The Lumberjack -- Nov. 30, 2017

T H E L U M BE R JACK

NOV. 30, 2017 – DEC. 6, 2017

WELCOMING HOME CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMPS PAGE 20-23

Online at JackCentral.org

From the Editor

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t last, November has come to a close. As students, we face a “storm before the calm.” Perhaps for some, a storm before an even bigger storm. I use this time to reevaluate my goals and responsibilities, as well as to look back at what I have learned.

This is the fifth year I have dedicated my life to photography. Although I have given more hours to photography than anything else in my life, my experience in this field is still in its infancy.

This semester, I had the opportunity to serve as The Lumberjack’s Director of Photography.

Photography is an art as instant as they come. It is raw and unforgiving, but equally as gratifying. It is a window into real life. Lessons I have learned in my photographic journey mirror patterns in life that I have found lead to success. I would like to share with you what I have found.

Have a clear vision. Just as good photographs must have a clear and compelling subject, you must set clear goals in order to achieve and accomplish anything. But that is not enough. The subject must also be framed well and have proper exposure. Similarly, a goal without a plan and realistic expectations of MICHAEL achievement is not effective.

PATACSIL Anticipate opportunities. Opportunities present themselves every day.

DIRECTOR OF Before you can capitalize on them, you must first be able to recognize them. A PHOTOGRAPHY photographer must always be prepared for the expected as well as the unexpected.

Identify what you value, and protect it. Each person has a few things uniquely priceless and important to them. It is those things that need to be kept closest. A good photo is not replaceable, and thus I treat it as irreplaceable. If it is replaceable, was it worth capturing in the first place?

Be selfless and treat others with dignity. Trust from others is an essential need for everybody.

Sure, a few people find success by stepping on the heads of people, but it is the path to obscurity for most. Photographers have the responsibility of telling stories, often stories much more important than themselves. A photographer who only thinks of himself will never truly be able to see a subject.

As Director of Photography, I was able to see this bond between photography and humanity in a new light. Overseeing 30 hard-working photographers, I not only saw the photographs that go into our paper but the people and stories behind them. It has been my responsibility to act as a leader and bring the best out of our photo section.

When I apply these characteristics, I find that the quality of my work and the work of those around me become elevated. Conversely, I have found the journey to become a better photographer has allowed me to become a better person.

Thank you for reading.

THE LUMBERJACK VOL. 105 ISSUE 14

Phone: (928) 523-4921 Fax: (928) 523-9313 Lumberjack@nau.edu P.O. Box 6000 Flagstaff, AZ 86011

Editor-in-Chief Megan Troutman

Managing Editor Kari Scott

Copy Chief Emma Helfrich

Faculty Advisor Mary Tolan

Faculty Advisor, Visuals Jennifer Swanson

Sales Manager Marsha Simon

Media Innovation Center Editorial Board News Editor Conor Sweetman Asst. News Editor Joey Postiglione

Opinion-Editorial Editor Elizabeth Wendler

Sports Editor Lance Hartzler

Director of Photography Michael Patacsil

Asst. Opinion-Editorial Editor Asst. Sports Editor Director of Illustration Peggy Packer Kade Gilliss Colton Starley

Features Editor Makenna Lepowsky Asst. Features Editor MaryAnn Witt

Culture Editor Katie Sawyer

Web Chief Ariel Cianfarano

Asst. Culture Editor Kaitlyn Sampson

Print Chief Matthew Strissel

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Director of Circulation Luis Gardetto

“We just gotta bring up the effort, bring up our attitude from the start. We started way too slow.”

- sophomore quarterback Case Cookus, 2017 Sophomore quarterback Case Cookus leads his team off the field after they failed to convert on a fourth down during the first-round playoff game against University of San Diego Nov. 25. San Diego defeated the Lumberjacks 41-10. Matthew Strissel | The Lumberjack

On the cover Fans welcome the NAU cross-country team with a rousing ovation as they return to Flagstaff with the NCAA Championship title at the Walkup Skydome Nov. 19.

Michael Patacsil | The Lumberjack

Corrections & Clarifications The Lumberjack is committed to factual correctness and accuracy. If you find an error in our publication, please email Megan Troutman at mlt273@nau.edu.

PoliceBeat Nov. 13 At 12:16 a.m., an intoxicated student was reported near McKay Village. NAUPD, FFD and Guardian Medical Transport responded, and the student was transported to FMC.

At 10:30 p.m., an RA called to report a student acting belligerently when the RA was breaking up a party at Campus Heights. NAUPD responded and warned the student of trespassing at Campus Heights.

At 10:50 p.m., an RA reported the smell of marijuana in Tinsley Hall.

NAUPD responded, and one student was arrested for lying to NAUPD.

Nov. 17 At 9:07 a.m., a student in the Skyview parking garage reported their vehicle had been broken into at some point during the night. NAUPD responded, but closed the case.

Nov. 14 At 10:26 a.m., a student reported yogurt on their car in the San Francisco Parking Garage. An NAUPD officer took a report, but saw nothing suspicious.

Nov. 15 At 10:53 p.m., an officer found two students smoking marijuana in their car in parking lot 62. The two students were cited for possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

Nov. 16 At 12:12 a.m., a student called to report that a student was attempting suicide at Cowden Hall. NAUPD, GMT and FFD responded and located the student. The student was transported to the FMC for treatment, and a counselor was notified.

Compiled by Adrian Skabelund people loitering outside the entrance of Sechrist Hall.

NAUPD responded. The individuals were waiting for the Arizona Shuttle. They were given a ride to the correct shuttle location.

Nov. 21 At 11:30 p.m., one NAUPD officer cited three students, one for possession and use of marijuana, one for possession of drug paraphernalia and use of marijuana, and a third for the use of marijuana at the At 1:26 p.m., staff called Skyview parking garage. to report that a student was bitten by a squirrel outside Nov. 22 Skyview Apartments. Three At 6:15 a.m., a member NAUPD officers attempted to of the custodial staff reported contact the student but were a fire extinguisher had been unsuccessful. NAUPD left the used outside McConnell Hall. student a message.

NAUPD searched the area but found nothing unusual.

Nov. 18 At 1:25 a.m., a student Thanksgiving reported a verbal argument in At 10:51 p.m., NAUPD the McConnell Hall parking assisted FPD with an assault lot. University Safety Aides on Milton Road. and NAUPD responded to the area and NAUPD later Nov. 24 stopped a vehicle involved in At 7:19 a.m., an NAUPD the argument that was also officer reported finding a stray suspected of DUI. fire extinguisher in lot 63. The fire extinguisher was brought Nov. 19 to the station for safekeeping.

At 3:08 p.m., an RA in McConnell Hall reported Nov. 25 that students had thrown eggs At 9:51 p.m., NAUPD through a window. NAUPD issued a warning to a vehicle responded and gathered for driving in the bike lane information on the incident. near the intersection of San No property was damaged, and Francisco Street and Franklin no criminal activity was seen.

Avenue.

At 5:27 p.m., a student called to report the theft of their keys, NAU ID, driver’s license and debit card from the Nov. 20 HLC. A report was taken, but At 10:51 a.m., a staff the case was closed. member at Rolle Activity Center called to report a At 9:45 p.m., a student student sleeping in the gym. reported that a non-student NAUPD responded and found was acting aggressively outside that the student was between the University Union. NAUPD classes and was just taking a responded and informed the nap. Everything was fine. non-student about trespassing on campus.

At 5:44 p.m., a student called to report a number of

Nov. 26 At 10:38 a.m., a staff member in the DuBois Center called to report a dog on campus. NAUPD located the canine and brought it to the animal shelter. Later that day, a non-student came in to NAUPD headquarters looking for her dog. NAUPD helped her get in contact with the Humane Society.

NOV. 30, 2017 – DEC. 6, 2017 | THE LUMBERJACK 3

NEWS

Many classes were canceled and others had optional attendance around campus Nov. 22, the day before Thanksgiving break. Aaron Fortin| The Lumberjack

Ditching classes before break Jessie Russell

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s people try to get home during the holiday season, many students must decide when they want to leave to spend time with their families and what classes to skip. This is often determined by the attendance requirement of their classes.

While some students have tests given the day before holiday breaks, like the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, others have no attendance requirement on those days.

According to section 2.10 of NAU’s Human Resources Policy Manual, “Under certain conditions, including weatherrelated conditions, it may become necessary to cancel classes or close the campus(es) of NAU. The NAU President or his/her designee may declare a cancellation of classes and/or partial or full university closure.”

“The Wednesday of Thanksgiving week is a regular work day, and there is no policy related to this day,” said NAU spokesperson Kimberly Ott. Without an official declaration from NAU’s president, classes and university business will continue.

There are several classes that do not count attendance the Wednesday before Thanksgiving or offer optional in-class assignments. The most common form of optional work is making the class that day worth extra credit so that students who miss the class don’t have their grades lowered, while those who stay benefit.

Chemistry lecturer Brannon McCullough has an extracredit stance on attendance the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.

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“If you have to leave, I treat participation as extra credit, and I’ll post a video for [students] to review on [their] own time,” said McCullough.

It is required, nonetheless, that faculty still have class.

“The only way I can cancel a class is if I’m sick and unable to come, but even then, I should absolutely try to come if possible,” McCullough said. “The reason is because you’re paying for these classes, and the way you can think about it is a movie ticket.

If you pay for these lectures, that cost a lot more than a movie ticket, it’s important for me to be able to provide what you’re paying for, so I feel obligated to be here.”

While the official policy says only the university can cancel class, many tenured professors often cancel classes just before a holiday. Multiple students from across campus reported that their professors cancelled classes Wednesday before Thanksgiving.

Rather than just a professor’s tenure being a deciding factor in whether they will cancel a class, it seems that an instructor’s department and type of class determines if the instructor will need to enforce attendance.

Some departments, such as the math department, cannot afford to have any days off.

“Even if you look at the tenured professors’ classes, [what] the math department is known for [is] we just don’t cancel classes,” said math instructor Sarah Watson. “There’s so much to go over. So we’ll definitely be moving on. The worst that you would miss would be a quiz.”

If students want to leave early during the week, before

Wednesday classes, they also have the option of working ahead and turning their work in early.

“You can turn [an assignment] in early if you want, but since I’m staying here, I might as well not do that. If I buckled down and gave up some of my free time to get my work done early, yeah, I could leave before Wednesday,” said junior electrical engineering major Jayde Mariano.

If an instructor decides to have a test on Wednesday, students who don’t skip it are forced to stay as late as that class goes or until they finish the test. With no official cancellation from NAU, students must decide how they want to divide their coursework and when they want to leave for break.

“It’s against university policy to cancel,” said Michael Leverington, lecture of informatics, computing and cyber systems.

Leverington understands this policy, adding that he cannot afford to not teach on Wednesday.

“If I could have class for several hours in a day, I would.

There’s a lot of material I don’t have time to go over in class,” Leverington said.

Overall, faculty tend to believe that, because students are paying for courses, faculty should deliver to their fullest ability.

All faculty must abide by NAU policy of not canceling classes, but how instructors handle their attendance during the week before a break like Thanksgiving varies. Factors that affect this variation are the department the class is in, the overall course material and the density of course material.

NOV. 30, 2017 – DEC. 6, 2017 | THE LUMBERJACK 5

NEWS

Flagstaff’s reclaimed water reaffirmed safe Tiera Oliver

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n 2012, a study conducted by Virginia Tech found the reclaimed water in Flagstaff contained contaminants. The water was tested by a panel of experts complied by the city and the water was declared safe in 2013. That panel just recently reaffirmed that the water is safe.

Antibiotic Resistant Genes (ARGs) are not regulated by the state or the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and were unknown to city officials. The expert panel was assembled by the city manager in 2013 and consisted of state, local and nationally recognized scientists. The report stated that ARGs could be potentially dangerous to human health.

The expert panel tested the water in 2013 and deemed it safe.

They tested it again in early November 2017.

Although ARGs are technically not regulated by state or federal entities, the City of Flagstaff gathered the panel to ensure the safety of the city’s water. Because the city was not familiar with the impacts of human health that this concern posed, the city had their water tested in 2013 by the same panel of experts who deemed the water safe. The water was recently tested again at the beginning of November, and it is regularly tested by the city as the state and EPA requires.

The panel was testing the city’s wastewater as well as researching the ARGs and bacteria in the city’s water system.

On the board of the expert panel sits Virginia Tech environmental engineering professor Amy Pruden, who said that she sees nothing wrong with the quality of Flagstaff reclaimed water so there are no reasons we should be worried about using it.

Another panel member Jean McLain, an associate director at the University of Arizona’s Water Resources Research Center, said that after testing Flagstaff’s water multiple times, the water proves to be of better quality than other cities that were tested by looking at the living bacteria.

The expert panel, which concluded after their testing earlier this month, found that there are not any current threats to Flagstaff’s reclaimed wastewater and the water quality is not of any concern.

“The city meets all state and EPA water quality regulations pertaining to reclaimed water and have no concern over the quality of our reclaimed water,” said Bradley Hill, Flagstaff Water Services R.G. Director and Hydrologist.

Historically, the City of Flagstaff collects its water from two different resources throughout the state of Arizona. One is Wildcat Hill in east Flagstaff, which previously produced reclaimed water of a Class B quality. Wildcat Hill underwent major reconstruction in 2009 that cost the state an estimated $30 million. It now produces a reclaimed water quality of Class A+. The other source of the city’s water comes from the Rio Water Reclamation Plant, in central Flagstaff between Butler Avenue and Interstate 40 that has always produced Class A+ quality water. The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality regulates reclaimed water in the state and ranks water qualities from C to A+.

Class A+ quality is considered the highest quality of water in the state of Arizona, whereas Class B water quality is the

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Valves at the Rio Water Reclamation Plant Nov. 28 can release mass amounts water from holding tanks or other parts of the facility.

Devyn Coons | The Lumberjack

historically produced water quality that was previously used before the state’s upgrade on Wildcat Hill.

Besides the expert panel and recent water testing, the city has taken other steps to ensure the safety of Flagstaff’s water. The city manager and Flagstaff Water Services recently reviewed several years’ worth of water samples and looked at constituents are not regulated by the state and EPA. The city looked at unregulated Compounds of Emerging Concern (CECs) to make sure the city could be a step ahead of any problems that could emerge.

Looking at the water in 20 locations around the city between 2010 to 2015, each sample was reviewed three times in search of approximately 95 different CECs.

The panel did find a number of compounds detected, but they were not CECs. “The presence of antibiotic resistant genes doesn’t mean Flagstaff’s drinking water or reclaimed wastewater is crawling with dangerous antibiotic-resistant bacteria,” said Jolene Bowers, a research assistant professor at TGen, a nonprofit testing institution in genomic research. “The material detected could be inside dead bacteria or bacteria that aren’t pathogenic or could be free-floating DNA not associated with any organism.”

According to the Hill, the city currently has no concerns over the quality of the reclaimed water and all testing regulations are up to date.

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OPINION-EDITORIAL

Cell phones: the bare necessity Tanner Duarte

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here seems to be a stigma that revolves specifically around millennials and Generation Z that claims use of cellular devices has become an addiction. The truth is, cell phones have become more of a necessity today than an addiction.

Cell phones aren’t used solely for texting, sending pictures and playing games. Nowadays, they’re the fastest method of communication and are useful for providing directions, answering questions and can be crucial in emergencies.

Being able to quickly access one’s phone and dial 911 as a bystander to a severe car accident is a privilege that wasn’t available 20 years ago.

It especially doesn’t hurt to be able to call a babysitter last minute or look up directions to the local hospital.

In addition to individual use of cell phones, the little devices also make money. The growing amount of advertisements on social media have

proven to be extremely lucrative, which is good for the economy. According to Forbes, “In 2015 alone, brands worldwide spent over $23 billion on social media promotion.”

It’s inevitable that those numbers will continue to grow along with those businesses’ profit margins. A great amount of this social-media work is typically done on cell phones.

Many would argue that people who use cell phones excessively, specifically teenagers, have a high chance of becoming addicted.

According to an article

by PsychGuides, “Teens are extremely vulnerable to developing a cellphone addiction. The Illustration By Ariana Hauglid human brain isn’t fully

developed until about 25 years of age. Adolescents who become dependent on their smartphones could experience negative alterations in brain development.”

Although this may be true to a certain extent, the problem is that cell phones have become a necessity. Many children now grow up with technology, which makes it difficult for kids to separate from their phones in adulthood.

With today’s education system being highly influenced by technology, it’s become vital to have a cell phone in or outside of class. Not everybody has access to a computer, and teenagers and adolescents are expected to have a cell phone, especially in the college-level classroom.

The point is that older generations shouldn’t constantly criticize and degrade younger people for using cell phones.

Discrediting all the advancements and advantages cell phones come with would ultimately take away people’s ability to efficiently respond to emergencies, classroom discussions or acquire directions.

The use of cell phones shouldn’t be classified as a horrible addiction gripping younger generations by the throat. Instead, it should be seen more as an advantage, which has granted capabilities that generations before never imagined possible.

Consent requests should be required LIA MARTINEZ

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wareness about consent is increasing like never before.

People are becoming more informed about sexual assaults done by strangers, but what about sexual violence from spouses or a romantic partner?

Some people believe they have a right to another person’s body because they are in a relationship. Those people think they’re owed sex from their partner whenever they want. Being in a relationship means consent still needs to be given every time.

Consent must always be given, whether it’s in marriage, dating or a casual hookup.

The sad thing is that rape in marriage wasn’t considered illegal in the United States until approximately 1979 when laws were beginning to change around marital rape. Before, if a wife denied her husband sexual activity, he was able to force himself on her with impunity. This was called the marital rape exemption, and it made reporting assault to police nearly impossible.

A husband does not own his wife’s body. A wife does not own her husband’s body. A romantic partner is not entitled to sex from their partner. Consent needs to be given every time no matter the relationship with the other person. Both parties need

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to give active, uncoerced consent.

Uncoerced sex means no guilt tripping, no manipulation, pressuring or gas lighting.

Gas lighting is an abuse tactic used to make a victim question their sanity and perception of the mistreatment they suffer at the hands of their abusers, and it is often used by abusive romantic partners to excuse and minimize their behavior.

Getting mad at one’s partner for saying no to sex can be manipulation.

Making one’s partner believe they’re silly for feeling violated is gas lighting. Pressuring one’s partner to perform a sexual act they aren’t comfortable with, is wrong.

If someone isn’t ready or doesn’t want to have sex, they shouldn’t be made to, not even in a relationship.

Asking for consent doesn’t have to be weird either. Building a foundation of trust in a relationship

is important, and, after a while, consent will be less awkward and more natural between partners. Boundaries are important, so make sure they are followed. If boundaries haven’t been set, then set them.

In a healthy relationship, it’s important to respect each other and each other’s bodies.

Sometimes the other person isn’t feeling it at that moment, and that’s OK. It’s important to communicate in any relationship, and that means asking and not assuming anything.

Your partner doesn’t owe you sex.

No one does.

Illustration By Kaleb Kirsop

OPINION-EDITORIAL

Skinny Shaming Trump tweets, often overlooked but should he?

The skinny girl is left to sulk in her own insecurity often not being able to confide in ’ve always been a fairly skinny girl. As a kid, others without being labeled as shallow. The people would constantly point out how result of this is self-esteem issues, which could thin and lanky I was, thinking it wouldn’t last a lifetime. be offensive to me. And it wasn’t — then. At Making someone feel bad about themselves the time, I was too young to care what size my for their weight is wrong. It doesn’t matter if body was. they’re overweight or underweight. Telling In fact, I didn’t care until I reached my someone they are too skinny is just as bad as freshman year of high school, when people telling someone were not afraid to tell me how much prettier I they are too fat. would be if I gained weight or how my lack of For many, it has a big butt caused me to resemble a young boy. the same crippling Over time, these effect on their comments became more self-confidence. It and more detrimental to makes getting up my self-esteem. I began in the morning to see what everyone else and getting was seeing. I couldn’t dressed a lot look at my undeniably harder. It makes small thighs without feeling beautiful almost impossible. wanting to throw up.

Body shaming is wrong on both I began to resent the sides of the spectrum. flat stomach that I If someone feels healthy and confident, once took pride in. the size of their body shouldn’t matter. In My narrow hips the United States, the perfect body is weren’t exactly a almost unobtainable. Beauty is in the sight for sore eyes. extraordinarily small waist paired with I was no longer a big butt and thighs. Beauty is “slim Illustration By Dominic Davies happy with my own thick.” Any other body type needs work, body. and society will not hold back on saying I started to believe everyone who said I so. was too skinny or that I “looked like a seventh The question is: Why? grader.” Apart from feeling hurt and insecure, I Why are people so fixated on what other felt confused. I wondered why people were so people’s bodies look like? One person’s body concerned with my body. shape has absolutely no affect on anyone’s life Why does it matter how much I, or but their own. If I am too skinny, I should be anyone else, weighs? Why is it OK for someone the only person who is concerned with that. to blatantly tell me that I am too skinny while Nobody needs their neighbor, their classmate completely disregarding how I would feel about or their mom’s boyfriend to tell them what is it? wrong with their body. Nobody needs to be A common misconception is that telling reminded on a daily basis how they supposedly someone they are too small or skinny is not don’t fit society’s beauty standards. hurtful. Body shaming only seems to exist when The simple solution to this problem is for referring to bigger people, despite the fact that everyone to mind their own business. It doesn’t everyone is susceptible to feeling self-conscious matter if someone is considered by someone about their weight. Society dismisses insults else to be too fat, too skinny, too tall or too toward skinny girls without ever thinking about short. If someone is happy with their body, the battle they face when they get home and there is no reason why anyone else should have look in the mirror. a problem with it.

PEGGY PACKER

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Caitlin Burke

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t this point, the president of the United States has shown, on many occasions, that he is not mature enough to manage his own Twitter account.

President Donald Trump recently tweeted a response to Kim Jong-un, supreme leader of North Korea, who called him old. Trump wrote, “Why would Kim Jong-un insult me by calling me ‘old,’ when I would NEVER call him ‘short and fat?’ Oh well, I try so hard to be his friend — and maybe someday that will happen!”

The sarcastic jab at the Communist leader via social media is not something I find myself being proud of my president for saying. This is not the first time Trump has made questionable posts on Twitter. This tweet makes me wonder why a White House social media press assistant has not taken over the presidential Twitter account.

Surely, the White House ought to employ at least one professional more qualified than Trump to tweet according to his wishes. Perhaps this employee would rework Trump’s thoughts more responsibly and eloquently so as to better reflect the nation’s highest office.

I personally find Trump’s tweets an embarrassment to the U.S. For more disturbing and unsettling context, the president also has tweets encouraging more foreignrelation turmoil.

Trump has referred to Kim Jong-un as “little rocket man” and said North Korea possibly “won’t be around much longer.”

To this, the North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho responded two days later stating that the tweet was a declaration of war. The U.S. government then promptly issued a statement saying they have not declared war on North Korea.

I distinctly

remember being on Twitter during this time and seeing the public’s response to the president’s inflammatory words. Viral tweets joked about how fellow U.S. citizens may not be alive tomorrow due to impending nuclear war, so why not tell your crush he’s cute? It was a humorous attempt to turn a bad thing into something lighthearted, but I could barely laugh because I was feeling so anxious. The fear of nuclear war is very real and becoming more of a reality with every passing tweet.

At the very least, if Trump’s tweets are going to be as serious as being mistaken for a declaration of nuclear war, he should be required to run his rough-draft tweets through Congress as a form of disaster prevention.

Especially considering the severity the U.S. has seen from the tweets thus far.

Even celebrities like Adele have people managing their Twitter account in an effort to maintain their reputation. Adele is a fabulous singer, but she’s nowhere near the power level of the president. Yet she still has taken the extra step of precaution to protect her image through social media. That says a lot.

Trump’s image is many things. It may not be all pleasant, but Trump’s image now reflects the U.S. as a whole. He should act accordingly to maintain a respected image in the eyes of foreign leaders watching, or rather, the foreign leaders he directly offends in his tweets.

The president of the U.S. has many duties and required traits, such as responsibility and maturity. From what I’ve seen in Trump’s tweets, he lacks both those qualities. This is detrimental to the wellbeing of the U.S., as it has deemed a threat to countries imposing nuclear war. I personally don’t take this lightly, but I guess it doesn’t scare Trump as he will likely tweet offensively time and time again.

Trump represents the leader of the free world and, symbolically, the attitudes and beliefs of the nation. It’s time he, or someone else, showed it.

Illustration By Colton Starley

NOV. 30, 2017 – DEC. 6, 2017 | THE LUMBERJACK 11

FEATURES

Dr. Amber Belt’s bookshelf at Aspen Integrative Medical Center is filled with books on herbal medicine Nov. 28. The medical center offers naturopathic treatments for cancer patients.

Shannon Swain | The Lumberjack

Holistic cancer care in the heart of Flagstaff Zara Glidden

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n a recent weekday morning, the front office of Aspen Integrative Medical Center bustled with the comings and goings of nurses, doctors and patients. The center occupies a modest suite in downtown Flagstaff and offers a brand of medical specialization that is rare in the country.

The facility opened as a medical center offering comprehensive naturopathic healthcare to northern Arizona July 31. Providing a range of services, the center stands out for its specialization in cancer care. Board-certified naturopathic oncologist Dr. Dan Rubin has practiced for 20 years in Phoenix but moved his permanent practice to Flagstaff when the new facility opened. For people with cancer, Rubin and Aspen Integrative offer treatments specifically tailored to combat cancer that include IV therapy, natural supplementation and personalized lifestyle consultation.

A naturopathic doctor is a general practitioner who specializes in natural medicine.

“Flagstaff people are interested in this medicine, and they had no general access to somebody of our skill level,” said Rubin.

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The cancer care Rubin provides is unique in integrating natural therapies, but, in most cases, it is meant to go hand in hand with conventional treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. While some patients opt for natural medicine instead of conventional, others are unable to undergo standard procedure for physical reasons.

In these cases, Rubin and his associates work with other medical doctors and encourage patients to combine approaches.

“The majority of patients we see are doing integrative therapy,” Rubin said. “They may be getting surgery, they may be doing chemotherapy, radiation or some other kind of biological drug, and coming here either for support during this to ease the burden of side effects or to promote the efficacy of the drug.”

Rubin believes naturopathic oncology can be highly effective at preventing or keeping tumors stable. Sometimes, in more severe situations, conventional medical treatments are necessary to treat tumors. Such treatments can be hard on the body and are accompanied by serious side effects, which is where integrative naturopathic treatment can come in.

“We’re mutually respecting those treatments. The patient can get rapid kill [of cancer cells], and they can feel good doing

it,” Rubin said.

Since practicing in Flagstaff, Rubin has prioritized strong communication with medical oncology providers in the area.

Jodie Stark, a nurse at Arizona Oncology’s Flagstaff location, noted that Rubin is the first naturopathic doctor she has personally known and worked with.

“It’s nice to have a place to refer our patients to,” said Stark. “A lot of patients want the natural, holistic side-effect management.”

Conventional-medical treatments often focus solely on killing tumors, and they incorporate minimal aftercare. This is where Aspen Integrative’s attention to holistic health is beneficial to patients by providing a layer of support for people as they heal.

Stark added that all the nurses in her office have Rubin’s email and personal phone number. This emphasis on corresponding medical and natural treatments is a new idea to some, and the doctors at Aspen Integrative often find themselves dispelling patient misconceptions.

Rachel Verlander, the operations manager at Naturopathic Specialists, LLC, believes that one wrong misconception about treatment is that a patient must choose one kind of cancer care

FEATURES or another.

“They think that it is an either-or type of decision — that you either have to decide to do surgery or radiation, or choose the more holistic approach to your cancer diagnosis,” said Verlander.

“They don’t understand there is a way to safely, intelligently and ethically merge the two.”

Holistic medicine continues to grow as a prevalent practice along with naturopathic oncology. Rubin has personally contributed to the growth of naturopathic oncology in the United States.

After becoming a naturopathic doctor, Rubin became deeply invested in the study and treatment of cancer and longed for a means to legally specialize in oncology. As a naturopathic physician who focused entirely on patients with this diagnosis, he wanted a way that he and physicians could be distinguished from other naturopathic doctors and to help people with cancer find a qualified physician.

“My true belief is that the ability for naturopathic medicine to survive as a profession lies in specialization,” Rubin said.

“Not just people that have a focus or interest but that have true, recognized, vetted, third-party-tested specialty.”

In 2004, Rubin was the founding president of the Oncology Association of Naturopathic Physicians. Created to establish standardization and a legal certification process for holistic oncology, this association was launched with only a handful of members. Today, it has the second largest membership within naturopathic medical organizations and has certified more than 100 naturopathic oncologists.

Through this organization, Rubin received the first specialty certificate from the Arizona Naturopathic Medical Board that he helped create. Rubin is the only certified oncologist at Aspen Integrative, but the other doctors are close associates and well versed in the treatments he administers for patients with cancer.

Dr. Amber Belt, naturopathic physician at the center and a longtime practitioner in Flagstaff, occasionally assists Rubin.

“Usually, post-treatment patients struggle with a variety of things, whether that be side effects from treatment, or they just need to get their system cleaned up a little bit because they’ve been hit with a lot of stuff,” said Belt.

Aspen Integrative provides a number of treatments for people with cancer including nutritional supplements, ozone therapy and IV vitamin-C therapy. These treatments have been beneficial in treating tumors, however, each patient’s situation is different. Acknowledging this notion, Rubin takes note of the factors that play into a person’s cancer diagnosis and will treat patients in a way that is appropriate to their circumstances.

“The real elegance is in our interpretation of a person’s physiology,” Rubin said. “I may have a person with breast cancer, and they may be labeled as a stage three, but that person’s journey to get that breast cancer — their genomics, or their genetic makeup, their epigenetics, their environment and their story are different. It’s incredibly personal.”

After addressing diagnosis, needs and wishes, Rubin writes a personalized instruction manual for each person he treats.

This details their path toward healing and emphasizes diet and exercise in addition to medical treatments.

Though building a practice in a new place can take time and patience, Rubin and other doctors at Aspen Integrative believe that what they offer is something that will benefit a large number of people in northern Arizona.

Top: Aspen Integrative Medical Center offers IV supplement treatments tailored to individuals’ conditions. The medical center specializes in naturopathic treatments such as nutritional supplements and IV vitamin-C therapy Nov. 28.

Bottom: IV supplements are prepared for patients at the facility. Another treatment includes ozone therapy to increase the amount of oxygen in the body Nov. 28. Shannon Swain | The Lumberjack

NOV. 30, 2017 – DEC. 6, 2017 | THE LUMBERJACK 13

FEATURES

Make kindness normal: Stop bullying Mikayla Shoup

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ullying happens in schools nationwide and has been a concern in households and school halls for decades. In the United States, 28 percent of kids in grade six through 12 have been bullied. According to the American Society for the Positive Care of Children, 70.6 percent of students have seen bullying happen in their school.

Bullying can happen anywhere, and Flagstaff’s education system is no exception.

Bullying can take on many forms, including name calling, spreading rumors, posting hurtful or untrue things on social media or — in extreme cases — physical abuse. It is important to be able to distinguish between bullying and just being mean.

“True bullying, in my mind, is a repeated harassment so to speak, whether it’s physical or verbal,” said Sinagua Middle School principal Tari Popham. “If the student feels unsafe, like they could be injured, or it makes them fear, [that is bullying].”

The Flagstaff Unified School District (FUSD) has a discipline matrix that all middle schools and high schools in the district must follow. For a first offense, the school usually tries to mediate the situation by talking with each student individually and getting parents involved. For a second offense, the school will fill out a police report, and there could be discipline for the bully both in and out of school, depending on the offense. For a third offense, the school will place charges against the student and they may be transferred to another school or expelled from FUSD. At Flagstaff High School (FHS), most incidences of bullying are reported so the school can work to resolve the issue. Many times, this report will come from a concerned friend or family member, but students do report personal incidences of bullying as well.

“I think we’ve done a good job in our school to say that the school counseling office is a safe place for you to go, which is why I think a lot of friends come down and say, ‘I’m worried about my friend,’” said FHS counselor Katherine Pastor.

Pastor has been a counselor at FHS for 13 years and was named School Counselor of the Year by the American School Counselor Association in 2016.

Overall, the students at FHS have created a safe and inclusive environment. Pastor noted that students from minority communities feel safe, and hate crimes are nonexistent. She has also never seen an incident where students with disabilities were bullied in the 13 years she has been at the school.

“I just think that, by the time you get into high school, some maturity has happened. And we’re working with young adults now, so we’re trying to teach them appropriate responses and, number one, how to talk to one another in a respectful manner,” Pastor said.

Another form of bullying is cyberbullying, which takes place through text messages or social media.

“I would say [cyberbullying] is probably the biggest one right now and the hardest to control,” Popham said.

When cyberbullying occurs at school, schools are able to get administration involved and deal with it like any other incident of bullying. It can be difficult, however, to combat cyberbullying because it often takes place outside of school. Sometimes, students will take screenshots of social media posts and show them to school counselors. Then, the administration is able to confront the student about the situation.

The effects that bullying have on children range from causing short-term to long-term problems depending on how the student deals with the situation. Pastor has seen that, if a student can realize the bully is the one who has the issue, it can be helpful for the person being bullied to deal with the situation.

If people have healthy coping mechanisms and a strong support network, it can be easier to deal with being bullied. If they do not, it can lead to depression, anxiety and even suicidal thoughts.

Bullying can also cause other issues like missing class, which can affect grades. It can affect a student’s wellbeing by forcing them to live in fear.

“It’s a psychological thing that’s very, very dangerous. Kids feel unsafe. And when you don’t feel safe, you can’t function in an environment. That’s not OK,” Popham said.

Cameron McCord, a third grade teacher at Killip Elementary School, said that, although kids are sometimes pushed around on the playground, the most common form of bullying that he sees

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Photo Illustration By Shelbie Smithson

in elementary schools is verbal.

McCord also has experience as an elementary school counselor, and it has helped him become more able to combat bullying.

“I spend a lot of time in the classroom focusing on the idea that we’re a team. We’re a community, and we’re only as strong as a team. So, we all have an obligation to see one another feel good and successful and safe here at school,” said McCord.

McCord noted that disciplining bullies with a heavy hand is not effective. Many times, students who bully others receive this kind of treatment at home, and bullying is sometimes a response to that. He said that a positive-development support system and teaching kids how to appropriately communicate is a more successful approach. Another way to combat bullying is by teaching kids to stand up for themselves and others.

“There’s only so much the adults in the building can do, you know? We can lay down this kind of framework that says, ‘This is what bullying is, this is how to recognize it,’ but ultimately, you have to teach kids how to recognize that and how to combat it themselves,” McCord said.

This is true for secondary education as well. FHS has a Link Leadership program that trains a group of juniors and seniors to be mentors for freshmen. These students will run workshops to teach younger students about healthy relationships, healthy communication skills and how to recognize and prevent bullying. FHS also has Kindness Thursdays, and students will wear shirts that read “Make Kindness Normal,” which helps promote a positive environment at the school.

“We do a lot of talking with the students on what is appropriate and what is not, and I think sometimes that’s definitely helpful as far as you can be preventative on that,” Pastor said.

No matter the age group, combating bullying may not be with fists but by teaching students about positivity and equality from the classroom to the schoolyard.

NOV. 30, 2017 – DEC. 6, 2017 | THE LUMBERJACK 15

CULTURE

Black Louie The Lumberjack Denied Aliyah Humphrey

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ouie the Lumberjack mascot has long been an integral part of NAU’s events and culture on campus, however, some feel that he does not accurately portray history or the campus’ current population.

For homecoming 2017, members of the Black Student Union (BSU) Homecoming Committee voted to create a design featuring a black Louie the Lumberjack to represent Flagstaff’s local black history. When the BSU approached a T-shirt company with their design, however, they were told it violated NAU design code.

“They said that because we were altering the NAU logo that it was a violation of some code,” said Tiffany Onyenagubo, senior criminal justice major and president of BSU. “I honestly feel that changing the Lumberjack skin color should not be considered something that is a violation. So what if the Lumberjack is black?”

Out of 31,057 undergraduate students, 1,067 are black, which is 3.4 percent of the student population, according to 2017 NAU Institutional Research and Analysis data.

Onyenagubo explained that she believes it is also important to educate NAU and Flagstaff on the local black history.

“A lot of people do not realize that the original lumberjacks of Flagstaff were actually black men,” Onyenagubo said. “A lot of black families came to Flagstaff in the mid-1800s to find better lives for their families. Many of these men were actually children of slaves.”

Ethnic studies professor Frederick Gooding Jr. explained that black families moved to Flagstaff after World War II to seek financial relief from the economic depression of the South. “[Families came here in the] 1940s for jobs and stability — the depressed Southern economy largely offered prospective careers in either agricultural or domestic jobs,” said Gooding.

After sending in the new logo to be printed by the graphic T-shirt company Custom Design, Onyenagubo received a message from the company saying, “We do not allow colors within our marks to be altered in any way (substituted, omitted, added, faded, etc.). Please refer to the official art sheet for NAU and replace selected logos with marks exactly as they appear on the art sheet.”

The sheet that Custom Design mentioned

NAU marketing prohibited the use of the Black Student Union’s black Lumberjack design.

Courtesy of the Black Student Union

is a color template created by NAU’s trademark licensing program. The NAU Trademark Licensing Program website explains the mission and purpose of the department.

“Northern Arizona University’s Trademark Licensing Program exists to protect and promote the indicia (name, logos, graphics, marks, etc.) owned by Northern Arizona University,” according to the webpage. “The goal is to ensure proper use and application of Northern Arizona University trademarks, to strengthen relationships with retailers, licensees, campus units, student organizations, alumni and fans, and to generate revenue that funds various campus programs and facilities.”

Trademark and Licensing at NAU explains the requirements on the design’s color palette.

“The university color palette has two parts: The Institutional Palette and the Secondary Palette. Combining these colors with the proper order of dominance establishes the core university brand,” stated NAU’s Trademark and Licensing website.

The Institutional Palette consists of NAU’s primary school colors: True Blue and NAU Gold. The secondary palette are the background colors or specialized colors NAU uses for larger print content or for an audience that is more familiar with NAU’s brand. These colors have specific coloration standards and cannot be manipulated from these exact hues, for the purposes of university logo use.

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“Per the NAU Trademark & Licensing Policy, trademarks may not be altered in any way,” said Adam Ojeda, the manager of Trademark and Licensing, in an email to clarify the website’s statement.

Other student clubs’ and organizations’ designs have been denied because of trademark and licensing policies, Ojeda said.

“These rules apply to anyone requesting to use University trademarks, not just student groups on campus,” Ojeda wrote in an email.

“In one instance, the licensee manipulated Louie’s shirt to be camoflauge. Even though it was still in school colors, and it had great potential to resonate with the consumer, it was denied as original trademarks had been altered.

The second showcases a licensee attempting to use the axe logo in a fashion color (pink). Again, even though the item may have seen commercial success, the art was denied as it violated our policy on altering trademarks.”

The university’s policy does not specifically trademark colors, however, the logo itself is trademarked, which includes specific hues. The only designated hue for Louie the Lumberjack’s “skin tone” is PMS 712, a color that represents a caucasian skin tone. This hue is not on the university color palette, yet remains a part of the Louie logo.

President Rita Cheng supported that policy.

“I haven’t been involved with this conversation, but I say no to any variation of

our logo and I’ve done that frequently,” said President Rita Cheng. “The logo that you have is to be protected. Once you let that change, then other people can use your logo without paying for licensing.”

Erin Engelmann, design manager for NAU marketing, said as of now, there are no future plans to implement a skin tone range to the Louie the Lumberjack, although she is not opposed to the idea.

“If it’s something that’s decided by the university ... once you establish that, it isn’t really changed,” said Engelmann.

With the university’s growth, the rich history of Flagstaff can go unnoticed or be forgotten.

Ethnic studies professor Ricardo Guthrie said that the neighborhoods in Southside have been the most racially and ethnically diverse throughout time.

“And they still are,” said Guthrie, “because of the continuing legacy of segregation — which restricted African American, Mexican American, and Latino sawmill and railroad workers to living below Route 66 during most of Flagstaff’s history. Yet it was the most vibrant part of the city during segregation because the restaurants, night clubs, entertainment, housing, and jobs were most plentiful, and most open to all races and ethnicities.”

BSU students believe a black Lumberjack would remind the NAU campus of Flagstaff’s history.

“It is interesting and I didn’t know about the history,” Cheng said.

When asked about their knowledge of black history in Flagstaff, many students did not know that Flagstaff had this historical significance.

“That sucks that no one knows all of the important work that black people have done for Flagstaff,” said sophomore civil engineering major Clarresse Greene.

Despite NAU’s decision to keep Louie the Lumberjack white, the BSU intends to continue challenging that policy. They also plan to educate NAU students and community members about the black history of Flagstaff and how important it is for this history to be recognized.

“We’re not giving up just yet,” Onyenagubo said. “Even if we only reach the people within our club, I feel that is still a big step in the right direction to acknowledge all of the hard work the black community has done for the city of Flagstaff.”

Additional reporting by Katie Sawyer.

CULTURE

LIVE AT THE KJACK ARTS FEST

Top Left: Seth Terrell of Tiny Bird performs at the Orpheum Theater for the KJACK Live Arts Festival Nov. 16. Bottom Left: Julia Hagen and Sean Golightly of The Canaries perform at the Live Arts Fest Nov 16. Shannon Swain | The Lumberjack Bottom Middle: Olivia Booth of The Canaries sings backup vocals at the Orpheum in downtown Flagstaff. Bottom Right: Gabriel Vanross, the lead singer of A Band Called Sports sings on stage Nov. 16. Top Right: Known for their smooth blues and grooves, local band Four Cornered Room brings their psychedelic vibes to the Orpheum for the Live Arts Fest Nov. 16. Shannon Cowan | The Lumberjack

NOV. 30, 2017 – DEC. 6, 2017 | THE LUMBERJACK 17

CULTURE

King John, played by Keegan Hughes, lies in the arms of Bastard, performed by Sera Young, during the NAU Department of Theatre’s performance of King John.

Photo courtesy of NAU Department of Theatre

Blood bath at King John: a review Maryann Witt

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or centuries, the works of Shakespeare have found themselves on stages around the globe. NAU’s Department of Theatre joined in on the age-old tradition Nov. 17 with the performance of King John.

NAU Theatre has attempted to replicate Shakespearean shows for the past two years.

In fall 2016, NAU theatre students performed Henry V with much success, and King John was no different. Held in the smaller Studio Theatre, the play had an intimate feel. This lended itself well to the intensity of the show. King John is a violent and emotional performance that is not suitable for a family night out.

In a note located on the back of the show’s program, director Christina Gutierrez-Dennehy wrote, “As Shakespeare presents it, King John’s

is a world of instability, unpredictability and, above all, of violence … Their reactions, often rash and violent, come from self-preservation more than from a sense of justice or nobility.”

Violence in theatrical performances is a part of the artform, but how far is too far? In the show, there were gruesome scenes that depicted death in very real, tangible ways. Although theater as Shakespeare intended it is not a lighthearted affair, the way death was portrayed in the show almost seemed to mock life.

“I am well aware that much of this play will be hard to watch, particularly given repeated episodes of violence in our own world. I do not stage any of it lightly,” wrote Gutierrez-Dennehy in the program.

Although the harsh parts of the play may have been slightly distasteful, the actors’ performances were beautifully articulated.

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Keegan Hughes, playing King John, conducted himself in a manner that made the audience forget they were in the 21st Century.

Last season, Hughes embodied the role of Peter Pan in the show Peter and the Starcatcher.

To go from a role depicting a child to one of such seriousness shows depth as an actor, and Hughes definitely showed his versatility. During fight scenes, Hughes’ choreographed fights were accurate and skilled enough to keep the audience from feeling as though it was staged.

Alongside Hughes, Sonja Usher mastered her part in the role of Constance. The raw emotion of Usher’s character broke my heart, and I can imagine I was not alone.

Not all the roles were done in such a professional manner, however. GutierrezDennehy chose to cast a woman, Autumn Shorts, as the role of Arthur, a young boy who is being

fought over. While the move on the director’s part was one that, in moments, was rewarding, others were not as engaging. During the second act, Shorts seemed to have trouble with recalling her lines. Though the rest of her performance was sound, this mistake must have made some audience members question whether the actress was prepared enough for the collegiate stage.

This mistake is surprising considering the cast began rehearsals in September.

Although there were small mistakes, the show maintained depth and meaning and left attendees contemplating the brevity of life as well as the importance of good leadership.

Shows are set to continue with both evening and matinee performances held in the Studio Theatre through Dec. 3.

NOV. 30, 2017 – DEC. 6, 2017 | THE LUMBERJACK 19

SPORTS

The NAU cross-country team and fans celebrate NAU’s back-to-back NCAA Championship win at the Walkup Skydome Nov. 19. Michael Patacsil | The Lumberjack

NAU Cross-Country: Champions once again Gabriella Evans

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he NAU men’s cross-country team went into the NCAA Championship in Louisville, Kentucky, Nov. 18 as defending national champions and the presumed favorite to repeat as champions.

At the end of the meet, NAU succeeded. They won their second straight national title.

Three NAU runners placed in the top 10 of the 10-kilometer race with junior Matt Baxter leading the way placing second.

Junior Tyler Day took third and junior Peter Lomong at eighth.

The team began training and preparing for the national

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meet early during summer. After last season’s title, the team faced extreme pressure to succeed. Assistant cross-country coach Jarred Cornfield was very excited to see their success at the NCAA meet.

Cornfield said he was proud of how the team handled the pressure of the season and how the team handled themselves.

“They did a great job of being process oriented and just getting the work done and not worrying about what people were saying or how they were hyping up the meet,” said Cornfield.

“That takes a lot of maturity and a really special group of guys, and I couldn’t be more proud.”

Every runner had to push themselves hard to make the team’s success possible. Baxter and Day ran together for most of the year.

They pushed each other and worked together for the last time this cross-country season.

The two have been setting the pace for the team. During the race, the two runners stuck together in the lead pack for a strong finish to their season.

“I really wanted to stick with Tyler,” said Baxter. “Because, I mean, we’ve run together all season. So, it was something special for us to kind of see that last race together.”

Baxter and Day supported each other at difficult moments in the race. During the last four kilometers, Baxter worried he might start falling behind but was able to hang on to his pace when he saw Day beside him.

SPORTS “I knew that this was the point where, if I was going to start dropping off, I was going to do it now but, having Tyler there right beside me, I just knew there was no way I was going to do that. There was no way I was going to leave him on his own,” Baxter said.

Support from his teammates pushed Baxter when he needed it most.

“The biggest thing is the teammates, because I noticed this last year, when things really start to hurt, you just can’t allow yourself to start falling back,” Baxter said. “If I start dropping off this pack then, I mean, the team could really suffer at that point. The same with any of us. If any of us started dropping back, our team could suffer.”

Day also felt this support from Baxter during the race.

“There’s no way I would have placed that high ever if I didn’t have my teammate right next to me,” said Day. “Baxter’s just a great person on and off the track. Off the field, he’s just a great human being, so to be able to fight side by side with him, I feel, is just like, it’s a privilege.”

The team’s work ethic is something that extends beyond the course. Day said, with the team’s success in the past, the men seemed to have a target on their back, and there was pressure leading up to the race. Day and Baxter were pushed to reach their goal of four-and-a -half-minute miles.

At the championships, Baxter ran a 4:40.3 mile split and Day ran a 4:40.9 mile split, just shy of their goal.

The attitude of the teammates and the coaches made it possible to shed the stress and opinions from others.

“Everyone does a really good job of just trying to keep things loose and light and, you know, trying to treat the NCAA’s [meet] as just another meet and trying to not treat it as anything else and just go out and do our thing,” Day said.

That is exactly what the men’s team did as they defended their title in a difficult race after an intense season. Day and Baxter agreed that their expectations were exceeded and were both amazed by the way the team was able to finish the season.

“To have everything work out the way it did and regain that national title was crazy,” Baxter said. “I think we knew it was possible to do it back-to-back but to do it in the fashion that we did, I don’t think we completely expected that.”

Members of the team will take a short break before beginning training for track in the spring.

The 2018 NCAA Championships are scheduled to be held in Madison, Wisconsin, Nov. 17.

Baxter leads back-to-back Jack pack Gabriella Evans

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unior Matt Baxter, a runner for the NAU men’s cross-country team who placed second overall in the NCAA Championship, worked hard with his team members to earn the title of best team in the nation this season.

The team’s motivation and competitive edge pushed them to succeed this season.

Running has played a large role in Baxter’s life since he was young. It has been important to him both on and off the competitive course.

Baxter began running when he was 6 years old.

He trained on his own until he was 14, when he joined a running club and started training with a cross-country coach.

With support from his family, he began to travel for meets. Both his parents, who also have a history of running, traveled with him.

After high school, Baxter was challenged with continuing his training regimen on his own as well as organizing time to run meets for himself. From school-organized meets to organizing his own races, Baxter faced adjustments.

Baxter found that he had more freedom with his schedule and did not have a set running schedule again until he moved from New Zealand to the United States to study criminal justice at NAU. Baxter’s first season running cross-country at NAU was in 2016, and he plans to return to NAU cross-country next season after he was given a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA. Baxter is on track to graduate in December of 2018.

At NAU, Baxter is able to channel his motivation toward racing instead of balancing racing with making his own schedule.

“Collegiate sports over here is like nothing else in the world,” said Baxter. “It’s just, there’s so much money and time and effort put into the system which just produced quality athletes.”

The team’s work ethic and support is what makes the sport rewarding for Baxter. He runs for himself but finds it most rewarding to run for his team. The team dynamic and the support they have for one another helps them succeed as a team.

“When I do see [teammate Tyler Day] next to me, it feels like everything’s gone right,” Baxter said. “It kind of feels like we’re back just doing a workout at Buffalo Park or something like that. We could be leading Wisconsin or Louisville meet or nationals no matter where it

NAU’s top runner junior Matt Baxter holds the NCAA National Championship trophy at the Walkup Skydome Nov. 19. Baxter placed second overall at the national championship meet in Louisville, Kentucky Nov. 18. Michael Patacsil | The Lumberjack

is, as soon as I see one of these guys beside me it just kind of it feels a lot more familiar.”

Baxter found that the NAU’s system allows him to have more running opportunities than he has had before, and the support he has from the school makes this possible.

Baxter said he works hard to make the most of the resources around him, which have contributed to his ability to support his team this season.

Michael Smith, NAU director of crosscountry and track and field, said Baxter is one of the most reliable runners on the team.

“Matt is a great leader and a dependable racer,” said Smith. “We know that we can count on him to give his best every time he steps out

there, whether it is in training or when it’s time to go on meet day. He has meant a lot to our program.”

Not only did he greatly contribute to the NAU men’s team success by finishing second at the NCAA Championships Nov. 18, but his continuous hard work shows in other ways as well.

Junior Tyler Day, who placed third in the NCAA Championship Nov. 18, often runs with Baxter in practices and at meets.

“Baxter is the perfect teammate,” said Day. “He picks you up when you’re down, says the right things during tough times and is an allaround great person.”

NOV. 30, 2017 – DEC. 6, 2017 | THE LUMBERJACK 21

SPORTS

Michael Smith powers NAU to success Kade Gilliss

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n Michael Smith’s first full year as director of NAU cross-country and track and field, the program has continued to excel. Under Smith’s direction, NAU men’s cross-country once again brought home the NCAA National Championship, the teams second consecutive title.

More than a decade ago, Smith established a notable connection with the Flagstaff running community. In 2006, he founded Team Run Flagstaff, a running club for people of all ability levels. Team Run Flagstaff began as a community-running program associated with the Center for High Altitude Training.

Last year, NAU lost its most decorated and accomplished head coach in school history.

Eric Heins, former director of NAU crosscountry and track and field, left with 26 Big Sky Conference Championships, 24 conference coach of the year awards, a national men’s coach of the year award and, in 2016, gave NAU their first NCAA National Championship, all in just 10 years at NAU. Since his departure, NAU has not lost a step.

The Bill Dellinger Award for the National Men’s coach of the year was given to Smith just one year after Heins accomplished the same feat.

The torch Heins passed to Smith was seamless.

“When coach Heins originally told us he was going to leave, there was a lot of almost worry amongst the group,” said junior crosscountry runner Matt Baxter. “There was a little bit of apprehension amongst the group, but [Smith] had a way with working with [us]. He fit in with our culture so well, it almost didn’t feel like switching from one coach to another.”

Through the process and early success, Smith was fortunate to have a successful team passed onto him after Heins’ departure.

Even with the absence of graduate Futsum Zienasellassie, who finished fourth overall in the 2016 NCAA National Championships, the team still achieved their goals. There was still the junior tandem of Matt Baxter and Tyler Day leading the way for the Jacks.

In the national meet in 2016, Baxter finished in 11th place with 30:03.1, while Day placed 23rd behind a 30:13 time. NAU men’s cross-country finished that race with the most top-40 finishes in program history with three different runners. The Lumberjacks came away

President Rita Cheng and Michael Smith, director for track and field and cross-country, hold the NCAA National Championship trophy at the Walkup Skydome Nov. 19. This season, Smith led NAU to their second consecutive national title. Michael Patacsil | The Lumberjack

with first place on 125 points, outpacing the second-best Stanford Cardinal team by 33 points.

In their latest national run, NAU dominated with a 74-point performance, beating the next closest team by 53 points and placed five runners in the top 40.

Baxter and Day outperformed their previous national time by more than a minute.

Baxter finished second overall with 29:00:78 while Day followed right behind in third place and a 29:04:05 time.

Even with the same runners, and similar dominating results, this wasn’t the same team.

Smith, with lessons passed down from Heins, has incorporated a unique and effective training regimen.

“The way we do practice and the way things are structured, Smith has that newer vibe to it,” said Day. “Last year for the Wisconsin invite, when we won, we stayed in our hotel the night

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before, had a game plan with our thoughts and our teammates. This year Smith took us out laser-tagging the day before the Wisconsin race, and we went out and posted one of the crazier scores in the history of that meet. In the end, we seem to be getting the job done.”

NAU won behind a 50-point performance in the Wisconsin meet, 73 points better than the last team. It was also a 23-point improvement from their last invitational at Wisconsin, Oct. 13.

Following the Wisconsin Invitational, Smith trained the team for the NCAA Championship with a month until the race.

Smith simulated the paces required specifically for the course in Louisville. A flat course that narrows quickly and required runners to get off to a fast first mile. By the time Nov. 18 rolled around for nationals, Baxter and Day were familiarized with the tempo from the Wisconsin and Big Sky Conference

Championships.

“We were very confident [for nationals],” said Smith. “We had prepared them really well for what to expect physcologically, mentally and emotionally.”

Confidence showed as NAU put on a performance like none other in school history.

A school-record five runners finished in the top40, breaking their own record of three runners just a year prior.

With back-to-back national titles and a majority of returning runners, fans speculate NAU is primed for an unprecedented threepeat, which only four programs have done.

Still processing their latest win, the focus isn’t on what can be for next year but improving on what they have built so far.

“We didn’t train this season saying ‘we’ve got to repeat,’” said Smith. “Instead, each day, we talked about getting a little bit better. And we’re going to do the same thing next year too.”

SPORTS

Gilchrist crosses her last collegiate finish line Nick Ponticello

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enior Paige Gilchrist has finished running the marathon of her journey for the women’s cross-country team. She has made significant strides to finish her career at NAU despite problems with injuries early in her collegiate career.

Gilchrist redshirted the 2014 cross-country season and the 2015 track and field indoor season due to a stress fracture in her sacrum and redshirted her 2017 track and field outdoor season due to an additional stress fracture in her pelvis.

“It can be very isolating. It can feel very lonely and very frustrating,” said Gilchrist. “It can be very hard, but it is so rewarding to come through both of those things, to have a fifth year, and to have a coach that’s invested so much in me.”

Despite the injuries, Gilchrist said she’s had overwhelming support from her coaches and teammates. Michael Smith, director of track and field and cross-country, said Gilchrist’s performance at the national championships was only a flash of her talent.

“Paige had a bunch of injuries in her time at NAU, and she showed great glimpses of what is possible,” said Smith. “So I think a huge part for her is that she has consistency and she’s healthy.”

NAU assistant cross-country coach Jarred Cornfield said it was great to see Gilchrist come back and compete at the championships after past injuries.

“She was dealing with a lot of injury, but I was proud about how she was able to come back from that and not panic,” said Cornfield. “Making the NCAA meet was really big for her.”

At the NCAA Division I National Championship meet Nov. 18, Gilchrist competed in her final collegiate cross-country meet and placed 81st in the eight-kilometer race with a time of 20:34.1.

Gilchrist was the first NAU women’s runner to individually compete at the national championships in two years.

Gilchrist has had multiple top-10 finishes in her career at NAU, including a win at the Arizona State Invitational in 2016.

In 2017, she finished fourth at the Greater Louisville Classic, second at the George Kyte Classic and eighth at the NCAA Mountain Regionals.

Gilchrist most recently represented NAU individually at the NCAA Championships and also helped NAU to win the Big Sky women’s championship.

Gilchrist is from Missoula, Montana. It was in middle school that her mother introduced her to long-distance running, and they still go on runs as a bonding activity. At that time, Gilchrist participated in cross-country with middle school programs and eventually became involved with Hellgate High School’s crosscountry team. In 2012, she was a Montana high school girl’s cross-country state champion, and she still holds multiple distance records for her high school.

Gilchrist is studying fitness wellness and chose to go to NAU because of the many similarities between Flagstaff and Missoula.

NAU is in the same conference as University of Montana, which has allowed her family to have many opportunities to see her race.

She is finishing her senior year and is on track to graduate in May 2018.

Gilchrist said the best accomplishments for her are when the

Although the NAU women’s cross-country team did not qualify for the 2017 NCAA Championship meet, NAU senior runner Paige Gilchrist represented NAU Nov. 18 in Louisville, Kentucky. Michael Patacsil | The Lumberjack

women’s team wins championships.

“We always watch the men do it, and they are almost expected at this point in the Big Sky Conference to show up, have a great performance and go home,” Gilchrist said. “Now that we’ve gotten ourselves to where we’re pretty solid in the Big Sky, its really fun to walk away from the championships with both trophies.”

After graduation, Gilchrist plans to stay in Flagstaff a little

longer. She said that she will stick around to train with the women’s team and will always keep the friendships she’s made with her teammates close.

Gilchrist has no plans to end her passion for running.

“I keep having to remind myself that it’s not over yet, and I love that,” Gilchrist said. “I don’t think it’ll ever be over for me. I think I’m going to run forever.”

NOV. 30, 2017 – DEC. 6, 2017 | THE LUMBERJACK 23