The chase for knowledgeMSU philosophy professor John Humphrey never stops asking 'why?'
"The unexamined life is not worth living."
The quote is from Socrates, one of the world's best-known classical philosophers, and one that sums up the mentality of one of Minnesota State's more entertaining professors: the Philosophy Department's Dr. John Humphrey.…
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Putting personal experience to useJess Flatequal helps students feel comfortable in their own skin
As a former Minnesota State student, activist Jess Flatequal struggled with coming out.
Now, she has found the perfect fit in her career as the MSU Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Center director.
Her love of art and commitment to fighting for LGBT causes has helped strengthen her identity and brought her to the rewarding position she currently has.…
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Building toward a badgePaul Larson is prepared for the dangers and thrills of law enforcement
Minnesota State senior law enforcement major Paul Larson wasn't cut out for a cubicle. Instead, he chose a career where no day is the same, danger comes with the uniform and there is a real opportunity to make a difference and save lives.
But Larson isn't in it for completely altruistic reasons.…
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On behalf of 15,000 studentsMSSA president works to ensure that student voices are heard
Many students recognize his name and are familiar with his work, but who really is the man behind the Minnesota State Student Association?
Ryan Anderson, the president of the MSSA, is a senior political science major who has been involved with student government virtually his entire time at Minnesota State.…
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Close to the cosmosSteve Kipp helps bring the universe into focus for his students
On the third floor of Wissink Hall is a tiny, cluttered space. It's a fitting office for a man who studies the universe, astronomy professor Steve Kipp. He's closer to the cosmos up there. His small office reveals droves of books titled "Starwatch" and "Planetary Geology" that stretch wall-to-wall.…
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A custodian full of conversationMel Crane credits the friendly confines of the CSU for making job worthwhile
Every morning before the sun rises, Mel Crane parks his '91 Chevrolet behind Minnesota State's Performing Arts Center and makes his way to the Centennial Student Union for the start of his 6 a.m. shift.
Crane has called the CSU his workplace since January of 1980, when he started his job as a custodian.…
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By his own admissionWalt Wolff facilitates the admission process that can change students' lives
Although students end up in many different places after their time at Minnesota State, everyone starts off in the same spot - the Admissions Office.
Walt Wolff, MSU's Director of Admissions, is at the head of it all. Wolff began his career at MSU in 1982 in the Career Development Center and later became the assistant director.…
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Leaving a visual legacyJohn Cross has witnessed the best and worst of a community through his lens
Small-city news can play a large role in the lives of community members. Mankato certainly isn't the smallest or largest city in southern Minnesota, but one man from the Mankato Free Press continually makes small, local stories appear larger than life through photography.…
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Keeping up with the Carpenters
They almost never met, Kristy Carpenter because she nearly didn't go and Brett Carpenter because he turned in his registration late.
But seven years ago, the two found themselves at an anti-tobacco conference in De Moines, Iowa. They sat together on the four-hour bus ride home and, despite living 45 minutes apart, soon began dating.…
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Teaching to his own tuneGerard Aloisio shares his love of music through an enthusiastic teaching style
Gerard Aloisio • Music professor Gerard Aloisio walks up and down the aisles of the Performing Arts Hall, looking as many of his pupils in the eye as he can as he lectures about the great music producer, Phil Spector. Aloisio steals his students' attention with every hand motion and waving of his arms as he illustrates Spector's "wall of sound.…
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The long road to fulfilling a goalAfter years of traveling as a soccer coach, McGahey has found a home at MSU
Peter McGahey • Women's soccer coach Peter McGahey was originally a mass communications major with an emphasis on public relations. It wasn't until his senior year of college while in an internship that he realized his job on the side, coaching youth soccer, was what he really wanted to keep doing.…
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Raised to respectAn MSU student is following in the bootsteps of his military family
Bill Bowser • MSU's top-ranked ROTC cadet Bill Bowser is heralded as the top-ranking cadet in Minnesota State's ROTC program. But don't tell him that. The sports management graduate student is as humble as he is driven and takes very little credit for his own achievements.…
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The vegan wayTwo brothers try to fight the stereotypes associated with a cruelty-free lifestyle
In the fall of 2007, Dave Sieberg was interested in joining an animal rights group at Minnesota State, but there wasn't one. So, he took the initiative and started his own, called MSU Animal Rights Concern.
The group focuses on raising awareness about animal rights and veganism at MSU, but its main priority is to create a community for vegans and vegetarians on campus.…
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Getting into the swing of thingsMSU freshman Ian Novak is learning all the right moves
Ian Novak regularly finds himself in the middle of a dance floor surrounded by college girls.
This is a constant reality for the Minnesota State freshman at Swing Dance Club, an organization where the guy to girl ratio isn't even. Most days there are a lot more girls than guys to go around.…
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The perfect prescriptionThe future looks bright for Elizabeth Gripentrog and other pre-pharmacy students
Aspiring pharmacists at Minnesota State, look no further: the Pre-Pharmacy Club wants you.
Although no doctorate program for pharmacy exists at MSU, students interested in chemistry or biology can meet with the pre-pharmacy club as a way to quell their curiosities.…
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Far from homeA native Moldovan adjusts to America
Cezara Talmaci says there is one question people always ask her when they hear she is an international student: "How do you like America so far?"
She estimates that at least 100 people have asked her that very question so far, but Talmaci doesn't mind.
According to Talmaci, the people she has met in America are generally friendly, nice and easy to talk to.…
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All of life's lessonsJanet Rother's work, education and upbringing have made her a proponent of the pro-life cause
Most people take life and many things in it for granted.
Not Janet Rother, though.
Rother works as a nursing assistant at the School Sisters of Notre Dame in Mankato, where she helps care for elderly sisters or sisters facing health problems.
Her job makes her confront on a daily basis issues many might prefer to not think about.…
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Testing the trainingThe effects of speed, power and agility training on performance enhancement
The Sports Institute opened in May of 2007 and is geared toward the performance enhancement of youth, high school, college and professional athletes. Before beginning a training program, all athletes completed a pre-test to assess their initial speed, power and agility.…
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Experienced Scarlets have unfinished businessLast year's state runner-up returns with dominant pitcher and every starter back
The Mankato West softball team may have started and ended its season with a loss, but in the 25 games in between the Scarlets were pretty good.
West lost a nonconference game to start last season to Apple Valley 3-2, but won every game after and became Big Nine Conference and Section 2AAA champs.…
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Eagles hope to soar to state againMaple River baseball also favored in conference
REPORTER STAFF
When it comes to Valley Conference softball, once again, expect to see Maple River near the top of the standings.
The Eagles, who took the Class AA consolation championship in 2008, haven't lost a conference game in more than three seasons.…
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A tough task to followLoyola is coming off 18-3 year, but has only two seniors
The Mankato Loyola baseball team has a tough task ahead of it this season. After all, how does one improve on perfection?
Perfection is what Loyola achieved last season in conference play, where the Crusaders went 12-0. They finished 18-3 overall, but have only two seniors returning this year and a few holes to fill.…
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It takes twoPitcher Laura Michaletz and catcher Lizzy Karp will team up to lead the Crusaders this season
Laura Michaletz is the pitcher and Lizzy Karp is the catcher - and together, says Laura Olson, they form the catalyst for the Mankato Loyola softball team.
The two are juniors. Karp has been starting since eighth grade and Michaletz pitched the majority of the Crusaders' games last season.…
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USC could lead pack in Gopher ConferenceTrack & Field
In a season-long race for the Gopher Conference track and field championship, the rest of the field could be chasing United South Central all spring. That's boys and girls.
The Rebels are favored to win the girls conference title with New Richland-Ellendale-Geneva giving the closest chase.…
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Oakes' arm leading Jordan
With two teams that advanced to the state tournament in 2008 and Minnesota's highest-recruited pitcher in the same conference, it will be a tall challenge for other teams to keep up.
Yet, coaches from Le Sueur-Henderson and Sibley East remain optimistic about staying competitive with the Minnesota River Conference's top baseball teams.…
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Young Knights
The Martin Luther College softball team might be extremely young, but so far the Knights' record hasn't reflected their youth.
The Knights have no seniors. They have only two juniors. The rest of the team consists of freshmen and sophomores.
Despite that fact, however, MLC has posted an 8-4 record so far this season - a record that puts the team on pace to improve dramatically on its 11-16 record last year.…
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Tomahawk throwdown
Coaches Bob Mertz and John VanLoy share a similar view of the Tomahawk Conference.
"We play in a pretty tough conference," says Mertz, who heads the New Ulm Cathedral softball team. "We'll see some pretty good competition."
"The Tomahawk Conference," says VanLoy, the coach of Wabasso, "gets you ready for postseason play.…
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Five or six teams compete for Tomahawk title
Not much has changed in the Tomahawk baseball conference from last year.
Five teams finished better than .500 in the conference, and the top three - Sleepy Eye St. Mary's, New Ulm Cathedral and Wabasso - combined for just 10 conference losses.
This season should see more of the same.…
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Conference titles in MSU's sights againRains and Stelten lead MSU women's outdoor team
Just like Minnesota State's indoor track and field team's season, it will be the same names leading the Mavericks outside this spring.
Katelin Rains may get the majority of the headlines when it comes to the team, but it's sophomore Lauren Stelten who helps make up the double-headed monster that makes up the Mavericks' pole-vaulting group.…
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Pitching leading West baseballBrock Lloyd leads strong group of Scarlets hurlers
The offense of the Mankato West baseball team might not be what it was in the early 2000s, but the Scarlets are still finding ways to win games.
The Scarlets haven't won a conference title since 2003 and finished fifth in the Big Nine Conference last season.…
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Blue streakThe BEA girls track team will try to defend its conference and section championships
JOSH HEBRINK staff writer The Blue Earth Area girls track and field team is back to defend the South Central Conference for a second straight season and possibly take home a state title. Last year, the Buccaneers dominated the SCC, moved on to take the Section 2A title and finished runner-up in the Minnesota Class A true team state meet.…
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MSU golf getting used to outdoors
Minnesotans know the weather in the state of 10,000 lakes is unpredictable. As for the Minnesota State men's and women's golf teams, they are finding out first hand.
It's already April and both squads have spent more time in closed confines swinging clubs than seeing action on the links, where the actual game is supposed to take place.…
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Drive for successJoe Baer and Mitch Koepp will lead the way for the Bethany Lutheran men's golf team
Beginning the 2008 fall golf season, the Bethany Lutheran College men's team was off to a hot start after taking home two first-place finishes in Upper Midwest Athletic Conference action.
But the Vikings lost momentum when it mattered the most as the team could only manage to reach bronze after taking third in the UMAC championship rounds.…
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Eagles look to maintain edgeNew Ulm dominated in conference play last season
JOSH HEBRINK
staff writer
It may be to early to tell which high school baseball team in the South Central Conference has the upper edge going into the 2009 season, but all signs point in favor of the returning champion New Ulm Eagles.
The Eagles dominated the SCC last season with a perfect conference record of 9-0 and proved their talent by pushing further than any conference opponent in the postseason before falling to Pipestone Area 4-2 in Section 3AA.…
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Experience key in conference race
With the Gopher Conference softball season underway this week, people have made their predictions about which teams will finish atop the standings in May.
The biggest factor will be who is returning more starters from last season's teams.
Defending Gopher champion Faribault Bethlehem Academy has lost most of its starting lineup including six All-Gopher Conference picks from 2008.…
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Cougars face challenges as they enter seasonMankato East must overcome loss of last year's standout pitcher to graduation
KYLE RATKE
assistant sports editor
The Mankato East softball team will face some challenges if it plans to compete in the Big Nine Conference. One of those challenges is to fill the huge hole left in the pitching rotation after the graduation of pitcher Laura Vanderhoof.…
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Loyola rebuilding, but favorite
There is little doubt this spring about who will be the favorite in the Gopher conference. The Mankato Loyola baseball team was undefeated in conference play last year with a 12-0 record and scored nearly nine runs a game.
Other than Mankato Loyola, four teams had winning records last year.…
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Entire conference to improve
Norwood-Young America softball coach John Lambrecht may have said it best when describing the Minnesota River Conference.
"Well, it's hard to say," he said.
The Raiders took third, along with Holy Family Catholic, finishing with an 8-4 conference record.…
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Salfer stands out on small team
There might not be a lot of athletes on the Wabasso track and field team, but don't think they won't put in a good effort.
The Rabbits have just eight athletes on the roster, while the other Tomahawk teams have many more. Head coach Alan Dewey said that the effort will be there, however.…
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East looks to rebound from 2008 campaignCougars won only 5 games last year
KYLE RATKE
assistant sports editor
After accumulating only five wins in 2008, the Mankato East baseball team is eager to hit the diamond for another season and a fresh start at proving its contender status in the Big Nine Conference.
"Our kids are really looking forward to this season and they're really working hard," said East head coach Dan Quame.…
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Bombs away for MavericksNew coach takes helm at Minnesota State
Thirty-three. That is how many years in a row the Minnesota State baseball team has won more than 20 games. The only thing is that MSU has had former head coach Dean Bowyer there for 32 of those years. 2009 will start a new chapter for the Mavericks as new head coach Matt Magers takes over, but that doesn't necessarily mean a new tradition.…
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Vikings off to solid start in '09
Coming off an impressive 22-15 record, the Bethany Lutheran College baseball team will look to continue climbing the UMAC ladder.
The Vikings are expected to take second in the conference. And have gotten off to a decent start, as they are 8-4.
There were some doubts coming into this season, as they are losing seven starters from last season.…
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Gustavus trying to avoid another second-half slump
When Gustavus Adolphus concluded its 2008 season with a record of 21-18, there was a slight feeling of disappointment among the players. After starting 10-0 the Gusties failed to continue their consistent play and were knocked out early in the MIAC playoffs to St.…
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Gusties face big expectations
Entering his fourth season as the Gustavus Adolphus head softball coach, Jeff Annis has compiled quite the resume. A 93-27 record over the last three seasons, including a 57-9 record last season, has put the Gustiess among the elite teams in the MIAC conference.…
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Ziegler leads East track and field team
The excitement around this year's Mankato East girls track and field team is evident. Last year's squad finished fifth in the true team state tournament and returns three of its state competitors from last season.
Senior Maddy Ziegler has been terrific in the long jump in her tenure with the team.…
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Walsh, Moe lead unsung backcourt
SAN ANTONIO - The Minnesota State women's basketball team has many talented players. A good Mavericks fan has probably heard the names Heather Johnson, Joanne Noreen and Alex Andrews over and over again.
While these seniors deserve a lot of praise for turning the program around and taking it to the Elite Eight, there are two players that have meant just as much to the Mavericks this season: junior point guard Tiffany Moe and sophomore point guard Andrea Walsh.…
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Stepping up at the right timeJunior Mari Korton takes on bigger role with Trauger out
SAN ANTONIO - Liz Trauger started every game for the Minnesota State women's basketball team last season. And although she's never started a game under new head coach Pam Gohl this season, the junior's presence on the floor hasn't deteriorated.…
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Mavericks Final Four boundJoanne Noreen paces Mavs with 20 points
SAN ANTONIO - Sure, it might not have been the prettiest game for the Minnesota State women's basketball team, as their shooting was off and it seemed like some players felt the nerve of playing on the big stage. But either way, the Mavericks were just as satisfied with the result of their first-ever Final Four appearance as they defeated fourth-seeded Michigan Tech 61-53.…
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Mavs move onMSU advances to championship game after defeating Alaska-Anchorage
SAN ANTONIO - With the smiles and laughs being shared between members of the Minnesota State women's basketball team, one would've never known that 24 hours ago Heather Johnson played one of her worst games of the season. Luckily for Johnson and the Mavericks, they still found a way to win.…
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Mavericks pick up fans in San Antonio
SAN ANTONIO - Even 1,220 miles away, it's never too late to make a new friend, gain a fan, or in the Minnesota State women's basketball team's case - both.
It's been about 10 years since Don and Janis Furness were last in Minnesota, but the married couple of 15 years were regulars in the crowd Wednesday night on the campus of St.…
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Mavericks national champsFour players score at least 18 points to pace Mavericks in historic game
Sitting at the press table Tuesday afternoon, minutes after beating Michigan Tech to advance to the NCAA Division II semifinals, Alex Andrews said she wanted to be one of the few teams to end her career with a win.
And on Friday, the senior forward's career-high 25 points helped her do so.…
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Top 10 moments of MSU women's seasonPlenty to remember and even a few to forget for Mavericks during their championship run
10. Pam Gohl becomes Mavericks' 8th head coach
Early in August, former head coach Lori Fish resigned from her position and left to coach at St. Cloud State. Everyone knew the Mavericks had potential, but people were unsure how the coaching change would affect the program.…
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Mankato catches 'Maverick fever'Fans from all around the area checked in on MSU in San Antonio
Since the middle of the Minnesota State women's basketball team's season, the stands in the Taylor Center slowly added a few more people to the normally quiet 6 p.m. game.
When the NCAA Division II playoffs began in mid-March, the Mavericks saw record numbers in attendance.…
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MSU Postseason AwardsWomen's Basketball
MVP: Heather Johnson, Joanne Noreen, Alex Andrews A case could be made for any of the three players as team MVP. Johnson was the guard who could score in bunches and her streaky shooting led the Mavericks in the semifinals and finals. Noreen was the steady offensive presence who rarely had an off-game.…
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Beat writer blog: The view from the press boxA 32-win season and a national title - not a bad team to cover...
Beginner's luck. That in a way is how I felt about covering the Minnesota State women's basketball team for the MSU Reporter. If you were to tell me six months ago that the first team I covered would be national champs, I would have laughed.
To be quite honest, my first choice would have been to cover the men's basketball team - high-flying, athletic and a championship contender.…
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Not many coaches can match Gohl's first-season successGohl isn't guaranteed the head coaching job for next season - yet
At about 8 p.m. Friday in San Antonio, Pam Gohl's eight month-long interview process was officially complete.
And she did pretty well.
Gohl was named interim head coach of the Minnesota State women's basketball team on July 31, after Lori Fish took a job at St.…
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