MSyou Fall 2011

Faces from the campus of Minnesota State University, Mankato

A supplement to the MSU Reporter

Fall Semester 2011

THE SILENT LEADER

WHAT SARAH SCHELLINGER HAS DONE TO LEAD A YOUNG MAVERICKS TEAM TO THE TOP OF THE NSIC - PAGE 13

wale agboola • msu reporter

Brenda Flannery........ 3 Geoff Herbach............ 4 Evan Bibbee................ 5

Mitchell Leopold........ 6 Brittany Larson.......... 7 Matt Lexcen................ 8

Moriah Miles............... 9 James Gullickson.... 10 Megan Rae................ 11

Aaron Keen............... 12 Sarah Schellinger.... 13 Ryan Stevens............ 14

Keith Ludi.................. 15 Andy Pfeiffer............ 16 Christopher Tran...... 17

Page 2

MSyou Fall 2011

Faces on Campus

Page 3

Br e n da Fl a nn er y

Farm living provides backdrop for new College of Business dean ELISE KONEZRA

staff writer A family ranch housed a young Brenda Flannery who would soon grow up to become Minnesota State University, Mankato’s new dean of the College of Business.

A family-owned business allowed Flannery to see the inner-workings of running a small business. Flannery has always loved the idea of working in a creative and team environment.

She went to college not with the idea of attaining a business major, but a science major. Interested in physical therapy, nutrition and occupational therapy, she attended University of Illinois at Chicago.

Realizing this was not a true passion of hers, she dropped out of college for a year. During this time, she worked alongside a marketing manager at a fire safety company. This experience inspired a career path that would develop into boundless opportunities.

She enrolled as a marketing major at Western Illinois University as an undergraduate. Upon completing four years of school, Nancy Maury, an attentive mentor suggested that Flannery pursue teaching. So she went on to complete her MBA and then her Ph.D at University of Nebraska for Business and

Organizational Behaviors.

Flannery took an opportunity to live in a Mexican sabbatical home and came back to America with a renewed outlook on the world.

Flannery suggests students take advantage of any international opportunity they are presented with.

In 1996, Flannery became one of MSU’s own as a Entrepreneurship and Management professor.

Traveling around the United States, as well as the world, Flannery finds Minnesota comfortable. She is fascinated with Minnesota’s culture, knowledge, learning, arts, debate, books, radio and television. She says there is a sense of enlightened humanity here.

She loves Minnesota for her great friends, conversation and the sharing of big ideas.

Some of her most decisive careers moves included being a part of the family owned business, the ranch.

She grew up understanding the basics and business as well as academia.

Changing majors pinpointed her qualities as a person. She says she is pragmatic in that she likes getting things done as well as driven to make things happen, true characteristics of an entrepreneur.

Working alongside a good friend and mentor, Scott

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Olson, Academic Affairs Assistant Vice President of Undergrad International Education had gained Flannery’s support and saw her work as more than just a teacher.

Flannery took an initiative and designed an exciting, visionary Honors Program at MSU. Along the way, Flannery had the good fortune of facing challenges. Being the first in her family to go to college at a financially challenging time, she had to take out loans as a student. Being a part of a work study pro-

gram she had said she had only about $30 of spending money for the entire month.

One challenge Flannery faces is balancing work and family. Flannery said that although it is difficult at times, her work life and family life are very much intertwined. The campus and community are very important to her family as they love the theatre and musical acts put on by MSU’s Department of Theatre and Dance. Flannery also enjoys taking her children to a basketball game here and there.

As the new dean of the College of Business, Flannery envisions a new Strategic Plan that is being developed through 2014. The vision includes a new College of Business building, student partnerships with external sources and a better curriculum as well as more scholarships.

For all business students who aspire to become a business man or business woman, Flannery suggests that you go out and take advantage of all the opportunities you can.

Flannery / page 18

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Page 4

MSyou Fall 2011

Ge off Her b ac h

MSU professor writes his first novel while working at Wells Fargo Masters in herbal planting.”

He found employment with a Washington, D.C. magazine covering planting and environmental issues and later, Wells Fargo, where he puts his creative skills to use.

“I wrote a novel while I was supposed to be working [at Wells Fargo]. I angled my computer so it was really hard to see what I was doing. Made it look like I was working my ass off.” He wrote inter-office satires with thinly veiled manager names. “Nobody seemed to give a shit. It was a good job in that regard. Then I did MFA.” Herbach’s talent for comedy led him to writing comedic radio shows, realizing “it was not remotely depressing, compared to working at a cubicle at Wells Fargo somewhere in the suburbs in the Twin Cities.”

His career skyrocketed from there: he worked on the Radio Happy Hour show in New York, Electric Art Radio, and debuted his first book, “The Miracle Letters of T. Rimberg” in 2008.

Hoping to spend more time with his partner and family, Herbach moved to Minnesota with the intent to do whatever it took to make it work. Aware of the big names like Richard Robbins and Diana Joseph working at MSU, Herbach tried his hand at applying, and three semesters in, loves

ANDREW SIMON

staff writer

Geoff Herbach has a strong personality, is quick-witted, sharp and candid, always eager to discuss the subjects he’s passionate about. Hired Fall 2010, this is Herbach’s third semester at Mankato State University, Mankato, teaching screenwriting, fiction and creative writing classes. With two books completed and a third on its way, multiple performance pieces and a history of writing, Herbach is a natural fit in the prestigious line of English professors at the University.

Born in Platteville, Wisconsin, a small town in the southwest corner of the state, Herbach’s no stranger to the countryside surroundings despite living in the big cities in between.

“It’s in some ways very similar to Mankato, except for smaller,” Herbach said. “I actually like it here. It does feel like home.”

Always having an inkling towards writing, Herbach pursued creative writing classes as an undergrad, understanding that writing was what he wanted to do.

“I told my dad I wanted to be a writer. He was an English professor, and he was all, ‘No you don’t. It’s a terrible life. It’s depressive. Don’t do it,’” Herbach said. “So I got a

• web photo

it here.

“One of the coolest things about Mankato for me has been the Good Thunder Reading Series, and just all the big names that come through because of that. I’ve sat in a kitchen at 12:30 at night with George Saunders talking over crap because of my job here.

That is incredible access to super, super high people you can’t get anywhere else,” Herbach said. “Our students were in the kitchen just hanging out with George Saunders. That’s unbelievable. Never thought you could do that with a guy like that. Hanging out with Ru Freeman and Ben Percy, and

that happens at this university.

It’s incredible.”

Herbach has grown to love the sense of community MSU provides, especially between different departments.

“I love how friendly the community is. I love how the English department and other departments aren’t terribly divided like I’ve seen other institutions get real angry and political. The place seems to be real open to innovation and trying new things.

One of Herbach’s favorite things about MSU is the Film Studies program.

“I love the fact that there’s a Film Studies program in the

English department. That is almost unheard of. In English, we talk about narrative, build narrative, and film is the medium that people work in and make actual money,” Herbach said. “Now that we have access to that, and have an incredible instructor in Ashkan Soltani says a lot about the forward thinking of the people higher up in the university. So it’s a good place.”

Herbach’s sequel novel, “Stupid Fast”, was released earlier this summer, with a sequel, “Nothing Special,” excepted for release sometime late 2012.

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Faces on Campus

Page 5

E va n Bibbee

French professor speaks the language at work and home JUAN AYALA

staff writer

Many students at Minnesota State University, Mankato dream of traveling to France at least once in their lives, but for Evan Bibbee, visiting the Gallic country has become a routine to the point that he has already lost track of how many times he has been there.

His office is decorated with pictures of the French countryside, and his bookshelf contains some of the books any French teacher should have, such as ‘The Adventures of Tintin,” the well-known French dictionary “Le petit Robert,” (the little Robert) which depicts the opposite of what its title says and some instructional Latin books.

Originally from Bay City, Michigan, Bibbee never really had any connection with French or France until high school.

“I had a very dynamic teacher at my high school who was the French teacher. That’s how I got started in French. I traveled with my high school group to France during my junior year of high school.”

Bibbee said.

He decided to continue studying French after high school at Albion College, a small liberal arts university in Southern Michigan. Then, he relocated to the only place in America where there’s still a piece of France, Louisiana.

At Baton Rouge he attended Louisiana State University for his master’s and doctorate degrees. Just like Canadian French, Cajun French can vary greatly from standard French.

“The vast majority of language classes for students are French classes, not Spanish classes, it’s kind of the opposite of here,” Bibbee said.

It wasn’t, however, until he went to France as an exchange student at LSU that he found a reason to go back to France more frequently. In Besancon, a town in the north-eastern part of France, he met his wife, Claire.

Because his wife is French, the couple wanted to name their kids names that would sound good in both English and French. His first born son Tom, reflects this idea.

“One of my sons is called Guillaume, the other one is called Tom, but we tried to be really careful with the first child to get a name that would be pronounced the same in English and French, and with the second one, we just didn’t care,” Bibbee said.

Lately, it has become common that parents attempt to raise their children to be bilingual and Bibbee’s kids are no exception, although it has become a double-edged sword.

“They can understand pretty much everything we

say, even to the point where we can’t hide things from them in French anymore, so that’s not good, but they understand everything we say,” Bibbee said.

Bibbee could easily be mistaken for a Frenchman.

He speaks French more often than English when he is at home, because his wife, who speaks English all day at work, likes speaking French with someone. Most of Bibbee’s facial expressions while he speaks French are just like a native.

“The first time I met him, if I wouldn’t have been told that he was the French teacher at MSU, I would have thought he was French, maybe from the south central part of France,” said French exchange student Laura Zinoun.

Zinoun arrived to Mankato from France last August and was tabling with Bibbee at the CSU to promote the summer study program in France Bibbee has directed for two summers now.

When asked about his accent, Bibbee attributed it to his wife and the year he spent in France as an instructor at the university in Besancon.

“It definitely doesn’t hurt living in France for a year. I can see, it goes up and down to some degree, but I always feel like I’m speaking better once I’ve been back in France for a week,” Bibbee said.

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It hasn’t been an easy year for Bibbee. He has been the only French professor for two of the five years he has taught at MSU, which implies a considerable amount of work and even more now that he directs the summer study program in France.

“It’s great going over there with a group of students and it’s a way to keep my lan-

guage ability up. I teach a class during part of the time over there and you know I have day-to-day responsibilities,” Bibbee said. “This year we had thirteen students.”

The only French professor at MSU, Bibbee dedicates not only his career but also his personal life the study of the french language.

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Page 6

MSyou Fall 2011

M i tc hel l L e op ol d

PepsiCo employee and MSU alum makes strides in business world

• web photo CASSIE RAYMAN

staff writer

Just three years after his graduation, Minnesota State University, Mankato alumni Mitchell Leopold has made a name for himself in the business world.

Leopold was a business management major at MSU with a double minor in business administration and human resource management.

Leopold utilized his MSU education and began working for the world renowned corporation, PepsiCo Inc.

directly after his graduation in 2008. Leopold has since been promoted to his current job position as a sales and performance analyst for PepsiCo Inc. Leopold’s time at MSU was highly valuable in bringing him to the point he is at today in his career.

Leopold said that the Career Development Center was a major building block in forming his career.

“Having the CDC on campus gave me the opportunity to research and interview multiple compa-

nies. Without this direct resource I would have not been aware of how or where to apply for a large company such as PepsiCo,” Leopold said. “My goal as an undergrad was to be hired by a well-known company like PepsiCo. Although that was my goal, I did not foresee myself working in my current position.”

Beyond the education aspect of Leopold’s time at MSU he was also a member of the business management club and took part in numerous intramural sports.

Leopold began his time with PepsiCo Inc. as a sales management trainee where he spent a year working and earning business for the Gillette Bottling Group, a Pepsi bottler in Mankato.

After his year of experience in sales management Leopold was then offered the opportunity for a promotion to sales analyst, and eventually was further promoted to sales and performance analyst and asked to relocate to Memphis, Tennessee for the company.

Leopold’s current sales and performance analyst position with PepsiCo Inc. comes with numerous responsibilities. As a sales and performance analyst, a field based sales role, Leopold’s position offers

the corporation the opportunity to build relationships and gain alignment with the Pepsi Franchise System.

“I track and evaluate the performance of sales and marketing programs that are developed by corporate.

Monitoring the success of these programs helps us define and understand what may or may not work with future marketing and sales programs with our Pepsi Bottlers and their accounts such as Hy-Vee or Walmart,” Leopold said A fast fact, PepsiCo Inc. is the second largest food and beverage business in the world. According to the corporation’s official website, PepsiCo Inc. has more than 285,000 employees.

Nevertheless, Leopold plays a vital and substantial role for PepsiCo Inc.; a role that also comes with many perks. Leopold has had the opportunity to meet various celebrities and attend events with VIP status thanks to his job with the corporation.

“Some of the people I have met through Pepsi are The Zac Brown Band, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the Memphis Grizzlies,” Leopold said. “We also get to attend many of our sports venues, such as box suites at Yankee Stadium or VIP passes

to concerts such as the Foo Fighters.”

The perks that come with Leopold’s job, rank high on his lists of “likes” but Leopold still doesn’t consider these perks to be the best part of his job.

“The one thing I enjoy the most about my job is the great people I work with and have been able to meet over the past three years,” Leopold said. “I would also say I like the challenging environment that is always changing at Pepsi, it keeps the job very diverse and fun.”

When asked about the downfalls of his job, Leopold was unable to name any besides the time he puts in at work, which he said was time necessary to get the job done right.

MSU grad Mitchell Leopold has clearly developed the right skills to succeed in his career thanks to MSU, the opportunities PepsiCo Inc. has given him and his desire to meet any challenge he faces. It’s apparent his most recent promotion will more than likely not be his last with PepsiCo Inc. At the age of 26, Leopold has merely just begun his career and yet, it already speaks for itself.

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Faces on Campus

Page 7

Br i t t a n y L a r son

Recent graduate becomes local television personality JENNA WENDINGER

staff writer

Brittany Larson, reporter for KEYC, found herself on the opposite side of an interview for the first time since her career as a reporter began.

Larson, a May 2010 graduate of Minnesota State University, Mankato, always enjoyed writing. She also loves the thrill of writing on a deadline. Even as early as age 17, Larson worked for The Flash, a student produced news magazine show at Eastview High School in Apple Valley, Minn.

In the fall of 2006 following her high school graduation, Larson began attending Minnesota State University, Mankato and immersed herself in college life. In her interview, Larson referred to herself as a “floater” because the importance she placed on being involved in several activities. Larson was a member of Gamma Phi Beta, ran track, was a student ambassador, worked for the MSU Reporter, travelled abroad and volunteered her time all while keeping up with school work and internships.

“I think my college experience became what it was, which was wonderful, because of my involvement,” Larson said.

Larson recalled fond memories of the four months

she spent traveling abroad in London learning about Film Studies at a British university with 26 other American students, most of whom she still remains in contact with today.

Some key highlights from the trip included spending two weeks in Italy’s Cinque Terre, celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland, and skydiving over the Swiss Alps.

“It was the best experience this far, not even in college.

I will always remember it. If you go and be open minded it will undoubtedly change your whole perspective about everything,” said Larson.

Besides extracurricular activities, Larson was busy honing her skills with several internships. The first of these was an internship at KARE 11 as the Showcase Minnesota intern. It was Larson’s first experience having written work aired on television. Following KARE 11, Larson also interned at WCCO and KEYC. Larson’s final internship was easily her proudest moment. Larson’s love of sports prompted her to approach Athletic Communication Director, Paul Allen, to pitch the idea of producing sport video highlights for MSU. With an okay from Allen, Larson rented a camera from the library, recorded and edited the clips and was then featured on MSU’s athletic page.

After graduating from

wale agboola • msu reporter

MSU, Larson applied for several positions to no avail, but determined, Larson secured a full-time position as a reporter at KEYC having previous knowledge of the company through a past internship.

“If you have a relationship established already, it helps.

My boss now already knew me, we had been in contact for over a year through the

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application and interview process,” Larson said. “I couldn’t have asked for a better first job because of everything I have learned up until now.”

In Larson’s current position she enjoys meeting new people and never knowing what will happen next. A long-time lover of feature stories, Larson most of all enjoys being able to share someone

else’s story. She enjoys the ability to add her own creative flair to her stories unlike the cut and dry of most news coverage, but overall it is her love of the process that motivates Larson’s writing.

“The full circle from my name attached to an idea to the finished product of a minute and a half story is what I

Larson / page 18

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Page 8

MSyou Fall 2011

M at t L e xc e n

MSSA President values experience outside the classroom KATIE KNUTSON

staff writer

Matthew Lexcen was voted last semester to be the president of MSSA. Positive experiences outside of class motivated him to want to start a campaign.

“In FA10 I sort of realized that I’d have a year left of my double-major. I also realized that much of the value I’ve received from the Minnesota State University, Mankato had accrued out of the classroom,” Lexcen said.

While Lexcen seems to place more value on his experiences outside of class, he is quick to defend his in-class experiences.

“That isn’t to say that my experiences in the classroom were, in any way, shape or form, not beneficial. I simply mean that outside of the classroom leadership experiences helped to heavily supplement the collegiate experience,” Lexcen said.

From the moment he was sworn in, Lexcen began working with MSSA in order to dig deeper into what the students really wanted.

“We’ve been doing a handful of things helping to supplement the student experience,” Lexcen said.

Lexcen said improving student services – including providing attorneys, rental cars, textbook reserves and the bus route – is among his main objectives.

“A standard of excellence is the goal,” he said.

Student groups are also on Lexcen’s presidential agenda.

“We’ve legitimized the Maverick Mob, a group started

by Matt Schmidt and Tige Hutcheson. That committee draws together students, directors and graduate students from 10-plus areas of the University,” he said.

“It’s a strong group.”

School spirit and identity are also on Lexcen’s list of ideas of how to improve the spirit of the university.

“We’re defining what it truly means to be a Maverick.”

Other goals had Lexcen aiming for opportunities that were available to larger schools.

“We’re working with Bob Hoffman and a handful of other units (SBDC and the CDC) to help provide powerful, competitive, cross-disciplinary internship and co-op opportunities.

This is similar to how Harvard students compete for in-class for high-powered internships with law partners,” he said.

Lexcen exuded confidence in the elite company.

“If they can do it, so can a state school.”

Despite lofty goals and a busy start to his administration, the new president said he did not notice that much of a difference compared to how he used to live before he became President.

“My life hasn’t changed too

wale agboola • msu reporter

much, actually. 15 hours of class. 15 hours of meetings. 15+ hours of MSSA. 10+ hours of work. And any spare time dedicated to my fraternity brothers.

70-90 hour weeks,” Lexcen said. “A typical day consists of waking up between 6:30 and 8, office hours/meetings until 10, class 10-2, lunch, meetings/ work/office hours until 6, dinner, meetings/homework until

10, repeat.”

Before he ran for President, Matthew happened to be part of the Lambda Delta Chapter of Sigma Nu Fraternity, Inc. He was the Philanthropy and Community Service Chairman, and was also the Recruitment Chairman and Commander (President).

“I am very faithful and extremely proud of my involve-

ment with Greek Life (Sigma Nu),” Lexcen said.

Throughout all of his years on campus, Lexcen gained some perspective on how important it is to get involved.

“You’ll never look back at your collegiate experience and think, “I did too much.”

You can, however, look back and think, “I wish I had done more.” Lexcen said.

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Faces on Campus

Page 9

Mor i a h M il es

MSSA Vice President theorizes about conflict resolution, success

MEGAN KADLEC

news editor

To many students, MSSA is just a combination of letters. To Moriah Miles, it’s a huge part of her daily life.

Miles is the Minnesota State Student Association’s 79th Vice President.

Miles believes she made a career move when she transferred from South Dakota State University to MSU halfway through her sophomore year.

“I had looked up the International Relations major on the MSU website. I didn’t have a major at SDSU and I loved the description.

I called someone in the department who is now actually my advisor and thought it would be a good fit. The first day I was on campus was the day I moved in.”

While it was difficult for Miles to leave her family in Sioux Falls, she said she’s confident that she made the right decision.

“I knew that at some point in my life I’d have to choose between my friends and my career,” Miles said.

“I saw leaving all my friends at SDSU as a career move.”

Miles decided to be join MSSA after working as the Vice President of the Residential Hall Association during her third year at

wale agboola • msu reporter

MSU. During spring semester, Miles was a senator for the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences.

Miles’ decision to run for MSSA Vice President came after siting down and talking to Matt Lexcen about the position.

We happened to run into each other in the office later at night and we sat down. He said, ‘I want to run for President,’ and I said, ‘That’s funny. I want to run for President,’” Miles said. “But actually I wasn’t convinced of running for anything. I didn’t really care at that point, but in meetings like that you can’t be like, ‘I don’t know what I want.’”

After Miles’ meeting with Lexcen, she talked to her family and made an official decision.

“I went back home and called my dad – my confidant. I talked through a lot of things with him, went through the constitution and in a snap decision, I called Lex up and I said, ‘Listen, you’re an attack dog that I don’t want to fight against.

If anything, I want to be on your side. I think we’d make a really good couple, or pair – team,’” Miles said.

Before coming into the job, Miles was given one piece of advice that has

helped her tremendously over the past few months.

“The biggest piece of advice I got coming into this position was, ‘don’t lose yourself’ because a lot of people lose themselves in these positions because it’s obviously very time consuming,” Miles said. “Lex and I are very cognitive of keeping our personal lives and academics up. You’re a student first, and it’s hard to remember that sometimes.”

In her time as VP, Miles has learned many valuable lessons that will help her in her future career. “[MSSA] has really focused and improved my communication skills,” Miles said. “My entire major is International Relations with an emphasis on War, Peace and Conf lict Resolution and so, in this role, a lot of the stuff I’ve been learning is conf lict resolution.”

Miles has used her work with administrators, faculty and students at MSU to contribute to her understanding of International Relations and conf lict resolution.

“Basically, I’ve developed my own theory about negotiation. I believe it comes down to the personalities in the room,” Miles said.

“Learning the dynamics of people and how to professionally approach situations has really helped in this role.”

With her remaining time as VP, Miles hopes to change campus culture and the way people perceive both MSSA and MSU in general.

“I’d like to make a change in campus culture, to address any negativity because we obviously have some difficult issues coming to campus. A lot of students think that we’re in a terrible state. But really, out of the entire system, Mankato is top dog.”

Miles’ personal goals for the academic school year are definitely more of what you would expect from a college student.

“Personally, I’d like to start up P90X again. Attempt number four,” Miles said. “That would be great.”

Miles’ goals after graduation are definitely more abstract than they are concrete.

“After graduation, I’d like to intern for the university or somewhere in Minnesota,” Miles said. “I’ve debated just disappearing into Fort Collins, Colorado for a year. I love that city so

much. I’m totally fine being off the grid for a while, I just don’t know if professionally that’s a good idea.”

Miles attributes her biggest accomplishment at MSU to her success as transferring to a new school and finding success.

“The word success I’m kind of touchy on. You should have your own definition. For me success is being happy and being able to help someone. It’s the tiny little victories throughout the day,” Miles said. “I don’t see success as having your name on a plaque or winning awards. Those are benefits of success, I think.”

Miles is the President of the United Nations International Relations Club and the Campus Coordinator for the MSU TOMS Club. She

also works with the Catholic Newman Center whenever she has time.

Because Miles decided to take fewer credits this semester, she has more time to focus on the students. She also opted for more online classes so she can work during the day and do homework at night.

In the little free time Miles has she enjoys friends, painting, movies and being outside, though she said her number one hobby is walking.

“I like to paint a lot. I’m working on four different paintings right now. I like doing multi-media sort of things,” Miles said. “I’m terrible at drawing, so all my paintings are really abstract.”

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Page 10

MSyou Fall 2011

J a m es Gu l l ic k son

KMSU Director discusses pros and cons of working in radio

KRITINA MORITZ

staff writer He is the program director and general managers at KMSU 89.7 FM, the campus radio station, and hosts a show for that station called “Southern Minnesota Midday.” He serves as the secretary for the Association of Minnesota Public Educational Radio Stations, a statewide non-commercial radio association. In addition, he is a devoted adjunct professor at Minnesota State University, Mankato who teaches a class called “Writing and Speaking for Broadcast” for the department of Mass Communications.

Let me introduce to you the man behind the business and success, James Gullickson. Also known as “Gully,” he grew up in the Lakes area of Minneapolis, or Lake of the Isles.

“We thought we owned the place, and in a way we did.

There were always adult eyes watching us, though,” Gullickson said.

Gully attended grade school at Kentwood Elementary. From there he went to Blake School for Junior High and then Minnetonka High School. For college, Gullickson attended the University of Minnesota for a year, but transferred to pursue his broadcast dreams at Brown Institute of Broadcasting.

His college education helped contribute to his suc-

ann eiden • msu reporter

cess in various ways; however, Gullickson explains that his real life experience is by far the biggest factor in his success and goal completion.

“My college education has been somewhat limited, although I have taken some additional courses here at MSU since arriving in 2001.

Mostly my success comes from doing,” Gullickson said.

“I achieved the General Manager position at KEEZ-FM in 1999, which was a goal of mine. My commercial radio career actually prepared me quite well for taking on the role of GM here at non-commercial KMSU.” As program director for KMSU, Gullickson has numerous key responsibilities.

A typical workday for him consists of sorting through an inbox of emails, completing program and production duties, underwriting development and any on-air or mail appeal fundraising.

“I also get to spend the money we raise, and it seems like something is always broken or about to break. I just took a call from a volunteer programmer who can’t do their show today. These things happen. I have to find appropriate programming to fill that one-hour block,” Gullickson said. “I also do a onehour show from 1:00 to 2:00 weekday afternoons, ‘Southern Minnesota Midday.’ I have been busy developing some new, local programming for our other licensed FM

station in Austin, MN, KMSK 93.1.”

Like all careers, there are stressful aspects of that job and Gullickson is no stranger to these occurrences. Equipment at the radio station breaks down, and without an engineer to fix these problems, work can be a bit more difficult.

“This happened recently with our dish antenna system. We rely on that system to capture a great deal of syndication programming delivered via satellite. While that system was down, I had to fill all of those hours with alternate programming. It lasted two weeks,” Gullickson said. “This was no fun, but it is part of my job. My coping mechanism is usually just pouring myself into the tasks I know I can do.”

Although work can be difficult at times, Gullickson said he loves many aspects of his career.

“Working with students is something I cherish. These bright young people represent our future. Having the privilege to interact and make a positive impact in their lives is a blessing,” Gullickson said. “I also love and respect the staff and volunteers at KMSU. Our Operations Director, Karen Wright, does such a great job with her Minnesota Morning program, as well as being the advisor to the Southern Minnesota News Project, our student-run news program.”

His experience with radio broadcasting has also provided him with insight, knowledge and advice for other individuals interested in the field.

“Don’t underestimate the power of the medium. Despite a relatively small audience, KMSU has a significant cultural footprint in southern Minnesota. Commercial stations in the area are tremendously impactful on their communities too,” Gullickson said.

If Gully could offer three tips of advice to broadcast prospects, they would be as follows: “Don’t expect to get rich.

Expect to work hard during odd hours and weekends/holidays. And if it’s the right fit, expect to have an enormously satisfying career,” Gullickson said.

As for the Mankato area, Gully ended up here due to a job opportunity. Although his first job in radio broadcasting was in Burlington, Colorado for a year and a half, he was

later offered a job at KRBI AM/FM in St.Peter, Minn.

It wasn’t until 1987 that he made the move to Mankato and worked for KYSM, KXLP and KEEZ over the course of 14 years before coming to KMSU in 2001.

Since his move in 2001, Gullickson has grown to love many different aspects of the Mankato area.

“My family, the people from the area, the University, the beauty of the river valley and the proximity to the Twin Cities,” said Gully.

One of Gullickson’s favorite activities is traveling and exploring new places with his family. In his free time, he also enjoys golf, downhill skiing in the winter and, of course, music.

“I enjoy so many different styles of music it’s hard to pick a favorite. I would say

most of the music I like best is blues-based,” Gullickson said. “This would include the blues, jazz and straight-ahead rock ‘n’ roll.”

As a man of dedication, enthusiasm, and success, there isn’t enough advice he could give about radio broadcast.

“It is an exciting career, rewarding in many ways, and also lots of fun! As for college students in general, be ready to use the skills and knowledge you will have learned through your college career in ways that you might not anticipate now,” Gullickson said. “The world is changing at a pace that is unprecedented, and how you apply your talents toward real world solutions is critical.

Old guys like me need to know y’all are going to make it possible for me to enjoy my golden years.”

Since 1932 the Minnesota State Student Association has been a voice for students at MSU. Make your voice heard by getting involved! The opportunities are waiting and the only person holding you back from success is you.

Visit us in CSU 280 | 507-389-2611

Faces on Campus

Page 11

M EG A N R A E

Graduate student spreads message about sexual assault through theatre

MEGAN KADLEC

news editor

Most students barely know what they want to do with their degree once they receive it. It’s a stretch to say many of these students have actually worked with what they want to do for the rest of their lives.

Megan Rae is as far from this stereotype as possible.

Rae knows what she’s going to school for and she knows how she’s going to use the degree once she graduates.

Rae graduated from Minnesota State University, Mankato in 2009 with a Bachelor’s degree in Theatre Performance. After taking a year off to explore how she could use theatre as a tool for advocacy and awareness, she decided to go back to school to pursue her Master’s degree in Gender and Women’s Studies.

Rae commutes to MSU from Minneapolis, and although the drive is ex-

tic abuse and sexual assault, much like the scenes PEACE performs but on a larger scale.

Rae wrote the show after an abusive marriage left her alone and confused.

“I had received all kinds of crazy mixed messages when I looked to friends and co-workers for comfort and really felt isolated and alone as I was deciding my future,” Rae said.

“When I eventually did leave the marriage and started to speak publicly about my experience, I was approached by all sorts of women looking for support and guidance through their abusive relationships or sexual assaults.”

After Rae’s difficult experience with domestic abuse, she felt the need to reach out to the community

and help others who were faced with similar situations.

“I learned that there really wasn’t a clear venue to talk about these issues, but more importantly, I learned that society as a whole doesn’t know how to respond to people who are in abusive situations in a manner that liberates the victim,” Rae said. “So (at the time), only having] a BA in theatre, I put what I knew to work and created a theatre production that addressed this very issue.”

The play was written in a Forum theatre and Theatre of the Oppressed style.

Theatre of the oppressed is used as a form of communication to allow a community to discuss, debate and educate. Plays of this

Rae / page 18

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tremely long and draining, she loves living in the city with her partner.

Sporting numerous tattoos, a short black haircut and gages with a picture of her cat, Pigeon, Megan Rae is not the average student you see walking around in sweatpants and sneakers.

In addition to attending graduate school, Rae also works for the University as the Peer Education Theatre Troupe Coordinator.

A branch of the Women’s Center, the theatre troupe, also known as Peer Educators Acting for Change and Equality, or PEACE for short.

PEACE teaches other students about sexual consent, the dangers of sexual assault, bystander intervention, risk reduction and many other issues relating to sexual violence and abuse. The troupe presents the serious information in a light way, using humor to get their message across.

“The first step in creat-

ing change is always making the public aware of the realities of the problem,” Rae said.

While audience members are impacted by PEACE performances, the theatre troupe members are also able to delve into the issues, creating a sense of belonging and purpose on campus.

“It creates a society among the student, opens a dialogue for change, and allows the students to be proud of the impact that they have on campus,” Rae said. “My goal is that this troupe continues to have an impact at MSU far beyond my career here.”

Rae commutes to MSU from Minneapolis on a daily basis, and although the drive is extremely long and draining, she said she loves living in the city.

In 2009, Rae wrote a full-length play, “When,” as an experimental project. The interactive play focuses on issues of domes-

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Page 12

MSyou Fall 2011

A a ron K ee n

New MSU football coach discusses how he became a Maverick

TIGE HUTCHESON

staff writer

“When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.” – Alexander Graham Bell Less than a year ago, Aaron Keen sat in his office on a Friday night in early March, preparing for his third season of University of NebraskaOmaha Maverick football.

Spring football was scheduled to begin just a week later, and Keen was in a situation in which he had grown very comfortable and happy.

Barely 24 hours later, because of forces completely out of his control, Keen found himself jobless and no longer a part of the situation he had grown to love.

“We were supposed to start spring football the following [week] and we found out on Saturday night at 11 p.m. and they officially dropped the program on Sunday, so it was a wild time,” Keen said. “We had to get ahold of all of our players and let them know that the rumors that they had been hearing and seeing on

“I had Coach Behrns call up here right away. I ended up coming up here and watching one of [MSU]’s spring practices, and it ended up being the right position for me, so I pursued it and it ended up being a good situation for everybody involved, I think,” said Keen, who was officially announced as MSU’s offensive coordinator on May 2.

“I’m fortunate enough to be married to a woman who has been willing to follow my career and who has been flexible with things as far as moving our family, because that’s a difficult process too, so I’m very fortunate that everything worked out with moving my family up here and getting the kids situated and finding a good job for myself that allowed me to grow a little bit.”

One promising aspect of the MSU job was that three

former UNO Mavericks— Hale, linebacker Marcus Hall-Oliver, and fellow safety Nathan Hancock—had already verbally committed.

“I was very excited when I was offered the opportunity to take the job because I knew there were some good kids already coming up here.

But I also knew that there was a great quarterback back at UNO that wasn’t going to have very many opportunities since he only had one semester to play,” said Keen, referring to starting quarterback Jon Daniels, who was entering his senior season at UNO. “It took a little bit of selling because [Daniels] had kind of decided to give up his football career and keep his scholarship at UNO and just graduate on time. But with

Keen / page 18

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the internet were true and we wanted to make sure that they were hearing it from us. We were all caught off-guard; it was a wild time.”

On Sunday, March 13, 2011, the University of Nebraska-Omaha announced its decision to make the transition from Division-II to Division-I athletics, and that the football and wrestling teams would be casualties in the process.

As over 100 former UNO Mavericks, both players and coaches, ventured off into uncertainty, stunned by a situation they had no say in and one that ultimately changed all of their lives, Keen sat in his office asking himself the question on everyone’s mind: What do I do now?

But as Keen reviewed his options, he could overhear Nebraska-Omaha strong safety Jordan Hale and his father, Mick Hale, talking with head coach Pat Behrns across the hall about continuing his career at Minnesota State University, Mankato.

Take a second to stop and think about this: If Keen’s door had been closed, if Hale’s father had lowered his voice or if Keen had stepped

out of his office, even for just a second, this is where the story would end. But that’s not what happened.

“The interesting thing is that Jordan [Hale], who ended up coming [to MSU], was meeting with our head football coach at UNO across the hall with his father,” Keen said. “And as they were leaving the office, [Jordan]’s father, who has been in coaching and is kind of knowledgeable about the profession, was mentioning that MSU had just lost one of its offensive coaches, and I overheard it from the hallway.”

Earlier that month MSU had learned that offensive coordinator Luke Schleusner had submitted his letter of resignation and would be accepting a job as an assistant coach at the University of North Dakota. A position was open in Mankato, and it was time to start moving on.

With the beginning of spring football already in the books and the season getting closer by the day, Keen had to act fast. He reached out through connections to MSU offensive line coach Mike Cunningham and decided MSU might be worth a look.

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Faces on Campus

Page 13

S a r a h Sc hel l i nger

Soccer defender let’s her skills speak for themselves

KYLE RATKE

editor in chief

Some athletes are more likely to talk about a touchdown than score one. In a world filled with overconfident and overpaid athletes, it’s rare to meet an athlete who let’s his or her actions and skills speak for themselves. Not only is it rare, it’s refreshing.

Meet Minnesota State University, Mankato senior defender Sarah Schellinger of the women’s soccer team.

To fans, she might not seem like the classic leader type.

As a defender, goals aren’t in her vocabulary, as she has just one this season for the 10-1-1 (7-0 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference) Mavericks. She doesn’t seem all that vocal and is more Joe Mauer than Muhammad Ali. The Sartell, Minn. native is one of three seniors on the squad. It was believed it was last season that was supposed to be the big season for the Mavericks with an experienced line-up. Not

matches her freshman year and starting five. After a solid 2009 season, Schellinger found herself starting all 20 matches for the Mavericks, which made it easy for McGahey to make her a captain for the 2011 season.

“The playing time I received early on in my career has helped me to become a more confident, experienced player,” Schellinger said. “It helped me discover that I could be more effective as a defender than a forward and it solidified my role on the team.”

Saying it “solidified” her role, might be an understatement. This season behind Schellinger’s leadership on the defensive side of the ball, the Mavericks have posted six shutouts in 12 games.

The Mavericks have finally crept into the top-25 as the No. 21 team in the country. The recognition may have came a little late, but it has come nonetheless. As for Schellinger, she believes the recognition lies in the results of the team. A victory is all she needs.

That’s what she brings to the table for these Mavericks. Recognition? Who cares. An NSIC title and an advancement to the NCAA Tournament?

She’ll take that every day.

If the Mavericks advance to the big dance this season, which seems likely, most will focus on Henry or Dooher. That’s just fine with Sarah. Her eyes will be on the prize, all while trying to stop the opposing team from scoring.

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wale agboola • msu reporter

this season, which includes 18 underclassmen. “[The team] hasn’t really surprised me,” Schellinger said. “It was evident back in the spring we were going to be a good team this fall because of how well we were able to mesh and play together.”

“The leadership we get from Sarah, [Briana] Hendricks and [Marissa] Santana is amazing. I wouldn’t say I’m surprised,” added head coach Peter McGahey on the team’s success.

The 2010 team had its fair share of success, but the 2011 squad is turning heads, winning games and might have more of an upside. All doing it by following Schellinger’s “silent” lead.

It’s not something that she tries to do. It’s something that comes natural.

In fact, when asked to join a local radio show, Schellinger asked if she could bring with junior Brittany Henry (second on the team with 22 goals). Schellinger said of herself, “I’m not much of a talker.”

“I would say I lead by example,” Schellinger said.

“I’ve never been the most vocal person on the field. I try to work hard and demonstrate good discipline and work ethic.

While Henry is the star of the team, along with Nicole Dooher (23 points), Schellinger does the dirty work on the other side of the field. But it wasn’t always that way. Schellinger started her career as a forward and thought she’d be atop the scoring list for MSU, but instead realized she was one of the best defenders on the team, and for the good of the team, Schellinger changed positions.

“She keeps other teams from scoring,” McGahey said. “It’s her hard work… her example to be a Maverick. We can never underestimate how important that is.”

Schellinger has been a star some fans haven’t heard much about. That might be because they are looking on the wrong side of the field.

She’s made an impact from the get-go, playing in 19

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Page 14

MSyou Fall 2011

R y a n St e v e ns

Campus Rec. program coordinator reflects on his time at MSU

LEE HANDEL

sports editor

When it comes to choosing a career path, it has been said that it is better to get into something that you love and enjoy doing each and every day you come to work than to just do something because you are good at it.

Minnesota State, Mankato’s Campus Recreation Program Coordinator, Ryan Stevens, is a great example of someone who pursued his dream job even though his other career options were probably more certain to pan out.

As an undergraduate student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Stevens majored in biology and worked his way up the ladder to a supervisor position in the university’s Campus Rec. Department. Despite his biology major, Stevens wanted to pursue a career in sports management.

“I asked my boss ‘How do you get this job, it’s the best job in the world’” said Stevens.

After finishing up his biology major in 1998, Stevens went to the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA) and interviewed for various jobs in intramurals.

He was eventually hired

by Virginia Tech to be an intramural sports graduate assistant at the university.

Stevens gained lots of experience in Blacks-

others weather-wise.

“We really do try our best to get teams their games. They pay so we want them to play,” said Stevens. “We’ve had to play finals on a Saturday, but we’ve never failed to finish a season.”

One thing that has drastically improved during Stevens’ time at MSU is the quality of the fields and facilities. The old f lag football fields veered both uphill and downhill in spots, and the old softball fields were often rough and without grass in some spots.

MSU’s Campus Rec. now has four softball fields with nice grass that handles rain better.

“We have awesome facilities now both indoors and outdoors. Our grass is thick

• web photo

burg, all while earning his master’s degree in Health Promotion in 1999. That is the same year Stevens’ boss at Nebraska, current MSU Director of Campus Recreation Todd Pfingsten, was hired and approved here in Mankato.

Pfingsten agreed to interview his former pupil, and Stevens got the job as Program Coordinator at MSU after interviewing against his best friend for the position.

Now in his 12th year at MSU, Stevens is in charge of much more than meets the eye. His primary job is to administer team, individual and dual intramural sports by putting together all the schedules, conducting the waiver process and updating results.

Aside from that, he also oversees 20 different sport clubs, such as baseball and hockey, and manages all of the teams’ waivers while also arranging their travel plans. Stevens also schedules the work study and oversees the day-to-day operations of MSU’s open recreation.

Perhaps the most important aspect of his job involves the training and hiring of officials for the intramural sports, as Stevens strives to train and hire the best officials possible. Given the numerous intramural contact sports offered and the competitive nature involved, such as in basketball and f lag

football, both physical and verbal confrontations have occurred at times.

“Sometimes people act out of their element and their competitive nature takes over. Competitive spirit is a good thing, but people cross the line,” Stevens said. “I understand that if you’re doing something, you want to be the best and win. I’d say 90 percent of our participants just want to play a sport they like playing and have fun.”

Stevens cites possible altercations as a constant challenge he and his staff face, but thinks improved officiating has curbed the problem a lot.

“The quality of our officials is very important,” he said. “With more and better training, our officials are able to make the correct calls that do not lead to fighting. When we keep the game in control and harness command early, we don’t have those problems.

Another challenge Stevens faces is our state’s harsh and sometimes unpredictable climate, which has caused many delays and postponements for spring intramural sports such as softball.

Stevens tries to wait as long as possible for the snow on the fields to melt, often starting play on the first day of April. This gives him only five weeks to get the season in, and some years are worse than

and plush as well, which makes the experience that much better,” Stevens said.

While some might expect his job to be repetitive day after day, Stevens says every day is different for him and presents different challenges. He also says the dynamics change every year due to the turnover of the students involved with the department.

“We’re fortunate to have a lot of great students come through our department who make the job fun,” said Stevens. “They want to learn and keep me young.

I remember being in their shoes and I want to give back.”

The presence of a solid Campus Rec. in universities is important to Stevens.

Stevens / page 17

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Faces on Campus

Page 15

K eith Ludi

MSU student pursues art degree after two military tours in Iraq

• web photo BRIAN ROSEMEYER

a&e editor Keith Ludi is an accomplished ar tist, an outdoorsman, a Mar ine who has ser ved t wo tou rs in Iraq, and Keith Ludi is a st udent at Min nesota State Universit y, Man kato.

Ludi was bor n and raised in Santa Fe, New Mexico, but now calls Man kato home. Af ter ser ving his time in the militar y, Keith came back to the states and because his family had moved to Min nesota, he in t u r n made the move as well.

“I love [Man kato],” said Ludi. “I hate the winters here, but I’ve met a lot of cool people.”

He is a senior majoring in st udio ar t with an emphasis on sculpt u re. He has displayed his works in a number of different shows arou nd tow n in venues including the Con kling and CSU galler ies at MSU, as well as the 410 Project and the Car negie A r t Center in dow ntow n Man kato.

Ludi is an ar tist is many mediums, but sculpt u re is his prefer red method of expression.

“Basically what I do is play arou nd with fou nd objects,” said Ludi. “Ever y thing f rom the simplest item you might f ind in a th r if t store, to plexi-glass and sheet metal.”

His work is ver y expressive and thought out, with bold shapes and color.

Ludi’s sculpt u re is ver y indicative to his ow n personalit y, the same can be said about his photography, which has been published in Stars A nd St r ipes Magazine, and a number of jou r nals in New Mexico.

Ludi’s militar y career included six years of active dut y in the Mar ine Core, which brought him on t wo tou rs in Iraq. Ludi was apar t of the initial invasion of Iraq. He is decorated with a Combat Action R ibbon and a Global War On Ter ror ism Medal.

Ludi has kept himself ver y busy in his time back in civilian life.

He has made a large number of f r iends in Man kato, is f inishing school, and works par ttime at Blue Br icks Bar & Gr ill in dow ntow n Man kato where he cooks and bou nces.

Ludi’s g raduation date is set for May of 2012, upon which he will at tain his deg ree in Bachelor of Fine A r ts, Sculpt u re. He does not, however, plan on stopping his education there.

“I’m going to go on to my Masters Deg ree in f ine ar ts,” said Ludi. “I hope to go to Seat tle, to the

Universit y of Washing ton.

Event ually I would like to teach the ar ts. But f irst I want to do some ar tists residencies and things like that arou nd the world.”

A stor y like his demonst rates why MSU is a good f it for aspir ing st udents.

“In the ar t prog ram [at MSU] we have a ton of good teachers, in all mediums,” he said. “A nd there’s a few ar t clubs I’m involved in, when I have time. There’s a pr int making club, where we make T-shir ts and posters and sell them. There’s Mudworks, a ceramics club where we make f u nctional pot ter y, and sometimes non-f u nctional st uff, sell that arou nd campus too.

Also sometimes I at tend the St udent A r t Leag ue, they sponsor the shows at

the Con kling Galler y.”

Ludi’s work has been ex hibited at fou r of the shows at the Con kling, t wo shows at the CSU galler y, including one solo show of his photog raphy and another solo show coming up next month.

Aside f rom his militar y and academic achievements, Ludi maintains an active life. He is an avid mou ntain boarder, he enjoys playing music on his self-made stand-up bass, and he spends hou rs on miscellaneous personal ar t projects. But what Ludi appreciates most out of this tow n, and the u niversit y, is the people.

“My favor ite thing about Man kato is def initely my f r iends, the people I’ve met while being here,” he said.

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Page 16

MSyou Fall 2011

A ndy Pfeiffer

MSU Football player battles injuries and comes out on top ship and our offensive line is phenomenal. Coming in new, it really took the edge off of everything coming into so much talent and not being relied on as much; it just makes it a lot easier.”

MSU head coach Todd Hoffner has seen Pfeiffer’s steady improvement and thinks he can become even better.

“Andy definitely deserves everything that he has gotten so far,” Hoffner said. “He’s fought through a couple of surgeries and injuries and has persevered and been very tough mentally, physically and emotionally. We’re very proud of him.”

After starting his career as a small fish in a big pond, Pfeiffer has come home to a community with arms wide open. He has gone from just another name on the roster

to an impossible-to-ignore weapon on the Mavericks’ offense and an integral part of the team’s offensive system as a whole. “[Homecoming] is definitely important, but at the same time we’re preparing just like it’s any other week and trying not to let any of the distractions get to us,” said Pfeiffer, refusing to admit any kind of nostalgia or sentimentality.

If nothing else, Homecoming serves as a reminder to be thankful of the situation you’re in and the people around you.

“I’m just extremely happy and lucky to be home; I love it here,” Pfeiffer said.

Welcome home, Andy.

Mankato has missed you.

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staff writer

Almost lost in the festivities, parties, parades and distractions of Homecoming is the event’s real intention of welcoming back former residents or alumni and celebrating their return.

For Minnesota State, Mankato’s redshirt freshman running back Andy Pfeiffer, this year’s Homecoming is a celebration of the return to his roots, his home and a situation he once took for granted.

Growing up, Pfeiffer lived only about a half-mile from MSU, and went on to star on Mankato West High School’s football team. But after spending what seemed like a lifetime in the same place, Pfeiffer decided it was time for a change of scenery and committed to play football at North Dakota State University.

“I just wanted to get out and see something new, but it didn’t take me long to figure out it wasn’t what I wanted,” Pfeiffer said. “How much I missed Mankato and how much I loved growing up here, I guess I kind of took it for

granted the last couple of years just like a lot of kids do.”

After briefly flirting with NDSU and Minneapolis Community and Technical College, Pfeiffer returned home to Mankato excited to make the impact he had hoped to at NDSU. But a string of surgeries, injuries and rehabilitation prevented him from making the impact he would’ve liked to in camp, snatching him out of the public eye to start the season.

But Pfeiffer waited his turn and continued to improve in practice, and with a little luck and some unfortunate visits from the injury bug to individuals in front of him on the two-deep, Pfeiffer finally got the big chance he had been waiting for against Northern State University in the second week of the season.

“I guess it just took me a little bit to get back into the swing of things. We have a lot of talent at the running back position and unfortunately we had some injuries, so I got some playing time,” said Pfeiffer. “It was kind of an unfortunate series of events, but

I don’t know, I guess I was just lucky to get the opportunity.

It took a little bit to get into the swing of things and I’m still pretty new, but I’ve just tried to get better every day in practice and one thing led to another I guess.”

Pfeiffer cranked out 111 yards and averaged 7.9 yards per carry against the Wolves and became a hard-to-ignore piece of the Mavericks’ ground attack. Since becoming a mainstay, he has hit the holes well and run hard, and has put together a string of three straight games with more than 100 yards rushing.

He currently sits third in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference with an average of 124 rushing yards per game, but most importantly, his addition has given the Mavericks a whole new dimension on offense: a potent running game.

“I’m extremely lucky to come into a position like this where there’s so much talent around me,” said Pfeiffer.

“We have an amazing group of receivers, a really good quarterback, excellent leader-

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Faces on Campus

Page 17

C hr is topher T r a n

Director of Asian-American Affairs reflects on University growth in reminisce of his undergraduate years in MSU he notes “change comes very slowly.” As a student he has always been involved with diversity on campus.

“Being an Asian minority, it’s a lot of work pushing diversity on campus at all levels; at the student and at faculty/staff level. And I think it’s just a matter to keep working at because diversity is a complex issue.”

Tran sees his role as an opportunity to provide equal access and opportunities for employment and education to everyone.

As a method of promoting diversity and contribution to changes he says that “working in AsianAmerican Affairs, it gives

[me] a chance to work with the community” especially when there are collaborations and events.

He’s helped push and promote multiculturalism and “one of the transformations has been to move the multicultural affairs closer to the Intercultural Student Center (ISC).”

The renovation of the ISC is just one of the things that Tran is passionate about seeing in his position.

“We just got done with phase one of renovating the ISC and phase two will take place in Christmas,” Tran said. “We’re looking forward for an open house at the beginning of the 2012 spring semester.”

Tran / page 18

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Christopher Tran is the Director of Asian-American Affairs at Minnesota State University, Mankato but what makes him an effective faculty member is his prior experience here as a student.

Since 2007, when he became the Director of Asian American Affairs,

a noticeable difference on campus for Tran has been the construction on MSU, with reconstruction of Ostrander Auditorium, the CSU Ballroom, the addition of the new dormitory building, and in particular the refurnished Intercultural Student Center.

“The University is growing; enrollment numbers have gone up and the curriculum has changed. Since

the time that I’ve been here, we’ve added doctoral programs and I think that’s where the university is heading.”

With the additions of doctoral programs and policy changes, he believes that the state system would contribute with a bigger role in education and development of the new workforce.

Despite the construction,

STEVENS “The staff is really dedicated in all departments across campus,” Stevens said. “They want to make their programs great for the students and there are so many opportunities for students to get involved.” continued from 14 “It’s so beneficial for the average recreational student; there is so much to get involved with,” he said.

Stevens’ future goals include becoming more webbased as far as the administration of schedules and standings are concerned.

He also wants to begin using Mav card scanners at intramural events that take a person’s ID and upload it to a roster.

Although he and Pfingsten have complemented each other well the last 12 years, Stevens does want to someday become a Director of Campus Rec. himself.

That being said, the position is less hands-on with students and he thinks he would miss the daily interactions with them.

One thing is for sure: Stevens is definitely doing what he loves at MSU.

“The staff is really dedicated in all departments across campus,” Stevens said. “They want to make their programs great for the students and there are so many opportunities for students to get involved.”

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Page 18

MSyou Fall 2011

RAE “I would be so happy spending the rest of my life doing activism theatre like this,” Rae said. continued from 11 nature are usually broken down into several short scenes addressing a specific issue, in this case, sexual and relationship violence.

Forum theatre is similar to theatre of the oppressed, however here, audience members are invited to come on stage and work with the actors to mold the scene how they think it should be presented.

When has been presented to college and university students across the Midwest.

Rae hopes she can make a difference in the way people perceive sexual

assault and relationship violence through theatre.

The underlying misconceptions of rape culture often lie in how women’s sexuality is perceived as being deviant, as being wrong. Women are put in a place where they are not encouraged to make their own choices in their sexuality.

“Once a woman displays any sort of sexual control or power of their choices of representation, including things such as clothing, women become a deviant of society and therefore are no longer in a position to make

their own sexual choices,” Rae said. “Clearly this is not my opinion.”

In her last year of graduate school, Rae must look to her life after higher education, making decisions about what she is going to do when her degree is complete.

“When… has been the biggest dream I have ever set out to do. And the fact that it is real and moving people is so amazing,” Rae said. “I would be happy spending the rest of my life doing activism theatre like this.”

• photo courtesy of megan rae Rae poses with the cast of When from Winona state University.

TRAN “Action can take longer than ideas.” continued from 17 Similar to his explanation of the struggle to promote cultural diversity, he believes that although good intentions are nice, it doesn’t mean anything until action is taken.

“Action can take longer than ideas; you may have good intentions of ensuring diversity, but it’s the action that makes it happen.”

He’s not alone in making MSU more welcoming to others. Although the campus is gradually changing, Tran has a positive outlook because of student and faculty support for diversity in the campus community.

“We have committed leadership to the work of diversity,” Tran said.

KEEN “Although they now bleed purple instead of red, the six transfers are still Mavericks at heart.” continued from 14 the help of Coach Hoffner and some of the players who were already here, we were fortunate enough to convince Jon to come on up here and take a look at it and he was sold.”

In addition to Daniels, Keen managed to convince redshirt freshman tight end Alex Knorr to travel north and join him at MSU. Despite the harsh end to his situation in Omaha, there was just no time to be bitter about it.

Fast forward five months later. Keen, as well as the five former UNO Mavericks that came with him, have all been key pieces in MSU’s impressive play so far this season.

Although they now bleed purple instead of red, the six transfers are still Mavericks at heart and Mankato is beginning to feel a little more like home.

“Yeah, I am happy,” said Keen. “I love this institution, I love the program and certainly, after you go through what we went through at UNO, I’m very grateful of the opportunities that have been given to me and the opportunity for my family to move up here into a great situation.”

LARSON “I’d rather have a full passport than a full wallet,” Larson said. continued from 7 really like. It’s fun organized chaos,” said Larson.

Outside of work, Larson enjoys running, attending Jack Johnson concerts with friends and volunteering her time.

“I think too often we lose track of what is important,” Larson said.

Inspired by experiences during traveling abroad, Larson’s love of travel is a passion that she also hopes to continue in the future.

“I’d rather have a full passport than a full wallet,” Larson said In the future, Larson plans to continue advancing her career, eventually getting to a national level in the television and film industry.

Larson left current MSU students with a couple words of wisdom she gained from her college experiences as well as life after college. “[College] goes by so fast and I think too often people want to rush that experience.

This is really something you really can’t get back,” Larson said. “If you get involved as much as you possibly can and make it for what it’s worth you absolutely cannot have any regrets. It’s what you make of it.”

FLANNERY “Your life starts now, not after college,” Flannery said. continued from 3 Don’t just take class for a grade, salvage it. Squeeze everything you can out of every experience you have.

Meet everyone you can as well as embrace life. Discover your passion.

Flannery said it takes a lot of courage to go out there and do it and not to just talk about it. Of course, do well on course work, yet at the same time, make something happen for yourself.

Flannery suggests building a portfolio, even starting your own business as a student at MSU. “Your life starts now, not after college,” Flannery said.

College gives you knowledge, but applying the knowledge and doing something with it will allow for

greater experiences.

She suggests joining MSSA, clubs, and gaining valuable work experience.

It involves great learning as well as an awesome tangible experience.

You can find Flannery in her office amongst her books and art. She created a comfortable and personal space so her office is inviting to all. She hosts one-onone meetings with faculty and thrives off student achievements.

Flannery is purely charismatic about what she does, and is here solely for the purpose of student achievement. She takes on a new title, but same intent to assist students in attaining their goals and dreams, just as her mentors aspired her to do.

Choose the MBA location most convenient for you: MSU Campus or 7700 France in Edina http://cob.mnsu.edu/mba/

Faces on Campus

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MSyou Fall 2011