9/24/09

s Lode endorse Homecoming candidates

Behind the game: Frisbockey

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Homeless in Houghton

Huskies to face GVSU in football

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Michigan Tech Lode Michigan Tech community celebrates diversity The

September 24, 2009

Serving the Michigan Tech Community Since 1921

Students and community members alike come together during the annual Parade of Nations to celebrate differences KATE HENSHAW Lode Writer On Saturday, September 19, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky as hundreds of people representing upwards of 70 countries paraded through the streets of Hancock and Houghton.

The 20th annual Parade of Nations, hosted by the Multicultural Affairs Center and International Programs and Services, is held every year to celebrate not only cultural, but all kinds of diversity.

Each year, students from Michigan Tech and Finlandia Universities, community members, and local businesses come together to show pride for their cultural and ethnic traditions and to celebrate others.

People from around the world were adorned in colorful traditional attire native to their country, and put the theme this year, “Dancing with Diversity,” into play. Flags were raised high as the long mass of people crossed the Houghton-Hancock lift bridge. Music could be heard up and down the parade from such groups as the Michigan Tech Huskies Pep Band, Houghton High School Marching Band, and a Brazilian samba drum band, Batucobre.

Some of the largest ethnic groups in the parade were Indian and Chinese. Some of the groups

with wider representation put together floats for the parade, which were judged afterward and the top floats were awarded a cash prize. A group of students added a twist to this year’s parade, dressing as zombies and marching through the parade as a “Zombie Nation.” Everyone, zombies included, was able to enjoy the fun as music filled the streets and the crowd clapped along as participants danced.

The parade began at the Citizen’s Bank building in Hancock, and finished up in Houghton.

The festival continued at Dee Stadium on the Portage immediately after the parade, where there were hours of food, dancing, music, and other cultural fares.

There were even a number of extra activities for the little ones, with free pony rides and an arts and crafts area.

The entertainment included performances from such groups as the Superior School of Dance, Copper Country Cloggers Association, and the featured performers Boliviamanta, who also played at a benefit performance on Friday at the Memorial Union Building Ballroom. Donations helped support the festival.

The Parade of Nations is an important experience for those involved, and has proven to be a valuable and well-loved tradition by students and community members year after year.

Dancing with diversity: Parade participants walk through downtown Hancock as part of the annual Parade of Nations.

Photo by Alex Cotton

Photo by Alex Cotton

Photo by Alex Cotton

Photo by Antti Knutas

Photo by Alex Cotton

Career Fair tips and tricks The Lode welcomes new ALEX TRIPP Lode Writer

T

he biannual Michigan Tech Career Fair is scheduled for Tuesday, September 29. Over a hundred employers will converge on the SDC for a massive recruiting spree. With such an important event coming up, Jim Turnquist, Director of the Career Center, has some important advice for students attending the fair.

First and foremost is preparation. The Career Center provides opportunities for getting a résumé checked as

well as having a mock interview.

Both of these will help a student’s chance of success at the career fair, says Turnquist.

He also suggests dividing the companies into three categories: in category A are the top priorities, B has the second choices, and category C contains the rest. This will help with the next key step of researching the top companies: “If you don’t know anything about 3M, they’re not going to be interested in you.” Print out pages from the company’s website, make notes on them about where and why they match your résumé and bring this to the Career Fair.

The final aspect of preparation is a personal “infomercial,” says Turnquist. This should focus not on your degree program but on your skills and experiences.

At the Fair itself, all that remains is putting the plan into action. Visit a few ‘C’ companies first to test out the infomercial, then proceed to the more important picks. Avoid long lines, as it’s better to visit several companies than wait for one.

The Career Center will also be present to provide students any help necessary.

For more information, including a list of attending companies, visit career.mtu.edu.

Online exclusives PDF Archives of all issues this year

Editor-in-Chief KAYLA HERRERA Editor-in-Chief My name is Kayla Herrera and I am a second year Liberal Arts major minoring in Journalism. I worked on my high school newspaper for three years and I cannot wait to be a part of the Lode’s best year yet! My passion for the paper is deeply rooted and I intend to use that to fuel the motivation needed to improve the Lode with each printed issue. Out of homework mode? Read the Lode. It’s readers like you that help inspire

us to do what we do. Here’s to a great, new year for the Lode!

Kayla Herrera

Check it all out at: www.mtulode.com Sports

Husky Hodgepodge

Live blogs during games Game recaps

She said/he said response videos

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Michigan Tech Lode Thursday, September 24, 2009

News

Gay? Fine By Me aims to promote acceptance DANNY MESSINGER News Editor

Career Services

906-482-4550

This week, Keweenaw Pride (Michigan Tech’s gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and ally organization) will be handing out t-shirts at various locations across campus as part of their annual Gay? Fine By Me project.

According to their mission statement, the project “gives Americans a simple but effective way to publicly condemn homophobia and support equal rights.” The program, which was founded in 2003, initially worked only with high school and college students.

Now the program is aims to help

“churches and synagogues, local civic groups, businesses, and even entire towns [to] join the movement.”

The t-shirts are provided to Michigan Tech students free of charge. Keweenaw Pride typically purchases 500 shirts for the giveaway. Keweenaw Pride members and Michigan Tech faculty alike staffed the giveaway tables.

Shirts were given away in the residence halls on Wednesday night and in the MUB and Fisher Hall on Thursday afternoon.

“We hardly ever have enough shirts for the second day,” Keweenaw Pride advisor Marg Rohrer said. “There’s been one time in recent memory when we

have had some shirts left over.”

The Gay? Fine By Me project is partially funded by IHRC each year. In previous years, faculty members have also donated mon-

ey to the cause.

Students are invited to take part in a group picture on Friday in the MUB Circle at 1pm while wearing their Gay? Fine By Me shirts.

Fine by me: Students and faculty gather for a picture after last year’s t-shirt giveaway.

Photo courtesy of Keweenaw Pride

Michigan Tech Lode Thursday, September 24, 2009

Pulse

Dancing with Diversity

Photo highlights from last weekend’s Parade of Nations

Photos by Alex Cotton

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Three-band concert proves worth the trip KAYLA HERRERA Editor-in-Chief Aside from getting lost in the smelly belly of Green Bay, Wis., the thick, crisp night became saturated not just with the ecstatic juices of the musical dimension around us, but with the sweet melodies of its inhabitants, whose weapons hung from their shoulders and slapped their palms.

As expected with my verticallychallenged stature, I claimed a front row spot, though unintentionally placed myself in front of the stack of speakers towering over me like Godzilla. Its breath was hot and slightly disheveled my hair, but I liked it. Colored lights rolled over the teetering audience as I readied myself for the first band, Cage the Elephant.

I had seen them once before at Summerfest where they crawled across the stage rhythmically like

felines in heat and set the audience on fire with their tunes.

Lead singer Matt Shultz danced around the stage, hopped into the audience and climbed the 8 ft. speakers, where he sat solemnly and dazed while singing.

With their own twist of originality, Cage the Elephant delivered a stunning performance to a semicoherent, music-whoring audience with such popular songs as “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked” and “Back Against the Wall.”

Manchester Orchestra followed with hardly any crowd involvement, but phenomenal vocals.

Wooed by Andy Hull’s singing, the audience fell into a sort of melodious drug trip, enveloped by the power of the lyrics and the unity felt amongst strangers whose voices rang out collectively. Unity was at its highest during singles “I’ve Got Friends” and “Shake It Out.” Keyboardist Chris Freeman quivered to

the sound of the harmony as he closed his eyes and air-humped the keyboard in melodic ecstasy.

Although it was a short set, Manchester Orchestra left all listeners heavily intoxicated.

Last on the stage and the main act, Silversun Pickups had decent vocals. Bassist Nikki Monninger adorned a Prom-like dress under blue lights and happily tossed a guitar pick into the audience during the second song. Enthusiastic and maybe the loudest set thus far, Silversun Pickups satisfied their diehard fans.

Despite going semi-deaf for a period of time and driving 4 hours back home until 3 a.m., there is nothing like the pleasure felt when some impulsive journey takes hold of your mind and for that one moment, you do not know what is going to happen or how things will turn out. Unexpected events embellish a muchremembered existence.

Rockin’ Out: Members of Cage the Elephant perform at a recent concert.

Photo by Kayla Herrera

Interview Idol NICHOLAS BLECHA Lode Writer Three judges met in Ballroom A of the Memorial Union Building on September 16 to evaluate the performances of a number of individuals.

No, it wasn’t “American Idol,” but the Wednesday event was meant to be seen as a “takeoff” of the popular show, according to MTU Career Services Director Jim Turnquist. The event, titled “Interview Idol,” was designed to provide students with some idea of how to handle themselves in an interview for a job, internship, or co-op. While Career Services has put on interview events every year, last year they decided they wanted to “add a little color,” said Turnquist. Thus, last year saw the first-ever Interview Idol. That time, Turnquist explained, it “was a lot of trial and error” and they were “hoping [it would] be a little more polished this time.”

To represent the American Idol judges, Career Services drew from the Michigan Tech staff for people who could act like the judges, or at least the stereotypes of them. Vice President of Student Affairs Les Cook portrayed the ever-critical Simon Cowell,

Dean of Students Gloria Melton represented the cliché-loving Paula Abdul, and men’s basketball coach Kevin Luke stood in for Randy Jackson. Caterpillar representatives from the class of 2006 served as the host and the interviewers. And finally, current students acted out the roles of hopefuls being interviewed.

Four interviews were played out, and covered “the good, the bad, and the ugly of interviews” as Turnquist put it. In one interview, the prospective employee arrived well-dressed, spoke confidently and stayed on-topic with any question asked of her.

In another, the person being interviewed arrived in sweatpants and a T-shirt, failed to answer the questions asked of him, and made overbroad generalizations without giving any support for them. Between interviews, the host and judges would discuss and explain what the person did right or did wrong, and display helpful tips for the audience to keep in mind during a real job interview. Following the final interview, the host gave information about the different programs that Career Services offers, and a drawing was held to distribute prizes donated by MTU’s corporate partners.

Career Services

dining

TICKET SALES DATES:

Sept. 28–29 and Oct. 5–6 Fisher Hall (Near the Aftermath Cafe) 12pm–2pm Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, 2, 7, 8, 9 MUB Commons 11am–1pm

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Michigan Tech Lode Thursday, September 24, 2009

Feature

The Lode has selected two candidates to endorse for Homecoming Court. Endorsed candidates were selected based on campus involvement and individual character.

te a d i d Can n e e Qu Keara Scott

Vote at: homecoming.mtu.edu Voting ends Friday at 4pm

Joe Gallo

King Cand idate

Other Queen Candidates Jennifer Fuller Delta Sigma Phi Natalie Minott Sigma Tau Gamma Danielle Linna Delta Zeta Cari Steinman Alpha Sigma Tau Beth Geerer Phi Kappa Tau Nicole Stemen Alpha Gamma Delta

Other King Candidates Chad Girard Mama’s Boys Justin Bonneville Delta Phi Epsilon

Sponsoring Organization: First Year Experience Major: Biomedical Engineering Year: 4th GPA: 3.66 Age: 21 Hometown: Richmond, MI

Sponsoring Organization: MTU Women’s Soccer Club Major: Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Year: 3rd GPA: 3.34 Age: 20 Hometown: Marquette, MI

Extracurriculars

Extracurriculars Resident Assistant for FYE (2008-Present, named Housing and Residential Life Staff Member of the Year), Habitat for Humanity President, Orientation Team Leader (2007), Undergraduate Research in Biomaterials (2009-Present), Representative in Wadsworth Hall Student Association, St. Albert the Great Parishioner (2006-Present)

Sigma Tau Gamma National Fraternity (VP of Membership), Orientation Team Leader (Fall 2009), Housing and Residential Life Office Intern (Summer 2009 - Present), Resident Assistant (Fall and Spring 2008-2009), LeaderShape (On-Site Coordinator - Spring 2009, Attendee - Spring 2009), Make a Difference Day Project Manager (Spring 2009), Undergraduate Inter-Fraternity Institute (Summer 2008), WHSA Representative, Inter-Fraternity Council Representative (Spring 2008-Fall 2009), Disco-Tech, Ridge Roamers Climbing Club, Intramural Sports

Austin Merkel Sigma Phi Epsilon Lukas Morse Asphodel Fields Aaron Tetzloff Alpha Xi Zeta David Smeenge Leadership Learning Community Kyle Hanson Sexy Guys Club Michael Misson The Attic Corey Cousino Theta Chi Epsilon

Behind the game: Frisbockey a Michigan Tech tradition JACK AMMERMAN Lode Writer Houghton, Mich is a unique place. Countless “must-sees” are among the lists of scenic views, historic areas and places found only in the Keweenaw. Thousands visit every year to take part in activities that are not available anywhere else in the world. One of these activities (mostly unheard of but growing larger each year) is called Frisbockey. Available at only one campus in the world, Michigan Tech of course, Frisbockey is a relatively new but already a famous Husky tradition. Frisbockey came to life in 2002 when a few Tech students wanted to play a game after a Broomball match but only had a frisbee. Michigan Tech ingenuity soon had them out on the Broomball court attempting to hurl the disc into a net. In 2004 the Inter-Residence Hall Council (IRHC) decided to make Frisbockey official, unfortunately only one team registered that first year. By 2007 though, 32 teams were throwing the disc and now, in 2009, a record of 56 teams are active during the fall season.

I, myself, referee Frisbockey and play on a team. One day while walking up to the Student Development Complex (SDC) my mother called. I casually mentioned Frisbockey and her response was complete confusion.

So for those of you who have not seen the posters across campus, Frisbockey’s slogan is “Ultimate Frisbee with a Tech Touch!” With six players on the field at a time, teams try to work their way to the opposing goal and launch a frisbee into a hockey net. Basically Ultimate Frisbee with Hockey nets, hence the name Frisbockey.

A game consists of two 15 minutes halves with a five minute halftime. IRHC allows open substitutions during the game and teams may consist of up to 12 players. In the past, games have taken place on the Walker lawn but this year all the games are being played up at the SDC. If you have never experienced a game of Frisbockey before, check out the IRHC website for the game schedule and go watch for awhile.

Before long you will want to pick up a frisbee and send it floating through the air too!

The first time I threw a frisbee was during my orientation week here at Tech. It wobbled and arced away from my friend and fell to the ground thirty feet away. He, on the other hand, made it seem

like an effortless task, floating the frisbee directly to me, which I subsequently failed to catch. I resigned myself to the knowledge that I would never get a grasp on the sport. Luckily I kept trying and I can now at least hold my own. I joined a Frisbockey team to have fun with my friends and to get outside a bit more. Once I started asking, though, it seems students have joined Frisbockey teams for a variety of reasons, the main reason being, like me, just to have fun. Many teams formed for just that, to play without worrying about the score and to spend time with friends.

Students relish the chance to get away from the ever present looming promise of homework so they can run around and play. Another common trend I have found with Frisbockey players is that they enjoy the chance to meet new people. Teams may contain players from every residence hall and even off-campus. Players are given the chance to make new connections on the field, whereas otherwise they would have never met. Others though head to the games with a more competitive mindset. Frisbockey has single elimination play-offs later in the season, starting with sixteen teams and ending with one champion. The competition is tough with teams full of hardcore, experienced players. Right now play-offs are in the near future and players are testing their limits with each team trying to gain a coveted spot in the playoffs. This goal gives students a chance to participate in healthy competition.

Regardless if a team is playing for smiles or playing to win, Frisbockey demands teamwork and coordination in order to pass the disc, let alone score a goal. Even if a team does not have separate practices from the games, every time a team gets together to work on their skills they develop as a team. A successful goal or a long pass draws the team closer together with smiles and cheers.

Frisbockey gives everyone a chance to form stronger friendships with one another. One great thing about Frisbockey, which we all remember from our early days of T-ball, is that when the final whistle blows both teams converge on the field to shake hands and say good game. Good Sportsmanship is ever present among Tech Frisbockey teams, which is a compliment to the University and the students who attend it.

Jake Emerick, an Alumni of Michigan Tech, ran Frisbockey

in its first 4 years in which time he was also an IRHC president.

Among his favorite memories of the sport included the fans, especially “Team Chuck Norris, an FYE team. They would bring fans covered in body paint and had team cheers.” To him 20-30 extra voices on the sideline really made the game exciting. Another highlight in the game was infamous “Team Canada, who would wear dresses to the game and would try to drag the nets around the field or play on each other’s shoulders.” As a referee I have not witnessed such extravagant efforts on the field yet, but I am looking forward to it during the play-offs. I urge everyone to head up to the SDC and cheer their favorite team on.

New students coming to Michigan Tech have most likely run into an Alumni who will not let them go until they are regaled with old Broomball stories. Even my neighbor (who is far older than I) made me listen as he explained the ins and outs of the sport before I left for campus.

Frisbockey has only been around for 6 years, but it is already proving to be as much part of the Husky identity as Broomball. With 56 teams competing Frisbockey has obviously captivated the hearts and minds of students. Only time is needed for Alumni (maybe those of us graduating soon) for Frisbockey to be a hot topic that first-years absolutely must learn about, immediately after Broomball of course. I along with many other Huskies, look forward to the Fall Play-offs and the continued growth of Frisbockey in years to come.

en Wittbrodt Photos by B

Michigan Tech Lode Thursday, September 24, 2009

opinion

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Homeless in Breaking the mold Houghton Overcoming labels at Michigan Tech

Does Housing put students or money first?

KAYLA HERRERA Editor in Chief “Michigan Tech Housing is committed to maintaining a safe, comfortable housing environment that values friendship and academic success in our residence halls and apartments.” The Michigan Tech University’s housing department clearly depicts in its mission statement the dedication and time taken to care for the students involved in the residential life of Michigan Tech. But if friendship is such a value of the Housing Department, assuming other values are taken into consideration as well, why then is the contract release process so grueling, unnecessary, and rigged to feed off of our money?

I applied for housing in Wadsworth Hall thinking I had everything settled financially. When my parents refused to extend the Parent Plus Loan and co-sign for a loan for me, I realized I had hit a dead-end. There was no other way to turn except back, seeing there was no way I could afford it. I walked into the Housing office to inquire about the process I needed to follow in order to be released from my housing contract.

Upon voicing my questions, I was rudely answered by a member of housing administration, instructing me to fill out the application and write an appeal letter, and stated that “you don’t always get approved to be released from your contract” in an almost taunting tone. I tried to explain, briefly, my financial situation and he continued to tell me it did not matter. I kind of left the office in jitters wondering what I had done wrong to be talked to like some delinquent who had knowingly planted some twisted housing scheme. Friendly? I think not.

I proceeded to write the letter, as instructed, in my most professional and grammatically-correct form. I clearly stated my situation and went to the Financial Aid office to discuss documentation to be paired with my letter as proof of my situation. I was told that Housing would send away for my financial information and that it was not needed to include it with the letter, so I obeyed. Thinking it was not a huge issue, I went on with school as usual, certain there was no way they could deny my letter since there was no way to pay for it.

On September 16th, I received an email while I was away in Green Bay exclaiming that my letter had been denied. My family and I were outraged. Firstly, when applying for a room and signing the contract, the Housing staff fails to go over contract release protocol before finally handing over a room key and assignment.

Why do they “forget” to do this?

Because if mentioned, they may cause students to hesitate in their decision, which would in turn not allow the school to receive money for housing from that student? Thus, a hesitating student is money lost.

In the email, it was not even explained as to why I was denied, rather, it was just an email informing me of my denial. Extra time is not taken to be fully helpful to the students and this email is just only a bit of the evidence.

So, I had to request information before they told me. I am offered a certain amount of aid for the entire school year and the amount requested for fall semester fell under that amount, although after paying for fall semester, there would not be enough aid left over

“

I was strongly recommended to “not tell my parents about such situations as this” and that “there are certain things you should not tell your parents.”

kicked out of school. My father, almost angrier than me at the asinine process being carried out, got in touch with members of Housing and the Dean of Students to inquire about the process and my present predicament.

During a meeting with an employee of the Residential Department, I was asked, “So, what did you learn from this experience?”

I felt like I was some snotty teenager being lectured after doing something naughty.

“I learned to not make hasty decisions,” I said.

“And to not get parents involved,” he added. I did not think this comment was appropriate.

I was strongly recommended to “not tell my parents about such situations as this” and that “there are certain things you should not tell your parents.” I could not believe I was being told this by a Housing employee of Michigan Tech. He then followed with, “Did you know your father actually got the Dean involved…?” Of course I knew. I went on to explain my father was a passionate parent and saw his daughter stressed, frustrated and agonizing over this insignificant problem and he decided to do something about it. No father wants to see his daughter suffer.

I supported everything he said and did. He cares about Michigan Tech, being an alumni and all, and hated seeing this process being so wrongly handled involving his own daughter. I was later told, “The adult thing to do would’ve been to come to me first.” It was such comments as these that made me realize I was not being treated like an adult to begin with. I felt like I was, again, being lectured like some teeny-bopper.

What I want to know is why is it so hard to get out of a housing contract when I clearly can’t afford it? And why is the Housing department being so careless?

If they automatically deny every student who supposedly has zero unmet needs in finances, then how many were in my situation before? Is the Housing department really “committed to maintaining a safe, comfortable housing environment that values friendship and academic success?” If so, then why am I treated as if I am just another senseless college student and why does it not seem to be a matter that I may lose my education because of some silly misunderstanding?

Though I was finally released from my contract, there was nothing in writing to solidify the decision. You would think after this grueling process that there would be some form of final agreement in writing since they drilled me for documentation in writing that proved I could not afford housing. From my understanding, we are all only dollar signs to Housing.

“

for spring semester, thus I could not afford it. But Housing did not feel the need to investigate.

As informed by a close employee of Housing, residential staff of Michigan Tech automatically deny anyone who has $0 in unmet need. Even with my financial aid information, they still denied me, upholding this claim that they do not even care to glance at this fact. They did not give any respect whatsoever to my situation.

In their words, they were merely “following procedure.”

So I had an employee of Financial Aid call the Director of Housing and explain to him my situation. Apparently, a phone call was not enough, for I was then told to send in documentation of my situation in writing.

Throughout this process, I could not understand why it was so hard for Michigan Tech Housing to see that I just could not afford to live in the dorms. You want to know why the process was drawn out? Why Housing felt this need to fight me in my financial situation, in this dying economy, till the bitter end? Money. They wanted my money. They had my money and were not going to let go easily. I owed a large amount of money to Michigan Tech because of this room and if denied again, I would not be able to pay the money, as explained several times, and would most likely get

worthy or capable in a area of knowledge.

Of course we need to be educated; we are continually babysat until we are out of college.

And the premises for our survival is based on how we can deal with money. Of course dealing with money comes in many forms.

Better go to college and make sure you get a lot of money so you can spend it wrongly and not perish.

There is a point where a title can no longer suffice a person’s needs. Just because a student passes a class, even with flying colors, doesn’t mean the student retains or understands the material. We only learn as much as we want and to the level at which we can learn. Often we are missing basic building blocks of human understanding and survival innovation. It is satisfying to a large majority to work hard to make advancements in a field, be well off and leave earth happily. I am finding the whole thing quite insufferable: having titles, money and materials own us and the idea of being strapped down to a system of working through our specialization and bondage to money. Somehow our individual specialization is complicating our fabric work and categorizing our issues.

The university setting offers a unique opportunity for community and development, there is a place for everyone. Hopefully in some amusement, I’ve dramatized my statements.

LENA WILSON Lode Writer

Status. There is a hefty amount of intangible meaning attached to a label. A signature on an email, for example, can include a lengthy list of titles. We are so driven to make something of ourselves in this lifetime that it often becomes clouded with the masks of modern convenience and technology. Who are you? I am this sort of student getting this sort of degree. Engineer? Well that is well-defined. There are many generalizations about the characteristics of an engineer, some for the sake of fun-making. For one, they are not artists and actually stink at math. I suppose after dedicating so much of one’s time to one label, that individual may become the label.

Much like high school propaganda of the Student Council or Homecoming Court there are floods of different titles one can earn in college as well. And geez, let us not stop there. We may go further into self-obliteration by earning titles our whole lives. The idea of being an asset to a community has been stretched and strained into getting a job. That is, many times, the ultimate goal.

Of course, there are those whose titles pertain to activities that individual enjoys. But nonetheless, it can’t be helped that we are measured by the titles we have.

Certification and verification of some sort is needed to deem one

Michigan Tech Lode

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Editor in Chief ............................... Kayla Herrera Visuals Manager ....................................... Alex Cotton Business Manager .................................Richard Goodell Online Editor............................Jeremiah Baumann News Editor.......................................Danny Messinger Opinion Editor..........................................Elijah Haines Sports Editor ..................................Stephen Anderson Pulse Editor................................................Luke Gublo Winter Carnival Pictorial Editor ........................... TBD Advisor ........................................................Kara Sokol

Staff Writers - Daver Karnosky, Chris Morgan,

Lena Wilson, Lauren Wiza, Jasween Jagjit, Sara Goodell

Circulation - Elliot Heinrich Visuals Staff - Becky Boeve, David Faber, Kal Johnson, Antti Knutas, Lukas Lund, Eben Mannes, Jake Mohan, Liz Nigro, Caitlin Pionke, Phil Pomber, Erica Stanley, Ben Wittbrodt

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Sports

Wildcats hand Huskies embarrassing Miner’s Cup loss MTU

Results

NMU

16 114 228 342 27:43

21

Score Rushing Yards Passing Yards Total Yards Possession Tim First Downs

48 245 220 465 32:17 23

Michigan Tech Lode Thursday, September 24, 2009

Juggling Tricks: (Left) Michigan Tech quarterback Steve Short struggles to keep hold of the ball in last week Saturday’s game against Northern Michigan. Short regained control of the ball only to be quickly tackled. (Below) In another tough situation, Short fumbles the ball only to let it be recovered by the Wildcats. It was one of his three turnovers of the day. To add injury to insult, he was knocked out of the game in the third quarter with an apparent knee injury. The game ended a devastating 16-48 leaving the Huskies beaten and bruised. Check out mtulode.com for Saturday’s Miner’s Cup game recap and a transcript of the live blog from the game.

Photos by Alex Cotton

By # the er nu m b

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games against GVSU this week: volleyball won 3-2 and football and women’s tennis play this weekend

8

runners faster than Brian Stetter at the Midwest Collegiate Open.

There were 146 total runners.

73.4

percent of passes completed by opposing QB’s this season. Tech’s percentage is 52.8.

294

of the volleyball team’s 661 kills by Kristine Sexton and Veronica Armstrong.

Huskies to face No. 1 GVSU in 4,027 first-ever home night contest

fans in attendance at Saturday’s football game (second largest crowd in Sherman Field history).

STEPHEN ANDERSON Sports Editor With an 0-3 record, the Huskies football season is not turning out how many fans expected.

That does not mean all is for naught. “You learn a lot about the character and resolve of your football team during these times,” said Head Coach Tom Kearly.

“We certainly have to improve as a football team, and we need to fix a few things…We realize that it’s about working hard each and every day. We can only focus on the game in front of us.”

There is plenty to focus on given that Michigan Tech’s next opponent is Grand Valley State, the No. 1 team in the country, and a team that beat Michigan Tech 52-6 last year. To make matters worse, the Huskies will be without their starting quarterback Steve Short and running back Phil Milbrath, who have accounted for 923 of the team’s 1,133 total offensive yards. The team is

unable to release specifics, but Kearly said, “Both are significant injuries. We will have to adjust our depth chart.” Short’s injury is to his left knee and Milbrath’s to his right ankle.

Short said, “I’m just taking it day by day with the trainers, rehabbing to get out on the field.”

Milbrath said, “I just have an ankle injury. It is getting better every day. I thought that it was just a rolled ankle, so I figured I could just get it taped up and ready to go.” That is clearly not the case, as both players could miss significant playing time. Stay tuned to the Lode for continuing coverage.

Brent Heim will start under center for the Huskies. He was 7 for 13 with 107 yards and a touchdown against Northern Michigan after taking over for the injured Short. Kearly said, “Heim is good on his feet and is a good passer. He’s practiced well. The big thing with him is repetitions – he doesn’t have a lot of game

experience.” Grand Valley and their overall team speed, which Kearly speaks highly of, will certainly give Heim a challenge. According to Kearly, the team will be fine at tailback, with Marvin Atkins and Akeem Cason providing solid depth.

Three-year starting quarterback Brad Iciek leads Grand Valley State’s high-powered offense, which has tallied 29.5 points per game.

“Our goals are to just bounce back and make the rest of the season perfect. If things went our way, it is possible [to make the playoffs],” said Milbrath. “Beating the No. 1 team would be a huge step. It would give us the confidence that we need.”

Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. at Sherman Field. It will be the firstever night game for the Huskies at Michigan Tech. Check out www.mtulode.com for a live blog of the game, and for a game recap shortly following the conclusion of the game.

Graphic courtesy of flickr.com

Schedules/Results Football (0-3, 0-3 GLIAC) NMU 48-16 MTU Saturday vs. GVSU, 6 p.m.

Volleyball (5-8, 3-2 GLIAC) Ferris State 3-1 MTU MTU 3-2 Grand Valley State Friday vs. Hillsdale, 7 p.m.

Saturday vs. Findlay, 3 p.m.

W. Tennis (1-1, 1-1 GLIAC)

ITA Reg.: 4-4 singles, 2-2 doubles Friday @ GVSU, 3 p.m.

Saturday @ Ferris State, 10 a.m.

Cross Country Men, 6th of 15, Midw. Col. Open Women, 7th of 16, M.C.O. Sat. @ Roy Griak Invitational

Visit gliac.org for full standings

Editor’s Shootout

The Editors Shootout is a competition of knowledge, luck and wits between sports editor Stephen Anderson, business manager Richard Goodell, pulse editor Luke Gublo and online editor Jeremiah Baumann. Stephen won two years ago with former opinion editor Rob Devaun winning last year. This will be a weekly feature where each editor picks his winners of the three biggest games/series of the week and backs up his decisions with a short rant. THIS WEEK: Arizona Cardinals vs. Indianapolis Colts, Wisconsin Badgers vs. Michigan State Spartans, Colorado Rockies vs. St. Louis Cardinals

LUKE GUBLO Pulse Editor 3-0 Last Week, 4-2 Overall

STEPHEN ANDERSON Sports Editor 0-3 Last Week, 3-3 Overall

RICHARD GOODELL Business Manager 1-2 Last Week, 3-3 Overall

JEREMIAH BAUMANN Online Editor 2-1 Last Week, 3-3 Overall

Look for Peyton Manning and the Colts to do big things against the defending NFC Champs at home. In college football, Sparty will finally get a win at home against Wisconsin. In baseball, look for the Colorado Rockies to be the hungrier team against St. Louis, given that they aren’t as far ahead as the Cardinals are in the standings.

After a humbling week, I will get back to my winning ways in this week’s interesting match-ups. The Cardinals finally showed up last week, so I’ll take Kurt Warner and his record-breaking completion percentage to eke out a win over the Colts.

The Badgers have not faced a great opponent yet, but being at home, I think they’ll put MSU in an early-season 1-3 hole.

Finally, the Cards already have their playoff spot locked down, so I’ll take the Rockies with a big win to earn the Wild Card.

The Colts keep the Cardinals down to earth as Peyton lights it up in Indy. The Spartans host a rolling Badgers team looking to eat up a terrible MSU secondary. Finally, the Saint Louis Cardinals look to turn out the lights on another Cinderella story for the Colorado Rockies by sweeping the series.

Arizona is able to get points on the board where Indianapolis struggled last week. The Badgers are on a 3-0 hot streak at home and will finish their home streak with a win against the struggling Spartans. The Rockies and Cardinals are so close in stats but playing at Coors Field gives Colorado the advantage.

Colts 27-17 Spartans 31-26 Rockies 2-1

Cardinals 28-27 Badgers 30-23 Rockies 2-1

Colts 34-19 Badgers 42-31 Cardinals 3-0

Cardinals 31-14 Badgers 34-28 Cardinals 2-1

Michigan Tech Lode Thursday, September 24, 2009

Sports

7A

Head-to-Head regatta with Northern Tennis team returns to GLIAC play REBECCA BOEVE Visuals Staff

M

ichigan Tech’s rowing club came out on top of Northern this past weekend after a grueling two-day regatta.

The 28 member crew was mixed in various combinations to race a total of seven boats on the portage Saturday. These boats consisted of both experienced and novice rowers, novice implying no prior rowing experience on the collegiate level. Saturday winners included the Women’s Novice Four, Men’s Novice Eight, Men’s Open Four, and Men’s Open Eight.

The sixth and final win went to Stuart Mitkey, a second year, in his single. This is the Crew’s first single in several years.

“I spent this past summer in a single” Mitkey said, “and by the time the team was finally decided, this fall there was no one that really paired up with me well.”

DAVER KARNOSKY Lode Writer

Say Cheese: The Michigan Teach Crew Team members pose with their winnings after a long day of racing. Michigan Tech’s performance was outstanding with a total of 10 first places.

Photo courtesy of Crew Coach Terry Smythe

This is Mitkey’s second year rowing, and is a great addition to the team. He finds the crew to be a good aspect to campus life as well.

“Crew is a nice change of pace from your traditional sports.

It promotes great teamwork as well as provides a great combination cardiovascular and strength training.”

Daily practices at 6 a.m. can be quite demanding, but Mitkey finds that pleasure outweighs the

pain.

“After a good morning row the rest of the day you are feeling good.”

The second half of the competition, Iron Oars, was rowed on Teal Lake of Marquette. With varying boat combinations, Tech was able to clinch four more first places. After the final tally, Michigan Tech returned home with the Heavy Metal Series Trophy and one more year of bragging rights.

Heavy Metal Serious First Places

Copperhead Houghton Men’s Open 1x

Women’s Novice Four Men’s Novice Eight Men’s Open Four Men’s Open Eight

16:41 21:53 16:01 16:43 14:52

Men’s Novice Four Women’s Novice Four Men’s Novice Eight Men’s Open Four Men’s Open Eight

Coming off a strong showing at the ITA Regional Tournament in Indianapolis, IN, the women’s tennis Huskies look to return to GLIAC play this weekend with their first road match of the season against the Grand Valley State Lakers this Friday.

The Lakers have yet to take the court for a dual match this season, and the Huskies will hope to catch the Lakers off guard.

Lakers’ head coach John Black’s youthful squad features one senior and four juniors from a squad that finished second to Northwood a season ago.

Two returners earned AllGLIAC Second Team status last season, junior Darylann Trout and sophomore Katelyn Schaffer. Juniors Chelsea Johnson and Jackie Shipman both earned All-

GLIAC Honorable Mention last season as well. Senior Katelyn Grashorn, who missed last season due to injury, junior Rachel Rendina, sophomore Tara Hayes, and freshman Allison Fecko will all compete for the remaining two singles spots.

Huskies Have Strong Showing at ITAs Sophomore Ploy Suthjindawong, seeded fifth, was the most successful Huskies’ singles player over the weekend, earning a trip to the quarterfinals with three straight two-set victories.

Junior Nathalia Rondelli earned a first round victory before falling in the second round.

In doubles, the duo of Rondelli and Suthjindawong earned a trip to the quarterfinals after starting the tournament seeded seventh.

For a full look at how the Huskies fared, check out the online recap on our website.

Iron Oars 13:15 Mar quette 15:47 12:20 12:33 13:54

First home volleyball weekend highlighted by GVSU five-set win LAUREN WIZA Lode Writer

A

fter ending on a note of redemption this past weekend with their success against Grand Valley State University, the Michigan Tech volleyball team is already preparing for their next visitors, Hillsdale College and Findlay University.

Hillsdale boasts a 12-1 overall record with their only loss coming at a neutral location. They are undefeated in GLIAC play with a 5-0 record and have swept the last four GLIAC teams that they’ve faced (Ashland, Findlay, Wayne State, and Northwood). Ashlee Crowder leads the offensive attack with 4.57 kills per set, while fellow sophomore and middle hitter Clara Leutheuser picks up where her teammate leaves off, averaging 3.31 attacks of her own per set. Setter Apryl Schmucker makes 10.07 assists available per set as well.

“The thing that got us this weekend was consistency,” said head coach Orlando Gonzalez when discussing what he hopes to improve for this coming weekend. “I think if we continue to make that [consistency] our focus and make it our commitment to be the most consistently and solid performing team, we’ll have a lot of opportunities.”

Against both Ferris State and Grand Valley State Universities, the Huskies struggled at the service line with nine and seven errors. Attack attempts were also noticeably more consistent in the first few sets of each match.

“We need to be able to come

out strong and stay strong,” said outside hitter and libero, Kaari Nevanen. “We have to keep that competitive fire consistent.

We were kind of up and down throughout the weekend.”

The Huskies will have to get past the Chargers of Hillsdale first before they match up with Findlay on Saturday. Junior Abby Lavigne tops the charts in both Findlay’s offense and defense with

an average 3.1 kills and 2.73 digs per set. If Michigan Tech sticks to their consistent philosophy in all aspects of their game, they may be able to take advantage of Findlay’s 1-4 away record. The Oilers are 1-3 in conference and 3-8 overall.

Michigan Tech will serve up the ball at 7 p.m. in the SDC gymnasium against Hillsdale this Friday, Sept. 25.

Winding Up: Sophomore Victoria Zhilkina practices a serve in preparation for this weekend. Friday huskies will head to Grand Valley State University for their first away match of the season.

Photo by Antti Knutas

Tune into WMTU 91.9 FM each

Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon for the Lode Sports

Talk Radio Show This week’s online content - mtulode.com • Game recaps posted online the same day • Exclusive features not in print issue • Commentary box with each article/feature The Great Wall: Kristine Sexton (#1) and Lyndsey Dixon (#11) make it quite difficult for their opponents, the Grand Valley Lakers, this past weekend. Their teamwork proved quite succesful with a five-set win.

Photo by Ben Wittbrodt

• Multimedia content throughout the week

Club Sport Spotlight: Rugby MARC SANKO Lode Writer

Our Club Sports Highlight here at the Michigan Tech Lode is designed to give a special look at some of the great club sports here at Michigan Tech.

The previous two weeks have highlighted the Michigan Tech Soccer teams, but this week we turn our focus to the Michigan Tech Rugby team.

The Husky Rugby team has had a great off-season, increasing its roster from a scant 15 to

nearly 30 members. The massive increase in numbers has been attributed to a new approach of dedication and general awareness campaign by the executive board of the Club. A handful of the new players are not just incoming freshman, but rugby players on campus who were previously unaware of the existence of a team.

Expectations are running high for this year’s club but unfortunately they are yet to win a match this season. The Club opened with two hard matches

against Northern Michigan and Minnesota – Duluth over Labor Day weekend, and played extremely well, nearly upsetting Northern. The next weekend the club saw great improvements in the teams play, but unfortunately were pitted against two clubs much more advanced, losing to Wisconsin – Eau Claire and Wisconsin – Stout.

The rest of the season sets up well for Michigan Tech as they head to Wisconsin Parkside next weekend as they take on both Parkside and Wisconsin

Would you like your club team featured in this section? E-mail steander@mtu.edu

University. Two weeks off has allowed the team to rest up and prepare for the tournament.

The team will also finish with a tentative match at home against Northern Michigan sometime in late October.

The Club’s goal is to continue making improvements on their play throughout the course of the season and introduce those new to the sport. Next fall the club will officially become a member of the Wisconsin Rugby Union, playing a full collegiate schedule, and have the

opportunity to make regional and national playoffs and this year is being used as a preparation season Anyone interested in playing for the Rugby team is welcome to come out and join practices at any point. Practice for the club occurs Mondays and Wednesdays 6-8 PM on the Lower Soccer Field. Anyone who is interested in more information about the Michigan Tech Rugby Team and its practice schedule is encouraged to email the Rugby team at rugby-l@mtu.edu

8A Husky Hodgepodge

Submit

your caption

Michigan Tech Lode Thursday September 24, 2009

Last week’s winner

You are invited to submit your most clever captions.

The best response will be chosen by the Lode staff and printed next week.

Please keep captions to a PG-13 rating or below.

Congratulations to Austin Andrus “I feel like Ia those Rha m in one of p s o d y mu s ic bubble com mercials!.”

Culture

Shock Repo

rt #4

Photo background: At the Parade of Nations last Saturday, this handmade float could be seen rolling down the street.

Submit captions to: media@mtulode.com

ic... re’s no mus “Except the bles.” or bub

Photo by Alex Cotton

s ’ t a h T what...

What defines a long-term relationship?

she said Christina Jufliak Relationship that lasts like a long time and is serious.

Biomedical Engineering First year

Hannah Splan Involves commitment, trust, honesty and of course a long time span.

Mechanical Engineering First Year

Sarah Hubbel A committed relationship that lasts little a over a year.

Biomedical Engineering First year

he said Tyler McBell [If you] believe in cooperation and a long time and mutual trust for each other, it’s all good”.

Computer Engineering First year

Eric Maki Something where two people have been together [for a] long [time]. Where they can really just appreciate each other and know what the other person wants.

Mechanical Engineering First year

Vince Fitzgerald Sex, sex.

Mechanical Engineering First year

Visit www.mtulode.com for these and more student video responses

Event reminders Tom Szaky-King of Trash Where: Rozsa Center When: Sept 24, 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.

Service Saturday-Houghton Parks and Recreation Contact: communityservice@ mtu.edu to sign up When: Sept 26, 9 a.m. -12 p.m.

Fall Career Fair Where: SDC When: Sept 29, 12 p.m. - 6 p.m.

Student poll Bubbler or drinking fountain?

Bubbler 13% Drinking Fountain 87% Student responses are based on our weekly online poll. Please vote on next week’s question:

Are you enjoying the unseasonably warm weather?

Vote at: www.mtulode.com

On this day

1964

The Munsters premired on television.

1969

60 Minutes premired on television.

1998

Redesigned $20 bill introduced

Courtesy of www.reference.com

JUN (MILES) NI Lode Writer

Follow the thoughts of one international student throughout the semester as he discovers the ins and outs of life in America GO HUSKIES GO!! I heard we lost that football game last Saturday. It’s not a big deal. We will beat them up next time. (can I say beat someone in newspaper?)

I feel sad that I didn’t have time to watch game on that day, because I have to work in the Wads dining hall at that time. Here’s a little prediction for next week: I’m going to talk about my awesome working experience. This week I have another interesting topic for all of you guys: Football!

Football is the most famous sport in America. I still remember the first time I watched a football game with my buddy Chris Treado in his dorm. I just kept asking him everything, such as rules and the position of the players. At the beginning, I thought football was boring. People stand in two lines and just crush each other. There is a pause between each down, which makes me feel sleepy. The most exciting moment for me in the game must be the touchdown. Still remember Super Bowl last year? A quarterback from Arizona carried the ball for 100 yards and touchdown!

The whole hall was boiled.

I hadn’t noticed how Americans love watching football until I had Thanksgiving break with my roommate in his house. His dad is a big football fan and the television was on the ESPN football channel all day long. Even the dog Sufi stayed on the couch quietly and watched with us. My roommate’s aunt was graduated from Texas University, and Texas played pretty good last season. So, every time Texas scored, she cheered for them. I can understand that motion when your favorite team beats others. I was a soccer fan when I was in middle school. In order to watch my favorite team on World Cup, I stayed up very late to enjoy the game.

Compare to basketball or soccer, football is not popular in China at all. It’s too violent to be accepted by Chinese. Every time I watch football game, someone gets hurt his arm or foot. Chris told me someone even was killed in history. That’s not what we want to see. Another reason we don’t play is we are not strong enough. Football has very harsh requirement on height, weight and speed, which is not easy to find among Asians. I threw football couple times with my friends.

The ball is heavy and I have to twist it when I throw it. It was not a easy job. If I play football, I will probably be killed. We prefer to playing those games have less body touch. Ping-pong for example, all you need is to hit the ball.

As far as I’m concerned, sports can tell something about the culture of a country. Some sports are worldwide, but some is a symbol of a country. I cannot find another country that likes football as much as America. When I walked in the wads hallway last night, most of TV was on the football channel, and people seemed really enjoy that. I really expect the Super Bowl this year and the commercial in it!