As soon as the snow melted in Houghton, a tidal wave of messages and pictures swept Michigan Tech’s campus. Unless you stare at the sky all day, when you walk through campus you must have seen the multitude of chalk drawings! With dry, bare sidewalk exposed there was no hesitation on the part of students and organizations who were eager to color the gray sidewalk. Among the messages lately have been religious advertisements, event dates, and even thousands of digits of Pi!
As a penny pincher, I am ever looking for spare change on the sidewalk, therefore I notice almost every chalk design that I walk across. I find that the messages have varied intents but for the most part they are informative and humorous. Michigan Tech Policy allows chalking as long as it “takes place only on sidewalks, not buildings… identified as sponsored by University Community Member… does not deface a previous chalk drawing … and is non-permanent, non-threatening, and non-discriminatory.” Curious about what others thought, I took to the streets to find out how the rest of the Michigan Tech Community felt about chalking.

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The Under Graduate Student Government began setting up for the April elections last week with only a few sign ups. The USG Elections Chair, Paul Valencia, has decided to move the closing of the nominations by a week. Nominations for the upcoming year’s E-board members will close next week Wednesday, March 24, at 5:00 p.m.
“Because of the few sign-ups, I think it would be best to move the entire elections schedule by week,” says Paul Valencia. “This should give us time to receive more applicants and more time to organize.”
Student voting will begin on April 1 at 9:00 a.m. and will close on April 5 at 11:59 p.m. On April 7, the election results will be presented during the USG meeting that day which will be held at 7:00 p.m.
Positions are divided up into two different branches; executive and legislative. Open positions in the executive administration for next year include president, vice president, secretary, and treasury. In the legislative organization, students may run as an executive officer or as a representative. Four of the nominees will be chosen by electors for the position of executive officer and six students from each class as representatives; senior, junior, sophomore, and freshman.
Requirements and roles for each position will vary. The president presides over all USG meetings and serves as the lead speaker of all meetings. The vice president assists the president in carrying out assignments and other responsibilities. These assignments include the management of committees and the taking up of the president’s roles should they be absent. The treasurer manages and organizes the budget for the organization. They also give suggestions about spending procedures during meetings. The secretary records minutes, schedules and informs members of meetings, and sends out important notices.
Representatives and officers have the responsibility of attending the general meetings which are held every Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. They must also sit on at least two committees as put out by the committee chairs. Lastly, members must attend two office hours per week for the organization.
Candidates must hold a minimum 2.00 cumulative grade point average in order to be considered for nomination. A typed biography will also be required of each candidate by Mar. 25 at 5:00 p.m. There will be four brief questions that each candidate will be required to answer within their bio that will display their interests and goals within USG. Candidates are required to attend a meeting where they will submit their papers to the current USG officers.The meeting will highlight the rules and guidelines for the elections.
Officers will speak about campaigning and ballot requirements amongst other things. Pictures of all canidates will be taken at the gathering.

Friday, February 18, 2010 two vans parked and waited in the valet circle of the Hilton Hotel in Madison, WI only a few blocks away from the State Capital Building. The occupants of the vans anxiously waited until a few members emerged from the hotel lobby and waved them in. It was then that students from Michigan Tech flooded into the hotel for what was to be Midwestern Bisexual, Lesbian, Gay, Transgendered, and Allied College Conference (MBLGTACC) 2010.
MBLGTACC is an annual gathering of college students in the Midwest who are LGBT or supportive. The program started in 1993 with its first conference at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. The conference was originally titled the “Midwest Bisexual Lesbian Gay College Conference,” but was amended to add Transgender and Allies in 1998 and 2001, respectively. In the past, conferences have had over-arcing missions to them; this year, the mission was “Get Real: Confronting Privilege, Provoking Dialogues, and Building New Foundations.” According to the MBLGTACC web site, this mission “means real discussion on racism in the queer community, instead of ignoring it. Get Real means real inclusion of transpeople, not just adding them to the back of our acronym. Get Real means voices will be heard, privilege will be challenged, and lives will be changed.”
The conference was host to over 80 different workshops spread over six different time slots, five of which were scheduled for Saturday. The workshops were all presented by volunteering students and speakers who were themselves attending the conference. The workshops were organized into several different tracks, including Allyship, Faith and Spirituality, Health and Wellness, Politics, Organizing, and Activism, QPOC (Queer people of Color) Issues, Dating and Relationships, Transgender Issues, and University Life.   The workshops included lessons, discussions, and activities, including Jumping In Head First: How YOU Can Start an Activist Group, The Idiot’s Guide to Asexuality, Media’s Marginality: TV’s Effects on LGBT Student Self-Perception, L@s Jot@s y Las Artes (Queers in the Arts), Beyond Binaries: Identity and the Sexuality Spectrum, and Fighting Bible with Bible: Christianity’s Queer Traditions.

Dear Sassy,
I’ve been on a mad search for a job this summer. However, I’m worried my resume may not be up-to-snuff. Before I hand it out to every business in town, do you have any tips to make my resume stand out from the crowd?

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Events for cultural diversity have grown in size and dominance on-campus. Overflowing to the Houghton community, the parades, musical and dining events, performances, speeches, and organizations have given Michigan Tech students and Houghton residents a multitude of opportunities, almost weekly, to engage in a cultural besides their own. The advent of many of these informative and often celebrative events may be due to one of the newest educational opportunities on-campus—The Diversity Minor.
In 2003, faculty and administrators gathered to address the “diversity problem”, namely the low numbers associated with recruiting and retaining diverse students, faculty, and staff on Michigan Tech’s campus. The outcome, initiated three years later, passed through the Department Administration, the University Senate, and then more administration. Michigan Tech’s response to the “diversity problem” is the relatively new Diversity Minor.
Rhetoric from the proposal to the University Senate argued that an inclusion of diversity studies in Michigan Tech students’ curricular options would address the recruit/retain issue as well as provide an opportunity to educate Michigan Tech students about diversity in the United States.
“The faculty, students, and courses in this minor could have a campus-wide impact far greater than just the number of students selecting this minor might suggest. Such a minor could help to improve the climate for underrepresented groups on campus and, thus, could help with recruiting and retaining underrepresented students, faculty, and staff.” –Senate Proposal 15-07 submitted January 2007.
The Diversity Minor offers students a chance to experience and explore diversity in an academic context but some of the additional benefits expected by the Diversity Studies Committee are the “Ripple Effects”. Mainly, the establishment of a committee dedicated to implementing and supporting courses, events, and organizations on-campus that offer students opportunities to venture into an academic discourse in a variety of contemporary topics in U.S. diversity.
One of the cornerstones of the Diversity Minor is the belief that “problems are more often solved by the collective effort of people involved in many smaller initiatives.” An academic approach is not the “one hundred percent solution” and instead the committee will supplement instead of run, replace, or claim jurisdiction over the on-going efforts of cultural groups that have already been well established at Michigan Tech and in the Keweenaw area for many years.
The Diversity Studies Committee has been busy this year already and the opportunities for students to become active and informed about diversity topics and concerns is increasing. A short list of ten activities pursued by the Diversity Studies Committee this year follows:

This morning, a plethora of bundled up, jolly families perused the campus and marvelled at the beautiful snow statues.  They wondered at their intricacies and commented on how marvelous it is that students willingly spend their free time on such a constructive and unique occupation.  The kids shrieked with delight as they spotted their favorite board games and video game characters being brought to life.  The image of the snow statues presented on that quiet Thursday morning is a highly romanticized and misleading representation of a realistically cold and bitter process.
This insight into statue building is not intended to diminish such gargantuan accomplishments, it is merely meant to communicate the other side of the story.  This story exists behind the smooth glazed surface and beyond the shining eyes of impressed and astonished admirers.  This is the story of students facing negative 25 degree wind chill and standing ankle deep in cold, icy slush, furiously stomping.  This is the story of precariously balanced scaffolding, which threatens to fling machetes and hatchets from its upper level to the ground below at the slightest jostle.
Worse than the physical dangers of building a snow statue is the abuse suffered when a student neglects their hall or organization’s masterpiece.  
I have heard stories of power being cut to rooms and hefty monetary fines given to those who would rather stay in and do homework than hack away at a solid block of ice for hours on end.  And though being in any hall or organization obligates you to participate in statue, I can’t say I blame anyone who stubbornly refuses to face hypothermia, fifty-dollar fine or not.  
This is my first year participating in a month long statue.  The viciousness of competition is palpable, being the best is the only option, anything else would merely be a waste of sore muscles and frost-bitten fingertips. Although I choose to block the pains of statue building with the prospect of completion, others resort to more potent methods to cope such as alcohol and gallons of Monster, the remains of which litter the ground after the All-Nighter.
It is truly miraculous that each year such time-consuming statues always end up fully completed and highly professional looking. I can testify that the morale of the statue crews do not maintain such a steady trajectory in the lead up to Winter Carnival. The first night of statue building is a veritable geyser of enthusiasm and excitement. The last few hours of the All-Nighter however, are a grim struggle; the last few diehards stubbornly chip away at blocks of ice in a desperate attempt to complete the statue before judging.
All night they have been powered by hot chocolate and deep-fried Twinkies, a remarkably energizing combination.
Although I have painted a grim picture of statue building, this isn’t to say that it’s not all worth it. There are certainly rewards, if nothing else the sound sleep after the All-Nighter. The admiration of family and friends is certainly something to be considered as well. And while we could stay inside until spring, the severity and length of Houghton winters almost demand some sort of icy, arctic endeavor be undertaken.

Dear Sassy,
I am a senior in college and this past weekend I went to a party. I usually try to avoid parties where there is underage drinking, so imagine my surprise when I saw my younger sister (a freshman) at the same party. I watched her drink but I did not approach her then and there. I don’t want her grades to start slipping or for her to get in trouble. How should I talk to her about the party?
Sincerely,
Scared Sister

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For students at Michigan Tech, the blustery gusts of snow that have hit the Keweenaw for the past two weeks mean more than just digging up winter jackets and early-morning windshield scraping. They signify the beginning of a season full of adventures.
“Its’ an opportune place to live” says Noah Marach, Manager in charge of the Outdoor Adventure Program (OAP) Gear Swap, which was held in the MUB Alumni Lounge on Saturday, Dec. 5.
The third annual Gear Swap, set up by the OAP, boasted 58 items of outdoor gear including five bikes and a few items from the OAP’s own rental center such as sleeping bags and hiking backpacks. OAP provided the services of promoting and setting up the swap, with no service charges for participants. “We get our name out there, OAP provides services for trips and equipment rentals but we’d really like to be a hub for outdoor experiences in the area.” Noah explains.
The OAP also offers several other winter activities for the spring semester including full-moon snowshoe hikes, kayak rolling clinics, sledding trips at Nara Nature Trails, the second gear swap, and a paddling trip along the Sturgeon River. Also look for information on Alternative Spring Break Trips from OAP at their Web site www.oap.mtu.edu. The theme for OAP is “Unplug Yourself”, an apt motto for our technological campus, urging students to explore the abundant opportunities of the Upper Peninsula as well as expanding students’ horizons to an outdoor lifestyle in general. The Alternative Spring Break Trips boast well-known outdoor destinations such as the Grand Canyon, Buffalo National River, Land Between the Lakes, and Puerto Rico.
Look for advertising around campus for the next OAP gear swap in April. “We get a lot of snow stuff around this time, while in April we get a lot of bikes” Noah says describing the swaps. That’s good news for winter sport-enthusiasts ready to pick-up gear and enjoy the seven-inches of snow that has blown through the Michigan Tech campus since the end of November. Keweenaw Snow Report and U.P. Weather reports 27.8” as of Dec. 7.
Other opportunities for winter enjoyment begin when Mount Ripley opens. The snow guns have been up and running and their Web site indicates a prospective opening date next weekend, Dec. 12 for the weekend. Weekday skiing and snowboarding begins the following week on Dec. 19. The nationally recognized Nordic Ski Trails in Michigan Techs’ backyard are free for students to use as soon as the snow blankets them. That’s almost 100 kilometers of adventure. National Geographic has repeatedly featured and rated areas of the Keweenaw as some of the best outdoor spots. Overall the Upper Peninsula is a Top U.S. Adrenaline Outpost. Are you ready for the adventure?

On November 10, 2009, Michigan Tech’s Inter-Residence Hall Council hosted a night of comedy in the Ballroom of Douglass Houghton Hall. The night featured performances from two improvised comedy groups, Comedy City De Pere of Green Bay, Wisc and Sofisticada Comedia of Houghton. The two troupes competed against each other for the approval of the audience while performing improvised comedy.
Many different games were included during the performance, including Closed Captions, Musical Rumble, and Sing It. The performance featured a lot of audience interaction with the performers, as well as contributions from the audience for ideas during each game.
In the end, Comedy City De Pere ended up winning the competition, but a good time was had by all of the performers.
“Great crowd,” said Craig Knitt, captain of the Comedy City De Pere team. “They seem to get the edge of jokes better than [many from] back home.”
Similar thoughts were conveyed from the hometown Sofisticada Comedia, composed primarily of Michigan Tech students.
“The audience was one of the best I’ve ever seen here,” said Stephen Bosio, member of Sofisticada Comedia. “This was our first show in Houghton as a group, and we really appreciated the turnout.”
Comedy City De Pere was formed during 1987 in Oshkosh, Wisc. They are currently located De Pere, Wisc. The Group is made up of Craig Knitt, Joe Abrahamson, Tony Mayer, Sean Yahn, and Laurie Bruinooge. If you would like to learn more about Comedy City DePere, please visit their website at www.comedycityonline.com.
Sofisticada Comedia is composed of Stephen Bosio, Cal Wacker, and Mike Mott, all students at Michigan Tech.
on the continued suffering of one child.
While the format initially seemed odd for theater, it was used effectively and the performance was well received by the audience. Most important was the actors’ own success in playing their parts well, without flat reads. Adding to that was dramatic lighting and sound effects to underscore the spoken performances. A screen showing an image to reflect the spoken dialogue finished off the effect.
The Tech Theater Company performs several shows each year. Their next performance will be David Auburn’s “Proof,” which will be shown February 11-13 and 18-19 in the McArdle Theatere.

The presence of traction felt while walking down one of the many hills on campus is a luxury which students will soon no longer be able to take for granted.  Within a few short weeks, campus will undoubtedly be covered in a thick blanket of snow.  Many of the sidewalks that students have been using to speed walk to class for the past two months will be lost to a glassy sheen.  Soon, thin sheets of ice will encase every path on campus and the perils of winter life in Houghton will once again present themselves.
It’s a wonder Michigan Tech students survive from November to May each year.  Each spring, almost every student seems to have a new story to share about how they narrowly avoided their untimely end.  Most frequent, it seems, are stories of impromptu figure skating while passing through campus between classes.   With a backpack full of textbooks and binders strapped to you, it’s no doubt that your stability is already being challenged.  Add a freshly fallen layer of snow and it’s nearly impossible to walk across campus without some fancy footwork.  Those with impeccable balance might be able to save themselves from an embarrassing surrender to gravity with a grand flailing of the arms but most students will find themselves in a daze on the ground at some point this winter.  When this inevitably happens, take the embarrassment as a badge of honor; you’ve survived Houghton’s first of many attempts to maim you.
In an effort to minimize the amount of attention drawn to the situation, experienced Houghton winter survivors tend to pass by a fallen student without so much as a quick glance.  Unless a flurry of papers is thrown into the air as you plummet to the ground, you shouldn’t expect to have anyone rushing to your aid.  Simply stand up, brush yourself off, mutter an expletive or two under your breath and once again disappear into the crowd of bundled-up students.  As a passerby, try to suppress the urge to laugh upon seeing another student slip and Karma will treat you favorably.
Although the school’s snow removal staff certainly has good intentions, one of the most perplexing things they do is drive across campus with small vehicles equipped with a rotating brush.  While these vehicles may seem to be helpful at first, they serve only to push any sand or salt that may already be on the sidewalks off to the side – further compounding the slippery situation.  First-year students will soon learn to avoid walking behind any of the “ice-polisher” fleet and to never initiate a game of “red rover” with a disgruntled snowplow operator.
Another dangerous activity Michigan Tech students are forced to partake in on a daily basis is crossing US-41.  In a few weeks, students will resume their life-size game of Frogger and will, once again, find themselves hopping between the dorms and campus while seeking refuge on the traffic island between the lanes of the highway.  Experienced students know that crossing US-41 in the summer months is exciting enough; add a foot of freshly fallen snow and crossing becomes even more of a gamble.  Any student unfortunate enough to be hit by a car while crossing won’t be guaranteed the same anonymity as one who experiences a mid-campus slip.  Unless you are looking for a valid excuse to miss a few weeks of class or are seeking immediate campus-wide attention, darting into oncoming traffic with the same mindlessness seen in summer months is not advisable once winter arrives.
Recently, Michigan Tech has made an effort to increase the odds of winter survival for its students.  With the addition of a median along a section of US-41, students now only have to time their crossing of the highway with one direction of traffic-flow in mind.  The path connecting Wadsworth Hall and lower Daniell Heights is being equipped with handrails to aid residents in traversing the hilariously angled sidewalk.  There are still, however, plenty of wintertime challenges present across campus.  If you’re feeling particularly daring, the option is still present to hold races from the top of McNair hill, across US-41 and on top of freshly polished sidewalks all the way to the entrance of the ME-EM.  For novice winter survivors, a relay race from Fisher to Dillman might be a more feasible test of their survival skills.
This winter, as temperatures drop, sunlight becomes rare and the forecast calls for more and more snow, make sure to watch your step.  A tumble or two in the middle of campus is to be expected, but calamities such a being hit by a car are certainly avoidable.  When spring finally arrives, share your stories of courage, bravery and triumph over winter with everyone you know – provided you are strong enough to survive the upcoming challenges.