7/28/2019 75 Issue 2

1/20

Rant & Rave:

MSU-Billings &

the Invisible Voter

Pg. 2

COB No More!

Say Hello to

McDonald Hall

Pg. 3

Dining Woes:

What will you pay

to eat on campus?

Pg. 4

Supreme Court of

Montana on

Campus?

Pg. 5

Piracy & the

Recording Industry

Pg. 5

Parking Problems

Pg. 6

How to: Live on a

College Budget!

Pg. 9

My Summer

in Africa...

Pg. 10

Laugh Your Head Off !

Pg. 11

Movie Buffs

Movie Reviews

Pg. 16

Cross Country Trek

Pg. 18

Getting To Know You:

Alberta Letoa is Cold!

Pg. 19

Meet The Retort

Pg. 20

Volume 75 - Issue 2 - October 6, 2003

Out of the Sept. 16 denate

meeting, senior, mass communica-

tions major Justin Sian, was ap-

pointed ASMSU-Bill ings vice

president. On his recent appoint-

ment, Sian mentioned that, Im

excited and anxious about my new

appointment. I have many great

ideas and goals for the upcoming

year, and I look forward to work-

ing with senate to accomplish

them.

Carla Amerson, formerASMSU-Billings student resolu-

tions officer, has emerged as the

new president of student govern-

ment in the Sept. 22 election.

Amerson, a senior, double major-

ing in secondary education-art

and special education, hopes that

she will be able to accomplish two

goalsFirst, I want to increase the

awareness of the impact that the

Associated Students organization

has on the student body of MSU-

Billings. In addition to this, I want

to educate the student population

about the fiscal policy and appro-

priation of student fees that student

senate delegates each year.

Amerson said, I want to lessen the

appearance of student apathy on

the campus in regards to policy and

procedure at MSU-Billings.

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Jeremy SeidlitzStaff Writer

Unexpected Resignations Force Changes in

ASMSU-Billings Student Government

The Associated Students of

Montana State University-Billings has

been through some rather difficult

times during the Fall 2003 semester.

The unexpected resignation of both

the student body president, and vice

president have forced the student or-

ganization appoint a new vice-presi-

dent, and to call a special presidential

election.Ray Champ, former student

body president, resigned his position

to continue his summer employment.

Christina Sprague, former student

body vice-president, resigned to pur-

sue a career in a youth development

program. The unique perspectives

that these two individuals brought to

ASMSU-Billings will be missed by

the organization. This is the first time

in ASMSU-Billings history that there

have been resignations in both the

president and vice-president positions.

In the interim, Adam Lucido

(junior, business management, mass

communication), ASMSU-Billings

business manager, has been the act-

ing president pro-tempore. In addi-

tion to his capacity as business man-

ager, Lucido has been working on

the appointment of vice-president,

conducting senate meetings, and

helping prepare for the organiza-

tions orientation retreat. When

asked about the resignations,

Lucido replied:

To be candid, it is a bit frus-

tratingthe first two weeks of

school are always vital in prepar-

ing for the up-and-coming school

year, and leadership during this pe-

riod should be paramount. Its hard

when a situation like this occurs be-

cause it really isnt fair to the stu-

dent body when they are unable to

begin the year with elected student

leadership. Thats not to say, how-

ever, that the leadership has not

been here. Everyone in this office

has done their part to uphold the

dignity and professionalism that

students deserve from ASMSU-

Billings.

To be cand id, it is

a bit

frustrating...

leadership during

this period should

be paramount

7/28/2019 75 Issue 2

2/20

Janna HuhtalaJanna HuhtalaJanna HuhtalaJanna HuhtalaJanna HuhtalaValerie YoungValerie YoungValerie YoungValerie YoungValerie Young

Richard Cast il loRichard Cast il loRichard Cast il loRichard Cast il loRichard Cast il loJed BartonJed BartonJed BartonJed BartonJed BartonNicole MassNicole MassNicole MassNicole MassNicole MassJennifer FentonJennifer FentonJennifer FentonJennifer FentonJennifer Fen tonMi Suk KimMi Suk KimMi Suk KimMi Suk KimMi Suk KimAdam WickensAdam WickensAdam WickensAdam WickensAdam WickensVACANTVACANTVACANTVACANTVACANTAmy Whit tleAmy Whit tleAmy Whit tleAmy Whit tleAmy Whit tleChristopher SnowChristopher SnowChristopher SnowChristopher SnowChristopher SnowDan HansenDan HansenDan HansenDan HansenDan Hansen

Jason Lill ieJason Lill ieJason Lill ieJason Lill ieJason Lill ieBetsy HarrisBetsy HarrisBetsy HarrisBetsy HarrisBetsy HarrisMiranda BredingMiranda BredingMiranda BredingMiranda BredingMiranda BredingBecky ButcherBecky ButcherBecky ButcherBecky ButcherBecky Butcher

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Guidelines & Policies

The Retort encourages the submission of let-

ters to the Editor. Letters must be under 250

words in length and include name, signature,

and phone number. The Retort reserves the

right to edit for space and possible libel. Let-

ters should deal with subject matter relevant

to the students, faculty, and staff of MSU-

Billings. The Retort is published every other

Tuesday. Letters must be submitted by theFriday after the most recent issue date.

The Publications Board of ASMSU-B advises

The Retort, leaving content decisions to the

editors. Opinions expressed in The Retort are

not necessarily those of its members, the col-

lege, students, student government, state gov-

ernment, or federal government.

Editors and StaffEditors and StaffEditors and StaffEditors and StaffEditors and Staff

Janna HuhtalaEditor-in-Chief

Rant & Rave: Editors OpinionMSU-Billings and The Invisible Voter

The computers at the MSU-Bill-

ings Student Government Voting Polls

are empty right now. Inside the Student

Union Building, the hallway is remark-

ably quiet compared to the usual loud

chaos that follows lunchtime. Students

are passing through at an astonishing

speed, (perhaps breaking the sound

barrier) spr inting past the voting booth

without even glancing at the poll

worker who is frantically giving her

spiel. Vote for the MSU-Billings

President! Only takes five seconds!

Without missing a beat she calls out to

the next speed walker as he pulls his

earphones down and gives his attention

to her. This dedicated student has just

taken a few seconds to listen to what

our loyal student senator has to say.Where are the rest of the huddled

masses wishing to change the world

with one simple vote? Not here, and

most are giving reasons to keep walk-

ing without hesitation. No thank

you, Im late to class, and I cant,

I am a nursing student, were the most

common excuses. Understandable is

the complication between upper-divi-

sion nursing students registered in

Bozeman who do not have an MSU-

Billings identification number, but

No thank you, doesnt seem to be a

viable justification. Why wouldnt you

want to use the most basic American

priv ilege to the advantage of yourself

and your fellow student?

The voting booth is empty now;

the one dedicated student has walked

away with his shiny I Voted sticker.

The only one left is the faithful and

relentless senator still trying to entice

the passing students to stop for just a

few seconds of their time. A pair of

invisible voters has taken the place of

the students who chose to waive their

voting rights.

What is the real reason behind

this decline in interest for the well be-

ing of the MSU-B students? Are they

unaware of the issues, the candidates

or are they oblivious of the student

government purpose in this school? Letme take a second (a paragraph or two)

to fill you in on the organization that

spends your money.

The Associated Students of

Montana State University-Billings is

the governing body who controls a

perc entage of your student fees and

they also make changes on campus for

the good of the students as a whole.

Currently made up of a president, vice

presiden t, business manager, student

resolution officer, and approximately

18 student senators, they meet every

Tuesday afternoon at 5 p.m. to discuss

current issues on campus and try to

improve the quality of education and

the environment of our campus. Now

comes the tricky part: while senators

are not paid, they volunteer eight

hours a week plus of their free time to

organize events, discuss issues and

solve problems much like Superman

or Spiderman. They are UNPAID cru-

saders for justice and stability for the

more than 5,200 students enrolled in

classes at MSU-B, even those who

study online from different parts of the

globe. The executive cabinet (pres.,

v.p, etc.) are paid a stipend for the 30+

hours that they put into planning meet-

ings, coordinating events, bringing to-

gether the different committees that

control the legislature and financial

polic ies of ASMSU-B. All of these po-

sitions, with the exception of the busi-

ness manager, SRO, Retort editor (me)

and the Student Union Activities

Council chair, who are appointed by

the executive cabinet, are voted into

Senate by youthe students. These

specially selected students also fund

organizations such as SUAC and the

Retort; they appropriate student fee

money to the different education de-

partments seeking funds for students

to attend conferences nationwide.

They give money to the Northcutt-

Steele Gallery in addition to funding

new equipment on campus. They also

sponsor dances, parades, and givemoney to The Giving Tree project and

the annual Festival of the Trees. THEY

SPEND YOUR MONEY!

As enlightened scholars-to-be,

you should care that the people run-

ning the government are being ap-

point ed by only 3.5 percent of the reg-

istered students. That is a whopping

179 students out of almost 5,200 stu-

dents. Of the freshman senators voted

into student government in the elec-

tions on Sept. 16, two were elected by

97 votes combined. WHAT!? I voted

in that election so I know that one of

the 97 votes is mine since I voted for

one of the winning senators. What has

happened to expressing our opinions

and our views by voting the best can-

didate in? This isnt The Lottery (the

novel by Shirley Jackson, not the

money cesspool), you wont get stoned

if you put your name in the computer

and click Vote. You are merely ex-

ercising the right to free opinion,

speech, and the freedom to vote.

Often times I hear students com-

plaining about parking, professors, and

the cost of food on campus, so I ask

them one question: Did you vote in

the senate elections this year? If the

answer is no, I say to them: If you

cant take time to vote the people into

office that are taking care of these prob-lems every spare minute they have, then

you dont have a reason to complain.

That usually shuts them up. However,

if the answer is yes, I suggest that they

talk to a student senator or the SRO

about their concerns or even apply to be

a senate candidate in the spring. The way

to make a difference is by taking charge

of your future on this campus. Vote, or

at least get involved in ASMSU-B and

make a difference now. God gave you a

voice and free will, so use it!

Pushing the invisible voter out of

the way and taking an empty seat in front

of the computer, I type in my student

ID number and I vote. When I click that

little vote icon, I feel a rush of pride

and control. Much like receiving a pay-

check or a diploma, voting is a tradition

and privilege that I refuse to take for

granted. Even in local, state and national

elections, I dutifully stand in line at the

polls or turn in my absentee bal lot in an

attempt to control my future. Ok, not

control, because I care about my fellow

students and I want good people in

charge of my future and that is why I

vote. Now its your turn.

7/28/2019 75 Issue 2

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BILLINGS In recognition

of the largest philanthropic giftgiven to Montana State Univer-

sity-Billings in its 76 year his-

tory, the College of Business

building will now be known as

McDonald Hall.

A dedication and naming

ceremony took place during a

news conference Sept. 17 at

10:30 a.m., naming the build-

ing in honor of the Judith and

Sam E. McDonald, Jr. family of

Billings who, exactly one year

ago, announced they were con-

tributing $1.4 million to theMSU-Billings Foundation, ear-

marked for the College of Busi-

ness. McDonald is best known

as Chairman and CEO of

Wendys of Montana.

The MSU-Billings Founda-

tion purchased the Lowe Profes-

sional Building in 1996 and re-

modeled it extensively to provide

a permanent home for College of

Business classrooms, faculty and

staff offices, the Center for Ap-

plied Economic Research and the

Montana Business Incubator.

Prior to the purchase of the

facility, College of Business

classes and office space were lo-

cated in a variety of places on

campus.

The acquisition and renova-

tion of the College of Business

building was costly, according to

the president and CEO of the MSU-

Billings Foundation, Marilynn

Miller, and a number of commu-

nity partners stepped forward with

significant contributions, notably

First Interstate Bank of Commerce

and the First Interstate BancSystem

Foundation, NorthWestern Energy,

US Bank, and MDU Resources

Foundation. In addition, federal ap-

propriations secured by Montanas

Congressional delegation including

Senator Conrad Burns, SenatorMax Baucus, and Congressman

Denny Rehberg helped tremen-

dously with the costs, and by 2002

the debt remaining on the building

was reduced to $400,000.

The $1.4 million gift from

the McDonald family will accom-

plish two things over the course

of the next few years, according

to Miller. The first is that the re-

maining mortgage on the

McDonald Hall building will be

eliminated. The second is that the

Judith and Sam E. McDonald, Jr.

Family Excellence Fund has been

established. This $1 million en-

dowed fund will advance the mis-

sion and goals of the MSU-Bill-

ings College of Business in per-

petuity, Miller said.

Dr. Ron Sexton, chancellor

of MSU-Billings, says On be-half of the faculty, staff and stu-

dents of Montana State Univer-

sity-Billings and the College of

Business, I wish to express to

Sam, Judy, Greg, Eileen and

Deborah my most sincere and

College of Business Building Named McDonald Hallheartfelt thanks and deepest ap-

preciation for their inspiring en-

trepreneurship and generous

philanthropic leadership which

has and will continue to greatly

impact the College of Busi-

ness, our students, faculty,

this community, and the en-

tire University, he added,

The dedication and naming

of the College of Business

facility as McDonald Hall is

a symbol of the major impact

the McDonald family gift

has made on the story of

Montana State University-

Billings and on its history.

We are here to thank andhonor the Judith and Sam E.

McDonald, Jr. family for

their investment in the future

of the students of the College of

Business, the University and our

community.

Dr. Joe Michels, Dean of the

College of Business, also ex-

pressed deep appreciation to the

McDonald family for their phil-

anthropic contribution. All of

us in the College of Business are

extremely proud that our home

from today on will be known asMcDonald Hall, Michels stated.

Each of us who occupies this Hall

knows that our building is named

for a family with a rich heritage of

pride, honor and unblemished and

unquestioned integrity.

Jeremy SeidlitzStaff Writer

A rundown of the MSU-

Billings fee schedule illustrates

that every student enrolled full

time is assessed a fee of $33.50

for Associated Students of

MSU-Billings. The other fees

assessed for buildings, athletics,

and health services are easy to

figure out. However, what does

this investment in the associated

students mean for the students of

MSU-Billings?

There are 22 elected or ap-

pointed members of the Associ-

ated Students which include:

President- Serves as a liai-son between the student body and

the administration. (Elected)

Vice president - Conducts

Student Senate meetings accord-

ing to Roberts Rules of Order.

(Elected)

Business manager - Over-

sees the proper allocation of stu-

dent fee monies. (Appointed)

Student Resolution Office -

A student resource for problems

with grades, professors, or gen-

eral school issues. (Appointed)

Political action director

(during legislative years) - An in-

dividual who researches legisla-

tive issues that pertain to the stu-

dents of MSU-Billings. This in-

dividual collaborates with the

student lobbyist to ensure that the

students of MSU-Billings are

represented at the Montana State

legislature. (Appointed)

Student Senators (18) - Col-

laborate to discuss allocation of

student fees. Represent the stu-

dent body in campus wide

groups. (Elected)

The president, vice presi-dent, business manager, student

resolution, and political action

director create the executive

cabinet of ASMSU-Billings.

These individual receive a sti-

pend for their work and are con-

tracted to spend at least 15 hours

a week in the student government

officeSUB 213.

The ASMSU-Billings allo-

cates student funds through sev-

eral channels. First, there is ap-

prox imately 30 thousand that

registered students can petition

the student government directly

for if they want to put on an event

or attend a conference. Depend-

ing on enrollment, the student

government has approximately

300 thousand to allocate for

budgeted accounts. Some of

these accounts include childcare

scholarships, graduation convo-

cations, graduate/undergraduate

student research, drama commit-

tee, a student lobbyist (during

legislative years), and a staff at-

torney who offers basic legal ser-

vices to students for subsidizedrates. In addition, there are sev-

eral student organizations, which

are budgeted on a yearly basis in-

cluding the Retort student news-

paper, Northcutt/Steele Art Gal-

lery, and the Student Activities

board. All of these groups are

open to the student body of

MSU-Billings.

The ASMSU-Billings are

more than stewards of student

feescollectively they serve as

liaisons between the student body

and the administration of MSU-

Billings. The president and vice-

president have weekly meetings

with the chancellor, and the vice

chancellor of student affairs par-

ticipates in the executive cabinet

meetings. The administration

pr esen ts al l pr op os ed fe e in -

creases to the student government

before the increases are imple-

mented. If any student has any

concerns about his or her aca-

demic experience at MSU-Bill-

ings, he or she can find help

through the various agencies of

the ASMSU-Billings in SUB-213or at 657-2365.

The Programs and Services of the Associated Students of MSU-Billings

PressRelease

7/28/2019 75 Issue 2

4/20

The Symptoms and Prevention of West Nile VirusSymptoms

Only 20 percent of those ex-

posed to WNV will de-

velop mild symptoms

while about one in 150

will experiencesevere symp-

toms. These

symptoms typically

appear from three

to 14 days after

being bitten. M i l d

s ym pt om s, according to

the CDC, include headache, fever,

and vomiting lasting a maximum

of several days. Severe symptoms

include high fever, coma, disori-

West Nile virus is a potentially

serious, mosquito-borne virus that

has spread throughout the UnitedStates. According to the Center for

Disease Control and Preventions

website, there have been 159 re-

ported cases of human illness in

Montana alone. While the virus is

usually harmless and only an esti-

mated 80 percent of people exposed

to it actually develop symptoms, it

is nonetheless important to know the

symptoms of WNV and to take the

steps necessary to prevent infection.

use of insect repellants when spend-

ing time outdoors. Be sure to pur-

chase a repellant that contains

DEET.

Make sure that screens at-

tached to the doors and windows ofyour home are whole and intact.

Wear long-sleeved shirts and

long pants whenever possible.

Change the standing water in

buckets, birdbaths, flower pots, pet

dishes, etc., on a weekly basis, as

mosquitoes use these areas as breed-

ing sites.

For further information on

West Nile Virus, visit the CDCs

website at www.cdc.gov.

entation, headache, convulsions,

tremors, numbness, paralysis, stu-

por, and muscle weakness which

may last for a course of

several weeks. People

over 50 orthose in ill-

health are es-

pecially suscep-

tible to the disease

and are strongly en-

couraged to protect themselves

as much as possible.

Prevention

As WNV is a virus transmitted

chiefly by mosquitoes, the most im-

portant preventative measure is the

Adam WickensCopy Editor

Nicole MaasNews Editor

If you have been to the din-

ing hall this semester, you surely

have noticed some changes in lay-

out and dining options. New this

year is the all you can eat dinner

buffet. Replacing a-la-carte meals

for evenings, the buffet costs $7.95

and is offered as part of a per-meal

plan over the semester. Also new

is the one cash register system. In

previous years there were threeregisters, but this year, two were

removed to facilitate the evening

budget.

You may ask why these

changes have come about. Robert

Brown, General Manager for

Sodexho at MSUB, stated that

Sodexho and representatives from

Student Life and Housing did re-

search last spring to determine the

best way to run the dining hall.

The research included the consul-

tation of marketing and food ser-

vice experts as well as student fo-

cus groups and satisfaction sur-

veys. After much deliberation, the

addition of the buffet was pro-

posed. The Dining Service had

received many comments that the

old system of a mandatory $350

buy-in was insufficient to feed a

student for a whole semester, so

adding an evening buf-

fet in a meals-per-

semester plan

looked like a

good way to

make sure

that studentswere eating

enough. The

new evening

meal plan can be

bought in three packages:

the minimum of 50 meals for $700,

65 meals for $750, or the maximum

of 80 meals for $800.

Many students feel that they

should not be forced to pay the man-

datory $350, let alone an extra $700.

To ease the pain of passing into the

new system, students that lived on

campus last year were given the op-

tion of not purchasing one of the

new plans and only having to pur-

chase the $350 option. Still, many

students would like to be left on

their own to provide food, feeling

it could be done cheaper than eat-

ing on campus. Brown explained

that the students are obligated to

buy into the meal plan to

ensure there is a caf-

eteria avail-

able to the

students. If

students ate

on their own, itwould not be cost

effective to pro-

vide a dining hall.

With that

said, it is still impor-

tant to note the large amount of stu-

dent displeasure towards the prices

of the food offered. Nate Meiers, a

junior in history education says,

The prices are a little bit outra-

geous. There is no low cost option.

I have a U-Card for my last option,

but after a couple meals at $7.95 I

wont have any U-Card money

left. Several other students also

used the word outrageous to de-

scribe the prices. Brown countered

that Sodexho offers comparable

prices and tries very hard to offer

as many options as possible to stu-

dents. They are currently working

on a $3.50 lunch meal as opposed

to the typical $5.00 price.

Another difference this year

has been the hours of operation. At

the beginning of the year, the din-

ing hall did not open until 8:30 a.m.

The late opening time made it im-

possible for a student with an 8:40class to eat breakfast. Many stu-

dents complained and the opening

time was moved back to 7:30 a.m.

Brown was very adamant in encour-

aging students to come and see

us. Many students may not know

that comments and feedback are ap-

preciated, and, as evidenced by the

change in opening time, taken seri-

ously. Brown commented, The

sooner you see us the better. Well

do whatever we can.

Brown can be contacted by

phone at 657-2380, or by email at

sodexho@msubillings.edu.

Students Sound Off on Dining Hall Makeover

On Oct. 15, from 9:15 a.m.

until 11:30 a.m., students, staff, and

faculty of Montana State University-

Billings who are interested in issues

of law will have the chance to ob-

serve the Supreme Court of Mon-

tana by coming to Petro Theatre to

hear an appeal in the case entitled

State of Montana v. Victor Vann

Kennedy. The event begins with in-

troductory remarks by University of

Montana Law School faculty and is

then followed by oral arguments by

attorneys for both sides.

Jay Lansing, past president of

the Yellowstone Area Bar Associa-

tion said this is a rare opportunity

one count of sexual intercourse

without consent, and one count of

aggravated kidnapping by account-

ability. Kennedy was convicted

only on the one count of sexual

intercourse without consent.

Kennedy and his lawyer are ap-

peal ing his convic tion on the

grounds that there was juror mis-

conduct and various issues regard-

ing constitutional rights violations.

for students to actually experience

the states highest court as they make

decisions that could reshape or up-

hold Montana state law as it is writ-

ten. Lansing also says Political and

social science majors would relish

the experience. One hundred seats

are going to be set aside on a first

come, first serve basis.

Montana v. Kennedy involves

an incident in 2001, when another

man, Myron Fallsdown killed a

lady in a Billings motel room, kid-

napped her friend, and allegedly,

in the company of Kennedy, re-

peatedly raped her until she was

finally escaped her captors in

Butte. Kennedy was charged with

two counts of sexual intercourse

without consent by accountability,

State Supreme Court Takes Over MSU-BRon DeYoungStaff Writer

7/28/2019 75 Issue 2

5/20

National Opinions on Piracy

Let the Music Play But With a Price: Editorial

Is this the end of the road for

the sharing of music on the

Internet? Since last June the Re-

cording Industry Association ofAmerican has filed hundreds of

lawsuits against MP3 file sharers.

The lawsuits are a long term tactic

that the music companies and mo-

tion picture companies are trying,

so they can put an end to the ille-

gal sharing of copyrighted material.

The RIAA has issued 261 lawsuits

just this month against file sharers,

including a 12-year-old girl. A lot

of controversy has arisen over this

tactic of protecting the copyrighted

material of artists. The Electronic

Frontiers Foundation is holding a

campaign called Let the Music

Play and is fighting back with le-gal help. You can fight this crazy

tactic of suing music fans by go-

ing to http://www.eff.org/share/pe-

tition/ and signing the online peti-

tion.

I personally do not condone

the stealing of copyrighted mate-

rial and do believe the artists

should get paid for their work.

However, I dont believe a witch

hunt involving suing average ev-

eryday Americans is a solution to

the problem. After all, the RIAA

has done nothing to compensate

artists for their music, they are just

sue happy and using their powerto scare everyday Americans.

Apple Computer has a new

service called I-Tunes, which is a

service that you can use to down-

load music for 99 cents a song.

But some music artists are reluc-

tant to offer their songs on this

service because they feel that it

hurts the sales of their less popu-

lar songs (in other words, it hurts

the artists that put out a 12 track

CD and only two songs are good).

Unfortunately, I-Tunes is cur-

rently available only for the MAC

until sometime in December,

when it should launch for the PC.Buy.com, and others, have a ser-

vice that is similar to I-Tunes

available for the PC.

In conclusion, it will be inter-

esting to see what new changes

these lawsuits will bring to the file

sharing community, what kind of

changes will come regarding copy-

righting and the use of the Internet

as a medium for the digital frontier.

C O L L E G I A T E

PRESSWIRE, Sept. 16, 2003

The Business Software Al-

liance (BSA) survey marks the first

step in a broader BSA initiative to

study attitudes toward download-

ing, file-sharing, and copyright law

among university and college stu-

dents, faculty and administrators.

According to the survey,

more than three-quarters of faculty

and administrators say it is abso-lutely not okay to download or

swap files, yet less than one-quar-

ter of students say it is wrong.

- 23 percent of college and univer-

sity students have downloaded

software with only 32 percent pay-

ing for it all or most of the time.

- 69 percent have downloaded

music, with only eight percent

of them paying for it all or

even mos t o f the t ime .

- 26 percent have downloaded

movies, with only four percent

paying for it all or most of the time.- More than 40 percent of edu-

cators say its okay to share or

swap software to cut costs.

- Despite their behavior, a major-

ity of students (93%) endorse the

intellectual property values of re-

warding software developers

and protecting intellectual prop-

erty rights in order to encourage

research and development.

- A strong majority of educators

support the enforcement of campus

policies designed to prevent unli-

censed software use on campus.

- When it comes to university

action against software piracy

among students, however,

only one-in-six faculty and

administrators would endorse

action more severe than limi-tat ion of computer usage

rights, such as suspension or

academic probation. Between

one-fourth and one-third of

educators would recommend

no penalty, or are unsure.

Survey Methodology: This

survey reports on Internet-based

online interviews with 1000 uni-

versity and college students and

telephone interviews with 300

college and university faculty

and administrators. It was con-

ducted among a national cross-section of U.S. public and pri-

vate higher education institu-

tions. The margin of error for

this study is +/-3% for the stu-

dent population and +/-6% for

the educator population.

PressRelease

Chistopher SnowWeb Master/Tech Supp.

7/28/2019 75 Issue 2

6/20

Parking Etiquette: Tips to Better Your Parking Experience

Another semester begins and

again there is nowhere to park, but then

whats new? Oh yeah, there is that park-

ing garage thats located 20 miles away

from every building on campus. My

colleague Jason Lillie and I are going

to debate our opinions of the parking

garage.

Jennifer: There are 2,013 re-

served parking spaces, 500 of which

are in the parking garage, 35 visitor

parking spaces, and 56 disabled park-

ing spots. There are approximately

3,950 students attending school here,and 550 of them live in the dorms. So

now I am asking you to do the math:

that leaves 1,937 students left without

a place to park. Jason thinks there is

always somewhere to park in the park-

ing garage, but we also need to take

into consideration the parking permits

that we issue to the staff of the medical

buildings across the street and the

spaces that are designated for campus

police vehicles. I really do believe the

parking garage was a waste of money

and that driving around in it for 20 min-

utes from one floor to the next is a waste

of time.

Jason:Ok, the bottom line is that

I have yet to see the parking garagefull. I am here five days a week, com-

ing and going throughout the day, and

not once have I seen the garage full.

And as far as it being too far from the

buildings, well, if a person is too lazy

to walk a hundred yards, I feel no pity

for him or her. Its a fact that there are

more registered students than parking

spots, but those numbers do not specify

how many are night students or people

who walk or ride their bike to school. I

find it hard to believe that every stu-

dent is on campus at the same time in

their own car.

Jennifer: I understand what youare saying, but there have been numer-

ous times that I have seen the parking

garage full and a couple of times that I

have had to

park in

campus po-

lice re-

s e r v e d

spots (I can-

not believe

that I just

went on

record say-

ing that).The fact re-

mains that

yes, most

students are

not here at

the same time, but the majority of them

are, supporting my opinions of no park-

ing. And to say that people are lazy

well, that is not always true. Some people

are just procrastinators and show up to

school minutes before class and find

themselves without a parking spot. What

about the huge space of grass next to

the LA building? Couldnt we turn that

into a parking lot? And does the faculty

really need that many parking spots? No

matter what you say, I think that the park-ing garage SUCKS.

Jason: I am sorry, but I think

you are full of It, and yes, with a capi-

tal I. Ok, on the topic of arriving late

and having limited time to get to

class: you can take 10 minutes to park

in the garage and walk to class or 20

minutes driving around looking for

that prime parking place. And un-

til I see the parking garage full my-

self, I wont believe it. I have yet to

see that garage even half full.

Jennifer: Parking smarking. I

still feel that there is nowhere oncampus to park, and there is always

some idiot double parked. Jason pre-

sented some great arguments, and

thats his opinion and I have stated

my opinion. So with that, think

about the mathematics we have pre-

sented to you. Decide if youre go-

ing to be lazy and look for that prime

spot, or if you want to risk it and go

for that campus police spot. Just re-

member, its only a $10 fine if youre

willing to risk it.

Jason Lillie

Reporter

Jennifer FentonA&E Editor

Bumper to Bumper: Two Parking Opinions

Ron DeYoungStaff Writer

Okay, fellow students and pres-

tigious members of Academia! School

has been in session for nearly a month

at MSU-Billings. Dont you think its

about time for that pop quiz youve

been dreading? Oh, this one should be

easy. After all, youve been studying

for it since you were old enough to

drive. Is everyone ready? All right

Pick up your pencils and lets getstarted.

The first question is: Define

the term Parking Etiquette, and then

describe some of the dos and donts

involved with it.

Hint:

parking (lot) noun (1924): an

area used for the temporary placement

of motor vehicles.

etiquettenoun(French): the con-

duct or procedure required by good

breeding or prescribed by authority to

be observed in social or official life.

Lets see how everyone did on

that one. If you answered, The

proper behavior exhibited by an indi-

vidual following civilized practices

while temporarily storing a vehicle,

then you will probably receive an A

on the first part of the quiz.

The second part of the problem

is more complicated. First of all, you

must consider several variables. Are

you running late because you stayed

out too late last night? Is it really cold

and windy outside, or perhaps rainy?

Do you feel the need to park right next

to your last class? Are you just too

worn out to walk a little way?

These problems, among others,

are contributing to a growing phenom-

enon that has been reported to be es-

calating throughout the MSU-Billings

parking areas. Imaginary officials

have expressed concern that if we

dont do something about parking lot

rage now, it will become an epidemic

of mammoth proportions in record

time. These same imaginary officials

have offered some suggestions on

stopping the spread of this repulsive

display of aggression.

One of the more powerful sug-

gestions offered to this reporter was

to treat every other motorist in the

parking lot like he or she is your grand-

parent or even that classmate youve

been wanting to get to know. Thats

it! Respect your fellow drivers and

they, in turn, will show respect to the

drivers they encounter during their

travels. This tactic could, in itself,

wipe out the rash of random rudeness

displayed throughout the campus

parking areas.

Some other guidelines you can

ponder in your quest to become a pre-

ferred parking practitioner include sig-

naling for any and all changes of di-

rection, keeping your eyes open for

other signals, obeying all campus

speed limits, initializing communica-

tion through eye contact, and parking

in designated areas only. Plan to ar-

rive at school 15 to 20 minutes early

just in case that special place in which

you usually park is occupied. A little

bit of common courtesy is said to go a

long way, and it doesnt cost a thing.

Even when it appears that every

parking space on campus is full, ac-

cording to the campus police there are

several spaces available every day. As

an example, the parking garage

across from the McDonald Hall

always has openings on the top

level. Some other favorite park-ing spaces that usually have open-

ings are near the gym and on the

corner of Rimrock Road and Vir-

ginia Lane. These lots are all a

mere five minute walk to any

building on campus and will al-

low you to stop and smell the roses

on the way to class.

Also, the campus police

have maps readily available which

identify all parking areas.

If everyone practices one or

more of these suggestions, the result

will be less stress and, hopefully, pro-

gressively fewer incidents of park-

ing lot rage.

If you answered the second part

of your quiz similarly to the above sce-

nario, youre a true lady or gentleman

who is destined to surpass your high-

est expectations of yourself simply be-

cause you are a skilled practitioner of

parking lot etiquette.

Photo by Mi Suk Kim

Parking on MSU-B has become a touchy subject. This is the North Petro Parking lot,

supposedly the most sought after parking on campus.

Photo by Mi Suk Kim

The parking garage is most often half full, according to Jason

Lillie in the accompaning article.

7/28/2019 75 Issue 2

7/20

Brett HarrisonStaff Writer

Recently I had an opportunity

to talk to a Pizza Hut delivery driver.

I was interested in how college stu-dents tip; what the average tip is,

and how this affects him. Some of

what he said surprised me, and

some I expected to hear. He said

most (about 75 percent) college stu-

dents tip, and its typically about

one dollar. Every once in a while a

really kind student tips more -

(about a three or four dollar tip)

His pay starts at around mini-

mum wage plus 60 cents per deliv-

ery, this cover gas and maintenance

no matter how many miles are

driven. According to AAAs website

www.aaasouth.com/acs_news/Driveco3.asp, the composite na-

tional average cost to drive a car is

64.2 cents per mile, given that

10,000 miles are driven in a year.

But this can vary depending on

what type of vehicle is driven. For

example, a two wheel drive 2003

Chevrolet Trailblazer with a six

cylinder engine would cost 65.4

cents per mile over 10,000 miles per

year. Compare that to a 2003

Chevrolet Cavalier four cylinder

which would cost 55.3 cents per

mile over the same 10,000 miles per

year. So tipping the pizza deliverydriver really helps them offset their

cost of driving a pizza to you since

Pizza Hut doesnt fully cover the

reimbursement for gas, nor does

Pizza Hut help pay for the deliv-

ery car.

Most students who say they

dont tip say it is because of money.

They, like most students, are on a

limited budget. They feel the cost

of the pizza should cover all these

expenses. Students who do tip the

driver say they did so out of gener-

osity and to help ensure quick deliv-

ery of hot pizza in the future. Moststudents dont realize that Pizza Hut

subsidizes only part and not all of the

vehicle cost of delivering a pizza.

The driver I spoke to said he

feels happy if he walks away with

20 to 30 dollars in tip money in one

night. And a tip, even a small one,

does put him in a better mood and

makes him feel better about deliver-

ing a pizza to that person.

Tip Me, Or Else: Tales of a Pizza Guy

1. Go Disco Bowling,

Sunset Bowl - 656-

6211. Dont forget your

polyester!

2. Check out Open Mic at

the Art Space - 245-1100.

You could be the next Jim

Carrey/Maya Angelou

3. Go Ice Skating, Cen-

tennial Ice Rink - 256-

1192. You could be the

next Tonya Harding!

4. Tour Moss Mansion -

256-5100 - You can even

buy a brick!

5. Venture Theater 670-

2144. Cutting Edge Theater

- many contain nudity but

not necessarily the kind

you want to see!

6. Yellowstone Art Mu-seum 256-6804. Come on,

just pret end you have

some culture.

7. Take a Hip-Hop/Martial

Arts class The Edge Dance

- 652-3529; Parks Martial

Arts - 245-8808. You could

be the next Justin

Timberlake/Bruce Lee!

8. Catch a Billings Bulls

Top 10 Things to Do in BillingsBetsy HarrisReporter

Hockey Game - 256-2422Pretend you have NO culture!

9. Go through the The Corn

Maze - 247-9998. Leave

extra time for getting lost

for real.

10. Drink till you puke!

Doesnt necessarily have to

be alcohol, if you drink

enough of anything it will

make you hurl!

7/28/2019 75 Issue 2

8/20

Name: Merry Jane Trewhella

Age: 53

Degree: B.A. Education,

M.A. Education

Favorite Sports Team: I root

for the teams my family doesFavorite Beverage: #1 Diet

Pepsi, #2 MGD beer

Whats Your Pet? One-eyed

Cocker spaniel Babe

Hobbies: Golf, sew crafts

Favorite Things: Book -- To

Kill a Mockingbird, Movie The

Shawshank Redemption

Favorite Quote: The main

thing is to keep the main thing, the

main thing.

Is the glass full or empty?

It depends on the day.

What do you drive? A SubaruForrester License # 8VITOM

(This is an IQ Test!)

50 Cent or Frank Sinatra?

Neither The Beatles

Name: Dr. Jim Barron

Age: 43

Degree: Ph.D. Zoology Indi-

ana University

Favorite Sports Team: DenverBroncos/Buffalo Bills

Favorite Beverage: Good beer!

Whats Your Pet? Dog Ger-

man shorthaired pointer Ellen.

Hobbies: Fly-fishing and back-

packing.

Favorite Things: My son

Charlie 5 yrs old

Favorite Quote: Back off man!

Im a scientist!

Is the glass full or empty?

Half full.

What do you drive? Subaru

wagon

50 Cent or Frank Sinatra? Frank

Sinatra. Bob Dylan & Neil Young, too.

Piece of advice for students:

Pursue your interests/passions.

Becky ButcherStaff Writer

Name: Simon Says Atkins

Age: The baby of the professors

Degree: Cornell undergraduate;

Top 15 international MBA from

Helsinki when given the choice to get a

doctorate I instead wrote a book calledCollision Course With Mother Nature

about how climate change will affect

you. Coming out Spring 04.

Favorite Sports Team Player:

Chinas badminton Olympic champion

Gong Zhichao.

Favorite Beverage: A toss up be-

tween cold organic milk and chilled dis-

tilled water.

What Are You Pets? Three stan-

dard poodles: Sherpa, Toumae, and

Totoro.

Hobbies: Meditation, communing

with nature and predicting global climatechange.

Favorite Things: Benevolence,

flow, uncharted territory & watching the

wind blow

Favorite Quote: Compas-

sion is not religious business, it

is human business, it is not

luxury, it is essential for our own

peace and mental stability, it is

essential for human survival.

His Holiness, The Dalai Lama.

Is the glass full or

empty? Add the two halves to

make it full, period. Why live

life half of anything?

What do you drive? The

military assault version of aToyota 4Runner, 4x4.

50 Cent or Frank Sinatra?

Hard choice. Ill go with the

Jewel In The Sun album by

Diane Arkenstone.

Piece of advice for student:

Read www.profsimonsays.com

every Monday.

What is it?

Submit your

answers to

the Retort

office at

Suite 225 or

call: 657-

2194

MSU-Billings Professors Get Mugged!

7/28/2019 75 Issue 2

9/20

Linsey LindgrenStaff Writer

Whether it is your first year

away from home or the tenth, theonly way to survivefinancially is

on a budget. Necessities like food,

clothes, and transportation can eas-

ily add up the bills, so learn how

to economize and shop around.

Most full-time college stu-

dents have a part-time job of some

kind, but they are still on limited

resources, says Dan Elser, the

president of First American Trust

of Montana. Everyone needs to

set a budget for themselves.

So what is a budget, and what

is involved? A budget is a set num-

ber of expenses are for that particu-

lar month (food, utilities, rent,

transportation, and clothes). Then

one must work backwards to fig-

ure out how much money is needed

to make a living and still put

money into savings to pay off

school loans later on.

There are four options in the

food market. One, the SUB cafete-

ria, which requires the purchase of

a meal plan, but meals are only

served at certain times. Two, eat-ing out at fast food places or sit

down restaurants. Try to avoid eat-

ing out as much as possible: $3.49

here, $3.99 there... it adds up. The

third option: eating in the dorm

kitchen area. Soups, salads, fruit,

vegetables, pasta, sandwiches...

whatever can fit into the small

dorm room refrigerators. Also, try

to eat meals of substance; they are

more filling and snack cravingswont attack. Drink juice and wa-

ter instead of soda. Its better for

you and sometimes less expensive.

Buy in bulk at grocery stores or try

Costco for food and clothing.

Dining out will cost four to

five times more than it will to eat

at home, says Elser. The fourth

and final option is simply not to eat.

Yeah, right!

Just because one is a poor

college student does not mean they

have to dress that way. Stores like

Ross, TJ Maxx, and Famous Foot-

wear all sell name brands at dis-

count prices.

Pair up some expensiveLucky

bra nd pants with cool Payless

shoes. You still want to look good,

but the dough isnt just growing on

trees. Keep an eye out for sales and

do some window shopping before

purchasing. Keep up on laundry

and do one at a time, because it is

the dryers that take up all the

money and time.

Think practically. The biggestrule in shopping is: do not be im-

pulsive. Otherwise, later on that

month, cash will be pretty tight.

Regardless of whether one

lives on or off campus, parking,

gasoline, utilities and insurance

costs are sure to make one think

about expenses. Think of

carpooling if one lives off campus.

It is also a good way to make

friends and have allies this winterwhen cars may not start. Try out the

public metro system. Economize on

gas use, meaning dont make need-

less trips across town. Plan accord-

ingly. If one has to mail off a pack-

age at UPS or pick up stamps, on

the way back hit up Albertsons for

groceries.

Dont just go to the closest gas

station to fill up. Look around at

prices when driving to or from

work. Also, instead of just putting

in $5 of gas when one can. Try to

hold out and fill the tank up all at

once. The car will run better and

actually do better on gas mileage

with a full tank rather than a fourth

of a tank.

Wait until movies go through

the system and are showing at the

Cine 7. Going to the movie theater

will save tons of money in the long

run, because even renting one

movie is close to $3 these days. Go

to the video stores on the dollar

movie night.

Resort back to your kid yearsand play in a park at night. Ride

down the slide, swing, and go

across the monkey bars to save

money.

Play pool. At only quarters a

game, its a cheap date as well. Go

swimming. Every student has free

membership to the MSU-B gym

and facilities with their U-Card.

Take advantage of what the tuition

money is going to.Just sit back with friends and

play cards or board games, listen

to music, or watch television. For

adventure-seeking people, get

friends together for a game of

rugby, folf, or floating the

Yellowstone on inner tubes. En-

joy the simple things in life in-

stead of flying by to do the costly

adrenaline rushing things.

Elser says, Make envelopes

for each category of bill (food,

transportation, rent, etc)

Every week, put X amount of

money in each envelope and de-

posit the rest of each paycheck into

a savings account. He continued

to say that people are more frugal

with cash than they are with checks

or credit cards, so he advises

strongly towards cash in the enve-

lopes.

Basically, it comes down to

keeping track of where the

money goes, then looking back

and figuring out where money

can be cut down. If one keepstheir financial situation in order,

making progress on the savings

account, he or she will feel that

their whole life is a little more

under control by themselves in-

stead of the bank.

How To: Live Well on a College Budget

Now Hiring Counter HelpNow Hiring Counter HelpNow Hiring Counter HelpNow Hiring Counter HelpNow Hiring Counter Help

Have you been

looking for a great

place to voice your

point of view?

Here is your

chance to publish

your opinions. For

more information

come to the Retort

office or call us at

657-2194

7/28/2019 75 Issue 2

10/20

Not in my wildest imagination

did I ever dream that I would be spend-

ing a week and a half in prison in Af-

rica during my summer vacation, but

there I was. Let me back up to the be-

ginning

I signed up

to go to Kenya on

a mission trip

with inner varsity

christian fellow-

ship. Two weeks

before we left, my

teammates and I

received e-mails

saying the trip toKenya was can-

celled due to ter-

rorism. Later that

day we received an

e-mail from our team leaders saying

that South Africa was an option, but

our team leader had to know our deci-

sion to go by the end of the week. 45

out of 50 of my teammates turned

around and said that we would go to

South Africa.

During my week-and-a-half at

Pollsmoor Prison, I learned that doing

prison ministry is not my cup of tea. Iwanted to see that what I was saying

and doing, telling the prisoners about

God, was making a difference. I be-

came frustrated at not seeing results.

When we left Pollsmoor, most of my

teammates were crying because they

were going to miss being there. I was

indifferent about leaving. I knew that I

would miss the prison ministry staff but

I knew that I would not miss being

there. I was jealous of my teammates

who said the person/people they had

talked to had come to Christ while I

had seen none of that. If anyone thinksthat all the time spent on a mission trip

is good, then it is a sad mis-

conception because there are

just as many bad times as

there are good times.

The week I spent at

Friends Day Centre was

completely different from the

prison. I was so excited

about the opportunity to help

at a special needs day care.

My heart broke every day to

realize that not everyone

loves these children. Some

people make fun of others

who look different, talk dif-

ferent, walk different, have

different sexual preferences,

etc. Many people have been the butt

of jokes because they are different. I

loved my time at Friends Day Centre

even though I had a cold the entire

week. I did worry that I was going to

make the kids sick, but I should have

trusted God to keep the children

healthy. The children in my class were

so adorable. There were eight children

in my classroom. One girl had downs

syndrome and the other seven had ce-

rebral palsy. A staff worker from my

team came into my class to play the

guitar for the children and one of the

students tried to eat

the guitar. My staff

worker later told me

she was the only

person that tried to

eat the guitar during

that day. One little

girl did not want meto leave at the end of

the week, so she

tried to pin me to the

wall. She cried

when I left the room

which made me

want to cry. I did not

want to leave the

place. I know that

changing diapers and clothing, clean-

ing up messes, and so many other as-

pects are gross, but I truly loved being

there. I want to go back and help out

in the future.Home stays were an adventure

since I moved once a week. The first

week I stayed in a black township

called Langa. My partner and I were

not welcomed by the family we stayed

with. They spoke in Xhosa and

watched television in that language.

We asked them to teach us simple

words and phrases but they refused to

teach us anything. The family seemed

to want to host us only for the money

they would receive. We thought that if

we left in the middle of our two week

stay there, would we have been a good

witness about God and Christians to

the family. Our teammates assured us

that we were not making the wrong

decision to leave. The second week

was like paradise compared to the first

week. Our host family in Vanguard

made us feel like part of the family right

away. All we had asked for was a fam-

ily to help us feel we were part of the

family, but we got so much more. Wewere only there for a week, but we

helped out with the dishes and with

dinner. Our host dad taught us Afri-

kaans, a language, told us where he was

from, and joked around with us. We

found out after two weeks that all the

host families in Vanguard, Heideveld,

and Bonteheuwel were going to be

asked to host for another two weeks.

My partner and I were saddened to hear

that we had to move again since thenext week our family would not have

room for us, as our

host moms sister

was coming for holi-

day; we had to leave.

Our family was sad,

since they wanted to

keep us another two

weeks, and we

wanted to stay with

them another two

weeks. To add to the

blow, everyone else

got to stay with their

host families in

Heideveld and

Bonteheuwel. We

were given new

partners because of where our minis-

tries were located.

So now a new week, a new part-

ner, and a new house with a new host

family. I was praying this would be

Larissa LeonardStaff Writer

my last move. The third week started

out well, but with a bad first week, I

started to notice that things were not

going well. Our host mom seemed like

a wonderful grandma, but it did not al-

ways feel like we were welcome. One

Saturday at 6:30 a.m. we were given

the boot. We were going on our safari

and would not be back until Sunday.

By this time I was frustrated and told

my teammates. I was sick and tired of

moving. When my teammates found

out, they were very sympathetic, be-

cause they all knew that I had moved

every week. When we came back Sun-

day night, we had a new host family.

We were immediately welcomed in.

Our host mom was a cute grandmotherthat I did not believe was old enough

to have a 24 year-old granddaughter!

She only looked like she was 40 and

not in her 60s. She continued with

teaching my partner and I Afrikaans.

She told us about her family. I felt like

I was her white grandchild. After

four home stays, I feel like I have

two families in South Africa. I

would not suggest moving every

week since it is stressful. I am

still learning about moving every

week.

The last week there, wetalked about apartheid and racial

reconciliation. The information

was piled on to what we had al-

ready experienced and was over-

whelming. I think my brain fried

from information overload. Dur-

ing apartheid there were so many

senseless, brutal murders of people

in South Africa, including Ameri-

cans, committed in South Africa by whites,

coloreds, and blacks. Now a person may

be led to think that all is great, but to some

of the people that live there say there is a

reverse apartheid, with blacks being thedominant culture, then whites, and last

coloreds. It led me to realize that I have so

many racial reconciliations to make.

This is just a short summary of

what I did and where I went. I expe-

rienced so much more than I could

ever write. I am still learning about

what happened over there. I am also

still adjusting to life back home.

There are many days that I wish when

I was back in Africa but I remember

that I have to finish college before I

can live my dream.

South Africa or Bust: My Summer Vacation

Photo provided by Larissa Leonard

LaRoux family shown here, hosted Larissa for one week during her

stay in South Africa.

Photo provided by Larissa Leonard

The entire missions team of 45 strong.

Photo provided by Larissa Leonard

Children in the township Langa where Larissa stayed for a week.

7/28/2019 75 Issue 2

11/20

It has been reported that an employee for Ansett Australia Airlines, who happened to have the last name of Gay, got on a plane recently

using the companys Free Flight offer for staff. However, when Mr. Gay tried to take his seat, he found it occupied by a fare-paying

passenger. So, not to make a fuss, he simply chose another seat. Unknown to Mr. Gay, another Ansett flight at the airport experienced

mechanical problems. The passengers of this flight were being re-routed to various other airplanes. A few were put on Mr. Gays flight, and

anyone who was holding a free ticket was being bumped. Ansett officials, armed with the list of these freebee ticket holders, boarded

the plane, as is the practice, to remove them in favor of fare paying passengers. Of course, our Mr. Gay was not sitting in his assigned seatas you may remember. So when the ticket agent approached the seat where Mr. Gay was supposed to be sitting, she asked a startled customer

Are you gay? The man, shyly nodded that he was, at which point she demanded: Then you have to get off the plane. Mr. Gay,

overhearing what the Agent had said, tried to clear up the situation: Youve got the wrong man, Im Gay! This caused an angry third

passenger to yell Hell! Im gay, too! They cant kick us all off! Confusion reigned as more and more passengers began yelling that Ansett

had no right to remove gays from their flights. It is reported that Ansett has refused to comment on the incident. ---The New York Times

When I die, I want to go like my grandmother, whodied peacefully in her sleep- not screaming like all the

passengers in her car.

IFYOUDONTSTUDYWHENYOUREYOUNG, HEREARE

SOMEOPTIONSWHENYOUCOMEOFAGE.

photos obtained via e-mail

7/28/2019 75 Issue 2

12/20

7/28/2019 75 Issue 2

13/20

Editors Note: This is from the

pages of MSU-B student Lexi Symes

new short story Murder of a Rising Star.

We will continue this story in segmentsthroughout the semester. If you have a

short story that you would like pub-

lished, please submit it to The Retort,

SUB 225 or submit it to

retort@msubillings.edu.

My name is Alexander Standish.

I am a senior at New York University

majoring in criminal psychology. You

would think that a college student

would know how to stay out of the way

of a murder. I guess I was in the wrong

place at the wrong time. I will say that

I had no intention of trying to solve this

case by myself.When I awoke on the morning

of Sept 11, 2003 not only was it the

anniversary of 9/11, it was also the

morning of one of the biggest murders

in the history of New York City. As I

rode the subway to my internship at

the County Coroners office, I had no

idea that I would be the leading inves-

tigator into what would be called the

most complex murder that New York

had ever seen.

The coroners office, which is

located on the corner of 15th and Lex-

ington, gives a person something to

think about. On the outside, a statue of

a fallen officer guards the entrance. As

you walk inside, the first thing that you

see is a statue of Lady Justice, who

speaks for those who cannot speak for

themselves.

As I walked into the office, I re-

ceived a message that the head Medical

Examiner, Jason James, wanted to see

me. J. J. is a man who normally is not

shaken by the report of murder, but when

I walked into his office he looked like a

Mack truck had just hit him. As I sat

down I could tell that what J.J. had to

tell me was not going to be easy. I started

to get this sinking feeling in the pit of

my stomach. With a lump in his throat,

J.J. said, Im going to give you your

first assignment. I didnt know whetherto hug him or be nervous, but as he said,

This will not be an easy assignment

because its high profile, my heart just

about jumped into my throat.

When J.J. saw the look of sur-

prise on my face he said, Kid, you

ok? I said, Yes, Im just a little ner-

vous. This didnt surprise J.J. because

the next thing he said was, Ill be with

you every step of the way. As J.J. and

I drove to the crime scene, I tried to

mentally prepare myself for what I was

about to see.

When we arrived at the crime

scene, it was wrapped in its usual yel-

low and black do not cross this line

tape. Inside the tape, there were people

cataloging evidence, taking pictures of

the body, marking bloodstains with let-

ters so that they could be photographed

into evidence, and a troop of officers

were out canvassing the area for any-

one who saw anything.

Our first step was to see what we

could learn from the body. The victim

was killed by a blunt object. The blow

from this object was located at the back

of the victims head, just above the base

of the skull. We knew that the killer

had to be left-handed because the gash

was located on the right side of the

victims head. We also knew that the

victim had tried to fight back becausewe found hair and skin under the nails.

We were able to surmise that our vic-

tim had been dead for at least twelve

hours before our arrival. We were able

to obtain fingerprints off the body; our

victims name was Nick Boxer.

Nick Boxer just happened to be

the star quarterback for the New York

Giants. He made over four million dol-

lars a year. He was leading the Giants

to what looked like an undefeated,

championship season. He had just

given The Boys and Girls Club money

to build a new recreational center. At

25 years old, he had already thrown

for more yards in the first four years of

his career than Joe Montana.

We knew who our victim was,

we knew how he died, the big question

now was who had killed him and why?

From our observations of the body, we

knew that our killer had to be left-

handed, and that he or she would have a

scratch on the face. The police told us

that there had been no sign of a forced

entry; this led us to believe that the vic-

tim knew the killer. The police also told

us that they had found the murder

weapon, a long, golden, metal object that

is used to stoke the fire. As luck would

have it there was one really good thumb-

print on the handle of the weapon.

The print belonged to a mannamed Samuel Simpson, who played

as a wide receiver for the Giants. When

the police went to pick him up, they

noticed that he had a scratch on his face,

and that he was also left-handed. While

being questioned by the police, Samuel

admitted that he killed Nick. When

asked why he killed him Samuel said,

He wouldnt throw me the ball.

Samuel was found guilty and sentenced

to twenty-five years to life in the New

York State Prison...(to be continued)

Lexi SymeGuest Writer

From the Pages: Murder of a Rising Star:

Stolen from the internet

(www.firstscience.com) by Dr.

Jim Barron and Becky Butcher.

(Fact accuracy or validity has

not been verified but we believe

them.)

-When a flea jumps, the rate

of acceleration is 20 times that of

the space shuttle during launch.

-Astronauts cannot belch -

there is no gravity to separate liq-

uid from gas in their stomachs.

-Human tapeworms cangrow up to 22.9m.

-Each person sheds 40 lbs of

skin in his or her lifetime.

-Around a million, billion

neutrinos from the Sun will pass

through your body while you read

this sentence.

-Males (human males, we

assumed.) produce one thousand

sperm cells each second - 86 mil-

lion each day.

-If you could drive your car

straight up you would arrive in

space in just over an hour.

-A whip does not make a

cracking sound because it hits

something... it does because the tip

of the whip is traveling faster than

the speed of sound (760 miles per

hour).

-More types of fish swim in

Brazils Amazon River than in theentire Atlantic Ocean.

-Women on the pill are 30%

more likely to suffer from gum dis-

ease.

-The interstellar gas cloud

Sagittarius B contains a billion,

billion, billion liters of alcohol.

-The silkworm moth has

eleven brains.

The Most Interesting Science Facts Ever

In your rush to get to class on time,

have you ever wondered, Where did that

come from? or Who paid for that?

Well, keep reading because this article

will attempt to answer some of those com-

monly pondered, yet seldom answered

questions.

Where did the TVs in the L.A.

building come from and who paid for

them?

According to Eakle Barfield with

security services, they are old TVs from

the College of Business and were addedlast summer as part of the restoration of

the L.A. building.

Who decides which art to display

in the art galleries on the first floor of the

L.A. Building?

The student gallery is provided for

art students who must have an art display

before they graduate. A gallery commit-

tee chooses exhibits featured in the

Northcutt Steele Gallery. The committee

is made up of four faculty members and

two students from the Art Students

League.

Who paid for the ten new laptops

in the library, and who can use them?

The laptops were purchased with

student computer funds. Any student

can check out a laptop with their stu-

dent ID as long as they have set up a

student account with Information Tech-

nology. Students can do this by logging

onto the MSUB website and clicking

on student login.

The computers can be taken any-

where in the library and are checked out

for four hours at a time.What is the art in the SUB

gallery?

The SUB gallery features art by

students in grades one through twelve.

The 48 students represent more than 16

Montana school districts.

Why did only 3.5 percent of the

student body vote in the senate election?

If you have an answer or a ques-

tion you would like to have answered,

send it to retort@msubillings..edu.

One Minute Q and AJessalyn RemingtonStaff Writer

7/28/2019 75 Issue 2

14/20

Jennifer FentonA&E Editor

In recent years, many of our fa-

vorite bands from the 70s and 80s have

been returning to the music scene.

Music is a huge part of our culture and

the bands that are retuning are some of

the most influential bands of their time

minus an original member or two. The

questions posed are; Will they make itagain and can they ever be as great as

they were 30 years ago? Some may be

asking themselves, who is she talking

about? Well here they are: The Doors,

now called The Doors of the 21stCen-

tury, Creedence Clearwater Revival,

nowCreedence Clearwater Revisited,

Lynyrd Skynyrd, Guns and Roses,

Simon and Garfunkel and, lastly,

Fleetwood Mac. Many of these bands

are still very popular among music lis-

teners, but the thought of them retun-

ing to the touring scene is hard to stom-

ach.The Doors of the 21stCenturyin-

cludes two original members, Robbie

Krieger and Ray Manzarek, and a third

new member from The Cult, Ian

Astbury. For those of you expecting to

see the Lizard King Jim Morrison him-

self, get real, he died a decade ago. The

sound is similar due in part to the fact

Morrison and Astbury come from the

same cultural background and coun-

try: However, the comeback has not

been a warm one. Anex-Doors guitar-

ist is suing the two original members,

saying they have no right to use the old

music ofThe Doors and that they are

breaking some code of ethics barrier

by using the original band name in any

sense. For music fans alike, the come-

back was cold and unwanted; it seems

apparent that everybody knows about

the death of Morrison and would like

to keep things that way. Krieger,

Manzarek, Astbury, Ty Dennis, andAngelo Barberi form the now, new,

Doors of the 21stCentury. Maybe they

should call themselves Dormant.

CCRsang their way back into the

music setting a few years ago with only

two original members as well, Stu

Cook and Doug Clifford. Their return

was well recieved and fans began buy-

ing tickets to their concert and the lat-

est CD as soon as it was available. Who

would have thought that a band from

the 60s and 70s could still be going

strong and entertaining thousands a

night?Lynyrd Skynyrdnever really went

away, with their songs appearing in

movies and television shows, receiv-

ing continuous radio and club play, and

at almost every party ever attended.

Three of their members died in an ac-

cident over 20 years ago, including the

infamous Ronnie Van Zant and two

other members who died close after.

With original members Johnny Van

Zant and Gary Rossington, they con-

tinued to be the number one played

band and their songs have become

themes for many. Now, many years

later, they are back and have released a

new album and are touring once again.

Most of the songs on their CD are re-

makes of old favorites, however; there

are a few new hits such as Red, White

and Blue.Skynyrdis proving that they

have what it takes to rock the South

once again.

Who can forget Guns n Roses? Imean, doesnt everybody find them-

selves singing Welcome to the Jungle

every now and then and reminiscing

about Slash playing the guitar? Back

on the radio and on music award shows,

the band is said to be cleaned up and

playing with open minds. Most of the

original members are present and try-

ing to prove they are still great hard

core rockers, like they were in the 80s.

Many people have their doubts, since

this isnt the bands first attempt at a

homecoming into rock music, it is more

like their third. Will this one last or willthey become a scratched up annoying

broken record left out in the Cold

November Rain?

Another reunion is between

Simon and Garfunkel. Who can resist

the soft romantic voices of the duo that

helped spark many relationships? But

is their Bridge Over Troubled Water

repaired, or will the two fall through

and drown as they did in the past? Well,

according to the duo, they have mended

all their fences and are ready to tour

again, singing all their old favorites and

adding a few more.

The last of my ranting is about

my favorite band ever,Fleetwood Mac,

in their third attempt at reuniting the

ever popular group, minus Christine

McVie, the keyboardist and lead vo-

calist on a few popular songs. Choos-

ing not to return was a personal choice

due largely in part because it has never

worked before and she isnt ready toreconcile her differences with some

band members. Even without her, the

band sounds great and is continuing to

sell out shows even at $100, plus a

ticket, proving they still have what it

takes. This summer, they also released

a new CD with some of their old hits

redone, but filled with many new foot

tapping songs. With who is said to be

one of the greatest female musicians

ever to live and a terrific drummer, they

are sure to stay on the scene for awhile,

continuing to please music listeners all

around.So, with all these old bands re-

turning, where does that leave room

for all the new ones? There is plenty.

The music community is very large,

and there appears to be a genre for

everybody. Continue to listen, and

if you have never heard of any of

these bands, get on the net or go to

the music store and find out what

you have been missing for many

years past and many years to come.

Whoever said the good die young

was only half right.

In June, the decision of the

board of directors of the Billings

Symphony Orchestra to not renew

past the 2003-2004 season the con-

tract of longtime musical director

Uri Barnea and the apparent lack

of reasons for the decision has left

the Billings cultural community

shocked and in many cases con-

fused and troubled. This includesa member of the MSU-Billings

music department.

The relationship between the

school (MSU-B) and the symphony

has been a good one. In recent years

the symphony often uses Cisel Re-

cital Hall as rehearsal spaces; says

music department Chair and Sym-

phony Principal Clarinetist, Dr.

Gary Behm. He also stated that

Billings Symphony Controversy Affects MSU-BBarnea has over the years had

many faculty and students from

here as well as Rocky and the high

schools play in the orchestra. A new

director might not have the same at-

titude towards the university and

music education in general, I just

dont know.

On a more personal note,

Behm who has played under and

known Barnea for several years said

that, In my opinion it is a mistakenot to rehire Uri [Barnea] after what

he has done for the symphony, the

arts and the community in general

over the last two decades.

Editors Note: If you are con-

cerned about the fate of the Bill-

ings Sympony and want to share

your voice, email The Retort your

opinions at retort@msubillings.edu

to be published.

Jed BartonSports Editor

On the evening of Sept. 20 the

Shrine was taken over by a bunch of

drunken obnoxious people. The

event was the ever hilarious Rodney

Carrington. For those of you who are

unfamiliar with his work he is a coun-

try comedian whose material in-

cludes the infamous Ti**ies and

Beer, Fred, and Dear Pe*is, just to

name a few. He also does some standup comedy that will keep you laugh-

ing til you puke.

The show began at 8 p.m. after

a two hour wait in the uncomfortable

seats. The opening act was Barry

White, a hilariously risky comedian

from Texas who started out joking

about his broken foot. The rest of his

act had to be censored for our news-

paper but I think that you can get the

jest of it. Finally, the moment every-

body was anticipating, Rodney him-

self. The crowd began shouting the

obscene comments that are par for his

material. While doing his stand up, he

was roused with continuous shouting

for him to sing, so sing is what he did.

The rowdiness continued and the an-

noyance grew. The beers were passing

by six or more at a time, the atmosphere

was getting tougher, and the show came

to a halt. For those of you who went, theshow ended 45 minutes early and we

can thank those people who came to

drink and socialize for the early dis-

missal. Dont they know that thats what

they invented bars for. So, after spend-

ing $33, I decided it was tear jerking,

stomach aching, pee your pants funny

and would pay that much again, but with

the stipulation that all drunk stupid

people sit down and shut up.

Rodney Carrington Leaves Early at The ShrineJennifer FentonA&E Editor

7/28/2019 75 Issue 2

15/20

Evelyn IrmenStaff Writer

Jack the RipperTryouts: Thespians Show Their Stuff

If you know of, or are involved in any Community or MSU-Billings events and you

would like to have them posted on the Retort Calendar please contact Jennifer Fenton @

657-2194 at least 3 weeks in advance.

Venture Theater

Stingers 9pm

Two Lane Road

11:00 Campbell

Bros. 8pm ABT

Venture

Theater

Stingers 9pm

Columbus Day Venture Theater

Stingers 9pm

10 Tenors 7:30pm

ABT

Venture Theater

Stingers 9pm

Venture Theater

Stingers 9pm

Comm. Band

7:30pm ABT

Coffee House Tim

Mahoney

The Sound of

Music 7:30pm ABT

Movie Night Freakers Ball 8pm

College Bowl

Northcutt Steele

Ga