April 1, 2014
Happy april fools!
Merriam-Webster accepts “Yooper” into the dictionary KATELYN WAARA News Editor It all started with a friendly game of Scrabble. Steve Parks, a Michigan native, “import” of the U.P. and current resident of Gladstone in Delta County, was playing the word game with a friend in early 2000. Looking down at his tiles, he realized he could spell “yooper” for 11 points. “Yooper isn’t a real word!” said the friend, calling Parks out on his choice of vocab, which was apparently unsuitable for the game. Grabbing the dictionary, the friend proved to Parks that “yooper” indeed wasn’t defined and therefore could not be played for the 11 points. Now, this month, after that motivating Scrabble game, many letters to Merriam-Webster and much fun along the way, “yooper” will finally be recognized in the dictionary with the definition “a native or resident of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan – used as a nickname.” “People from out of the area ask why it is important,” said Parks, adding that he tries to explain that it really means something to the people who live here. “We have our own unique identity and culture. It is important because to me, the word itself is tied in with feelings about the people, the land and the lakes.” Parks’ letters to Merriam-Webster began in 2002 and the reply was always the same. Regionalism was a major factor, and Merriam-Webster believed “yooper” didn’t pass their criteria because it wasn’t widely used outside of the U.P. or Michigan. After writing another letter in 2004, Parks was told to try again in 10 years. Instead, in 2009, Parks wrote to the publishing giant, urging them to include the term in their next edition. This time, he
News:
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Post-view of Preview Day
News:
Yooper A resident or native of the Upper Peninsula of Michiganused as a nickname. Merriam-Websters’s definition will appear in the 2014 edition of the dictionary.
dealt with Emily Brewster, Associate Editor, who believed the word had some potential. “Emily dug a little deeper,”said Parks.“She was encouraging.” Over the next five years, Parks wrote to Brewster under many pen names, telling her anecdotal stories of the U.P.’s characters, many of which were based off of his friends. Parks formed a partnership with Brewster where he would send her items and documents to further fulfill MerriamWebster’s criteria, including proof of the use of “yooper” in
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“Party in a glass” Students compete to prepare best mixed drink
Pulse:
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Tech Archives remembers the Houghton High “Old School”
Opinion:
Stephen King’s novel “Duma Key”, a crossword puzzle clue his mother found in the Boston Globe and even national media coverage’s use of the term. Think: “There sure are a lot of Yoopers here at Lambeau today!” In the fall of 2013, under a pen name, Parks again wrote to Brewster. In a defeated tone, he told her he was disappointed that another fall would soon be gone and “yooper” had still not been added to the dictionary. Accompanying the Continued on page 5
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Wanted: Blue light phones
Sports:
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Ex-Captain Brad Stebner signs with the ECHL’s Stockton Thunder
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Tuesday, April 1
NEWS
Michigan Tech Lode
International Night brings audience around the world in two hours SIMENG LI Lode Writer “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard!” With that greeting from Captain Karn Saipong, passengers consisting of hundreds of Tech students, faculties, staffs and local residents went on a two-hour journey across the world in International Club’s International Night 2014 held at Michigan Tech’s Memorial Union Ballroom on Sunday, March 23. “This year’s I-Night is taking people on an extraordinary flight to experience the different cultures at Michigan Tech through food and performance,” said Ashima Chhabra, President of International Club. “Therefore, even the tickets for our guests are specially designed as boarding passes from MTU to WORLD.” The dining services provided by “I-Club Airlines” outcompeted the absolute majority of all existing airlines in the variety of food origins. Iranian puddings, French bacon quiches, Indian curried chicken, Mexican tamales, German fleischkuecle and Thai ice tea – these are only some of the many selections for the crowd. Much better than peanuts and ice water. While the passengers were enjoying
the deliberately prepared food, their excitement was brought to a higher level as the performances started with a fashion show of international costumes in Milan followed by swing dances from North America. Across the Pacific Ocean, the passengers then arrived in Japan appreciating the beauty of Aikido martial arts. Later in the night, Finnish songs, Bollywood dances, Latin Salsa dances and Chinese hip hop brought constant joys to the audiences. The three-piece band Tiger Buck Lion, whose members respectively originated
“The entire night was very symbolic of what I-Club stands for, which is the unification of all cultures from around the globe including those of the local community.” -Cassy Teft from the Upper Peninsula, India and Argentina, performed their original composition “Love without Borders.” As
the lyrics of their song tell people, “It is good to know that love is without borders. Friendship and love is what brings us all together!” T h e excitement of the guests came to a peak with the African rhythm performed by the Keweenaw Community Drum Project. Guests were invited to come to the floor and join in through dancing or playing extra drums. The riveting music managed to bring the whole International Night 2014 brought attendees around the world, fearoom together. turing aikido and musical preformances. The night’s Photos by Pratik Joshi grand finale, set to the rendition of the 2010 FIFA World people who came to the door without Cup theme “Waka Waka,” getting tickets earlier. Beyond that, I think led off with a soccer match. the performances really get the audiences The nimble footwork involved and excited especially since led to flopping, a mock the Nosotros Dance group started their fight and shots on goal by beautiful dances,” said Jessie Zhang, Vice Blizzard T. Husky. President of International Club. “We were The final moments of able to reach out to the local community the show quickly expanded to get the local drum community to bring in previous involved. I think it is very worthwhile for performances from the International Club to bring the diversity to night and culminated in the local community.” a mass of people on the Sai Petluru, a Master of Science student dance floor, all celebrating in Mechanical Engineering, was at his first diversity. I-Night. He enjoyed the salsa dancing as I-Club Advisor Cassy well as the Indian dancing. “It’s awesome!” Teft expressed her Petluru said. “There are so many countries satisfactions for this year’s in the same place, you get to see people. I-Night. That’s the best part.” “I think the night went Like many audiences, Zhang, as an great!” said Teft. “The organizer of the event, also shared what entire night was very the most impressive part of I-Night was symbolic of what I-Club for her. stands for, which is the “My favorite of all the performances is unification of all cultures the Waka Waka dancing and the We Are from around the globe One mix. It shows the diversity and tells including those of the us we can play soccer together and be local community.” friends even though we are from different “We had a full house countries. We can be one as the song We and we had to provide Are One. There are no boundaries for some extra seats for friendship.”
Michigan Tech Lode
NEWS
Tuesday, April 1
Post-view of Preview Day TESSA MAUER Lode Writer
While the weather on Saturday, March 22, certainly didn’t encourage spending time outdoors, that didn’t stop a grand total of 329 prospective students (and all 560 of their family members) from braving the cold and snow to attend Michigan Tech’s annual Preview Day. This special day of campus tours and information sessions is offered to admitted high school seniors and transfer students, regardless of if they have made the final decision to attend Tech or are still in the process of finding the right college. This year, about 63 percent of the student attendees had committed to coming to our “crazy smart” school. No matter where the student stood in the decision-making process, all participants were given the opportunity to attend a variety of events aimed at informing the
visitors about everything at Tech. The day opened with a University Welcome from Vice President, Les Cook and three current Michigan Tech students. These department-elected students shared their personal and diverse experiences in hopes of representing the wide range of benefits the school has to offer, giving the prospective students more reason to choose Michigan Tech. Following this warm introduction, students and families were free to choose which of the day’s events they wished to attend. Visitors could meander campus on their own, join up with department-specific tours, attend financial aid information sessions or stop by the showcases featuring tables of information on academic programs, student activities and enterprise programs. Families could relax and refuel with a free brunch at Wadsworth dining hall. Additionally, each attendee received passes for free use of the ski hill, the SDC facilities and the MUB bowling alley. The day offered
a complete MTU experience! Like any college, we aren’t perfect, and visitors will typically complain about the cold weather or the long drive to our remote location. But along with these complaints come some truly excellent praises. Visitors constantly commend the quality of food served in the dining halls, as well as the accommodations available to meet various dietary restrictions. But what aspect of the university receives recognition above all else? Our friendly culture. Whether the attendees interact with staff and faculty, student volunteers or just a student walking by on campus; parents and students alike are struck by our warm smiles, welcoming attitudes and overall willingness to help. I don’t know if its something in the water, but there does seem to be a genuine aura of kindness all throughout campus. Unfortunately, nice smiles and helpful students aren’t the only factors necessary for creating a successful Preview Day.
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While the event only lasts about seven and a half hours, certain aspects of the planning begin over a year in advance. For example, Jenny Mileski, Michigan Tech’s Campus Visit Coordinator, has already begun preparing for the 2015 Preview Day by booking the venues necessary to host the day’s events. She works closely with three other staff members to organize and coordinate the majority of events, with the most work taking place in the three-month period before the big day. The day is strategically planned for a date after prospective students have received their financial aid awards, but before they must pay their enrollment deposit to confirm their attendance at Tech. This time frame typically leads to hosting the day on a Saturday in late March. With a lot of hard work on behalf of Michigan Tech, Preview Day offers potential students a great opportunity to explore the campus and absorb more information about the school than they could ever possibly want to know.
Eagle Harbor’s historical Rathbone School EVAN MAYER Lode Writer In Eagle Harbor, just two short blocks from the swimming beach in the center of the town sits the Eagle Harbor Schoolhouse, also known as the Rathbone School. The schoolhouse is no longer functioning as a school, but its historical value caused it to be listed as having historical importance and designated as a Michigan State Historic site in 1971. The following year it would be added to the National Register of Historic Places list. Ten years later its importance to the area would result in the building being deeded to the Keweenaw Historical Society. The school began with humble enough beginnings as the residents of Eagle Harbor completed its original construction in 1853. Being the first schoolhouse built in the area, all the youth began attending that same year to begin their education. The school’s historical significance would begin when Justus Henry Rathbone, best remembered as a music composer and actor, arrived in town and became the new schoolmaster in 1860. Rathbone had originally come to the Upper Peninsula from New York state, where he had gone to Colgate University and Carlisle Seminary, due to advice from his doctor. His first job was as schoolmaster and part-time clerk at the Central Mine in 1857, but he was a bit of a journeyman
as he meandered around the Keweenaw Peninsula teaching at several schools including ones at the Northwest Mine and Eagle River before coming onto the scene in Eagle Harbor in 1860. While teaching in Eagle Harbor, Rathbone and his colleagues began a dramatic society that would perform plays. The schoolhouses’ legacy would begin when Rathbone was performing the Irish poet John Banim’s “Damon and Pythias.” This play was a legend of Greek mythology and the main point to take away from it was its meaning to symbolize trust, honor and loyalty in a true friendship. The ideas of the play gave Rathbone the idea that the story was an excellent foundation to create a fraternal secret society due to the high type of friendship that the story portrayed. This led Rathbone to write the ritual that would become the basis for the Order of the Knights of Pythias. In 1861, upon the death of his father, Rathbone left the Keweenaw Peninsula and moved to Washington, D.C., where the Knights of Pythias would end up getting their start. The interdenominational organization would eventually reach its peak membership of a quarter-million followers in the 1920s, but today it has shrunk down to around 50,000 members; it stills continues to do its charitable work across the United States. This organization was also the first fraternal organization to
The Rathbone School in Eagle Harbor was the first schoolhouse of the area.
Photo courtesy of the Keweenaw Digital Archives
receive a charter under an act of the United States Congress. Returning to the schoolhouse in Eagle Harbor, it ran as an academic institution until 1872. After its door was closed to those in pursuit of knowledge, members of the Knights of Pythias began making a pilgrimage to the Copper Country in order to pay homage at the school to where their society got its start. In 1931, a thousand members of the society would gather at the schoolhouse to witness the reveal
of a granite monument constructed in remembrance of Justus Rathbone. Thanks to the Keweenaw County Historical Society, the school has been furnished to look exactly as it did back in its school days and there have also been Knights of Pythias exhibits added for those who wish to tour the building. The school is open for touring mid-June to early October. Admission is free for those who wish to see this piece of Keweenaw County history.
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NEWS
Tuesday, April 1
Michigan Tech Lode
“Party in a Glass”
The world at a Students compete to prepare best glance mixed drink TESSA MAUER Lode Writer
Scan the QR code to watch a YouTube video of the Cupcake ATM in action.
Caving for cravings Vending machines are oftentimes the place where patrons looking for a quick, snack go to get their fix. Candy bars, potato chips and sugary soda are staples of these machines, but what if someone stocked them with baked goods? And no, not Little Debbies. Try fresh baked cupcakes! The California-born cupcake shop, Sprinkles, has released Cupcake ATMs in six cities across the country, according to a CNN Money report (http://bit. ly/1kdNFRg), with the most recent ATM installed in New York City. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, Americans can fulfill their cravings for the frosted and sprinkled treat. When thinking business, the idea allows Sprinkles to increase their hours of operation without the increase in cost. CNN Money said the company teamed up with a European firm to figure out how to keep the machine from operating like a vending machine, thus allowing the cupcakes the fall to their deaths before they were devoured by patrons. As seen in the video posted to Youtube by Sprinkles in 2012,the easy-to-use touch screen allows customers to view their cupcake options, select and confirm the purchase of their dessert. The Sprinkles Cupcake ATMs only accept credit card for payment. After opening the first Cupcake ATM in Beverly Hills, Calif., Sprinkles gathered the feedback and improved their service. When the first prototype opened near the Beverly Hills shop, it couldn’t handle the influx of customers. So, why can’t a Sprinkles Cupcake ATM come to Houghton? Currently, Sprinkles only opens the machines near their permanent storefronts, which allows for restocking and freshness.
Spring has sprung!...in other parts of the country. Nevertheless, Michigan Tech made an effort to celebrate the promise of warmer weather by hosting a special “Find Your Beach” dining hall meal. Dining Services Manager, Judy Klutts, said, “Considering how nasty the winter has been, we have heard many times from students and staff how they would like to be somewhere warm on a beach.” To give students a “taste” of the missing warmth, Wadsworth and McNair dining halls served tropically-inspired dishes ranging from coconut shrimp and hummus to crepes and key lime pie. While the residence halls prepare special menus/themed meals every month, March’s festive spread featured an additional special event. During dinner, the diners in the Wadsworth Dining Hall were given the opportunity to participate in judging the “Party in a Glass” competition. To participate in the contest, teams of students sent their non-alcoholic recipe ideas to Dining Services. After this, the Dining Services gathered and purchased enough ingredients to make five gallons of each beverage. The night before the big dinner, the teams mixed-up their liquid delights so that the drinks had time to properly chill before the judging on Thursday. Three teams stepped up to compete in the inaugural “Party in a Glass” competition, with each group bringing something different to the table. One recipe featured sherbet, another stemmed from a classic punch and the third was a drink traditionally consumed during the Indian festival celebrating the arrival of spring. Team members happily served up samples of their sweet refreshments to any dinnerattendee wanting a taste. Diners wishing to propel their favorite recipe to the winning spot could vote as many times as they wished. In addition to sharing tasty beverages, this event served as a small fundraiser for the Copper Country Humane Society: For each ballot dropped in the voting box, Dining Services donated twenty five cents to the animal shelter, for a final total of 50 dollars. Although no specific plans are intended for the winning recipe, “Mandi’s Maui Mix”, the drink may be included in future special
“Party in a Glass” competition gave students the chance to show off their nonalcoholic recipe ideas for sweet summer drinks. Winner is pictured above with her “Mandi’s Maui Mix” drink option that may be included in future meals at the dinning halls.
Photo by Pratik Joshi
meals- provided that it fits with the theme. Anyone desiring the recipe for the winning
drink can request it through (bake@mtu. edu).
NEWS
Michigan Tech Lode
Tuesday, April 1
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Amazon Prime and Pandora “Yooper” One subscription prices rise Continued from front page
AUTUMN CHANNEY Lode Writer Amazon Prime and Pandora are two commonly used services by many college students. Offering free and fast shipping, Amazon Prime is ideal for when you need to order textbooks (or other stuff…) in a short amount of time. Pandora’s music channels offer variety and allow students to discover new music. Priced at $49 for the year, Amazon Prime is an inexpensive and beneficial offer for the student who does a lot of online shopping. Pandora One is $5 each month; this fee eliminates the ads. Amazon Prime offers many features for its price tag. Subscribers get a six-month free trial when they use their .edu email to sign up. Other benefits include instant unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows, free release date delivery on video games, the Kindle owner’s lending library, and the free two-day shipping on many items. By paying for Pandora One, subscribers would eliminate the visual and audio ads, have access to custom skins, fewer interruptions, the desktop application and higher streaming quality at 192K bits per second. As prices rise for these services, will students continue to see their value or choose cheaper alternatives? Michigan Tech students are not as willing as many thought to pay the price for Amazon Prime and Pandora One. A survey was conducted with 35 random students on campus to come up with the results that
will be discussed. “No, I am willing to pay the current price for Amazon Prime but will get rid of it when the price goes up because it will be too expensive,” said Amie Chaloupka, a fifthyear Biomedical Engineering student. When it comes to Amazon Prime, students will most likely jump on the free trial. Once the trial is over, however, many said they wouldn’t renew. Although it comes with many benefits that could be used throughout the school year, Amazon Prime is most typically used just for the free shipping. An alternative here is free shipping codes online which can be used when students order from Amazon. Jonny Young, a fourth-year Chemical Engineering student, said “It’s not worth it if it’s more than the current price. Since the local prices from many things are quite
“The many features that it has like movies, free shipping and many other things...They all are extremely useful and make my life easier.”
-Taylor Jones
equivalent.” Other students surveyed said they can go elsewhere to get music. Places like Spotify and Grooveshark are other options. Plus, the free version of Pandora with its ads
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Editor in Chief .........................Sasha Burnett Business Manager.......................Alex Mager Distribution Manager.................Neil Noack Design Editor............................Kaila Pietila Media Editor..................................Pratik Joshi News Editor..........................Katelyn Waara Opinion Editor...................Adam Romanko Pulse Editor.................................Rand Silvers Sports Editor .........................Ellie Furmanski Advisor .............................................Kara Sokol
“No, I am willing to pay the current price for Amazon Prime but will get rid of it when the price goes up because it will be too expensive.”
-Amie Chaloupka,
aren’t that bad. Even though these services have commercials, the common opinion was that students would rather listen to the ads than pay a monthly fee. While some students surveyed said they have not used Pandora or Amazon Prime, therefore unlikely to pay the subscription fees, others said they would be willing to pay for the benefits. Alyssa Hynnek, a Biomedical Engineer in her senior year, would pay for Pandora One. “It is my main music resource,” said Hynnek. “ I do not listen to my iTunes music anymore because Pandora has more variety.” Taylor Jones, a third-year transfer student studying Psychology likes Amazon Prime because of “the many features that it has like movies, free shipping and many other things.” Jones added, “They all are extremely useful and make my life easier.” While services offered by Amazon Prime and features of Pandora One are services some Michigan Tech students are willing to pay for, others say they are too pricey for the student budget.
What would you do?
Advertising - Michael Groess, Teresa McCann, Trevyn Payne Staff Writers - Joe Andres, Katherine Baeckeroot, Autumn Channey, Ryan Grainger, Sarah Harttung, Ian Hatzilias, Gage Heeringa, Nicole Iutzi, Simeng Li, Tessa Mauer, Evan Mayer, Aric Rhodes, James Wood Circulation - Neil Noack, Inmelda Rangel Visuals Staff - Morgan Crocker, Maxwell Curtis, Kevin Madson Copy Editors - Erin Norton
disappointment was the fictional story of how Parks had attended his 40th reunion. After telling his former classmates and friends about what he was working towards, they laughed at him, saying, “You have a better chance of swimming across Lake Superior!” Whether the story had an affect on Brewster and the other editors can’t be said for sure, but shortly thereafter, in response to this final letter, Brewster was pleased to announce that “yooper” would be added to the 2014 edition of Merriam-Webster’s dictionary. Eventually, Parks felt the urge to contact Brewster, who will be coming to the UP this summer to meet Parks and the people he modeled his stories after in his letters to her. A press conference was held on March 24 at the Delta County Chamber of Commerce, to which Brewster attended via video conference. Since, Parks has been contacted by media from areas across the Midwest and the country. It is important to note that its not about the publicity, however. Yoopers aren’t showy. We have strong work ethic and an even stronger pride for where we live. “Its about the feeling of crossing the bridge and being home,” said Parks. “Beyond where you sleep at night.” When asked if “troll,” oftentimes defined by Yoopers as residents who live below the bridge in the Lower Peninsula, would ever be added to Merriam-Webster, Parks laughed and said he couldn’t be sure either way. Even though the end goal of Parks’ quest was serious, he had, “a lot of fun along the way,” with persistence being a key factor in his success. Finally seeing “yooper” defined in print will close the book on Parks’ momentous accomplishment for the UP and its residents, who can now say they are properly acknowledged for what they are: Yoopers. And that’s worth much more than 11 Scrabble points.
Opinions expressed in the Lode are not necessarily those of the student body, faculty, staff or administration of Michigan Technological University or the Michigan Tech Lode. The Lode is designed, written and edited by Michigan Tech students and is printed every Tuesday during fall and spring semesters. The Lode is available free of charge at drop-off sites around campus and in the surrounding community. To the best of its ability, The Lode subscribes to the Code of Ethics of the Society of Professional Journalists. The Lode is funded in part by the Michigan Tech Student Activity Fee. 1. lodeads@mtu.edu for submitting ads to the Lode. 2. lodesubmit@mtu.edu for submitting articles and letters to the editor. Work submitted to the Lode should be submitted with the understanding that it may be printed by the Lode and/or posted to the Online Lode, www.mtulode.com. The Lode reserves the right to edit submissions for length, clarity and potentially libelous material. Submissions should not exceed 500 words.
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Tuesday, April 1
PULSE
Michigan Tech Lode
A Beautiful Memorial ARIC RHODES Lode Writer The Michigan Tech Jazz Lab Band truly outdid themselves in the Don Keranen Memorial concert. The selection of music was wonderful, an excellent blend of the old styled jazz and more modern works. The tempo was generally upbeat, keeping a light atmosphere of smooth lightheartedness. It was a fitting memorial to the life and times of Mr. Don Keranen. While the songs which were played may not have been the most well known to the common concert-goer, many were certainly well known to those with experience in jazz. Some of the tunes, however, were unknown even
to seasoned jazz listeners. These songs provided an interesting differentiation from the classics that often dominate concerts such as this. All of the songs performed were played with fantastic skill and ability. Performers were well tuned and had quite obviously practiced quite a lot. Even the improvisational solos were a demonstration of utmost talent in the musicians, with nary an error or sour note to be found. While there were a few errors in the playing of the music, they were minor and made to still fit with the song as a whole. Along with the music, awards were presented to deserving individuals. Award winners were given a chance to demonstrate why they had been given awards in musical talent. They certainly
deserved them, these award winners were responsible for the best of the solo performances.
“The Michigan Tech Jazz Lab Band truly outdid themselves in the Don Keranen Memorial concert.” For those not familiar, Don Keranen was the founder of the Michigan Tech jazz program. He was also one of the most talented musicians ever to grace the Copper Country. Don Keranen was an innovator in terms of making bands, having established several ensembles for the university. Interesting for this concert was the addition of a livestream for those unable
MTU chess club
JAMES WOOD Lode Writer There are approximately 1.7 X 1029 possibilities for the first ten moves of a game of chess according to America’s Foundation for Chess. To put that number in perspective, the number of seconds in the average lifespan is approximately 2.5 X 109. Considering this game has so much replay value it’s no wonder it’s been around for over 1,500 years. At Michigan Tech this legendary game is played each Monday from 7-9 p.m. in Fisher 132 through the official school chess club. In case 1.7 X 1029 isn’t enough, there
are alternate variants of chess, such as “Bughouse” which was played at least week’s meeting, in which two boards are used and four people play on teams of two. When a piece is captured in this game, it is given to the player’s partner
“The chess club provides the boards and pieces, but anyone can just show up and join them throughout the meeting.” and the partner can place that piece anywhere on the board, with a few exceptions for pawns, on his/her turn. It makes for creative strategies and more discussion among players, so in many
ways it is more fun than standard chess. The chess club provides the boards and pieces, but anyone can just show up and join them throughout the meeting. There were only six people at last week’s meeting over the course of two hours; not the best turnout, but the few people who were there enjoyed themselves plenty. There was no weird icebreaker for new people, but with such a small group of people, an icebreaker would be completely unnecessary anyway. It’s likely that they wouldn’t need an icebreaker even with a large group because it’s not like people need to know each other to play a good game of chess. Chess is a quiet game for the most part, but once people start talking to each other it gets more social.
to make it to the concert live. This stream gave relatively high quality audio of the performance in real time. There were none of the typical errors which tend to plague these streams, and the stream successfully played throughout the performance. The greatest error of the stream was a simple problem of volume, in that the stream gave a much lower volume by default. In conclusion, the Don Keranen Memorial Concert was a smashing success. All musicians involved demonstrated remarkable talent, and even the minor errors which occurred were quickly recovered from. Indeed, remarkable is the best word to describe this concert, especially for those who enjoy the jazz genre of music.
The club could definitely use better advertising, the website doesn’t list when and where they hold their meetings; I was only able to find out through my chemistry teacher’s announcements page on canvas. The constitution is outdated by about four years, but the profile description was more or less accurate. The group definitely has potential to expand and have official tournaments. The low turnout they’ve had recently can probably be revived through K-day events and other campus involvement events. Size isn’t everything though, and if a small club of individuals who enjoy playing chess with no real obligations sounds appealing, than the chess club is probably the club for you.
12 Years a Slave SARAH HARTTUNG Lode Writer Last Monday night, the Center for Diversity and Inclusion partnered with Lutheran Campus Ministries to bring the three Academy-Award-winning, GoldenGlobe-earning film “12 Years a Slave” to Fisher 135. Both the movie and the concessions were free of charge to all viewers. The film portrays the true story of Solomon Northup, portrayed by Chiwetelu Ejiofor, a talented, educated
black man living in New York, who was kidnapped and sold into slavery in 1841. It is based off of his memoir, which was adapted for the movie. He was ripped away from his wife and two children in Washington, D.C., to work on various plantations in Louisiana until finally being rescued in 1853. The practices of American slavery were much more important to the plot than were the characters. One viewer, Scott, shared the opinion, “I wasn’t moved by the characters, but I was moved by the events.” Attitudes varied among the plantation
owners themselves: the first, played by Benedict Cumberbatch, was as kind as a slave owner could be while still using
“CDI and Lutheran Campus Ministries partner to bring this moving film to campus.” humans as workhorses; the last, played by Michael Fassbender was a nasty man plagued with insecurities and an example of how slavery not only dehumanizes the slave, but the owner as well. On Friday, a discussion was held at the
Canterbury House for people to express their feelings and thoughts about the film as a part of the “Big Question” series. Bucky Beach, the pastor at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church led the talk. He holds both the “Big Question” Fridays and Ted Talk Tuesdays, where students pick a video to watch and discuss. For those who would like to see the film or may have already, be sure to think as it plays. No matter what one’s previous conceptions of slavery may be, seeing the practice on the big screen has more of an impact than reading it from a textbook.
Michigan Tech Lode
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Tuesday, April 1
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Tech Archives remembers the Houghton High “Old School” RENEE OATS Lode Writer Several photographs from the Michigan Tech Archives and Copper County Historical Collection were displayed in the “From the Old School” Exhibit at the Carnegie Museum as a part of the Gone But Not Forgotten collection. The exhibit aims to preserve the memories from the old Houghton High School building from 1923-1989. The exhibit features a collection of school memorabilia, photographs and oral interviews with studeznts and staff alumni recorded by members of Houghton High School’s Class of 2013 National Honor Society. Natalie Datto, Houghton High School alum and class of 2013 National Honor Society president, was one of the five seniors who participated in the community project. The seniors conducted over seven individual and group interviews to gather personal reflections of the old high school from previous students and staff.
“it is nice to see the great result and to preserve history.” -Leonor Medeiros On Wed., March 19, the Carnegie Museum held a reception in which many of the returning students and staff could reflect and embrace the “Old School” memories. Datto comment,s “We wanted to get an understanding of the old Houghton High School events, and even rules to compare how the school was during those days to now.” Datto personally noted how certain sports and the prom provided similar connections between her and the Old Houghton High School alums. Jenny Deephouse, a 1990 Houghton High School Alum, was thrilled to see the display along with many other past students who attended the reception. Deephouse was a part of the 1990 graduating class who moved to the current Houghton High School building in the middle of her senior year. Reflecting on the exhibit, Deephouse said,“It’s nice to be here, it was a nice four floor building.” Carnegie Museum director, Elise Nelson, was excited to have this exhibit a part of the museum’s Gone But Not
The Carnegie Museum showcases photos and memoribilia from the old Houghton High School in a historical exhibit.
Photo by Renee Oats.
Forgotten collection. The “From the Old School” project was brought to the museum in the midst of creating other exhibits. The exhibit was also supported by a grant from the Keweenaw Community Foundation. In development of the current museum’s collection, Nelson said, “We were talking in different ways about things gone or demolished and one day it just clicked, the ‘Gone, but not Forgotten’ theme.”
“Exhibit preserves memories of the Old Houghton High School.” Nelson also mentions Leonor Medeiros, a graduate student in Tech’s Industrial Heritage and Archaeology Program in the Social Sciences Department as well as chapter president of Global City, assisted in this effort. Medeiros adds “It was a long process, but it is nice to see the great result and to preserve history.’” The exhibit also includes a slideshow of the 1999 demolition of the old building, maps and pictures of the Old School site, some courtesy of the Tech archives. The Michigan Tech Archives and Copper Country Historical Collections houses
a wide variety of graphic, print, and manuscript resources which covers different topics including University and campus life, cities and towns in the Keweenaw, and personalities of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to name a few. The Gone But Not Forgotten collection also features Last Days of Italian Hall:
Photographs of Calumet’s Italian Hall 1981-1988 and Family Ties: Memorials to those Lost in the 1913 Italian Hall Tragedy which will remain on display until April 19. Additionally, Rural Reflections: Finnish American Buildings and Landscapes in Michigan’s Copper Country will remain on display until April 5.
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Tuesday, April 1
COMICS
Michigan Tech Lode George Clinton ‘I still wish it were true.’
Comic courtesy of XKCD
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PUZZLES
Michigan Tech Lode
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Tuesday, April 1
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 1
Un
OPINION
Wanted: Blue light phones
Katelyn Waara
LODE
ing
ZONE
Procrastination and I have become best friends. With graduation looming over my head, projects due, exams to take and a final presentation to give in order to walk to get my diploma, I’m stressed to say the least. Maybe I should’ve started with that instead. Either way, we’re best friends and I’m not afraid to admit it. He and I are always together. Procrastination likes everything that I do; Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Netflix, my bed. His favorite thing to do, though, is wrap all of those activities into one bundle, snuggled under the covers instead of studying for an exam. When I finally wrestle him away to get up in the morning, he stops me at the refrigerator door. “You know, you could actually MAKE breakfast instead of leaving with your Poptart. We could have coffee together and watch Grey’s Anatomy!” he says slyly. Luckily, I don’t give in. As I make my way to campus, Procrastination whispers, “You know, instead of going to the library to study, we could browse Pinterest or Instagram. Or, even better, you could post a photo of your coffee and muffin and tell the Internet that you’re studying!” Procrastination is so right. That was me, last Friday morning, in the library, snapping pics of my coffee and muffin. With earbuds in, I was listening to music, “studying,” browsing Facebook and posting to Instagram. What is wrong with me? Procrastination is very sneaky. In reality, Procrastination and I are only friends because I’m so busy. If there was more time in a day, of course I wouldn’t feel the need to fill those precious minutes with nonsense. I will say, though, that once I do graduate and have more free time, I’m going to find a new best friend.
Michigan Tech Lode
KATHERINE BAECKEROOT Lode Writer This past Wednesday the Michigan Technological University Senate held their 546th meeting in Dow to discuss campus policies and potential changes. One of the initial topics of discussion was the blue light phone system on campus. Blue light phones are used across a myriad of university campuses to help those in an emergency have immediate access to public safety or the police. Generally they are scattered across the campus and are visible from any location. Christopher Cena, a representative of Student Commission and Vice President of the Undergraduate Student Government gave a presentation on the current state of the blue light phones and where campus safety would like to progress in the future with this project. After listening to the presentation and hearing the statistics, our blue light phone system on campus is in serious need of replacement. The current phones vary greatly in terms of color, shape, size and usability. This lack of consistency is dangerous because one of the successful features of ‘blue light phones’ is that they are easily recognizable by this blue light, a characteristic ours at Michigan Tech do not have. There are fifteen phones on main campus and five that are sporadically placed around the Student Development Complex and Daniell Heights.
According to recent usability tests 95 percent of the phones are not simple to use or easy to understand, 90 percent are nonADA compliant and 60 percent can not be immediately located. They have an average rating of 2.39, which equates to 48 percent reliability. This realization is extremely shocking and unnerving. Regardless of how safe the communities of Houghton and Hancock claim to be, it is always important to be prepared just in case there is actually an emergency. The analogy I often use is that of the AED. This defibrillator is used on people who are having a heart attack and is used in combination with CPR. They are not used often, however, they are in every building on campus because it is important just in case they are needed to save someone’s life. Blue light phones follow the same thought process. Updating our blue light system will provide safety improvements, psychological support and help recruitment of incoming students. Example of what the unfamiliar blue light Looking ahead, Student phones found on campus look like. Commission has analyzed the financial Photo by Pratik Joshi aspects of this replacement and overall the school is looking at a price of $150- inarguable request. We need to guarantee 200,000. The plan moving forward is to the safety of our students and currently gain approval from the Undergraduate if someone is walking on campus during Student Government, the Graduate Student off hours, they lost their bag, their ID and Government, the Senate and the executive phone and came into trouble there would team. Meanwhile the search for external be no locating emergency phones and they funding, such as grants, and creating a wouldn’t have access to buildings. Safety of financial plan is on the agenda in order to the students comes first and I feel this is a offset the high costs. great first step towards making our campus Personally, I feel this is an a better place to be.
Persons with disabilities stuggle on MTU campus GAGE HEERINGA Lode Writer Leaders on Michigan Tech’s campus strive to inspire five core values in students and faculty: scholarship, possibilities, accountability, tenacity and community. However, students and faculty with disabilities may find it challenging to embrace that last value at times. It can be difficult to maneuver through a crowd of people to enter a building on a busy day, and for a person with a disability, this may be something that just has to wait until the crowd clears. For a person with a disability, there are limited options for getting place to place on campus. Many buildings have stairs immediately at their entrances, such as the campus-facing entrance at Fisher Hall and the campus-facing entrance of the Memorial Union Building. Students on crutches must hop up the stairs on one leg while holding
their crutches to get past Fisher Hall’s stair entrance. I suppose you could enter through Rekhi Hall or go all the way around to Fisher’s other entrance, but then you have the problem of the sidewalks on campus. Of course it is often icy and snowy here in the UP, so the unheated sidewalks are often layered with a sheet of ice and on warm days, huge puddles of water and slush. This makes the convenience of traveling through campus with crutches or a wheelchair minimal. Unfortunately, many buildings on campus do not have elevators. Douglass Houghton Hall, the one residence hall on the same side of US-41 as the rest of campus, does not have an elevator. At the front entrance, you’re immediately greeted by a small staircase. Rekhi Hall has an elevator for those who cannot enter on Fisher Hall’s campus-facing entrance; but currently this elevator is out-oforder. However inconvenient, Michigan Tech does a good job of making it possible in some way to get where you need to be, whether
you’re a person with a disability or not. Administration make efforts to improve the campus’ friendliness towards persons with disabilities. The Center for Diversity and Inclusion, for instance, has a ramp entrance that is well-maintained and accessible for everyone. For ideas on what Michigan Tech can do to continue to make campus more friendly towards persons with disabilities, I think we should look at what other schools are doing. At Wright State University, students and faculty can travel through underground tunnels that connect most buildings on campus instead of braving the extreme UP weather. The University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign designed the first university wheelchair-friendly bus system. I know that renovations and modifications to buildings are pricy expenditures, but I’d hate to meet a student who decided not to come here just because they thought getting around our cozy-sized campus would be too hard.
Michigan Tech Lode
OPINION
Tuesday, April 1
11
Point, Counter-point
“Security v. Privacy” Point:
Counter-point:
give the software industry some sense of security allowing those who developed the software, music or movie to rest easier Lode Writer knowing that all of their work couldn’t be stolen from the safety of one’s home In the debate of privacy versus security, through a simple Google search. The security has traditionally been forgone in internet should be free, but it shouldn’t be favor of privacy. immune to the laws of the real world. There is definitely good reason for this, On the other hand, we all know of especially after the incident with Edward the gross abuse of power by the National Snowden; however, this doesn’t mean Security Agency (NSA). Their intentions security should be overlooked. It’s just as (to detect and stop terrorist attacks) important, if not more so, than privacy. sound noble, but their ludicrous amount Government of monitoring has monitoring of at “Recording phone calls, been the center of least a small amount scrutiny for reading emails, examining media of information is several months. necessary for both people’s internet search hisRecording phone the protection of tory-- they represent the ex- calls, reading the nation and treme of security.” emails, examining the protection of people’s internet industry, even if it search history-- they means giving up a bit of privacy. represent the extreme of security, much The popular advertising like making all software downloads illegal. campaign “Piracy, it’s a Crime” says Neither are good, but pretending that that illegally downloading a movie is having data security means having NSAessentially stealing it. And let’s be honest, level surveillance is flat out incorrect. it is. Illegally downloading a movie or However, even with the software is taking something from the current situation of the NSA, security is producers without paying them for their important. Ignoring that for complete work. That’s the definition of theft. privacy would be a grave mistake. The If stores can have security guards government has long protected industry protecting them from theft, why can’t files at the cost of privacy, and the large and have the same thing? growing software industry should be no If file uploads of questionable legality exception. were monitored, punishments could easily be enacted on those caught performing illegal activities. This could
JOESPH PIETRZYK
DAVID MOREHOUSE Lode Writer In an age where there is increasing opportunity to share whatever you like whenever you want to, the issue of privacy comes up in many different facets. Issues span from social media privacy to physical privacy in dorms rooms. These issues aren’t simple and they aren’t going to be solved in any short amount of time. Recently, Facebook has rolled out its own tools, notifying people if they are sharing their posts with everyone, even those they may not want to. For those who saw that somewhere joyous announcement declaring that Facebook was going in the right direction, others were more cynical. Facebook is in the business of selling your data, same as Google, Yahoo and Microsoft. Any service that is free - that you don’t pay for, the payment is you or more precisely your information. Your likes and eyeballs are worth approximately $500 to Google a year, from the ads in your searches to ads in your email, they scan everything, so does Facebook. When people find out Google’s corporate phrase, their supposed summing of all theirs business into one, the sweet sentence is “Don’t be evil”, though it may not be more facade and less reality. In another issue that faces college students, whether they realize it or not, is government spying. Whether you support it or not these are the things we know: GCHQ (British National Security Agency (NSA)) gathers
pictures of Yahoo’s webcam data 11 percent of which is nude pictures, NSA does this with Skype as well and while we don’t know how many ‘terrorists’ are just nude pictures, it probably is similar to Yahoo. So you don’t have much privacy online; you have the internet version of a stalker, one that isn’t very selective, as its you, 330 million of your fellow citizens and anyone else with a computer. But even if this is the case, you can still pull the blinds and have privacy in your own home, right? Most can probably guess the answer is no. Many people who are college students live in the dorms. They have advantages of being close to campus, not having to go grocery shopping and include social and other events to meet new people. However, when signing those documents to live in the dorm, they allow Michigan Tech to search your room. Is this right? I’m sure some will say it is and I do see their viewpoint, it’s Michigan Tech property and they are doing it not for nefarious means but most likely for the protection of the students. In fact its the same reason the government gives, protecting people. But is this ok? Some of it to a degree is ok. For mass spying we have counterparts that use warrants in an open manner (warrants are done in secret and without any actual denials for searching). I don’t think it’s ok for the NSA or anyone to spy without limits, but I do think the public has an interest in protecting itself. I know its a politician’s answer, but it’s also a complex issue. The one thing to remember, it’s a big issue, a vital issue and one that we need to implement it correctly.
Looking back at the Exxon Valdez JOE ANDRES Lode Writer Last week marked the 25th anniversary of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill. Prior to the Deep Water Horizon Spill in 2010, the Exxon Valdez was considered the largest oil spill in U.S. history. In response to the environmental destruction inflicted on complex ecosystem of Prince William Sound, massive clean up efforts were put in place. Looking back, how successful was the clean up effort in rehabilitating the sound and what research is being conducted to improve future clean up efforts? In 2010 the United States Federal Government considered a mere 10 out of 32 wildlife populations fully recovered. The negative impact of the spill was
not limited to the sound. The spill had a domino effect on the surrounding ecosystems as well. For example, Puffins rely heavily on the herring stocks that reside in the sound. After the spill the Herrings numbers were depleted greatly, thus the food supply for the puffins was essentially eliminated. During the initial clean up, a variety of methods were employed to both collect oil and remove it from the shoreline. The reason for this was to observe the effectiveness of the different clean up methods. Power washing shoreline with high pressure heated water proved to be extremely destructive to the rehabilitation efforts to areas. While other more passive cleaning methods proved to be a lot less harmful to the ecosystem. Areas remain in the sound where oil and tar balls can still be found. However the majority of the sound has been successfully cleaned up. Though the ecosystem of the
sound and surrounding areas are still severely impacted from the spill 25 years ago, observing the aftermath has helped researchers with plans to aid in the rehabilitation of sites affected by oil spills. Some preselected areas of the bay were intentionally uncleaned. The goal being to observe how ecosystems dealt with oil spills naturally. Even though important information was learned, the uncleaned areas would leak into the cleaned ones. Eventually this prompted the cleanup of these previously uncleaned areas as well. The Deep Water Horizon Spill in the Gulf of Mexico surpassed the Exxon Valdez as the worst oil spill in U.S. history. The lessons learned from the Exxon Valdez Spill and subsequent clean up, aided several Michigan Tech employees and graduates in dealing with the Deep Water Horizon spill.
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SPORTS
Tuesday, April 1
# the By
s r e b m nu Matches left until it’s decided whether or not men’s tennis will make the GLIAC Tournament
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The place where men’s tennis currently stands in the GLIAC rankings with a 3-4 GLIAC record
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ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Pedro Rodriguez
ELLIE FURMANSKI Sports Editor The Huskies’ No. 3 singles player Pedro Rodriguez contributed points in both of the men’s tennis matches last weekend. Tech, who is on a four-game losing streak, lost both matches. Rodriguez, however, helped retain some confidence as he aided in preventing both teams from shutting out the Huskies. On Saturday, the Warriors of Wayne State bested the Huskies in a near sweep, earning the win by a score of 8-1. The competition began with doubles, where the Warriors swept all three points. Rodriguez and doubles partner Felipe Dos Santos had the closest game. They forced a second set after the first ended 9-8 but ultimately fell in the second 8-6. Rodriguez then earned Tech’s lone point in singles.
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Lode Writer
Number of registered club sports offered to students here at Tech
2
59
Hockey Huskies who have signed professional contracts this month
He started out a little shaky and lost the first set 3-6. A second set rebound which Rodriguez won 6-2 forced the game into a tiebreaker. Winning the third set 6-4 gave Tech the win for their lone point of the match. The Huskies faced another tough opponent on Sunday. The Timberwolves of Northwood upset the Huskies 7-2. Rodriguez and Dos Santos kicked off the morning on a high note for the Huskies with a 9-8 win at No. 1 doubles, but Northwood took Nos. 2 and 3. The Timberwolves earned wins at all but the No. 1 singles flight as well. So far this year, Rodriguez is 9-5 at No. 3 singles for the Huskies and 12-2 in doubles when pairing with Dos Santos. The senior played for two years at South Carolina Lancaster where he earned a national ranking of No. 20. Last year, his first year playing for the Huskies, he compiled a 20-5 singles record, going 17-5 at No. 4.
Photo courtesy of Michigan Tech Athletics
Rodriguez and the rest of the Huskies will be back in GLIAC action this Saturday at Lake Superior State.
Women’s Rugby travels to Nash Bash for Tournament with Northern JOHN REYNOLDS
New school records set this year by men’s basketball
Michigan Tech Lode
The Women’s Rugby team recently traveled to Nashville, Tenn. to compete in Nash Bash, one of the biggest rugby tournaments in the nation. The Tech team competed jointly with the Northern Michigan team in a field of 21 teams, ultimately finishing in fifth place with a 2-1 record. The Huskies traveled to Northern to meet up with their team before heading through Wisconsin to Nashville. It was about an 18-hour drive that the team had to get through in a caravan. “It was a little cramped,” said Katrina Deane, a member of the Tech team. The tournament featured 75 teams and had around 300 players at the pitch. “It was a good opportunity to meet other players,” said Deane. “There were a ton of good pitches,” said Sarah Coffey, who is playing on her first rugby team. The tournament was held on private property of a former player and is in its 31st year. The mixed Husky-Wildcat team’s first game came against Eastern Kentucky, a team that was coming off of their first win
against the University of Cincinnati. It was an exciting game, especially considering the unfamiliar 70 degree weather and the unfamiliarity of playing with the Northern players. Unfortunately this ended in a 3322 loss, but the team got some valuable playing time with the new players. The next game played came against Loyola University. Loyola managed to score a try within a couple minutes of the start of the game, which proved to be a mistake, as this motivated the team to prevent them from scoring for the rest of the game. It ended up being a 33-5 victory for the Yooper team. “We had a maul that had the entirety of the teams, and we ended up gaining 20 yards. It may have been the highlight of my career,” said Deane. Their third game came against a familiar GLIAC team, Ashland. The team had another dominant performance, winning 36 to 21 over the Eagles. The teams had high energy, despite being sore from the two games the previous day. They scored three tries in the second half after an inspirational speech by the coach.
“The game isn’t as scary as it sounds,” said Sarah Coffey, who is in her first year as a rugby player. A lot of people make the transition from other sports to rugby. Deane was a cheerleader in high school and hadn’t played a contact sport until joining the Tech team. Her ability to lift people has come in handy in line-outs, where one player is flung into the air to get an inbounded ball. The team has seen an increase in membership in recent years. As of late, they have been able to play with 10 person teams in their scrimmages instead of the seven players of years past. The Tech team usually plays against Northern, and the two teams will trade off with driving to and from Marquette and Houghton. The Tech team is looking for more players to try and get into a collegiate league next year. They are already a good team and they are getting better with two practices a week and some practices with the men’s team. Women’s rugby here at Tech is bound to do great in the years to come.
“The game isn’t as scary as it sounds.”
-Sarah Coffey
Michigan Tech Lode
SPORTS
Tuesday, April 1
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Ex-Captain Brad Stebner signs Sidelines with ECHL’s Stockton Thunder Intramural Deadlines Team registration for intramural soccer closes at noon today (April 1). There will be meetings/clinics on April 2 starting at 6 p.m. in the SDC for soccer officials. The deadline for tennis doubles will also expire today at 5 p.m. Finally, signups for sand volleyball two’s will close on April 8 at 5 p.m. For an official schedule or more information, visit www.imleagues. com.
IAN HATZILIAS Lode Writer Last Monday, the second Michigan Tech Hockey Husky this month signed with a professional organization. Now ex-captain of the hockey team, Brad Stebner signed an amateur tryout contract with the Stockton Thunder of the ECHL, an affiliate of the NHL’s New York Islanders. The contract is effective immediately, and Stebner is eligible to play through the duration of the Thunder’s remaining season, including the post-season if they earn a playoff berth. He practiced and played in his first professional game last Wednesday, just two days following his signing in Stockton, Calif.
Husky Tae Kwon Do Club If you’re interested and haven’t attended already, the Husky Tae Kwon Do club welcomes everyone to their practices to try out self-defense moves, special techniques and sparring. All ages and skill levels are welcome. The club meets Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m in the MUB and Saturdays from noon to 2 p.m. in the SDC Dance Room. For more information, contact Jacob Carrick at jjcarric@mtu.edu.
“It’s a big honor, a great opportunity... I’m going to take full advantage of it.” -Brad Stebner
After a recommendation of Tech’s program from the Islander’s staff, Thunder Head Coach, Rich Kromm, was introduced to Stebner. To Coach Kromm, Stebner is a steady guy with good size; he’s a good stay-at-home defenseman. Kromm expects him to see plenty of ice time on even strength play. Given Stebner’s size and hockey sense, he may end up seeing time on the penalty kill as well, according to former teammate at Tech and current forward for the Thunder, Alex MacLeod. Especially considering the assortment of blue line injuries the Thunder has suffered through the last few weeks, Stebner has a prime opportunity to shine. Every hockey player dreams of one day playing in the NHL,and Stebner is no exception. Moving into the ECHL is a step in the right direction. “It’s a big honor, a great opportunity. I worked really hard to get here and I’m happy that Stockton gave me the opportunity to play here, and I’m going to take full advantage of it,” said Stebner. However, others are left behind with every step taken toward the NHL dream. After four years of playing for Michigan Tech in the Upper Peninsula, Stebner has left his old teammates and coaches and now resides on the west coast. Although the Huskies’ season was already over and Stebner graduates this semester, a departure to California and an early end to Houghton living came as a surprise. “I’m gonna miss them a lot, and it was hard
Men’s Tennis loses tow on the road
Senior Brad Stebner was an effective presence on the ice this season. Stebner, excaptain and steady stay-at-home defender, signed a professional contract last week to extend his hockey career.
Photo by Maxwell Curtis
to say goodbye, but I’ll definitely keep in touch with those guys. I’ve made some of my best friendships playing up at Tech,” he said. On the bright side of it all, he doesn’t “have to wear a toque and mitts anymore” and has a lot less shoveling to do. While playing in Stockton, Stebner will seek to continue to “play hard, play physical and play [his] game,” just as he did with the Huskies. With the skill and speed of the ECHL being comparable to that of the NCAA, the adjustment in Stebner’s game will only be challenging in the sense that the ECHL players are a bit smarter on the ice. They have more experience and can create more structured games. Although the play may be similar, the schedule is much more intense at 72 games per season, as opposed to a NCAA season which is about half of that. It’s a lot more stressful on the
body. Also, the games can be on any given day of the week, whereas at Tech it’s always Friday and Saturday series, as explained by MacLeod. It’s safe to say that after four good years being in the Tech program and seeing it evolve into what it is now, Stebner has a great opportunity in front of him and has all of the support of the Husky community. It is a good sign to see multiple players from one season sign into the professional leagues. “Thank you to everyone at Tech for all of their support. I really appreciate everything that’s been done for me to help move on to the next level,” said Stebner. Stebner is expected to play in the Thunder’s next game against the Ontario Reign in the beginning of a three-game home stretch as they make the push for a playoff spot. Best of luck from all of the Keweenaw community to Brad Stebner in his future endeavors to pursue his dream.
This past weekend, the Huskies were downstate and competed in two matches. Saturday’s match against Wayne State, who is currently number three in the GLIAC, ended in a near sweep. The Warriors bested the Huskies 8-1 with the Huskies’ lone point coming from Tech’s No. 3 singles player Pedro Rodriguez. Rodriguez fell 3-6 in the first set but upset his opponent 6-2 and 6-4 in the second and third to earn the win. All but two of the singles matches went to three sets, as did the No. 1 doubles game. On Sunday, the Huskies took on Northwood. The Timberwolves, who currently sit in second in the GLIAC, took the match by a score of 7-2. Tech’s No. 1 singles player Felipe Dos Santos along with Rodriguez defeated Northwood’s No. 1 doubles duo 9-8. Dos Santos earned another point in singles after his opponent retired from the match. The Huskies are currently 3-4 in the GLIAC and stand in eighth place. They take on Lake Superior State next on April 5.
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SPORTS
Tuesday, April 1
Michigan Tech Lode
Track team gears up for season PARKER MCCOLL Lode Writer
Michigan Tech’s track team is gearing up for the meet of their 2014 season. After attending meets in Stevens Point, Wis. and Myrtle Beach, S.C., the team has eight remaining meets, including the GLIAC Championships and the NCAA Championships. At their meet in Stevens Point, Wis., in late February, the team posted good opener results. The team put five athletes in the top six in the 3,000 meter. Calvin Nitz won the event with the third fastest time in school history. Fifteen athletes traveled to Myrtle Beach, S.C. on March 14 and competed in Coastal Carolina’s Invitational track meet. The trip served as an opportunity to compete in a warm weather meet. “We saw some good early season results,” said Tyler Patterson, a graduate student assistant for the team. Jon Kilpela and Sean Pengelly set the second and third fastest 5k times in school history, respectively. Jason Saliga ran his first steeplechase in 9:43, only 10 seconds shy of the Nationals qualifying time.
“It’s exciting to see them open up so well,” added Patterson. “Everybody worked well, and it was a real positive note to start the season.” Distance runner Kilpela will be heading to the San Francisco Distance Carnival on April 4. He will be trying to run a 10k in under 31 minutes, which is the National qualifying mark and a minute and a half faster than Tech’s current school record. The rest of the team will be travelling to the University of Wisconsin Whitewater and Oshkosh. The meet will be their first with the full team out. “We’ll hopefully get some good results,” stated Patterson. On the sprinter’s side, Patterson commented that the Huskies have “a big crew of fresh vaulters who will be exciting to watch.” Freshman Jamie Dompier has a chance of breaking several school records, and decathletes Patrick Spalding and Brent Cousino have a chance of qualifying for Nationals. The track team is looking forward to the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa, and the Gina Relays in Hillsdale, Mich. “These are big meets with Division I and top Division II schools,” explained Patterson. Division II schools have been closing time gaps with
“With a strong and promising roster, the Huskies’ track team has the opportunity to set new school records and qualify athletes for the NCAA Championships.” Division I schools in the last several years, and the GLIAC is known as one of the strongest distance conferences. The Huskies have three main goals for their season. “Outdoor GLIAC Championships are the first goal,” commented Patterson. After GLIACs, the Last Chance Meet gives a final opportunity to reach personal bests for anybody who doesn’t have a National Championship qualifying time. The track team’s final goal is the National Championships at Grand Valley State University. With a strong and promising roster, the Huskies’ track team has the opportunity to set new school records and qualify athletes for the NCAA Championships. They’re sure to have an exciting season.
Students dive into the pool for Intramural Swim Meet PARKER MCCOLL Lode Writer Last Tuesday, Michigan Tech Intramurals hosted their annual swim meet. Three men’s teams and one women’s team competed in the event. After the swimmers warmed up in the pools, the referee called them over to overview the events and rules. “I know you’ve all been training for weeks and weeks for this,” he added, earning laughs
from the swimmers. Many of the students swam on teams during high school, but several had only been recreational swimmers. Some hadn’t swam laps in several years or months, and others played water polo weekly. The wide variety of swimmers brought many events to close finishes. The swim meet featured 10 events: a 200 yard medley relay, 100 yard freestyle, 100 yard medley, 50 yard butterfly, backstroke and breaststroke, 200 yard freestyle relay and 50 yard freestyle. In the opening 200 yard medley relay,
Mamma’s Boys touched just before the Men’s Swim Club. After a few quiet laps, spectators and teammates began cheering on the final leg, and their cheering continued throughout the meet. Teammates yelled each other’s names and heckled each other. The family of one competitor started cheers of “Go! Go! Go!” on every stroke, which soon grew to all the teams. The teams all competed closely with each other. Young and Restless, a team of older community members, won an event, and the Women’s Swim Club team had several second
Varsity Events Schedule: April 1-7 Tuesday, 1
Wednesday, 2
Thursday, 3
and third place finishes. The majority of the events were taken by Mamma’s Boys or the Men’s Swim Club, some by only a few inches By the end of the meet, Mamma’s Boys came out on top, followed by Men’s Swim Club and Young and Restless. The Women’s Swim Club chuckled, as they naturally took first for the women’s division. Teams were presented with t-shirts and cups as prizes. After awards, the referee asked the swimmers to gather next to the pool for a group picture. “I don’t know if you can call me a swimmer, but I swam!” joked someone in the cluster.
Home Game Friday, 4
Saturday, 5
Men’s Tennis
@ Lake Superior St. ** 10:00 a.m.
Track and Field
@ UWOshkosh Invintational
Sunday, 6
** Conference Match Monday, 37
Michigan Tech Lode
SPORTS
Tuesday, April 1
15
Nordic begins preparation for 2015 National Championships JOHN REYNOLDS Lode Writer
This past weekend, a race was held between the Michigan Tech Huskies and the Northern Michigan Wildcats on the Tech Trails. This race was arranged in anticipation of the U.S. National Cross-Country Skiing Championships, which will be held at the Tech Trails in 2015-2016. Joe Haggenmiller, the head coach of the Nordic ski team, set up the event. The races which took place were sprints. These races were being used to test the sprint course, which hadn’t been tested since the last National Championships. The championships were held last by the Huskies in 2007 and 2008, and they were very successful. Tech got the bid again for the coming year based on their challenging trail system, which was renovated in 2001. The races began on Saturday and featured time trials to start out the event. After the time trials, there were knockout heats, where the top two competitors advanced in each race. “It is good for MTU and Northern to play against each other,” said Haggenmiller. “Tech has the best collegiate course in the nation and one of the top five overall.” This race was a good opportunity for everybody involved. On Sunday, the racers competed in relay sprints. Two-man teams were set up, and both racers did three laps on the sprint course. “This was more of a fun event, and the racers set up even teams amongst themselves,” said Haggenmiller. Spectators were joking with the racers and it had a -Coach Joe Haggenmiller very relaxed feel. Both teams had a lot of fun at the races. The warm weather did pose a bit of a problem for the races, however. The push-off rapidly deteriorated throughout the day, but the course was still fast. “It’s tough for the waxing crew,” said Haggenmiller as he was waxing some skis. Despite this, it was still a successful day of racing. The Tech Trails will see a lot of renovation in preparation for Nationals and the regional events that are often held at the trails. For example, there is a tree berm project underway that will put a tree berm between the parking lot and the stadium. Diminished wind will make it much more comfortable for the spectators and the athletes. Hosting the National Ski Championship should have some significant positive impacts on the Tech community. Potential athletes will be able to be recruited at the event. There will also be some world class skiing to witness for spectators at the event. Some members of the U.S. Olympic Ski Team will most likely be racing. This event poses a great opportunity for the Tech community. A lot of work has to be done to make the championships a success, but the work is already underway. The races this past weekend were the first step towards hosting another successful event. Nordic Ski races against rivals the Northern Michigan Wildcates this past weekend to prepare for the U.S. National Hopefully there will be many more in the years Cross-Country Skiing Championship to be held at the Tech Trails this year. to come; with the acclaim this course has received, Photos by Pratik Joshi there should certainly be many opportunities.
“Tech has the best collegiate course in the nation and one of the top five overall.”
Upcoming
Events April 1 - 7 Richard Blanco Student Forum-Diversity Center
Friday, April 4. 1 p.m. - 3p.m., 7p.m.-9p.m. Van Pelt and Opie Library
Richard Blanco, the fifth presidential inaugural poet who performed at Barack Obama’s second inaggural speech will be coming to Michigan Tech. The poet will be in the East Reading Room of the library this Friday from 1-3 p.m. for a student forum and recpetion, as well as from 7-9 p.m. for a book reading and signing. The event is open to the public and free for everyone to attend.
Prom-Missed-National Society of Black Engineers
Friday, April 4.
8p.m. - midnight MUB Ballroom
The National Society of Black Enginners is hostng Prom-Missed this Friday in the MUB Ballroom. This formal event is open to everyone and those interested in running for king or queen can register by emailing rmhicks@mtu.edu.
Information Session-Regional Educational Media Center
Wednesday, April 2. 6:30 p.m. Fisher 125
The Regional Educational Media Center (REMC) is looking to hire four to six students with computer related majors for part-time jobs next school year and full-time jobs this summer. The information session will be held this Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. in Fisher 135. REMC recommends coming to the meeting with your resume and both your summer and fall schedules. Pizza will be provided at the meeting.
Keweenaw Job Fair-Finlandia University
Friday, April 4. Noon - 4p.m. Hancock
The first ever Keweenaw Job Fair will be hosted this Friday, April 4 at the Jutila Center for International Deisgn and Business in Hancock. The event is free of charge and gives students and community members the opportunity to meet with local and regional employers and organizations. In addition to the typical job fair, resume writing and interviewing workshops will take place.
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 Ross Michaels “We wrapped the teacher’s car in a plastic wrap”
Richard Bennett “I put hot sauce into my brother’s drink”
Have you ever played a prank on someone for April Fools? If so, what? -Simeng Li
Allen Prince “I hit my friend in the face with peanut butter while he was asleep”
Shuo Liu “I disabled my friend’s mouse by putting a piece of paper at the bottom of it”