msyou fall 2014

Faces from the campus of Minnesota State University, Mankato

2 • MSU Reporter MSyou Fall 2014

Fall 2014 History Forum LectureThursday, November 20th 4:00 p.m.

Centennial Student Union 201“Claiming Absolute Power:

Manhood, Nationalism, and the French State under the Sun King”

Louis XIV terrassant la Fronde/Louis XIV crushing the Fronde

Everyone Welcome! Refreshments will be served.For more information, contact the Department of History 507-389-1618.

History remembers Louis XIV as the “Sun King,” the monarch who wielded absolute power over the strongest nation in Europe. But how did he attain this power, and why did the people of France accept his strong claims to rule? This talk will look at the early days of Louis’ 75-year reign, when the nationwide civil war called the Fronde tore France apart. The King rebuilt, and even expanded royal power in the wake of this disaster, by making creative use of ideas that the rebels themselves had championed. The Sun King’s extraordinary power hinged on his ability to convince his subjects that honor and duty bound them to obey.

Presented byMinnesota State University, Mankato

Visiting Assistant Professor Jim Coons

Breaking boundaries and forging friendships

Ashley Strom aims to enthusiastically improve campus.

Pratakshya Bhandari • MSU ReporterAshley Strom, who has always been dedicated to bringing a welcoming atmosphere to campus.

Ashley Strom loves being around people, and people love being around her. When you find her interacting with students, you will wonder if she is a staff member, or a student herself.

People are her passion. “I need to be surrounded by

people. I need to have thought-ful conversations with people,” she said.

She is the Assistant Director for Non-Traditional Students, Registered Student Organiza-tions and Leadership.

While she was in college at St. Cloud State University, she didn’t know what she wanted out of life. So she followed her dreams, and let her career take its shape.

Strom graduated from St. Could State University with a Bachelor’s degree in commu-nication studies with minors in marketing and travel and tourism. After graduation, she temporarily focused on her travel and tourism minor; she went to South Korea and taught for six months.

She experimented with a

career in corporate for two years before refocusing on learning and went back to St. Cloud State University to get her Master’s degree in College Counseling and Student Development.

When she was first offered the position at MSU, she was skeptical but open to possibili-ties.

“I knew I needed experi-ence,” she said.

She joined Student Activities in 2011, for experience and to continue of the adventure. She didn’t have any experience pro-gramming for leadership. To be better prepared for the position, she did her research, found out what other universities did and what she worked on what she thought was leadership. When she started working on different programs, her previous teaching experience also helped.

She currently programs for student organizations and as-sists them through their annual recognition process. She also does programming for non-traditional students, leadership programming, and is responsible for planning and organizing the annual leadership retreat.

When passion meets career,

wonderful things can happen. In just two years, Strom has grown along with the leadership pro-grams at MSU. She is currently involved in RSO leadership and recognition process. When RSOs transition from one stu-dent leader to another, she would like to see the “passion of the torch” passed consistently and without glitches. She wants the process of annual recognition to be “smooth as butter.” Her vision is to have more leadership programming and have more collaborations with academic programs and garner more sup-port from faculty members.

Her passion for leadership stems from her love of people. When the tools that MSU pro-vided for RSOs weren’t helping, she went around looking for a web platform that was more intuitive and helpful. And then a collaboration with the student senate and student activities led her to Orgsync. She sees potential and hopes that students will begin to understand and use Orgsync before stepping out of college. She wants more students to use the involvement transcript feature as well as the portfolio builder.

PRATAKSHYABHANDARIStaff Writer

STROM • Page 10

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Ashley Strom aims to enthusiastically improve campus.

An ambitious journey across the continent

Rudy Correa has travelled miles to get to the point he is now.

Yuseong Jeon • MSU ReporterRudy Correa, an established MAD member and staff worker at the Kear-ney International Center,

Rudy Correa, a staff member at the Kearney International Center as well as a chairman of Mavericks After Dark (MAD) under Impact, was recently in-terviewed for the special edition MSYou in The Reporter.

He was interviewed as an ex-ceptional student for this special edition because of his outstand-ing school activities at Minne-sota State University, Mankato.

Regarding his background, Rudy Correa, from Mexico, went to an American high school in his country. Under International Baccalaureate (IB) program, he fulfilled many cred-its in the competitive college-level classes in his high school and graduated with a diploma and honors.

While he was looking for a university with a graduation ahead, Thomas Gjersvig, direc-tor of the Kearney International Center, came to his high school in Mexico to recruit students to MSU.

Gjersvig kept encouraging Correa to choose Minnesota State Mankato and Correa even-tually decided to go to MSU. Correa made the excellent deci-

sion considering the opportuni-ties he can get at MSU and also the fact that he has a family in Minneapolis.

As offered job opportunity in the Kearney International Center by Gjersvig, he became to work from his freshmen year. More importantly, however, he en-deavored to attain opportunities to be involved in more school activities, besides his job.

First of all, he volunteered a lot for the Recognized Student Organization (RSO) program-ming. As a result of his effort, the RSO team offered him a position of programming MAD for a year.

Moreover, he was offered a leadership retreat by Ashely Strom, the assistant director for Non-Traditional Student, Regis-tered Student Organizations, and Leadership, who was fascinated by his works.

“The leadership retreat was a networking leadership pro-gram,” Correa said. “I met a lot of inspirational students outside campus from the opportunity.”

Furthermore, because of his growing involvement with school activities and a high GPA in his academics, he was also invited to join the Honors Program. Honors Program’s

purpose is to enhance academics in the field of research, global citizenship and leadership.

Correa stated, “I like the Honors Program because it provides individual education and a great opportunity to meet important faculty members through research and confer-ence.”

During his summer break, he also participated in a spe-cial program called the ETS Mentorship Program of a federal-funded organization. The purpose of the program is to introduce college life to high school minorities, share unique experiences in college with them and boost their confidence to go to college.

“I took two trips to Duluth and Minneapolis and St. Paul to guide the high school minorities through the special experience. I love to contribute to internation-al community and help people as a leader role model of them,” Correa said.

According to Correa, these opportunities he attained are open to everyone. “Most impor-tantly, I learned in my college life that opportunity is open to each opportunity. One oppor-tunity came to another and it

YUSEON JEONStaff Writer

CORREA • Page 10


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Resident author, writing prof strikes again

Geoff Herbach, one of Minnesota State University, Mankato’s resident authors and Creative Writing profes-sor, has started to become a household name. Since 2011, which marked the release of his novel Stupid Fast, Herbach has been a wrecking ball of suc-cess. From topping the charts of recommended reading lists for teenagers, to being contacted by singer and guitarist of Blink 182 Tom DeLonge to collaborate on an upcoming novel, Herbach has made it clear that he’s here to stay.

He’s done more than pro-claim his efforts as an author. Since he began his career at MSU in 2010, he’s dominated the classroom, utilizing his ex-periences and projecting his suc-cesses and failures into everyday lectures. Through workshops and short stories, he’s given stu-dents the tools to not only better their writing, but themselves.

However, Herbach hasn’t always struck gold. His first

novel, The Miracle Letter of T. Rimberg, in which the life of T. Rimberg is recorded through suicide letters, was “a spectacu-lar failure,” according to Her-bach. It debuted in 2008, when the recession had just begun and the economy was in the slumps. By the time his book had final-ized, most of the crew who had worked to get it published had been laid off and the company had been turned inside out.

Herbach hadn’t planned on bouncing back. But when his son, Leo, hit puberty, things changed.

“One day, my son asked me “Dad, what is that smell?” and we searched the house trying to find what smelled. Then we walked past each other, and I realized it was him,” Herbach explained. “It was just one armpit—the other was still the armpit of a child.”

From this smelly incident birthed Stupid Fast, as well as the two novels that followed.

“My son’s left armpit was the inspiration,” he laughed.

Stupid Fast covers the life of a boy who’s just begun puberty.

Hannah Kleinberg • MSU ReporterGeoff Herbach, author and professor at MSU. His experiences outside of the classroom help increase what he gives back to students.

His father has killed himself and his mother is a hippie, and he finds himself growing too fast and changing quickly. He takes advantage of his growth and begins his life as an athlete.

The Stupid Fast collection is a three-piece series that has rocked the nation. Schools everywhere are rushing their

students to read the books with many hopes in mind.

“It’s given me a passport,” Herbach said in response to what the series has done for him. Herbach has been invited to countless conferences across America, speaking to children and adults alike about his series. Most of his past summer was spent travelling nationwide.

Herbach’s most recent novel, Fat Boy vs. the Cheerleaders, should be highly anticipated, as well.

Herbach’s talents stretch beyond novel-writing. Before he began writing novels, he worked for radio shows, writing scripts, as well as publishing bits and pieces of his personal comedy writing. Because of this experi-ence, Herbach plans to write screenplays along with all of his novels from here on out.

Because of his experience in the writing world, Herbach feels that he has a lot to offer in the classroom.

Rather than focus on work-shops, as most English classes do, Herbach believes in in-corporating the editor-feel in workshops. With this method in mind, students are provided ef-fective feedback and learn how to edit more efficiently.

“I try to play the role of the editor from what I’ve learned,” Herbach said.

Since he’s started at MSU, he couldn’t be happier.

“I love it—it’s the dream job,” Herbach exclaimed. “It’s a weird privilege to get paid to talk about writing all the time; I’d be doing it for free anyway.”

Before he began giving back to the world, Herbach studied English and Sociology in his un-dergraduate. He also receives his Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing. He even got his Masters in Urban and Regional Planning.

“My dad told me all writers are depressed, and I got scared,” Herbach explained in response

to his Masters in Urban and Regional Planning. “I thought it was building cities, but it was just a lot of math.”

Herbach’s favorite place on MSU campus is the pizza counter in the basement of the Centennial Student Union

“It’s so cheap,” he said “It’s crazy.”

Besides writing and teaching, Herbach spends what time he

can with his family. His family consists of his wife, Steph, pre-vious adjunct professor for MSU and current senior editor for the Minneapolis-St. Paul Magazine, his two children, Leo, 16, and Mira, 13, and Steph’s two chil-dren, Christian, 14, and Charlie, 12. They’ve briefly entertained the idea of getting a dog, though

they feel it’d be torture with their current schedules.

To all Herbach fans, be expecting a new novel by late summer of 2015. A “paranormal skate punk” book should be released in collaboration with Tom DeLonge, lead singer and guitarist of the famed band, Blink 182. This one should be just as promising as the last.

“One day my son asked me “Dad, what is that smell?” and we searched the house trying to find what smelled. Then we walked past each other and I realized it was him.”

HANNAH KLEINBERGNews Editor


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Residential Life Director Janney strives for the best

Cindy Janney has been improving student lives for years.

Hannah Kleinberg • MSU ReporterCindy Janney, the Director of Residential Life. Behund her is a detailed map of the MSU campus.

Throughout her 18 years at Minnesota State University, Mankato, Director of Residen-tial Life Cindy Janney has been fixated on one goal: helping the students achieve all that they can.

“There’s a lot of phrases; fast-paced, a lot of different things. Watching students grow and develop, too,” Janney explained about her role as director of Residential Life. “We are privi-leged to provide for students in the most challenging moments of their life.”

Janney came to MSU in 1996 as the associate director of Residential Life. Six and a half years later, she was promoted to director, and has tirelessly worked toward making students’ experiences here the best that they can be ever since.

Janney doesn’t work alone in all of this, though.

“The only way we can be successful in serving students is by working with other partner-ships.”

These partnerships vary. Most noted partnerships include University Security, Student

Conduct, the Student Union and Student Activities, Dining Services, IT, Academic Affairs, Finance and Administration, and as well as countless other efforts around campus.

“I’m deeply invested in the work here and that connects me all around campus,” Janney explained.

There are three fundamental things that Janney, her Associate Director Torin Akey, and numer-ous others work on to achieve optimum success in Residential Life: facilities, student experi-ence, and administration.

Facilities include what stu-dents want, renovations, repairs, cleaning and other hands-on jobs that keep a business mov-ing.

Student experience involves a multitude of things; conduct, crisis intervention, student and staff members, leadership de-velopment, events and activities, the Residence Hall Association (RHA), and other things that deviate where a student’s time is spent.

Administration illustrates the more professional side of the job; marketing, finances, and getting out to the public what we have to offer. This may include

postcards, ads, and bulletin boards, as well as conferences with board members.

Janney’s everyday routine is dictated by the time of the year. While every year has the same general routine, it’s the season that keeps things changing. Ei-ther way, each phase of her job strives to make the university a better place.

Janney stressed that there is more to her job than just busi-ness, though. Janney recalls the fun little projects they had over the summer. One instance was the ice machine situation, where they installed ice machines on each floor of the building. How-ever, students wanted them in the lobby, as well, so they made a minor renovation to each lobby to house an ice machine. A rib-bon cutting ceremony followed the event.

There are also “What’s on Wednesday” (WOW) events that keep the students engaged. Community Advisors, or CA, run these fun-filled times.

Janney even gives back to students she personally interacts with by writing recommenda-tion letters. She recently wrote a recommendation letter for a past graduate student, in hopes of at-

taining a long-awaited job.Despite the hard work it can

take, Janney couldn’t be happier with where she is.

“I think this university is a really good place,” Janney said. “I really like our students—we

can be transformational for students here.”

We hope for many more years of success to come with Janney as our Director for Resi-dential Life.

HANNAH KLEINBERGNews Editor


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The teachings and morals of Dr. Hamilton

Theatre professor finds solace in acting, daughter.

Chelsea Dively • MSU ReporterHeather Hamilton, a longtime Theatre professor here at MSU.

Heather Hamilton is a profes-sor at Minnesota State Universi-ty, Mankato who teaches Acting, Theatre History and Theatre of Diversity. Inscribed in each of her classes are lessons of critical

thinking and social responsi-bility in order to help students see the world clearly and cut through the redirect.

This has led to a recurring discussion of the importance of the Milgrim experiments in all of her classes. The Milgrim ex-periments were conducted after WWII to try and explain why citizens in Germany complied with Nazi rule.

In order to fully understand Hamilton’s morals and love of theatre, it’s important to look at her influences in her life, start-ing from the beginning. In ju-nior high, Hamilton was bullied but she discovered that while acting on stage she received positive attention and thus the stage became a place of sanctu-

ary for her. An as undergrad she double-

majored in philosophy -- which she describes as her “first love because of it asks the most fundamental questions and ev-erything else comes from that” -- and theatre. She then went on to work as a professional actor.

Hamilton worked primar-ily on the east coast and also

acted on the west coast, and in some films. However, over time Heather became bored with acting due to her being unable to explore her other interests and the cut-throat attitude of the theatre world.

“Doing professional acting made me self-absorbed and competitive, which I’m not natu-

rally, but it was forcing me to be surrounded by negativity.”

This inspired Hamilton to teach because teaching allowed her to explore the better parts of theatre and allow time for other interests.

Here at MSU Hamilton is highly involved with campus life and her students. She’s currently directing To Kill a Mockingbird,

advising for the play Gabriel, as well as writing a book about theatre in conflict zones. This was based on her contacts from Turkey this summer after she won a grant to attend the Cesran International Global Peace Workshop.

Her pride and joy of classes is Theatre of Diversity because of how she is able to learn from students and is “amazed at their courage for being able to share their stories and themselves in the shoes of others,” which further helps to aid students in taking responsibility for the world.

Outside of the theatre Hamil-ton has many hobbies. Accord-ing to Hamilton her “cool factor is gone from child bearing” but this easily contested by students when she incorporates Dun-geons and Dragons (DnD) in the classroom.

She enjoys playing music on piano and guitar, as well as singing, paintball, videogames, reading, knitting and, of course, DnD. She even plays DnD with other faculty members every Wednesday via Google chat.

But the most worthwhile experience of her life comes from her daughter, Nora. Origi-nally, she never thought she’d have a child but Nora “rewired her brain.” She describes her daughter as being devilishly entertaining which is clear from the story of Hamilton explaining Halloween to Nora.

After explaining Nora replied “Don’t worry Mommy I’ll pro-tect you from any ghosts. I’ll hit him, I’ll kill his face!” Hamilton finds this interesting because her daughter is extremely verbal it allows the new mother to see her child going through the devel-opmental phases, such as faces being the most important aspect of a person.

Hamilton is an amazing, un-derstanding, brilliant, and easily approachable professor. Her classes are riddled with laughter as well as informative informa-tion on the hard questions in life. Any theatre major or other former students would highly recommend a class with her or just a conversation.

“Doing professional acting made me self-absorbed and competitive, which I’m not naturally, but it was forcing me to be surrounded by negativity.”

CHELSEA DIVELYStaff Writer


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The teachings and morals of Dr. Hamilton

Theatre professor finds solace in acting, daughter. But the most worthwhile

experience of her life comes from her daughter, Nora. Origi-nally, she never thought she’d have a child but Nora “rewired her brain.” She describes her daughter as being devilishly entertaining which is clear from the story of Hamilton explaining Halloween to Nora.

After explaining Nora replied “Don’t worry Mommy I’ll pro-tect you from any ghosts. I’ll hit him, I’ll kill his face!” Hamilton finds this interesting because her daughter is extremely verbal it allows the new mother to see her child going through the devel-opmental phases, such as faces being the most important aspect of a person.

Hamilton is an amazing, un-derstanding, brilliant, and easily approachable professor. Her classes are riddled with laughter as well as informative informa-tion on the hard questions in life. Any theatre major or other former students would highly recommend a class with her or just a conversation.

Johnston’s retirement to be the end of an era

Mary Johnston, professor of English literature will be retiring in May 2015.

mnsu.eduMary Johnston, a unique professor who has given back to our campus community in countless ways.

Dr. Mary Johnston is a Professor of English Literature at MSU, and after 26 years as part of its faculty, after teaching thousands of students, studying twice in England and hav-ing been recognized with two Teaching Scholar Fellowships, she is retiring in May of 2015 at the proudly stated age of 64 years young. Johnston recalls when she first joined the faculty that she had an IBM electric typewriter, and that messages and meeting notices were passed along with a note put into a box in the department office with their name on it. She also re-members when she received her first computer which was “a big old thing with a tower.”

Besides many of the mun-dane things that have come and gone during her time at MSU she also recalls some of the more poignant times, like the Halloween Blizzard of 1991 that had almost trapped her in the cities for four days with a group going to a performance at the Guthrie save that her mother had

told her “Don’t go.” She also remembers the day she walked into the English Department and a plane had just hit a building in New York, but she said that the happy memories far exceed the sad ones.

In 2013, Johnston received the Arts and Humanities Di-versity Award from MSU and that she had felt both “shocked and overwhelmed” at the honor of being recognized and along with that as one of the many high points in her long and remarkable career she said that she feels an incredible amount of pride at “the students that I’ve had that have gone on to do great things” and that she “keeps in touch with so many students that have now become such good friends.”

Looking back on her time at MSU, Johnston reflects on “just how far we’ve come.” When asked about what wisdom she has distilled in that time as advice for current students she said, “Quit spending your lives texting—get your heads out of your phones!”

Asked by this reporter, after explaining the premise based

on the 1960 sci-fi classic The Time Machine, what three books would she take with her if she was going to educate a new so-ciety far in the future. Johnston replied, “Keats’ poetry and let-ters, which are all so good, the Bible, and the Bahaya Vegeta, which are these great Indian teachings.”

Johnston’s plans for the future are as modest as her reflections when asked about the impact she has had on the entire institution that is Mankato State University – students, staff, faculty and the surround-ing community, though for those who have come to know her as a passionate educator, thought-ful colleague and consummate professional, she has been and will always be the excellence we strive for both professionally and personally, possessing those fine qualities that are timeless. Her departure from MSU will mark the end of an era.

Johnston looks forward to spending time with her Llewellyn setters and visiting with the friends she has made during her time at MSU.

NICHOLAS JOHNSONStaff Writer


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In her 18 years at Minnesota State University, Mankato, Dr. Karen Boubel has worn many figurative hats. Among the many include those of a professor, men-tor, provost, composer, depart-ment chair and interim president.

Now after a long legacy of making a difference in students’ lives as both administrator and instructor, she will call this se-mester her last at MSU.

“There are so many singular days where I go into a classroom for those 50 minutes and then walk out later and it has been such a wonderful experience for me,” Boubel said. “I was engaged with them. We were linked in some wonderful learning. There isn’t one particular day or event because that happens to me so

often.”Hailing from Superior, Wisc.,

where she earned her B.A. in Mu-sic before going on to the Univer-sity of Madison for her Masters, Boubel originally started her MSU career in 1996 as vice pres-ident of academic affairs. For six years, she used her administra-tive know-how to help students succeed, until a unique opportu-nity arose in 2001. When former University President Dr. Richard Rush left in 2001, Boubel served as interim president for MSU for a full year.

“It was such a privilege to represent the university and have people come up to me and tell me how much this university means to them,” Boubel said.

After a year of representing MSU at the highest level, Boubel returned to her previous provost position until the campus De-partment of Music came knock-

ing in 2003 with an offer to teach Music Theory and Aural Skills, classes Boubel instructs to this day.

“I had always wanted the last segment of my career to be teach-ing because that’s how I began.”

Boubel’s passion for music started early when she took up piano at the age of 8, remarking that she inherited the “good ear” from both of her musical par-ents, making music an enjoyable and somewhat effortless route to take. That same passion is some-thing Boubel sees and shares with her students.

“When I ask on a written survey when I see them [music students] in their first class, I say “Why are you choosing music?” and they say “I have a passion for it and I can’t imagine doing any-thing else.””

In addition to her continued work in Music Theory and Au-ral Skills, Boubel teaches Com-position, overseeing the works of many up-and-coming music writers. Outside the university, she has kept busy in recent years as the conductor of the Mankato-area choir, Musicorum, a piano performer at area rest communi-ties, a Blue Earth County domes-tic violence victim advocate for 8 years and a licensed mediator for individual disputes in the state of Minnesota.

Retirement certainly won’t be a step down in activity either, as both Boubel and her husband John, a history professor at Beth-any Lutheran College, will both be retiring at the end of fall se-mester. With their dog Shep, a sheltie, the two plan on moving to the Twin Cities area to engage in the wider variety of culture and activity – “more of the un-usual,” as she puts it – as well as partake in more traveling, be it to their cabin in Northern Wis-consin, Colorado where their son lives, or across the Atlantic to England or Italy.

And don’t think Boubel is finished with universities post-MSU. The music professor has expressed interest in both teach-

ing and taking some of the more unique classes offered by the universities in the Twin Cities. The allure of the college campus is too good to pass up.

“I think that those of us who are at universities, who spend our careers on a campus, have a life that has so many of the best features in your professional life because the whole environment is about what’s best for students. That’s what it really should boil down to,” Boubel said. “Faculty are hired to build curriculum and degree programs and take good care of those for the sake of the students. That’s what it’s all about. The university doesn’t ex-ist in order to give jobs to various people.”

In her time at MSU, Boubel has played many roles, all of which had the clear goal guiding

and helping students to achieve greatness. From the mouth of a former student, it is a mission to be highly grateful for.

“We get to focus on what the students really, really need and how can we be at our best to give it to them. To have that as your goal all the time means it’s not about how much money can you make for your business, how much product can you sell, it’s not about competition -- what an incredible opportunity to have.”

JAMES HOUTSMAEditor in Chief

James Schuyler Houtsma • MSU ReporterDr. Karen Boubel looks forward to even more educational opportunities post-MSU.

“It was such a privilege to represent the university and have people come up to me and tell me how much this university means to them.”

Composing a legacyKaren Boubel has had accomplishments at MSU rang-

ing from department chair to university president, but has always put students first.


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Shar Shoo hopes to achieve the “American Dream”

Shoo has big plans for his life, and plans to meet all of his goals.

Photo Courtesy of Shar ShooShar Shoo, a five-year student at MSU who is more than happy with his choice of school.

The gentleman you see pic-tured is Shar Shoo. Shar Shoo shares a lot of similarities in comparison to any traditional college student. He enjoys go-ing out with friends, watching sports, playing video games, and trying new things. He enjoys cooking and is pretty skilled at it. He enjoys cooking many different types of food from any American meals to a selection of Asian dishes. He also likes to try new things. Lately he has been learning how to cook goat. He compared it to steak and lamb, and mentioned the similarity of its taste and texture.

While Shar has a lot in com-mon with most of us, he comes from a background culturally different from most students. He can speak four languages. He was born in Thailand where he spent the first nine years of his life before moving to Dallas, Texas. There he lived for about half a year until his family migrated to St. Paul, Minnesota. In St. Paul he attending Hard-ing High School. He made a lot of his close friends in St. Paul, played baseball and football, and

also met his current girlfriend of five years. They both attend MNSU and live together.

While choosing Mankato, Shoo was like most college students, seeking to get away and experience something new and challenging. He came to Mankato after graduating high school in 2009. He was excited for the opportunity to get out of his comfort zone and meet a variety of new people. He had toured several other schools but he liked the environment of Mankato. He was undecided his first year but quickly came to the decision of Law Enforcement. Regarding why he chose Law Enforcement, he replied,

“The police in my commu-nity did a good job helping out my family and keeping the area safe. I chose law enforcement because I wanted to be a leader in the community, and also a challenging, rewarding career path.”

Currently Shoo is in his fifth year at MNSU and plans to graduate in the spring. Shoo has many plans in mind for after he finishes his time in Mankato. He said,

“I hope to live back in the

JOE OLKIVESStaff Writer

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STROM “She has visions that go well beyound her time at MSU.”continued from 2

CORREA “Gjersvig kept encouraging Correa to choose Minnesota State Mankato and Correa eventually decided to go to MSU.”continued from 2

became more advantage for me. Doors are open. If you have a faith in yourself, you can also achieve the opportunity,” Correa continued.

The most favorite part about MSU for him is that MSU is a college driven by students. MSU helps students to be involved in everywhere on campus from a job to their academic depart-

ments and be in contact to each other.

Correa explained, “This is an amazing part of networking with students at the same stage. It benefits students not only by improving their academics but also by learning new experience through other students from dif-ference background.”

Beyond these fascinating in-

volvements in school activities, his next step is to focus on his academics more enthusiastically.

“My goal next year is to participate in the Undergraduate Research Center (URC) and get involved in more Honors Pro-gram. It will be another impor-tant opportunity,” Correa said.

Buchanan a staple of Psych

department

Dr. Jeffrey Buchanan, Dr. Buchanan or even Jeff to his students, is an instructor within the psychology department here at Minnesota State University, Mankato. He earned his Bach-elor’s degree at the University of Northern Iowa and then came to MSU for his Master’s degree in clinical psychology in 1997. Lastly, he attended the Universi-

ty of Nevada, Reno for his Ph.D. and graduated in 2003.

One of the reasons he chose to become a teacher is his love for the academic environment.

As an undergraduate student Buchanan was a part of Psi Chi and he is currently a member of several organizations, some of which include the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, as well as the Ameri-can Society on Aging.

After graduation, he worked at the VA Hospital in Minneapo-lis for two years, the first as an intern and the second as a post-

doctoral fellow, before coming to Mankato. Buchanan is currently in his 11th year of teaching at MSU, and in those 11 years he has taught several courses. The undergraduate courses include: Psychology Today, Health Psy-chology, Introduction to Clinical Psychology, Workshop: Demen-tia, and Abnormal Psychology (which he is teaching this semes-ter).

His favorite of these has been Abnormal Psychology because the material is so interesting.

Buchanan has also taught a few graduate-level courses: Be-havioral Assessment, Clinical Case Management, and Behav-ior Therapy. He enjoys teaching graduate students due to their motivation and eagerness to learn.

Outside of teaching, Buchan-an has a family that keeps him very busy. His current research focuses on older individuals.

“The overarching goal of my research is to improve the qual-ity of life of individuals with dementia and their caregivers,” Buchanan said. “My current

research is in the areas of man-aging challenging behaviors in dementia patients, the analysis of communication styles used by nursing assistants when car-ing for persons with dementia, and evaluating cognitive training programs for individuals with dementia.”

In the future he hopes to re-enter clinical work on a part-time basis. This may be while he is still at MSU or after his career here has ended. His more imme-diate future involves his family,

namely continuing to teach and raise his children. When finished with teaching, Jeff would like to “travel, play a lot of golf, and work with kids in some capacity, although not as a psychologist.”

He also says he’ll probably start taking classes again to keep his mind active and learn new things. After all, we never truly stop learning.

TEREASA HATTENStaff Writer

Jeff Buchanan has diligently served MSU throughout his years.

“The overarching goal of my research is to improve the quality of life of individuals with dementia and their caregivers.”

She has visions that go well beyond her time at MSU. She hopes to build leadership tradi-tions that will only continue to grow as more student leaders will want to be involved. Her enthusiasm is audible when she talks about the annual leader-ship retreat that was started last year. She wants to see the program grow to accommodate more student leaders and may be have “all of Camp Omega” instead of just having spots for 35 students.

Just as she began, she is still open to possibilities and wants the rest of her career to take its own shape. Her only defining criteria is to continue working in higher education. She wants to be an integral part of student development. She loves seeing people develop into their best potential.

“I love watching someone who, may be in the begin-

ning, didn’t know what they were doing. And suddenly you watch them bloom and feel comfortable in their own skin, and start to bloom. That is my favorite thing to watch,” she said.

The Moorhead resident is a triplet with an identical twin sister and a not-so-identical twin brother. When she isn’t molding student leaders, she loves to play soccer and loves music.

Everything about her reflects her love for people. She hopes to encourage the same kind of enthusiasm from her students. For Strom, what students learn outside is just important as what they learn from textbooks.

“If you don’t get involved in something outside campus, you have really missed out of something,” Strom said.

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Progressive media professor keeps things interesting

Dr. Amy Lauters is driven to keep things intriguing for her students.

beyondlittlehouse.comShown above is professor Amy Lauters, displaying her award won for Laurapalooza in 2010.

Many students at Minnesota State University, Mankato have had the pleasure of learning from Dr. Amy Lauters. When thinking of her class, a first thought that comes to mind is her wonderful sense of hu-mor. Always sure to utilize an opportunity for a good pop culture or Wisconsin joke, Dr. Lauters keeps her class upbeat and awake by never being too serious.

Lauters has an extensive amount of education.

“I got a bachelor’s degree in print journalism from the Uni-versity of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, a master’s degree in mass com-munication from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and a doctorate in mass communi-cation from the University of Minnesota,” said Lauters.

“I’ve always loved to write and tell stories, and print jour-nalism offered a viable career in writing and telling stories. I was between that and music, vocal. I also considered elemen-

tary school teaching. Mostly, I wanted to write for a living, and print journalism was the best way to do that in the beginning.”

When asked how she went from print journalism to becom-ing a professor, Lauters said, “Being a professor now lets me teach and tell stories, so it’s a win-win for me. When I was an undergrad, I had the oppor-tunity to teach basic English composition and work one-on-one tutoring students, and I really enjoyed the “click” of comprehension that came from a student who finally understood something. I had the idea of be-ing a professor in the back of my mind when I graduated and went out into the field as a journal-ist, and after a few years in the field, I realized that becoming a professor would allow me to research and tell stories in depth as well as teach, and that my im-pulse toward volunteerism and service would be valued. After that, I just went for it.”

After beginning her work as a professor at Wichita State Uni-versity in Kan., Lauters discov-ered the opening at MSU.

“I liked Kansas, but I’m a

Wisconsin girl and I was miss-ing being close to family,” said Lauters, having grown up in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.

With many years and

memories here at MSU, Lauters has had many experiences. Her favorite is Laurapalooza 2010 and 2012.

“I enjoyed hosting the first

and second conferences devoted to the legacy of Laura Ingalls Wilder, called Laurapalooza.

BROOKE EMMONSStaff Writer

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cities, maybe somewhere more suburban than St. Paul. I hope to work out there, raise a fam-ily, get married, and just live the American Dream.”

Shoo is currently working security in Mankato at a local apartment complex. He enjoys working there, and it has given him a chance to experience many different scenarios. It can be potentially dangerous

and unpredictable. He likes knowing he can make a differ-ence in keeping the community safe.

“Working security is fun, you never know what people are going to say or do. It’s go-ing to help me a lot for when I become a Police Officer.”

Ultimately, Shar is not all that different from the rest of us. He is a U.S. citizen and like

anyone else, just wants to live “the American dream.”

All wish Shoo luck as he be-gins his post-college adventure. If you see him around, don’t be afraid to say “Hi.” While he might seem shy at first, if one gets to know him he can be quite the personality.

SHOO “I chose law enforcement because I wanted to be a leader in the community, and also a challenging, rewarding career path.”continued from 9

More often than not, summer doesn’t provide a lot of news in the college hockey world. Most early departures for the NHL leave immediately following the conclusion of their season, and many incoming freshman have been drafted out of high school, prior to playing junior hockey.

Last summer, the Minne-sota State University, Mavericks made big news when they landed a late commitment from a high profile recruit in Zach Stepan after the Hastings, Minn. native withdrew his commitment to Ohio State. This summer created another buzz in Mankato sur-rounding the Maverick hockey team.

C.J. Franklin, a freshman this fall at MSU, was selected in the fifth round of the NHL draft when the Winnipeg Jets selected him with the 129th pick. A For-est Lake, Minn. native, Franklin graduated from Forest Lake High School in 2012 before spending two seasons in the Tier 1 United States Hockey League with the Sioux Falls Stampede. Usually, NHL teams select players out of high school, or 18-year-old play-ers who have junior hockey expe-rience, so Franklin’s case was a bit different.

“It’s definitely a surreal feel-ing being drafted,” Franklin said. “Getting passed over just made me work harder over the past few years, and it’s definitely nice get-ting recognized by the Jets and I couldn’t be happier with where I’m at.”

After leading the Stampede in goals as a rookie in 2012-2013 with 32 tallies on the season, Franklin went on to lead the team in points last season with 51.

Known as an “old school” style player who is a workhorse with grit, it seems Franklin found a scoring touch during his time in Sioux Falls. This is good news for MSU, who has to replace cap-tain Johnny McInnis’ 21 goals from last season. Franklin’s ten-ure in Sioux Falls clearly caught the attention of NHL scouts prior to the 2014 draft in June.

Though it will be a few years before he takes his shot at the NHL, Franklin now has the as-surance that it will be an option when his college playing days are over. He joined a roster that includes fellow NHL draftees Teddy Blueger (Pittsburgh), Max Gaede (San Jose), Zach Stepan (Nashville) and Stephon Wil-liams (New York Islanders).

For the time being, Frank-lin joins a Maverick team that has exploded onto the national scene the past two seasons. Af-ter Mike Hastings was hired as head coach in the summer of 2012, MSU has seen a signifi-cant turnaround. The past two seasons have seen WCHA Final Five Appearances, including the Final Five Championship in 2014 and a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances as well. With suc-cess like that and the newly con-structed WCHA conference that took effect last season, it’s hard for recruits not to consider MSU as a hockey program where they could win a National Champion-ship. Players like Franklin now see MSU as a top option, not an afterthought.

“I would have to say the suc-cess that MSU has had in recent years and I really got along well with the coaches,” Franklin said. “Also, playing in my home state helped make the choice a little bit easier for me.”

Even though Franklin played

the past two seasons in Sioux Falls, away from home, there is still a transition period for a freshman athlete, even if he’s only 100 miles from home.

“It’s definitely been a change coming from juniors, being on a schedule, and getting up early everyday took a while to get used to.” he said. “But I’m loving it so far and classes are going well. I can’t wait to get the season start-ed.”

In the two seasons Mike Hast-ings has been behind the Maver-ick bench, the lineup has seem-ingly gotten deeper. Franklin adds to that depth and can be ex-pected to be a player who comes in and contributes right away with two years of junior hockey under his belt.

“I want to be an impact player

and make a difference to help the team win games.” Franklin said. “I hope that we can get off to a great start and keep it rolling throughout the season. If we play our game I feel we could really go far this season.”

With a solid roster and a WCHA Final Five Champion-ship to defend this season, the Mavericks should be a scary

team for opponents. While plen-ty of freshmen bring some atten-tion to themselves, there will be plenty of eyes on C.J. Franklin in the world of college hockey this winter.

DEREK LAMBERTStaff Writer

Reporter ArchivesAll eyes will be on freshman Maverick hockey player C.J. Franklin this year.

C. J. Franklin: hard worker with a bright future


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A member of the Minnesota State Colleges & Universities System. Minnesota State Mankato is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity University. A member of the Minnesota State Colleges & Universities System. This document is available in alternative format to individuals with disabilities by calling the

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Hyttsten seeks to make friends with all students and peers

Since travelling out west, he’s accomplished many achievements.

Brooke Emmons • MSU ReporterJohn Hyttsten, a Julia Sears Hall Director who has made a statement on campus.

Hall Directors on campus have a huge role on the experi-ence of students living in the on campus dorms. One of the favor-ites is John Hyttsten, the Julia Sears North Hall Director.

“The best part about this job is being a caring support for peo-ple”, Hyttsten said.

Hyttsten grew up in small town Minnesota. He went to a small college in Minnesota for undergrad before moving to the West coast for a master’s degree.

“Moving out west was one of the best decisions of my life,” Hyttsten said.

When in school for his under-grad, Hyttsten was a Residential Assistant or RA. Through these experiences he discovered that he wanted a career in college

dorms, but never expected Min-nesota State University.

“I had only gone to small, pri-vate colleges and never saw my-self at a large public university, like MSU.” Hyttsten said.

“Going out west was fantastic, but we liked it enough here that

we wanted to come back.” Hytt-sten said, referring to his deci-sion with his wife to move back to Minnesota.

There are many aspects in the Hall Director’s job. “I don’t have all the answers but I know where to find them. Sometimes I feel like a hub of information. You may need help with scheduling to make sure you are on the right track for your major. I can’t help specifically, but I can get you in contact with your advisor. Most of the time, I can get you the re-sources you need,” he said.

“As well as being an informa-tion hub, I spend a lot of time with the floors. I go to things like floor dinners as well as W.O.W. every week.” Connections are extremely important to Hyttsten, and building relationships is a huge part of why he loves his job.

“Supervision is another big part of the job, as I supervise 7 CAs on Julia Sears North. We cover a lot of conduct. As for duty rotation, one of the eight Hall Directors is constantly on campus. When we are on duty we are working for all of residen-tial life building. “

If you ask Hyttsten what the most rewarding part of the job has been, he will reminisce on the nights of on call duty.

“I can’t talk about the spe-cific situations, but 3 a.m. is of-ten when students need the most guidance. This is why a Hall Di-rector is always here.” He said.

“This is maybe redundant, this job is surprisingly exhaust-ing. But, we do it because we love making those connections with people. But we have had a lot of awesome things happen. And that’s what made this job worth it” Hyttsten explains.

His advice for students is, “Introduce yourself to your hall director cause that’s what we are here for. We want to meet you we want to get to know you. I sit at my computer all too often. Yeah, I have administrative work to do sometimes, but that’s not why I am here. I am doing this to be a positive support for people in good times and bad.”

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The conferences brought to-gether people from all over the world to share that interest, and we all enjoyed talking shop with recognized experts and celebrities, and participating in typically “Laura” activities like baking Long Winter bread. We were spread out between Sears and the CSU, and bonnets and braids were the order of the day. We had a great time.”

After her years in school in Eau Claire, Milwaukee and Twin Cities, Lauters advice on college is highly credible.

“Stay organized. And take advantage of the opportunities college gives you.”

Not always a midwestern girl, Lauters traveled in col-lege. “I studied abroad my junior year, in England, and it

was one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done in my life. Meet people. Experience things. You’ll never regret that,” she said.

While she is not teaching Mass Media at MSU, Lauters is continuing to develop her writing skills.

“I’m trying my hand at writ-ing fiction.”

Also, she said, “I also keep my hands busy with knitting, crocheting, and rubber stamp-ing while watching movies and catching up on pop culture.”

Dr. Amy Lauters is an inspiring professor that MSU is very lucky to have. Take one of her favorite classes, MASS 260 or MASS 436, to get to know her.

LAUTERS “I realized that be-coming a professor would al-low me to research and tell sto-ries in-depth as well as teach”continued from 11

Calyce O’Connor may be one of the best Community Advisor MSU has ever seen. She strives to bring diversity to the campus, help her residents in any and ev-ery situation she can, is devoted to her classes and studies, and most importantly, is an extreme-ly caring person.

She grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, and moved to Mankato on June 1, 2013 to be closer to school.

“I graduated from high school a semester early, and went to community college for two years before transferring to Minne-sota State University, Mankato,” O’Connor said. “When I trans-ferred to Mankato, I realized that I actually wanted to try and get better grades than just okay grades.”

She wants to continue onto graduate school and major in Organizational Industrial Psy-chology, with a minor in Human Resources Management.

“I plan on working with com-panies with their diversity initia-tives. I took interest because it is interesting to see the way people work. I like to see what motivates people. It’s also interesting to see

that more diverse companies are more successful,” O’Connor said.

Calyce wanted to become a CA because she didn’t enjoy her experience living on cam-pus so she decided to do some-thing about it, and change the way freshman are treated in the dorms.

“I have really enjoyed the people I have met here. My friends make the whole experi-ence worthwhile,” O’Connor said. “My residents brighten my day. They have even helped to cheer me up, although, they can be difficult to handle. My floor is the most dramatic floor ever.”

Calyce gives a great deal back to campus. She works hard in all of her classes. She gives back di-versity to the campus that other students may not be able to of-fer because she is queer. She can provide a point of view that differs from other students. She gives her residents wisdom and advice that helps them in count-less situations. She is honest, yet insightful, and always reliable.

“My favorite places on cam-pus are the Sears front desk, the LGBT Center, and Armstrong Hall. These are my favorite places because it’s where I spend pretty much all of my time. My life is one giant repeated sched-

ule of events. My favorite part of being a CA is encounter-ing uncomfortable situations,” O’Connor said.

Some facts about Calyce are: her favorite book is A Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. Her favorite movies are Watchmen, Across the Universe, and Kin-sey. Her favorite bands are the Beatles, Stars, and Brittney Car-lisle. Her favorite color is “the rainbow.” Her favorite foods are avocados and peanut butter. Her favorite animals are goats. Her favorite place to eat is anywhere but the café and Chik-Fil-A. Her hobbies include running, yoga, doing beautiful bulletin boards, and dealing with residents and their issues.

When asked how she would feel if one of her residents be-came a CA, she said, “I would be very happy. I would feel like I made their experience good enough that they wanted to pass on the experience. I would feel like I had an impact on their ex-perience in the dorms. I want to see my residents succeed and be-ing a CA is a successful thing.”

Calyce O’Connor is an in-tensely caring, funny, and de-voted person. She provides MSU with a level of diversity that is like no other. She is definitely worth getting to know.

ANDREW VANDEN_BROEKEStaff Writer

Andrew Vanden-Broeke • MSU ReporterCalyce O’Connor makes residential life a breeze for incoming freshman.

Friendly smile, caring attitude

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Many people consider criti-cal thinking as nothing more than a class option in a univer-sity setting. However, for Profes-sor Marge Murray-Davis, of the Department of Health Science, and her class, critical thinking is much more than a curriculum; it’s a way of life.

“Critical thinking is very important. It provides us with a different way of thinking, a dif-ferent way of questioning and understanding,” Murray-Davis said. “And it definitely can be used apart of everyday life.”

All semester, Murray-Da-vis and her students have been working on a way to best illus-trate the critical thinking model, which is used internationally and comes from the Center of Criti-cal Thinking in Sonoma, Cali., having been used at their confer-ences for the past 34 years.

The model, which in this case is in the form of a fire, can be broken down into three sections. The class chose to use fire in their example, because fire needs all the necessary components to be maintained.

The first section of the critical thinking model are Standards. Murray-Davis described these as similar to quality checks.

“With standards, we ask our-selves things like it is it clear to understand, is the basis in depth?” Murray-Davis said. “It

is designed to help the quality of our thinking.”

The second section of the model are the elements, or as one student described them as “guide posts”.

“It’s the purpose and question-ing behind the way we think,” said Justin Heskett, and student of Murray-Davis. “The elements include things that guide us ev-ery day such as our assumptions, conclusions and implications.”

The third and final part of the critical thinking model are traits. Traits are how a person behave and acts.

“Humility, courage, reason. Traits are how you stay true to yourself,” Murray-Davis said. “It’s a driving force and a moti-vator. We want our traits to make is fair-minded and leave us with our integrity.”

Similar to the U.S. Govern-ment, the three part critical model works as a check and bal-ance system. All three parts of the model work together to keep thinker unbiased and reasonable. It also keeps us open to all pos-sibilities of thinking, something that people don’t do well all the time, due to natural prejudices and beliefs.

“We like to ‘deconstruct’ ideas instead of concluding them,” Murray-Davis said. “It gives the thinking process more richness.”

Though all three parts of the critical thinking model, they are still not all necessary for good

critical thought. The class made it clear just about anyone is ca-pable of critical thinking.

“Most people critically think as a part of everyday life,” an-other student explained. “You just don’t realize it until you are introduced to all the steps.”

Murray-Davis starting work-ing with the critical thinking program at MSU in 2006 af-ter receiving a grant along with Dr. Richard Liebendorf of the Department of Philosophy “to promote excellence and student learning” and to teach critical thinking to faculty, who can in turn teach it to students.

Murray-Davis was originally from the Menominee area of Wisconsin, before moving to the Twin Cities at a young age. She received her degree in Physical Education and Health from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, before getting her Masters at MSU in 1982.

After school, Murray-Davis taught high school at Lake Crys-tal for 8 years, teaching physical education and health classes, be-fore taking a job as a professor in the Department of Health Sci-ence at MSU. She received her PhD in Education in 1995.

“My favorite part about MSU is the kids,” Murray-Davis said. “I love seeing their work ethic, having a job, going to school, but still having enthusiasm.”

Murray-Davis has two chil-dren, born in 1990 and 1993. The oldest is current in pilot train-

ing at the Air Force, while the youngest is enrolled at Gustavus Adolphus in St. Peter.

Apart from being a professor and teaching classes on campus. Murray-Davis is also the School

Health Program Coordinator at MSU, and the Curriculum Com-mittee Chair.

ALEX KERKMANStaff Writer

Yohanes Ashenafi • MSU ReporterFor Marge Murray-Davis, critical thinking extends far beyond the class-room.

Critical thinking part of everyday life for Murray-Davis


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Former Minnesota State Mankato Maverick Jim Dilling is entering his 2nd year as head coach for the Men’s Track team, a job he took over only two sum-mers ago. And since then he has done nothing short of assembling the most talented athletes pos-sible in hopes for a National Title something the program has never seen.

To recap the program’s suc-cess last year, Jim’s first year, the men’s track team won both the indoor and outdoor confer-ence meets, qualified x individu-als for the indoor national meet where they finished fourth as a team, qualified x individuals for the outdoor national meet where they finished 9th. Jim has seen and coached the potential of many athletes and several All-Americans including Keyvann Rudd, David Pearcill, Nathan Hancock, Chris Reed.

As a student athlete in his days here at Minnesota State Mankato, Dilling accumulated 4 national championships in the

high jump, including two in in-door of 2006 and 2007 and two in outdoor in 2005 and 2007. He was also a six time all Ameri-can in the event. Dilling is a four time North Central Conference champion and three time indoor champion in high jump as well as a two time North Central con-ference champion in long jump. Even though long jump wasn’t his primary event, he finished ninth at the 2006 NCAA DII National meet, just outside of the All-American crown. Jim is the holder of the NCAA DII high jump meet record that still stands at 7’6’’.

Leaving Mankato, Jim is the holder of both the indoor and outdoor high jump school re-cords that are 7’6 ½’’ and also the conference records.

Dilling went on and was the 2007 USA Track and Field High Jump Champion. He went and represented Team USA at the IAAF Track and Field champi-onships in Osaka Japan, where he finished 16th in qualifying.

His record daunting season left him ranked 4th in the US and the 19th best high jumper in the world in 2007. He went on to

DENZELL CASTRO-OATSStaff Writer

today.mnsu.eduFormer MSU athlete Jim Dilling is entering his second year as MSU track coach.

Dilling making fast tracks in second year as MSU coach

continue his five year profession-al career and qualified five times for both the indoor and outdoor USA Championships.

“I attest a lot of my success in my career to my many coach-es and mentors that helped me along the way. They took the time out to develop me as an ath-lete. Which partially attracted me to coaching at the collegiate level” says Dilling

As a coach for the Mankato

Maverick’s Jim aims to lead the program to one of the best the school has ever seen. He does this with diligent recruitment of top notch talent and a passion for coaching and excelling that is contagious.

Speaking with 2014-2015 team captain David Pearcill, he describes Jim as a “Special Coach”.

“He’s so knowledgeable in what he coaches that you’re go-

ing to get better regardless. And this program is fortunate to have him as a head coach” he goes on to say.

The 2014-2015 senior captain crew are Mike Sandle, Emman-uel Matadi, David Pearcill, and Anthony Gustafson.

The 2014 indoor season will start December 6th here in the Myers Field House with the Chuck Peterson Open.

msyou fall 2014

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