With the completion of construction on College Avenue, two-way traffic is now restored. Along with this, the Southbound US 41 detour via Sharon Avenue has been lifted and the intersections have reverted to four-way stops. 

The end of construction signified the need for a decision regarding the temporary stop lights located on Sharon Avenue, which had been debated upon since their installation. The lights were initially installed to account for the increased traffic from the detour. They were scheduled to be removed with four-way flashing stops restored at the end of the construction and detour. Along with both positive and negative feedback from the community regarding the stop lights, MDOT made an offer to Houghton for the city to purchase the lights at a discounted price. 

At the latest Houghton City Council meeting, a recommendation from Eric Warra, Houghton’s City Manager, was considered in regards to the stoplights. The biggest concern from Waara was the costs associated with keeping the lights at the intersections. There would be investments needed to add left turn lanes, pedestrian crossings, and winter weather proofing. These are just a few of the reasons given to support Waara’s recommendation to remove the lights and revert to the former traffic flow on Sharon Avenue. 

The City Council at the Nov. 9 meeting heard this recommendation and agreed with Waara. The stoplights on Sharon Avenue are currently programmed to behave as four-way flashing stops. MDOT will be installing new LED four-way flashing stops at these intersections.

As the end of the semester draws nearer, Michigan Tech students look towards going home for the holidays. According to Michigan Tech’s website, students live an average of eight to ten hours away from home. Whether you have a car and need to split the cost of travel, or you are looking elsewhere for a ride home, here are some tips for getting back to your family. 

Every year, USG sponsors both Thanksgiving and Winter Break buses that travel downstate to Lansing. While the ticket sale for the Thanksgiving buses is now closed, tickets for the Winter Break buses go on sale on Nov. 14. The Winter Break buses will depart the MUB on Dec. 17 and arrive back on campus on Jan. 8. While there is currently not a bus that travels west into Wisconsin, the Student Affairs committee is looking into this option for future semesters. 

If driving home is your preferred method of transport, there are a couple of different options to share the cost or get a ride. If you preside in the dorms, leaving a message on your white board can be a promising start. The Michigan Tech reddit page currently has a thread for finding and giving rides home for break. The Michigan Tech Parents Group on Facebook also has posts 

offering information about those offering or looking for rides. This group is also a good place to post if you have car troubles on your way home and are looking for assistance. 

Another option to get home is to take a plane. The Houghton County Memorial Airport has approximately two flights a day to Chicago, where you can get a connecting flight to other parts of the country if needed. This is a popular option for those who do not have a car or live out of driving distance from Michigan Tech. To get to the airport, which is located across the bridge in Hancock, you can call a taxi from Copper Country Limo & Taxi service. They are endorsed by the airport and operate from 5:30 a.m. through 5:30pm every day of the week.

Free tickets; intended to raise viewership and give back to populace.

At 11:30 p.m. on Saturday Oct. 22, the lights in Fisher 135 dimmed and the voices of the small audience quieted as the opening notes of Coraline came through the lecture hall’s speakers. It was the final showing of the weekend and those gathered were able to get  a genuine movie theater experience, complete with popcorn, from the biggest lecture hall on Michigan Tech’s campus. For the students in attendance, they got in for free. 

“We wanted to at least try to do a free showing per semester,” said vice president of Film Board, Satbit Mangat. Film Board decided to increase the frequency of free showings from the previous once a year, “partly to get more students involved and partly to give back to the community.” 

Film Board has been struggling with student and community involvement since before the pandemic. With the rise of streaming platforms like Netflix, Hulu, and HBO Max, across the country people are visiting movie theaters less frequently. This trend has also extended to a decrease in audience size at Film Board showings, with the pandemic exacerbating the problem. Mangat comments, “Covid hitting when it did, it really accelerated the drop [in attendance].” The lack of attendance affects the club financially due to the costs involved in gaining the rights to show each film. 

Despite these struggles, Film Board’s goal has not shifted from trying to be as involved with the students and community as possible. “We mainly care about having fun with each other, having fun with the community, and showing films that people will come and enjoy for a cheaper rate than a local theater,” says Mangat. 

This upcoming weekend, Film Board will be showing A Quiet Place in Fisher 135 on Friday and Sunday. Tickets will again be free and concessions are available for $1. This showing is sponsored by the Inter-Residence Housing Council at Michigan Tech.

On Oct. 15, the Houghton community gathered together to support music. The Miles of Music 5K was a philanthropic run to raise money for the Arvon and Stanton township school’s music programs. In total, over $500 dollars were raised for these two schools. 

The group behind this event was Mu Beta Psi (ΜΒΨ) National Honorary Musical Fraternity. The local chapter at Michigan Tech organized the race and the music that played along the race route. In conjunction with the MUB board, they provided the volunteer force for the event. 

“Miles for Music is an important opportunity to support music education programs at local schools that are small, so they may not receive as much recognition or support as many other, larger schools do,” says Mieka Clark, Mu Beta Psi’s Philanthropy Committee Chair. Arvon and Stanton township schools are both within an hour of Houghton and don’t receive as much funding compared to other schools in the area due to their smaller size. 

Local bands Cheblord and Goodie performed sets before and during the race. WMTU provided both equipment for the bands and music in between sets. The Huskies Pep band also played some tunes along the race route for the runners. 

The top three finishers in each age group received a coupon to Respawn Laser Tag. Along with the finisher prizes, there was a raffle after the race with Sunflower Books and Coffee, Joey’s Seafood & Grill, the Ambassador, and Respawn Laser Tag all donating prizes. 

Clark states, “this race was made possible through the support of the community- businesses, students, community members, organizations, musicians, volunteers, everyone who donated and participated.” Mu Beta Psi hopes to turn this race into an annual event and looks forward to raising even more funds for local music programs in the future.

On Oct. 15, the Houghton community gathered together to support music. The Miles of Music 5K was a philanthropic run to raise money for the Arvon and Stanton township school’s music programs. In total, over $500 dollars were raised for these two schools. 

The group behind this event was Mu Beta Psi (ΜΒΨ) National Honorary Musical Fraternity. The local chapter at Michigan Tech organized the race and the music that played along the race route. In conjunction with the MUB board, they provided the volunteer force for the event. 

“Miles for Music is an important opportunity to support music education programs at local schools that are small, so they may not receive as much recognition or support as many other, larger schools do,” says Mieka Clark, Mu Beta Psi’s Philanthropy Committee Chair. Arvon and Stanton township schools are both within an hour of Houghton and don’t receive as much funding compared to other schools in the area due to their smaller size. 

Local bands Cheblord and Goodie performed sets before and during the race. WMTU provided both equipment for the bands and music in between sets. The Huskies Pep band also played some tunes along the race route for the runners. 

The top three finishers in each age group received a coupon to Respawn Laser Tag. Along with the finisher prizes, there was a raffle after the race with Sunflower Books and Coffee, Joey’s Seafood & Grill, the Ambassador, and Respawn Laser Tag all donating prizes. 

Clark states, “this race was made possible through the support of the community- businesses, students, community members, organizations, musicians, volunteers, everyone who donated and participated.” Mu Beta Psi hopes to turn this race into an annual event and looks forward to raising even more funds for local music programs in the future.

Michigan Tech’s Graduate Student Government met on Sept. 20 and discussed resources available to graduates. They also discussed current problems facing students and gave updates on solutions being implemented. 

GSG addressed graduate student access to health insurance. Over the summer, Michigan Tech switched insurance providers from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan to United Healthcare. “That transition wasn’t smooth because of a lot of reasons; and was a major thing that we had to deal with during the summer,” said Ranit Karmakar, the President of GSG. 

To provide guidance to graduate students still struggling, there will be a health insurance info session on Oct. 6 at noon in the East Reading Room. Representatives from United Healthcare and Student Insurance will be there to answer any questions. 

Another problem facing graduate students is transportation, specifically from Hancock to campus. The school year started with a graduate student housing crisis, causing many students to move across the bridge into Hancock. “50% of the graduate student population is international students who don’t have a US driver’s license or own a car,” says Karmakar, which results in a lack of transportation to campus for many students. GSG is currently in contact with transportation services to start a Hancock Shuttle pilot program. 

Library Services gave a presentation to GSG, informing them about relevant resources for graduate students. One resource of note is the interlibrary loan system. PDFs from across the country are available within a day. Grad students have access to rushed PDFs, which are available within a few hours. Specialized librarians are also available to help with different research and resource questions. 

The Office of Academic and Community Conduct gave a presentation at the meeting as well. They discussed the Conflict Resolution Network page on their website, which has many resources to help students.The Ombuds Office provides completely confidential help and advice both personally and academically. Finally, the Report a Concern page through the Dean of Students website, provides ways to report both academic and personal concerns at any time. 

When asked what advice he would give to graduate students, Karmakar pointed to the Graduate Student Life Hacks page on GSG’s website. What started as a welcome guide for new students, #gradlifehacks has turned into a resource page for all graduate students at Michigan Tech. “This 

is coming from graduate students who have been here for a couple of years. It has things they have learned throughout their grad studies; they are sharing their perspective,” said Karmakar. Some of the topics discussed are advisor-student partnerships, housing, and health insurance.

On Saturday, Sept. 17, the Michigan Tech women’s volleyball team faced off against Lake Superior State University.

Michigan Tech won 3-0 breaking their previous three game loss streak. This brings the Huskies’ overall record for the season to 7-4 and scores them their first home GLIAC win. 

The game started off strong for Michigan Tech with a 25-23 win in the first set. The Huskies quickly scored 10-0 to start off the second. They maintained a large lead throughout the set and ended with a fourteen point lead of 25-11. LSSU came back swinging in the third set resulting in twelve ties and nine lead changes. Despite their efforts, Michigan Tech came out on top, winning the final set 30-28 and securing the match victory. 

“The whole team felt cohesive,” said Jillian Kuizenga, a senior on the team, during an post-game interview. When asked what specifically worked well, she responded, “I think what really helped is the passing in the back court that really kinda opened everything up.” Kuizenga got a career-high nineteen kills on Saturday, helping lead the Huskies to victory. 

“It felt real good to get a win. I think that’s what these Huskies needed and I’m very proud,” said Michigan Tech coach Matt Jennings when interviewed after the match. “Kudos to Coach Zach for how he has that team playing, I don’t think the record quote reflects what that team is capable of,” said Jennings in reference to LSSU. “We responded well today and I’m happy we got the win.” 

Some other highlights for the team include Olivia Heidel, who achieved a career-high on Saturday with 39 assists. Morgan Radtke had seven kills throughout the game and Janie Grindland got six kills. For defense, Carissa Beyer led the team with fifteen digs while Brooke Dzwik followed with twelve digs. 

Michigan Tech plays Northern Michigan on Sept. 21 in Marquette. “That match, it’s gonna be a lot of fun,” says Jennings. The first set begins at 7 p.m. ET at the Superior Dome. Updates and more information can be found on Michigan Tech Volleyball’s social media sites.

The restructuring of US 41 has run into delays during construction.

While preparing the site for repaving, a mine vent was discovered along with more underground

debris than anticipated. These complications have delayed paving of the road, thus delaying the

overall completion of the project and restoration of normal traffic flow.

The current detour in place routes northbound US 41 traffic into the southbound lane and

southbound US 41 traffic around the city via Sharon Avenue to Macinnes Drive. This detour is

also set to continue through late October in conjunction with the construction.

Along with the detour via Sharon Avenue, temporary speed bumps are installed on East

Houghton Avenue due the increased level of traffic now utilizing it. The other

traffic change in place is the closure of the right turn lane from Montezuma Avenue to Franklin

Street, forcing traffic to merge left onto North US 41.

“I just hope the construction issues get resolved before it starts to snow,” says Jennifer Wilson, a 4th year at Michigan Technological University. They use US 41 to get to campus frequently and are concerned about icy road conditions and additional traffic on the steep roads off US 41.

While the average first inch of snow usually falls at the end of October, snow can arrive sooner

than expected this far north. Significant snowfall has been recorded as early in the season as late September, which would severely impact construction progress.

The construction was initially scheduled to be complete by the beginning of September,

coinciding with the return of students to Michigan Technological University. Due to these

unforeseen delays, late October is now the new scheduled end of construction, marking the end

of the two year restructuring project.

The work onf US 41 is a $9 million project designed to improve the overall traffic design

of the area and increase pedestrian safety. Along with the changes that can be seen on the

surface, underground, the sewer system and water main need to be replaced due to their age. The project broke ground at the end of July 2021, and took a break from October 2021 through April 2022 to account for the winter weather in Houghton. The new date of late October marks the end of the construction on US 41.

This is not the first delay on this restructuring project;last year, construction crews working on

the first section of road ran into underground utility and water main problems. This caused a

delay in the construction through October. The routing northbound US 41 traffic around the

university campus via Cliff Drive remained in effect until Oct. 1, 2021.