September 21, 2021

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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2021

Mental health: why reaching out for help matters

By JULIA BARTON • Staff Writer College is a significant time for change while most engage with new friend groups and try new hobbies. But with that also comes the mounds of homework, living independently which can be overwhelming and mentally draining for a young adult.

With September being suicide awareness month, there is no doubt that mental health is a serious topic the majority of students all around the country are struggling with or have struggled with at some point in their lives.

But how they chose to cope with their mental health is a huge factor. Drinking alcohol is linked to a range of mental

health issues from depression and memory loss, to suicide.

The Counseling Center at Minnesota State University, Mankato offers a variety of different groups and workshops that are meant to improve the emotional well-being of students. These services are free to all students enrolled at MNSU. HEALTH on page 5 u

BACK ON TRACK

The Minnesota State Mavericks got back in the win column when they handed the Bemidji State Beavers their first loss of the season Saturday afternoon. The Mavs took the game with a final score of 45-24, and will next take on the Minot State Beavers on the road.

Photo by MANSOOR AHMAD • The Reporter

full story on page 8

Scooters rollout with successes and problems

By MAX MAYLEBEN Editor in Chief

One week after the official roll out of the new Bird scooters on the Minnesota State University campus, Facilities Services Director David Cowan recounted how the scooters are working on campus, and what is still yet to come.

The University signed a contract promising 150 scooters to come to campus as well as 55 parking racks, or “nests” as Cowan called them.

Since their arrival on campus, the scooters have accrued roughly 2,500 rides by students and faculty.

Last week, there was an official roll out event where about 120 free helmets were given out to students passing by on the University mall.

Also at the event, free test drives were given to many students.

Before last Tuesday, the most scooters on campus at a time was less than 30.

After the ribbon cutting ceremony, however, there have been around 50 scooters daily, with a peak of 70 dispersed on campus on Saturday to facilitate the football game.

Due to supply-chain delays, scooter rack installation has been halted.

“They were supposed to be here on September 1,” said Cowan, “but now I have a feeling we won’t see them for a couple more weeks.”

SCOOTERS on page 5 u

By EMMA JOHNSON • Staff Writer One of the most meaningful connections we can experience is to connect with others on a deeper level and using our words is one of the best ways to do it.

Recently Minnesota State University, Mankato professor, Gwen Westerman, was awarded the title of Minnesota’s Poet Laureate. The poet laureate is expected to elevate the arts through several education-oriented events at schools and public libraries across the state. For Westerman, she wants to encourage as many voices as possible to engage in poetry outside of the Twin Cities.

“Artists move to Minnesota because they

know how strongly supported the arts are,” said Westerman. “When we get away from the metro area, there are just as many poets and writers and artists who don’t necessarily get that kind of attention just because they’re not in the city.”

The journey to receiving this award started in March 2020.

Westerman received two nominations: one from MNSU English professor Geoff Herbach, and the other from a Minneapolis poet, Heid Erdrich.

Due to the COVID-19 epidemic, Westerman was not interviewed by Governor Tim Walz until July 2021 as one of three finalists to earn LAUREATE on page 5 u

Courtesy of State of Minnesota

Professor Westerman honored as newest MN Poet Laureate

Minnesota State University, Mankato Professor Gwen Westerman was recently awarded the title of Poet Laureate.

2 • MSU Reporter

News

Tuesday, September 21, 2021

COVID has killed about as many Americans as the 1918-19 flu ASSOCIATED PRESS COVID-19 has now killed about as many Americans as the 1918-19 Spanish flu pandemic did — approximately 675,000.

The U.S. population a century ago was just one-third of what it is today, meaning the flu cut a much bigger, more lethal swath through the country. But the COVID-19 crisis is by any measure a colossal tragedy in its own right, especially given the incredible advances in scientific knowledge since then and the failure to take maximum advantage of the vaccines available this time.

“Big pockets of American society — and, worse, their leaders — have thrown this away,” medical historian Dr. Howard Markel of the University of Michigan said of the opportunity to vaccinate everyone eligible by now.

Like the Spanish flu, the coronavirus may never entirely disappear from our midst.

Instead, scientists hope it becomes a mild seasonal bug as human immunity strengthens through vaccination and repeated infection. That could take time.

“We hope it will be like getting a cold, but there’s no guarantee,” said Emory University biologist Rustom Antia, who suggests an optimistic scenario in which this could happen over a few years.

For now, the pandemic still has the United States and oth-

Library of Congress via AP This photo made available by the Library of Congress shows a demonstration at the Red Cross Emergency Ambulance Station in Washington during the influenza pandemic of 1918. Historians think the pandemic started in Kansas in early 1918, and by winter 1919 the virus had infected a third of the global population and killed at least 50 million people, including 675,000 Americans. Some estimates put the toll as high as 100 million.

er parts of the world firmly in its jaws.

While the delta-fueled surge in infections may have peaked, U.S. deaths are running at over 1,900 a day on average, the highest level since early March, and the country’s overall toll topped 675,000 Monday, according to the count kept by Johns Hopkins University, though the real number is believed to be higher.

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surge, with the University of Washington’s influential model projecting an additional 100,000 or so Americans will die of COVID-19 by Jan. 1, which would bring the overall U.S. toll to 776,000.

The 1918-19 influenza pandemic killed 50 million victims globally at a time when the world had one-quarter the population it does now. Global deaths from COVID-19 now stand at more than 4.6 million.

The Spanish flu’s U.S. death toll is a rough guess, given the incomplete records of the era and the poor scientific understanding of what caused the illness. The 675,000 figure comes from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The ebbing of COVID-19 could happen if the virus progressively weakens as it mutates and more and more humans’ immune systems learn to attack it. Vaccination and

surviving infection are the main ways the immune system improves. Breast-fed infants also gain some immunity from their mothers.

Under that optimistic scenario, schoolchildren would get mild illness that trains their immune systems. As they grow up, the children would carry the immune response memory, so that when they are old and vulnerable, the coronavirus would be no more dangerous than cold viruses.

The same goes for today’s vaccinated teens: Their immune systems would get stronger through the shots and mild infections.

“We will all get infected,” Antia predicted. “What’s important is whether the infections are severe.”

Something similar happened with the H1N1 flu virus, the culprit in the 191819 pandemic. It encountered too many people who were immune, and it also eventually weakened through mutation. H1N1 still circulates today, but immunity acquired through infection and vaccination has triumphed.

Getting an annual flu shot now protects against H1N1 and several other strains of flu. To be sure, flu kills between 12,000 and 61,000 Americans each year, but on average, it is a seasonal problem and a manageable one.

Before COVID-19, the 191819 flu was universally considered the worst pandemic.

Tuesday, September 21, 2021

News

US officials defend expulsion of Haitians from Texas town

FELIX MARQUEZ • Associated Press

ASSOCIATED PRESS More than 6,000 Haitians and other migrants have been removed from an encampment at a Texas border town, U.S. officials said Monday as they defended a strong response that included immediately expelling migrants to their impoverished Caribbean country and using horse patrols to stop them from entering the town.

Calling it a “challenging and heartbreaking situation,” Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas issued a stark warning: “If you come to the United States illegally, you will be returned. Your journey will not succeed, and you will be endangering your life and your family’s life.”

Isaac Isner, 30, and his wife Mirdege, took wet clothing off their 3-year-old daughter Isadora after crossing the Rio Grande to Ciudad Acuña Monday afternoon.

They had been in Texas for seven days but decided to return to Mexico after a friend showed cellphone video of the U.S. expelling migrants.

“They were putting people on a bus and sent them to Haiti just like that without signing anything,” Isner said.

His family has an appointment this month with Mexico’s asylum agency in the southern city of Tapachula, and they think they could be safe in Mexico.

Most migrants, however, still haven’t made up their minds.

“We don’t know what we’re going to do,” said a second Haitian man, who declined to give his name but said he crossed into Mexico Monday for food, leaving his wife and child in Del Rio. “The U.S. is deporting and now Mexico won’t just sit back and do nothing. We don’t know where to go.”

Marcelo Ebrard, Mexico’s foreign minister, said about 15% of the Haitian migrants in Mexico have accepted refuge there. So far this year, about 19,000 Haitian migrants have requested asylum in Mexico.

“Mexico does not have any problem with them being in our country as long as they respect Mexico’s laws,” he said.

Mexico was busing Haitian migrants from Ciudad Acuña Sunday evening, according to Luis Angel Urraza, president of the local chamber of commerce.

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MSU Reporter • 3

Doctor who defied new abortion ban is sued ASSOCIATED PRESS A San Antonio doctor who said he performed an abortion in defiance of a new Texas law all but dared supporters of the state’s near-total ban on the procedure to try making an early example of him by filing a lawsuit — and by Monday, two people obliged.

Former attorneys in Arkansas and Illinois filed separate state lawsuits Monday against Dr. Alan Braid, who in a weekend Washington Post opinion column became the first Texas abortion provider to publicly reveal he violated the law that took effect on Sept. 1.

They both came in ahead of the state’s largest anti-abortion group, which had said it had attorneys ready to bring lawsuits. Neither ex-lawyer who filed suit said they were anti-abortion. But both said courts should weigh in.

The Texas law prohibits abortions once medical professionals can detect cardiac activity, which is usually around six weeks and before some women even know they are pregnant. Prosecutors cannot take criminal action against Braid, because the law explicitly forbids that.

The only way the ban can be enforced is through lawsuits brought by private citizens, who don’t have to be from Texas and who are entitled to claim at least $10,000 in damages if successful.

Oscar Stilley, who de-

JAY JANNER • Associated Press In this Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021 file photo, Barbie H. leads a protest against the six-week abortion ban at the Capitol in Austin, Texas. Dozens of people protested the abortion restriction law that went into effect Wednesday.

scribed himself in court paperwork as a disgraced former lawyer who lost his law license after being convicted of tax fraud in 2010, said he is not opposed to abortion but sued to force a court review of Texas’ anti-abortion law, which he called an “endrun.”

“I don’t want doctors out there nervous and sitting there and quaking in their boots and saying, ‘I can’t do this because if this thing works out, then I’m going to be bankrupt,’” Stilley, of Cedarville, Arkansas, near the Oklahoma border, told The Associated Press.

Felipe N. Gomez, of Chicago, asked a court in San Antonio in his lawsuit to declare the new law unconstitutional. In his view, the law is a form of government over-

reach. He said his lawsuit is a way to hold the Republicans who run Texas accountable, adding that their lax response to public health during the COVID-19 pandemic conflicts with their crack down on abortion rights.

“If Republicans are going to say nobody can tell you to get a shot they shouldn’t tell women what to do with their bodies either,” Gomez said.

“I think they should be consistent.”

Gomez said he wasn’t aware he could claim up to $10,000 in damages if he won his lawsuit. If he received money, Gomez said, he would likely donate it to an abortion rights group or to the patients of the doctor he sued.

4 • MSU Reporter

Tuesday, September 21, 2021

FALL 2021 EDITOR IN CHIEF:

MAXWELL MAYLEBEN maxwell.mayleben@mnsu.edu

MSNU focuses on mental health, but is it enough?

MADISON DIEMERT

madison.diemert@mnsu.edu

Editorial As we enter week five of classes, students begin to understand the struggles and strains of college life.

Balancing class schedules, homework and a social life is harder than most people think, and it can take a toll on someone’s well being.

To help students with mental health, Minnesota State University, Mankato offers a variety of resources including the Counseling Center, MavsCARE Early Alert Referral System, and the Behavioral Consultation Team.

The Counseling Center provides both group and individual therapy for those who seek it out, but the process can be a little overwhelming.

You first need to schedule a screening appointment with a counselor to determine what services would be best for you.

Following this, you have to fill out screening paperwork that asks questions regarding a mental health assessment and reasons for seeking help with the center. After completing this, you are able to schedule your first appointment with a counselor.

MavCARE Early Alert Referral System was created to allow anyone who is concerned about an individual’s mental wellbeing or academic performance to report to the Office of New Student and Family Programs.

Once the report is received, the program will figure out the best way to approach the situation and offer the

NEWS DIRECTOR: Jenna Peterson jenna.peterson-3@mnsu.edu MEDIA/DESIGN DIRECTOR: Mansoor Ahmad mansoor.ahmad@mnsu.edu SPORTS EDITOR: Daniel McElroy daniel.mcelroy@mnsu.edu

Reporter Archives

most appropriate support.

MNSU’s Behavioral Consultation Team takes faculty who are experienced and trained in identifying students who may be in emotional distress and putting together any informational and helpful resources that student could use.

We then need to ask: Do students know about and take advantage of these resources?

As a student new to the college scene, there is a lot to learn about, and mental health resources may be lower on the list. Instead, they may be more concerned about finding where their class is at or what’s on the menu for dinner that night.

For residence hall students, they have people surrounding

them at all times to notice any changes in behavior and bring attention to this. There are Community Advisors, dorm roommates, and other people who live on the same floor who can notice these changes.

Students who live off-campus, however, may have a more difficult time noticing the change in their mental state and then doing something about it. There aren’t any forms of resources close to them, and they may seem isolated and alone.

While students are responsible for their own mental needs, the University should also extend a helping hand and advertise their resources with a louder voice.

To get the word out about the services available, the University could send out emails in the beginning of each semester stating what resources are there. This reminder would help both new and returning students of the places on campus ready to help when needed.

Thankfully, the stigma surrounding mental health is dissolving. But it hasn’t disappeared completely. While it’s easier to get help today than it was years ago, many people still need a nudge to get the help they need. The university would do well to remember that. And students shouldn’t hesitate to ask for help when they need it.

“How do you take care of your mental health?”

Compiled by Emily Lansman

ALYSSA DWIRE, SOPHOMORE

ASHLEY LYNOTT, FRESHMAN

HELEN ADETUNJI, SOPHOMORE

“Self-care, rest and making sure I drink water and eat well.”

“I spend time alone and do things that make me happy.”

“I listen to music and make sure I get a good 8 hours of sleep.”

MICHAEL GERBERMICHAEL, FRESHMAN “I hang out with my friends.”

MIYU KATO, SENIOR “Make sure I get enough rest and sleep well.”

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• If you have a complaint, suggestion or would like to point out an error made in the Reporter, contact Editor in Chief Maxwell Mayleben at maxwell.mayleben@mnsu.edu.

The Reporter will correct any errors of fact or misspelled names in this space. Formal grievances against the Reporter are handled by the Newspaper Board.

• The Minnesota State University Mankato Reporter is a studentrun newspaper published twice a week, coming out on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The Reporter generates 78 percent of its own income through advertising and receives approximately 22 percent from Student Activities fees. The Reporter is free to all students and faculty, but to start a subscription, please call us at 507-389-1776.

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THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN THE MSU REPORTER ARE NOT NECESSARILY THOSE OF THE COLLEGE, UNIVERSITY SYSTEM OR STUDENT BODY.

Tuesday, September 21, 2021 LAUREATE Continued from page 1 the title.

“It was about another month before I got a call from the governor and he let me know how excited he was to have me serve as the next poet laureate,” said Westerman. “I was at a loss for words, which doesn’t happen often.”

After the announcement on Sept. 9, Westerman was asked to speak at the 9/11 memorial at the Minnesota State Capitol. Before reading Billy Collins poem, titled “The Names” she prefaced that a poet’s work is purely observation. “[Poetry] is finding a way to put into words what’s in the hearts and minds of the people,” said Westerman. “I think that my job is to talk to as many people as I can and to encourage people to be artistic and celebrate with words.”

Westerman believes one of the causes of her nominations is in part of her poetry themes. She writes about her relationship with the land while incorporating her native Dakota language, a subject dear to her heart.

While not knowing what the reader will take out of her poetry, she hopes her readers will take away what they need to hear from it.

“I write about what it means to me to be in this place where my father’s family and my Dakota ancestors have been for generations beyond generations,” said Westerman. “We can write about our everyday lives and make a connection with somebody who can see themselves in that writing.”

Westerman has left her mark not only on the state of Minnesota, but through her teaching in the classroom.

David Tack, a first year master of english literature student, was impacted by Westerman’s ability to create spaces of safe discomfort through learning that pushed him out of his comfort zone.

“She creates rich spaces for students to work through challenges posed by the curriculum and offers insight not only from years of study but also from experience,” said Tack. “She is the true teacher-scholar in practice.”

For Westerman, this is an honor of a lifetime. While not something she was anticipating, she is excited to help elevate poetry throughout Minnesota.

“To be acknowledged for my work as a poet at the state level is just a gift,” said Westerman.

News

MSU Reporter • 5

Editor’s Pick: Afghan labors in Kabul

BERNAT ARMANGUE • Associated Press Laborers wait in the street to be hired in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Sept. 12, 2021.

HEALTH Continued from page 1 Also offered are screening appointments for students which are about 20 to 30 minute appointments to talk one on one with a qualified counselor.

During your screening, a counselor will clarify information from your screening paperwork, discuss your mental health and academic goals, and will recommend a Care Plan.

Some additional services offered throughout the academic year include the four workshops this fall semester which include Anxiety Toolbox, Feel Better Fast, Getting Unstuck, and Meaning Making Amidst Loss.

Other upcoming groups include our Men’s Group, Beyond Trauma, and Graduate Student. The Discovering Yourself series kicks off Friday October 9 at 3:00 p.m. with Body Compassion “Learn the Power of self-compassion to achieve body acceptance and appreciation” offered via zoom.

“It’s absolutely okay to not be okay, it’s important for students to know they don’t have to suffer alone,” Tom Allen, psychologist with the counseling center at MNSU shared.

“It’s important to talk about depression as depression can feel lonely and isolating. It’s incredibly important to know that you are not alone,” said Allen.

Homework and exams are a common denominator for students when expressing what

stresses them out.

“I think mental health is something everyone struggles with, like the stress of getting good grades,” Camille Hart, freshman at MNSU said.

“Since college is very different compared to high school I think a lot of my stress comes from getting used to the new classes and how they do things,” Annika Anderson, freshman at MNSU stated.

“I think it’s common for college students to be stressed and depressed and I think it can be really overwhelming at times with all of the heavy assignments we get assigned,” Huijun Oh, freshman at MNSU shared.

However, the university does have a relaxation station that is located in the Health Education office in room 100 of Carkoski Commons. Some amenities include a massage chair, visual relaxation system, and aromatherapy.

The city of Mankato also hosted an Out of Darkness Walk on Saturday at Sibley Park.

This walk is a annual event that is aimed to raise awareness and fundraisers for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention as well as support survivors of suicide loss.

Another huge project in progress is “Project 25” this is a mission set by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention to prevent as many suicides as possible in the United States and decrease the annual suicide rate 20 percent by 2025.

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SCOOTERS Continued from page 1 Each rack can accommodate four scooters, with a maximum capacity of 220 spots. This exceeds the contracted number of scooters, but it leaves room to grow the Bird presence on campus.

Since the quiet roll out earlier in the semester, there was an agreement made by the University and the Summit apartment complex to allow for the scooters on their property.

“The reason we went with them is because they own property between Stadium Heights and the free lot,” said Cowan, referring to the apartment style residence community located away from campus. “We needed to have a shortcut over their property.”

In the agreement with Bird, the University receives 10 cents for every ride that happens on campus, no matter the length or distance of the ride.

Cowan estimates that with all expenses, the upfront cost of bringing the scooters to campus to be roughly $10,000.

With the increased usage on campus, there are several occurrences of misuse and a few accidents. The worst resulted in a broken arm, which Cowan says prompted a quick response by campus security.

“Security was right there and helped them,” said Cowan. “We have a really good first responder system at MNSU, and security was able to take care of them very very quickly.”

While any user of the scooters signs on a waiver, Cowan encourages students to be safe while riding the Bird scooters.

“If you see a bump or you see a pothole in a parking lot, please avoid the pothole,” said Cowan “let’s be smart, and let’s be safe.”

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6 • MSU Reporter

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MSU Reporter • 7

8 • MSU Reporter

Mavericks split games in first NSIC matches

By DANIEL McELROY Sports Editor

With the preseason and exhibition matches behind them, the Minnesota State Mavericks soccer team played their first NSIC contest since the late fall of 2019. MSU went on the road to Nebraska to take on Wayne State in their first conference matchup of the season, then to Sioux Falls where the Mavericks took on Augustana.

Minnesota State’s first game of the season against an NSIC opponent got off to a great start early on with Ashlyn Watt receiving a pass from one of her teammates up the middle.

Watt then led on her teammate Louisa Shromoff past the Wildcats’ defenders, giving her all the space in the world. Shromoff made one quick move around the Wane State goalkeeper and buried the ball to put the Mavericks in the lead just 12 minutes into the game.

The Mavericks kept the momentum in their favor with a very aggressive play from Jenny Vetter. The Wayne State goalkeeper saved a shot from a Maverick forward, proceeding to not handle the ball properly, dropping it right in front of her.

Vetter then came in at the right place at the right time, scooping up the muffed ball and sliding it right past the goalkeeper to make it a 2-0 Maverick lead.

The game stayed fairly quiet scoring wise for most of the game following the two Maverick goals, up until minute 86, where Molly Michaelson and Megan Philips connected to cut the MSU lead down to one in a last minute attempt at a comeback.

The Mavericks came out on top in the end, taking their first NSIC matchup by a score of 2-1, and pushing Wayne State down to an overall record of 0-3-1.

As the Mavericks took the day off on Saturday, they got ready for what is potentially their biggest MAVS on page 10 u

Tuesday, September 21, 2021

RETURN TO

DOMINANCE

Photos by MANSOOR AHMAD • The Reporter Kaleb Sleezer (8, above) rushed for 114 yards and one touchdown in the Mavericks win against Bemidji State Beavers. This put Sleezer at 292 rushing yards on the season, maintaining the leading rusher position on the Mavericks. Sleezer is averaging 6.3 yards per carry.

Jalen Sample (10, below) led the Mavericks recieving corps with 5 receptions for 117 yards in Saturday’s win over the Beavers.

The Mavs got back on track with a 45-24 win over Bemidji

By KOLE BUELOW Staff Writer

Heading into week three of Division II college football brought many uncertainties within Minnesota State’s locker room. The Mavericks have not had the start they were looking for when opening the season.

The Mavs found themselves 1-1 through two games, only heading toward what looked to be a tough Bemidji State team who had two solid wins coming into this game.

If the Mavericks were to lose

this contest, they would have been under a .500 win per-

centage for the first time since 2011.

Luckily Minnesota State seemed to be the most prepared they have been all season. The Mavericks were able to defeat the Beavers 45-24 to improve their record to 2-1.

The Mavs were able to lean on their top offensive performers this game, as running back Kaleb Sleezer and wide receiver Jalen Sample had monstrous games. Sleezer was able to find the endzone in this one, while also taking on 114 yards rushing.

Sample was just as dominant as Sleezer, but by doing ON TRACK on page 9 u

Tuesday, September 21, 2021

Sports

MSU Reporter • 9

Mavericks kill the Marauders, Beavers in first matches

By DANIEL McELROY Sports Editor

The Mavericks started out stumbling with two massive misplays, but fought back with a huge rally to get their first point.

There was a lot of back and forth as the Mavs edged out the lead, but UMary kept it a competitive game, coming back from being down 17-11, to 22-21.

Minnesota State pulled ahead with the last few points, and took the first set, 25-22.

The Mavericks took control of the second set immediately and made UMary fight for their right to win.

By the time UMary took it’s second timeout of the set, the Mavs were in the lead 20-12.

The second timeout led the Marauders to getting a point back right away, but the Mavs earned two more with some great communication and even better passing. The Mavs then took the set 25-17, with their eyes focused on a hopeful sweep.

In the third set, UMary took their first lead since the first couple points of the match.

It doesn’t last long with the Mavericks tying it back at 6-6.

The single point lead changed a couple more times, until the Mavericks started to pull away, leaving the Marauders in the dust with an 11-7 lead.

UMary kept fighting for their lives, scoring the next eight out of nine points, and taking the one point lead, 15-

MANSOOR AHMAD • The Reporter The Maverick volleyball team has not played an official home match since November of 2019. The Mavericks play Winona State for the first time since November of 2019, where the Mavs lost 3-1.

14.

The Marauders looked the best they had all day in the midst of the third set, keeping pace with MSU, until the Mavs tallied three in a row, taking a 22-19 lead.

The Mavericks end the set 25-21, and take the first sweep at home since the 2019 season.

Ellie Danielson and Kiya Durant led the Mavericks in kills in their first home contest of the season with 10 each, while Jessica Nelson was close behind the pair with nine of her own.

Libero Mara Quam held

ON TRACK Continued from page 8 it through the air. Jalen Sample finished the game with five catches and 117 yards. He looked unstoppable out there, catching quite a few balls in tough coverage.

The Mavericks have also seemed to find their groove at the quarterback position. Although there is not a true QB one on the team, the Mavs find themselves using JD Ekowa and Hayden Ekern equally.

Each quarterback provides their own set of skills, and it may help as a secret weapon, keeping opposing defenses on their toes throughout the game.

The first half was not necessarily a work of art for the Mavericks, but they did gain a lot of momentum heading into halftime. Cornerback Ty’Shonan Brooks made the highlight of the half in the first quarter, picking off Bemidji quarterback Brandon ON TRACK on page 10 u

The group would consist of group rides (Road & MTB), planned bike trips, bike maintenance classes and just sharing the love for bikes!

Bikes are not required to join.

If interested, contact: issac.holter@mnsu.edu First meeting is September 27th at 7 p.m. in Armstrong Hall 123. Pizza Will Be Provided!

down the MSU side of the court, leading the team with 22 digs. When it wasn’t up to Quam, Brooke Bolwerk got the job done tallying 16 digs.

With the win, the Mavs improved to 6-3 (1-0 NSIC), and kept UMary at a winless 0-7 (0-1 NSIC).

The following afternoon, the Mavericks returned to Bresnan Arena to take on their second NSIC opponent, Minot State.

The Mavericks came barrelling out of the gates with seven straight points, forcing Minot to call a timeout to get

their act together.

The timeout resulted unsuccessful, as the Mavs scored four more points before the Beavers could get on the board.

The Beavers got a bit more competitive as the first set went on, bringing it to a 20-11 game, although it wouldn’t be enough as the Mavericks went on to win the set 25-14.

The Mavs started the second set in a very similar fashion, this time with Minot getting on the board a tad earlier.

The set came to 9-7 with the Beavers giving the Mavericks

a reason to fight. Minnesota State went on to score 12 of the next 14 points, extending their lead 21-9. The Mavericks kept their domination alive, winning the set 25-12.

The Mavs stay consistent with their play, making Minot scramble to get at least one set off their NSIC opponent. Minnesota State led the Beavers in the third set, 13-5, and showed no signs of slowing down. The Mavs swept the Beavers in the third set (25-12), taking their second win of the weekend.

The Mavericks put on a display of pure dominance over the weekend, and head coach Corey Phelps believes that they are just now hitting their stride. “Right now, we’re starting to understand our capabilities...We’ve learned quite a bit over the past three weeks, and we’re now starting to understand what it takes to play at a high level,” Phelps said following Saturday’s win.

The level that the Minnesota State squad is playing at will be put to the test tonight in the Taylor Center, as Winona State comes into town for the first time in almost two years.

“I’m excited,” Phelps said about the upcoming matchup.

“They are the first legit top of the country team that we’ve seen...It’s going to be a very difficult challenge that I’m excited to see how we react.”

The contest between MSU (7-3, 0-1 NSIC) and WSU (91, 1-1 NSIC) will be tonight in the Taylor Center at 6 p.m.

10 • MSU Reporter ON TRACK Continued from page 9 Alt at the 50 yard line and returning it for a touchdown to put the Mavs up 10-3.

The Beavers were able to catch back up to the Mavericks, but on the last drive of the half, Minnesota State was able to punch in a four yard passing touchdown from Ekern to Nyles Williams to go up 24-17.

Coming out of halftime the Beavers were able to put points right back up on the board, putting together an 84 yard drive to tie the game at 24. From there on out, it was all Mavericks.

On the proceeding Beaver drive, Mavs senior linebacker Eli Thomas got his first interception of the year that set up a 67 yard scoring drive.

The Mavericks never looked back, adding two more rushing touchdowns from Ekowa and Sleezer to seal the game.

The name of the game this week: taking advantage of momentum. After the Thomas interception, the Mavericks were able to take the lead and never look back.

In a post game interview, Mavericks coach Todd Hoff-

MAVS Continued from page 8 NSIC competitor, Augustana.

The low scoring contest was almost as even as it could get with the exception of Carlie Kray of Augustana burying the only goal of the

Sports ner added his insight on the Mavs’ new-found momentum and how they took advantage of it. Hoffner said, “We did a lot of things well, but we’re far from tremendous, excellent, and we got a lot of work to do… Our will to win was really strong and competitive.”

Coach Hoffner explained his Mavericks team did what they needed to do, and their will to win was what got them there. He also explained, “Eventually we wore them down… the offensive and defensive line of scrimmages were being won by the Mavericks.”

The Mavs will to win and physical and mental conditioning seemed to have got this one done for them to improve to 2-1. Minnesota State is now ranked No. 20 in division two college football, one spot lower than the week prior despite their victory against Bemidji.

The No. 20 Mavs have a lot of work to do, but the players and coaches are all in on getting right back where they want to be by the end of the season. The Mavs are set to face the 0-3 Minot State Beavers Sept. 25, in Minot.

game at 55:58.

The two teams stayed even in saves, with Augustana tallying one more shot on goal.

With the loss, the Mavericks went to 3-2 on the year (1-1 NSIC), while Augustana improved to 2-2-1 (1-0-1 NSIC).

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Greg Joseph’s missed field goal dooms Vikings in 34-33 loss ASSOCIATED PRESS The Minnesota Vikings put together a near-perfect final drive, picking their way down the field while managing the clock so they would get the final play of a wild game in the desert.

All that was missing was the finish.

Greg Joseph pushed a 37yard field goal wide right as time expired Sunday, leaving the Vikings deflated for the second straight week after a 34-33 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

“I felt good about that kick,” Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said. “I knew he had missed the extra point earlier, but he has been kicking good, we are indoors, perfect surface. I am thinking this should be an easy one here.

He just has to continue to be more consistent.”

Coming off a season-opening overtime loss at Cincinnati, Minnesota (0-2) couldn’t have gotten off to a better start, scoring 44 seconds into the game on a 64-yard pass from Kirk Cousins to K.J. Osborn.

The Vikings spent the rest of the afternoon going toe to toe with Kyler Murray and the carnival Cardinals (2-0), putting themselves in position to pull out a victory.

The final chance started with the defense.

RICK SCUTERI • Associated Press Minnesota Vikings kicker Greg Joseph (1) attempts a gamewinning field goal holds during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 19, 2021, in Glendale, Ariz.

Minnesota’s offense stalled late, leading to a punt that gave the Cardinals the ball at their own 39 with a one-point lead and 2:45 left.

Arizona coach Kliff Kingsbury wanted to aggressively finish the game, and the Vikings’ defense stepped up.

On the first play, Murray ran out of bounds instead of staying in to wind clock.

Danielle Hunter then sacked Murray for a 10-yard loss, and the Cardinals went to a check-down to avoid risking a third turnover on the day.

A 36-second Cardinals possession was just what the Vikings needed, and they got the ball back at their 23-yard line with 2:09 left.

Cousins efficiently worked

Minnesota’s offense on the final drive, hitting 5 of 7 passes for 49 yards with a 9-yard run by Dalvin Cook mixed in.

The Vikings reached Arizona’s 19-yard line, let the clock wind down and called timeout with 4 seconds left.

That left Minnesota’s fate on the foot of Joseph.

The 27-year-old South African made 17 of 20 field goals with Cleveland in 2018 and, after bouncing around the past two seasons, earned the starting job with the Vikings out of training camp.

Joseph proved his worth in the opener against the Bengals, hitting a career-long 53yard field goal to tie the game as time expired.

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Tuesday, September 21, 2021

MSU Reporter • 11

The Good Thunder series kicks off with Jaquira Diaz

By SYDNEY BERGGREN The Good Thunder reading series returned to campus this past Thursday, Sept. 16, for its seventh season.

This year’s series was kicked off by award-winning author Jaquira Diaz.

Diaz is the author of “Ordinary Girls: A Memoir’’ which won a Whiting award and a Florida Book Awards Gold Medal. Her work has appeared in The Sun, Rolling Stone, The Guardian, and many other publications.

Diaz’s show-stopping event of the day was the book reading, which attracted a large, eager crowd. The room buzzed as the first in-person reading event in over a year commenced.

Chris McCormick, the new director of Good Thunder, introduced Diaz to a freshly hushed crowd.

“It’s happening, I can feel it,” McCormick said, in reference to the excitement tangible within the room. “I am so excited to see such a great crowd...it feels like a triumphant return.”

When speaking about Diaz, McCormick made a comment that rang true to the audience throughout the rest of the reading.

“She refuses to let a story be a mere accounting of something that happened. She shows you,” he said.

“I think I’m gonna cry, but I’m wearing so much mascara,” was the way Diaz introduced herself to the crowd.

Diaz, exhausted in the best way, introduced herself and her book, before delving into the pages.

“I’m going to read about my parents’ marriage,” Diaz spoke softly as she opened her worn, dog eared and post-it marked copy of her book.

She went on to tell the story of her parents’ meeting, of how her mother was too young, and lied about her age to get close to her father, and how her

Courtsey of Jaquira Diaz

Staff Writer

Jaquira Diaz, an award-winning author, kicked off this year’s Good Thunder series.

father was a distracted activist.

“Sometimes, it’s my mother who is the villain...sometimes, it’s my father who’s the villain,” she read. “My mother loved my father obsessively, violently. My father was a womanizer, withdrawn, absent.”

Diaz spoke about how she discovered and grew into her queerness in a neighborhood and time that didn’t think very fondly of queer girls and

how she was never feminine enough, always too rough.

She read about her first queer relationship with the daughter of her parents’ friends, a girl who stole Diaz’s mothers’ cigarettes and blew the smoke back at Diaz.

“This was everything, this butch girl so unafraid getting everything she wanted, and how willing I was to give it to her.”

Much of Diaz’s reading focused on her mother; the way she acted, the way she looked, the way she loved.

“She was small but scared of nothing...as petite as she was, my mother owned every room she walked into.

She eclipsed the sun with her confidence, took the world by the throat and shook it until it gave up what was hers,” she read.

Diaz’s mother reminded her children to love themselves, to stand up for those you love, and to love with fire.

She read a story of the time her mother fought another woman outside of her apartment and brought a knife with her.

Diaz frames this as a formative moment in her life, seeing her mother decide to approach the other woman with a knife.

“My mother and her knife and all that rage,” she read.

“I feel very lucky and grateful to be here with all of you, so thank you,” Diaz said, ending her reading.

She left the podium to a large round of applause, and went on to mingle with the crowd, who were eager to stick around for a word with the author.

Diaz also signed books for anyone that had or purchased copies.

The Good Thunder reading series’ next author is Su Hwang, Robert C. Wright award winner, on Thursday, Nov. 11.

Hwang will be joined by Robyn Katona, MFA graduate student from Minnesota State University, Mankato.

Good Thunder events include the Workshop, which takes place from 10– 11 a.m. at the Emy Frentz Art Guild, the Craft Talk from 3–4 p.m. in Centennial Student Union Room 245, the reading from 7:30–8:30 p.m. which also takes place in CSU 245.

Students speak out on Tinder red flags: what not to do

By LILLY SCHMIDT Staff Writer

In the world of online dating, people can portray themselves in a multitude of ways.

A profile only gives a glimpse at who a person is, yet, red flags can still be caught on them. Tinder is a popular dating app that many students at Minnesota State University, Mankato have used and seen their fair share of red flags on.

Asmund Wilhelmson, a senior at MNSU stated, “if they don’t have an actual picture of their face, that’s a big red flag.” This concern was echoed by several other students.

Another popular red flag was group photos. If the user can’t decipher who the person in question is, it’s a left swipe.

Wilhelmson also noted that, “If

there’s a lot of thirst-trappy photos, that’s what I would consider a red flag.”

Kaylie Schwartz, another MNSU student said, “guys that have their shirt off in any of the photos is just an immediate red flag.”

Hailey Vail, a staff member at the women’s center added, “or the fish pics,” to Schwartz’s concern. Schwartz continued, “if they have random videos of music edits or them vaping, that’s a really big red flag.”

However, red flags expand beyond just the photos.

Sam Bloomquist, an MNSU junior claimed, “There’s so many red flags.

Not having a bio is another one. How are you supposed to know anything about them?”

Jakob Rusten, another MNSU student reported that an immediate red flag was political opinions in the bio.

ASHLEY OPINA• The Reporter

According to him, “People that say ‘if you’re left or right swipe this way.’

Tell me where to swipe and I’m already swiping left.”

Similarly, Amina Hude, a freshman at MNSU stated, “Religious views are fine, but if they’re like, ‘you have to be a certain religion’ in order to date them, [it] would be a red flag.”

Upon discussion of red flags, a student who would like to remain anonymous confided a Tinder horror story.

They began by saying, “So, my friend matched with this guy on Tinder, okay?”

They proceeded to explain how a Tinder match had attempted to handcuff their roommate to their own bed and made other unwanted and uncomfortable advances.

“He was doing stuff to her that she did not like and so we had to file a police report and now he has charges against him,” they said.

MNSU students received a sexual assault email related to this incedent earlier this school year.

12 • MSU Reporter

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