lode

PULSE

Winter Carnival Schedule

Thursday, February 4

7

What’s Hot

Box Office Blockbusters “The Revenant” reclaims its placement at number one for the weekly box office in its fifth week.

“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” shows no signs of stopping as it takes the place of number two.

“Ride Along 2” drops almost 65 percent in its second week, and takes the third place for its efforts.

This week’s big premiers, “Dirty Grandpa”, “The Boy (2016)”, and “The Fifth Wave”, all come in at fourth, fifth, and sixth respectively.

Billboard’s Hot 100 list Justin Bieber’s hit song “Love Yourself ” manages to over take the number one spot for its 11th week on the chart.

Following closely is “Sorry”, also by Justin Bieber, which has fallen down to second place.

Coming into third place from fourth in its 19th week on the chart is “Stressed Out” by Twenty One Pilots.

The New York Times Young Adult Hardcover Best Seller list Is topped this week by Dan Howell and Phil Lester’s “The Amazing Book is Not on Fire”.

Coming just behind is Victoria Aveyard’s “Red Queen”, the author’s debut novel and the first in an up-andcoming series.

After these is Alexandra Bracken’s “Passenger”, a period piece and the first part of a two-novel set.

Photo courtesy of Blue Key

In the category of Hardcover Graphic Books, The current title goes to “Amazing Fantastic Incredible: a Marvelous Memoir”.

This comes highly recommended for fans of Marvel Comics, or the industry in general.

Fittingly, it is DC Comic’s “Batman: the Killing Joke” that follows, enjoying even more publicity with the announced movie.

Closing out the category comes Adriane Tomine’s “Killing and Dying” of the Graphic Novel genre.

HOW do you think we did?

WHAT did we miss?

ANYTHING you think we need to cover?

Know that you could do it better?

One of the most visible parts of the Winter Carnival, and certainly a favorite, is the Snow Sculptures. From simple pieces to massive masterworks, such as this Mario themed castle from the 2010 Winter Carnival.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

E-mail: amrhodes@mtu.edu

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Thursday, February 4

PULSE

Michigan Tech Lode

Winter Carnival All-Nighter Aric Rhodes Pulse Editor

If you aren’t going to participate in the time-honored Winter Carnival AllNighter, the odds are that someone you know will be. What’s more, you’ll be missing out on what is often called one of the best parts of the entire Winter Carnival.

This isn’t like the much dreaded allnighter that you may have submitted yourself to in efforts of cramming before a test. No, this is more like a massive party, where the sun rise is the signal to stop. The energy is palpable across much of campus, and even if you don’t really stay up all night, good luck getting to bed early.

Between the concert that goes until 1 a.m., and all of the last-minute snow sculptures being made and worked on throughout the campus, it’s doubtful

Valentine’s Day calling all couples Aric Rhodes Pulse Editor Sunday, Feb. 14 is Valentine’s Day. For couples all around America, this means a day of quiet seclusion and romance, maybe a movie or something similar. No matter your plans, it’s always great to get in on the fun. If you and your significant other want to try something new, there are few things better than being the start of a new tradition.

Valentine’s Day traditions are a longstanding source of joy for many couples.

It seems that everyone has their own tradition. Whether it’s a favorite film or dancing to a particular song, there are all sorts of different things, big and small, that can become long-standing traditions.

Here at The Lode, we’re going to be celebrating the week of Valentine’s Day with a feature that we hope will be a new ongoing tradition. This feature is going to have you, the readers as the stars!

If you want to participate, it’s quick and easy. Take a picture of yourself and your significant other, along with a paragraph or so of how you met, then send it in to lodesubmit@mtu.edu. We’ll feature as many as we can, and you’ll get to be in the Newspaper.

If we just get too many to feature, we’ll still be printing the absolute best pictures and will feature every beautiful picture on our website. Either way, it’s sure to be a blast. So get your significant other and get a knock-out picture. Here’s wishing you the best of luck, and a happy Valentine’s Day!

Submit pictures of you and your significant other to lodesubmit@mtu.edu with a little bit about how you met. We’ll be printing as many as we can.

that one could find nothing to do during the All-Nighter, especially for those who are inclined to mingling and socializing.

The crowds which are drawn in by the Carnival give off a generally pleasant and welcoming demeanor, often being alumni who were once in a similar situation.

It is true that the All-Nighter can seem intimidating to the uninitiated, especially if it is the first time that one has seen so many merry partygoers, but it can still be a fulfilling and fun experience. Even better, if possible, go into the all-night party with a few friends, so that you can support each other and keep your willpower high.

There are many who will attempt the All-Nighter, and few who will succeed, but with the illustrious prize of bragging rights on the line, it can be hard to say no. For any readers attempting their first All-Nighter, here are few tips: stay active, drink caffeine, get something to eat and above all else have fun.

Michigan Tech Lode

PULSE

Thursday, February 4

9

Extra dark black belt: Judah Friedlander Sumit Bongir Lode Writer

The Winter Carnival comedian has been a tradition for many years, and it is exciting to have a large show for students, alumni, and the community to attend as part of Winter Carnival. This year we have Judah Friedlander to keep the crowd in stitches. Some of you may know him as Frank Rossitano from “30 Rock”, or may have spotted him in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”. Friedlander has been doing stand-up all throughout his career and feels the most relaxed while doing so. Apart from television, he has performed in a variety of movies and video albums. Friedlander sports shaggy hair with oversized glasses along with a T-shirt and a trucker hat with ostentatious taglines such as “World Champion”. He claims to have achieved an extra dark black belt in karate and wrote “How to Beat Up Anybody: An Instructional and Inspirational Karate Book by the World Champion”. His insouciant attitude and physical appearance are in direct contrast to his claims, which delivers a powerful ironic comedy. Austin Nyenhuis, President

of the MUB Board, said, “This event is a collaboration between MUB Board, SEB and Blue Key. When deciding which comedian to pursue, both MUB Board and SEB came with a list of comedians that we were interested in. From there, we narrowed it down to a top five and started pursuing contracts.”

The show will be performed at the Rozsa Center on Friday at 9 p.m. Tickets can be bought for $5 by students, and $15 by nonstudents from the central ticketing office in the SDC. Nyenhuis continued, “It’s going to be a blast! Judah is really funny and will provide a great comedic experience. He will also be playing a game of ping-pong with someone from the audience! Judah is the world champion. He’s the best athlete, the greatest martial artist, the sexual desire of every woman, and a role model to children. His show will definitely be one that students don’t want to miss.”

For a guy who has appeared on late night talk shows like Letterman, Conan, Fallon & The Daily Show, there cannot be a better chance in experiencing his charisma in person than this one. Get your tickets before the event gets sold out!

Have a refreshing and hilarious Winter Carnival!

Judah Friedlander, pictured above, has a long list of comedy accolades. He will be performing for this year’s Winter Carnival.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

10

Thursday, February 4

COMICS

Michigan Tech Lode

This one is a little bland. Pass the saltshaker?

Comic courtesy of XKCD

CLASSIFIEDS NEWS WRITERS WANTED: We are currently hiring writers for the news section of The Lode, covering current topics in domestic, international, and local affairs.

Please contact The Michigan Tech Lode at lodesubmit@mtu.edu or by calling 906-487-2404.

WEB DESIGNERS WANTED: We are currently hiring web designers for The Lode. See your work on The Lode website!

Please contact The Michigan Tech Lode at lodesubmit@mtu.edu or by calling 906-487-2404.

Listen, Laura’s parties are fine, but by not even THINKING of asking Gary, boy howdy is the office MISSING OUT on some DEBAUCHERY.

GAZETTE APARTMENTS: Very nice 2 BDRM APARTMENTS located across the street from the Library Bar within walking distance of MTU and downtown Houghton.

Secure building, on site manager, laundry facilities, plowed parking and garbage pick-up. Heat and water included. Rent $520-670 Call: 906231-4385.

Email lodeads@mtu.edu for information about placing a classified ad.

Sorry millennials, your parents are immortal now, and they’re all wondering why you don’t just go out and get a job like they did when they were your age.

PUZZLES

Puzzles Edited by Will Shortz

MESSAGE TO BUYERS

1

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Puzzles Online: Today’s puzzle and more than 9,000 past puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 a year). For the daily puzzle commentary: nytimes.com/wordplay.

Mobile crosswords: nytimes.com/mxword

85 Screen meas.

86 1914 battle locale 88 Chick magnets?

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H I Y A

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Sudoku — Medium

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Rules: A) You must fill in the boxes in each row and column with the numbers 1 to 6. Do not repeat a number in any row or column.

B) The areas of the grid with dark outlines around them are called cages. At the top left of each cage is a target number and operation.

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Hint: Look for cages that are around just one box. The target number will have no operation symbol.

6 20

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1/31/16

Michigan Tech Lode

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Thursday, February 4

Debate:

12

OPINION

?

Michigan Tech Lode

Is it ethical to genetically modify DNA?

Pro: James Wood Business Manager

Con: Shan Amarnani Opinion Editor

OPENING STATEMENT

ROUND 1

Humans are probably the most resilient beings to have ever lived on earth. Yes, we have had our fair share of struggles but amidst all issues pertaining to health, we have almost always found a solution. New research shows that the DNA of human embryos can be modified to somewhat eradicate common health issues such as cancer. Sure, it would be nice to be able to modify our children’s DNA so that they won’t be affected with the same health problems their mother or father had but DNA modification can be exploited to produce superhumans — humans that are far more superior than the average human. This raises the question: is it ethical to genetically modify DNA? Genetic engineering can and probably would be used to improve the quality of life, because it wouldn’t make sense to use it to perpetuate a deadly disease, or a common malady such as nearsightedness. Since genetic modification would likely only be used for enhancement, the problem wouldn’t be with the technology itself, but with the people implementing the technology. Technology being used for purposes other than general welfare is nothing new to our society. The best farming equipment is available to those who have money to pay for it. Laser eye surgery is also only available to those with the money to afford it. The rich benefit the most from any technological advancement used for enhancement. This is just the way capitalism works. If you have a problem with this then you have a problem with the economic system, not genetic engineering.

ROUND 3

The real reason why genetic modification is controversial is that a lot of people believe that humans were designed to be a certain way, and that changing the way our designer intended us to be would go against our nature. The facts are in, humans have evolved over time from more primitive species. With this in mind, it doesn’t make sense to hold the belief that humans should be a certain way. Humans are changing all the time, people across the world are varied in appearance and mentality due to their evolutionary heritage. One could still argue that natural selection is the way nature intended us to be molded, and to mess with that would be unnatural. The dodo begs to differ... If natural selection was leading us in the right direction, why would there be evolutionary dead ends? Humans evolve the same way other animals do and if natural selection can lead them in the wrong direction, the same could happen to us.

DNA is responsible for almost everything that goes on in our bodies. Altering the structure of DNA can cause a major change in physical and mental capabilities.

This can either be a change for the better or a change for the worse. Based on this, we can safely say that it is DNA that makes us human. This is where the ethical question—when do we cease to become humans?—comes in. We cannot possibly call ourselves humans if we are capable of lifting one ton rocks and calculating the square root of one billion in our heads. We would have created a new super race. A race much superior than humans. Now, of course, we are not perfect.

To be able to figure out the most ideal DNA structure, numerous experiments need to be made. These experiments will eventually need to be done on humans.

Ethically, this would be unacceptable.

ROUND 2

If what makes us human is our ability to lift large objects and calculate large numbers at supercomputer speeds, then why is being human morally superior to being superhuman? Humans are capable of terrible acts of violence and cruelty without genetic enhancement. With superhuman powers perhaps our capacity for destruction would be increased, but so would our ability to help others. It’s a tradeoff that all scholars recognize when exploring new scientific avenues. To address the notion that experimenting on humans is morally wrong, as long as a person is volunteering and knows what they are getting into there is nothing wrong with clinical trials for human beings. Additionally, to say that humans who think differently from the mainstream are morally inferior would be the same as saying all people with mental disabilities are morally inferior.

John Dalberg-Acton once said “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men.” I am sure genetic engineering will be used for good. That is not the issue here. The issue is whether it would be ethical to modify our DNA to better society. I have to agree that initially, only the wealthy will have access to advanced technology such as DNA modification but, as with everything, the cost will eventually go down. This would make it easier for the middle class to afford this type of technology. Great! Now the majority can live a healthy and happy life. Do we stop there? Looking back, we are never contented with how things are. We constantly try to improve everything. Which is not necessarily a bad thing. However, with DNA modification, our quest for perfection may harm the entire human race. We could go so far as to create an entire race of “superhumans.” This sounds great until you think of the consequences.

I like to believe that we are headed in a direction. This direction can neither be labeled right nor wrong because, as humans, there exist a bias that not everyone can see. Many believe that going extinct means heading in the wrong direction. This is simply not true. Extinction is definitely a direction but one can neither call it right or wrong. Take the dinosaurs for example. Many would justify what happened to the dinosaurs by saying that the extinction of dinosaurs was essential to paving a way for human civilization. In the same way, what if humans were not meant to exist forever.

Messing with DNA would just mess with the natural order of things.

Michigan Tech Lode

OPINION

Thursday, February 4 13

Feminism matters LODE Amy Joy Patterson Lode Writer

labeled “Jennifer.” The vast majority of the time, “John” was selected for the job. In a society that valued the work of men and women equally, there should have been no bias.

Moving away from the economic, simply watching any television show featuring interviews makes clear how deeply ingrained misogyny can be. Look up “sexist interviews” on YouTube. Seriously, do it. Really analyze what happens on screen. If you are really daring, read the comments criticizing the women in the interviews for having a problem with being asked questions about inane drivel.

(How dare she want to be treated like a person when she already has money and beauty?) Men are not asked who their favorite designers are. Men are not asked if they can live without their phones for an hour. Men are not asked about who watches their children while they are at work. Men are taken seriously in their professions, and women should be, too.

Keep your eyes open. If you go through your life each day accepting these acts of sexism as the norm, you are part of the problem. Eradicating sexism requires more than wishful thinking.

The effect of decorations Samantha Stein Lode Writer Classroom design can attribute a 25 percent impact, either positive or negative, on student progress. Colors affect our moods without us realizing it. For example, reds insinuate a feeling of passion or anger within us. Orange is overwhelming.

Blue is calming. Gray gives a sense of serenity. Purple gives us a sense of luxury and royalty. With the change in moods that color causes, there can be a change in productivity or attitude about classes.

Typically, cooler tones are more visually stimulating for older, high school and college aged students.

Beyond color, there are five other design aspects that have significant impact on students. Classrooms must maintain a certain level of quality when it comes to the furniture. Uncomfortable furniture can be distracting and frustrating for students to deal with. Students may spend more time fidgeting in their seats or with their desk space than on listening to the professor lecture. By supplying high quality seating and desks, students will be more comfortable and spend less time fidgeting and more time listening to the professor.

The third aspect that can impact student productivity and learning in the classroom

is light. Natural light is the best light source.

However, there should not be too much or too little light. If rooms are too bright it can be distracting, cause glare or even hurt the students’ eyes. Rooms that are too dark can make it difficult to see things properly.

By controlling the amount of light in a classroom, students really can benefit.

In addition to the quality of the seating, the light and colors, classrooms must have a certain level of flexibility of arrangement for various activities, discussions or in-class projects. Of course, there is only so much flexibility some types of rooms can have.

For example, lecture halls have very limited flexibility. However, smaller classrooms can have more flexibility. Desks and seating should be easy to move to better facilitate students. If a professor wants to break students up into groups, it can be awkward to get into groups with no way to change the classroom arrangement. It also allows for students to feel less crowded and suffocated in classrooms. Students can really benefit from the flexibilities in arrangements.

One of the biggest things that is normally not considered is the access to the classroom. If students struggle to get to the classroom, they will immediately be in a bad mood and less likely to listen in class. Students need clean, wide corridors

Japanese Nationality Room in the Cathedral of Learning at the University of Pittsburgh

Photo courtesy of Karen Blaha

and hallways that allow for quick access to classrooms, labs or other spaces. Not only do the hallways impact students’ mentality, the building itself can play a large role. If the building has an unbalance of décor, poor surroundings or lack of detail, it makes the building boring. We need visual stimulation to keep ourselves interested. A boring building leads to a bored mindset.

Decorations and paint aren’t always something that people recognize as having an influence on us. However, these factors can play a huge role in student productivity.

By providing students properly decorated environments, schools can increase the progress of a student.

Rand Silvers

ing

ZONE

“Men and women in the United States already have equal rights, so Feminism is obsolete.”

I hear this a lot. Generally, the people who say it are well-intentioned. They believe women and men should have equal rights, and they also believe that de jure policies discouraging discrimination are the same as de facto practices.

Consequently, they overlook the alarming number of scenarios in which women are systematically discriminated against.

Imagine a woman walking into a store intending to buy Schick Quattro razors.

When she walks up the the display, she discovers that the Schick Quattro blades for women, which have pink handles, are over a dollar more expensive than the Schick Quattro blades for men, which have silver handles. Glancing down the aisle, she finds that this troubling trend of increased prices on women’s products extends to just about everything on the shelves, from mouthwash, to deodorant, to shampoo. This is called the pink tax,

and it happens in every state in America.

Don’t believe me? Check for yourself. If that by itself is not outrageous enough for you, consider the fact that tampons and other feminine hygiene products, items that any woman would agree is a necessity, are taxed in 45 states. Other necessities, such as food, clothing and medical care, are not taxed.

What about the lack of women in STEM fields? Is this the product of a sexist society? Some would argue no, stating something to the effect that women are naturally predisposed toward nonscientific fields and even going so far as to insinuate that there is no discrimination involved on the basis of women being less intelligent. Disregarding how irrational and unsupported that latter supposition happens to be, there is no evidence at all to suggest that women are naturally bored with science. More likely, the reason for the gender disparity in STEM fields comes down to preferential bias toward males. Consider, for example, a study conducted at Yale University in which professors were asked to select the most qualified candidate given two identical resumes, one labeled “John,” the other

Un

Where were you last night? I hope you had a good all-nighter, or at least one you can remember. Or not, if that’s your thing; I’m not one to judge.

I spent my all-nighter playing tabletop roleplaying games with my friends.

There’s nothing quite as satisfying as finding a group of people nerdy enough to be willing to believe you’re a wizard for an entire evening. And if the five-footnothing chemist sitting next to you wants to be Brognak the half-orc barbarian, that’s cool too.

Roleplaying games let us escape from the everyday; they’re rather like carnival in that way. They’re an excuse to do things we otherwise wouldn’t, like spend dozens of hours on a snow sculpture, or burn an inn down because the elven innkeeper keeps looking at you sideways.

However, it’s important not to let these distractions take up too much of our lives.

It can’t be carnival every week. Even if our livers could handle it, we’re paying tuition for a reason. And no matter how many treasure hoards you roll, you’ll eventually run out of pizza money. No matter your INT score, you’ll still start failing classes if you don’t do your assignments.

That said, having these breaks is equally crucial. All work and no play doesn’t just make Jack a dull boy: it can seriously undermine his health and academic performance. Getting caught up in the stress of constant assignments, exams and other drudgeries of daily life is easy, but miserable. It can feel like doing the responsible thing to keep on working, but eventually you simply stop being productive.

In these situations, sometimes stopping to breath and do something fun can actually increase the amount you’re able to accomplish.

Of course, that’s not the reason we play. We play because Xero the paladin of Mars has a quest he needs to accomplish, because Meele the magus needs to find purpose to end the aimless wandering his life has become, and because Cloud Flower the psychic has nothing better to do. We play because we like dice and we like each other.

Carnival’s no different. We’re brought together by the fact that we love snow rather than d20’s, and kept together by the physical isolation of the UP rather than the social isolation of terminal geekiness, but we’ve got each other, and we’ve got our play. And that’s enough.

Have a happy carnival everyone!

14

Thursday, February 4

NEW ADVICE COLUMN Dear Readers, The Michigan Tech Lode will be starting an advice column.

Students, faculty and staff are welcome to email us about anything personal, work or school-related at take-a-lodeoff-l@mtu.edu. A panel of selected staff will respond with measured input or advice.

The identities of everyone involved will be kept confidential.

A pen name and an anonymous email may be used to communicate with us. However, a personal email or your Michigan Tech email may also be used. Rest assured, everything will be kept confidential. Write to us with the following format: Subject line: Anything related to the subject matter Dear Husky,

[Letter Body]

-Pen name/alias

OPINION

Michigan Tech Lode

LETTER TO THE EDITOR Looking at the article entitled “Major Discrimination”, author A.J. Patterson wrote that “No strong data exists to suggest engineers are more intelligent than other types of people.”

This is not true. A few articles on the matter: http://www.statisticbrain.com/iq-estimates-by-intended-college-major/ http://www.randalolson.com/2014/06/25/average-iq-of-students-by-college-major-and-gender-ratio/ http://qz.com/334926/your-college-major-is-a-pretty-good-indication-of-how-smart-you-are/ http://www.iqcomparisonsite.com/occupations.aspx Taking a look at the statisticbrain article, we find that the average IQ for engineering-disciplines and STEM (I included engineers in the latter category) in general is approx. 126, whilst the non-STEM disciplines (including Business, Economics, Philosophy, etc.) is around 114. My knowledge of IQ tests is that it tends to be a 10-15 point standard deviation. With that in mind, we see that the difference between the average engineer/STEM field candidate and the non-STEM average is roughly comparable to the difference between a college graduate and a high school graduate (according to wikipedia at least). Certainly a noticeable effect.

Additionally, saying that an ACT score difference of 3.5 could be attributable to “a bad headache, lack of sleep, a recent argument with a parent...” etc shows a fundamental misunderstanding about statistics: these scores are averaged. One might presume, therefore, that any difficulties associated with random variables will disappear at a larger scale (although if there is research contradicting this, I’d be happy to read it). Especially given that there is no discussion on the standard deviations of said ACT scores, it could very well be that a 3-point difference is well outside the average, or well within a standard deviation.

Looking at the IQComparisonSite.com article, we can see that engineers tend to be in the higher tiers... the nice thing about that graph is that it shows standard deviations as well. It paints an interesting picture as well.

A short discussion on the accuracy of IQ tests might be warranted, as they are notorious in being unable to accurately measure certain characteristics such as creativity, social understanding, etc. However, at least one of those (creativity) can be easily seen here at MTU: winter carnival is upon us, and even now grand sculptures are being constructed utilizing that immense creative potential. Engineering is as creative, if not more so, than any other discipline: our dreaming must be tempered by reality, whilst other majors may not have the same rigor available to them (after all, either a building stands or falls, not much room in between).

In short, it is entirely justifiable to say that the average Lib Arts major might be presumed to be less intelligent than the average engineering major. Obviously this cannot (and the author rightly points this out) be applied to all examples of either. Besides, considering how much crap engineers give each other (“Which came first, the EE or the calculator?”, or “Civil Engineering: the science of stacking bricks”), I think that others shouldn’t read too much into “raised eyebrows” and “snarky” comments. It’s likely all in good fun, so next time an engineer says something like that just make fun of the purported social awkwardness of engineers.

Signed, EE4Lyfe

404: Social life not found Phillip Bourgeois Lode Writer I am not going to turn this into a shrink session, because we all have our own problems to deal with, but at the same time I am not going to pull quotes from very in-depth articles that I have to use a dictionary to see what the majority of it means. I am going to tell you about me, and the effect technology has had on me.

Before I begin, I first want to ask, “Does technology make us lonely?” There are literally millions of different kinds of technologies and a million different definitions of the word “lonely”.

The way I am going to define technology will be in the sense of communication on cell phones and computers, things like texting and Facebook, and including things as general as the Internet; and I will define lonely as I go. Secondly, I would like to provide a quick description of who I am as a person. I thrived in high school, leading many social activities. I love public speaking, I love to make people laugh and I love to help people. I would in fact say I am a very social person. So the question remains: Does technology make us more lonely?

At the very end of seventh grade is when I got a cell phone. I remember thinking of all the

things I could do on it, including and limited to: billiards, T9 keyboard texting, Nuance voice control and phone calls. I look at my phone today and I can do everything on it. I looked at the usage stats for the past week, and I have spent the majority of my time on my phone using Facebook, Twitter, messaging, and phone calls. Adding up the “social” apps, 30 percent of the past 168 hours I have been actively Facebooking, Tweeting, texting, Snapping and talking. So why do I feel lonely? It doesn’t add up, if I spent 30 percent of my time socializing via my phone, 10 percent in classes with other people and a few hours of eating with people, it should satisfy my need to socialize, shouldn’t it?

It took me up until writing this to realize why I feel like this, simply because it’s artificial communication. It is not real, I am not talking to my best friend, I am reading a sentence that he may or may not have typed. I can’t hear my mom saying good job through “good job” text messages, just like you can’t hear me and see my expressions while reading this. When I read texts or Facebook posts, I always wonder in the back of my head if it’s really them because I have texted people for my friend because sometimes he just isn’t the smartest, and people have done that for me too. The whole concept that anyone can have access to your online identity past a

four-digit passcode makes it all fake. People hide behind a profile picture these days, and especially for me as a people person, it drains me always wondering.

I’ve recently gotten into a few series on Netflix. I binged on Nurse Jackie and ignored anyone who was talking to me. I started it over winter break, and I finished six seasons in about two and half or three days. What happened to me was I would watch one episode, tell myself it was only a half hour so I could do another one, then the next thing I know it would have been 4 hours. Then since it was 4pm I couldn’t do anything so I might as well just continue. I lost track of time. I missed hanging out with friends that I haven’t seen in forever, group activities with old classmates and just spending time with my family while I was home. I regret it now because I didn’t see them and won’t for a while, some of them never again. At the time I didn’t even notice, but now I feel out of the loop and alone from it.

Technology is both a blessing and a curse because it can take you away to some other place. Whether that be video games, movies, talking on the phone or Skyping is not the point.

Technology has made it so easy to communicate from the comfort of our rooms and chairs that we forget how to communicate when we don’t

Texting on a qwerty phone Photo courtesy of Alton from wikepedia.com

have it in front of us, causing us to feel lost and alone.

I encourage you to have a period of time where you disconnect for a while. For me, I do it when I eat. I believe that at the table you should not have your phone. When people are on their phones they are in their own world, talking to their friends from back home or across the globe, and ignoring what is in front of them.

When they’re gone, you feel lost, just like I do.

But chins up, fellow loners, because it could be worse.

Michigan Tech Lode

# the By

s r e b m nu

.918

Husky goalie Jamie Phillips save percentage in NCAA men’s hockey for the 201516 season.

0

Losses suffered

by Huskies hockey during the month of January, out of six games played.

Three were ties.

25 0 0 0 1, 625

Points this season scored

by GLIAC January player of the month Alex Petan, with 14 goals and 11 assists in 24 games.

SPORTS

Thursday, February 4 15

Rough week for men’s basketball Utkarsh Mishra Lode Writer Michigan Tech’s men’s basketball team played two away matches last week against Northwood University on Jan. 28 in Midland and against Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie on Jan. 30. The Huskies were able to defeat Northwood but faced a loss from Lake Superior State.

The match against Northwood was a close one, in which Tech defeated the host team by a difference of just one point, with a final score of 61-60.

Halfway through the first period, each team went on a respective run. Tech started off strong, going up 10-2 to open the game.

The Timberwolves came back with a flourish of their own, netting 14 consecutive points to take a 19-14 lead. NU eventually took a 39-30 lead at the half.

Michigan Tech chipped away at the lead throughout the second half, eventually tying the game 47-47 with just under ten minutes to play. MTU led

by three in the final seconds when the Timberwolves went to the foul line for three free throws. NU made the first two and missed the third, but got the offensive rebound. The final sound of the buzzer gave the win to Michigan Tech by a difference of a single point.

For the contest, Tech shot 44 percent [22-50] to Northwood’s 40.4 percent [23-57]. The difference was at the charity stripe for both teams, with the Timberwolves finishing 53.8 percent [7-13] and

Ronald Knoll, the (Morphins) goalie, has one of the best statistics of the tournament with a massive 65 saves and just eight goals conceded. the Huskies netting 75 percent [12-16].

The match against Lake Superior

State was no fun for the Tech fans when the host team dominated the Huskies during the entire match and defeated them by 72-56. The Huskies [7-11, 6-8 GLIAC] hung with the Lakers through the first half despite shooting just 34.5 percent from the floor and 38.5 percent from behind the three-point arc.

The Lakers managed to shoot 50 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from outside of the arc but only managed a slim 32-27 lead at the break.

Following a 7-to-2 run by the Huskies, which opened the second half and drew the game even at 34, the Lakers found a spark and exploded for a 23-to-0 run. LSSU hit three triples to lead with nine points during the run.

The Huskies committed five turnovers and went 0-for-10, including a 0-for-5 mark from behind the arc, during the extended scoring drought.

MTU used an 8-to-0 run to draw within 11 points with 1:34 remaining but the Lakers closed out the victory with sure-shooting from the foul line.

Michigan Tech hosts their next match on Thursday against Ferris State.

Free “7th Man” T=shirts printed by a partnership between Tech and Nexteer.

Number of games coached by men’s baskball coach Kevin Luke in his 22 seasons with the Huskies.

32

Freshman Kyle Monroe’s career high points scored during Thursday’s basketball game against Northwood.

Lake Superior State goes in for a shot during Saturday’s game

Photo taken by Utkarsh Mishra

16

Thursday, February 4

SPORTS

Women’s basketball No. 1 in GLIAC North division Utkarsh Mishra Lode Writer

Michigan Tech’s Women’s basketball team played two matches last week against Northwood University in Midland and against Lake Superior State in Sault Ste. Marie. The Huskies continued their winning streak by defeating each teams in their home stadiums.

Tech won the match against Northwood with a massive difference in the winning score of 90-69. The host team took a 13-12 lead in the opening quarter, but Tech took control the rest of the quarter. MTU ended up with a 25-16 lead thanks to shooting 60 percent from the floor in the opening quarter.

MTU made six of their first seven shots in the second quarter, and the Huskies carried a lead as large as 19. Northwood fought back down the stretch to cut the lead to 46-32 at 20 minutes. Lindsay Winter scored a three-pointer and Mackenzie

Perttu added another to increase the gap to 20 during the start of third quarter, a lead they would maintain over the Timberwolves through the end of the game.

For the game, The Huskies shot 57.1 percent from the field [32-56], including 50 percent of three-pointers [12-24) com-

“This is a big win for us. We hadn’t swept a weekend trip all season, and our team is thrilled to get this one.”

-Kim Cameron

pared to 42 percent from Northwood. The score broke down by period as [25-16, 2116, 27-20 and 17-17].

The Huskies continued to show their

good form by winning their fourth consecutive game against Lake Superior State University with a difference of 22 points in the final score of 66-44. Tech also moved into sole possession of first place in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference North Division and second position overall with this win.

LSSU used a 5-0 starting advantage to achieve a 22-16 lead at the end of the first quarter. Tech then thrashed the host team in the second quarter restricting them to just one point. This put the halftime score as 36-17.

In the second half, the host team reduced the difference to 13 [53-40] with six minutes until the final buzzer. In the final minutes Tech’s Danielle Blake scored a couple of buckets to push the difference to 17 and change the momentum, further increasing the difference to 22 before the final buzzer. The score broke down into periods as [22-16, 14-1, 15-13 and 15-14].

Tech’s next game is at home against Ferris on Thursday, Feb. 4 at 5:30 p.m.

Michigan Tech Lode

Sidelines

Carnival hockey The Huskies Winter Carnival hockey matchup this year is Lake Superior State University, in a series scheduled for this Friday and Saturday, Feb. 5-6.

Friday’s game, normally held at 7:07 p.m., has been moved back an hour to begin at 8:07 p.m., while Saturday’s game is scheduled for a 5:07 p.m. start.

Students looking to participate in the festivities have a number of options. Tech has partnered with automotive company Nexteer to provide 1,000 free “7th Man” t-shirts, 100 of which were given away at the MUB on Wednesday. The remaining 900 will be distributed to the first 900 fans to arrive on Saturday.

Students looking to get up to the game can take advantage of the free shuttles.

The first shuttles leave lower campus for the MacInnes Ice Arena an hour before the game starts, which, perhaps not coincidentally, is when the doors open.

For homebody Husky fans, Friday’s game will also be broadcast nationally on the American Sports Network as part of an agreement between the network and the NCAA.

Petan player of the month Alex Petan, senior and co-captain of the Michigan Tech Huskies hockey team, was named January’s player of the month by the WHCA, the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.

The Vancouver native is on a 12-game scoring streak in the WHCA, with a league-high 10 goals and 19 points. He averaged 3.25 goals per game against WHCA opponents in January, helping the Huskies go undefeated for the month.

At just 5’9” and 180 pounds, it is Petan’s skill and experience that makes him such an imposing forward. He has played more than 140 games with the Huskies, and his hockey career started long before his arrival at Tech.

The 2015-16 season is stacking up to be a good one for the sports and fitness management major. He is only slightly ahead of his average points-per-game last year, but has already made almost as many goals as the 2014-15 season with only half the season completed.

January was a good month, but Petan will remain one to watch for the rest of the season. Go Huskies!

Husky forward Danielle Blake during Saturday’s game against Lake Superior State

Photo by Utkarsh Mishra

Michigan Tech Lode

SPORTS

Thursday, February 4 17

Tech takes second Husky at CCSA invitational hockey Michael Rader Lode Writer

The Huskies’ Nordic Ski teams raced at the CCSA Invitational last weekend, hosted here in Houghton. Facing difficult competition and unseasonably warm weather, the teams finished in good time, proving how competitive our skiers remain after a strong start to the season.

The MTU Women’s team finished Saturday’s races in second place out of six colleges; Northern Michigan finished first – head coach Joe Haggenmiller said, “NMU has a very strong and deep team[...] Our second to them was a very good result.”

Tech’s first finisher, Andrea Lee, won seventh place with a time of 15:15, with teammates Sonja Hedblom and Carolyn Lucca finishing within 45 seconds in 10th and 11th place, respectively.

“Our results today were helped by our second and third skiers skiing well,” said Haggenmiller. “[They] all skied very good races today and that made a big dif-

ference in our team scores.” Tech women raced well again on Sunday, again taking second, with senior Lee finishing fourth, just after NMU’s top three skiers.

The men’s team also finished in second place on Saturday, and also to the NMU Wildcats. Gaspard Cuenot, a freshman skier, finished first for the Huskies in fourth place, in a performance coach Haggenmiller called “mov[ing] closer to the top guys.”

Kyle Hanson, Daniel Wood and Didrik Fjeld Elset also skied well, securing the second place for MTU. On Sunday, the men’s team was edged out of second place by skiers from The College of Saint Scholastica, perhaps due to the crash suffered by Cuenot, which prevented him from finishing the race.

Coach Haggenmiller “hope[s] the injuries aren’t severe.”

Results last weekend look promising with junior Seth Mares setting a personal record and sophomore Lucca having a “breakthrough race,” and the Huskies took second place only conceding to the NMU powerhouse.

Husky goalie Devin Kero at the net during Saturday’s game against Bowling Green

The Northern Michigan ski teams are stacked with talent, including three under-23 World Championship qualifiers. They swept first place titles at the invitational over the weekend – Coach Haggenmiller said they are “dominating most other college teams.”

This past week saw an unusual rise in temperature, and it had an effect on the skiing trails. The snow packed down to be dense and hard, so the skiers were able to “skate race,” a term used to describe racing on what is essentially ice.

“The weather today is beautiful. Perfect,” said Haggenmiller. The high temperatures resulted in low times and good races from our teams.

The Huskies are shaping up to be among the best nordic ski teams in the Midwest this year. After a strong early season, the women’s team continues to improve. Despite the setback from Cuenot’s crash and possible injury, the men’s squad remains competitive.

With personal bests broken at every invite, MTU’s team is looking faster and stronger week by week.

Photo by Tasauf Torzo

victory Tausaf Torzo Lode Writer

On Jan. 30 when the Huskies went headto-head with the Bowling Green Falcons at the BGSU Ice Arena, No.17 Michigan Tech won over No.18 Bowling Green 4-1. The Huskies are having a wonderful season so far, and their win over the Falcons pushed their WCHA unbeaten road streak to eight and marks the first that a team has defeated Bowling Green in their home rink in the 2015-2016 season.

After the game head coach Mel Pearson said, “I’m really proud and happy for our players. They sacrificed their bodies tonight and it was an outstanding, gutsy effort by our guys tonight. To come in here and take three out of four points is a huge statement. We’ve played so well on the road this year and I can’t say enough about the effort and preparation of our team.”

The Falcons opening the scorecard gave everyone the feeling that it was impossible to defeat them in their home ground.

That feeling wouldn’t last long though, as Brent Baltus scored a goal for the Huskies within 45 seconds of the one scored by Bowling Green.

The Huskies never stopped, scoring two goals in a three-minute span in the second period to grab a lead of 3-1. The second period was totally dominated by the Huskies as the shower of shots was poured, cutting every root of the opponent’s confidence to get back into the game.

The Huskies played phenomenally in the game, allowing no opportunities for their opponents to build on their initial goal. Alex Gillies assisted Baltus in scoring the first goal for the Huskies, followed

by Reid Sturos with two back-to-back goals with an assist from Dylan Steman, and Petan scored the last goal to give Michigan Tech a victory of 4-1.

Alex Petan now has at least one point in 12 straight WCHA games dating back to Nov. 13. Jamie Phillips made 17 saves for the Huskies to conquer his 14th win of the season. Jamie Phillips is having a great season so far, and has made a great contribution in the Huskies’ WCHA standing this season.

The Huskies will face Lake Superior State in the annual Winter Carnival series on Feb. 5 and 6. Friday’s match will start at 8:07 p.m. and the Saturday finale is set for 5:07 p.m. in the evening.

18

Thursday, February 4

SPORTS

Michigan Tech Lode

Skiers enjoy Mt. Voodoo wilderness Davy McLeod Lode Writer

On Wednesday Jan. 27, just under 20 skiers and snowboarders showed up at the base of Mount Bohemia for something new. Gathered inside the toasty main chalet they listened intently to one of their guides, Steve Rowe, for their orientation. About a half-hour after the debriefing, they will be on top of Voodoo Mountain; an expansion to Mount Bohemia opened this year that uses a snowcat to bring riders to the 700foot peak for free rein over 100 acres of skiable terrain.

Before all that though, the staff of the operation thoroughly prepared the participants for the expedition ahead. Vern Barber, the General Manager at Bohemia, passed out numbered beacons for safety in the rare case of an avalanche. Rowe then made sure that everyone knew how they worked, demonstrating in front of the group of anxious riders. Then, after a quick weather check, it was on to the bus that drives five miles to the snowcat’s location.

Riders promptly got their windows cracked—crammed inside the small bus with all their gear, it heated up fast. Standing at the front of the interior, Rowe em-

phasized the importance of unity while on the mountain.

“It is a wilderness,” Rowe said, nodding.

“And we have to function as a team: we’re in it together.”

Rowe next gave some information on the recent weather conditions. He claimed that it should be a “recipe for hero snow.” Rowe worked in the medical field for 15 years, and has ski patrol experience under avalanche forecasters that he models his methods after still.

The second guide was Arnie Ronis, who owns the Down Wind Sports store in downtown Houghton, and has a deep background of guiding outdoor recreational tours. Once the bus stopped and everyone hopped off, Ronis secured the skis and snowboards in the rack on front of the snowcat. After that, the riders climbed up the slide-out staircase and into the big red cab to be taken to the top. Ronis shut the door, and Rowe mounted a snowmobile to meet the group up ahead.

The snowcat, which is a vehicle most commonly used for grooming ski hills, shook to a start and lurched forward. It weighs nine tons, has 350 horsepower and ribbed treads for better traction. The passengers jostled around within while a white world scrolled by out the windows.

Just past an iron gate the ascent paused,

and the driver Jeff Eskola came out of the cockpit to shut it behind his snowcat. Eskola has experience operating logging equipment, and calmly keeps the snowcat on track. Rowe showed up again and joined the others. On his way back to the controls Eskola wiped the frost and fog off the left side windows.

A few hundred feet later Lake Superior came into view through the glass, and it got steep. The machine rumbled along like a tank at war with the snow. At the top, every-

“It’s a wilderness, and we have to function as a team: we’re in it together.”

-Steve Rowe one clambered out of the cat and grabbed their gear.

To the south was an abrupt drop-off, and beyond an expanse of thick woods interrupted only by frozen lakes one could see Mount Bohemia like a little molehill on the horizon. The weather was holding so far, with only a few wispy clouds here and there. The sun soaked the scene in bright light.

Rowe led the way to the first run while Ronis took up the rear. They both use telemark skis.

“It helps me get around on the flats,” said Ronis as he stepped into the bindings. “I can still do alpine turns but these are better for hiking.” He also doesn’t put wriststraps on his poles. If the pole gets hooked on something “you don’t want your arm to stay behind.”

The first run was called “Spell Bound,” and the riders regrouped outside of the forest at the start. The owner of Bohemia, Lonnie Gliebermann, skied ahead to take promotional photos of his customers, and Rowe explained the procedure for the first couple runs.

Rowe would be at the head of the group to show which areas were safe. Ronis kept any stragglers in sight from the back. The skiers would follow Rowe in order of their beacon number, alternating each run. With that Rowe took off, weaving through the trees.

One by one the riders disappeared into the foliage. Those that remained could hear hooting and hollering from below. They plunged in after them. After meeting up with Rowe down the hill, the glades opened up into a wide open run with the bluishgreen stripe of Lake Superior in the distance crossing under the sky.

Continued on page 19

Sporting events schedule: Jan 28 - Feb 1 Thursday, Feb. 4 Men’s Hockey

Friday, Jan. 29

Saturday, Jan. 30

Lake Superior State 8:07 p.m.

MacInnes Ice Arena

Lake Superior State 5:07 p.m.

MacInnes Ice Arena

Men’s Basketball

Ferris State 7:30 p.m.

SDC Wood Gym

Grand Valley State 2:00 p.m.

SDC Wood Gym

Women’s Basketball

Ferris State 5:30 p.m.

SDC Wood Gym

Grand Valley State 12:00 p.m.

SDC Wood Gym

Winter Carnival

Ice Bowling Dee Stadium 9:30 p.m.

Alumni-Student Broomball, Snow VolAlumni-Student Broomball, Yooper Sprint, leyball, Human Dog Sled Race, Tug of War, Awards Ceremony Skiing and Snowboarding Do you have a sporting event you want included in our calendar?

Email lodesubmit@mtu.edu

Michigan Tech Lode

SPORTS

Thursday, February 4 19

Above: A skier comes down “Zombie,” the easternmost run on Voodoo Mountain Left: Skiers load the snowcat before ascending the mountain

Photos by Davy McLeod

“Mt. Voodoo” Continued from page 18

The pitch changed back and forth from a steady slope to brief bluffs, allowing a rider to choose their speed easily. There was no shortage of fresh snow since Voodoo Mountain is only ridden Saturdays and Wednesdays. Riders can almost always count on powder if there’s any snowfall between the expeditions.

Riders can almost always count on powder if there’s any snowfall between the expeditions.

Once everyone made it to the camp at the base, they eagerly got on the snowcat for the next thrill.

“This is my annual week off, and I always spend it at Bohemia,” said Matt Manuel, one of the riders. He smiled, “No cell service, no email—just snow.” Manuel has come to Bohemia every year for seven years now.

“Even out west, by this time of day the snow would be all chewed up,” said Dave Nurmela during lunch. Nurmela is a Tech Alumni from the class of ’74, reminiscent of the days when he raced with “bamboo poles.”

After scarfing down the lunch provided

by Bohemia around the fire, the staff packed up the trash and got the snowcat ready. It was routine now, and due to snow coverage Rowe suggested the outer runs: “Zombie” and “Witch Doctor.”

The snow was better here, and the group opted for riding those for the rest of the day. Southbound winds combined with an El Niño winter kept the center from getting

completely covered by snow.

However, heavy snowflakes did begin falling while waiting for the snowcat towards the tail end of the day. At the top the wind was whipping snowdrifts at the group as if egging them on. It only made the runs faster, and by the end they had gotten 13 in.

Gliebermann’s goal is to provide the “best catskiing east of the Rockies.” He and his coworkers have talked about Voodoo Mountain for years, and finally they’ve done it.

For $150 you can split the entire mountain—and all the snow—with just 20 other riders. For most that is enough, but for some they were disappointed in the wide open lanes and would much prefer glades the whole way down.

“That was too open,” said Josh Beaudry.

“Give me trees!” Beaudry said he won’t be coming back until they’ve expanded fully.

Besides Beaudry, everybody seemed very satisfied. It is true that some riders come to Bohemia specifically for the tree-dodging, but by buying a spot on Voodoo Mountain one can expect endless first tracks through fresh snow and an experience unlike anything else in the Keweenaw.

“Just having [Voodoo Mountain] here, lets you know you don’t have to go way out west for backcountry skiing,” said Rowe.

Rolling back at dusk a few are snoozing in the snowcat. Some drove home tonight, a father and son stayed at an inn nearby, one girl is sleeping in her car to ski the next day and a couple are lodging at Bohemia. They are among the first 50 to ride the infant Voodoo Mountain, and can’t wait to watch her grow.

Upcoming

Events February 4 - February 10 Winter Carnival Stage Revue 2016

Thursday, Feb. 4 7 p.m. Rosza Center

During Stage Revue, campus fraternities, sororities, and other organizations present skits full of college humor that brings the Winter Carnival theme to life!

Winter Carnival Hockey Skybox Social - Houghton, MI

Friday, Feb. 5 John MacInnes Student Ice Arena, Huskies South Suite

The Keweenaw Alumni Chapter invites you to join alumni and friends for a social and skybox seating at MacInnes Arena as your Michigan Tech Huskies take on the Lake Superior Lakers during Winter Carnival.

The World Champion Judah Friedlander - Winter Carnival Comedian

Friday, Feb. 5 9 p.m. Rosza Center

On the comedy stage, Judah Friedlander is The World Champion. He is the best athlete in the world, greatest martial artist, the sexual desire of every woman, and a role model to children. Let’s face it, Judah is the greatest comedian in the world‌ And the most humble. Judah is an extra-dark black belt in karate.

Yooper Sprint

Saturday, Feb. 6 11 a.m. Recreational Sports Fields (Softball, Baseball)

A mad-dash sprint relay that is ran wearing one snowshoe and one cross country ski. A hilarious must-see!

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