The Lumberjack -- January 22, 2015

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NORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT

INSIDE Life: Magic: the Gathering — pg. 14 Sports: Track — pg. 20 A&E: Nerd Slam — pg. 26

VOICE SINCE 1914 • VOL 101 • ISSUE 17 • JAN. 22 - JAN. 28, 2015

A group of civil rights supporters participate in the Martin Luther King Jr. march Jan. 19 on campus. See the full story on page 4. (Photo by Nick Humphries)

MARCHING FOR MLK DAY

Ban the Bag: Plastic bag fee supporters confront City Hall

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BY BAYLEE GARCIA

he winter cold did not prevent a 50- to 60-person attendance from activists who support the movement of banning plastic bags in Flagstaff stores, decreasing pollution and promoting the use of reusable bags.

Residents supporting the bag ban wore plastic bags in various ways as skirts, headbands and wristbands. The group conducted its march Jan. 13 from Heritage Square to Flagstaff City Hall chanting “Ban the bag we don’t need no trash, ban the bag to save wildlife and trash…”

A majority of city hall was filled with members of the

march, waiting their turn to convey a stance on the issue.

Among the participants in the public conversation for “singleuse plastic bags” were members of NAU’s environmental club, the Green Jacks, to voice its support in the bag ban or bag fee.

The motion proposed a new regulation on plastic bags which would restrict stores in Flagstaff from distributing bags for free, issuing a plastic or paper bag fee. The intended result is to reduce city waste and carry other environmental, as well as city, benefits.

Flagstaff records show in 2007 there were over 10 million plastic bags used in the time period of one year. The main concern is high pollution levels — it was documented that 80

percent of cumulative landfill is plastic bags or plastic material, costing the city hundreds of thousands of dollars every year to regulate it.

Some citizens argue instead of taking seemingly high measures by banning the bags or placing fees on them in stores, why not just promote bag recycling as a way to reduce city pollution?

However, sometimes recycling does not bring enough results. Plastic bags have proven a hard substance to recycle, being highly contaminated with limited aftermarkets other than trash bags for residents’ small waste baskets. see PLASTIC BAG page 6

Go to Jackcentral.org for daily updates, multimedia packages, extra content and stories before the issue hits the stands.

News FromTheEditor

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his week we celebrated the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and people all over the country took part in events ranging from service projects to public rallies to organized marches, much like the NAU Black Student Union did on Jan. 19.

In this issue, news writer Scott Buffon wrote about the march put on by the BSU in memory of Dr. King, and he also covered something that should draw much more attention, which is the controversy surrnounding the naming of many places around Flagstaff after Louis Agassiz.

Agassiz was a 19th-century scientist specializing in biology, geology and natural history, and actually made some significant contributions to the world of science. However, not all of his contributions were significant in a good way. In case you weren’t already aware, Agassiz was of the mindset that people of color were a different species than white people, in VINCENT what essentially amounts to scientific racism.

PEÑA The reason I am writing about this is because I agree with EDITOR-IN-CHIEF the efforts made by the BSU to change the name of the meeting room in the du Bois center, and perhaps a name change is in order for all the other places named after Agassiz, including the mountain that overlooks our little college town.

The issue could not be more timely with the observance of Martin Luther King Day, and it’s in his memory that we should all strive to be as accepting of people who are different than us and challenge the societal structures in place that perpetuate ignorance and hate.

SoundOff

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he Lumberjack encourages an open forum on appropriate public issues.

Letters to the editor will be printed subject to libel law considerations, space availability, timeliness and tone.

All letters to the editor should not exceed 250 words and, upon submission, become property of The Lumberjack. They must include the author’s name, majors and/or profession, contact phone number or e-mail address and signature.

The Lumberjack reserves the right to correct accuracy, grammar errors or cut for length.

Comments on the website are subject to the same space and content edits, but the identifying information is not required.

Deadline for submissions is noon on Monday for publication in that Thursday’s issue. Letters to the Editor and all comments can be submitted through the following methods:

W

eek two is coming to an end and I can already tell this semester is going to be full of its own set of challenges and triumphs.

Here at The Lumberjack we have many new members of our editorial board who are bringing fresh perspectives and energy to the table and although I greatly miss everyone who did not come back to work with us this semester, I am excited to see what this new group will bring.

As you may remember from my sporadic columns, I spent the past fall semester traveling around the Colorado Plateau studying its environmental, anthropological and political controversies. If I can bring myself from camping every week for class credit, exploring my interests in a hands-on method back to a traditional classroom setting where I can’t watch the sun rise for a grade, I believe all of you can successfully adapt to whatever academic struggles you may be facing this semester.

ROBINLI Granted, I’ve never had to take an advanced microbiology UBER class so maybe I’m naïve.

MANAGING EDITOR Regardless, keep your thermos of caffeine close and propel yourself into the semester — it’ll be over before you know it.

Good luck and thank you for reading.

LUMBERJACK The

Editor-in-Chief Vincent Peña

Managing Editor RobinLi Uber

lumberjack@nau.edu

P.O. Box 6000 Flagstaff, AZ 86011

Sales Manager Marsha Simon

Student Media Center Editorial Board

- E-mail the Editor-in-Chief at vcp6@nau.edu.

- Comments left on JackCentral.org stories.

- ‘Contact Us’ on JackCentral.org.

Photo Editor Evan Jon Paniagua Assoc. Photo Editor Alyssa Jeske Senior Photographers J. Daniel Hud Zac Velarde

Thank you for reading.

Copy Chief Aubrey Magee

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Creative Directors Phillip Nogueras Mitchell Forbes Faculty Advisor Peter Friederici

Phone: (928) 523-4921 Fax: (928) 523-9313

News Editor Alexis Montaño Assoc. News Editor Amy Owings

A&E Editor Grace Fenlason Assoc. A&E Editor Andrea Garcia

Opinion Editor Kevin Morrow Assoc. Opinion Editor Cheyanne Mumphrey

Sports Editor Jasmyn Wimbish

Life Editor Jacob Hall Assoc. Life Editor Gabriella Weiss

Comics Editor Jules Everson

News

Police Beat Jan. 12 At 4:34 p.m. an employee from Wilson Hall called to report racist graffiti carved into a bulletin board and antigay graffiti written on a bathroom stall which occurred between Jan. 10 and 12. All leads were exhausted.

Jan. 13 At 9:22 a.m., Northern Arizona University Police Department (NAUPD) booked a student into Coconino County Detention Facility. The student was arrested for stealing money and a gift card from an Allen Hall dorm room.

At 3:52 p.m., a driver from the Mountain View Parking Garage called to report themselves after they hit the parking garage gate with their vehicle.

At 9:39 p.m., an NAUPD officer initiated a traffic stop at Ashurst Avenue and O’Leary Street for a violation that occurred at Butler Avenue and San Francisco Street.

The driver was issued a citation for driving with a suspended license, displaying a plate without financial responsibility, no proof of current registration and no mandatory insurance. The vehicle was towed.

At 10:09 p.m., Reilly Hall staff called to report an odor of marijuana coming from a resident’s room. Four subjects were criminally deferred for possession of marijuana.

BY SCOTT BUFFON

Jan. 15 At 1:25 a.m., a student called the Flagstaff Police Department (FPD) indicating the intent to harm herself. The FPD sent the report and student’s dorm infromation to the NAUPD. The subject was called back to provide a specific location. NAUPD, Flagstaff Fire Department (FFD) and Guardian Medical Transport (GMT) responded. The subject was transported to Flagstaff Medical Center (FMC) by the GMT, and to the Guidance Center by NAUPD.

accompanied the officers to the FMC for a mental health evaluation.

At 10:26 a.m., an emergency phone located in the Health and Learning Center stairwell was triggered. Two NAUPD officers responded and the building was searched to find no cause for alarm.

The phone belonged to the area outside of Athletics, and none of the other emergency buttons work in the stairwells.

At 2:29 p.m., a student reported that he had been offered drugs at lot 30. Two NAUPD officers responded and made contact with the alleged drug dealers. The students told the officers that they were performing a social experiment and not selling drugs. The students were not charged with anything.

At 6:59 p.m., an individual called to report a student in Tinsley Hall advertising a tattoo service in the hall lobby.

The staff was notified and will be addressing the student’s business ethics by themselves.

Jan. 16 At 4:36 a.m., the Guidance Center contacted the NAUPD office in regard to a subject at South Village who had threatened to commit arson and homicide.

Two officers responded to the housing complex.

The subject voluntarily

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Jan. 17 At 12:59 a.m., a NAUPD officer initiated a traffic stop at Franklin Avenue and Agassiz Street.

The vehicle eventually stopped at 530 S. Fountaine Street. The driver then exited the vehicle and fled on foot. The FPD assisted in attempting to locate the subject. No other information about the driver or his current location was entered into the police blotter.

At 8:17 p.m., staff from the University Union called to report a theft from The Wedge. The student stole the goods at 7:16 p.m., and was not found at their residence. The student will be criminally deferred for theft of goods.

Jan. 18 At 8:12 a.m., Cowden Hall staff called NAUPD to report an unconscious male.

Two NAUPD officers, FFD, and GMT were notified. The response was cancelled when it was determined that the student was just sleeping and not in any distress. The student was given a public assist ride to The Suites.

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Jan. 22 - Jan. 28, 2015 | The Lumberjack 3

News

Students reject racist philosophy: March for equality

BY SCOTT BUFFON

“Blacks, Latinos, Asians, and Whites — we all stand for human rights,” chanted a student coalition for equality marching through NAU on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. With Police SUVs blocking street traffic, the peaceful Flagstaff protest progressed from middle to south campus. The university’s Black Student Union (BSU) helped organize the protest which attracted over 300 people, while also affecting change of a different kind. Gabriella Nunnally, Social Justice Committee Chair for the BSU, lead the effort to change a room title in the du Bois Center from Agassiz to Marshall.

Louis Agassiz was a Harvard graduate in the 1800s who tried to scientifically prove black humans were inferior to white humans through polygeny. Polygeny is the idea that humans evolved from many different ancestors.

“In seeing their black faces with their thick lips and grimacing teeth, the wool on their head, their bent knees, their elongated hands, their large curved nails, and especially the livid color of the palms of their hands, I could not take my eyes off their faces in order to tell them to stay far away,” Agassiz said, in a quote temporarily posted in the Marshall room for the day’s celebration.

Agassiz’s name may sound especially familiar to the Flagstaff local as his name also designates a mountain peak near the city, a street and a university scholarship.

The new name for the room, the Marshall room, was inspired by Thurgood Marshall. Marshall was the first African-American Supreme Court Justice and one of the judges who presided over the Brown vs.

Board of Education case.

“It is interesting to me that the very people. . .that would object to sending their white children to school with Negroes are eating food that has been prepared, served, and almost put in their mouths by the mothers of those children,” Marshall said, on a different poster set up in the Marshall room.

The BSU was notified about Agassiz’s history by Bernadine Lewis, director of Undergraduate Programs.

The university-paid employee is a descendant of one of the slaves pictured in one of Agassiz’s experiments. In these pictures, Agassiz took slaves and showcased them — naked — into a studio to have their features documented to prove his theory.

Lewis did not always know the linkage between her and Agassiz.

Learning from her aunt as a child that a man named Agassiz had discriminated against her ancestors, when she moved to Flagstaff she looked up the name’s history and put two and two together. Since understanding this, she protested the man by refusing to enter the Agassiz room or walk on the street which bears his name.

Students honored her at the MLK march by encouraging her to tell her family’s story in the ballroom above the Marshall Room.

“I’m very proud that this was [the BSU’s] civil rights movement. I always love to see that,” Lewis said. “A lot of older generations say that young people have forgotten, they think they’ve become complacent. And this group proved that they’re not.”

The MLK celebration featured a student spoken word presentation, a video of King’s speech “I’ve been to the mountain top,” and several reflections on the work still left to do.

Tylor Brown, business management freshman and Keilan Alexander, civil engineer sophomore delivered a spoken word presentation about “standing on the shoulders of giants,” like Dr. King.

“We all know MLK spoke for justice and peace. We need to continue pushing for justice in these streets. We gotta keep pushing for progression so we all can strive. It’s up to us to keep King’s dream alive- peace,” Brown and Alexander said.

The celebration was put on by university groups like the Black Student Union, Office of the President, Office of Student Life, Housing and Residence Life, NAU Athletics, Enrollment Management and Student Affairs, and Inclusion and Multicultural Services.

4 The Lumberjack | Jackcentral.org

Students and faculty march through campus holding signs and cheering on Martin Luther King Day (top). Dominique Birder and Qierra Ingram lead the march In front of Wilson Hall on Jan. 19 (bottom). (Photos by J. Daniel Hud)

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News from BAN on front Even the switch to paper bags shows better results for the environment because paper is a biodegradable material that can be easily recycled for various and further uses.

Another option would be to include plastic bags in resident recycling, placing the responsibility in the care of the Solid Waste and Material Recovery Facility. Though this could prove effective, the cost to initiate it would estimate to about $1.5 million with little profit because there is little value in plastics to begin with. The facilities will be paying the high costs in labor and waste transportation for a low cost material, meaning that more funds would be lost rather than gained.

The fee on plastic bags may sound like an unknown lifestyle to Flagstaff but on the global scale, many foreign countries have already implemented similar laws on plastic bags. Mostly in Europe, a fee is placed on plastic bags, so many locals have picked up the habit of bringing their own reusable bags into stores as to not get charged the extra fee.

On a national level, various cities in different states of the United States are also working towards the same goal. A few of these cities include Breckenridge, Colo., Boulder, Colo., Los Angeles, Calif. and Seattle, Wash.

Although there is concern about the fee negatively impacting the city’s residents, tourists who visit Flagstaff will also be paying the fee whenever they shop in the local stores. Other tourist communities have yet to report any negative affect that has resulted from the fee.

The bag fee was argued to eventually benefit the city’s economic stance, creating a fee revenue that will either go one hundred percent to

Flagstaff Speak Up organizer Adam Shimoni speaks to the crowd before beginning the march to City Hall in support of a plastic bag ban in Flagstaff. (Photo by Nick Humphries)

the city, split with the city and retailer or become the retailer’s choice.

Over time, this revenue will outweigh that of the tax dollars placed on residents for pollution regulation.

If a fee is to be placed, the reality would be a possible ten cents per bag. The issue is recognized by followers of Ban the Bag, but what they hope is for Flagstaff to become a trendsetter for other towns to follow.

City council has yet to make a decision.

Special Event

ASNAU Spring Concert Artist Reveal When: Friday January 23, 2015 From 6-8 PM Where: HLC- MAC Gym Join us for food, activities, and the big announcement!

#WearYourBoots 6 The Lumberjack | Jackcentral.org

Ban the Bag Flag Activist Sarah Ponticello wears a “bag monster” costume made from discarded bags found around town. (Photo by Nick Humphries)

News

Campus construction continues into the new year

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BY BRIANNA FIELDS

here has been new and continuing construction going on around campus throughout the 2014-2015 academic year. The three major sights of construction are the Science and Health building, the North Campus Athletic and Recreation Complex and the Student and Academic Services building. Some of the buildings will be completed as soon as this year but are not expected to open until 2016.

The biggest and most expensive of these projects is the Science and Health building located on North Campus. This building comes in at $71.9 million, which includes all costs associated with the project from pre to post construction. The Science and Health building is scheduled to be finished in May 2015 but will not be open until the following fall.

There are current problems with the Chemistry-Physical Sciences building which are being resolved by the new building.

“We needed to increase or improve our capacity on campus for chemistry classes.

Secondly, we also wanted to increase research capabilities on campus. There are several concerns with the building . . . it doesn’t meet the current need of NAU’s goals for teaching, for classes as well as for research.

The building is outdated. It’s served well but is outdated,” project manager for the Science and Health building Paul Dufek said.

The new building will add to NAU’s list of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified buildings of which there are currently nine. There are four levels of LEED Certification: certified, silver, gold and platinum. The recent renovations for the Liberal Arts building brought it up to gold standard and the Science and Health building is on track to receive gold as well.

While building sustainably does cost more, it seems worth it in the long run.

“You cover those costs by the saving you have for energy consumption. We [at NAU] are committed to building sustainable buildings that are not only efficient, but also meet high levels of standards for our university,” Dufek said.

The new building will mostly house transferred departments the largest being the Chemistry Department and Health Sciences Department. NAU wants to expand and improve its capability for research which this new building will help do.

A second major construction sight is

The Health and Sciences building (left) and the North Campus Athletic Recreation Complex (right) Jan. 19. The Health and Sciences building is expected to open by fall 2015 while the Wall Aquatics Center is planned to be open by spring 2016. (Photo

by Robert Tyler Walker)

the Student and Academic Services building located next to the San Francisco Parking Garage. The total budget for the building will be $35,837,000 and is expected to be completed Nov. 2015. After the project is completed, departments and offices will need to transfer, taking another month. The building should be open for the spring 2016 semester.

The goal for the building is to consolidate departments from around campus into one building in order to make it easier on students.

“The idea here is to bring it all together and to make it easier for students and parents to come to one place and get everything they need to register and just be done with it.

The bottom floor is one stop shop, a place where students can go in and completely matriculated in one building. [Currently] its more than one building,” project manager for the Student and Academic Services building Kelly Davis said.

The Student and Academic Services project is also concerned with LEED certification and has taken steps to be more efficient. One example is the lighting system, which is automated and will conserve energy. Additionally, the building’s proximity to public transit means a cut in commute time.

“We feel this is a very good and efficient

system using modern technology as far as we can take it,” Davis said.

As of now, several departments will be making use of the new space. The second floor will be the Lumberjack Mathematics Center which currently has locations across campus. With this consolidation will be a large expansion to the department. The top two floors will be faculty offices.

The final major construction site is the North Campus Athletic and Recreation Complex, which will house the new indoor pool facilities. Also known as the NC ARC, this project will be completed in two stages and cost around $47.5 million, 70 percent of which is the pool building.

The current Wall Aquatic Center was built in the late ‘70s and has had structural problems as well as issues with the roof.

To keep the building around would have required about $10 million worth of renovation.

“We are building this new building to last 50 years and to make use of what [money] would have been used to fix the old building,” project manager of the NC ARC Kathleen Viskocil said.

The building, in only its first stage of construction, is expected to be up and running by Jan. 2016.

“The new building is going to be an Olympic-sized pool an Olympic-dive well

with a ten meter platform and then there’s going to be six indoor tennis courts, plus locker rooms,” Viskocil said.

The second stage, which includes six outdoor tennis courts and a recreation field, will be done by summer 2016. However, until 2016, facilities within the Wall Aquatic Center will be available to patrons.

“The swimming pool is one of the busiest buildings on campus . . . they are busy from 6 a.m. until 9 p.m. every day of the year, so we need to leave that building operational until we open the new one,” Viskocil said When finished, the NC ARC should be silver LEED certified. One of the ways they have accomplished this is by recycling 80 percent of the construction material. There will also be heat exchangers and heat pumps which capture heat that is normally lost and will improve the efficiency of the building.

“Heating systems and air conditioning systems can be extremely expensive . . . the bottom line is we use something that on the face of it is more expensive to build but it’s efficiency is so much better,” Viskocil said.

If you ever feel like checking out what is going on at the NC ARC or Science and Health building construction site there is a live camera you can check out at the Planning, Design and Construction page on NAU’s website.

Jan. 22 - Jan. 28, 2015 | The Lumberjack 7

Editorial&Opinion

Letter to the Editor

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t is with deep concern that I write to address an editorial (“Satirists, terrorists, and Catholics, oh my”) in the latest edition of The Lumberjack.

I believe that its author crafted a defense for brutal oppression, and while I do not believe this was his intent, I also cannot allow it to go unresponded to.

I am confused by what the author understands to be human rights.

Houghton Mifflin defines human rights as: “the basic rights and freedoms to which all humans are considered to be entitled, often held to include the rights to life, liberty, equality, and a fair trial, freedom from slavery and torture, and freedom of thought and expression.”

The author directly calls the free expression of Charlie Hebdo’s writers and publishers “irresponsible.” Any rational conception of human rights has to mean that people exercising those rights cannot be called irresponsible for doing so. Any rational conception of human rights has to mean that brutal violence used to eliminate those rights cannot be the responsibility of the citizens who exercise them.

Any magazine which calls for the world to abandon religion for the sake of personal freedom, democracy and social progress can hardly be said to be “arming guns of intolerance”. This is a wildly ironic and inappropriate metaphor to describe a massacre of artists and journalists committed by literal guns of intolerance.

Consider for a moment that the author’s argument could have been used by any and every murderous, despotic regime that ever killed journalists because they were offended by the content of their articles. “Well, they knew that the goon squads were going to take them out eventually, yet they continued to talk about the rights of homosexuals anyway. Why couldn’t they just be more sensitive to the beliefs of the violent?”

Additionally, I’d like to address the cognitive dissonance the author seems to hold about the nature of Charlie Hebdo itself. He accurately describes the magazine as having the goals of “journalism and humor . . . in the spirit of satire and commentary.” Yet, one paragraph later he informs us that “the kind of intolerant hate that Charlie Hebdo advertises is a great injustice.” Something cannot simultaneously be a right and a great injustice.

Consider for a moment the cover of the first issue released after the massacre: A compassionate prophet Mohammed stands alone, tears streaming from his eyes. The title: “All is Forgiven.” This was the first public message from the same people who only days before witnessed the violent murders of their friends and colleagues. What does this tell us about the writers and publishers of Charlie Hebdo?

I am saddened that the author’s response is so disparate from the leaders of the free world who marched with millions of others in the streets to honor the memory of the truly brave sacrifices of Charlie Hebdo.

Je Suis Charlie!

Kendall Perkinson is a resident of Flagstaff and a contributing writer for The Noise! magazine.

Want to write a letter?

The Lumberjack encourages an open forum on approporiate public issues.

If you would like to respond to one of the opinion pieces in The Lumberjack we would love to put it into print.

Letters can be e-­mailed to OpEd Editor Kevin Morrow at kmm578@nau.

12 The Lumberjack | Jackcentral.org

Political Cartoon by Eric Paul Johnson

Call to prayer should initiate a call to change

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he value our nation places on religious freedom has not stopped the government controlling religious teachings in our education systems, where religious beliefs and practices are restriced.

Public schools generally instill everything except religion into students, but private schools fall under a different category — one that lets each individual institution determine their teachings. However, even some private schools are confining religious practices.

Duke University is a prestigious institution that is often recognized by its affiliation with the United Methodist Church. Over the past few CHEYANNE decades, Duke has grown in diversity MUMPHREY and has been accepting of all people, Multitalented cultures, traditions and beliefs. This past week, Duke proved just that by moving past the boundaries common to other private schools and allowing the Muslim call to prayer to radiate on Fridays from its bell tower. However, it did not take long for the call to be canceled.

Originally, the community had nothing but positivity toward expanding its religious spectrum.

According to The Huffington Post, Christy Lohr Sapp, the chapel’s associate dean for religious life, told the school paper, The Chronicle, “The opportunity represents a larger commitment to religious pluralism that is at the heart of Duke’s mission. It connects the university to national trends in religious accommodation.” In a majority of the Muslim countries around the world, the call to prayer, formally known as the “adhan,” can be heard loud and clear, but in America, Muslims are not given that same privilege.

Duke is religiously diverse with services for

Christians, Catholics, Jews, Buddhists, non-religious, and more each week, which only adds to the rich school culture. However, there are about 700 Muslim members in the Duke community that do not have a service, until now. Or so we thought.

Why did Duke recall its decision to have an amplified call to prayer for 700 Muslims multiple times every Friday?

Maybe it was because people would find it offensive to protrude the Muslim faith on everyone else. Or maybe it was because the community is not yet ready for such a prominent display of religion.

Regardless of the reason, I can understand the decision but I also think that there should be a compromise; one that allows Muslims to freely express their religion and reduce the sense of intrusion to other religious organizations there.

It seems to me the only reason other religious groups and services should feel uncomfortable is if Muslims were threatening the other organizations or if they were competing for dominance over an area. In either case, no religion should condone these reasons.

I can understand why Duke chose not to implement the call to prayer, but I think in the near future the community should be more understanding, or rather accepting, of other religions. “Duke remains committed to fostering an inclusive, tolerant and welcoming campus for all of its students; however, it was clear that what was conceived as an effort to unify was not having the intended effect,” said vice president for public affairs and government relations Michael Schoenfeld to The Huffington Post. Maybe soon, Duke can break the religious barrier, which in turn could initiate a change for other private schools as well. It would be nice to see everyone equally represented.

Editorial&Opinion

Freedom in gaming

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Political Cartoon by Eric Paul Johnson

We should be excited about fracking

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ver the last few months, the cost at the pump has significantly decreased and is currently hovering around the $2.20 mark in Flagstaff.

This drop in price is alleviating some of the pains of a fill-up. But what people are not saying is the impact fracking has had on helping to lower these prices and boost the United States’ economy.

Fracking is the process of drilling and extracting oil from once unobtainable deposits by hydraulically fracturing the deposit to break up the rocks containing the oil using water, sand, and other fracking fluids. Opponents of fracking say that it is exempt from the Safe Drinking Water Act and is JOSH poisoning the drinking water. While SMALLEY fracking is exempt from that specific The law, individual states heavily regulate Rookie fracking all the way down to the quality of the cement used to make wellbore casings.

The small amount of water pollution occurs from poor drilling practices and surface spills.

Many “fracktivists” will point to a University of Maryland study, in which researchers claimed fracking could endanger the health of nearby residents by exposing them to air and water pollution.

What they do not say is that the study cannot hold up under scrutiny. The University of Maryland study relied largely on data collected from yet another flawed study from the Colorado School of Public Health. The Colorado study collected air samples at well sites and discovered high levels of the chemical

benzene. The findings neglected that the wells studied were located within a mile of a major interstate, and that motor vehicle exhaust is the largest source of benzene, and the Colorado study did not control for the vehicle exhaust. In fact, after conducting its own air-quality monitoring near fracking sites, the Department of Public Health and Environment found “concentrations of various compounds comparatively low and not likely to raise significant health issues or concern.”

With the boom of American oil production, it is not a mystery that the surplus of oil, as well as the lower cost, can be attributed to the use of improved fracking techniques. With these improved techniques, the cost of drilling has significantly gone down, and deposits that had previously never been dreamed of being reached are now within grasp. This increases supply and helps bring the price of oil down, creating American jobs and allowing consumers to keep more money in their wallets. It is no secret that Americans, when allowed to keep more of their money, tend to spend the money they would have spent on gasoline elsewhere. This flow of extra money into other areas of the free market allows for increased job creation, more competitive pricing, and healthier American and worldwide economies.

While I do not expect these ridiculously low fuel prices to remain, I do expect to see a positive economic impact from this situation. The use of fracking, no matter what detractors say, is helping the American economy and should be explored further in order to continuously improve this technology.

hings are getting hyped in the Middle East gaming scene. A new game based on Iranian folklore has been announced that combines the wonders of mobile gaming on iPhones and Androids with the excitement of the “Shahnameh,” or “Epic of the Persian Kings.”

What makes this important is that this game is one of the first programs to take advantage of Washington lifting its Internet ban on Iran. These Internet bans imposed by the United States government were some of the greatest offenses against the Iranian people, who were already restricted by their own government’s laws. However, by lifting the restrictions on the Internet, the government gives the people a chance to find civil freedom, to undermine the regime and to defend human rights through knowledge and expression.

Unfortunately, social media sites like Facebook and Twitter are illegal in Iran. Sites like these can transfer information DALTON instantaneously around the world, but of course are unable to DAVIDSON because of restrictions. However, unlike these sites, Seven Quests The Pokemaster does offer a communication line between players around the world. Online games are a success for Iranian Internet users because the players can form alliances and friendships in-game, interacting constantly. While games like these will probably not spark any sort of revolution or coup, they do allow Iranian citizens an escape from their world, a connection to the outside world and a pastime that could make a few just a little more happy.

Iran’s government has kept its people separated from the rest of the world for 20 years. Online games, like Seven Quests, help bridge the gap and bring Iran into contact with its global neighbors. Luckily for the rest of us, this game will be released in English and several other languages, making it a truly global connection. The game is sure to receive plenty of play both for its political implications and for its entertainment value. While cultures around the world can learn the Persian tales on which people in Iran have grown up, they can also enjoy an exciting new game filled with the excitement of a mobile war game.

The game’s hero, Rostam, is comparable to a Persian Hercules. He is thought of in Iran as a national hero, a symbol for the warrior who destroys all evil. Yet, despite all of his popularity and following in Iran, he is nearly unheard of in the Western world.

Such a connection to Iranian culture is just one benefit the game’s creator, Amir-Esmaeil Bozorgzadeh, is hoping for. While the game’s developers are certainly hoping to market the game worldwide to millions of people, they are also heavily targeting their own country, which supposedly hosts 20 million gamers. A large gaming population is not unreasonable in Iran given the abnormally high population of those under 25 in the country. This large and growing population of Iranian gamers is just another reason for the world to be excited to have Iran joining it in the 21st century.

Video games, whether played casually or competitively, are one of the biggest instruments people around the world are using to come together.

Online games like World of Warcraft connect thousands of people globally on a daily basis through quests, battles, and in-game chat features. Players from all six inhabited continents — the gaming scene in Antarctica has unfortunately yet to flourish, but hope abounds — travel annually for the Pokémon World Championships wherever they happen to be hosted in a given year.

In light of all this, this new game in Iran called Seven Quests cannot simply be called another app on iOS and Android. This game represents the mingling of worldwide cultures in a way many of us have yet to experience.

More importantly, this game represents decades of freedom fighting and efforts toward a civil society in a country restricted by its own regime. The game releases in March of this year, and it may be a blast to play. However, playing this game when it comes out would certainly make one part of history as Iran steps into the light of the world.

Jan. 22 - Jan. 28, 2015 | The Lumberjack 13

Editorial&Opinion

The Pope and free speech

T

here have been many people threatening and or committing terrible acts in response to silly things recently. Kim Jung Un and his beef with Seth Rogan and James Franco over their movie The Interview was one. The shooting that took place at a Parisian satire magazine known as Charlie Hebdo, after it depicted the Islamic prophet Muhammad in a comic was another. Amidst all the chaos of overreactions, Pope Francis had something to say about the Paris shooting in particular.

“If my good friend Dr. Gasbarri says a curse word against my mother, he can expect a punch. It’s normal. You cannot provoke. You cannot insult the faith of others. You cannot make fun of the faith of others,” Pope Francis said.

Initially, this sounds like a terrifyingly bare endorsement of the shooters with twinges of the dark Vatican history in silencing opposition. Of course, the Vatican made a public statement AUSTIN afterwards that the Pope was not condoning their actions, but SHANNON merely stating that we should not be surprised about the retaliation.

The Scientist I, for one, am surprised. Maybe that is because there is nothing in my system of beliefs that could possibly justify the murder of someone else solely on the basis of personal offense.

Furthermore, this situation makes me consider there are far worse things that I could be worried about than a well-constructed letter to the editor whenever I present a controversial opinion. But then again, why not be controversial? What is the problem with poking fun at people and ideas every now and then? Is there a limit to free speech as the Pope is implying?

First of all, I must continually remind myself that I was born in a particularly well-off position. Being a white male born in the United States unequivocally places me in a different position to judge satire than anyone born into the minority of a country that despises them. France is a country that has not been particularly kind to its Muslim community, and the satirical cartoons poking fun at them feels like a form of bullying. Regardless, murder should never be the penalty for offense. The Muslim world has many people in support of either side of this situation, and the fact they are reading from the same book surprisingly doesn’t help with a consensus.

I understand where Pope Francis was coming from when he said that you cannot insult someone’s faith without expecting a reaction. The faith of the believer is usually an integral part of who they are and how he or she defines their place in the world. It is usually something inherited from one’s parents and therefore holds a sense of traditional significance. These reasons, among others, make the criticism of one’s faith a sensitive matter. The Pope was correct in saying that we should not be surprised when a criticism of faith leads to some kind of retaliation. Faith is incredibly important to the faithful.

But who is the real bully here? Is it the satirists that knew full well they would deeply offend a volatile subgroup of a major religion, or is it those who demanded their silence with the barrel of a gun? Some might agree with the Pope and say that everyone was in the wrong. No one wins when people are cruel through violence and personal expression alike, they may say.

I am inclined to disagree.

It is only through the action of debate, criticism and public discourse that the greatest truth may be brought to light to the largest number of people. The power of the media and the sharp tool of satire should not be underestimated or downplayed in this endeavor. Maybe violence is just how humans instinctively handle the growing pains of challenging prized beliefs. Maybe it’s the scientist in me that just wants to value the truth above all else. Either way, I find giving in to threats or acts of violence will never be the correct course of action.

Obviously I am not going to go around cursing the Pope’s mother anytime soon, but that shouldn’t be solely because I suspect that he may hit me. I would not do it because it would be distasteful, unnecessarily rude and unproductive. Criticizing Catholicism, though? I’d take a hit for that any day of the week.

14 The Lumberjack | Jackcentral.org

Political Cartoon by Eric Paul Johnson

Consumerism and the slave trade

T

he consumerism that is advocated by Black Friday is in contrast with the values of Thanksgiving; at least, the shopping craze is at odds with the original idea for Thanksgiving. The Pilgrims who escaped persecution in Europe found religious freedom in America — they were giving thanks to God for their newfound freedom.

The commercialization around Christmas time that is advertised by businesses and your local mall lurks over the holiday like a murky cloud obscuring TZVI clear weather. Hanukkah has also become SCHNEE a time of gift-giving, obscuring the spiritual The meaning of the event for which the holiday Thinker is celebrated. For both religious holidays, as well as others from various faiths around this time of year, the materialistic overtones may lure people away from the deeper meaning.

As the New Year begins, one may look past the celebratory nature of New Year’s Eve, best represented by the Times Square celebration, toward meaningful resolutions that will last throughout the entire year. One such resolution to consider — better late than never — is to make a commitment to lessen one’s personal footprint in regard to the promotion of slave labor in third world countries.

In a brief moment of time you can go to slaveryfootprint. org to calculate how many slaves contributed to the products you buy to support your particular lifestyle. Sure, you may already be concerned about avoiding clothes made in sweatshops. However, what is being addressed here, according to the website, is the “buying, selling and trafficking” of human lives — there are 27 million slaves worldwide.

One example of the slave industry concerns mica, which is being mined by children in India for the purpose of adding the sparkle to make-up bought by consumers around the globe. The organization, Made In A Free World (MIAFW), that sponsors the Slavery Footprint website, is taking positive steps to assist children working in these mines.

You can watch the project video online after taking the survey; in the video, children are seen mining the mica. The project aims to provide education to consumers and a voice

to these children. The video highlights one young girl and the narrator explains the organization wants to give her “the freedom she deserves.”

The organization’s first project consists of a full-fledged effort to rescue, rehabilitate and reintegrate children slaves caught up in the fishing industry. A brief video documents some of these children in Ghana, including a 7-year-old and a 5-year-old exposed to harsh conditions on a very small boat.

Justin Dillon made a movie, Call and Response, that documents human trafficking. This movie was noticed by the State Department, which requested Dillon educate people about modern day slavery. Dillon’s work as an abolitionist continued with the development of Slavery Footprint.

Why not take the time to educate yourself about this issue? It would be a chance to do something positive for others outside of your social milieu. Consider how much you should be fortunate for in your own life; then, turn that overflowing abundance of gratitude towards a charitable cause.

As the year continues, new gadgets accumulate, holiday gifts get worn out and electronic devices are upgraded. Old appliances wind up in the dumpster when they break. In this fast-paced consumer age of the throw-away-mentality, in which used coffee cups take up too much landfill space, you have the opportunity to make a difference that has lasting value — changing a child’s life.

One investment this year would go beyond the materialistic consumption so common in today’s society.

Why not give to those who are contributing to your comfort zone: the slaves who supply the raw materials for everything from coffee to smart phones.

Somewhere it is written “it is better to give than to receive.” Therefore, break the mold of consumerism and help rescue children who are sweating away without an education. In this way, you may not only offset your slavery footprint by helping to rescue children slaving away in third world countries, but you may also offset your so-called consumerism footprint by giving to those most in need.

Comics

Jan. 22 - Jan. 28, 2015 | The Lumberjack 11

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Life

C

BY MEGAN TROUTMAN

olorful, sleek comics line the walls as the welcoming scent of pizza fills the room. Although there is subtle tension in the air, the players are excited for what is in store for the next several hours — this was the midnight pre-release tournament for the trading card game, Magic: The Gathering, or otherwise known as Magic.

Magic is a trading card game where each player tries to eliminate their opponent with powerful spells and creatures, knocking them from 20 life points to zero life points. The players are known fondly as “planeswalkers,” and are the beating heart of this game community.

No two games are ever the same, as new decks are constructed on the spot and new strategies are plotted spontaneously.

Cab Comics, Flagstaff ’s local comic book store, hosted this midnight prerelease event on Jan. 16 - 17. In order for the tournament to be official, the event required a certified Magic judge.

“I’m just a person that is versed in the rules and I’ve gone through certain tests . . . to be certified as a judge,” said judge Gregg Cartwright.

Cartwright enjoys judging Magic events. Being passionate about the game himself, Cartwright was excited for the midnight premier event. “[I’m excited] to see the new cards. I really love new, interesting mechanics,” Cartwright said. “Especially as a judge, I really like those nitpicky, bizarre, rules.”

The judge explained that Magic used to come out with new cards every three to four months. However, in 2015, the producers of Magic, also known as Wizards of the Coast, decided to speed up the process. Now they are going to have two version releases and two sets of cards for each version, then immediately start a new game.

“They found out that [this new process] keeps people interested, keeps things new, and really just makes the game more fresh and interesting for players,” Cartwright said.

14 The Lumberjack | Jackcentral.org

Cab Comics storeowner Cory Bushnell passes out the new booster packs while the judge explains the rules of the game and how the Jan. 16 evening tournament will take place. Cab Comics hosts Friday Night Magic Night most Fridays from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. with a $15 entrance fee. (Photo by Anna Marisa Hernandez)

Greg Cartwright steps in as the judge for the midnight deck release tournament of Magic the Gathering at Cab Comics Jan. 16. Aside from judging the midnight tournament, which lasts a minimum of four hours, Cartwright powered through and stuck around for the tournaments that occurred later the next day. (Photo by Anna Marisa Hernandez)

In order to keep players intrigued with the game, pre-release tournaments are scheduled across the nation. With Cab Comics’ convenient location, many college students are drawn to the events.

“I’ve played since I was a kid, so this has always been a really big part of my life,” said senior environmental sustainability major Ryan Singer. “I don’t think I’ve ever missed a week to play Magic.”

When asked how many events Singer has attended to play Magic, his response was “hundreds.” Although hundreds was an exaggeration, Singer has attended multiple events with Cab Comics in particular.

“I like to play and have fun tricking my opponents,” Singer said.

While the Magic community is

thriving with eager players, each player has their own story behind being introduced to the game.

“A lot of people have family who’ve played it before them,” said Singer’s opponent Jarid McNamara. “We play Magic, so when we see a tournament or a new set coming out, you just look for who has the pre-release, and then you go.”

McNamara is from Cottonwood, Ariz.

Motivated by his passion for the game, he drove an hour to attend this tournament at Cab Comics.

“I just like to interact with people — it’s fun! You can play and talk smack to your opponent,” McNamara said.

Cab Comics enjoys making a lighthearted environment for these tournaments, catering to those who are looking to enjoy a night filled with positive energy.

“We’re just here to have fun and create a good environment for people to interact.

So we’re going to be pretty relaxed tonight, just trying to enjoy ourselves,” Cartwright said.

Other Magic events are not as relaxed.

Players will come to win with their expensive cards and pre-made decks.

At this tournament event, the cards had already been ordered for the players. All they had to do was arrive at midnight,

open their cards and build their decks. In the Magic community, players are aware of the importance of deck-building before tournaments.

“Building the deck is one of the most strategic parts of the game — that’s what’s really going to carry you to victory or defeat. A lot of the choices really get made building the deck,” Cartwright said.

While that is one strategic opinion, McNamara shared his own insight about selecting cards.

“It’s not about what you hold, it’s about how you use them . . . [I suggest] play big things,” McNamara said. “It’s so tricky because you got to know what to sacrifice and when to take your two life!”

Each “planeswalker” clearly has his or her own strategy to play the game.

Singer confidently suggested to play flying creatures.

Even though this was just one event in the Magic community, Cab Comics hosts weekly events to Magic enthusiasts known as Friday Night Magic. People who have never played the game before are welcome to attend and learn the versatile rules of Magic.

Magic is certainly not exclusive to players who understand the rulebook.

Everyone is encouraged to learn the ways of the Planewalkers in this quest for victory.

Life

E

BY ANDREA LUQUE KARAM

very Sunday, lovers of Latin dances join at 7 p.m. to abandon their worries and dance. Flagstaff Latin Dance Collective (FLDC) provides individuals with a space to dance through the rhythm of salsa, bachata, zouk lambada, kizomba, cha cha and merengue. Co-directors Kati Pantsosnik and Joe Bullis started social Sundays in Flagstaff, believing that salsa can get people together in a safe and fun environment.

From beginners to the advanced to even completely new dancers, the FLDC provides a space for everyone to try something new or practice what they already know. The collective does not focus strictly on one dance discipline, allowing dancers to learn a broad array of techniques. On Jan. 18, the collective allowed for Michael Byola —who started dancing kizomba at a very young age at

The Tranzend Studio in downtown Flagstaff held open salsa lessons for customers Sunday Jan. 18. The lessons featured both natives of Flagstaff and guest dancers from the Phoenix area.

(Photo by Bryanna Shantal Smythe)

his home in Kenya — to teach Flagstaff about this foreign dance discipline.

“I teach in Phoenix at the moment and have been trying to expose the dance throughout Arizona because it is very popular in Europe and not that popular in the United States,” Byola said.

This style of dance is fairly unknown in the U.S., and it provides a stark example of the different principles of dance.

“In Kenya it is very common. Also, in Mongolia and in all South Africa, Kizomba is a very common dance. So when I arrived here I tried to look for a class and I couldn´t find it. So, I am making kind of a startup for Arizona,” Byola said.

The workshop that Byola gave took place at Tranzend Studio Fitness from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

FLDC has not been running for a long time, although its co-directors have been working together for four years now.

“It was about four years ago when I met Joe, who is my husband now. We were starting to dance together a lot. From then, it was kind of natural that both of us were not students but we represented the NAU Latin dance club at that time,” Pantsosnik said.

Pantsosnik is not only a passionate salsa dancer, but also a real entrepreneur.

Her inspiration behind directing a dancing company originates from a vacation she had in Tulum, Mexico.

“I have lived in Flagstaff over ten years now, but it was about eight years ago that I started dancing salsa; it was actually in Mexico where I first danced because they were offering free classes in the hotel I was staying in. Then when I got back I looked for a place to dance salsa in Flagstaff,” Pantsosnik said.

That is when Pantsosnik joined the NAU Latin dance club and started being the head figure for the club in order to keep the club going even though students graduated and left the place.

“There was a point when it did not make sense that we were not students and we were representing the NAU club. So we started the Flagstaff Dance Collective

Guest dancer Jenny Iverson sambas with host Joe Bullis. Tranzend Studio Fitness host Kati Pantsosnik and husband Bullis held salsa lessons for customers Sunday Jan. 18. (Photo by Bryanna Shantal Smythe)

as a company in the summer of 2013,” Pantsosnik said.

The Social Sundays are tradition for all salsa lovers, and it is only $8 if you show your student I.D. Besides this company, this couple also directs a not-for-profit festival that promotes salsa, bachata, zouk and kizomba. The upcoming festival is called the Grand Canyon Salsa Festival

and will take place Sept. 3 to Sept. 6.

For more information about the festival and the dance company, you can visit www.grandcanyonsalsafestival.com and www.latindancecollective.com for more information.

If you have not tried this before, do not be shy and make each Sunday unique through the art of Latin dance.

Jan. 22 - Jan. 28, 2015 | The Lumberjack 15

Life

On Jan. 15 at The Coconino Center for Arts, the Comission on The Arts held the Arizona Art Tank which supported local artists to pitch their ideas to venture capitalists in hopes to win the $10,000 grand prize.

AZ Culture accepts the grand prize at the Flagstaff Art Tank Jan. 15. (Photo by Zac Velarde)

An audience member places a vote at the Flagstaff Art Tank. (Photo by Zac Velarde)

16 The Lumberjack | Jackcentral.org

Judges for Art Tank Flagstaff 2015 write down notes about the presentations at Coconino Center for Arts.

(Photo by Zac Velarde)

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Life

Louie’s Cupboard lends a hand

BY THALIA ESPAÑA

I

Departing to Denmark

have always wanted to study in another country and this semester, I have the privilege of doing so. I also have the privilege of continuing my contribution to The Lumberjack, but this time, I’ll be across the Atlantic in a little town called Aalborg. I hope that this column will at least provide insight on studying abroad and an American perspective on a TAYLOR foreign culture.

HAYNES Ideally, it would inspire a reader to embark on adventures of his or her own.

My bags are packed and the countdown to my departure has begun. I have been a mess of emotions lately — one minute I will feel eager and perfectly prepared. The next, convinced I am not ready to take on the challenge. I will pack and repack, convinced that I am forgetting something. I can only wonder if other students in this situation experienced the same simultaneous excitement and panic, or am I some neurotic anomaly?

A quick overview of my future home: Aalborg, Denmark, is a coastal city in the northern Jutland region of the country. I am excited to be there for a semester because of its reputation as an attraction for young people, as well as its proximity to other travel destinations that have long been on my bucket list. For instance, Aalborg is basically a hop, skip and jump away from big Scandinavian cities like Oslo and Gothenburg.

This city is old. It has served as a docking site for Vikings and other medieval travelers. It is dotted with ancient Viking burial grounds as well

as more recent — yet still really old — monasteries and convents. The only thing I can compare this kind of history with is Native American structures that are common throughout Arizona and the Southwest.

It is the fourth largest city in Denmark, but only with a population of around 130,000. Much of the population is comprised of young students attending the university. So, in some ways, I am thinking Aalborg will feel somewhat similar to Flagstaff, except with more Danish.

I will be attending Aalborg University, with a student population of 21,600. At NAU, I am a political science and journalism major; the equivalent at Aalborg University is the International Cultural Studies Program. Luckily for me, many of the classes are taught in English and I even have a buddy assigned to me — another student (mine grew up in Aalborg) — who is forced to hang out with me and answer my questions.

I hope I can pick up on some more Danish while I am there due to my current, limited understanding of the language thus far.

Essentially, I have very little knowledge of what this experience will really be like. I am expecting to figure it out as I go. I wonder if my preconceived notions will be met. I have read that Danish people do not like Americans and that immigrants have a rough time assimilating to the culture. I have read that Danes are a little cold and unwelcoming. But I have realized that there is no way to tell what Denmark will truly be like by repeatedly viewing it on Google Maps or Wikipedia. That is part of the beauty of this experience so far: the unknown. I have learned to eliminate my expectations.

B

ecause the price of 2014-2015 tuition and fees is fixed at approximately $9,990 for in-state students and about $22,510 for out-of-state ones, students can only cut costs by choosing how they live and eat after their freshman year. The price of room and board can be costly, which is why some students decide to cut out a meal plan and in some cases, are left struggling for sufficient food. In fact, about 700 students living on campus do not have a meal plan.

Due to these situations, one student decided to step in and help; therefore, Louie’s Cupboard, a student-led pantry, was founded in 2013 with this mission statement: “Students helping students through the spirit of giving to provide resources to lessen food insecurity and stress in order to be successful Lumberjacks at Northern Arizona University.”

The organization began with a class project in a social movement class Dr. Ricardo Guthrie and City Councilwoman Coral Evans taught in spring 2012.

“It started as a class project . . . to create a movement that we would like to see happen in our own communities,” said founder of Louie’s Cupboard Jacqueline Brown.

Brown was inspired when a friend mentioned other campuses with pantries due to the recession which had led to some students’ financial struggle and lack of food. Brown was determined to start a similar program for NAU. “I have had friends that have had to live off of snack-size candy bars and cookies because they did not have enough money to pay for books, let alone food,” Brown said.

Louie’s Cupboard has begun yet another semester of food distributions geared at NAU students in need of non-perishable food items.

The usual package of food gives students the option to select four items per category and six from the grain category. The group even provides a miscellaneous table with junk foods or items that cannot be categorized, including a never-ending supply of ramen for students to take as much as they like.

Louie’s Cupboard will have eight distribution days which will be held on Fridays from 3-6 p.m. at the University Union Fieldhouse. The dates for the spring 2015 semester include Jan. 23, Feb. 6 and 20, Mar.

6, 13 and 27 and Apr. 10 and 24. Though they do prepare for walk-ins, they ask that those wanting food may register online first at http:// bit.ly/WleDzQ. “Louie’s Cupboard has grown so much.

When we first started, no one knew what Louie’s Cupboard was,” said junior business management major and Louie’s Cupboard cochair Elaine Wong. “Now, everybody had at least heard about it. My hopes in the future are to have the food pantry open every week and aspire other universities to start a food pantry.”

In this organization, members like Brown hope that it may continue for many years ahead bringing in fresh produce and healthier options. They plan to be able to reach out more to students and the community as well.

This compassionate group of students is always accepting food donations. The basic list of accepted foods consists of grains, canned or dry beans, canned fruits, vegetables and protein. Donations can be taken to the LEADS Center in the University Union from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mon. through Thurs. and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays.

While Louie’s Cupboard consists of a strongly motivated group of students, it would like for more volunteers to join the team.

“The importance of volunteering is not only helping the community but the feeling you get from changing things for the better. Knowing that you’re trying to make a difference,” Wong said. “It gives me a sense of joy knowing I am making someone’s day better.”

The daily work of a volunteer includes tasks such as inventory management, shopping, distribution, preparation and most importantly, bringing a smile to those in need.

“I want to say thank you to those that take the time out of their day to help make the pantry successful. You have definitely helped with turning an idea into an organization. To the leadership board and advisors, thank you for all of your hard work,” Brown said.

For those interested, applications are available through True Blue Connects in the Forms section online. The program also allows the benefit service hours to be verified for one’s involvement record and works as a great way to get involved not only on campus, but with the community.

Louie’s Cupboard’s goal is simply put in Wong’s words: “I want everybody to have a warm dinner every night.”

Jan. 22 - Jan. 28, 2015 | The Lumberjack 19

Sports

Jacks have good start at Friday Night Duels harder, especially in my hurdles,” Jamison said. “[I did well in] my sprinting, but in my hurdles I could do a lot better. I came out with a lot of confidence, so I feel like coming back as a champion I can just defend my title.”

On the throwing team for the men, senior Gus Margiotta and sophomore Shawn Collins finished fourth and fifth in shotput with a distance of 16.65m and 16.15m, respectively.

On the women’s side, senior Darriel Banks, who led the women’s team to a repeat indoor championship last season and holds the school record for the women’s 60-meter dash with a time of 7.39, finished third in the dash with a time of 7.59.

Senior Shamelle Pless, who holds the record for the 200-meter dash with a time of 23.86, finished in fourth place in that event with a time of 24.82. Senior Jessica Weise opened up her season with a second-place finish in shot put with a distance of 15.22m.

The members for the NAU cross country team, who just won a Big Sky Championship, competed in the dual meet as well. On the men’s side, junior Futsum Zienasellassie won the men’s 3000-meter run with a time of 8:42.52. Alongside Zienasellassie was teammate junior Nathan Weitz, who finished second with a time of 8:43.24. On the women’s side, sophomore Kylie Goo finished in first place in the mile with a time of 5:20.29.

“I felt really good. We wanted to treat these races kind of like a workout,” Goo said. “We were given paces to do, and I just executed them and it felt really good doing it.”

NAU will take to the track again Jan. 24 as the Lumberjacks host the NAU Team Challenge, which is set to start at 9 a.m.

Sophomore Kylie Goo crosses the finish line first in the women’s mile at NAU’s first home meet in the Walkup Skydome Jan. 16. Goo finished with a time of 5:20.29.

(Photo by Ryan Wesson)

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BY SARAH BROWN

he NAU track and field team hosted its first indoor meet Jan. 16 against the University of Arizona, Grand Canyon University, Southern Utah University and San Diego State University. The Jacks fell to Arizona State and Grand Canyon, coming in third with a score of 67 and 76.50 for both sides.

“It was exciting to watch because I thought we had a lot of great accomplishments, a lot of great competitions for the first meet of the season,” said head coach Eric Heins. “So [we are] very excited with where we are at. I really think we have a great team on both sides, and our expectations are to defend our conference championships here at home in late February.”

Coming into the meet on the men’s side for the Jacks was key component senior Deante Kemper. Kemper was a Big Sky Conference champion for the high jump last season and had a good start to this season with a 7-1 feet finish.

“It feels good. I got a lot of confidence and I just hope to put us in better marks and to go to indoor nationals because I missed it twice so I’m shooting for that,” Kemper said. “Today was good, I didn’t hit the mark I wanted to, but it’s just an inch off so I can’t complain.”

Alongside Kemper was senior Alexander Odem, who also led the men’s side in triple jump with a distance of 14.28m. Senior Vernon Jamison, an individual champion in the 60-meter hurdles, led the Jacks by qualifying in two events, the 60-meter dash and the 60-meter hurdles with times of 6.91 seconds and 8.01 respectively.

“I feel like I did okay, I know I can do a lot better so for next week I know I can push a little

Senior Vernon Jamison competes in the 60-meter hurdles Jan. 16 at the Friday Night Duals track meet in the Walkup Skydome. Jamison was NAU’s top hurdler last season. (Photo by Sunday Miller)

SportsShort DII IceJacks vs. Arizona State University Jan. 23 at 8:30 p.m.

Jay Lively Activity Center

Women’s Basketball

Track & Field

vs. Montana State Jan. 24 at 6:30 p.m.

Walkup Skydome

NAU Team Challenge Jan. 24 at 9 a.m.

Walkup Skydome

20 The Lumberjack | Jackcentral.org

Follow the Lumberjack Sports reporters on Twitter Vincent Peña: @vincent_pena7 Jasmyn Wimbish: @JasmynWimbish

Sports

0HQ·V EDVNHWEDOO JRHV DW KRPH Sophomore guard Kris Yanku drives to the basket as help defense Chris Golden and Joel Bolomboy try to stop him at the Walkup Skydome Jan. 15. Yanku led NAU with 27 points. (Photo by Jasmine Coro)

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BY BRIAN WADE & RICHIE TRUNZO

own 62–59 with 3:57 left, the NAU men’s basketball team outscored Idaho State 13-7 to secure a hardfought, and sometimes sloppy, 72–69 victory Jan. 17.

During a rough shooting night, in which the Lumberjacks managed to shoot a shaky 39.7 percent from the field, senior guard Aaseem Dixon had the hot hand, leading the Lumberjacks with 20 points on 7-17 shooting.

NAU started the first half slow, which could have been attributed to the lingering effects from Jan. 15 loss to Weber State. “[Idaho State] has played a lot of close games, but energywise there may have been a little bit of a hangover from [the Weber State] game,” said head coach Jack Murphy.

Trailing 37–30 at halftime, the Lumberjacks needed only to address the defense, after allowing the Bengals to shoot an impressive 46.4 percent from the field and 50 percent from three-point range to the Lumberjacks shaky 34.3 percent.

NAU was outscored 20-16 in the paint, as well as getting outshot at the charity line by nearly eight additional attempts.

The Bengals were seemingly in control of the tempo of the game for the entire first half.

The second half was a different story as the Lumberjacks immediately caused four Idaho State turnovers, capitalizing on each on the other end resulting in a 14-6 run to give NAU the lead.

“I don’t know if it threw them [Idaho State] off,” Murphy said in reference to the increased defensive intensity entering the second half which totaled 20 points off twelve turnovers. “I thought the [defensive intensity] helped our guys get energized,

and allowed [us] to change the pace of the game. I give our guys props.”

Senior forwards Jeffrey Solarin and Chris Hansen were responsible for the majority of the Bengals’ offensive production.

Hansen finished with a game-high of 23 points, with Solarin reaching a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds.

“They have one of the better players in the conference in Chris [Hansen],” Murphy said. “The last couple years we’ve gotten lucky and he hasn’t been able to make a lot of shots against us. Today I think he made up for it.”

Down the stretch, however, it was all NAU, more specifically Dixon, as he had five of NAU’s final 13 points. Dixon’s 20 points in the game were a huge bounce back after not scoring against Weber State. “[Dixon’s] one of those guys that doesn’t get too high, doesn’t get too low and he makes big shots,” Murphy said.

Following a block by senior forward Len Springs on a driving Hansen, the Lumberjacks managed to find an open Dixon at the top of the key for a crucial basket, giving NAU a 69–65 lead with 33 seconds remaining in regulation.

At this point Idaho State could not recover, giving NAU the win.

Scoring troubles plagued the Lumberjacks throughout their game against Weber State and eventually resulted in a 74–65 loss Jan.15.

The first half of play showcased strong defensive efforts by both teams. Eventually, Weber State pulled away toward the end of the first half with its ability to get to the free-throw line. Ten of the Wildcats’ 30 first-half points came from the free-throw line as they went into the half ahead of the Lumberjacks 30–23.

The Wildcats continued to control the game throughout the

beginning of the second half, increasing the margin by as much as 12 points. With a quick offensive surge led by sophomore guard Kris Yanku, the Lumberjacks earned a couple of quick points and climbed their way back within one point 44–43.

“I was getting to the basket and finishing today,” Yanku said. “They never adjusted so I kept attacking.”

Yanku led the Lumberjacks in the game scoring 27 points, including 13 from the free-throw line. Sophomore center Ako Kaluna also had a good outing with 16 points and four rebounds.

“Weber State does a good job of taking away the threepoint shot, so you have to be aggressive driving to the paint, and that’s what Kris does really well,” Murphy said.

As the second half progressed, the Wildcats distanced themselves from the Lumberjacks and eventually led by 13 points—their largest lead of the night.

Efforts to make a late comeback fell short as the Lumberjacks could not keep up with the Wildcats. NAU shot 32.3 percent in the second half while their opponent shot 50 percent from the field.

“You have to give Weber State a lot of credit for knocking down all of those shots,” Murphy said.

The Lumberjacks appeared to struggle with capitalizing on scoring opportunities in the second half and could not close the scoring gap.

“They just made plays at the right time,” Yanku said. “We battled hard and they battled hard, but toward the end they made plays and we had defensive lapses.”

NAU will hit the road for a crucial trip up north to face conference foes Montana and Montana State Jan. 22 and Jan. 24, respectively.

Jan. 22 - Jan. 28, 2015 | The Lumberjack 21

Sports

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Sophomore guard Brittani Lusain looks to pass the ball against Loyola Marymount Dec. 3 at the Walkup Skydome.

Lusain finished the game with 18 points. (Photo by Nick Humphries)

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BY HAYDEN KNUDSEN & RICHIE TRUNZO

ith 3.6 seconds left and down 69–68, junior guard Monique Mulder threw up a last-chance shot to win the game for the NAU women’s basketball team that went in but was waived off, giving NAU a heartbreaking loss to Idaho State Jan. 17.

“I feel like our kids played their hearts out, so I was really proud of their effort,” said NAU coach Sue Darling.

With a quick offensive start the Lumberjacks took an early lead and were up by as many as 10 points in the first half. Sophomore guard Brittani Lusain made key contributions in the first half, scoring 13 of her 21 points.

NAU appeared to be in the driver’s seat for the majority of the game, specifically in the first half as the Jacks shot 53.1 percent in the half.

The Lumberjacks held their lead for the entire first

22 The Lumberjack | Jackcentral.org

half, going into halftime with a 36–30 lead.

NAU increased its lead to start the second half, in large part to a big performance from senior forward Erikka Banks. Banks had 15 points in the second half, and finished with 22 in the game.

“I liked how we came together and played together for all 40 minutes,” Banks said. “This game showed us how we should be playing, and even though we lost, now that we have that feeling back our next games will be good.”

As the tail end of the game approached, the Bengals found ways to score very efficiently. The Bengals’ fourthquarter comeback was sparked by a quick nine-point run to bring them within one point at 62–61 with 4:43 left in the game.

In the final minute of the game, the Lumberjacks were up 68–67 but the Bengals were able to make one final shot

to win the game.

“This loss puts a chip on our shoulder, and makes us even hungrier,” Darling said.

It was another tough night for the Lumberjacks as they dropped a 66–53 decision to Weber State Jan. 15. The Jacks turned the ball over 17 times, and had a hard time shooting as they managed only 37 percent from the floor.

“I think offensively there’s going to be people who are in slumps some nights, because you know we’re not going to shoot well every night,” said sophomore guard Rene Coggins. “I think the mentality for us needs to be if we’re not shooting well one night we just have to be more focused on defense.”

The Lumberjacks forced 16 turnovers, 12 of those coming by way of a steal; however, the team had a hard time capitalizing on those turnovers and salvaged just 10 points as a result. The real problems started at the charity stripe where the Jacks were absent until the second half of the game.

“We made them cough up the ball 16 times, so at the end of the day they got to the line a lot more than we did,” Darling said. “So we need to just keep being aggressive on offense and get to the free-throw line, and basically that was the difference in the ball game.”

This game did not finish without a couple of bright spots, though, as NAU held a good offensive rebounding team in Weber State to just 12 offensive boards on 57 shots, and shot 78 percent from the free-throw line. NAU passed the ball very well and had almost an assist per score, something that Coach Darling was very pleased with.

“I think we did a very good job tonight with the offensive boards. Obviously they’re a very good offensive rebounding team and we held them to just 12 offensive boards off of 57 attempted shots,” Darling said. “I think we did that very well tonight, and I was very proud [of the] 18 assists on 22 made shots, that’s almost an assist per make.”

The Jacks got a double-double from Banks, who finished shooting 7-of-8 from the floor with 15 points and 10 boards, and another good game from junior guard Mariah Willadsen who ended the contest 6-of-12 with 14 points and six rebounds.

“She just told us that we were thinking about ourselves in the first half, and we just needed to play as a team in the second half,” Willadsen said.

Coach Darling’s speech must have sparked something, because it was a tale of two games for the Jacks as they only scored 16 points in the first half and ended the second half with 37 points. The reason was obvious as the Jacks didn’t get to the free-throw line until the second half and didn’t do a good job shooting until the passing heated up and they started playing as a team.

Although the second half was a great turnaround for the Lumberjacks, their efforts fell short and NAU fell to 6-10 on the season. With a three-game home stretch coming up, the Lumberjacks will look to improve their conference record with games against Montana and Montana State Jan. 22 and Jan. 24.

Sports

Women’s tennis drops season opener to UC Davis

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BY JACQUIE LEMARR

he NAU women’s tennis team traveled down into Sun Devil territory in Tempe to play in a dual match against Big Sky Conference (BSC) rivals University of California-Davis (UC Davis) in the season opener Jan. 16. The Aggies defeated the Lumberjacks 5–2 to win the opener against what still looks to be a very strong NAU team going into the remainder of the season.

“The girls were able to turn the match, but our mental toughness needs to be better to compete,” said head coach Kim Bruno. “UC Davis was just more consistent than us. We need to play smarter tennis within ourselves, and open up the court. We were looking to end points quickly today, and Davis was more consistent than we were in that aspect.”

NAU only came away with one win in the three doubles matches, giving UC Davis a 1–0 lead heading into singles play. The Jacks tried to come back in singles play, but were unable to close the gap that the Aggies had created early on in the day.

In one of the last matches of the day, junior Emelia Sophomore Hailey Rochin returns the ball during the April 13 Box clinched NAU’s second and final singles win of the match against Sacramento State at the Continental Country Club. day. The England native beat UC Davis’ Lani-Rae Green, NAU finished this past season second in the Big Sky Conference where Box pulled out a tough two-set match 7–5, 7–6. with a conference record of 8-2. (Photo by Evan Jon Paniagua) After sophomore Hailey Rochin lost a tough match to

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UC Davis’ Tiffany Pitam, Rochin found some momentum with sophomore Marta Lewandowska in doubles play, winning a closely contested match 7–6.

During Lewandowska’s singles play, she was able to come up clutch in the first set by defeating Frederique Sleiffer 7–6. Lewandowska was then able to give the Jacks their first singles win of the day, and pocket the win in the second set 6–4.

“Emelia and Marta were able to play within themselves,” Bruno said. “It was a great performance by those two today, especially within their rallies.”

The afternoon singles matches started off rocky when senior Johanna Vang was defeated early on by Layla Sanders in a rough three-set match. Vang secured a strong 6–3 lead in the first set, but met adversity when Sanders fought back to take the second set 6–4 and force a third set, where Sanders won 6–3 to close the match out.

The Lumberjacks will be back on the courts Jan. 22 when they travel to the University of New Mexico in hopes of picking up their first win of the season.

“As a team, we need to find our identity and compete every time we step on the court,” Bruno said. “We need to play smarter tennis and find a more consistent balance.

We need to learn to play bigger points, if we are going to be successful this season.”

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Jan. 22 - Jan. 28, 2015 | The Lumberjack 23

Arts&Entertainment

Book review: The First Bad Man

Upcoming Art Arizona Handmade and Fire on the Mountain Gallery is featuring glass artist Judi Hartman.

Hartman is a selftaught artist who owns her own studio where she makes custom stained, beveled, etched and fused glass work.

The Artists’ Gallery is featuring pleinair painter and watercolorist Marsha Owen and ceramic artist Billy Fefer, as well as all of the gallery’s jewelers.

Coconino Center for the Arts’ exhibitions in February are the 10x10 Art Exhibition, a show specifically dedicated to 10x10 artwork, and the Youth Art Exhibition, a show dedicated to K-12 artwork.

Upcoming Music The Orpheum Theater will be presenting popular bands and Flagstaff favorites Brett Dennen, Dr. Dog and Cold War Kids.

Folk/pop artist Brett Dennen will be coming solo and performing acoustic Feb. 4. On Feb. 17, an indie rock band, Dr. Dog, will return to Flagstaff. Cold War Kids will make their return Feb. 27.

The Green Room will be hosting featured events including Flagstaff “Aerial Arts Valentine’s Show: The Hungry Hearts Cabaret” Feb. 14 and Science on Tap with the topic “A New Twist on Muscle Contraction: Molecules, Mice and Men.”

Upcoming Theater Theatrikos Theater Company is presenting Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure at the Doris Harper-White Playhouse. The show will run from Jan. 30 to Feb. 15.

Opening Feb. 27 and closing Mar. 8, Angels in America: The Millennium Approaches will be showing at the Clifford E. White Theater hosted

by Northern Arizona University Department of Theater.

See more upcoming events at JackCentral.org 24 The Lumberjack | Jackcentral.org

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his debut novel from filmmaker, artist and writer Miranda July is an unexpected hodgepodge of a story. The story includes fluid sexuality, lifelong love and devastating heartbreak featuring one or two horrifying surprises and twists. Her book is crass, rude, humorous, elegant and most of all, vulnerable.

When I read the description for this book it sounded like a funky romantic comedy. A bratty 20-something, Clee, and a dull 40-something, Cheryl, battle it out and ultimately teach one something about the other. I assumed Clee would have given Cheryl a make-over and Cheryl GRACE FENLASON would teach Clee how to balance a checkbook. Clee would have matured and Cheryl would have caught the attention of the guy she longed for.

The description of this book did it a great disservice by making it sound stereotypical, overplayed and frankly, stupid. However, this book was the complete opposite of its description, although next to this description were glowing reviews from a number of fantastic authors like George Saunders, Lena Dunham and Chris Ware.

This book revolves around Cheryl Glickman, a forty-year-old who lives alone and works at a non-profit business. Cheryl lives a quiet and comfortable life eating things like kale and quinoa. She obsesses and fantasizes about a coworker named Phillip who is twenty years older than her. She frequently has to “resist the urge to go to him like a wife, as if [they had] already been a couple for a hundred thousand lifetimes. Caveman and cavewoman.”

She is held back by a globus on her neck that occasionally keeps her from swallowing and hardens painfully. Cheryl also talks to a soul that she believes migrates between babies which she refers to as Kubelko Bondy. Her character is honest but incredibly mundane.

In a couple of pages two big catalysts set the course of the novel. Things are shifted when her bosses ask her if their 20-year-old daughter could stay with her. Clee, a self-proclaimed misogynist, threatens the structure and meaning of Cheryl’s life. For a large portion of the novel Clee lies on the couch drinking Diet Pepsi, smoking cigarettes, talking on the phone and

being a bully.

Around the same time her romantic interest, Phillip, reveals to her that he wants to begin a physical relationship with a 16-year-old girl and asks her to grant him permission to consummate the relationship. Cheryl then goes through a spiral of stranger and stranger events.

She begins physically dueling with Clee, reenacting scenes from self-defense videos.

This turns into an exercise in power, as Cheryl imagines herself in the role of Phillip seducing Clee. Although July’s films are incredibly light and whimsical, her prose seems to be deliberately grotesque, almost appalling. She describes sexual fantasies in almost disgusting ways, as if describing a pornagraphic film in excruciating detail.

At this point in the novel, it is apparent Cheryl suffers from debilitating loneliness and terrible communication skills. She treats Clee as an object, conversations and human connections as games instead of real things and overall shows herself to be self-absorbed.

It is when Clee is pregnant and gives birth to a little boy, Jack, that Cheryl transcends all of her own issues. In one fell swoop she transforms herself into Clee’s lover and Jack’s mother. She gracefully becomes the strong woman she was supposed to become, not by falling in love with Clee or Phillip, but by embracing motherhood.

She ever-so-gently explains the world to her son and proves herself to be a loving and selfless person: “‘Somewhere the sun is hot on a rubbery leaf, clouds are making shapes and reshaping and reshaping, a spider web is broken but still works.’

And in case he wasn’t into nature, I added: ‘And it’s a really wild time in terms of technology.

You’ll probably have a robot and that will be normal.’”

Through a series of misadventures, Cheryl goes from having no relationship with Clee to Clee’s enemy, then mother, to lover and then back to nothing. Ultimately, she is left with the son that was not born to her. The ending is heartbreaking, but satisfying, as the baby Jack is rejected by both of his parents.

This story is varied, quirky, funny and emotionally complex. The story is captivating and the language is coarse. It is the first great novel of 2015, and I personally cannot wait to see and read more from Miranda July.

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Arts&Entertainment

2015 NERD SLAM! Wizards, gamers and trekkies gather at Firecreek Coffee for a night of poetry

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BY MARISSA WHITE

ideo game lovers, dungeon masters and inhabitants of Middle Earth gathered at Firecreek Coffee on Jan. 17 for a duel — of poetry. Beginning around 7:30 p.m., the night consisted of poetry and spoken word on everything from sorcery, World of Warcraft references, Star Wars facts and more.

Events liaison for Bookman’s, Caity Evans, and event coordinator at Firecreek coffee, John Quinonez, teamed up with Cab Comics for the event Nerd Slam, which was put on by Bookman’s in hopes of displaying a crossover of science and poetry.

“I had been itching to bring something of this caliber to the Flagstaff scene,” Quinonez said.

As a representative of Flagstaff in the National Poetry Slam Scene, he was ready to show the usual poetry slam crowd at Firecreek something a little new and different.

The community seemed to be itching as well — the uproar of support from Flagstaff was tremendous.

“We are both overwhelmed by the support we’ve received from the Flagstaff and NAU community,” Evans said.

While this might be the first Nerd Slam hosted

by Bookman’s, the production of geek-themed events is nothing new. As a section of many large events which occur internationally, such as National Poetry Slam, the nerd portion of the slam is often said to be quite intense. The participants answer trivia questions about topics such as X-Men comics and Star Trek, then battle it out with poetry — it can get pretty heated, according to Quinonez.

However, the evening of nerd-themed poetry and trivia at Firecreek was slightly more relaxed than past events. Everyone was given a chance to perform and prizes were awarded for correct trivia answers.

NAU students made up a good portion of the crowd and many of them were performers as well.

Senior English education major Jack Notabartolo, also known by his stage name as Spicy Jack, took

26 The Lumberjack | Jackcentral.org

the stage with poems about superhero romance and Dungeons and Dragons. Notabartolo feels poetry is an innate part of himself.

“If I didn’t do it, I’d be denying my self of who I am,” Notabartolo said.

After being a member of the poetry slam community for about three years, he knew an event such as Nerd Slam was too good to pass up.

“Nerdy poetry is my forte,” Notabartolo said.

“So whether I write stuff that is nerdy, funny, romantic or just plain wrong, I aim to make people laugh.”

The preparation for this event mainly involved promotional work; however, once the word was out, talk regarding this event was nonstop. Event shout-outs and posters were all over the Internet, calling every local nerd to show what they know.

While Nerd Slam may initially spark interest in comic book lovers, it was designed to appeal to audience members of all kinds.

“I think that’s one of the greatest things about ‘nerdom’ — the community isn’t necessarily within the confines of age or specific interest. It’s a call to arms to be loud and proud. Outside of the competition, this is a great opportunity for folks to come out and see a different side of poetry,” Quinonez said.

Needed not only for its large space to accommodate for a big crowd, the venue of Firecreek Coffee was selected for its laid-back atmosphere and notorious hosting for all things performing arts. Known as the home of the weekly poetry slam, it was the perfect place to bring together poets old and new, nerdy and hipster.

As far as more events similar to this one in the future, Quinonez said it can be expected. The turnout and support for this poetry slam was too big to not have a follow-up event.

The Nerd Slam was a big success and everyone from warlocks to Whovians to plain poetry enthusiasts left with a little more insight and knowledge into the world of nerds.

John Notabartolo performs at Firecreek Jan. 17 at the 2015 Nerd Slam event. There are prizes for the first, second and third place winners provided by Bookmans. (Photo by Thuy-Tran)

Arts&Entertainment Album review: 2014 Forest Hills Drive by J. Cole

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BY TYLER MIRANDA

. Cole’s 2014 Forest Hills Drive topped the Billboard charts as the No. 1 album in December. It also broke Spotify’s record for most album streams for an album in its first week for all of 2014.

All of this was done very quietly. There was not much promotion or hype for the album, which perhaps was a tactic Cole took from the queen, Beyoncé, with the selftitled album she released this past winter.

Cole himself produced many of the tracks on this album and there are not any features on it.

Cole truly created his own lane for the album and has made a solid claim to the hip-hop throne because of it.

In the beginning of his career, Cole turned heads with projects such as The Warm Up and Friday Night Lights and even garnered claims that he was the second coming of Nas. This was a huge honor for Cole, but somewhere along the line he switched up his music in hopes of reaching the money and fame more quickly.

Specifically, with the track “Work Out,” Nas ended up telling producer No ID in the studio he hated Cole’s single that was leading up to his debut album.

This devastated Cole and he eventually went on to make a song called “Let Nas Down.”

For now, it’s 2014 Forest Hills Drive season. Cole has silenced the critics who claim that he has fallen off ever since the promising start to his career.

The album is named after the house he grew up in with his mother, brother and abusive stepfather.

After he graduated from high school, Cole went off to St. John’s University in New York City where he pursued his dreams of a music career, and his house was foreclosed.

In 2014, he repurchased the home.

He’s now using the home as a support system for families around the area he grew up in.

Every couple years, a family will get to live there, basically rent free, while they try to get their heads above water.

Overall, I give the album 4 out of 5

stars due to songs such as “Apparently” and “Love Yourz,” which are key tracks in my opinion, especially if you’ve never listened to J.Cole.

In “Apparently,” Cole gets reflective about things in his life that he’s done wrong as he tries to set them straight. He starts the first verse off saying that this song/album is his canvas and that he is going to paint it how he wants to paint it.

Cole says, “there is no right and wrong, only a song” because as an artist, he gets to do things how he wants to.

This first verse is one of the most emotional verses on the album, and arguably my favorite: “Think back to Forest Hills, no perfect home / But the only thing like home I’ve ever known / Until they snatched it from my mama, and foreclosed her on the loan / I’m so sorry that I left you there to deal with that alone.”

“Love Yourz,” is an important and powerful song. Cole explains to listeners that there is “no such thing as a life that’s better than yours.”

He wants people to love their lives and the people in it and realize there will always be something better.

In the first verse he talks about struggle, and how there’s beauty in it. Instead of being angry and resenting others for being more fortunate, Cole thinks people should look at it as a blessing.

This is best seen in this verse: “For what’s money without happiness? / Or hard times without the people you love.”

2014 Forest Hill Drive may not catch on to the masses like its predecessor Born Sinner, which contained chart-topping songs with singable hooks.

However, loyal fans can appreciate Cole’s progression as an artist while others can fall in love with its layers of honesty in its storytelling and witty dark humor in its wordplay.

Cole’s hunger to be the best is the drive in his growth as an MC that is causing him to be a force to be reckoned with. 2014 Forest Hill Drive is another superb addition to an impressive growing catalog.

Album review: Pale Emperor

by Marilyn Manson

BY CHARLOTTE EVANS

W

ith his eccentric looks and gravelly voice, Marilyn Manson draws attention from a variety of music lovers and potential fans. His latest album, The Pale Emperor, which was released Jan. 20, is his ninth album and is right on time with his normal album release schedule; he normally releases albums approximately one to three years apart.

The title, while seemingly bizarre, fits right in with his last album Born Villain, which was released in 2012. Bizarre, however, is exactly the word that encompasses the vibe of the 46-year-old rocker.

While he sometimes has been at the center of controversy due to his abnormal lifestyle and schemes, Manson continues to stick true to his dark and haunting character in The Pale Emperor. The first song on the album, “Killing Strangers,” sends riveting and exciting vibes but a questionable message.

The overall flow and melodies of songs have good beats and are easy enough to rock out to. The sounds go well with his voice but the lyrics hint at a more unsettling theme. In general, it sets quite an interesting start for the album.

Manson’s deep, ominous sound can be clearly identified in all his songs. In this album, his songs are easily identified because the entire sound is far too similar and there is very little variance between the tracks.

As the album progresses each song blends together with the next and begins to sound more and more like the last. The album could use more diversity in the vocal tones and pulse of the bass line to sound newer and more unique.

With more instrumental fluctuations and diversity between each song, The Pale Emperor could gain greater quality in its musical selections.

Although the artist has a raspy undertone and a capturing sound, the range is not wide enough to provide a diverse listening experience.

The second song on the album, “Deep Six,” begins to break from the convention of other songs with its harder, faster chords and driving lyrics. It sounds too much like a generic hard

rock song to gain any wide recognition across the musical community.

“Deep Six” definitely sticks out from the other songs but would probably not sound much different from songs released by other rock groups.

In fact, two things that seem different about any of Manson’s songs on the album are the lyrics and his dark and rough voice.

Another song and probably the only other track that may take on a slightly more distinctive sound is the 10th track, “Odds of Even.” Manson slows the tempo down to create a more intimate and casual feel that diverts from the typical harshness brought on by much of his music.

The slow chords and laid-back vocals draw quite a contrast from that of the rest and brings an easy ending to an album full of repetition and biting melodies. If more of Manson’s songs took on greater diversity such as this one does, the album would have a much greater composition.

While his harsh musical sound fits in well with his vocals, it can, at times, be overwhelming because the range and variance of the style in his voice in comparison to the musical tones rarely change. In many of his songs, such as “Killing Strangers” and “Odds of Even,” he often echoes his own voice and lyrics with a demonic whispering which may seem intriguing and holds the potential to be highly creative. But he overuses it to the point where its uniqueness is rendered useless.

Many of Manson’s central themes often consist of daunting and sinister ideas that are unsettling and alarming, especially for those unaccustomed to the style of the singer.

Manson, nevertheless, is fearless and has little concern for any opposing opinions.

Newcomers may be taken by surprise and many may not respond as well to any of his music, new or old, as those who are already fans for the rocker. The singer definitely deserves the title of an artist for his creativity and imaginative ideas.

Despite his dark demeanor, Manson puts his heart and soul behind his music, which is evident in his vehement voice. His music may not be for everyone but it’s definitely interesting to take a listen and experience first hand.

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