The article calls Ellefson a liar. The majority of the issue sits on the fact the reporter found one incidence to wrap the entire article around and creates a ‘he said, she said’ approach to find the truth, blatantly placing Ellefson in the wrong. The article shows no proof that Jared did not go to Pipestone, nor does it give ample reason for why, when he garnered a proxy for a meeting, he needed to show up if he returned. If the proxy represents him and was approved, he followed protocol. That much the article explains.

The presentation of the story creates the bias. The writer portrays Ellefson as a liar early on, while using the approach of quotations to not subvert that claim and allow the reader to decide, but to blatantly tell them how they need to see him. This is especially considering the writer ends the piece with “the effectiveness of the senator cannot be based solely on attendance.”

The ending also leaves the reader wondering exactly how ‘senators serve students in other ways’ considering they make a large note of Ellefson’s link with the GSA.

Instead of explaining to us why students, who may also skip classes regularly, should care about two senators missing the Senate meetings, the writer presents a pointed attack on a student. The reader should see what this means to the overall school. What students in the past have done similar things and how has this affected the campus? The real questions still linger behind instead of answering ‘what it all means’ and ‘why should we care’.

The article does talk about two members and how they missed more than the allotted amount of unexcused absences. However, the majority of the article rests with the SA President candidate instead of focusing on BOTH equally, which the byline says. It does not cover past issues of other SA members, how it truly affects the campus, or what it means. This article blatantly slanders a reputation instead of presenting legitimate facts, creates an argument of ‘he said, she said’ evidence of two SA members and subversively creating a homosexual innuendo.

I always figured Brookings was a fairly open city. Growing up in a town of 100 people makes this town seem like a metropolis in comparison, especially when it comes to any types of diversity. White Christians are very different than the rainbow variety of SDSU and the city of Brookings. I have been out as a gay man for nearly five years, and never thought being different was really any sort of problem.

In December, I mentioned to a friend (another gay male) how open I found Brookings in relationship to our homosexual lifestyle. He looked at me with a raised eyebrow and a flabbergasted, agape mouth. He went on to tell me a story about him dancing with a male, heterosexual friend at a bar. Someone proceeded to throw a beer bottle at him, opening a gash in his forehead. This story took me by surprise, and I honestly didn’t know what to say. I just took a second and let this idea of potential danger linger.

Then last week, another gay friend called me to tell me a car driving by him on Main Avenue yelled “faggot” at him out the window. Of course, they waited until they had driven past him, yelling back in his direction. He told me he wanted to key their car, and I told him not to continue the cycle of violence. The two of us continued to talk about this event and the previous one mentioned, wondering why people didn’t speak out about it.

I personally have never had a problem with being openly gay here in the city. My last boss hired me knowing it, and none of the other people I have met in the last few years, in passing or in friendship, mind my semi-flamboyant behavior. Granted, some people don’t think being gay is right for personal or religious reasons, and I can’t fault them for their points of view. However, I do fault people who aren’t tolerant of my views as well.

Since moving here in 2004, I have met various types of people, and the diversity has been grand. Not only have I met a variety of other gay people, I have met diverse races, people of varied religions and all sorts of personalities. Some of them have become my friends, and some of them don’t like me all that much. That is just how life works. None of these people I come across care that I like other men, and very few push their own beliefs on me.

Amendment C banned gay marriage in South Dakota. HB 1144, which added sexual orientation and gender identity to South Dakota’s discrimination policy, got tabled in February. It feels to me like South Dakota is almost going backwards when it comes to just accepting the people around them.

Our lives aren’t that different than everyone else’s. We eat. We breathe. We shop. We love. We vote. We have families who care about us. We have disagreements. How different is feeling how we feel toward our partners different from someone who loves the opposite gender? Especially when the fact of sexuality deals only with the two people involved and has little to no effect on the people around them.

These random acts of intolerance just seem out of place. With this diverse population, people should accept the differences, or at the very least, if they can’t accept them, they can ignore them and just tolerate them. In the end, I wanted people to know what is happening right outside their door. Maybe, more people could speak out and no one will have to hear about a friend being harassed because of a few intolerant people.

Five bands will march front and center onto the SDSU campus to sing, strum and beat their way to the top for this year’s Battle of the Bands.

Sinner’s Swing steps up from Sioux Falls to challenge all. Chris Kappen, a freshman journalism major, plays lead guitar for the band.

“If you like any type of rock and roll, you’ll like us,” says Kappen.

According to their MySpace page, the lineup also includes: Nick Kappen (vocals/ guitar); Joshua Barse (bass guitar); and Billy Baker (drums).

An interesting thing about this band is Kappen’s 14-year-old brother sings lead vocals.

“A lot of people get turned off by that. I tell people to come out and see us before they judge us,” Kappen says. “We have a lot of classic rock influences: Van Halen, Led Zeppelin kind of stuff. Velvet Revolver is also a big influence of mine.”

Sinner’s Swing contacted the concert coordinator but was rejected from the battle at first.

“I kind of went around and got people to … check out our music. We actively wanted to let people know we wanted to play there. It’s good exposure and seems like a lot of fun,” Kappen says.

Lunar Funk Theory is another band coming up from Sioux Falls. Their MySpace page describes them as a “jam band/ funk/ psychedelic.” Their lineup includes: Lee Walsh (guitar/ vocals); Angie Walsh (hand drums/ guitar); Rolo Mofaky (drums); Ben Baymiller (bass/ mandolin); and Matthew Summers (sax/ guitar).

Welcome to the Cinema, Brookings natives, participated last year. Although they did not win, they return with a vengeance. WTTC’s lineup includes: Darin Dahlmeier (guitar/vocals); Ezekiel Richter, senior media production major (bass guitar); Tom Weismantel (synthesizer); Andrew Eide (keyboards/backup vocals); and Cody Brown, senior media production major (drums).

The band’s MySpace page says, “Cinema will take your ears and your taste buds on an exotic pleasure cruise through several nostalgic ports of call, dabbling in familiar sounds, but never setting anchor for too long so as to keep the voyage enticing.”

Three SDSU students join together to form a fairly new band known simply as Rev. Carl Deardoff, a senior broadcast journalism major, leads this Christian rock band, playing guitar and providing vocals.

“This area has a large Christian population; you can really feel that presence. We would like to give them a band that they can get behind if they don’t want to play country or any other form of rock,” says Deardoff.

The other two members include Brady Bothwell, a senior accounting major (drums), and Bryan Bader, a senior nursing major (bass).

Carly Zebell, University Program Council’s concert coordinator, tried to bring in a variety of bands.

“Welcome to the Cinema I’ve heard around before. Rev was recommended through a friend. Sinner’s Swing and Alex & the Moonshiners came to me, and Lunar Funk Theory was recommended by my mom. I wanted to bring bands with different sounds,” she says.

Although Rubber Gloves and Dopplegarten had planned on playing, the drummer from Rubber Gloves broke his foot, making him unable to play.

Similarly, Zebell said, “Dopplegarten booked another show on the same Friday due to a misunderstanding.”

The audience will once again be choosing who wins. There will be a vote during or towards the end of the last performance when students will be allowed to pick which band they want to win. SDSU students with an ID get in for free; others attending only have to pay $2 to see these bands.

The bands will begin at 7 p.m. on Nov. 21 in the Volstorff Ballroom.