msub the retort v88i5
TRANSCRIPT
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The Voice of Montana State University Billings for Over Half a Century
www.MSUBretort.orgNovember 16, 2012 Volume 88, Issue 5
By Serene Crees
A&E Writer
Walking into Par-
mly Billings Li-
brary a few weeks
ago lled me with many fond
childhood memories: my
mother taking us to story hour,
getting to pick out the bookswe would read at bedtime, do-
ing research for school papers.
The library did, and still does,
play an important role in my
life.
Reaching the fourth oor,
I was anxious to nally get
the answers to the questions
I have had since they broke
ground for the new library.
When I heard about the new li-
brary, I was excited about the
new technology and services
it would provide, and also im-
mediately curious about what
it would look like.
I had the great privilege to
meet with Bill Cochran, the
director of Parmly Billings
Library, about the librarys
history, his position as di-
rector, and how he came into
that role, before asking how
the vision for the new Parm-
ly was born. According to Co-
chran, the library rst began
discussing updates eighteen
years ago, and at that time be-
gan working with building
consultant David Smith. The
original plan was to remodel
the building, but the rst few
renovations proved that the
current building simply could
not meet existing or future
needs of the community.
In 2002, a proposal to re-
model the existing library
was introduced to the com-
munity. The city council pre-
ferred the option of buying a
rough block and building li-
brary parking around so that
other businesses in the area
would not be displaced. A
bond was issued to purchase
the vacant block west of Ti-nys Tavern, but negotiations
fell through.
The following election pro-
duced another bond for a site
to be named, but only 45% of
voters were in favor. Hardly a
year had passed since the 9/11attacks had occurred, and
School District Two was ex-
periencing a teachers strike,
and so the community was
not ready to support a new li-
brary at the time.
A decade later, healing and
diversity had transformed the
culture of Billings into an en-
vironment more apt to fos-
ter a new library. An anony-
mous donor expressed inter-
est in the library renovations,
and pledged $2 million on the
condition that the new build-
ing had architectural signi-cance.
The donor wanted an ar-
chitect who had designed
award-winning public librar-
ies, and so Will Bruder was
selected. This talented and
experienced designer comes
to us from a rm famous for
using very utilitarian mate-
rials to produce esthetical-
ly interesting results. Bruder
designed the iconic Phoenix
Central Library in Phoenix,
Arizona, which was named
by Contractas one of the best
public spaces in the United
States and declared by The Li-
brary Journal as the best in
trend-setting libraries built in
the past six years.
While visiting Billings,
Bruder spent a few days brav-
ing a November snowstorm
to take pictures of the histor-
ic buildings on Montana Av-
enue. Drawing inspiration
from the existing architecture,
Brudersaid, The architectur-al vision for the new Parmly
Billings Library is a sustain-
Exclusive: Anonymous library donor breaks silenceable and dynamic pavilion of
community pride and iconic
presence a volume of light,
transparency, and color that
grows from the fabric of the
urban streetscape.
The new library will beclad with perforated steel in
front of a wall of glass featur-
ing different levels of opaci-
ty and transparency. Much of
the oor will be made of con-
crete ground with aggregate
and polished in a way to re-
semble marble; this type of
ooring is very economical
in that it will never need to
be replaced. An innity pool
will reect the light pouring
in from the many windows
offering views of the Rims
and of Sacrice Cliff.
Flexibility is the themeof the interior; the library
will be able to accommodate
changes - especially techno-
logically. All of the lighting,
workstations, phones, and
power sources will be able
to be re-located as needed.
The building will also be de-
signed to accommodate vari-
ous functions and age groups,
and spaces have been desig-
nated for conference rooms,
an auditorium, a study room,
areas for children and teenag-
ers, a computer lab, and an ex-
panded movie library.
Amazingly, Cochran was
able to arrange an exclusive
interview with the anony-
mous donor. It gives me great
pleasure to introduce the Bill-
ings community to the man I
have dubbed Mr. Smith:
Serene Crees: Why did
you decide to make this dona-
tion anonymously? I can un-
derstand many of the reasons
why someone would want toremain anonymous, but I am
curious as to your personal
reasons.
Mr. Smith: I gave the gift
anonymously for two reasons.
The rst was that an anony-
mous gift doesnt allow one
take sides. In other words,
people cannot be distractedby any consideration of the
donors reputation or person-
ality. And two, the focus is
entirely on the library itself.
SC: Since your identity
is a secret, what can you tell
us about yourself so that we
can get to know you as a per-
son without knowing who you
are? Like what do you like to
do, what are your interests, a
little of your background
Mr. Smith: I am not a na-
tive Montanan. I chose to live
here because I like the envi-
ronment, the people, and thequality of life. I have had a
measure of success, and I like
to give back to the communi-
ty that has supported me.
SC: Why the library?
There are so many charities
out there; how did you decide
on donating to Parmly?
Mr. Smith: There are cer-
tain buildings that set the
tone architecturally and cul-
turally in a community. The
city hall, post ofce, art mu-
seum, and major ofce build-
ings are examples. Certain-
ly, the library belongs in that
group. Every good communi-
ty deserves a good library. It
is a great source of informa-
tion, and it says a lot about the
people who live in that com-
munity.
SC: Do you have a histo-
ry with libraries or the liter-
ary world in some way that
makes you partial to donating
to them?
Mr. Smith: I was an Eng-lish major in college and am
an avid book collector in
elds that interest me. I have
made nominal contributions
to libraries in the past but this
was an opportunity to really
make a difference.
SC: When you made the
donation, you must have had avision; what was your vision
and have any of your ideas
made it into the new build-
ing?
Mr. Smith: I didnt have
any grand vision. I want-
ed a building of architectur-
al signicance because I have
been disappointed by some
of the structures that have
been built in Billings in the
past few years. I was giv-
en what amounted to a veto
power over the choice of ar-
chitect, and I think we chose
the right man. What resultsmay be simply a substitu-
tion of my taste for someone
elses. But, maybe we will
get lucky and wind up with
a truly beautiful building in
which Billings can take pride.
SC: What are some of your
favorite features in the new li-
brary?
Mr. Smith: I like the
openness and exibility of
the oor plan, the landscaped
parking lot, and the ties to the
surrounding geographic areas.
SC: Who are your favorite au-
thors? Mr. Smith: My favor-
ite authors are John Donne,
Thomas Hardy, John LeCarre,
and a number of good histo-
rians. I love to read and often
overestimate my capabilities
so that I have books piled ev-
erywhere.
SC: What are your favor-
ite books?
Mr. Smith: My favorite
books are biographies of my
heroes: Stonewall Jackson,Edward R. Murrow, General
Vinegar Joe Stillwell, Clar-
ence Darrow, etc.
SC: Do you write your-
self?
Mr. Smith: I write a lot of
letters - personal and crank,
occasional scripts, and I am
editing a historical and draft-ing an anecdotal autobiogra-
phy of sorts.
SC: This interview is an
opportunity for you to have
a voice without a face. What
would you like the commu-
nity to know that you havent
been able to say up until now?
Mr. Smith: I would like
the community to know how
appreciative I am of the op-
portunity to live and work in
this community and associate
with some of the nest peo-
ple I have ever met. There are
limitations imposed by pop-ulation and nancial support,
but on a relative basis, we
have done well. Our medical
facilities and personnel are
but one example. My deni-
tion of success is doing what
you like to do in a place you
like to do it. I have been fortu-
nate in doing that. Some may
look upon Montana as the mi-
nor leagues, but we have a lot
of folks who could make it in
the bigs but prefer our life-
style. Amen!
Cochran stated that his-
torically, public libraries
have been temples of learn-
ing; statements of civic pride.
Thanks to our anonymous
donor, Billings can now re-
turn to the fundamentals
with a beautiful place to read,
learn, interact, and engage.
On behalf of our communi-
ty, I would like to thank Mr.
Smith for his tremendous
gift from which the commu-
nity will benet for years to
come.
(Letters of appre-
ciation from the Bill-
ings community can beemailed to [email protected] and willbe forwarded to Mr.Smith.)
For fun facts about
the library go tomsubretort.org
Bill Cochran, the direc-
tor of Parmly Billings Li-
brary.
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Photos by Patricia Hampton
Students to Present AT Second Annual
Research Presentations and New Talent Expo
On Tuesday, Novem-
ber 27th, the Hon-
ors Club will host the
second annual Honors Reec-
tions and Research Presen-
tations at 6pm in the Student
Union Building. In addition
to continuing this tradition,
they will also be introducing
a second event to the day: the
Honors Talent Expo, which
will be held from Noon until
6pm in the Upper Galleria.The Honors Research Pre-
sentations were designed to
provide Honors students the
opportunity to present re-
search that they had conduct-
ed, either individually or for
a course, to a public audi-
ence. They also allow stu-
dents interested in participat-
ing in the National Confer-
ence for Undergraduate Re-
search (NCUR) in the spring
a chance to practice their pre-
sentations in preparation.
In Your Best Interest: Travel, Food,
Maintenance, and Dishwashers
As is often the case,
funding has been a
topic of great impor-
tance in recent ASMSUB
Senate Meetings. Recent
concerns include contingen-
cies for student travel, up-
coming events, and facilities
on campus.
Financial Bill 5 was re-
cently brought to the Sen-
ate for a vote this Bill con-sidered the RHA (Residence
Hall Association) request for
$713.98 for two students to
attend IACURH, a national
RHA Conference to be held
in Albuquerque, New Mexico,
this month. Financial Board
recommended to the Senate
that $705.98 be awarded to
RHA as they had been able to
raise $8 from a fundraiser in
October. The Senate passed
the bill with 14 votes for it,
and only one vote against. It
is the hope of several Senate
members that this conferencewill help RHA to expand its
visibility on campus, as well
as learning some new fund-
raising techniques.
Financial Bill 7 will be
voted on in the coming weeks.
This bill takes into consider-
ation the request by the In-
ternational Studies Club for
$2700 to organize the Interna-
tional Food Fair that is held on
the Main Campus each year.
The Food Fair brings togeth-er students of many national-
ities and cultures and allows
them to prepare and sell a va-
riety of their native food. The
event is open to students and
the public.
The position for ASMSUB
Lobbyist has not yet been of-
cially lled applications
for the position were accept-
ed through Friday, November
9, and the new lobbyist will
soon be announced.
A long-term maintenance
plan has been proposed,
which includes the comple-tion of several projects such as
asbestos abatement, upgrad-
ing elevators and restrooms
on campus, and updating the
re alarm systems. Also un-
der consideration is the pur-
chase of a home between Nor-
mal and Virginia Ave for fu-
ture use by the University.
The dishwasher in the
Rimrock Caf has been in use
for 27 years (15 years longer
than the anticipated life-spanof the machine) and its re-
placement is currently being
looked into. The new dish-
washer would cost $200,000,
but was pointed out as being
necessary by Forest West-
wood, a member of the Senate
and employee of Sodexo.
As they have in the past,
ASMSUB will be selling ski
tickets to students for a dis-
counted rate this winter. Gen-
erally, ski tickets would cost
an individual $50, however
ASMSUB is able to purchase
them at a bulk rate of $31each, and will be selling them
to students for $30 on Decem-
ber 3rd.
For more informa-
tion about the goings-on in
ASMSUB, contact the Ofce
Manager, Valerie Sperry, at
657-2137.
By PATRICIA HAMPTON
News & Campus Life WriterThe Fall 2011presentations
included:
Nathan Baillet Freedom
Summer Sexism
Steven Barton Laser In-
duced Fluorescence of Atom-
ic Sodium
Cory Lovec Solid Ma-
trix Luminescence of Polycy-
clic Aromatic Hydrocarbons
in Sugar Glass
Patricia Hampton De-
mocracys Role in Educationand Student Life at MSU Bill-
ings
Emily Harris A Journey
Through Poetry
This years presentations
will include a presentation by
Senior Honors student Nathan
Baillet about his experiences
on a recent trip to Peru. He
will discuss the pilgrimage to
the summit of a sacred glacier,
as well as the connection be-
tween Incan mythology and
Spanish Catholicism in Ande-
an Christianity.
The Talent Expo stands
as an opportunity for Honors
students to showcase their tal-
ents outside of academia. On
display from Noon until 6pm
will be student art work. Stu-
dents were encouraged to
submit any and all artwork
that they have created, from
sculptures, to paintings, to
photography.
While these pieces will be
available for the publics en-
joyment throughout this pe-riod of time, talent perfor-
mances will be scheduled be-
ginning at 4pm. Talents will
range from vocal performanc-
es by individuals, to dance
numbers by groups of stu-
dents.
For more information re-
garding this event, or other
Honors Club activities, either
visit www.Facebook.com/
msubhonors or email MSUB.
Have you ever had the
urge to learn how to
dance - really dance?
Well, now there is a club on
campus that can help with
that urge. Every Wednes-
day a group of students gets
together and learn how to
dance. Styles include the Cha
Cha, tango, waltz, and swing.
Dancing commences in
the atrium of the SUB from
6pm to 8pm on Wednesday
evenings. Josh Bourke is
the president of Dance Club
and started the group be-cause he loves dancing and
wanted to generate an inter-
est in the hobby on campus.
When asked about the loca-
tion he said he thought the
atrium was the perfect way
to gain exposure for the club.
For those that have concerns
about the location being too
public Bourke retorts, No,
when you are dancing, only
think of your dance partner
and nothing else. Have fun
and dont be concerned with
what other people think.
Bourke is the primaryteacher but has expressed in-
terest in wanting other forms
of dance to be introduced
through the club. Bourke has
been doing ballroom danc-
ing for about six years and is
very excited to share his pas-
sion with others.
Stepping outside of the
norm, the Dance Club hosted
Sparks Fly, a ballroom dance,
on Wednesday, November 7,
from 6pm to 10pm. For the
rst hour, the club members
and other attendees prac-
ticed Swing in the Petro The-atre Lobby. After these les-
sons, the dance began in the
Atrium, where club members
hung lanterns to liven up the
space. Throughout the night
the dancers enjoyed danc-
ing the Cha Cha, salsa, tan-
go, waltz, rumba, swing, fox-
trot, country two-step, and of
course, the cupid shufe.
The Dance Club will con-
tinue with their weekly les-
sons/practice sessions, and
is already in the process of
planning an even more ex-
travagant dance for this com-ing January. Bourke encour-
ages all to attend and bring a
friend to the weekly sessions
and dances in the future.
To learn more about the
Dance Club and what they
have coming up, like them
on Facebook under Mon-
tana State University Billings
Dance Club.
Sparks Fly Ballroom Dance Hosted by MSUB Dance Club
Thomas Spencer and Austin Schillings performed
live during the dance.
Swing lessons from 6p-7p prior to the ofcial start
of the dance
Visit our Facebook page to get more up-to-date info on Bills
going through Senate. www.facebook.com/TheRetort
By PATRICIA HAMPT
ON
News & Campus Life Writer
By PATRICIA HAMPTON
News & Campus Life Writer
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Encaustic painter featured in northcutt galleryBy Leanne GilbertsonNorthcutt Steel Gallery Director
By MSUB News Services
University Relations
MSUB Department
of Arts Northcutt
Steele Gallery fea-
tures the work of encaustic
painter Lauren Eisen from
November 15 through De-
cember 13. This solo exhibi-
tion entitled Efgies high-
lights Eisens incorporation
of found objects and natural
bers into the encaustic me-
dium, exploring the impact
of human intervention in thenatural world, and its effect
on native plant and animal
life.
Eisen is Assistant Profes-
sor of Painting/Director of
Foundations at University of
Northern Colorado in Greeley.
She has an active exhibition
record of solo, group, juried,
and invitational exhibitions
and has work included in a
number of private and insti-
tutional collections across
the nation. She received her
MFA from Tulane University
in 1991 and her BFA fromColumbus College of Art and
MSUB ART STUDENTS LEAGUE TO HOLD AUCTION NOV. 17
The Art Students
League of Montana
State University Bill-
ings will hold its art auction
at the Yellowstone Art Mu-
seums Visible Vault on Sat-
urday, Nov. 17. The fun star ts
at 6 p.m. at the Visible Vault,
The 2012 Montana
Writers Roundup will
be held on Saturday,
December 1, from 12:00-5:00
p.m., at the Shrine Auditori-
um in Billings, 1125 Broad-
water Ave., in conjunction
with the Family Tree Cen-
ter's Festival of Trees (which
has a nominal $3 entry fee).
Included in the event are a
book sale/book signing by lo-
cal and regional writers and a
basket of books rafe.
Authors who will be avail-able for friendly discussions
and book signing during part
or all of the afternoon include
Joan Bochmann, Marion
Driscoll Cadwell, Meridith
Cox, Duane Demars, Diane
Elliott and Souther, Rebec-
ca Gahagan, Sue Hart, Janet
Muirhead Hill, Curt Layman,
Julie Lortz, Wally Mading,
Marcia Melton, Norton Mo-
ses, Harley ODonnell, Hei-
di Paulson, Bernie Quetchen-
bach, Tonya Shellnutt, Kar-
SIGMA TAU DELTA SPONSORS 2012 WRITERS ROUNDUPPress Release
Sigma Tau Delta
HybridizationReversion
One Act To Rule Them AllBy Jacob HarrisContributing Writer
On the 24th, 25th, 26th,
and 27th days of Oc-
tober in this 2012th
year of civilized society, hu-
manity was graced in its en-
tirety by the magic that is sim-
ply known as the MSUB One
Act Festival, though com-
pletely misleading in its stat-
ed nature as a festival, as
there were, in fact, a shocking
lack of balloons, booze, and
gaily dressed clowns atop ma-
jestic oats, cruis ing throughthe halls of the Liberal Arts
building, what was presented
was an impressive, if not, in-
timidating, collection of one-
act plays, each directed by a
different student from the
theatre department, each with
vastly different themes, and
yet, each had their own charm.
The rst play of the night,
And Down Came the Rain,
directed by Amanda Grubbs,
tells the story of two brothers,
one, technically normal, al-
though I assume hes probably
kicked a puppy or two in histime, and the other, a humble,
lovable, autistic fellow, woe-
fully obsessed with hearing
The Itsy Bitsy Spider. And
what follows is a dialogue-
heavy journey into the lives of
these two brothers, as told by
their reminiscing and inside
jokes, as viewers are shown
a very troubled life shared by
the two brothers and the inter-
personal conicts of a brother
who must live and care for his
mentally compromised kin.
The whole performance was
very well done by the two ac-tors, albeit, I couldnt help but
wonder why they were out in
the woods. Were they mere-
ly camping out for funsies,
or were they escaping the
citys infestation by hordes
of blood-sucking vampires?
These were questions that
nagged at me the entire night.
But, besides those triing am-
biguities, viewers were giv-
en a hard-hitting performance
with an emotional ending to
the rst play of the night.
After that sobfest, viewers
were delighted to be present-ed with the next play, entitled
Boy Meets Girl, directed,
again, by Little Miss Over-
achiever, Amanda Grubbs,
which told the story of two
kindergarten children, expe-
riencing their rst, confusing,
tingling sensations in their
Osh Gosh Ba Gosh trousers,
and the resulting absurdities
that come with the abomina-
tion everyone has an abusive
relationship with, Love. What
made this play stand right out
was the use of mature themes,in a infantile context, such as
the girl giving the boy a pres-
ent, only to have him showing
off his new cap at that weeks
show and tell, and her result-
ing indignation over her gift
being shunned, to the even-
tual breaking up and recon-
ciliation, in spite of the girls
long sought after trip to Dis-
ney World, which, personal-
ly, I couldnt help but ask my-
self what person in their right
mind would sooner give up
a chance to pal around with
Mickey Mouse and throwup her Lunchables when she
meets Cinderella, just so she
can do the same old drudger-
ies with her prepubescent lov-
er, I know I wont stop at noth-
ing than to get drunk and pal
around with Mickey Mouse!
Right after thatactual-
ly thats a lie, it was about 15
minutes later before the com-
pany stopped dancing with
toothbrushes in the prep room,
that the audience was graced
with a performance of The
Roadhouse in Arden, direct-
ed by Bobbi Kaye Kupfner,a story of an irreverent, am-
orous son, and his whipped
thespian father, and lazy,
overdressed mother with an
undeserved sense of entitle-
ment for an owner of a fail-
ing townhouse, as they are
unwittingly visited by a god-
dess of immortality, seek-
ing refuge from her pursuers,
William Shakespeare, and
Francis Bacon. Filled with
plenty of irreverent humor,
making light of the dramat-
ics of Shakespearean litera-
ture, some of which planned,some of which noticeably im-
provised, the show played out
much like a classic improv
performance, with laugh-
ter from the audience being
equally caused by practiced
reactions to planned situa-
tions, and by actors straining
to keep a straight face in front
of each other, Id like to think
some jerks would try and say
the improvised reactions of
the actors was a sign of imma-
turity and inexperience by the
actors, but they arent writing
this article, so you readers are
stuck with my opinion that it
only made the atmosphere allthe more absurd and fun for
everyone.
The nal play, Scuba Les-
sons, directed by the man
known frequently seen build-
ing unnecessarily complex
chess boards, Trevor Beyon-
dich, tells the story of a rather
unbalanced woman, waiting
for her blind date, whilst be-
ing served by an ornery cof-
fee shop hipster, and commen-
tating on the date between a
fella from the Bourough and
a strangely untting book-
worm, what made this playshine was the choreography,
in many scenes, during one of
the lead actress many mono-
logues, the rest of the cast
would have to stop speaking,
but rather, pantomime their
conversations, or simply stop
moving altogether, frozen in
place, as the girl expressed
her verbose, and sometimes
virulent, thoughts.
Truly, the genius of the
one act is fest is its ability to
cause people to pick favorites,
and discuss and debate their
decisions amongst each oth-er, all while having presented
great works that everyone had
to have enjoyed, regardless
of their favorite choices. This
one act collection, in partic-
ular, gave the audience capa-
ble, well-thought out perfor-
mances that never once failed
to give the audience the de-
sired experience even across
its many days of performance.
Bravo indeed, MSUB ac-
tors, but next time, I expect
far more balloons and at least,
one clown.
505 N. 26th St., and the live
auction star ts at 7:30 p.m. The
event is open to the public.
Donated art from MSUB
students, faculty and commu-
nity members will be on hand
for viewing and purchase. Lo-
cal businesses have also con-
tributed door prizes and fund-
ing to help the club on this
large community event.
Proceeds from the art auc-
tion will support the ASL in
purchasing new art equip-
ment, hosting visiting art-
ist workshops and providing
scholarships for art students.
The club is a non-prot or-
ganization with a mission to
expand the education of stu-
dents in and beyond the realm
of the classroom. The ASL
members focus on encourag-
ing a new generation of artists
to set roots in the growing lo-
cal art community.
For more information,
please contact ASL at MSUB-
en Stevens, Alan Tucker, Jane
Wohl, Sherry M. Winn, and
more.
As part of the Roundup, a
deluxe basket of signed books
and gifts will also be rafed
off. Tickets, available at the
event, cost only $1.00 each
or six for $5.00; the drawing
will be held around 4:00 p.m.
on Saturday, and you need not
be present to win.
The Montana Writers
Roundup is pre-
sented annual-ly by Sigma
Tau Delta,
the MSU
Billings
b r a n c h
of the
i n t e r -
n a t i o n -
al English
honor so-
ciety, a non-
prot academ-
ic organization.
Sigma Tau Delta uses
its share of the proceeds to
support a variety of English
scholarships, awards, and ac-
tivities.
Autographed books make
wonderful holiday presents,
and the gift-wrapping is free,
so come and see what Mon-
tana and regional authors
have to offer! For more in-
formation, please contact Ra-
chel Schaffer, faculty advisor,
MSU Billings Department of
English, Philosophy, & Mod-
ern Languages, at 657-2954
or rschaffer@
m su b i l l-
i n g s .edu.
Design in 1989.
Eisens mixed-media col-
lage works skillfully integrate
encaustica process of paint-
ing with pigments suspended
in hot waxwith found natu-
ral and industrial materials,
processed food items, and
animal efgies. Her richly
textured and layered works
explore the relationships be-
tween landscape, architecture,
agriculture, horticulture, andother aspects of industry that
affect native plant and animal
life. In her luscious composi-
tions Eisen offers thoughtful
reections about our con-
sumption of natural resources
that allude to a variety of re-
lationships between human-
made structures and naturally
occurring forms: inspiration
and imitation, digestion and
destruction, cultivation and
captivity.
An artist reception will be
held on Thursday, November
15, beginning at 5pm. The
reception and exhibition are
both free and open to the pub-
lic.
The Northcutt Steele Gal-
lery is located on the 1st oor
of the Liberal Arts Building
on the MSUB campus and isopen MondayFriday from
8am to 4pm. For more infor-
mation visit: www.msubill-
ings.edu/gallery and www.
facebook.com/northcuttsteel -
egallery.
[email protected] or the MSUB
Art Department at 257-2324.
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5
Photos by Serene Crees and
Leah Campbell
QDear Tiff,I am so busy lately. I
tend to have a ton on
my plate all the time but this
semester, I cant nd any-
thing to cut out. Can you give
me tips on how to structure
my life in a way that is more
manageable?
-Crazy Busy
ADear Crazy Busy,
I think it is important
to set aside a specic
day of rest each week to get
caught up again.
Childrens theatre holding auditions
Childrens Theater is
holding auditions
for our spring show
Beauty is a Beast by D.M.
Larson. Auditions will be
held November 27, 2012 at
4pm in Petro Theater. The
show will be performed for
area elementary schools dur-
ing the week of April 4th-6th.
Press ReleaseMSUB~Childrens Theater
We are in need of actors/ac-
tresses as we have a cast size
of ten or larger. We are also
looking for individuals who
are willing to help build sets,
do costuming, lighting, sound,
hair and makeup, build props,
and photograph. No experi-
ence is required and those au-
ditioning do not need to havea piece prepared for tryouts as
one will be provided.
If you are unable to attend
auditions, but would still like
to be involved or have any
questions please do not hesi-
tate to add MSUB~Childrens
Theater, Jamie Slaugh or Meg
Opie on Facebook or call/text
406-671-6994.
The new go-to restau-
rant in Billings for
organic comfort food
has to be The Field House.
Located at 2601 Minnesota
Avenue #3, The Field House
offers delictible delights that
ll your senses the moment
you walk through the front
door.
Thanks to The Field House,
my new favorite comfort
food has to be their Trufe
Fries. My dining partner
and I were in heaven as we
savored each fry smothered
in trufe oil, asiago cheese
and herbs. The cacophony of
avor and textures danced
on my taste buds; the cheese
was still melting over the
steamy, fragrant potatoes and
The Field House: Organic delights
with industrial designBy Serene Crees
A&E Writer
the trufe oil mixed with the
herbs gave them a zesty taste.
The main course was a
pork loin that was tender and
juicy. It was laid over a bed of
purple cabbage.
As I enjoyed my avorful
meal, I took in the sights and
sounds around me. Like many
old buildings downtown, the
Field House had been remod-eled to reect a modern, in-
dustrial look. However, there
are some distinct differences;
there is a cozy feel to it with
its comfy furniture and soft,
natural lighting warms you
from the inside out.
Though the inside of the
building is unique and beau-
tiful, the most interesting
thing about The Field House
dcor is on the outside. There
are large windows that paral-
lel the active railroad tracks
and while the trains may be a
nuisance while you are driv-
ing, while you are eating, it
is actually enjoyable to watch
them roll by with colorful
grafti that adds interest to
the view.
The Field House not only
has exceptional food and an
inviting atmosphere, but theyalso provide live entertain-
ment on Thursday nights to
add a little something extra
with your meal. I highly rec-
ommend you venture south of
the tracks and treat yourself
to some unique cuisine.
Bottom Left: That Burg-er: Mountina chees, or-ganic avocado, fried
local onion, house thou-sand island, local tomato,organic butter lettuce,
On the Rise ciabatte
with Fries with a special,homemade sauce $15:
Middle: The Industrialstyle of The Field Houseoffers a unique dining
experience. Left: Checkout The Field House onThursdays for live music.
Jodi Piccoult is a very ac-
complished author. Her
emotionally moving
2004 novel My Sisters Keep-
er received extensive praise,
and she has done it again. Her
new novel Nineteen Minutes
looks into the lives of various
people involved in a school
shooting. In this great read,
Picoult touches on the rarely
experienced but seldom dis-cussed issues of bullying, ne-
glect and abuse.
Would you feel guilty, or
even care, if a friend you
abandoned for the popular
crowd came to school intend-
ing to kill your new friends?
What if you hated yourself
for loving someone with
which you were involved
in an abusive relationship?
Would you be heartbroken
if they were shot, or secretly
relieved? What would life af-
ter a shooting be the same or
different? Piccoult raises all
Piccoults latest novel focuses on
the horrors of school shootingsBy Nikky Mosure
Contributing Writerthese questions
over the course
of the novel.
Relegated to
the shadows of
his perfect older
brother Joey,
Peter Houghton
has been bullied
since his rst
day of kinder-
garten. Popular,straight-A stu-
dent Josie Cro-
mier seems to
have it all, but is
often neglected
by her district
court judge
mother. Al-
though very dif-
ferent, Peter and
Josie were best friends until
the sixth grade when Josie left
Peter in favor of the popular
crowd. Now he is unprotected,
and subjected to extensive
bullying.
In a mission to end his tor-
ment, Peter walks into the
school with four guns and the
intent to kill his abusers. The
nineteen minutes that follow
change everything and every-
one.
Psychologists have donestudies and found that there
are actual benets to taking a
day for rest. They have found
that if you set aside a specif-
ic day each week (and it does
need to be the same day if
at all possible for maximum
benet), if you make sure this
day is completely restful with
no work, no school, no home-
work, no housework, no pay-
ing bills, no anything and you
take that time to have some
alone time, have some so-
cial time and have some fun,
then you are actually able to
accomplish more on the oth-
er six days a week than if you
used all seven for the same
things.
They have found that it in-
creases your ability to focus,
complete tasks more efcient-
ly and more accurately, as
well as increasing the volume
of your productivity.
It has been also discovered
that an individual that takes
a day of rest is more patient,
has less anxiety and depres-sion, and is also happier in
their everyday feelings.
They have also been able to
nd physical benets to tak-
ing a day of rest; lower blood
pressure, lower weight, and
increased production of hap-
py hormones and an increase
in immune system function.
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7/28/2019 MSUB The Retort v88i5
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6
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
20
109
24
25
2319
1
11 12
29
November-December 2012
22
2 3 4 8
2118
17
5 6
16
30
7
SUDOKU
26 27 28
13 14
CLASSIFIED SECTION
History Club Burgers
and Brats Fundrais-
er @ 4:30-8pm Yellow-
stone Valley Brew Pub
Last Day to Apply
to Graduate Spring
Semester 2013
Issue
5ofThe
Retor
tisOut!
Residence Halls CloseN
eed
an
ex
cus
et
opu
to
ff
doi n
gyou
rh
om
ew
ork
?
Lo
okh
er
e:T
HER
ES
SO M
ET
HIN
GT
OD
OE
VER
YDA
Y!
Wanttog
etrid
ofsomeo
ld
books?P
ost
themhere
.
Holiday Food and Gift
Festival @ MetraPark
Union Night:
Monday Night
Football 7pm Theatre
Last Day to Drop a Class
with Approval of Advi-
sor and Course Instructor
Thanksgiving Holiday - No Classes
Holiday at the Moss
@ Moss Mansion $5
Mens Basketball vs
Colorado Ch ristina
University @ 5:30
Holiday Parade:
Downtown Billings 7pm
Womens Basketball vs.
Notre Dame De Namur
(Tournament Game):
Tchaikovskys
Nutcracker Ballet @Alberta Bair: 7pm Festival of Trees at
Shrine Auditorium
Eagle Mount 2012Winter Ski Film Fest 7pmD
eadlin
eforIss
ue6o
f
The
Retor
t!Submit an arti-
cle to The Retort-Deadline on the 29th!
1 Block from MSU-B, 1200 sf Rental, large sunny, private, wireless,laundry available, 1 large bedroom with ofce loft, 2 bath, roomy, bigliving room with 20 foot south window wall, mature trees, private lot,$1075, plus utilities, great new kitchen, gas replace, beautiful place!call 406-672-3636
Beautiful Rental 1 Block From Campus
Welcome to the new Classied Section of The Retort! At this time, we are accepting classied ads to be pub -
lished both online and in print for FREE!
Guidlines:
Provide a heading (no more than 6 words)
Provide a write-up of what you are advertising (maximum of 40 words)
Provide contact info to include person of contact, email, phone number, or website for further information
If you would not like to include your name or contact info in the ad, we require that you submit one for our re -
cords but that will not be published.
Review your ad carefully before submission.
(Due to space limitations, we can not guarantee that your ad will be in the printed version of The Retort but all
classied ads will be placed online. For $5.00 per ad, you can reserve a space in t he print version.
Please direct questions about Classieds to
15
FINAL EXAM WEEK
Final Day to With-
draw from Fall 2012
(all classes, no refund)
Semester Ends
Union Night: Grocery
Bingo 7pm Atrium
Pancake Breakfast
Rimrock Caf 9-11pm
Issue
6of
TheR
etort
isOut!
Sale Campus
Store 12:12pm
MSUB Mens Bas-
ketball vs Western
Washington @ 7pm
Womens Basket-
ball vs. South Dako-
ta Mines Mens Bas-
ketball vs. South Da-
kota Mines 7:30 pm
Service Saturday
9:30 am AtriumMen's Basketball
vs. Alumni 2:00
pm
Festival of Trees @ 1-3:
Shrine Auditorium $12
Projectile
Comedy @ 8pm : NVClub
Holidays at the Moss
Mansion 1:00, 2,3: $7
A Christmas Car-
ol @ 7:30: Billings
Studio Theatre
MSUB Mens Bas-
ketball vs Simon
Fraser @ 7pm
MSUB Mens Bas-
ketball vs Rocky
@ 7:30pm
Writers Roundup
Saturday, December 1, noon-5:00 p.m.Shrine Auditorium, 1125 BroadwaterBook sale and signing
RHA Study
Buck Auction
Study Study Study
Writers Round-
up (see ad below)
Get an early start
on your Christ-mas shopping!
Try your hand at a
new form of climb-
ing: check out page
12 for more info!
Take a vacation!
-
7/28/2019 MSUB The Retort v88i5
7/12
7
Comic courtesy of www.XKCD.com
Exceptionalor
Inspirational
Cooperative education experiences leads MSUB student to her passionBy MSU BILLINGSNEWS SERVICES
Some students come to
college to nd them-
selves. Other students
come to nd a job.
Ashlee Rangitsch found
her passion.
The Montana State Uni-
versity Billings senior from
Roundup started her academ-
ic career with her eyes on a
business degree. But thanks
to some hands-on experi-
ence with group homes, the
Billings Police Department,some probation and parole
ofcer and the Yellowstone
County Attorneys Ofce, she
changed course, changed ma-
jors and is now determined to
change the lives of others.
This is exactly what I
wanted to do, Rangitsch said
during discussion with staff
at the Yellowstone County
Attorneys Ofce. I really
wanted to get involved.
The involvement goes back
to personal connections Ran-
gitsch made when she was a
sophomore and junior withMandy Brottem, cooperative
education specialist in the
Ofce of Career Services at
MSU Billings.
When her interest in busi-
ness seemed to fade, Ran-
gitsch talked with Brottem
about a different path. The
conversation led the student
to changing her major to Hu-
man Services and eventually
led to a work at some group
homes in Billings. Dipping
her toe into the water of a hu-
man services job led to imme-
diate hiring to ll relief spots.I knew that from day one
at the group home that I was
in the correct eld, she said.
Her experience there led
her to another internship with
Child Protective Services in
Roundup and piqued her cu-
riosity about the legal aspects
of the eld. She contacted
Brottem again and got the op-
portunity to have more hands-
on experience. She applied to
be a part of the Volunteers for
Justice Program at the Yel-
lowstone County Attorneys
Ofce where she found a new
perspective.
Stefani Williams, the vic-
tim witness coordinator for
Yellowstone County, and Ly-
nelle Amen, the Volunteers
for Justice Program coordi-
nator, said Rangitsch was a
perfect t for their coopera-
tive education experience. In-
terns in the ofce, Amen said,
are given important tasks or-
ganizing brieng books and
court documents and need tobe self-starters and trustwor-
thy.
It was more than ling pa-
pers, they said. The work was
a vital part of day-to-day le-
gal proceedings and other of-
ce activities.
We were able to turn her
loose fairly easily, Amen
said. She did everything we
asked of her and took it a step
further.
Rangitsch took initiative
to talk with sheriffs deputies
and Billings Police ofcers to
nd out more about their jobs.She rode along with them dur-
ing shifts, spending time on
nights and weekends getting
to further understand the sys-
tem. She found them to be ac-
commodating and encourag-
ing, urging her to continue her
pursuits.
One of them was Ofcer
Cory Kirkpatrick. A Ryegate
native, Kirkpatrick has been
an ofcer with the Billings
Police Department for two
years working night shift. He
was able to show Rangitsch
what new ofcers do on a dai-ly basis and their role in the
criminal justice system.
The best part was nding
out how everything is con-
nected, she said.
Those discussions and
the experiences got her ex-
cited about law enforcement
and she added another major:
Criminal Justice.
Heading into her nal year,
Rangitsch is now working to-
ward a double major, is active
in the Circle K service organi-
zation, works on service proj-
ects with the Student United
Way and is involved with the
MSU Billings Student Activ-
ities Board.
Brottem said Rangitschs
experience in a co-op educa-tion internship is similar to
those by others. They get re-
al-world experience in Mon-
tanas largest city with pro-
fessionals who are leaders in
their elds. Because Billings
has the largest healthcare, re-
tail, energy and service sec-
tors in the state, opportunities
for students exist here that
dont in other places.
Excluding placements
made for teaching experienc-
es in the College of Educa-
tion, MSU Billings had 241
cooperative education intern-ships in the 2011-12 academic
year, Brottem said. Of those
91 were paid positions.
Cooperative education in-
ternships not only put class-
room theory into real-world
practice, Brottem said, they
help students in making im-
portant decisions about their
futures. Typically, those in-
ternships conrm a students
choice in a selected eld of
study. For Rangitsch, it rati-
ed a new direction.
Ive known only one other
student who was so complete-
ly wowed by the experience
that they changed their ma-
jor, Brottem said.
Its been about a year since
Rangitsch started her coop-erative education experienc-
es and she is still in love with
them. She is intrigued by the
criminal justice aspect of her
work in the county attorneys
ofce and with the human
services aspects of probation,
parole and community polic-
ing. She has learned the lin-
go of ofcers and has made
many connections. This fall
she started work at the Bill-
ings Police Department as a
Police Support Specialist.
My internships paid off,
she said. Can you say net-working works?!
PHOTOS ABOVE: MSU
Billings student Ashlee Ran-
gitsch, center, stands with
summer cooperative ed-
MSU Billings student Ashlee Rangitsch, center, stands with summer cooperative education supervisors Lynelle Amen,
left, and Stefani Williams in the Yellowstone County Attorneys Ofce. Through her cooperative education experi -
ences, the Roundup senior found her passion is now on her way to a double major degree in criminal justice and human
services.
Photo by MSUB News Services
ucation supervisors Ly-
nelle Amen, left, and Ste-
fani Williams in the Yellow-
stone County Attorneys Of-
ce. Through her coopera-
tive education experiences,the Roundup senior found her
passion is now on her way to a
double major degree in crimi-
nal justice and human servic-
es. Below, Rangitsch stands
with Billings Police Ofcer
Cory Kirkpatrick. Kirkpat-
rick was one of ofcers in the
department who provided hisperspective on his job to the
student during her internship
this past summer.
Rangitsch stands with Billings Police Ofcer Cory Kirk-
patrick. Kirkpatrick was one of ofcers in the department
who provided his perspective on his job to the student dur-
ing her internship this past summer.
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7/28/2019 MSUB The Retort v88i5
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8
Paulina Carrillo
Columnist
What is the purpose of the media?Chris Claus
Online Editor
Recent events have led
me to ponder the pur-
pose of the media in
todays world. It has become
obvious that people do not
view the media the same way
they did in the time surround-
ing Watergate.
In the 70s, a good journal-
ist could make or break the
career of any politician. To-
day, the media no longer hasthe power it once did. People
are used to getting the news
in the form of 140-character
tweets and news aggregation
sites in which people rarely
do more than read the excerpt
of the article. Maybe this is a
side effect of the younger gen-
erations general lack of inter-
est in politics and the role they
could play in changing the
way our country is run.
On a more local scale, I lay
some of the blame on the for-
mer editors of The Retort. The
Retort has been around in its
various incarnations for al-
most as long as MSUB has ex-
isted, no matter what its name
was. For the longest time, The
Retort held the torch to the
various groups on campus
and had the Student Senateafraid to step out of line. Sad-
ly, around 2007, the staff did
everything they could to ruin
the hard-earned reputation
The Retort used to have, and
eventually got it shut down.
I'm not going to go into spe-
cics, but needless to say, we
have been working hard for
the past few years to try and
rebuild our reputation, with
the administration, the Sen-
ate, our advertisers, and most
importantly - you, our readers.
According to Student Sen-
ate president, Isaiah Garrison,
our overriding purpose is to
hold people accountable; him-
self included. So, if we, or any
of you, feel that any organi-
zation on campus, the Senate,
the various clubs and groups,
any of the academic depart-
ments, or even the adminis-
tration are not doing their jobs
properly, then we are obligat-ed to hold them responsible
in front of the student body.
However, this does not mean
we do not want to get along
with the other groups on cam-
pus, for as you may have seen,
this year we are taking a more
involved role and highlight-
ing the good they do. We are
trying to highlight a different
group on campus in each is-
Is organic food better for
you than non-organic
food? Is it worth the high-
er price? I do not think so.
Food is food no matter where
you get it from. Studies even
suggest that organic food is
not worth the money.
Stanford University'sDr. Dena Brevata and Dr.
Christal Smith state that
there is hardly any nutrition-
al difference between organ-
ic and regular food. Howev-
er, organic foods offer other
advantages. Organic farmers
use natural fertilizers such
as manure and compost rath-
er than the chemicals that
Are there really benefits
to eating organic?
Somebody has to be the watchdog,
and right now, thats you guys.
-Isiah Garrisonsue and talk about some of the
good things they do around
here.
On the ip side, if any of
you - students, groups, sen-
ators, or staff - feel that we
are not doing our job, we im-
plore you to hold us account-able. Submit a letter to the
editor, email us, and, if its
something major, schedule
a meeting with us. We take
your complaints, comments,
and opinions seriously, but
we wont know that anything
is wrong if you don't tell us.
It is more important now
than ever, with how few peo-
ple get involved in politics on
any level, from Student Sen-
ate all the way up to congress
and the Presidential elections,
that media outlets, especially
small ones such as The Retort
exist outside the realm of in-
uence of any group. We must
not be afraid to tackle any sto-ry, follow any lead. We can-
not, and will not, bow down
to the whims and pressure of
any group. We will do what is
best for our readers, and if one
of our readers wants to share
their opinion, we are obli-
gated to allow them to speak.
Whether or not we agree with
that opinion is irrelevant.
In the words of the
ASMSUB President Isaiah
Garrison, Somebody has to
be the watchdog, and right
now that's you guys [The Re-
tort]. If we aren't out there
talking to the students, going
to Student Senate meetings,
investigating both complaintsand praises from students and
staff, we wouldn't be doing
our job - the job that you the
students pay us to do.
I leave you with a quote
from Evelyn Beatrice Hall,
who wrote a biography on the
philosopher Voltaire, I dis-
approve of what you say, but
I will defend to the death your
right to say it."
are used to grow other foods.
These chemicals are often
washed into oceans, rivers,
and lakes, killing aquatic life.
Humans are affected
by these chemicals as well.
Farmers who have experi-
enced prolonged exposure to
pesticides and fertilizers cansuffer from neurological dam-
age, headaches, hand tremors,
and dizziness. These chemi-
cals can also impair the neu-
rological development of chil-
dren. However, research has
determined that the amount
of chemicals in conventional
foods is within safety limits,
and only farmers are subject
to these kinds of side effects.
I agree with Dustin
Hellinger, an MSUB cre-
ative writing major, who says,
Even though organic food is
good for the body and for the
mind, it is pretty expensive
to purchase unless you grow
it yourself. Organic food is
typically priced much higher
than conventional foods. For
example, a half-gallon of or-ganic milk at Walmart will
cost you almost $4.00, where-
as half a gallon of convention-
al milk at Walmart will cost
you about $2.
So, do you still think or-
ganic food is more convenient
to purchase over convention-
al food?
Electronic devices have
become a part of daily
life for Americans in
this day and age. Cell phones,
mp3 players, computers, and
electronic planning devic-es are taking over. The ques-
tion is, are we relying on our
mechanical friends way too
much?
Americans use their cell
phones for everything. We are
constantly texting and email-
ing instead of having face to
face conversations. These de-
vices are a convenience, but
when they malfunction, we
are left in the dark.
Instead of ghting the
trend, many schools are start-
ing to incorporate electron-
ic devices into daily routines.Colleges are requesting that
students use chat rooms and
email to coordinate group
projects instead of face to face
meetings and discussions.
Many argue that as a soci-
ety we have gotten too, busy
and we need these devices to
make our days easier. I agree
that they make our lives easi-
er, but we seem to let conve-
nience become a part of dai-
ly routine. When we have
nothing to do, we turn on the
Technology Takingover our lives
computer and jump on a so-cial networking site instead of
taking a walk with the dog or
going out with friends. What
happened to going to the mov-
ies or the mall? These activ-
ities have been replaced by
electronic devices.
The shortcuts dont stop
there. Not only do we rely on
electronic devices to gain a
few minutes here or there, but
we are forgoing communi-
ty events like farmers market
in favor of time-saving box
stores like Walmart.As ontanans, we owe it to
ourselves to take advantage
of our environment. But, do-
ing so might take us out of
range of cell phone reception,
and that is a problem for most.
Camping or hiking offer a re-
freshing break from the hold
that electronic devices have
over us. Maybe that clear-
headedness can be used to de-
vise ways to stop cutting cor-
ners and appreciate life more.
Nikky Mosure
Contributing Writer
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7/28/2019 MSUB The Retort v88i5
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9
Hurricane Sandy's re-
cent streak of terroron the East Coast
gave many the opportunity to
complain about our govern-
ment rather that to concern
themselves with the safety
and well-being of their fellow
Americans. How un-patriotic
does it get? Making accusa-
tions against the government
after a natural disaster devas-
tated so many innocent lives
is disgusting; these treason-
ers' time would have been
better spent donating some of
their precious money. While
they may seem to have su-
perpowers, FEMA, the Red
Cross, and other rescue agen-
cies have neither the strength
of a billion people nor the
powers to teleport, and so it is
not realistic to expect that ev-
eryone affected can be helped
immediately.
Additionally, it is unfair to
compare our rescue efforts
with those of other countries.
Of course, the Japanese were
more organized and coop-
erative after the tsunami hit
them; they are much more ac-
Chris ClausOnline Editor
Being an american means
loving your country
Guns on campus; just
the thought of it is
enough to scare most
people.
50 years ago, it wasnt un-
common to see a hunting rie
hanging in the back window
of most high school students
pickup trucks. In the years af-
ter Columbine and Virginia
Tech, even the rumor of some-
one carrying a gun on campus
is enough to send this campus
into lockdown, and the com-munity surrounding it into
panic.
Two years ago, we saw
rsthand the reaction to a gun
on campus. Within sixty sec-
onds of the call to 911, Bill-
ings PD had ofcers on the
campus, coordinating with
campus police. Thirty min-
utes later, the situation was re-
solved peacefully. Thankfully,
it ended up being two ROTC
cadets moving their mock
M16 training weapons across
campus to store them in their
car. Things could have turnedout a lot worse. They could
have been actual gunmen,
and we could have had a mas-
sacre on our hands like what
happened at Virginia Tech;
students and staff dead and
Guns on Campus: what do you think?wounded, and two young men
could have thrown their lives
away for nothing.
There is the other way it
could have gone, which, if
certain activists and mem-
bers of our legislature have
their way, could have been
possible. We could have had
a shooting on our hands. The
way events could have hap-
pened if these people had
their way, there could have
actually been a shooting. Thetwo ROTC cadets could have
been shot by a student who,
due to what could have been
a state law, was legally carry-
ing a concealed weapon. In-
stead of having two possible
shooters on campus, the po-
lice would have had one ac-
tive shooter, who was in his
belief, protecting himself and
his fellow students.
Currently, we have both a
state law, and a Board of Re-
gents policy banning weap-
ons from campus. The only
exception to the law and pol-icy is armed security ofcer
and police ofcers in the pur-
suit of their duties. Gary Mar-
but, president of the Montana
Shooting Sports Association
contends that this law leaves
students and faculty vulner-
able to others who are out to
do harm.
In our society, were all
vulnerable to ill intent. The
reality is, there is never a po-
lice ofcer around when you
need one. However, we live
in a relatively safe environ-
ment here in Billings, and our
crime rate is relatively low,
Scott Forshee, Chief of Cam-
pus Police, said.
In 2011, State Representa-
tive Krayton Kerns, Republi-
can Laurel, submitted a billto legislature allowing con-
cealed carry permit holders
to carry guns in places they
are currently banned, like
government buildings, banks,
and school campuses.
This is by no means a new
proposal. Gun rights activists
have been trying this for years,
and every time you hear of a
shooting, especially in plac-
es where weapons are banned,
the most common reaction
you get is, well things could
have turned out differently if
people were allowed to carryguns in there. Take the Au-
rora shooting for example. If
guns were allowed in that the-
ater, what might have hap-
pened? Sure, best case sce-
nario, a movie goer sees the
gunman, and shoots him be-
fore he has a chance to re
off more than a couple rounds.
Then there is the way it most
likely would have gone: one
or more people in the audi-
ence would be carrying weap-
ons, in a darkened theater, full
of panicking people, someone
whos scared, and has no psy-
chological training to handle
an event such as this, would
end up ring blindly, possibly
harming more innocent peo-
ple than the original gunman
did.Chief Forshee is against
such a policy change, and
has been each time such leg-
islation has been proposed:
Were asking for more prob-
lems to deal with if we allow
them [rearms on campus]
When asked what they
thought about students being
able to carry guns on campus,
here is what some MSUB stu-
dents had to say:
I think it would be a dis-
service to the safety of the
general student population to
allow rearms on any collegecampus that is not a military
academy. Nate Evans said.
The BOR [Board of Re-
gents] has no authority to
overrule the 2nd Amend-
ment, - ASMSUB VP Nik
I think it would be a disservice to
the safety of the general student
population to allow frearms on any col-
lege campus that is not a military
academy.
-Nate Evans
The BOR [Board of Regentss] has no
authority to overrule the 2nd
Amendment
-Nik Wong
This is Montana. I would hope that
if students already have a ccw, then
they would know how to be responsible
with a gun already. Although, I cant
imagine needing one on campus for any
reason short of a bear wandering
into class.
-Holly DanielsWong said.
This is Montana. I would
hope that if students already
have a ccw, then they knowhow to be responsible with a
gun already. Although, I can't
imagine needing one on cam-
pus for any reason short of a
bear wandering into class,
Holly Daniels said.
Currently, only 5 states al-
low the carrying of weapons
on college campuses, Colora-
do, Mississippi, Oregon, Utah,and Wisconsin. You can
read more about such laws at
http://www.ncsl.org/issues-
research/educ/guns-on-cam-
pus-overview.aspx
Paulina Carrillo
Columnistcustomed to battling Mother
Nature than those on Ameri-ca's east coast. And why aren't
they stepping forth to help us
as we helped them? Ameri-
cans donated $302 through
the Red Cross alone to aid in
tsunami relief efforts, while
a mere $2 million has been
raised for those affected by
Hurricane Sandy. Not only
are we not receiving assis-
tance from other countries,
but Americans would rather
donate to foreign causes than
to their own country.
It is time to appreciate your
country a little more. If you
had experienced life-altering
devastation at the hand of
Mother Nature you would
look to your fellow Ameri-
cans more than ever. Remem-
ber, it could be worse. Your
government is far from per-
fect. If you dont like it, get
out!
Am I whats wrong with
conservatism? nope.
The hippy horde of The
Retort strikes yet an-
other blow on the bow
of professionalism, either
there is only room for oneconservative voice or they
are getting cold feet publish-
ing the most popular column
in The Retorts recent histo-
ry. For whatever reason, they
did not print my column last
issue; my gut tells me it is
more sinister, in my previous-
ly printed article I lambast-
ed them for their pathetic ed-
iting regimen, and purpose-
ly included a handful of mis-
takes as a trap. I was not sur-
prised when the brain-dead-
editors were blindly snared. It
was the focus of my curiously
missing column. At any rate
it looks like I have bigger sh
to fry.
Kendra Carter, child, I
was out protesting when you
were in diapers. You seem to
think I am the problem withconservatism, darling please.
Your party lost an election to
one of the worst presidents of
the last century. Only the Re-
publicans could screw up that
much of a sure thing. Your
party has a myriad of prob-
lems including its shameless
need for brain-dead politi-
cal hotties like Sarah Pal-
in; I have yet to see any evi-
dence that you arent just an-
other one of these, your win
from the no-name publica-
tion Tygrrr Express (I only
hope that was a typo) speaksvolumes. What work have you
done again? Oh yeah, youve
gone to meetings and fund-
raisers -wow, riveting. You
should be nominated for Re-
publican stooge of the year.
I am just as critical, if not
more, of so called conserva-
tives around today. Im not
worried if I alienate them;
they deserve it. The real prob-
lem is that the conserva-
tive movement has been hi-
jacked by tribal-cavemen that
still believe in magic and fai-
rytales. These numbskulls,
some of which call them-
selves Christians, have ru-
ined conservatism with their
cult-voodoo-lies. They ac-
tively ght against science
and thought. They dont even
get that their religion is moreclose to communism then it
is capitalism and they have
to do strange brain contor-
tions to justify their mar-
ket-apologetics. PATHETIC!
This is no more apparent than
their mind-numbing-brain-
washed denial of evolution.
This culminates in their pro-
life agenda. They dont get
that Amoral-liberals killing
their pinko-progeny is a good
thing. Those silly liberals say
they believe in evolution, yet
their birth rate is lower and
abortion rate higher. Eventu-ally, this cancer will just eat
itself and I am all for it.
If a person is amoral or lazy
enough to kill their offspring
because its too much work,
thats a boon because they ob-
viously lack the tools neces-
sary to raise a child right. In
fact, Donohue-Levitt hypoth-
esis postulates that the drop
in crime in the 80s and 90s
was completely due to the le-
galization of abortion. Horri-
ble leftist-parents were able to
end their childs lives instead
of raising unloved criminals.
If that means that I dont have
to worry about my car getting
stolen or house vandalized, I
support it. If that means our
already full-to-the brim pris-
ons have less people, I whol-
ly approve. If I can feel saferwalking down the street be-
cause human criminal facto-
ries are no longer in produc-
tion, I cannot deny the bene-
ts nor should you, dear read-
er.
Im Ayn Onymous and
I am your conservative
lifeboat in the sea of lib-
eral mediocrity.
its a
Trap
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10
Cory Lovec
Sports Writer
By MSU BILLINGS
MSUB Athletics
NFL 2012 Midseason Report
The National Foot-
ball League has had
its share of surpris-
es through the halfway point
of the season. Through week
nine, the Atlanta Falcons re-
main the only undefeated
team, and each NFL team
has a win. The New Orleans
Saints, fresh off of their
Bounty Gate scandal andmultiple suspensions, are just
3-5 so far this season. Peyton
Manning has returned to the
NFL and is right back to his
MVP-caliber playing. The
New England Patriots are
the fourth-best rush offense!
Andrew Luck and Robert
Grifn III are doing exact-
ly what experts thought they
would do, which is to imme-
diately make a difference
for their teams. Teams that
had hot starts early - specif-
ically the Arizona Cardi-
nals and the Minnesota Vi-kings - have since been ice
cold. And, of course, one of
the biggest stories of the year
thus far was the return of the
NFL referees after a contro-
versial call in a questionable
game-ending play of a Mon-
day Night Football game in
which the Seattle Seahawks
defeated the Green Bay Pack-
ers. Yes, the 2012 NFL sea-
son has been a roller coaster
ride that has kept us guessing
since opening day.
Injuries have severely hurt
some teams early in the sea-
son, and have the potential to
further impede some teams
chances to make a deep play-
off run. Specically, the Bal-
timore Ravens, Houston Tex-
ans, Green Bay Packers, and
Pittsburgh Steelers are allteams that thus far have been
able to overcome injuries, but
some of these teams have
had signicant injuries to vi-
tal players - like Ray Lewis
of the Ravens - and may have
trouble throughout the rest of
the season.
Attendance at NFL games
through week nine is at
65,610 (up more than 1000
per game when compared
to last year) and 128 of the
132 games (97%) have sold
out for local television - the
third highest rate ever. Thisgoes to show that the popular-
ity of the NFL is as high as
ever - which is also evident
by the fact that fantasy foot-
ball is being played at a very
high rate.
Fantasy football has al-
most become synonymous
with the NFL. It seems that
every fan has his or her own
fantasy team, and many fans
are involved in multiple fan-
tasy leagues. Whether or not
fantasy football is actually
good for the integrity of the
league or not is another story,
but there is no argument that
fantasy football has denite-
ly increased popularity of the
league, and has helped broad-
en the fan base of the NFL.
Fantasy football sleepers and
busts have been argued about
for nine weeks, and with the
fantasy football playoffs just
around the corner for someleagues, these arguments will
only get more involved.
Its never too early to talk
about MVP candidates, and
this season seems to have a
large crop of them. Of course,
quarterbacks are always the
leading candidates for win-
ning MVP, and this year is
like any other; Peyton Man-
ning, Matt Ryan, Aaron Rod-
gers, and even rookie An-
drew Luck are all candidates
for MVP (just to name a few),
as are running back Arian
Foster and linebacker/defen-sive end J.J. Watt, both of the
Houston Texans. Candidates
have a half a season to ex-
pand their already impressive
resumes. As always, it is too
early for any concrete predic-
tions to be made for playoffs
or awards - with half a season
left, anything could happen,
which is a good reason to stay
tuned and watch!
Another Exhibition Win for MSUB
Mens Basketball
The Montana State
University Billings
men's basketball team
picked up a 91-72 win at Car-
roll College in an exhibition
contest Saturday.
The Yellowjackets' Jarrell
Crayton led all scorers with
26 points. The senior was 10-
for-13 from the eld. He also
added a game-high nine re-bounds. Four other MSUB
players nished with dou-
ble-gure scoring. Camer-
on Cusworth and Omar Mc-
Dade both had 12 points,
while Sam Johnson and Bri-
an Ridgeway both added 10.
I thought Jarrell played re-
ally well, MSUB head coach
Jamie Stevens said. He
stayed out of foul trouble, re-
bounded well around the bas-
Women's Basketball Start
Regular Season Slate with aPair of Road GamesBy MSU BILLINGS
MSUB Athletics
After a very competi-
tive exhibition match
with interstate rival
University of Great Falls,
Montana State Billings wom-
en's basketball team will play
a pair of away regular seasonnon-conference games. The
Yellowjackets will play Black
Hills State University on Sat-
urday, Nov. 10 then Chadron
State College on Sunday, Nov.
11.
In last week's exhibition
match Bobbi Knudsen's and
Janiel Olson combined for
30 points and 17 rebounds
as MSUB defeated the Argos
64-52 for the second consecu-
tive year. The Yellowjackets
shot 40 percent from the eld
and 77.8 from the free throw
line.
I thought we played hardbut we denitely had some
rst game jitters; Great Falls
played very well, they have
great size and I thought they
battled hard, stated head
coach Kevin Woodin. I was
pleased that we improved
throughout the game. I felt in
the second half we controlled
the tempo better and we had
some quality possessions and
clutch free throw shooting
down the stretch.
With their rst taste of live
action behind them, MSUB
now will start their regu-lar season slate on the road
against two solid programs.
First the Jackets will head
to Spearsh, S.D. to face
ket, and was really just good
all around. He will be good
for us this season if he can
just stay out of foul trouble.
Montana State Billings
had a 30-24 rebound advan-
tage over the Saints (0-1). The
Yellowjackets nished 51 per-
cent from the eld, while Car-
roll shot 52 percent. MSUB
made 12 of its 30 three-pointattempts, while the Saints
were 2-of-10. MSU Billings
was 9-for-10 from the free-
throw line, and Carroll was
10-of-11. MSU Billings com-
mitted only nine turnovers,
while Carroll had 13.
The Yellowjackets led at
halftime, 53-30, and led by as
many as 35 points in the sec-
ond half. Carroll would close
within 19 points, including