“My boyfriend and I have recently become more sexually active, but it’s a little embarrassing to go into the Hamar house when we need protection. We’ve been buying them from the store, but neither of us leaves campus very often. Where on campus can we go to get condoms and is there a way to get them without the embarrassment?”

I think it’s always a little awkward when you’re getting protection, no matter where you’re getting it from, especially if you’re just starting to have to do it. I’ve been buying condoms for a long time, but I still examine the lines at Walmart to find a checkout person that I feel most comfortable buying the product from.

Maybe even more than being afraid of the checkout person, I hate running into people I know in the store. Once in high school, I had to bolt away from the condom aisle because I heard the voice of my reverend and his wife. That was so horrifying I may have given up buying condoms that day.

Fortunately, in the years that have passed three things have happened: I’ve gotten old enough that many people don’t think twice about me being sexually active (or it’s at least not as upsetting as if I were a teenager); I’ve realized that I’m not ashamed of buying condoms because I’m pursuing safer sex, which is something I’m proud of; and the newness of the experience has worn off and what used to be intensely embarrassing is just a little awkward now.  Over time, your embarrassment will ease, too.

In the meantime, if your goal is to get condoms on campus, the KISS Club in the Wellness Center of the Hamar House is probably your best option. The people who work there are not going to judge you for having sex or they wouldn’t work to provide the service. As long as you bring a backpack to conceal your condoms or dental dams, the rest of campus doesn’t have to know what you did in the Hamar House. You can buy up to 5 condoms a day from the KISS Club, which means you could stockpile some so you wouldn’t have to visit very frequently. This should also minimize your embarrassment, or at least the number of times you have to live through it.

Two other close options would be the pharmacy at the Portage Health Office in the SDC or Jim’s Foodmart. If you think you’re going to use them before they expire, invest in a sizable stash so you don’t run out when you need them. Condoms have a fairly long shelf life and preserve well in room-temperature and low friction conditions (think dresser drawers, not wallets). If you buy a reasonable amount and keep them in a sensible place, you shouldn’t have many problems. I hope this helps. Best of luck!

Mining is an issue which is deeply rooted in the local community here in the Western Upper Peninsula and recently there have been projects trying to bring it back. This is often seen as an easy decision, as many support the prospects which mining projects promise. Despite this, there are many unforeseen ramifications of mining and caveats on the promises. Dr. Power gave a lecture on this double-edged sword of mining.

Mining brings great amounts of wealth out of the earth and puts it to use making money for the mine owners and workers; mine workers are often among the higher paid blue-collar workers in the modern age. These and many more are reasons that increased mining activities can be a good thing. These were just some of the positive points which were acknowledged by Dr. Power in his lecture. He insisted that mining can cause good economic times. Having been from a town which was heavily influenced by mining, Dr. Power was not simply speaking as an anti-mining advocate. He recognized the good effects that mining can have, but also implored the audience to consider the costs.

Although mining pays well, most workers commute and take the money out of the community; mining will scar an area and remove natural beauty; the prices of metals are extremely unstable and have a direct effect on the production and hiring capacity of mines; technology is constantly reducing the number of people that a mine requires to operate. All of these are reasons which Dr. Power brings up as to why a mining operation should be carefully considered before it is accepted. He presented significant amounts of data to back up these facts, and it truly showed that he had done his research.

Mining is undoubtedly a double-edged sword, it can hurt a community just as much as it can help. Dr. Powers was not advocating against mining in the slightest, but rather advocating for the use of forethought before beginning mining projects. This is the type of message that needs to get to the community and Dr. Powers did a service by speaking on it.

Tennessee Williams wrote many renowned plays, and his skills as a writer are displayed in “Unsung Songs of a Southern Nightingale.” In addition to providing well written performances, this series of plays provides insight on Tennessee Williams’ increasingly pessimistic attitude towards life.

The first play, “The Case of the Crushed Petunias,” is the most humorous of the four which are performed, but it still gives deep social commentary about breaking free of conventional society. Unfortunately, the male lead in this single scene play was uninspiring. Luckily, the script was good enough to keep the audience interested.

The second play, “Talk to Me Like Rain and Let Me Listen,” displayed a tremendous shift in tone from the first play. Rain could be heard pattering on the roof with the occasional growl of thunder as two lovers reflected on their lives and how they ultimately need each other. The monologue that the female character performs ends up being the most meaningful few minutes of the show. It was somber yet peaceful, and the audience was mesmerized by her delivery.

The third play, “The Pronoun I,” ironically returns to a more playful tone as Queen Elizabeth I faces a public riot and assassins. In this play the acting was decent, but Elizabeth’s royal attire and the mask she wore captivated audiences. The play parallels the idea of casting off social obligations and running away which was explored in the first play.

The final play, “The Chalky White Substance,” darkly portrays an apocalyptic future, giving a dose of reality that lays heavily on the audience. The acting in this feature was good, but the larger character could have been played more effectively.

At the end of each individual play, the audience progressively got more uncomfortable. At times, silence lasted for longer than usual after the lights went off as people were unsure of applause. The plays were all intriguing in their own way, but the heavy impact which the audience felt is what makes them stand out. These play demonstrate how effectively Tennessee Williams could convey his own emotion through plays, and why his works are timeless.

No-shave November is an interesting concept. Many people around the world partake in the month of abstinence from razors, but few know the real purpose or origin of the holiday.

While the name No-shave November is relatively recent, the idea of growing out a beard for a lengthy period of time was first formulated by the Greek philosopher Plato. Plato apparently believed that young students should imitate those who were wisest about life. Since the wisest men had beards (because they were old), the younger folk would spend 30 days trying to grow beards to match their elders.

Beards not only signify wisdom, but manly toughness as well. Genghis Khan, dominator of Eastern civilization in the mid-1100s, required his men to abstain from shaving for a 30 day campaign because it made them “bedraggled looking MEN!” Since Khan ended up with the largest empire in human history, it’s safe to assume that the tactic worked.

Now that beards have been established as symbols of wisdom and battle-worthiness, the origin of the name, No-Shave November, will be explored. In the year 2003, and in the country of Australia, a movement called Movember began. Movember is just like No-shave November, except only the moustache is grown (mo is slang for moustache in Australia, hence the name). The November event is meant to raise awareness and funds for prostate and testicular cancer and mental health challenges.

Soon the benevolent concept made its way to America, but once it got there, for unknown reasons, it was changed to No-shave November and lost many of its charitable roots. No matter how the title was achieved, No-shave November gives every man a chance to have pride in facial hair and let the stubble grow.

The Christmas Truce of 1914 was a most singular event in history, where many soldiers on opposing sides of the trenches in World War One declared a cease fire in celebration of Christmas.

These soldiers exchanged gifts, sang carols, buried the fallen, and even played games of soccer with their sworn enemies. Notable is that these actions were all carried out by the common soldiery, the lowest of command, against the orders of their superiors, even though the Pope himself had urged a Christmas cease fire and had been rejected by the commanders of the allied forces. In the end, the men on the front lines did what it took their commanders years to do: they ended World War One, at least for a day.

The Cantus group told this amazing story through period accurate means of letters and song, with three members reciting letters from those who had witnessed the event. These actors gave excellent recitations, with real emotion behind their words.

Their performance could be improved if they were to either not use any impression of an accent or improve their impressions. The problem stemmed from the fact that some letters were from those of a nationality with a distinct accent, the actors attempted the accents, but some fell flat.

The singing of the choir was nigh impeccable. Each note was well rehearsed, with full depth and excellent vibrato. The balance was perfect, each individual voice still being heard while contributing to the overall beauty of the group sound. Throughout the entire performance, there was not a single missed note to be heard which was not changed in such a way to somehow improve the sound. Even in the very technically complicated songs, with many rounds moving throughout the group and very harsh ranges to sing, the choir sounded gorgeous. This reviewer simply can’t think of anything negative about the singing of the Cantus group.

If Cantus returns to the Rozsa, do yourself a favor and get a ticket. It really is that simple; anyone who appreciates a capella music would appreciate the Cantus group. The singing was beautiful, the acting was filled with feeling, there was barely anything negative about the entire performance. It was an all around excellent performance, and those who missed this one should try to catch Cantus if they ever come back.

Pequaming, a small town not far from Houghton, grew in size in the decades between 1890 and 1930, largely based on the logging efforts of Charles Hebard and Henry Ford. This small town was the first large-scale logging operation in the Lake Superior region. Over the course of a 20 year operation, there was an average annual production rate of 30 million feet of lumber.

Charles Hebard founded the community, and the Charles Hebard & Sons Lumber sawmill in 1878. The lumber mill stood next to the harbor, approximately 9 miles north of L’Anse.

In 1880, Pequaming had a population of 174 people, but by 1897 the population had grown to about 800.

During this time the labor force was split between mine work and lumber men. To attract more work to the lumber industry, Hebard created amenities like parks, churches, a hotel, a clubhouse, bath houses and a post office in the small town.

The sawmill had a reputation for turning out the finest lumber from Michigan pines. Higher prices were demanded for the lumber as 25 million board feet of white pine and seven million lath boards were cut annually. Railroad ties, shingles and hemlock bark were sold. The company was considered to be successful and fluctuated with the market demand.

On Sept. 8, 1923, Henry Ford announced the purchase of the 600 resident town, 40,000 acres of land, the railroad and the sawmill for $2,850,000. Hebard’s sons sold the town and land to Ford. Their father had passed away in 1904.

Ford overhauled the operation; a new pay scale from $3.50 to $5 was set, restrictions were placed on children working in the lumber yard, and structures were repainted and inspected. Even the company-owned homes were re-roofed, repaired and painted. Rent was increased from $1 a year to $12-16 per month.

The townspeople respected Ford and his wife, who would both visit the area for a few days at a time. Ford would walk the streets and speak with people, even throw parties for children at his home.

Most of the lumber produced was shipped to Dearborn, Mich., Edgewater, New Jersey, or Chester, Penn. to be used in the automotive industry. During a decrease in sales in the 1930’s, Ford made it a point to keep the Pequaming mill open.

At the time, Ford had acquired mills in Iron Mountain, L’Anse and Pequaming. During the Great Depression, the Iron Mountain mill would sit idle while the others would work double shifts. Ford even created work to help people in the Pequaming community who were in need during this time. Shoes and other items, for example, were donated to families in need.

In 1935, Ford opened a four-room elementary and intermediate school, with a playground and central commons. The school enrolled 100 students and held two classes each day.

On Oct. 9, 1942, the Ford Motor Company decided to halt production at the Pequaming mill. Henry Ford was not in charge of the company policy and disapproved the action, but the mill remained closed. The decisions to close the mill were based on the company’s changing to truck and railroad transportation rather than ships. Shortages in tires due to World War II created problems, shipping rates increased and the ability to maintain logging roads proved too difficult.

By the next summer the town had been close to abandoned. Many families moved away as there was no longer work available and buildings were locked and boarded up. Today the area surrounding the Pequaming mill is a ghost town; a reminder of the logging days.

First year students at Michigan Tech are currently taking what has been determined as the General Education Core. The required classes in this core were selected by the university’s General Education Council by the process of proposals, discussions and votes all the way up to the University president.

Currently, the council is following the same process to, as Christa Walck, associate provost and chair of the General Education Council, said, “be more intentional with how courses get on the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) list so that they are defining the University Student Learning Goals.”

The University’s eight learning goals include: disciplinary knowledge, knowledge of the physical and natural world, global literacy and knowledge of human culture, critical and creative thinking, communication, information literacy, technology and values and civil engagement.

The goals that the council are working on assessing in the HASS courses are global literacies and knowledge of the human culture and critical, communication, critical and creative thinking, and values and civic engagement.

According to Walck, first year students and seniors take the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) approximately every three years. Results from this survey have shown that students at Tech are not as prepared for understanding global literacies as other students. These results have motioned the need for assessment of the HASS courses.

Although the council is working on making a proposal to change the HASS credits so the list will be more specific to the goals, the process is long; approximately two years, according to Walck.

First the General Education Council proposes changes, then the proposal is sent to the dean’s council. The dean’s council distributes the proposal to their units and then they vote. After the deans vote, the proposal goes to the university senate where it is sent to the committee. If the senate votes to approve the proposal, it goes to the provost. After all of these steps, the university president also gets to vote.

“An advantage to the system is that there is a lot of opportunity for faculty input and two voting opportunities,” Walck said.

The proposal for changing the core of general education was already improved and is currently being implemented. The HASS proposal is still in the early proposal stage.

“If the proposal is passed this year, then next October it would go through the process, but the changes would not be implemented until the school year 2015-16. The HASS changes will only affect the incoming students of that year,” Walck said.

“[Although any changes would not affect me], I think that having the HASS credits broken down into more focused sections would be easier to determine where to go when choosing which ones to take,” said David Cargo, a fourth year student.

Although curriculum changes are being made constantly, the changes have purposeful reasoning behind them. Walck said that the university’s accreditation process from the Higher Learning Community requires them to make learning goals for all programs and assess them.

With the current changes to the general education program and proposals for change to the Hass credits, faculty have been training to better assess their classes based on the eight learning goals set by the university.

“We are using a set of rubrics for assessment that are used nationally and adapting them. Although we are required to have learning goals and to assess them, our goal is to improve student learning because we really care about it,” Walck said.

With the new hockey game entrance procedure in place for students hoping to snag free admission complements of the Experience Tech fee, the pre-game experience is a whole lot different compared to in past years. For better or for worse, the change has certainly given students something to talk about.

In the past, students were able to pick up Experience Tech hockey tickets days in advance. Diehards looking to reserve the same seats week after week would consistently show up to the SDC ticket office on Tuesdays at noon when the tickets first became available. Fourth years Sam Hilliger and Danny Leppek can attest to that.

Considering the number of Experience Tech tickets being distributed throughout the week in years past, it was determined that fewer students than expected were showing up to games. Essentially, tickets were being claimed by no-shows, which seemed unfair to students who actually went to games but ended up having to pay for their tickets.  

In order to combat this abuse and ensure that all 750 Experience Tech seats were actually filled come game time, a new entrance protocol began at the start of the 2013-2014 hockey season.  

So far this year, the Mac has hosted six hockey games, so students have had a good taste of the new entrance procedure. The most notable change from previous years and most common complaint from students has to do with getting to the arena early and having to wait in line. “It’s just an inconvenience, but I’ll still show up. It’s hockey,” commented Leppek.

Students start lining up at the SDC over an hour before games are scheduled to start. Last year, if you showed up to a hockey game at 6:30, you were there early. This year, show up at 6:30 and you will more than likely be paying for your ticket. Joe Jaworski, a second year, commented, “I preferred what they did last year. I didn’t have to get here at 5:30.”

Third year Dave Walsh sided with Jaworski. “I definitely like last year’s system a lot better.” Having that said, Walsh expressed appreciation for the Experience Tech tickets, noting, “The deal we’re getting is still a lot better than at other schools where varsity events cost a lot more money.”  

Various attempts have been made to increase the overall enjoyment of the waiting period, including distributing t-shirts and pizza. “It’s not too bad when you’re with friends,” noted first year Evan Tsuchiya, who picked up a t-shirt and free pizza two weeks ago. Broadcasting the Northwestern vs. Michigan football game up on the big screen before Saturday’s game was another successful attempt to keep the crowd entertained.

For Hilliger and Leppek, not being able to sit in the same seats every week is another downfall to the new system. “I don’t like that I am unable to choose my seats prior to going up and the fact that to get a ‘good’ seat you have to get there at least an hour prior to the game,” said Hilliger.

Not all that student had to say was negative, however. Fourth year Scott Ringwelski shared one of the more optimistic of student responses about the new entrance procedure. “I think it’s a good idea. It’s more difficult for students, but I think it’s going to raise attendance.”

In fact, one of the main positive outcomes from the new system which has been noted by many is the increase in student attendance. Hilliger expressed, “I think that the new system is great because there are more students now than I have seen at games in past years.” Leppek agreed, stating, “The one good thing is that it’s filling up the stands.”

Getting more students in the stands earlier has certainly created a hyped-up pre-game atmosphere in the arena which carries over into the game. This has had a positive impact on the athletes who look forward to playing in front of a buzzing crowd.  

Despite mixed feelings from students about the new entrance procedure to hockey games, attendance is up, and the entertainment value of games is as high as ever. Even if the hour-long wait is an inconvenience, the fact that the stands are filling up early is a testament to the students’ willingness to cope with the new system and overall dedication to the sport. Given a great Division I hockey team and an arena full of energized fans, there’s no better place to be than the Mac when Michigan Tech Hockey is in town.

The WCHA is the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. Established in 1951, the WCHA is a Division I conference of the NCAA comprised of these ten teams, listed in order of their current standings in the conference: Ferris State University, Bemidji State, Bowling Green, University of Alaska Anchorage, Alaska Fairbanks, Lake Superior State University, Michigan Tech, Minnesota State, Northern Michigan and University of Alabama Huntsville.

A realignment of the conferences occurred during this past offseason, and with that, the WCHA lost some faces but gained some new ones. Eight of the 12 teams left for different conferences. New to the WCHA this season are Alabama Huntsville, Alaska Fairbanks, Bowling Green, Ferris State, Lake Superior State and Northern Michigan. NMU is the only team in the conference to rejoin after departing from the conference in 1997.

Teams that left after last season are Colorado College, University of Denver, Minnesota, Minnesota Duluth, Nebraska Omaha, University of North Dakota, St. Cloud State and Wisconsin. All of these teams have either gone to the National Collegiate Hockey Conference or the Big Ten Conference. Other past WCHA members include U of M, MSU and Notre Dame, all of which Tech has played already this season.

Of Michigan Tech’s 36-game season, 28 of them are WCHA conference games. Currently, the team has a split record at 2-2 and is tied for fifth place, along with four other teams in the WCHA.

The fact that half of the teams are tied for one place in the whole conference says
a lot, especially when the teams above them aren’t ahead by a landslide. This league is very competitive and very well matched. There is no series a team can go into knowing they have the edge, at least at this point in the season. If any, however, it would be Alabama Huntsville who is 0-6 in the conference and 0-10 in their regular season. They have let in a total of 50 goals, 24 of which are goals from conference teams.

In the WCHA, Ferris State is definitely a team to look out for as they are undefeated in conference play and have lost only two games this season. They have an outstanding goal differential and have always been known to have a premium hockey program. Their top three point leaders have a combined 40 points whereas Bemidji State, who is in second place, has 29 points in their top three combined.

So, where does Michigan Tech stand in all of this? Aside from being tied for fifth
place, the team is doing well. By no means has the season been a breeze, and there can be no guarantees made about anything. But the team is still in a transitional phase since Coach Pearson took this team under his guidance two years ago.

Coach Pearson has absolutely turned this team around, considering that the Huskies
used to be a punching bag for the rest of the WCHA, and the team is still going through a turnaround. Consistency remains an issue at some points, but if the team can pull it all together, there will definitely be some championships to come Tech’s way.

Sparks of greatness have shown themselves numerous times throughout the season for the Huskies, and it’s frustrating to watch them struggle for cohesiveness at times. If they can reach the potential that everyone knows they have, they will be an extremely dangerous team for all that come their way.

For all things WCHA, from statistics, schedules, standings, apparel, etc., go to (WCHA.com) and follow them on Twitter at @wchahockey.

For the past few years, Michigan Tech Hockey has made the voyage to Alaska during Thanksgiving break to play hockey in the great white north. That tradition continues this year as the Huskies take on the Alaska Anchorage Seawolves on Nov. 22nd and 23rd. The Huskies will then travel to Fairbanks the following weekend to face-off against the Nanooks in a two-game series.

The Seawolves are currently ranked fourth in the WCHA, sitting right above Michigan Tech with a conference record of 2-3-1. Forward Scott Allen, a junior at Alaska Anchorage, leads the Seawolves in points with seven goals and four assists for a total of 11 points in ten games played.

After losing last Friday to Bemidji State 4-1 and coming out with a 4-4 tie in OT on Saturday, the Seawolves may have a slight disadvantage going in against Tech after the Huskies took home the win against LSSU on Saturday night, splitting the series at home.

As for Fairbanks, the Nanooks are currently tied for fifth place in the WCHA, along with half of the conference, Tech included in that half. Alaska Fairbanks, LSSU, MTU, Minnesota State and Northern each have four points in the conference with 2-2 records for all.

Senior forward Cody Kunyk, sophomore right winger Nolan Huysmans and sophomore center Tyler Morley are tied for leading the team with nine points each. Kunyk has six goals and three assists, Huysmans has five goals and four assists and Morley has four goals and five assists so far this season.

The Nanooks had a bye week last weekend, allowing them to rest up to take on Ferris
State while Tech plays Anchorage this weekend. They will return home to face the Huskies in a heated battle the following week. In their most recent series, Alaska Fairbanks traveled to LSSU where they lost their first game 1-4 but won their second 3-2 in overtime.

Coming from a split series against Lake Superior State last weekend, losing on Friday but winning on Saturday, the Huskies have some momentum rolling into the next series against Alaska Anchorage. They have upped the physicality, laying down more hits, as seen in the series against the Lakers, and gave sophomore Jamie Phillips his third start of the season on Saturday. Philips played well, letting in only one of 22 shots on net, resulting in a .954 save percentage.

Expect a tough set series for Tech as they head north, as well as a physical matchup. Both Alaskan hockey teams are evenly matched with the Huskies and will definitely be worth keeping up with. Follow the Huskies on Twitter at @mtuhky to show support and receive live updates as they travel to Alaska.