The Exponent (February 2, 2011)

February 2, 2011

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bulletin Student government elections The Student Association office now has petitions and election guideline pamphlets available for students interested in running for student government!

Forms must be completed and turned into Student Center 201 by 5 p.m. on February 17.

The elections will be held on March 3 and candidates will be notified by March 18.

Offices available include the President and Vice President, in addition to all senate positions.

Speech team presents showcase, gears up for tournements NSU’s forensics team, lead by Steven Brunner, presented their talent to the campus community on Jan. 25. The evening featured the work and talent that the group will be taking on the road throughout the semester.

Four students are currently qualified for the National Forensics Association National Tournament. Look to the The next edition of Exponent for more details.

Index News Opinion A&E Sports Feature Comics

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Volume 109, Issue 6

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The voice of NSU students, by NSU students

Student Center plans complete: renovation to begin this summer

Readers of The Exponent may wonder what happened after news of the Student Center being remodeled was reported last year, and nothing seemed to come of it.

Having been postponed by a Board of Regents budget meeting, plans for renovating the union have again been activated and now near completion.

Recent months have been witness to several oncampus forums held to garner student opinion of increasingly finer details of the planning process, from where student organization offices should be located and whether or not to include an off-campus venue in the building to paint hues and carpet design options.

On Jan. 25, the final details were decided in an open meeting with KochHazard.

Final floor plans include a new cafeteria that seats

up to 300 students, as com- phere for students that also actual work may begin on pared to the 175 seat cur- happens to include great the Student Center by May. After extensive consultrently available. As one food,” commented Rhoda attendee commented, it can Smith, Vice President of ing with students about be envisioned as being a Student Affairs, about her what to focus on in the new Student Center, the out“Thunder’s Lair on hopes for the renovation.

Students can expect to come should indeed be an steroids.”

Other features to be start seeing the results of improvement on what State added to the Student the long-prepared efforts of Northern Center include a space for the architects, students and University’s students have banquets that could also be faculty by next semester, as now. used for dances, large campus events and film showings, increased area for student organizations, many more student hang-out areas, fireplaces, and “ E i n s t e i n ’s Bagels”, an offcampus venue to be hosted as an addition to other dining options.

“We want to create a fun to renovate the NSU Student Center include bring in a new venue, Einstein! s Bagels, social atmos- Plans pictured. Work will begin on the Student Center as early as May of this year. Courtesy Photo.

Campus Calendar Wednesday, Feb. 2 — Intramural Basketball — Intramural H20 Basketball Captain/Rules Meeting — Fellowship & Study, 8 - 9 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 3 — InterVarsity Christian Fellowship — Regional Aging Council of NE SD, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

— CAB Meeting, 5 - 6 p.m.

— BSU Meeting, 7 p.m.

— Senior Recital, Kelsey Pickford, clarinet, JC 107, 7:30 p.m.

— Comedian Mike Winfield, 9 p.m.

Monday, Feb. 7 — Intramural Basketball — Academic Affairs Committee, 3:45 p.m.

— Orientation Seminar - Second Session Student Teachers, 4 p.m.

Tuesday, Feb. 8 — Student Teaching Interviews — Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship meeting — Intramural Basketball — Student Association Meeting, 9 - 11 p.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 9 — Student Teaching Interviews — Intramural Basketball — Region IV Small Group/Solo Contest, JFAC, 8 a.m.

— Fellowship & Study, 8 - 9 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 10 — Student Teaching Interviews

— Science Club Bachelor/Bachelorette Auction — InterVarsity Christian Fellowship — Intramural Basketball — CAB Meeting, 5 - 6 p.m.

— BSU Meeting, 7 p.m.

— Wilson/McKee, Celtic Performers, JC 107, 7:30 p.m.

— BAND - Quietdrive, 9 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 11 — NSU Symphonic Band Concert, Brookings — Last Day of Professional Block Classes — I Hate Winter Weekend Saturday, Feb. 12 — Annual CICS Celebration — I Hate Winter Weekend Sunday, Feb. 13 — Intramural Basketball — Symphonic Band Concert, Aberdeen Civic Theatre, 3 p.m.

Monday, Feb. 14 — First Day of Second Session Student Teaching Experience — Intramural Basketball — Faculty Senate Meeting, 3:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Feb. 15 — Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship meeting — Intramural Basketball — NSU Lions Club Meeting, 5 - 6 p.m.

— Student Association Meeting, 9 p.m.

Feature

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A look at American education: then and now Jeffrey Langley Guest Columnist

W

hile I do not pretend to be an academic by any stretch of the imagination, I do feel I have lived long enough to see a few things that might be of interest to others.

Besides, I figure if they asked me to write this article, they just might want to hear what I have to say. But then again, one’s own confidence may be their undoing if they get a little too cocky. Time will tell.

I am an “Older than aver-

age” (OTA) student here at NSU. After spending just over 20 years on active duty in the U.S. Air Force, I came back to school.

I have degrees in Criminal Justice and Transportation to my credit, but need to complete a few undergraduate credits to receive a degree in Business before I continue on to my Master’s program.

To that end I had to take a few “general” courses to round out those needed credits for that undergraduate degree.

One of these was

Algebra. Oh, yes, I can hear the collective sigh and snickers of the entire student and facility right about now. But hey, we all have to do it, right?

As we used to say in the Air Force, “Just shut up, and color.”

And, having been out of high school for over 20 years I needed to review a little of my math skills.

Now as I mentioned, I am an OTA student, so I have a couple of children.

At the time of my first math class, one of my kids was 12-years-old and in the 6th grade.

So, I would come home

during that semester with my homework and talk with her about it.

You know, kind of show off what dad is doing and maybe teach her a few things, right?

Famous last words!

She had already learned everything I was learning, and I did not eclipse her knowledge of math until the last two weeks of the semester.

You see, when I went to school, we were not required to take Algebra to graduate.

It was totally voluntary.

Algebra was not even taught within our school

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system until the 9th grade.

It didn’t make a difference in the job search, either.

But you cannot get away with that now.

The “globalization” of our economy requires us to make drastic changes to our education system on both pre- and post-secondary levels that a middleaged man like me could not have even fathomed in my day.

Such federal requirements as “No Child Left Behind” and other initiatives are desperately needed to help us just to maintain and expand our competitive advantages in the world markets.

And high education standards are one way to do it.

Recently, David Gergen, Senior Political Analyst for CNN, published in his article entitled “Can the U.S. still compete?” the top four recommendations of the Competitiveness Commission.

The number one recommendation of the commission was to “Upgrade K-12 education in science and math to a leading position by global standards.” (emphasis mine) .

I say this is the least we can do.

Note: Look for further discussion on this topic in upcoming issues of The Exponent.

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Horoscopes: don’t talk to your cereal Disclaimer: In case you haven’t heard, some punk astronomer named Parke Kunkle decided that a shift in the earth is causing your astrological signs to change and created a new sign called Ophiuchus. However, that is malarkey. Instead, just keep listening to the sage advice I continue to give you month after month. That other guy is a phony; I am legit and know all. Would you trust a guy named Kunkle anyway?

Aquarius (January 20February 18) Try not to talk to your Rice Krispies this month when they “snap, crackle, and pop” at you if others are around you. For some reason this will make other people think you are crazy. Feel free to engage in conversation if you are alone in a room, though. The company will be nice (even though it is just cereal).

Pisces (February 19March 20) Everywhere you go this month, laughter and comedy will follow you. This would be great if you were trying to be funny. But mostly it just seems like everyone is laughing at you, instead of at your jokes.

Make sure to check your shoes for toilet paper, that your underwear aren’t hanging out of your pants, and be sure to wipe your face off when eating slightly messy foods. It may not stop people from laughing, but at least they will have one less thing to laugh at.

Aries (March 21-April 19) There is a slight possibility that you will be in danger of falling objects this month, especially with the recent outbreak of dead birds falling

from the heavens. Make sure to avoid aviaries, zoos, and downtown Aberdeen, where there is a massive population of pigeons. However, if you do end up in the ER due to falling birds; keep your eye open for cute nurses that have a soft spot for bizarre injuries.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) You have a chance to be a hero this month. Keep an eye out for grannies needing help across the road and lost puppies and children. Do not try too hard to find your opportunity to be great, however, and stalk nursing homes and daycare centers. People will more than likely think you are a pervert and call the police on you.

Gemini (May 21-June 20) While I’m not saying you should adapt the same 43-page dress and grooming code as the Swiss Bank UBS (prohibiting red underwear and garlic consumption), this month you should scrutinize your wardrobe very carefully. Midmonth, a romantic and business opportunity will present itself and you want to be sure that you do not have on holey socks and a stained sweatshirt.

Dress for success and you will get the best!

Cancer (June 21-July 22) If single, Single’s Awareness Day is going to actually bring a slew of new opportunities to your table. Make sure to mind your table manners and soon Single’s Awareness Day activities of binge ice-cream eating and watching “The Notebook” repeatedly by yourself while weeping, will be replaced by V-Day activities of eating chocolate given to you by a lover and watching “The Notebook” with said lover. If

attached, your significant other will forget about the holiday entirely and you will be angry.

Leo (July 23-August 22) The alignment of the Moon will make you extra susceptible to practical jokes played on you by friends, family, coworkers and even professors.

My advice, don’t take anything based on face value and make sure to double check everything. If it sounds fishy, don’t take the bait. Just make sure that when deciding whether or not to write that paper worth 50 points or study for a test, double check the syllabus first.

Virgo (August 23September 22) Your special someone really wants to attend dance classes this month, but they are too afraid to tell you. Be extra awesome this month and sign them up without telling them.

If a man, he prefers ballet classes because he has always wondered how he would look in a tutu and tights. If a woman, she wants to take salsa classes to scope out a hot, Latin instructor. By doing this, you will be able to dance your way right into their heart.

Libra (September 23October 22) This month, don’t waste your time reading horoscopes.

Create your own destiny by studying the stars and becoming the next Kunkle (if confused, read disclaimer). Write your own story. However, when you realize you do not have the gift of the “sight” (unlike myself) and nothing seems to work out for you, come back to me and I will tell you what your true horoscope reveals for the month.

Scorpio (October 23November 21) Snowdrifts are cramping your style this month, both literally and figuratively. Buy a shovel and dig yourself out of the mess.

However, if you want to stay snowed in, just buy some hot chocolate and rent a bunch of movies and skip class instead, claiming you just “couldn’t get out.”

Sagittarius (November 22December 21) The alignment of Neptune and Pluto will have you feeling extra confident this month.

People will be falling over themselves to grant your every wish.

So make sure to solicit money and food. It should be enough to carry you over to next month.

Ophiuchus (November 29 – December 17) Didn’t I tell you this was fake? Stop reading this. You are a Sagittarius. Stop trying to get two horoscopes.

Honestly….

Capricorn (December 22January 19) You will get into a fight with your pet this month. An all-out brawl will ensue causing your neighbors to call animal control. If you have a pit-bull or a goldfish, I would be very concerned about the damage they could do to you.

If you have a rabbit, I would be even more afraid. Don’t worry, though, because animal control will come with Tasers and animal treats and will be able to calm your pet down.

To make sure this doesn’t happen a second time, make sure to remember to feed them next time.

Rachel Schipper Editor-in-Chief Liz Zappa Assistant Editor Victoria Lusk Advertising Manager Ashley Vincent Office Manager

EDITORIAL BOARD Jason Baker Dan Dreher Rosa Jundt Ben Kraft Bryce Mills

OPINION Comics/Feature: Michael A. Kandalaft (comics) Kelli Gill Jeffrey Langley Kimberly Wirries Sports: Rita Zappa Zach Anderson Liz Zappa

NEWS STAFF

Lusk LAYOUT/Victoria DESIGN Rachel Schipper

COPY EDITORS Casey Luedke Jen Mellette Carl Wobig

PHOTOGRAPHERS Liz Zappa Kelli Gill

ADVISING Tracy Russman

POLICIES DISCLOSURES The Exponent stands behind the university policies regarding the illegal use of alcohol and the following disclosure is policy as defined by the officials of Northern State University and the South Dakota Board of Regents: Alcohol use by those under the age of 21 is illegal under South Dakota State Law. NSU and these advertisers neither encourage nor condone the illegal use of alcoholic beverages.

Neither Northern State University nor Student Publications either condones or condemns any paid advertisement.

Editorial content and opinions expressed in The Exponent are not a direct reflection of the views of the officials of Northern State University.

The Exponent is a division of Student Publications of NSU and is a student- managed newspaper, funded with revenue gathered from the NSU General Activity Fee and is provided to the campus community at no circulation cost.

Letters: Should be doublespaced typed and fewer than 200 words. Letters must include the author’s signature, name, address and telephone number plus class and home-town if a NSU student.

Faculty and staff must identify their various positions.

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Study Abroad: the opportunity of a lifetime Students participate in NSU’s study abroad program and share with The Exponent Kimberly Wirries Foreign Correspondent

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cannot believe that in just a few days I will be embarking on a journey that seemed so far away four months ago.

I am about to travel to Santiago, Chile for a semester abroad.

This trip has been on my mind for as long as I can remember. I knew that while applying to colleges there was a need for a studying abroad program.

I plan on graduating May 2012, and becoming a Spanish teacher. The process of organizing a semester abroad was time consuming, but in the end

was so worth it.

I came from a rural town in northern Minnesota and from a single-parent household.

I thought that these characteristics would put a restriction on my desire to travel abroad, but I was wrong.

The cost of travelling seems quite overwhelming,

but there are people out there willing to help for a good cause.

By being from a lowincome household and single parent family I thought that I would not have the funds to study, so I began my search for help. With the help of my study abroad advisor, the Gilman Scholarship was an option.

In order to be eligible for this scholarship one needs to receive the Pell Grant.

This is the most important criterion for this scholarship.

By receiving this particular grant, I was able to continue with the application.

I needed to type an essay that stated why this opportunity was important to me

and then propose a followup project that would be completed while abroad or upon return.

The second week of December, I received notice that I was awarded $4,000 to help fund my study abroad to Chile.

I am not sure that I would have received this scholarship without the help of friends and family, who proofread my documents and pushed me to hope for the best.

This scholarship will help me to reach my potential, become accustomed to a different culture and to improve my Spanish speaking skills.

As I said, I am about to travel to Chile and am excited for what they have

in store for me. I know that this experience will be filled with language immersion, travelling and cultural experiences.

Although I am only human and am also nervous for this trip, so many people have told me and assured me this trip will be a tremendous opportunity.

I want to encourage those who may be interested to study abroad and to help them reach their potential.

This is only an introduction to my trip and I look forward to sharing my experiences with those who are interested.

Kimberly Wirries is an NSU junior majoring in Spanish Education. She is from Ulen, Minn.

coming to look at it. It was fixed three days later, which isn’t that long of a wait, but I was frustrated that they never gave me an idea of when it might be fixed.

More independence also means a lot more independence academically. At our orientation we were told to meet with our tutors at a certain time and choose three or four classes to take from what was available. The class choices were very limited, the timetables were alien, and advice from the tutors was limited.

It was very confusing to choose which classes would be the best to take and add into that equation the fact that in some academic departments in England classes run yearlong, which means that all foreign exchange students will be jumping in during the middle of the class schedule. Despite the difficulty, most of the course

tutors were very relaxed and accommodating toward exchange students.

They were helpful in providing information on the class needed and very open to special papers or exams for exchange students that were staying for only one term, meaning they wouldn’t be around for the finals in June.

I’ve been here for little more than a week, and already I think it would be weird to be home again.

Little things that at first seemed foreign, such as cobblestones, grand buildings and architecture mixed among very modern and stylish shops and pubs, and bagging my own groceries at Asda (the UK Wal-Mart) now come naturally. I’ve begun to use British slang such as “flat,” “crisps,” “lift,” and have even begun to develop a very subtle British accent!

Despite some things that have taken getting used to, just being here to take in the different culture and habits has been simply amazing! The people are very warm and welcoming, and it hasn’t been hard to make new friends at all, even though I came here knowing absolutely no one.

With Facebook and Skype, it’s easier than ever to keep in touch, and I plan to travel to as many places as I can manage and take as many pictures as possible along the way to record my own photo-journal for my friends back home!

I’ve got a new friend from Liverpool who has promised to show me around his city already this weekend, and next weekend – Amsterdam!

Experiences like this are irreplaceable.

Kelli Gill Foreign Correspondent

Week 1 in Manchester, England So I may be a crusty old senior at Northern State, but when I got to thinking of all the things I wished I’d done but never had, I realized that I had limited school years left and had still never been to Europe!

Isn’t that something you’re supposed to do as a college-aged young adult?

Go backpacking through Europe, see the Eiffel Tower, take a gondola through Venice, meet hunky boys (or pretty girls, I guess) with cute accents?

I was missing out!

So even though it would have to be during my senior year in college, I arranged a study abroad trip to Europe. And boy has it been worth it so far!

The first thing you should know about studying abroad is to explore all of your options. I really wanted to go to England because I figured I would be out of my comfort zone enough without having to try and speak another language regularly.

Northern doesn’t have a study abroad option to England, so that means I had to search for other South Dakota state schools that would be able to help me. Turns out, South Dakota State University has an exchange program straight to Manchester, England, studying at Manchester Metropolitan University. It was a piece of cake to sign up for their program and take a trip through SDSU, without having to enroll at SDSU or change my student status in any way at Northern.

I do have to say that the

most frustrating part of the entire study abroad process was waiting to hear back from Manchester after each piece of paperwork I turned in. I was so excited to travel and so eager to get everything organized and squared away to make my travel and my trip perfect!

But the way things work in Europe is very different from the United States.

One of the most difficult things I’ve had to deal with since I’ve arrived is the extremely carefree, laidback attitude here in Manchester. Things that would be rushed and planned back home are treated very casually and without much urgency here.

That’s how everything is. Time schedules, school arrangements, meetings, etc., are very loosely arranged, and it’s basically assumed that people will figure things out on their own.

That is another big

change from life at home in the States. Students are given much more independence here at Man. Met. There are no Resident Hall Directors, no RA’s, and basically no rules for on-campus living. Living on campus is just like renting your own apartment, which means late, noisy nights, freedom and… well, basically a party every night!

But it also means that if you have a problem, there isn’t anyone to turn to, either. Two of my friends didn’t have working Internet when they arrived to their flat and service has been quite slow. When I first arrived, my shower ran at only one temperature: ice cold. I noticed it first thing, because all I wanted to do after my 10hour flight was take a nice, warm shower! I went to go speak with the housing office a couple of times, and they gave me vague answers about someone

Opinion debate, and believe myself to be fairly moderate in it. I also don’t have any specific piece of policy to critique. These are just the opinions of your Joe Shmoe Exponent writer.

However, I do believe that they are incredibly valid opinions, and will thank you prematurely for those of you who wish to continue on reading. Those of you who wish to quit reading, please remember that recycling “saves trees and stuff” when choosing how to dispose of this paper.

Now that I have that little bit out of the way, there are a few issues I wish to discuss: the issue of firearms for self-defense, the ease of access with which one can obtain firearms, and finally, assault weapons. These seem to me to be the big issues concerning gun control, and why I think that overall, a little bit of control wouldn’t be a bad thing.

One of the most often arguments against gun control that I have heard is the notion of firearms as selfdefense. The common belief is that if someone is robbing you, a pistol or other firearm will be what is most appropriate to defend yourself with. The belief is that if we outlaw guns, only criminals will have them, and while I believe that it is ultimately true, there are also several things to take into account when looking at firearms in the household.

Accidents with firearms are too commonplace, particularly among those untrained, as well as children. I’ve heard many people talk about keeping a pistol in the nightstand next

to their beds, in case their wife is ever home alone.

“Basically, I’ve taught her enough thing? to get the thing off safe.” To me, that doesn’t sound like any kind of adequate training.

This can also bring me to my second point, which is that guns can often be turned against those who are wielding them. An attacker or burglar in a home can overpower someone with a weapon, take the weapon from them, and now, they are left with their own pistol turned against them. Finally, an attacker who is armed will be far more likely to actually discharge their weapon if the person they are attacking also has a firearm. How much is the stuff in your home really worth? Is it worth your life? Thinking back to the home I grew up in, mace would be effective range-wise in just about any room of my house.

Once again, it may provoke an armed attacker into firing, but if I get overpowered, at least I’m only giving up mace. I also would not have to worry about missing whoever I was aiming at, and having a bullet fly through my house or through my sheet rock walls, and possibly harming a family member.

The ease of access problem is a tricky one. The hassle of buying a weapon in some states is ridiculous, from what I have read. I can remember getting my first shotgun for my 16th birthday. My dad and I went into a Wal-Mart, I picked out the 12 gauge I wanted (Remington, synthetic black stock, in case any of you were wondering,) we paid for it, it was escorted with us out the door, and no muss, no fuss, I had my weapon.

The convenience of buying firearms is great in South Dakota, especially if

do by rushing toward a fresh raft of gun-control laws. It's very hard to demonstrate that most of them – registration, waiting periods, one-gun-a-month laws, closing the gun-show loophole, large-capacitymagazine restrictions, assault-rifle bans – have ever saved a life.

It's a hard thing to accept, but in a country of 350 million privately owned guns, the people who are inclined to do bad things with guns will always be able to get them.

One might as well combat air crashes by repealing gravity.

I'm not one for slinging statistics, because everybody can read into them what he wants to see.

One, though, seems pretty hard to ignore: The rates of murder and other violent crime have dropped by about half in the past 20 years – one piece of unalloyed good news out of the past two decades.

During those same 20

years, gun ownership has gone way up, and gun laws have become far looser.

Gun guys are convinced there's a causal relationship.

They say that criminals become timid in the face of an armed citizenry.

I think the crime drop has more to do with changing demographics and smarter policing. Either way, it is obvious that more guns and looser gun laws did not cause crime to rise.

The people on left, who have an impulse toward ever tighter gun laws, need to look squarely at that. If what they want to do is reduce violent crime, perhaps they should continue what they're doing.

While it may be true that nothing can be done to keep guns out of the wrong hands, it is plainly false that nothing can be done to reduce violence. A lot is being done, and quite successfully. It just doesn't involve restricting guns.

Gun control not only does no practical good, it active-

From the left...

Would more gun control be such a bad Ben Kraft Opinion Columnist

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ould a little gun control be such a bad thing? ?In the wake of the Arizona shootings, gun control has once again come to national attention.

Many Democrats are supporting gun control measures, whilst understanding that these measures are not particularly popular, particularly amid a political climate where the House of Representatives has become the House of New Republicans. Republicans, and the right, are not particularly known for their love of gun control.

In fact, the Party of No can probably just as easily be called the Party of Go. Go get yourself a gun, we’re not worried. While despite being the liberal I am, I have to say that I am a pretty fierce advocate of Second Amendment rights.

I’ve grown up around guns and hunting. I’m currently a member of the National Guard, and let me tell you, firing an automatic weapon is pretty sweet.

I’m not ever going to advocate for the complete removal of firearms, and I don’t believe that the Second Amendment refers to the National Guard and Reserve.

Governments should be afraid of their people, and it’s just a little bit easier for them to be afraid if those people are armed.

However, I do not believe in unrestricted firearm sales or access. As I have grown older, I have seen both sides of this

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ear John:

It's tempting, after a hideous event like the shooting in Tucson, to want to "do something" about gun violence. But let's pause to consider what that something could be, and what price we might pay for doing it.

Much has been made of Arizona's notoriously lax gun laws, even though Arizona law was irrelevant to Jared Loughner's purchasing the gun. The background check is federal law, and he passed it.

Yes, his carrying it concealed to the Safeway, without a permit, was legal under Arizona's new law, but if it hadn't been, would he have been dissuaded?

He headed off to commit murder; he was already far over the line where a concealed-carry law wouldn’t have made any difference to him.

As a Republican, I worry about the damage we might

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you’re buying a rifle or a shotgun. We have no registration, no permit to carry, no permit to purchase, and no licensing associated with them. The issue, however, is that in this ease of use, people can slip through the cracks.

The Virginia Tech shooter, a number of years ago, and the Tucson, Ariz., shooter both purchased their handguns legally.

After the Virginia Tech massacre there was a bill passed shortly after: the National Instant Criminal Background Check. This bill was greatly needed as a prevention method, and was supported by even the National Rifle Association.

The question is, will any bill be passed in the wake of the Tucson shootings? In our own state, it only requires a 48-hour waiting period before one can walk out with a handgun, and while a permit is required to carry a concealed weapon, it is not required to purchase a handgun.

There seems, to me, to be no situation of self-defense too pressing where someone couldn’t undergo at least a background check for the purchase of a pistol.

A pistol is an easily concealed weapon, and someone using a pistol for ill isn’t going to bother themselves with a permit to conceal it if they can’t get one.

My final issue is that of assault weapons. This is about the only place I can point out a piece of policy, which is the assault weapon ban of 1994. This ban expired in 2004 and no policy was instituted in its place. Assault weapons do not have a place, as I see it, in any home. The need for an assault rifle for selfdefense seems to be almost a moot point. The common burglar will not come into your house with an AK-47 and you don’t need one “just in case.”

I have openly admitted

that I love firing automatic weapons. I also love assault rifles; however, I never expect to own one. Assault weapons are military in nature, and military they should remain. Some might take issue with me on this because of the statement about the National Guard and Reserve not taking place in the Second Amendment. Is this amendment not designed to allow us to form a militia?

However, I see no one complaining about their lack of tanks and hand grenades, and I feel like assault weapons would fall under this category as well.

This is particularly a hot button issue, because the shooter at Arizona used a 31 round clip in his weapon, a clip that under the assault weapons ban would not have been legal for him to buy. Does anyone actually need 31 rounds for self-defense, or for hunting? I’ve never had to use one.

Wrapping this all up, I will once again state that I am an avid hunter, and actually own both a shotgun and a rifle. I may also buy a handgun, as well as apply for a conceal and carry permit. If I have to have an extensive background check done on me, or if I have to wait longer than 48 hours for my handgun, so be it. I understand that gun control measures are there for our safety and whatever inconvenience I may face because of these measures is generally in my best interest. I do not see a slippery slope ahead, with one gun control measure leading to the banning of all weapons. I feel as though my Second Amendment rights are firmly intact, and believe me, if I ever feel they are threatened, I will be one of the first people to pipe up about it.

Until then, however, would a little gun control

...to the right More gun control won’t help anything ly causes harm. It may be hard to show that it saves lives, but it's easy to demonstrate that we've sacrificed a generation of progress on things like health care, women's rights, immigration reform, income fairness, and climate change because we keep messing with people's guns.

All the talk of a new large-magazine ban hits gun guys' ears like liberals using this disaster to trim back gun rights a little.

It reinforces the toxic narrative that the Democrats are the enemy of regular guys, which is the last thing they want or need right now.

If, say, a ban on largecapacity magazines would actually do some good – i.e.

Jason Baker Opinion Columnist

save some lives – we could argue about whether it's worth taking some heat from the gun guys over it.

But politics is a cost-benefit analysis – what are you going to get vs. what you're going to lose. In this case, progressives have a tremendous amount to lose, and almost nothing to gain.

As a nation, we have a lot of work to do on many fronts, and all of it is going to require cooperation. Let's not make the job harder, in our hour of grief, by blindly running toward new guncontrol "solutions" that will do little if anything to prevent further tragedies.

Sincerely….

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New Spider-Man film in 2012, good or bad?

Dan Dreher Movie Critic

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s many of you may know, Hollywood films have the ability to fall into trends that come and go. One of these Hollywood trends that are pretty popular at the moment is remaking/rebooting an old popular film in order to reach a new audience and capitalize on the brand recognition.

This is becoming a common practice because films are simply not making as much money as they used to and what better way to reach the largest potential audience than by remaking a classic film? Sometimes this works to the audience’s surprise, like Christopher Nolan’s take on Batman, or it could fail and damage the film franchise, like Tim Burton’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” The overall financial success of the remake/reboot trend is getting to a point where the

waiting period from the original film to the remake is shrinking. A great example of this is the upcoming Spider-Man film.

It’s true; we will witness a completely new and different Spider-Man film with no connection to Sam Raimi’s last trilogy (which ended in 2007).

Personally, I’m on the fence about the idea of a new SpiderMan film being made so soon.

One side of me says “who flipping cares?” while the other side is telling me that they should respect the original film trilogy (even though it was mediocre) by waiting a few more years so they can reach a new generation.

No matter how you and I feel about it, it’s currently filming in

Los Angeles with a release date of July 3rd, 2012.

Just like Christopher Nolan’s Batman, the upcoming Spider-Man film is rumored to be darker and more contemporary compared to the last trilogy. Replacing Tobey

Maguire as Peter Parker/Spider-Man will be Andrew Garfield, who recently played the role of Eduardo Saverin in David Fincher’s “The Social Network.”

The new remake will mainly focus on Peter Parker during his high school years, which pretty much guarantees a different story we haven’t seen fully fleshed out on film. Since it’s focusing on his high school days, Mary Jane Watson (played

by Kirsten Dunst in the last trilogy) will have little to no role in the new film.

Instead, Gwen Stacy, which is being played by Emma Stone (Superbad, Easy A), will be the new love interest for Peter Parker.

The film does have an impressive cast to help both Garfield and Stone. Some of the actors/actresses attached to this film are Martin Sheen,

Denis Leary, and Sally Field. The film studio decided to go with the relatively new director, Mark Webb.

He has film dozens of music videos over the years and made his feature directorial debut with “(500) Days of Summer” in 2009. It’s definitely rare to see a film studio trust a billion dollar film franchise to a director with independent roots.

The reason why their allowing this is because it is rumored that the film only has an 80 million dollar budget, which is considered pretty small for a summer action film.

No matter what happens, it’s definitely going to be interesting to see how the final product comes out.

Releasing it in the competitive summer film season, will the new Spider-Man have a chance of success against other films like “The Dark Knight Rises” and the sequel to “Star Trek”? Either way, I’ll still blindly pay for a ticket opening weekend.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow (Not!) Rosa Jundt Opinion Columnist

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parkling crystals clinging to tree branches, a melodious, soft crunch underneath your boot, and glistening white drifts kissing the countryside are all ways to describe the majestic beauty that comes only during the special time of year that is winter. I am talking about the great joy of snow. However, those descriptions are merely a façade, a farce, and a misconception about the powdery, white stuff.

In actuality, snow is more aptly described as a harrowing menace, a destroyer of good moods, and the slippery tool of demons to create car accidents and broken hips.

Sure, there are many people that claim they just “love snow.” But honestly, I think they are full of baloney. Who can truthfully say that they love having to go outside in the frigid hours of the morning, noon, and night, spend an hour huffing and puffing while they dig their car out of a three-foot snowdrift, only to get stuck again while backing out of their driveway? Not me.

I think snow is only good for one thing: the illustrious snow day. The rare snow day gives the privilege of being able to forget responsibilities in the outside world and allows everyone who has been granted the snow day time to relax.

For me, a snow day gives me the opportunity to hermit myself up in my house with myriad of books that are just waiting to be read. I do not mind the soft fall of snow cascading down from just outside my window; I welcome it and hope it can continue for days (as long as I do not have to leave my home). My magical snow day bubble pops, though, when the aftermath of the snow day ends up being the crass task of digging vehicles out from snowdrifts that I mentioned earlier.

Building snowmen and snow forts, creating snow angels, having snowball fights and sledding were all part of the joys of childhood winters for me. Now

that I look back on it, I have only one thought: “What in the *@#* was I thinking??” There is absolutely no point in lying down in the snow and inviting huge clumps of snow down into your coat, pants, and boots, melting into a cool river trickling down against your skin and soaking your clothes. Getting hit in the face with a snow ball, or more appropriately should I say missile? No thanks. I’ll pass.

Yeah, snow forts were super cool, b u t when t h e tunnel you are in collapses while your friends are jumping up and down on top of the fort yelling, “This thing is indestructible!!!” You tend to lose your appreciation right quick.

I have to agree that some activities are great for snow, such as sledding, skiing and snowboarding, and snowmobiling.

There’s nothing more fun than skidding all over a slick surface and then slamming into a frozen tree.

I only have two more issues to contend regarding snow. The first being that snow is heavy and leads to Metrodome collapses. And two is that snow melts and contributes to flooding which leads to basements filled with poop water.

Every single year, winter seems to creep up on me, bringing me all the “joy” that comes with snow. Every year, I say I am going to move south. Will I ever? Most likely not, because I think I enjoy complaining about all that powdery white stuff.

And as I look outside right now… great, it’s snowing.

She

said...

He

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Bryce Mills Opinion Columnist

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nless you have developed some sort of teleportation device or stolen a time travel vehicle and bought a teleportation device at your local space station-based Wal-Mart, you will notice it is cold outside. The kind of cold that makes gives you frostbite indoors. Some will blame the arctic winds or the myth about global colding.

I’m the only one who knows who is really behind it all: SNOW! You might thing I’m crazy, but we all know when it’s cold there is snow and once it’s hot the snow is gone.

Clearly the snow controls the weather like some kind of evil weather wizard.

It shows up in time to ruin Halloween, makes it impossible to travel during Christmas, and disappears as soon as it gets bored of hanging around.

Seriously, what is snow’s problem? Was it not loved enough as a kid? Did water and ice pick on it for not being cool enough or smooth enough? I don’t know what it is, but snow likes to take it out on everyone on the north side of the States.

I don’t want to be unfair to snow either. It has its benefits. Snow forts, snowball fights, snowmen, other snow related crafts, none of them would be possible if it wasn’t for snow. If

you can’t look back on good times with snow, you have never lived. It is a requirement in order to live a successful life to make at least 15 snow angels, 10 snowmen, five snow forts, and won at least one game of king of the snow hill. Snow is like a lifetime supply of Play-doh.

You can make anything out of it and you never run out. You just have finish making it before it melts.

Too bad when you get older snow loses some of that appeal. After a hard snow, you have to deal with bad roads and worse drivers. That is assuming you can even move your car before the snowplows come through and bury your car and give you a ticket for the effort. I can understand ticketing a car for street cleaning, even though the practice of shining dirt seems a little off, but to expect a person to be able move their car through three feet of snow isn’t quite fair.

Where was I? Oh yeah, snow. That stuff sucks! You get to have all sorts of fun with it when you are a kid, but the second you grow up no one wants to go sledding or sculpt a life size model of Boba Fett out of snow.

When you get to be a college kid, there is only one thing you ever want to hear that is associated with snow. That is when you wake up early on a Monday morning, lay in bed for half an hour, and just as you are about to get out of bed your friend calls and tells you IT’S A SNOW DAY! Then and only then, snow is as awesome as it was when you were ten.

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Lady Wolves excel in busy season Zachary Anderson Sports Writer

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he Lady Wolves have kept busy since December, playing 12 games with six of them being in Aberdeen.

The first team the Wolves faced was the Concordia-St. Paul Golden Bears. The Wolves started by making the first basket and through the first half never looked back as they were able to pull ahead fifteen at one point and led by double digits most of the first half. Going into half time, the Wolves led 34-24. After half time, Northern again made the first basket, but was not as dominant at first as the Bears were able to get within four points.

After that, the Wolves started to pull ahead as they led by 16 at a point and ended the game 67-55.

Junior forward Mikayla Barondeau, Frederick, led the Wolves in rebounds with 14 while senior forward Jodi Reinschmidt, St. Michael, Minn., led the way in scoring with 20 points. The team shot 48 percent from the floor, ended with 40 rebounds, and shot 64 percent from the free throw line.

Game two for the Wolves was again in Aberdeen as they prepared to face the Huskies of St. Cloud State. Going back and forth in the beginning, the Wolves made the first shot and soon lost the lead.

The Huskies were never able to get the spread higher than five points and so the Wolves were able to regain the lead and take it to a nine point spread going into half time. The second half seemed to be the Wolves half as they were able to keep the lead and stretch the spread to 20 while never dropping their double digit lead. Bringing the Wolves to their win, the final score was 71-60.

Reinschmidt led the team in points again with 23 while Barondeau was able to record a double-double with 10 rebounds and 11 points. As a whole, the Wolves shot 48 percent from the floor, had 46 rebounds and made 15 of 20 free throws.

Leaving Aberdeen, the Wolves headed to Wayne, Neb., to take on the Wildcats. Northern was able to get a good start trading baskets and tying up the game three times, but the Wildcats would begin to pull away. The Wildcats would continue to extend their lead up to 15, which is what they went into half time with; the Wolves down 38-25. After halftime, the Wolves continued to slip as the wildcats brought their lead to 22 at one point and only dropped their double digit lead with seven minutes left. Even after the Wolves were able to bring the deficit into single digits, the Wolves were forced to foul and the wildcats won by 11 with a score of 6150.

Leading the team in points was Barondeau with 16 who was followed closely by Reinschmidt with 12. The team shot 36 percent from the floor, ended with only 31 rebounds, and made five of their eight free throws.

Following the Wayne State game, the Wolves headed to Sioux Falls to face the Augustana Vikings. The Vikings got the first basket, taking the lead in which they did not plan on giving up. The Wolves kept them in check, only allowing them to get a double digit lead five times and bringing the deficit to as close as two points. The halftime score was 37-32, giving an opportunity for the Wolves to come back, but they were unable to come through.

The final score was 71-62 in favor of the Vikings.

Reinschmidt led the team with 19 points while junior guard Emily Becken, Lino Lakes, Minn., came in second with 11. Northern shot 47 percent from the field, had 34 rebounds and made 10 of the 11 free throws they shot.

Heading back to Aberdeen, the Wolves would get ready to face the Beavers of Bemidji State. Northern would take the first lead, and would not give it up in the first quarter. The Beavers showed they would not be a push over as they tied the game three times and only let the Wolves get to

a lead of 15, and that lead did not come until going into halftime. The Wolves took a 34-19 lead into halftime. Northern would stay ahead in the second half as they were able to extend a 22-point lead half way through the half and ended the game with a 23point lead with a score of 64-41.

Barondeau recorded another double-double, leading the team with 15 points and 13 rebounds.

Becken came in a close second in scoring with 14 points of her own. The Wolves shot 40 percent from the floor, shot 71 percent from the free throw line, and ended with 46 rebounds.

Staying in Aberdeen, the Wolves would face the Bulldogs of Minnesota State-Duluth. Trading baskets at first, the Wolves would fall quickly as the Bulldogs pulled ahead, but they never could get to more than a 10-point lead. Showing their fight, the Wolves tied the game at 30 with just over two minutes left and again with 30 seconds left. With their hard effort, the Wolves only trailed by two points going into halftime. The second half did not work as well for the Wolves as the Bulldogs were able to pull out ahead by 13 and would never give up the lead. Falling to Minnesota State-Duluth 73-65, the Wolves’ record would drop to 6-4.

Senior center Krista Rabenberg, Mobridge, led the Wolves in scoring with 20, and was followed by Becken, who had 19. Reinschmidt led in rebounds with six and was also able to get 10 points of her own.

Ending their stay in Aberdeen, the Wolves headed to Iowa to face Upper Iowa. The Peacocks would put up a good fight as they and the Wolves went back and forth until the Wolves were able to keep a short lead. Northern would not be able to get the lead back in the first half as the Peacocks took their lead to 14 and went into halftime up 37-27. The second half would show the Wolves’ fight as they dropped the Peacocks lead and tied the game with 10 and a half minutes left to play. Switching leads and ties, the Wolves were up until there was six seconds left, where the Peacocks tied the game. With the last shot of the game, Becken was able to make a last second three and push the Wolves to get the win 72-69.

Reinschmidt led the team with 18 points with Becken closely following with 16 and Barondeau was able to get another double-double with 11 rebounds and 13 points. Shooting 45 percent getting 32 rebounds and shooting 65 percent from the free throw line got the Wolves their seventh win of the season.

Next the Wolves would head to Winona State in Winona, Minn. The Wolves fell behind at first as they got the first tie of the game with a little over 14 minutes left in the first half. Even though they would tie it once more, they would not be able to get the lead until there was 30 seconds left and took a one-point lead into halftime with a 28-27 lead.

After halftime, the Wolves would excel as they were able to extend a lead to 11 at one point. Winona State would not give up that easily, however, as they fought back. Winona would take back the lead with a little under four and a half minutes left. Not giving up that lead, the Wolves would fall 65-56 as they were handed their fourth Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference loss.

Junior forward Brittany Euerle, Litchfield, Minn., led the Wolves in points with 15 while junior forward Jenna Higgins, Maple Grove, Minn., led the team with six rebounds. The Wolves ended the game shooting 40 percent from the court with 27 rebounds and made 17 of their 18 free throws.

Staying in Minnesota, the Wolves headed to Crookston to face the Golden Eagles of the University of Minnesota-Crookston. The game started with basket exchanges with eight ties and neither team able to extend more than six points.

Northern would keep the lead for almost half of the first half with the Golden Eagles making the first lead change with 11 minutes left. NSU would

regain the lead with a little over five minutes left, but only held it for a short while before there were three more lead changes with the Golden Eagles going into half time with a six-point lead at a score of 39-33. Staying close in the second half, the Golden Eagles were only able to get ahead by seven before the Wolves fought back and tied the game two more times. The close game brought 11 more lead changes before the Wolves were able to pull ahead with eight minutes left to play. Staying close, the Wolves kept the lead and ended the game with an eight-point spread, ending the game 82-74.

Reinschmidt recorded a double-double with 10 rebounds and 38 points. Rabenberg came in second in scoring with 17. Northern as a team shot 53 percent from the floor, grabbed 41 rebounds and came through with 10 of their 13 free throws.

With a third game in Minnesota, the Wolves headed to Mankato to take on the Dragons. Making the first shot, the Wolves took an early lead and never looked back. The Dragons kept it close as Northern could not extend to a double digit lead.

NSU took a seven-point lead into halftime with the score at 22-15. Northern would stay on top in the second half, extending their lead to 14 with under 13 minutes left to play. The Wolves would make their largest lead of the night 18 and would end the game with a 60-46 win.

Rabenberg led the Wolves with 14 points while Reinschmidt and Becken had 10 of their own. The team shot 48 percent from the floor, racked up 30 rebounds and made 80 percent of their free throws.

Heading back to Aberdeen, Northern would face the Minnesota State, Mankato Mavericks. After the Wolves made the first basket, they would only go up from there. Northern was able to expand their lead to 16 at a point and went into half on top 3426. NSU would remain on top in the second half, spreading the game to 20 with just over six minutes to play. Northern would close their tenth win with a final score of 70-57.

Reinschmidt got another double-double, scoring 27 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Becken scored 21 of her own while Rabenberg scored 12. NSU was able to get 40 rebounds, shot 48 percent and made 20 of its 26 free throws.

With another game in Aberdeen, the Wolves would face the Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs. Northern would take the lead, but they would have to fight as the game was tied once before they spread their lead to 10 and kept their lead through the first half. Northern kept their lead into halftime with a score of 29-22.

The Wolves kept strong in the second half as had their lead dropped to within a basket. Fighting their way back into a demanding lead, the Wolves were able to expand to 11. Going up and down, the Wolves finished the game with a score of 67-56.

Reinschmidt led again with 16, with Rabenberg getting 15 and freshman guard Alison Kusler, Aberdeen, and Becken having 13 for themselves.

Reinschmidt led in rebounds with nine. The Wolves won by shooting 96 percent from the free throw line, having 45 rebounds, and making 19 of 51 shots from the floor.

The Wolves played again in Aberdeen, this time against the University of Mary Marauders. It was a close game where every point counted, and the Wolves were able to come out on top, defeating the Marauders 60-57 and winning their fifth game in a row.

Reinschmidt had a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds. Becken led the way in points with 16 followed by Kusler with 14. The Wolves shot 39.6 percent from the field and 65.5 percent from the free throw line.

Next for the Wolves were some away games against Minnesota Duluth and Bemidji State.

Results were unavailable as of press time. The Wolves will return to their home court on Feb. 4 against Minnesota State, Moorhead, at 6 p.m.

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Swim team to compete Wrestlers grapple with tough season Liz Zappa Sports Editor

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ith less than two weeks until the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Championships, the Northern State University swim team is looking like tough competition for opponents in the conference.

The women are riding high off a second place finish at the DragonCobbler Invitational, held on Jan. 21-22 in Moorhead, Minn.

Christine Retzlaff, junior, Wahpeton, N.D., placed the highest of the Wolves, taking second place in both the 100-yard butterfly and 200-yard butterfly with a time of 1:02.45 and 2:18.99 respectively. She also placed third in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:12.68.

There were a number of third place finishes for the Wolves.

Sara Peterson, freshman, Sioux Falls, broke an NSU record in the 50-yard butterfly, clocking in a time of 28.91 seconds, and also placing third in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 26.29 and in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 57.19. Allie Samuels, sophomore, Cody, Wyo., scored in the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:39.16 seconds and Brooke Larson, junior, McLaughlin, placed with a time of 2:23.16 in the 200-yard backstroke. Mikaela Waiflein, freshman, Aberdeen, swam a time of 19:34.04 in the 1650-yard freestyle.

These victories, among others for the Wolves, gave the women a

score of 484 points for their second place finish.

The strengths of this team were reflected earlier in the season when they competed in the Falcon Invite early in December.

The women held their own as they competed against Division I and II schools, winning many consolation rounds and breaking three school records. Retzlaff again excelled, competing in championship rounds for the 100yard butterfly, 200-yard butterfly and the 400-yard individual medley, finishing fourth in the first event and sixth in the other two.

A week later the NSU swim team was back in the pool, competing against Concordia University-Moorhead on Dec. 10.

The Wolves competed exceptionally well, defeating the Cobblers, 177-114. Retzlaff, Waiflein, Samuels and Peterson all won two events a piece, Retzlaff in the 100-yard breaststroke and 100yard butterfly, Waiflein in the 500-yard and1,000-yard freestyles, Samuels in the 200yard breaststroke and 200-yard individual medley and Peterson in the 50-yard and 100-yard freestyle.

Retzlaff, Samuels and Peterson joined Larson for the 200-yard medley relay, which they won with a time of 2:00.59 minutes.

The Wolves will compete in the RMAC Championships in Grand Junction, Colo. on Feb. 10-12.

Afterwards, they will compete in their second and last home meet of the season against MSU Moorhead on Feb 18. This will be held at the Aberdeen Family Y and begins at 6 p.m.

Liz Zappa Sports Editor

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orthern State University wrestling has been hard at work since returning from winter break, competing in six meets over the course of less than a month.

The first meet for the Wolves to kick-off the New Year was the USF Triangular against the University of Sioux Falls and Northwestern College on Jan. 12. The Wolves proved victorious against both opponents, defeating NC, 47-3 and USF, 50-3. Chad Gibson, sophomore, Rapid City, 174 pounds, had a particularly good night, pinning one opponent in 47 seconds and a second opponent in 1:01 seconds.

Next for the Wolves was a meet against Minnesota State, Mankato, on Jan 15. The Wolves faced their first conference loss of the season when they fell to the Mavericks, 22-13. Of the Wolves’ three victories for the night, Cale Cornemann, senior, Yankton, 184 pounds, perhaps had the most exciting victory. His match went into a fourth overtime before he defeated his opponent in a 6-5 deci-

sion.

A day later the Wolves fell to Upper Iowa, 25-15. Benton Crow, junior, Raymond, Wash., 141 pounds, was the first to put the Wolves on the scoreboard with a 5-2 decision. Beau Voegeli, sophomore, Oakes, N.D., 149 pounds, quickly followed suit with a 9-5 decision win. Cornemann won his match by default. Matt Meuleners, sophomore, Young America, Minn., 285 pounds, had the final Wolves victory for the night, winning 6-0 by decision.

The first home meet of the season was held on Jan. 20, against Augustana College. Even though the score was initially very close, the second-ranked Vikings managed to pull ahead and snag a decisive victory, 326. Cornemann manage to provide one of the victories for the Wolves in a 31 decision. Meuleners had the other win with an impressive 4-0 shutout over his opponent.

The Wolves followed these losses with two more home meets, one against Dakota Wesleyan on Jan. 26, and another against Chadron State on Jan. 29. Results were unavailable as of press time. Next for the Wolves is another home meet against Dickinson State on Feb. 3, at 7 p.m.

Track and field has strong performance Liz Zappa Sports Editor

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he 2011 indoor season for the Northern State University track and field team got underway on Saturday, Jan. 15, when the men and women competed at the NDSU Bison Classic in Fargo, N.D. The meet allowed the Wolves to show their strength against NCAA Division I, II, and NAIA schools.

One strong performer for the Wolves was Luke Hauert, sophomore, Plankington, who provisionally qualified for the indoor NCAA nationals when he won second place in the 60-meter hurdles.

His time of 8.19 seconds was just shy of an automatic bid to nationals.

Other Wolves on the men’s team with strong showings included Mandela Matasu, junior, Coon Rapids, Minn., who placed third in the 400-

meter dash with a time of 52.40, and John Rawerts, senior, Aberdeen, whose time of 9:09.91 gave him a fourth place finish in the 3,000-meter run.

For the Lady Wolves, Melodi Boke, junior, Faulkton, had the strongest performance. Her distance of 13.24 meters in the shot put awarded her first place in the event.

On Jan. 21, the Wolves competed against Minot State University and Jamestown College in a triangular held at the Barnett Center. The NSU men won the triangular while the women came in second behind Jamestown.

On the men’s side, Hauert again proved to be a force to be reckoned by winning the 55-meter hurdles with a time of 7.72 seconds and the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.98.

Austin Suther, junior, Claremont, won the long jump with a distance of 6.75 m.

For the women, Boke led the way with a first place

finish and new NSU record in the shot put with a distance of 13.90 m. and third place in the weight throw with a distance of 13.22 m.

Jill Schaefer, sophomore, Chester, won second place in both the 55-meter hurdles and the 400-meter dash with times of 8.72 and 1:01.78 respectively.

The Wolves displayed their strong points earlier in the season when they competed in the intrasquad NSU Pre-Season Open, held on Dec. 9, 2010.

Hauert won two events that day: the 55-meter hurdles and the 200-meter dash.

Calvin McGruder, senior, Riverview, Fla., scored a personal best with a distance of 7.35m in the long jump.

The Wolves competed in the MSU Open on Jan. 2829, in Mankato, Minn. and the NSU Multi-Events at home on Jan. 30-31.

Results were unavailable as of press time.

Next for the Wolves is the NDSU Open on Feb. 45 in Fargo, N.D.

Men’s and Women’s Basketball (Women at 6 p.m., Men at 8 p.m.)

Feb. 4 — MSU Moorhead Feb. 5 — Minnesota Crookston Feb. 11 — Augustana Feb. 12 — Wayne State (I Hate Winter) Wrestling (All times at 7 p.m.)

Feb. 3 — Dickinson State University Feb. 4 — St. Cloud State University at St. Cloud, Minn.

Feb. 10 — Minnesota State University-Moorhead at Moorhead, Minn.

Feb. 15 — University of Mary Swimming Feb. 10-12 — RMAC Championships at Grand Junction, Colo.

Indoor Track and Field Feb. 4-5 — NDSU Bison Open at Fargo, N.D. Feb. 12 — NSU Open Feb. 13-14 — NSIC Multi Events at St. Cloud, Minn.

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Men’s basketball fights for conference wins Zachary Anderson Sports Writer

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he Wolves have been hard at work since December, playing 10 games with four of them being at home.

The first foe of the Wolves was the Wayne State Wildcats. The Wolves started with the first basket and were able to keep the lead for a good six minutes until the Wildcats were able to tie the game at five and then take the lead by one. The Wolves would fight to get the lead back with a little under 12 left in the first half.

Fighting back and forth with six ties and three lead changes, the Wolves would head into the locker room only down one with the score 3029. After half time, the Wolves began to fall behind as the Wildcats never gave up the lead and were able to expand their lead to 24 at one point. The Wolves would lose their second straight with a final score of 79-60.

The leading scorer for the Wolves was senior guard Derek Hoellein, Eureka, with 15, and redshirt freshman guard Tydan Storrusten, Pelican Rapids, Minn., was second with 10 of his own. Sophomore forward Collin Pryor, St. Charles, Ill., led the team in rebounds with eight.

After that game, the Wolves headed to Sioux Falls to take on the Augustana Vikings.

Starting out on the right track, the Wolves had the lead, but would soon be fighting for it as it was immediately tied and was then a back and forth for the lead. Going between the Vikings and Wolves, the Vikings would take the biggest lead of the night of six into half time with a score of 39-33. The second half started with Augustana pulling ahead, but the Wolves would start to work their way back as they were able to get the lead again with little over 11 minutes to go. The Vikings would continue to fight as they took the lead by one and then the Wolves took a lead of one. After the Vikings took a one-point lead after that, they would not give it up again. Never exceeding a lead of seven after that, the Wolves would fall by five 90-85.

Pryor would led the team in points with 22, and junior guard David Lane, Akron, Ohio, and sophomore forward Dustin Tetzlaff, Watertown, would follow closely with 18.

Tetzlaff would lead the team in rebounds with nine with Pryor helping with seven.

After facing the Vikings, the Wolves would head back to Aberdeen to take on the Bemidji State Beavers. BSU started the game with the lead and would hold that lead for most of the first half, extending their lead as far as by 10, but the Wolves were still fighting as they were able to get their first lead by one with a little over three minutes left. Going back and forth, the Wolves would take a five point lead into half time 33-28. Coming out from half time, the Wolves would keep their lead for a little while until the Beavers took the lead with a little under 18 minutes left. The Wolves would tie the game, but the Beavers would keep the lead until there was just under nine minutes left, when the Wolves would take a two-point lead.

After tying it twice more, the Beavers would take the lead and the win, 92-86.

Senior forward Tom Parks, Cheyenne, Wyo., led the Wolves with 19 points with Lane and Pryor having 16 of their own. Lane and Tetzlaff were the rebound leaders with seven.

Staying in Aberdeen, the Wolves would face Minnesota-Duluth. First points of the game were to the Wolves, but right away, the lead was changed and tied numerous times. After Duluth took the lead with just under 17 minutes left, they would not let go of that lead, and would extend it to 17 at one point. UMD would take a ten-point lead into half time with a score 41-31. UMD would prove too strong for the Wolves as they took that ten-point lead and

kept it all the way through the end of the game.

Never getting closer than five points, the final score was 89-78.

Leading the way for the Wolves was Pryor as he had another double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds. Tetzlaff had 13 points and eight rebounds, coming in second to Pryor in both categories.

Heading back on the road, the Wolves opened the New Year facing the Upper Iowa Peacocks. The Peacocks got the first shot in, but it would prove to be a close game, as there were three lead changes in the first three and a half minutes. The Wolves would take the lead with 16:30 left to play in the half, but they would show it would not be easy, as they were never able to spread the score double digits, only reaching a spread of eight. The Wolves would take the lead going into half time with a score of 22-18. Coming back from half time, the Wolves would remain ahead but again never spreading more than eight points. The Peacocks would tie the game at 44 with seven minutes and make the first lead change in the half going up two with just over six minutes left to play. The Wolves would tie the game and go ahead, but could not get farther than five points away as Upper Iowa was able to come back and take the lead. Northern would get the lead back, but would end up losing to the Peacocks with a shot made with only two seconds left. The final score of the game was 5857 in the crushing loss.

Pryor again led the team in points in points and rebounds with 20 points and six rebounds.

The team as a whole shot 46.3 percent and made 90 percent of their free throws.

Leaving Iowa, the Wolves would head to Minnesota to take on the Winona State Warriors. The beginning of the game would be close as the Warriors took the first lead, but the Wolves tied it and took the lead by one at a point. Unfortunately, the Warriors would take the lead back and keep it through the first quarter. The Wolves showed their fight as Winona did not get their first double digit lead until there was 2:33 left in the quarter. Heading into halftime, the Wolves were down 12 with a score of 35-23. After half time, the Warriors seemed to just pull away from the Wolves as they extended their lead to thirty two as a high point. The Wolves would fall 81-57 to the warriors, bringing their record to 5-7 on the season.

Tetzlaff led the team with 15 points and seven rebounds with Pryor close behind with 13 points. The Wolves only shot 39.3 percent from the floor and made 10 of their 13 free throws.

Staying in Minnesota, the Wolves would head to Crookston to take on the Golden Eagles. At first, the Wolves would trade baskets with the Eagles with neither team taking more than a four point lead until there was a little under seven minutes, with four ties and two lead changes. After that point, the Wolves would start to take control as they extended their lead to 13 at one point. Going into half time, the Wolves would take a 41-28 lead with high hopes of extending in the second half.

The second half would show to be dominated by the Wolves, as the Eagles were only able to get the deficit under double digits once with under two minutes left to go. The Wolves extended their lead to 17 points and ended their losing streak with a 75-65 win.

Pryor recorded yet another double-double, putting up 10 rebounds and 18 points. Pryor was followed by Parks with 13 and Tetzlaff with 12. As a team, the Wolves shot 55 percent from the floor and made 18 of their 20 free throws.

With yet another game in Minnesota, the Wolves headed to Moorhead to take on the Dragons. NSU scored first and did not look like they were going to give up the lead, as they

were able to bring the spread to seven at one point, but the Dragons would not give up as they were able to get the lead back with four minutes left. Northern would not let the Dragons extend their lead past six, which is what the Wolves headed to half time with – a score of 43-37. The second half would seem to be a shoot out as the Wolves tied the game six times, which led to four lead changes. NSU took the lead back with 15 left in the half, but lost that lead a minute and a half later only to recover the lead another two minutes later.

MSUM would take the final lead change of the night, but in the last three minutes, the Dragons lead was never more than three points as the Wolves lost the close game 72-71.

The Wolves had two players recording double-doubles in this game as Tetzlaff led the team with 16 points and 13 rebounds and Pryor getting 13 points and 11 rebounds. All of the Wolves starters had double-digit points as Hoellein recorded 15, Lane getting 12 and Parks getting 10. The team shot 45 percent from the floor and 55 percent from the free throw line.

Coming back to Aberdeen, the Wolves would face the Mankato Mavericks. The Mavericks would make the first basket and take the lead that was never given up. The first half, the Mavericks were able to get the spread up to eighteen, but the Wolves were able to work that back down to only a six point lead at one point.

Going into halftime, the Wolves were down 16 with a score of 46-30. Going out in the second half, the Mavericks remained dominant and brought their spread to 20 at one point and never letting the Wolves get closer than 12. The final of the game was 91-73 as the Wolves were handed their ninth conference loss of the year.

Pryor recorded another double-double with 12 rebounds and 13 points, and Parks led the team in scoring with 16. Hoellein and Tetzlaff came in second in scoring with 14 apiece.

Northern shot 54 percent from the court and 81 percent from the free throw line.

The next night, the Wolves got ready to face Southwest Minnesota State. A close game in the beginning trading baskets, SMSU was able to take the Wolves’ lead away and stretch it to seven. The Wolves would keep fighting, but were not able to gain back the lead from SMSU as they took a 26-22 lead going into halftime.

After half time, SMSU would maintain the lead for a little while as they extended the lead to nine at one point. Northern would not give up as they started dwindling the lead and was able to tie the game and then take back the lead with six minutes left. With SMSU taking the lead only one more time, the Wolves got the last lead change and ended the game with a spread of eight and a score of 78-70.

Tetzlaff got another double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds and Pryor and Parks tied for team point leader with 15. NSU ended up shooting 46 percent from the floor and made 23 of their 29 free throws.

The Wolves were again home a week later to take on the University of Mary Marauders.

Although the Wolves were down by double digits at one point, they fought hard and managed to even take the lead for a short while late in the game. The comeback effort would not be enough, though, as the Wolves fell to the Marauders in a nail-biter ending, 68-65.

Leading the way for the Wolves was Tetzlaff with 15 points and 16 rebounds. Parks and freshman guard Jared Hannigan, Aberdeen, each contributed 11 points. The Wolves shot only 33.3 percent from the field and 65 percent from the free throw line.

Next for the Wolves were two away games against Minnesota Duluth and Bemidji State.

Results were unavailable as of press time.

The Wolves return home again on Feb. 4 to take on Minnesota State, Moorhead, at 8 p.m.

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Super Senior takes on Valentine’s Day worries

V

alentine’s Day (or Single’s Awareness Day depending on how you look at it) is fast approaching. For college students with significant others, it can take on a whole new, harrowing light.

“OMG! What am I going to do? I’m broke and can’t buy roses for my girlfriend!” or “Do I expect something special for V-Day when we’ve only been together two months?!” or “This is a stupid holiday because I’m single.

What can I do instead?” I’m sure a few of these thoughts have gone through your head. If they have, I’m also sure that you are starting to freak out a little bit about the holiday.

First of all, for all you fellas out there wondering how you are going to scrounge around enough moolah to buy your lady a nice floral arrangement: Don’t worry about it. Yes, roses and other flowers are super nice, but it is cliché, not to mention expensive.

You are in college and should be conserving money for things like

Mountain Dew and video games.

If your lady friend is expecting a dozen long-stemmed roses and the finest chocolates, maybe you are better off because she seems highmaintenance and maybe a little shallow and certainly not original.

A more appropriate gift is to have your actions speak louder than your pocketbook. Do an activity with her that you usually grumble about and do it, this time, without complaint. If she’s not a gold-digger, she should appreciate your efforts for at least giving her favorite activity a good old college try.

For all the ladies stressing about VDay, I would have to say that if you aren’t engaged, married, or have been dating the same person for more than two years, don’t expect too much. In fact, your fella probably has not even given much thought to the holiday. So if he forgets, do not get mad, sulky, or whiney. Just move on and go back to continuing to develop your relation-

ship.

I f y o u really feel like you need to show your affection and get something in return, my advice for you is to spend the day or night participating in an activity he really likes. If he’s big into sports, watch the game with him (Tip: do not idly chatter. In fact, stay quiet throughout the game unless it’s to cheer for the team he’s rooting for). If he loves video games, play with him (Tip: If you are terrible, laugh off how bad you are. If, by some chance, you are better at video games than him, just let him win). Keep in mind: always pander to your gentlemen’s ego.

Now if you are single, I bet you’re tired of all the mushy-gushy baloney.

So what should you do on this “holiday?” Well, you can treat it like any other day. Get up, go to class, nap, class, nap, skip class, etc. Or you can embrace the day and try to make it as terrible as possible for anyone who is actually celebrating it. Let’s say one of your buddies tells you he’s made special plans with his lady friend.

Your response should be “Are you sure, because I overheard her telling her girlfriends that she’s going to go out clubbing tonight and see if she can meet someone who’s not a loser…

Her words, not mine.” This will probably create a big fight between the two, making just another unhappy couple on V-Day. My other suggestion would be to go to a nice restaurant and sit by a couple that is obviously trying to have a romantic evening (Tip: look for those gazing deep into each other’s eyes, low, muted voices whispering sweet nothings, and constant PDA). After seated, start telling anyone who is within earshot about how you just came from the hospital where your 80-year-old great uncle is in with bad hemorrhoids and/or other absolutely disgusting ailments. Use a lot of body language and if possible, show pictures. Make sure that the couple gets in on your story. By doing this you should ruin their night and it will ultimately make you feel better about your own single status.

Well, I hope this article helped someone regarding Valentine’s Day, but don’t blame me if my advice actually leads to a less-than-romantic encounter.

I’m going to be the person sitting in the restaurant trying to ruin others’ VDays!

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“If you could tattoo anything on the back of a bald person’s head, what would it be?”

— Rita Zappa

“A monkey, because monkeys are hairy so it would be ironic.”

— Tabitha Blair, Aberdeen, freshman

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“I would put strands of hair, and then have words on the back saying, “What?

My genes suck. What else am I suppose to do?”

— Yvonne Freese, Lanesboro, Minn., soph.

“I would color it all green, and put a huge letter G on top of it, because the packers are going to win the Super Bowl.”

— Tyler Schwan, Surrey, soph.

“I would make it look like the back of a brain.”

— Megan Miller, Minneapolis, Minn., junior

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“I would put the words “squeaky clean” on the front of the head.”

— Paul Moneke, Sioux Falls, senior

“A picture of bacon and eggs.”

— Charlotte Mallard, Huron, freshman