MSUB The Retort v88i5

7/28/2019 MSUB The Retort v88i5

1/12

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.


2/12

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September 13, 2012

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jewelry, clothing, bags,musical instruments,Christmas giftsall

affordableall Fair Trade

www.globalvillagebillings.orglike us on facebook


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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.

[email protected].

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


By PATRICIA HAMPTON



4/12

4

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.


5/12

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.


6/12

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

[email protected]

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!


7/12

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.


8/12

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


9/12

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


10/12

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

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