Michigan Tech’s Department of Visual and Performing Arts is gearing up for an exciting production of “Chess the Musical.” Featuring a talented cast of performers, this musical promises to captivate audiences with its impressive story, captivating music, and powerful performances.

The musical follows the story of two chess grandmasters, Freddie Trumper from the United States and Anatoly Sergievsky from the Soviet Union, as they compete in a high-stakes chess tournament during the height of the Cold War. This is showcased through impressive acting and musical performances.

One of the highlights of “Chess the Musical” is its sensational music; the score seamlessly blends rock, pop, and classical elements. Composed by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus of the Swedish band ABBA, fans of the band will greatly appreciate the music.

In addition to the exceptional performances and music, the production also showcases an impressive set design and skillful costumes. The set designers and costume artists have spent countless hours creating an immersive world of the production. “Chess the Musical” is a testament to the hard work, creativity, and dedication of the entire team. 

One such member of the production team, Anne-Maire Latourette states “We’ve put in a lot of work to make it happen. It’s come out really nice.”

Whether you’re a fan of musical theater or simply enjoy thought-provoking storytelling, this production is not to be missed. Performances started yesterday and will continue this evening, April 13, to April 15. “Chess the Musical” will begin at 7:30 pm for each of these dates. 

As the end of the spring semester approaches, it’s time to start planning for Move Out Day, which will take place on April 29. While students can move out in advance, this is the latest they will be allowed to stay without a late fee. It is essential that all students vacate their rooms by 12 p.m. on that day, and ensure that they clean out their entire space. This includes moving all of their belongings outside the room, including personal items and trash. 

In preparation for Move Out Day, students must schedule a final room check-out appointment with their Resident Assistant before April 29. As Move Out Day draws closer, the availability of slots for room check-out will become limited, so it’s important to schedule the appointment as soon as possible. 

Michigan Tech Housing recommends that students make sure they are ready to leave, including making plans to move out and packing all of their belongings. They state that “It is important to start planning your move out process now in order to make the transition as smooth as possible!”. 

For Huskies that plan on staying late or staying over the summer, there are additional forms that will need to be filled out. These can be found on the housing website. According to housing, “Applications must be submitted at least one week prior to your contract start date to be considered.” 

Finally, it’s important to note that quiet hours will start on April 22 and continue until April 28 at 12 p.m. During this time, any individuals in on-campus dorms or apartments are expected to not have any audible noise outside their rooms.

Michigan Tech’s Esports program has had a great season this year. This week has been important for several of the teams. 

The CS:GO (Counter Strike: Global Offensive) team is one of the teams that has been dominating their competition. Currently boasting an impressive 5-0 record, they are now competing for the championship of their conference. Their strong performance this season has been shown through their record. 

The Super Smash Brothers Ultimate team is participating in a play-in for a spot in the playoffs. With a record of five wins and one loss in their regular season, the team is hopeful that they can secure a spot in the national playoff tournament. However, Calvin Larson, the assistant athletic director of Michigan Tech, stated that the next play-in matches are “subject to potential rescheduling.” 

The Rocket League team has qualified for the Collegiate Rocket League World Tournament. They have been performing exceptionally well throughout the season, and their hard work has paid off with this opportunity to compete on the world stage while representing Michigan Tech. They ended their season with an amazing 7-0 record. 

Both Valorant and Overwatch 2 had their seasons cut short, failing to qualify for the NACE playoffs. Although they fought hard throughout the season, it was not enough to secure a spot in the playoffs. The Valorant team had a record of 3-4 and the Overwatch team had a record of 2-5. Despite this setback, both teams are determined to come back stronger next season. 

Overall, Michigan Tech’s Esports program has had its ups and downs this week. The program is sure to continue making waves in the world of Esports. The Esports program advises fans to “make sure to follow MTU Esports on Twitter and Twitch to never miss an update”.

According to university officials, the registration process for the fall semester will begin on Sunday, March 12, and will continue to open through Wednesday, March 29. During this two-week window, students will gain access to add classes based on their current completed credit count. 

To prepare for registration, students are to discuss their course selections and ensure that they are on track to graduate on time with resources such as advisors. Students should also review their degree audit and check for any outstanding requirements or prerequisites for the classes they plan to take. 

The day that registration opens for a specific student can be found on their Banweb, or on the Michigan Technological University website. Registration opens at 10pm each night for the students. 

Due to popular courses filling up fast with the upperclassmen, students are encouraged to have a plan beforehand, and submit their classes shortly after their registration opens. If the course is full, there is a waiting list for the popular courses. 

The time has come for students to nominate their peers for the 29th Annual Student Leadership Awards. The nominations for certain awards are due by noon on March 3rd, while the rest are due by noon on March 17th. 

The Student Leadership Awards is an annual event that honors and recognizes outstanding student leaders who have made a positive impact on their campus community. Students are invited to nominate their peers for a variety of awards that recognize qualities such as leadership, bravery, kindness, and civic engagement. The awards ceremony is typically held in the spring, and offers an opportunity for students to celebrate the achievements of their fellow classmates. 

The 29th Annual Student Leadership Awards celebration will take place on Friday, April 14th at 6:00 PM. Nominators will be invited to attend the ceremony, which will recognize and honor the recipients of the awards. 

It is important for students to nominate their peers who they feel exemplify the qualities of each award. The Student Leadership Awards leaves these decisions up to the students, letting them decide on who will receive each one. 

Emma Coenen, the previous recipient of the President’s Award for Leadership, was recognized for her hard work and dedication to academics, the Army ROTC program, and volunteering. Major Daniel Gwosch, her nominator for this award, stated “that she has the highest qualities and attributes that the army seeks in its future leaders.” 

If you are looking to nominate someone, the website provides this information: “Please visit the Student Leadership Awards website to read the award descriptions, review the requirements of each award, and access the nomination forms.” 

The deadline for nominations for certain awards is quickly approaching, so students are encouraged to submit their nominations before noon on March 3rd. Nominations for all other awards are due by noon on March 17th.

This program was established in 2019 and has quickly become a vital part of the MTU community. It provides a unique opportunity for students to participate in a less traditional form of collegiate competition. 

The varsity esports program at MTU offers a wide variety of games for teams to compete in, including Valorant, League of Legends, Overwatch 2, Rocket League, CS:GO, Apex Legends, and Smash. Each of these games offers a unique challenge and requires different skill sets, making the program appealing to a broad range of students. 

Elliot “Eel” Vironda, a player on the program’s Valorant team, spoke about his team’s plans for the upcoming season: “We want to take as many wins as possible but enjoy the competition by going against the best teams in the region.” 

The assistant director of the esports program, Christopher Gelety, outlined their goals this Spring: “Competitively, I want to see deeper runs from our returning teams in NACE Varsity Premier, and positive wins over losses for our new entries…There’s a lot of uncertainty due to how the national playoffs are seeded, but I still believe it’s possible to get a team to the national finals.” 

In addition to the competitive aspect, the program offers students the opportunity to work on the staff, giving them creative control over the media team. Gelety added, “I want to see our video and general content released regularly. We have a lot of cool stuff to show, but we’ve been struggling to get it all out the door in front of everyone.” 

The games will be broadcast live on the MTUEsports Twitch channel starting with MTU vs West Virginia Institute of Technology in Rocket League this Monday at 7:00 pm.

In a hard-fought hockey game on Jan. 14 at the MacInnes Student Ice Arena, the Michigan Tech Huskies lost to the St. Thomas Tommies, 3-2. The loss brings the Huskies’ season record to 15-7-3. 

The game started off strong for the Huskies, with forward Levi Stauber scoring the first goal of the game just 2:41 into the first period, and Evan Orr adding his second goal of the season during the second period. However, the Tommies matched the Huskies’ points and eventually overtook them. 

According to Huskies coach Joe Shawhan, his team “gave up a lot of very easy scoring chances” and pointed to specific plays as mistakes that “should not happen.” 

The Tommies scored the final point of the match at 16:27 into the third period, with goals from Jake Braccini, Josh Eernisse and Luc Laylin in that order. 

Stauber, the Huskies’ first scorer, said his team didn’t “get enough pucks to the net and generate enough offense.” 

This was a disappointing loss for the Huskies, coming off a 2-0 win against the Tommies the previous night. Both Coach Shawhan and Stauber noted the slow nature of the Huskies throughout the game. Shawhan stated that “St. Thomas was a better team that made their play. We’ve got a lot of work to do; it’s not going to get any easier.” 

The Huskies will play their next games away at Ferris State on Jan. 20 and 21. The team will look to address their errors during a week of practice in hopes of improving their performance in later matches this season.