The Lumberjack -- Feb. 8, 2018

ONE YEAR OF TRUMP A SPECIAL ISSUE

T H E L U M BE R JACK

FEB. 8, 2018 – FEB. 14, 2018

Online at JackCentral.org

From the Editor

A

n entire year of President Donald Trump. Some people thought we would never see the day, and quite frankly, we shouldn’t have.

The night that Trump was elected was a night plenty of United States citizens would remember forever. For some, it was a night of triumph.

For others, the night was a moment of reassurance: Reassurance that blatant racism, sexism, homophobia and hatred are still driving forces in the U.S.; reassurance that enough people did not care about the lives of minorities, women and the LGBTQ community in the way they should; and reassurance that the U.S. was not a real fan of equality.

It was a night that proved that most of the U.S. was not on my side.

“Just wait,” supporters said. “He’s gonna make America great again,” they claimed countless times. Yet, here we are one year later, and America is not great. In fact, it is far from it.

Many will argue that Trump has made accomplishments as president, but a few accomplishments doesn’t deem you a great leader of the free world. What good PEGGY PACKER are our “advancements” as a country if they come at such a great cost to so many?

Regardless of the few things he has improved, all at a cost, Trump is not a good man.

ASSISTANT OP-ED EDITOR While being a good person isn’t technically one of the requirements for being president, being ashamed of the actions, words and tweets of my president should not have been something that I had to spend this last year getting accustomed to.

Despite the negative aspects of Trump’s presidency, he’s had a huge influence on the way U.S. citizens pay attention to politics. More people are paying attention, and more people are standing up for their rights.

Perhaps one of the best things Trump has given the citizens of the U.S. is a reason to open their eyes. People who never cared for politics are reading, learning, paying attention — more people paying attention means more people taking action.

Since the minute Trump was elected, protesters have gathered in the streets to stand for what matters to them. From issues like the Dakota Access Pipeline, healthcare and women’s rights, to the well-deserved bashing of Confederate monuments and protests against violent Nazis, people have come together to make a change.

In our special Trump issue this week, you’ll read about all of the political involvement, activism and policy changes that Trump generated since he became the leader of our nation.

Giving our country a common enemy may have been one of the most beneficial things Trump has done for the U.S. Thank you for reading.

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

THE LUMBERJACK VOL. 106 ISSUE 4

Editor-in-Chief Megan Troutman

Managing Editor Lance Hartzler

Copy Chief Emma Helfrich

Web Chief Ariel Cianfarano

Faculty Advisor Mary Tolan

Faculty Advisor, Visuals Jennifer Swanson

Sales Manager Marsha Simon

Print Chief Matthew Strissel

Media Innovation Center Editorial Board News Editor Conor Sweetman

Op-Ed Editor Elizabeth Wendler

Sports Editor Bailey Helton

Director of Illustration Colton Starley

Asst. News Editor Mikayla Shoup

Asst. Op-Ed Editor Peggy Packer

Asst. Sports Editor Quinn Snyder

Director of Photography Shannon Cowan

Senior Reporters Adrian Skabelund Chandler Coiner

Culture Editor Katie Sawyer

Features Editor Darrion Edwards

Asst. Director of Photography Maxim Mascolo

Director of Circulation Asst. Culture Editor Luis Gardetto Ashley Besing

Asst. Features Editor MaryAnn Witt

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Senior Photographer Michael Patacsil

“I think people deserve a better living wage, and I am all for it.”

- Dave Barnett, Aspen Sports manager, 2017

One of Flagstaff’s local restaurants, Galaxy Diner, has felt the effects of the minimum wage increase. In response, managers have cut employees’ hours in order to meet demands, Jan. 28.

Raymond Olivarez | The Lumberjack

On the cover January 2018 marks the first full year of Donald Trump’s presidency. In this special issue of The Lumberjack, articles highlight the highs and lows of the year.

Illustration by Colton Starley

Corrections & Clarifications In the news story “HLC over capacity during Welcome Week,” published Feb. 1, the headline should have read “HLC gym over capacity during first week back from winter break.”

In the news story “Flagstaff lawmaker wants to keep public records private,” published Feb. 1, “Endangered Spices Act” should have read “Endangered Species Act.” This was due to an editor’s error. Although some spices may be endangered, that was not the intent for this article.

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 Jan. 29 At 9:05 a.m., a student called to report damage to their vehicle at Hilltop Townhomes.

An NAUPD officer responded and took a report. The case was closed after all leads were exhausted.

At 2:39 p.m., a student came into NAUPD headquarters to report a delayed domestic violence incident that happened at the South Village Apartments. A report was taken on the matter, and an investigation was opened.

At 8:27 p.m., an RA in Sechrist Hall called to report the odor of marijuana in the building. NAUPD responded to Sechrist. One student was deferred for possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. Two other students were deferred for use of marijuana.

Jan. 30 At 11:03 a.m., a staff member at Wilson Hall called NAUPD to report finding open envelopes. An NAU police aid responded and took a report. There is no other information on the suspicious activity

had attempted suicide at Wilson Hall. FFD, a Guardian Medical Transport (GMT) ambulance, and NAUPD responded. The student was transported to FMC for treatment. If you or a friend are having suicidal thoughts, call 1-800-273-8255 for help.

At 4:41 p.m., a staff member called to report damage to four NAU vehicle windshields at parking lot 62.

An NAUPD officer responded and took a report. The case was closed after all leads were exhausted.

Feb. 1 At 10:58 a.m., a staff member called to report the odor of gas in McKay Village.

FFD and three NAUPD officers responded. The smell of gas was still present, but FFD cleared the residence for reentry. Facility Services was notified.

At 3:40 p.m., a staff member called to report thirdparty information about a nonstudent asking for money at Cline Library. NAUPD officers responded, but the suspect was gone upon arrival.

At 11:40 p.m., a student called to report damage to a gate-arm in the San Francisco Parking Garage. An NAUPD officer responded and found no damage.

At 4:06 p.m., an NAUPD officer reported following up on an earlier police report.

One student was booked into Coconino County Detention Facility for domestic violence, Feb. 2 assault, criminal damage and At 1:47 a.m., NAUPD disorderly conduct. officers reported contacting an intoxicated student at Sechrist At 8:59 p.m., a student Hall. The student was cited called to report the theft of a and released for underage bike tire at Gabaldon Hall. consumption of alcohol.

NAUPD responded and took a report. The investigation is At 4:09 a.m., a resident ongoing. called to report that their roommate was having a Jan. 31 seizure at Raymond Hall.

At 2:04 a.m., a resident FFD, GMT and an NAUPD called to report that a student officer responded. The patient

Compiled by Jayna Arola was transported to FMC for treatment.

At 8:02 p.m., a staff member called to report that a vehicle was stuck in the road blocking traffic on San Francisco Street and McCreary Drive. An NAUPD officer responded, and the vehicle was moved out of the road.

Feb. 3 At 2:17 a.m., an RA called to report an intoxicated student at Reilly Hall. FFD, GMT and an NAUPD officer responded.

One student was transported to FMC for treatment and will likely be deferred for minor in consumption.

At 8:44 a.m., FPD transferred a 911 hang up call at the Science and Health building to NAUPD. The subject called back and said that everything was fine. No criminal activity was witnessed.

Feb. 4 At 1:52 a.m., an NAUPD officer initiated a traffic stop at lot 7A. One student was cited and released for underage DUI, DUI to the slightest degree and failure to obey a traffic control device.

At 2:33 a.m., an RA called to report that a dorm staff member had fainted at McConnell Hall. FFD, GMT and NAUPD responded, but the patient refused medical transport.

At 10:26 p.m., an RA called to report the odor of marijuana at Gabaldon Hall. NAUPD responded to the scene. Two students were criminally deferred for possession and use of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

FEB. 8, 2018 – FEB. 14, 2018 | THE LUMBERJACK 3

NEWS

President Trump’s first year in office ushers in change Owen Sexton

T

he first year of any presidency is always eventful as the new president sets out to enact the policies they promised on the campaign trail, and President Donald Trump’s administration has been no exception. From the bills and executive orders he signed to the tweets he sends out almost daily, Trump has enacted policy changes, both foreign and domestic, using any means he can.

Trump called for a review of national monuments created in the last four presidential administrations. This led to presidential proclamations, shrinking Bears Ears and Grand StaircaseEscalante national monuments, and generating much debate over public lands.

Some of his biggest and most controversial policy changes have revolved around immigration, which involves both foreign and domestic policy. However, he hasn’t been able to fulfill many of his bigger campaign promises, such as building the border wall between the United States and Mexico — and getting Mexico to pay for it.

He has gone after former President Barack Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which enabled the children of those who have entered the U.S. illegally to avoid deportation and work legally within the U.S. On Sept. 5, 2017, Trump declared that he would end DACA within six months. A week later, Sept. 12, he met with Democratic leaders in Congress, Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House monitory leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., to work on a deal concerning immigration reform. Both said the meeting was productive and that Trump agreed to extend DACA protections and to work with Democrats to finalize a border security plan that doesn’t include the wall.

On Feb. 5, Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Chris Coons, D-Del., introduced an immigration bill that would secure legal status for “Dreamers” and put money toward bolstering border security, but not authorizing the estimated $25 billion for a border wall.

Trump then again shifted rhetoric, when, in his State of the Union address Jan. 30, he called for a border wall as part of the four pillars in his plan for immigration reform.

“The second pillar fully secures the border. That means building a wall on the southern border,” said Trump in the State of the Union address.

Trump still plans to keep DACA and even announced plans to expand it to include 1.8 million children of those who have entered the country illegally and allow a pathway to legal citizenship.

A Flagstaff local, who introduced herself as Dulce, shared her experiences living undocumented in the U.S. in the second annual Women’s March Jan. 20 at Flagstaff City Hall.

“I’ve been here since I was 2 years old. I want to tell you a little bit about what it’s like to be undocumented and growing up in the United States of America, because you are consistently reminded every day that you are different,” said Dulce.

Dulce continued to tell her story about the challenges of growing up undocumented, from social challenges like having to

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President Donald Trump, surrounded by Utah representatives and others, signs presidential proclamations in Salt Lake City, Utah Dec. 4, 2017, to shrink Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments in Utah. Francisco Kjolseth | Associated Press lie to all of her friends about why she wasn’t going to college, to not being able to get identification or being able to get legal work to support her three children.

Despite Trump’s offer to extend DACA, provided Congress earmarks money for a border wall, many of the “Dreamers” in the DACA program are not satisfied with Trump’s new immigration plan. Some even say they feel insulted over the idea of a border wall and what some have called racist views — particularly following Trump's disparaging comment about African nations and Haiti.

Trump has also tangled with health care, although he again fell short of campaign promises. First was his promise to end the Affordable Care Act (ACA) — Obama’s signature health care bill.

He was not able to fully repeal it, but one of his first executive orders altered the ACA, removing the mandate that required all Americans to purchase insurance as well as several other sections.

The tax bill passed and signed into law December 2017 also repealed the individual mandate requirement in Obamacare.

Aside from his failed attempts at getting a repeal bill through congress, Trump has not done much else with health care policy since then. With 2018 being an election year, many Republicans are hesitant to mount another attempt at repealing the ACA. Midterm elections rarely favor the party in the White House, and lawmakers seldom want to tackle hot-button issues like immigration and health care.

“I don’t think [the] leadership wants to,” said Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., in a Washington Post article.

He believed it would never get enough support and would fail like the bill he and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., proposed

this past fall.

“In the sense of Graham-Cassidy, a partisan exercise? Doesn’t look like it,” Cassidy said to the Washington Post.

Rep. Tom O’Halleran, D-Ariz., had a different view of the continued Republican attempts to change health care policy.

In a July 18, 2017, statement he called out Trump for wanting to dismantle the ACA. “The President’s proposal to just let the ACA fail without any plan in place is unconscionable. I continue to call on my colleagues and President Trump to stop playing political games with the health and wellbeing of Americans,” said O’Halleran.

“It is past time to get serious about fixing our health care system.”

The Republican party has been trying to repeal the ACA ever since Obama signed it into law in 2010, and as of now, it will continue to survive during the second year of Trump’s administration.

Another major policy change was Trump’s decision to have the U.S. withdraw from the 2015 Paris Agreement. This has been coupled with other changes in U.S. environmental policy.

National Geographic Magazine has kept a running count of environmental policy changes, which is up to 53.

Trump’s environmental policy changes aimed mostly at repealing Obama-era policies that tightened many EPA restrictions for air and water quality, and those policies have been openly praised by many Republicans, while opposed by Democrats.

One recent shift in foreign policy came when Trump announced that the U.S. would move the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. This move is highly contested by the

NEWS international community and a move that breaks the decadeslong international agreement that Jerusalem would be the last issue talked about in an Israel-Palestine peace deal.

The move was unexpected and is also controversial because both Israeli and Palestinian citizens have claims in the Holy City.

While Israeli government officials have spoken out supporting the move, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has signed 22 various international treaties and conventions in a protest effort to gain recognition for Palestine as a signatory state.

Trump has also reversed Obama’s “strategic patience” policy when it comes to dealing with North Korean Leader Kim Jongun and his regime. Obama concentrated on imposing economic sanctions and using espionage to try to undermine the Kim regime. Trump has taken a much more aggressive approach when it comes to handling the dictator.

And while Trump and his administration have said that they are continuing to pursue various economic sanctions and different diplomatic options, he has also taken to using very aggressive

rhetoric when addressing North Korean.

“North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un just stated that the 'Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times.'” Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!” Trump said in a Jan. 2 tweet.

Whatever policy Trump tried to enact during his first year, he learned one thing: It is a lot easier to talk about policy on the campaign trail than passing the legislation while in office.

The Beltway: Inside Washington, D.C.’s political circus

I

spent the first two weeks of the new year in Washington, D.C., knee deep in the beltway, learning everything I could in my short time there. For those of you who don’t know, the beltway, or inside the beltway as many insiders call it, is the area encompassed by Interstate 495, which is The District of Columbia, and is home to the American political and media elite.

I was in Washington as part of a two-week academic seminar hosted by The Washington Center, a nonprofit, educational center that hosts seminars in all things Washington. This seminar was aptly named “Inside Washington 2018.” The seminar was comprised of speakers, site visits and lectures from an array of accomplished professors from different universities and, of course, from beltway insiders such as Steve Scully, Michael CONOR Steel and even Ben Carson, the Housing and SWEETMAN Urban Development Secretary.

NEWS EDITOR Not only did I, and the other 112 students, learn about the inner workings of Washington, but to some extent we got to be a part of those inner workings. We dressed and acted like D.C. professionals for 13 days both at our main headquarters in the NoMa neighborhood, just blocks away from the Capitol and Supreme Court, and when we went out on site visits to places like The Capitol and the Ford Motor Company.

Some of the things that stuck with me most from this excursion were obviously the speakers and meeting so many influential people, but it’s the little things too. If you’ve never been to Washington, D.C. in early January, it gets pretty frigid, especially when there’s a bomb cyclone bearing down on the eastern seaboard. But nonetheless, new friends and I headed out to explore the town at night. We found ourselves at the World War II memorial looking back and forth between The Washington Monument and up the reflective pool to the Lincoln Memorial.

As we headed toward The Great Emancipator, we realized the reflective pool was frozen over with the winter temperatures. So what are a bunch of young and awe-struck college kids to do?

Walk down the entire length of it on the frozen surface, staring at Abe while we did so.

That’s one of the more innocent moments of fun while in The District. But the really exciting and controversial experiences happened in the classroom and during business hours.

The lineup of speakers who were booked was incredible. Day One might have been enough to give us a look inside the beltway.

Philippe Reins was Hillary Clinton’s senior advisor when she was

The Washington Monument reflects off the frozen Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C. Jan. 6. Conor Sweetman | The Lumberjack

Secretary of State and later he was promoted to deputy secretary of state of strategic communications. Reins gave a look inside the 2016 Clinton campaign, and what I found interesting was he was able to pinpoint the time when he knew Clinton had lost the election. He said it came at around 8 p.m. election night when Trump won Florida. That was a trend that seemed consistent among political figures, media giants and pundits. At 8 p.m. Nov. 8, 2016, was when everyone inside the beltway and elsewhere knew that Clinton had lost.

Another interesting thing Reins said was that, looking back, no Democrat would have beat Trump.

“The only Democrat that could have beat Trump, was Obama,” said Reins.

There are simply too many speakers to recall and fit into this column, but either C-SPAN or TWC recorded a majority of these talks and presentations, and they are all available online.

Perhaps my favorite event was the interview with Steve Scully and Chuck Todd. Scully is the executive producer of C-SPAN and Todd hosts his own show “Meet The Press” and is a frequent face on MSNBC. We met in the Ford Motor Company’s office right off

Pennsylvania Avenue, next to the United States Navy Memorial Plaza, and just blocks from The Capitol. The interview lasted about 15 to 20 minutes before the floor was opened for questions, and you can bet your bottom dollar I got in line. I mean, when else would I get to ask Chuck Todd a question? And it is absolutely worth mentioning that Steve Scully complimented my tie (a light maroon tie, with a white-diamond pattern) while I was waiting to ask my question.

Todd and Scully talked about the media and how they cover Trump, how to be better journalists and about everyone’s favorite: fake news. But Todd had a fantastic comparison for the Trump presidency. He called the president the “perpetual producer."

That’s a good name. And he equated the White House to a reality show, the best one there has ever been. We’re on season three of this show. Season one was the campaign and the season finale was election night 2016. Season two was the first year in office, and we just started season three.

It became the running joke in our group chat to start naming the episode like It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia episodes, whenever something would happen with the administration. Our latest episode is the Nunes Memo, which we can call “Season Three Episode Eight: The gang undermines the F.B.I.” The overall message that was conveyed to us during a multitude of different speakers and panels from different backgrounds and political ideologies was that, One: The millennial generation will be leading the country soon, so best make sure we’re running for office and that we’re voting for who we think is the best choice for local, state and federal office.

Two: A political revolution is coming. It started in 2016, and I believe that the midterms will see millennial and minority voter turnout like never before. The parties are also going to see a shift away from older white men running the show, to a younger more varied group of representatives and senators.

Three: Political polarization is inhibiting our ability and mandate to govern effectively. This can be traced back to the 1970s during the Nixon years and following the major social reforms like the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act. One thing that has to be fixed in order to have a working government is to cut the political BS from debates and the refusal to work with the other side of the aisle out of principle and to make an active effort to show a little bit of bipartisanship.

Trump called for it in his State of the Union Jan. 31.

Political pundits and politicians continually call for this idea of bipartisanship, but until it happens, we can’t make our political system great again, much less the country.

FEB. 8, 2018 – FEB. 14, 2018 | THE LUMBERJACK 5

NEWS

Controversial Former Sheriff Runs for Arizona Senate Valentine Sargent

F

ormer Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is running for the Arizona senate seat in the 2018 midterm elections. He takes pride in being known as “America’s toughest sheriff.”

The 85-year-old served as sheriff in Maricopa County for 24 years.

Arpaio lost re-election as sheriff to Democrat Paul Penzone in 2016. Arpaio was found guilty of criminal contempt in summer 2017 for failing to listen to a judge after being told to stop what was ruled as racial profiling of Latinos. Before Arpaio could be sentenced, President Donald Trump teased the idea of a pardon for Arpaio at a Phoenix rally in August 2017. A few days later, Trump signed the pardon.

This was Trump’s first presidential pardon.

Arpaio is extremely well-known in Arizona and, more recently, has made a resurgence in the national media. With his name on the ballot, there is a chance he could win. Arpaio is looking to fill the soon-to-be vacant seat of incumbent Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., who decided in October 2017 not to run for reelection. Flake was criticized by Trump for being weak on crime and border security in the lead up to the August rally. Flake is also a strong advocate for a fair and balanced solution on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), and told The Lumberjack, “DACA should be my legacy.”

Arpaio also has close ties with President Trump and a higher media presence than other candidates such as Republican Kelli Ward, who was seen as a better candidate than Flake. Trump tweeted that it was “great to see” Ward enter the race to challenge Flake’s seat.

Arpaio’s reason for running is easy to explain.

“To support the agenda and policies of President Donald Trump in his mission to Make America Great Again,” said Arpaio in a Jan. 9 tweet.

Since Flake decided not to run for reelection, several candidates are interested in the position and have put their names into consideration. It is also possible that long-time Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain’s seat will be in contention, though he has not said whether or not he is stepping down, despite being diagnosed with a brain tumor in summer 2017.

The well-known Republican nominees include Martha McSally, who currently serves in the House of Representatives for Arizona's 2nd District, Ward, who currently represents Arizona’s 5th district in the state legislature and has been a strong supporter of Trump’s pardon and his immigration policies. And, of course, Arpaio.

Jeff Oravits, the talk show host of “The Jeff Oravits Show” and previous Flagstaff City Council member, said that the three Republican candidates have “varying degrees of conservatism.”

Arpaio and Ward come from farther right perspectives, while McSally comes from a more moderate standpoint, like that of Flake.

ABC15 conducted a poll Jan. 9, the same day Arpaio announced he was running for senate. According to the poll, Arpaio has a presumptive 29 percent of the vote, which is a statistical tie with McSally who has 31 percent. Ward dropped to 25 percent in the latest survey.

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Then-presidential candidate Donald Trump joins Joe Arpaio, then-Maricopa County sheriff, during a news conference in Marshalltown, Iowa Jan. 26, 2016. Arpiao is now running for Republican Jeff Flake's senate seat. Mary Altaffer | Associated Press

Ann Heitland, the communication chair for the Coconino County Democrats, said that if Arpaio were to win, it would be “a tragedy” and that it would be a “huge embarrassment for the state.”

Right now, the focus for Coconino County Democrats is to inform voters on who is running and preparing them for the primary election in late August. The general election is scheduled for Nov. 6. Heitland said that there are several good candidates running for senate and that voters will be able to choose someone committed to public service and uniting the country.

A popular choice for Democrats is Kyrsten Sinema. She is noted as a strong candidate and has a chance of winning against the Republican candidates in traditionally red Arizona.

Flagstaff is considered a blue dot in a red circle since it is known for being more liberal while the surrounding towns and counties tend to be more conservative. Oravits said the state of the GOP in Flagstaff is “very blue” and that Flagstaff should “stop trying to be the UN of Arizona” because Flagstaff is focusing on social justice issues rather than focusing on core jobs, while Arizona as a whole is a “strong, conservative state.”

NAU political science professor Stephen Nuño said that Trump has influenced local elections with a surge in women candidates and lots more involvement from millennials and minorities — two groups who have been absent from some recent

elections.

In both parties, a majority of women are running for senate, making this a unique and competitive election. Nuño said that both parties see the benefit from having women candidates. Nuño said that “Arizona is in a transition."

If Arpaio were to win the senate seat, Nuño said that people would “lose sight of our real values as a democracy” and that Arpaio is fighting for non-minorities. Nuño believes Arpaio finds joy in targeting Latino communities and that “Arpaio and Trump are symptoms of problems of the GOP.” With a candidate like Sinema, it is possible the election will be a toss-up.

Arpaio may have a difficult time getting enough votes. Nuño said that the population of Arizona is 30 percent Hispanic, with a median age of 27. The median age of non-Hispanics is 44.

More and more young people and minorities are focused on getting involved in politics, making elections in typically slam dunk races more competitive. “[Republicans cannot] continue with their [current] strategy.

A strategy built around the interest of the patriarchal system, maintaining power of that group,” Nuño said.

With such strong candidates, there is a lot of interest in the Arizona senate election and as seen over the past two years, anything seems possible in politics.

FEB. 8, 2018 – FEB. 14, 2018 | THE LUMBERJACK 7

COMIC SPOT

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FEB. 8, 2018 – FEB. 14, 2018 | THE LUMBERJACK 9

OPINION-EDITORIAL

Trump’s promise NICK PIJLER

Thanks, Trump: an open letter

F

or this special issue, I thought it appropriate to say thank you. Thank you, President Donald Trump. If it weren’t for you and your band of loyal supporters blindly drinking in your rhetoric, movements such as #MeToo and #TimesUp would not have gained as big a following as they recently have.

Then again, if it weren’t for people like you, they would not need to exist in the first place. Normally, this column focuses more on sex and relationships. People say that everything is political, however, and sex is no different. So here goes.

How terrifying it must be for the poor, disenfranchised rapist to see that, despite their favorite celebrity being in the Oval Office, they simply are not allowed to violate others the way they used to. They had such faith in you, didn’t they?

ELIZABETH They felt emboldened to speak their mind and take what they WENDLER wanted and threaten all those who opposed the views they’d OP-ED EDITOR kept behind closed doors for so long.

They felt free to speak up, only to be met by louder voices all crying out, “No!” They realized their power is slipping and there isn’t much they can do about it.

Yes, I suppose I should be grateful that your corruption has inspired the voiceless survivors of sexual assault to demand justice — to force an end to the silence they’ve been swallowed by for so long. I ought to be glad that people are finding the strength to call out monsters like you.

And yet, deep down, I know it will only get worse before it gets better. You see, Mr. President, for as long as men like you are allowed to prevail, we will fight. We will grow stronger and larger in numbers until we, eventually, win.

I won’t see it in my lifetime. I will not live long enough to see friends put themselves back together at last after being shattered by the violence inflicted on their bodies. What has been done cannot be undone. But it can be prevented.

Maybe not now, but some day.

Because you, President Trump, have opened people’s eyes, whether you intended to or not.

You have left such a bad taste in the mouths of United States citizens that they will not stand for another like you ever again. And me? I will not celebrate our great victories until every celebrity, physician, school counselor or president of the U.S. who commits sexual assault — and brags about it — has lost it all.

I will not rejoice until the men and women who laugh at rape, share revengeporn videos and sexually harass their peers are ejected from their positions of power.

We have not won this war, and we may not for centuries. But I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the good that has come from your reputation. The victims of abuse in the world are growing stronger. They, in turn, are teaching their children to be stronger, too.

Though they — no — we are afraid, we will no longer run away, clean ourselves up and hold it in for fear of breaking down further. We are learning to demand righteous retribution from our “alleged” abusers, no matter the cost.

Though you have tried to keep us silent, you will not win. No conservative, liberal or moderate can stop us now.

We are speaking up. We are being heard.

And we are coming for you.

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I

t’s been a year, and a lot has happened — good and bad. I still remember how President Donald Trump proposed to build a wall along the southern border and to bomb ISIS. What more?

Trump is a smart man. He gained plenty of entrepreneurial insight during his career as a real estate mogul and a reality TV star. But when he, as ambitious as he already was, announced his candidacy for president in 2015, the world may have not been ready for Trump.

One year later, he defeated Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, and became the victorious leader he intended to be.

He knew how to persuade people and used all of his capabilities to make a unique appearance. Whether he’s making an outspoken statement on Twitter, or leaving an $83 tip at a bakery in Miami, Trump surprises his citizens every day.

For example, executive order 13769 called for a temporary ban of 90 days for travelers born in Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria or Yemen. Entrance and a visa will be denied, as the respective travelers may be terrorists that are against the U.S. As one can imagine, this does not, and will not, necessarily influence only suspicious or guilty people.

As a result, two Iraqi refugees — who both performed governmental work for the U.S. — were being held at the John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, regardless of their valid visas and previously granted asylum. Not very surprisingly, after two months, a replacement and more politically correct executive order was written.

Executive order 13780 included six of the original countries but not Iraq. Some would plead for the search to alternative ways to dismantle terrorism.

In spite of the great effort former President Barack Obama put into preserving 554 million

acres of national lands, Trump questioned it and ordered to review any national monument designations made since 1996 that are over 100,000 acres. I feel grateful for destinations like Berryessa Snow Mountain, Carrizo Plain and Vermilion Cliffs.

Another positive aspect of Trump is his willingness to work across the aisle and show bipartisanship. Trump has repeatedly made strides to work with Democrats on reaching a deal for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Trump held meetings in the White House with Democrats and GOP members to attempt to reach an agreement about DACA. Trump’s position on Dreamers has swung from one extreme to the other, and their fate is still uncertain.

On the other hand, you can say that Trump realized some good things. Take into consideration the tax reform. Reducing the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent is fairly remarkable. Companies will be able to invest in their company more thoroughly, which is a positive stimulus for the economy.

ISIS has almost completely been cleared by a U.S.-led coalition. After the confirmation of Trump, 98 percent of the territory of the Islamic State is freed, leaving an estimated 3,000 militants in Iraq and Syria.

This will allow people to find peace again and rebuild what once was a safe environment.

Trump makes an extraordinary appearance as our 45th president of the U.S. with an even more extraordinary ideology. Despite controversy, Trump strives to stay true to his promises.

I am immensely curious what his leadership will bring in 2018.

Illustration By Katie Dobrydney

OPINION-EDITORIAL

The terrible treatment of Donald Trump MARIA ANGULO

I

t’s been less than three years since President Donald Trump announced his candidacy, and it really has been a whirlwind.

Many things have been done and said, but there has been nothing worse than the way Trump has been treated. Poor Trump!

He has been called every name in the book: racist, sexist, dumb and even a Cheeto Puff. But, why?

Sure, he’s had a few misspellings in his tweets and tends to create new words, but shouldn’t he be praised for his creativity?

“Covfefe” was a big revelation. Everyone was trying to guess what that could mean, but he only gets bad attention. Trump is a businessman. He has better things to do than worry about grammar and spelling errors. Poor Trump!

As a Mexican, you may think that I was offended by the things he said about us during his campaign. You may think I was angry when he said my government does not send the best and brightest and that the only Mexicans coming to the United States are criminals and rapists.

We are so grateful to him that, not only do we agree with his idea about the wall, we support him and are very excited to help him with everything we can. People all over Mexico are saving up

and are even donating to get that wall up as soon as possible so all the bad people can stay right here in the U.S. Lucky Trump!

And yes, President Trump can sometimes be a little racist toward brown people and immigrants who are not from Norway.

But he may be right when he says a lot of immigrants are stealing U.S. citizens’ opportunities by taking low-paying jobs and sometimes a couple of them just to get by. Who are we to come here and take jobs no one is doing? That is awful of us immigrants.

Wonderful Trump!

Also, people say that Trump does not understand women, and that may be true, but let’s give him a break. It’s not for the lack of trying, he keeps at it. He has been married three times, so let’s hope this time’s the charm. Go Trump!

There is nothing President Trump does that pleases the media and liberal society. Even his health is under attack. Poor Trump!

When Trump’s doctor, Ronny Jackson, said he was in great health, people were surprised. To be honest, we should all be amazed that he is able to play golf every weekend.

And let’s not forget how bad the lying media has been toward him. It is not fair that they are always pointing out his lies by using his old tweets against him. How bad of a journalist do you have to be to dig for information and make accurate facts and do

a lot of research on a topic just to try keeping people in power accountable? Nasty journalists!

Even though it may feel like Trump has been in the forefront of political talk for the past decade, it’s only been a couple years.

We still have at least another three, and maybe even another four wonderful years after that. The thought of it gives me so many emotions that I couldn’t even begin to describe. Lucky us!

President Trump has for sure changed the world, but who can say if it’s good or bad?

Illustration By Katie Dobrydney

Nothing but respect for my president: The Rock KELSEY SPIGELMIRE

T

he year is 2020.

President Kanye West and first lady Kim KardashianWest take the stage to announce the latest and greatest pair of “Yeezy Presidential 1’s” and Kim’s newest makeup line. Her goal as first lady is to make sure not a single pre-teen goes through an awkward phase ever again.

Or wait, even better: During Oprah Winfrey’s State of the Union Address, she starts yelling, “You get healthcare! You get healthcare! Everyone gets healthcare!” Meanwhile, Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson flexes with a baby in hand and a signed bill in the other.

Both of these situations, while not necessarily realistic, wouldn’t give the United States the utmost respect and appreciation it very well deserves.

While I do cherish West’s attitude, Kardashian-West’s entrepreneurship, Winfrey’s charisma and The Rock’s muscles, I don’t want them in the Oval Office making important decisions for the entire nation.

I’m all for famous people using their platform to preach what they think is important and fighting for justice. But we must remember they are regular people lacking years upon years of experience in politics.

I would like to stick to experienced people who have dedicated their lives to the study of politics, international relations and diplomacy to be in that big, white house. That is what they

trained, studied and worked for their entire lives.

There are some cases where the movie-star-turned-politician Yes, traditional politicians are often characterized as being story does come out successful. To name a few, Ronald Reagan, who deceitful and self-serving. Many politicians from the past left a was formerly contracted with Warner Bros., became president and bad taste in the public’s mouth — particularly the politicians helped bring about a quicker end to the Cold War. Arnold who do not practice what they preach to their people Schwarzenegger, also known as the Terminator and back home, and vote only for what they want. an insanely muscular bodybuilder, was governor I’m here to say we need to give up-andof California from 2003 to 2011. coming millennial politicians a chance The latest success story — if you before we resort to Hollywood. It’s time really want to call it that — is President to shed some light on the younger Donald Trump. Trump was a celebrity people who are looking to change from and businessman before running for the inside out how U.S. politics work. president and ultimately being elected, It’s time to vote in young, millennial though his success is up for debate. politicians who are certain they can Although these entertainers may make a change and do a better job than have made it into politics, that doesn’t their predecessors. mean they are the best fit for the country, It’s true that millennials, typically even if they do have a strong voice. born between 1980-2000, only account for I believe millennial politicians are the 5 percent of seats in state legislature across future of this country. the country, according to TIME Magazine. They They are youthful, bright and understand have, however, been known to run for local offices the complexities of government even though Illustration By Kaitlin Gould and are beginning to take up seats there. they are scrutinized by the older population. This The program Run for Something, which recruits and is because their ideas on how to progress are different from the supports future candidates, has attracted approximately 11,000 older generation’s traditional ways. Millennials can save major millennials who ask for advice on how to run for local and state recording artists, charitable TV hosts and movie stars as a lastoffices. Millennials are on their way to taking over and introducing ditch effort when all else fails. change slowly and steadily.

But, millennials will not fail.

FEB. 8, 2018 – FEB. 14, 2018 | THE LUMBERJACK 11

FEATURES

As ASNAU president, Lauren L’Ecuyer works with the chief of staff to appoint ASNAU staff, Jan. 31. Madeleine Dill| The Lumberjack

This is a (wo)man’s world Brittany Viar

W

omen have fought for equality in the political world since the dawn of, well, man. A groundbreaking moment for women was in 1920 when the 19th Amendment granted women the right to vote. This proved to be essential in the fight for equality in the political world.

Activists and reformists have fought for decades to gain equality. From the Women’s Suffrage Movement in 1913 to the March for Women’s Lives of 2004, the fight proved to be difficult. Women have worked tirelessly to ensure equal representation in government decisions.

Suffragist Susan B. Anthony once stated, “I declare to you that woman must not depend upon the protection of man, but must be taught

to protect herself, and there I take my stand.”

Anthony, like many women who have worked for gender equality, inspired women of today to also pursue work within the political world.

“I think politics has changed immensely over time, especially for women,” said Lauren L’Ecuyer, Associated Students of Northern Arizona University (ASNAU) president. “Today, it is not outlandish for a woman to run for office or be appointed into a position of power in the government. Women are continuously working toward an equal representation in the political sector, but I absolutely think we’ve made great headway.”

L’Ecuyer is a leader in student-body government at NAU as the chief spokesperson of ASNAU and is heavily involved in student activity on a daily basis. She is also a

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senior double major in hotel and restaurant management and political science. Other

responsibilities of L’Ecuyer include addressing academic concerns of the university at large and maintaining communication with the Office of Student Life.

“We have strides to take in the political realm to have an equal role of men and women.

We see a lack of women representation in Congress. Less than 20 percent is comprised of women. We see a lack of women representation in the White House and other political areas,” L’Ecuyer said.

L’Ecuyer expressed her concerns about the lack of representation of conservative women in the political world.

“However, even more apparent is the lack of Republican women in the political world. The women in Congress are 79 Democrat and 27

Republican. This may be for many reasons, but I think conservative women are less likely to come out and take a political stance,” said L’Ecuyer.

There are still some barriers that present themselves for women in the United States.

Stephen A. Nuño, politics and international affairs associate professor and co-graduate coordinator, said he believes women and men should have an equal role in politics. He believes equal representation does not exist today. Nuño said that men make up the vast majority of decision-makers in the country, which is shown in Congress with only 106 of the 535 members being women.

“We still haven’t had a woman president.

Many people believe that three women in the Supreme Court is enough,” said Nuño.

“Women have, for a long time, had to deal with these decisions that are being made through a

FEATURES male lens.”

Nuño added that other countries have integrated a larger number of women into positions of higher power, but the U.S. has taken its time to do so.

Lori Poloni-Staudinger is a professor and department chair of politics and international affairs at NAU. She has written several books including “Terrorism and Women: A Gender Analysis of Perpetrators, Responders and the Public,” which analyzes the connection of women and terrorism.

“In other countries, we’ve seen women as secretary of defense, or women as heads of government, so prime ministers or presidents,” said Poloni-Staudinger. “In terms of the descriptive representation and the number of women involved in politics, we certainly have more today than we did 200 years ago. We’ve also seen changes in the types of positions women are going into.

We’ve seen changes in terms of women being Secretary of State.

That used to be considered a male-only domain.”

Some of the countries with women in power include Switzerland, South Korea and Germany along with many more.

Additionally, the U.S. does not have federally-required paid maternal or paternal leave for working people, unlike other developed countries of the world.

“Yes, there’s been progress, but is that progress nearly enough?

We still have an entire system built around oppressing women in so many different ways. And [women] kind of think, ‘Well I’m a woman so I should do emotional things [in the workforce],’” Nuño said.

The increase in women who have run for office has made Nuño hopeful that equality will be possible in the future.

“I hope with more women running for office, and more women hopefully winning office, we will see changes in policies that help reaffirm and encourage more women to come into office,” Nuño said.

Although more women have taken initiative by becoming more involved in politics, progress is still being made.

The way women are expected to act remains stagnant for the most part. These expectations have sparked controversy for the way women should be represented. Poloni-Staudinger believes the attributes that some might say that define a man who is in leadership are not used to describe women who are in roles as leaders.

“You see characteristics associated with men, like strength and decisiveness, responsibility, steady hand — those sorts of things. If you ask people characteristics associated with women you get things like caring, loving, emotional and the former [male-related traits] are also those characteristics associated with leadership,” Poloni-Staudinger said.

The presidential cabinet, as Polini-Staudinger explained, is still dominated by males, as it has always been.

“When women get into higher positions [in government], they do have the ability to influence just as much as men do. We do have women leaders in politics right now, and they’re national leaders, so we do see that. It’s not that there’s no equality, it’s just harder for women to advance to that level,” Polini-Staudinger said.

Women choose not to be intimidated from the maledominated political world. Women continue to make their voices heard and continue to work in order to create an even playing field. Certain movements have made a significant advancement in pushing forward the agenda for equality.

Junior political science major Lisa Tucker thinks women are underrepresented in politics, Feb. 1. Madeleine Dill| The Lumberjack

“I think there is a major rise of the women’s public voice in politics. The Women’s March and the Time’s Up Movement have been a major push for women’s health reforms and women’s involvement and voices being heard within government. However, women are heavily underrepresented when looking at public office,” said junior political science major Lisa Tucker.

While many people believe President Donald Trump has created an agenda that has created roadblocks for the progression of women in politics, there have been a notable amount of women elected in executive office, with 74 women in statewide elective executive office across the country.

Although there have been several women represented in the current administration, some people feel as if the women who are represented were placed into positions that were made for them to fail.

“I personally feel [Trump] did not make the right appointments. Sarah Huckabee Sanders probably has the toughest job in the White House and is easily the most prominent woman of the administration in regards to being in the public eye, but her predecessor did not make it an easy job either as he made the position a bit of a joke,” Tucker said. “Overall, I think Trump has successfully tainted the images of the women within his administration through bad appointments, but also the lack of representation throughout his administration.”

Perseverance and hard work continue to be the motto of some women equality groups such as the Arizona National Organization for Women who continue to fight for genderequality. These women have dedicated a lot of their lives to making a true equal government.

“I think women are on the brink of a breakthrough,” L’Ecuyer said. “We have work to do in creating a country in which women

are expected to have the same opportunity as men to make it in the political world. We have to dedicate time and effort to finding positive women role models in the political field that stay true to themselves and are a good representation of women in politics.”

L’Ecuyer believes men are at an advantage politically, but also thinks women have the power to make change.

“I think [in the future] women will be at the forefront of the political world,” L’Ecuyer said. “Thankfully, we are making moves to get to that place. But it takes each generation being as diligent as the past to continue the momentum forward. We have the opportunity to show the country just how positive of an impact can be made when everyone is sitting at the table. We need to find those positive impactful women and encourage them to run for political office and take part in the process.”

The future, as L’Ecuyer and Tucker hope, involves women in more leadership positions. Tucker explained participation from women of all backgrounds is needed and that this participation can be sparked from movements fighting for equality.

“In 10 years, I see an increased number of women in politics.

However, not nearly as many as we would hope. I believe that these movements we have seen will lead to an increased participation of women running for public office,” Tucker said. “The only way we will truly see a close representation of men and women is when society has an overall view change on gender within public office is changed.”

Many people realize that women and minorities are underrepresented in the political field. The U.S. political world consists of mostly white males, which has created issues of inequality that some women feel they have no say in. However, as these politically active women of NAU have explained, there is a hope for a future with greater female representation.

FEB. 8, 2018 – FEB. 14, 2018 | THE LUMBERJACK 13

FEATURES

City Council against Trump’s wall Zara Glidden

D

uring the past two years, the discussion of building a wall as a border between the United States and Mexico has been implanted permanently into the memories of the American people. The promise of a wall has been repeated multiple times by President Donald Trump during his campaign and during his time in office. These promises on the troubled U.S.Mexico border were among the central pillars of his campaign.

One year into Trump’s presidency, construction on this wall has not started. The potential cost, materials and implications are still openly debated on the national and state level.

Whether or not the wall will be created remains to be seen.

While debates continue about the implications of the wall, border states are not ruling anything out.

On Jan. 16, after several weeks of public discussion, the Flagstaff City Council voted to approve a resolution stating the councilmembers’ opposition to construction on the border and the council’s intention to divest in companies working on or financing a potential wall. Though Flagstaff is roughly 300 miles from Mexico, several council members voted in favor of the resolution because they believe that the issue is locally relevant.

This belief was not shared by everyone. Councilmember Charlie Odegaard, who cast one of the two votes against the resolution, spoke up during the meeting. He noted that he did not understand why the council would spend so much time on an issue that does not pertain to Flagstaff.

Odegaard’s doubts revealed a larger question at hand: What is the place of city government within national issues and what powers does it have to respond to them?

For Councilmember Eva Putzova, who initially brought the resolution before the city, the answer is simple.

“To me, whether something is national or local is not as important as the question of if it impacts our lives,” said Putzova.

She said that there are realities that make this statement about the wall true, such as the taxes Flagstaff residents would have to pay to build it and the significant number of Mexican immigrants in the area.

The original draft of the resolution Putzova created included a clause stating that the city would avoid doing any business with companies working on or financing a wall. Several council members considered this portion to be too harsh.

David Martin, president of the Arizona Chapter of Associated General Contractors, opposed this clause vehemently and even questioned its legality.

Martin, who represents 12,000 employees and 140 companies statewide, said that while his association does not engage in social debates, he is responsible to protect the interests of these companies and workers.

“Like I said to the mayor, we don’t get engaged in social issues, and we respect the rights of the city council to send a postcard to the government,” said Martin. “We cannot advocate what would jeopardize workers, contractors or any company that is engaged in lawful activity. It shouldn’t be the discretion of any city council to exclude any company.”

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In the end, the initial clause “blacklisting” companies involved with the building of the wall was excluded from the final draft of the resolution. However, the council did include language that the city could do business with a company associated with the wall, but could not financially invest in those companies. Putzova, who believed that the discarded clause was absolutely legal, was nonetheless happy that the that the final resolution included the city’s intent to divest from these companies financially.

Director of Latin American Studies Robert Neustadt believes that Flagstaff’s distance from Mexico is less relevant than the social and cultural connections that bind them together.

Neustadt has been involved with border issues and immigrant advocacy since 2010 when he began taking students to the borderlands of southern Arizona on class trips.

Neustadt also commented on the significant population of immigrants living in Flagstaff, some with proof of citizenship and some without. He noted that many of them have family in Mexico that they would have tremendous difficulty in visiting.

“The current wall that we have and border security policies are essentially both walling people in and out of the country,” said Neustadt during an interview.

He also said that while the building of a wall between the U.S. and Mexico may be tentative, there are already nearly 700 miles of border fencing along the Arizona-Mexico border.

“The debate should not be whether to expand the wall,” Neustadt said. “The debate should be about the wall we already have there.”

The same set of facts used by Neustadt and pro-resolution councilmembers was interpreted very differently by Odegaard.

While affirming that he was not in favor of the wall, Odegaard said that a resolution against it didn’t appear to address Mexican immigrants’ real dilemma.

“DACA [Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals] and Visa programs, those are what we have to tackle. Those are going to solve these people’s problems,” said Odegaard. “A wall’s not going to solve [it].”

Odegaard also does not feel that addressing national issues fall under his jurisdiction as a city councilmember.

“When I got elected just about a year ago, I just don’t feel that when anybody walked into that voting booth [thinking] ‘What does Charlie think of the border wall?’” Odegaard said.

He understands his duties to be limited to issues directly affecting Flagstaff’s people, resources and economy. Odegaard was joined by councilmember Scott Overton in a vote against the resolution.

However, some believe that not even the local economy can be disconnected from what happens at the border. Odegaard stressed the importance of tourism to Flagstaff’s economy, though he did not factor Mexico into the equation.

There are statistical reasons to believe that the U.S. economy may be intertwined symbolically to the border wall. Tourism in the U.S. fell about 4 percent in 2017, though whether this directly traces back to Trump’s presidency is disputed.

Much more clearly linked are Mexico’s recent agricultural trade deals with countries such as Argentina and Mexico’s threats

Flagstaff City Hall flies the American flag and the Arizona State flag Feb. 4. Shannon Swain | The Lumberjack

to stop buying commodities, such as corn, from the U.S. These market maneuvers are a direct response to the increasingly strained relationship between the U.S. and Mexico that the Trump presidency has exacerbated.

Most councilmembers agreed that both the border wall and resolution against it are heavily symbolic. This is the reason why Putzova and Neustadt, among others, wished for the resolution to be more strident. However, both are happy that a public statement has at least been made. Vice Mayor Whelan believes that this has a lot of power.

“Most of the time, resolutions really are gestures,” said Whelan. “Sometimes all we have is our voice. When cities join together and have that collective voice it does make a difference even though it’s not a law and not an ordinance.”

As the resolution stands, it will have few noticeable effects.

Odegaard pointed out that, when he and other local politicians go to advocate pertinent issues in Washington, the city’s disapproval of a wall is not on the agenda. However, Flagstaff is now among a growing group of cities, including San Diego and Tucson, that have declared their beliefs about the wall on paper.

On President Trump’s campaign trail, slogans about the wall referenced a physical barrier. They also created an ideological divide on which most Americans stood staunchly on one side or the other.

Though Flagstaff’s jurisdiction is limited, Flagstaff City Council affirmed its belief that one right of a small town in big government is to raise its collective voice when needed.

FEB. 8, 2018 – FEB. 14, 2018 | THE LUMBERJACK 15

CULTURE

Keep Your Tiny Hands Off Our Public Lands Joey Felton

A

s Flagstaff community members milled around the Toasted Owl Cafe, many stopped to admire a beautiful depiction of the familiar Southwest landscape. Vibrant colors and detailed succulents brought the painted desert to life, only to see it fade and crumble away into whiteness at the bottom of the landscape.

One community member was heard saying, “This is a quarter of my paycheck,” as he bid for the art piece “Crumble.”

“Crumble” was created by Lovenia Libby, a contributing artist in the Keep Your Tiny Hands Off Our Public Lands event hosted by Toasted Owl Cafe East Side Feb. 2.

Students from Flagstaff Arts and Leadership Academy (FALA) raised over $800 for the Grand Canyon Trust with an environmentally themed art and performance exhibition.

FALA’s Environmental Coalition organized the Keep Your Tiny Hands Off Our Public Lands fundraiser to educate the Flagstaff community about current environmental issues and the importance of responsible land and resource management. The event featured dancers, filmmakers, artists and speakers, all of who created works with a theme of environmental preservation.

Attendees were greeted at the door by hundreds of decorative owls gazing down from picture frames and bookshelves. The cozy space, including floral carpets and a dozen unique chandeliers, was filled with chatter and laughter.

Community members were encouraged to donate money at the free event, and many were seen thrusting $20 bills into the donation jar.

Katie Giovale, FALA senior and president of the Environmental Coalition, organized this event with her peers to speak out against policies proposed by President Donald Trump, who has demonstrated eagerness to extract resources and economic value from public lands.

“Public lands has been such a big issue.

Since FALA is an art school, we thought it would be best if we utilize that. I feel like art provides a deeper understanding. It goes beyond an intellectual standpoint of understanding these issues,” said Giovale.

According to The Arizona Republic, Arizona lawmakers have proposed joining in a Utah lawsuit through which Utah lawmakers are fighting for the right to own their federally owned lands. A similar bill was proposed in Arizona in 2012 but was overwhelmingly voted against.

Elizabeth Whiteman, a senior at Flagstaff Arts and Leadership Academy, presents during a night of environmental activism at The Toasted Owl Cafe East Side Jan. 2.

Aaron Fortin | The Lumberjack

With a new president in office, the question for many Arizonans is, what will happen to Arizona lands if irresponsibly managed?

“I think it is extremely important for us to be involved and also to have this voice. I grew up outside going on river trips and going camping and climbing, and I never really thought this is something that can be taken away,” Giovale said.

Grand Canyon Trust is a nonprofit organization that oversees several volunteerbased conservation projects throughout the Grand Canyon and Colorado Plateau. The Trust is also focused on bringing communities closer to the natural land through education.

Julia Sullivan is the youth engagement coordinator at Grand Canyon Trust and supports student-led environmental groups at

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FALA and Flagstaff High School. Her goal is to engage students in an academic setting, promote volunteerism and facilitate their collective potential. Through her outreach efforts she met Giovale and the nearly two dozen event organizers and contributors.

“The fact that [the students] have taken the time to not only make these art pieces, but to plan and execute this event, I think it’s hugely important, especially given our current political climate,” said Sullivan.

Dozens of community members and supportive FALA students mingled in between short films such as FALA sophomore Gabrielle Nielson’s “Protect the Canyon,” which pleaded with Arizonans to prevent uranium mining near the Grand Canyon. The film was of an

elegant dancer imposed on sprawling images of the Grand Canyon, connecting humanity with nature.

Emcee of the evening, FALA senior Elizabeth Whiteman, encouraged the students and community members in attendance to consider signing petitions by the Grand Canyon Trust. One petition was entitled “Defend the Grand Canyon from Uranium Mining.”

Sullivan believes students and adults alike are inspired by the Environmental Coalition and that events like this fundraiser can be empowering experiences.

“I think part of their thinking with making this an art show — both visual and performing — is hoping to connect with people on another level,” Sullivan said.

Libby, a FALA senior, made her first impact as an environmental activist and artist at this event.

“It’s hard not to get political when you get more informed [about the environment]. Art is a good way to bring together like-minded people and to build community, but is also an easier way to communicate with people of differing opinions,” said Libby.

In his 2018 State of the Union Address, President Trump acknowledged the devastating effects of natural disasters like the Florida hurricanes and California wildfires. He later lauded deregulation and the end of wars on “clean coal” and energy.

Concerning public lands under the new administration, there is still much left up in the air. For example, in December 2017, President Trump announced modifications to Utah’s Bears Ears monument, a legacy left by his predecessor in 2016. According to the official statement provided by the White House the land is to be divided into separate smaller acres, opening new tracts of land to mining companies.

But in a surprising move, President Trump also instructed U.S. Bureau of Land Management to review the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan, hinting that he would open more public land for clean solar and wind energy production.

To help protect Arizona’s future, Giovale and the Environmental Coalition will make a trip to the state capitol for Environmental Day, Feb. 7. They plan to read about the Clean Water Act and ask state representatives questions about how they support local lands.

The Environmental Coalition proudly requests, “Keep your tiny hands off our public lands.”

CULTURE

A better brew on Butler Avenue Sebastian A. Moore

T

he old framework, aroma of fresh beer and historic Route 66 location, make Mother Road Brewing Company a cornerstone of Flagstaff’s culture. After seven successful years of brewing some of Flagstaff’s award-winning beers, the brewery will add a second location on Butler Avenue Feb. 7. At this local brewery, you can find values of community crafted in their beer.

Owners Michael and Alissa Marquess were on a mission to bring Flagstaff unique-tasting beer when they opened the original brewery Nov. 17, 2011. Their company mission to “build community one pint at a time” has been accomplished with handcrafted brews such as the Tower Station, Twin Arrows Brown Ale and Kölsch Style Ale. But their success is measured in more than just their beer.

The addition of a second location was part of the brewery’s plan from the beginning. The plans for the second location were already completed by the time Oliver Adams, current operations manager and NAU alumnus, began working at the brewery in January 2017. The goal was to have the new brewery open by April 2017, but problems with gaining permits and architecture caused a 10-month delay on the $1 million project.

“It ended up costing a lot more,” said Adams. “The permitting process and getting the engineering down and approved by the city was the most arduous process throughout all of this.”

During the 10-month construction delay, the brewery needed to produce some of their beer in Phoenix, with help from the Helton Brewing Company, in order to meet the demand of their customers. To assure the quality was at the same standard, Mother Road sent their own brewers to Phoenix and brought the finished product back to Flagstaff. All beers brought from Phoenix had a disclaimer indicating it was brewed at another location.

“The deal was going on for several, several months, but it’s phasing out now actually in April,” Adams said.

Doing research on the history and culture of Mother Road is also part of Adams’ current job. Adams referred back to the mission and values of the brewery to bring the same atmosphere to the new location.

“The Mother Road tap room was designed originally as like the third place: that place between work and home,” Adams said.

“We want to help co-define what we do so that no matter what, the Mother Road way outlasts us.”

Kaitlin Cummings is one of five managers who work at Mother Road and she recognizes the brewery’s uniqueness.

“Mother Road isn’t your typical bar. It’s great working with good owners who care about the community, customers and their employees,” said Cummings.

Bartender Stephanie Henderson has worked at Mother Road for two years.

“It’s the best job I’ve had,” said Henderson. “Mother Road is a place where community is super important, and it’s nice to be in a bar scene without the maliciousness.”

Expanding means including a wider demographic. Mother Road gets approximately 70 percent of their customers from

Top Left: The Mother Road Brewing Company’s newest location on Butler Avenue offers a variety of specialty local beer Jan. 31.

Top Right: Mother Road Brewing had their soft opening one week before the grand opening to allow the public to visit the new location beforehand, Feb 3. Bottom: License plates from around the United States hang under the bar at Mother Road Brewing Company’s newest location Jan. 31. Wyatt Rutt | The Lumberjack

returning local Flagstaffians who enjoy their product, said Henderson.

NAU class of 1971 alumnus Mike Whittaker is a regular and an investor in the company.

“There are some beers we don’t brew anymore, but with our new facility, we should be back on track to bringing those classics back,” said Whittaker.

Some of Whittaker’s personal favorite beers that are discontinued are the Road Side, White Walls IPA and We Heavy.

The We Heavy beer was dedicated to the Scottish heritage within the community, which Whittaker is a part of.

Like other investors, Whittaker believes in the company’s goals, missions and product. The addition of the new brewery will allow the business to continue being creative, craft locally and produce subtle, unique-tasting beer.

The dark color and high alcohol content of the beers produced

is what draws customers from beyond Flagstaff. Travelers visiting the Grand Canyon, skiing in the winter or rolling down Route 66 brings people to the original location on South Mikes Pike Street.

Tourists Mary KayDeCrescenzo and Anita Ruesterholtz decided to pay a visit to the brewery during a stop on their road trip from California.

“I love dark beer,” said KayDeCrescenzo. “This place is pretty creative with the flavors and smells. It’s very unique.”

Both KayDeCrescenzo and Ruesterholtz ordered their own “Flight” — six different beers in four ounce glasses as tasters — and included popular beers such as the Kölsch Style Ale, Lost Highway Double Black IPA and their 6th Anniversary Ale. The addition of a second brewery starts a new chapter in Flagstaff’s history. Mother Road will continue its mission to bring us closer together as a community.

FEB. 8, 2018 – FEB. 14, 2018 | THE LUMBERJACK 17

CULTURE

Acceptance through art Kaylin Dunnett

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n Saturday Feb. 10 the Femme Fest, an inclusive art experience featuring women and femme individuals, is scheduled to liven up downtown Flagstaff with vibrant music, artwork, poetry, speakers and some relaxing yoga. The excitement can already be felt in downtown Flagstaff as event organizer Kathryn Meyers and her team begin the process of displaying artwork at Firecreek Coffee Company.

Senior marketing major Meyers is the electric guitarist and lead vocalist for popular band Sol Drop. Through her participation with Sol Drop, Meyers gained experience with organizing various events and shows. Meyers said that her goal for Femme Fest is to have an all-inclusive environment.

“Being in a band as a female, I really appreciate playing with other bands that are femme fronted,” said Meyers.

This idea led to Meyers envisioning a fun night with a bunch of local femme-fronted bands.

“I continued to ponder and [expand] my idea to be as inclusive as I could be with the entire femme community, promoting all expressions, all art mediums,” Meyers said.

Meyers said that the art exhibition opened Feb. 2, and artwork will be displayed throughout all of February.

“A majority of the artists are local [although] a few of them are not,” Meyers said.

Attendees to Femme Fest may also receive a magazine copy including artwork by members of the femme community and other diverse artists. Meyers hopes that the event will empower participants, regardless of how attendees identify.

“It was a challenge to ensure all identities and expressions of ‘femme’ would be voiced since [it] is such a broad term that so many define differently, but still identify with strongly,” Meyers said. “I want... Everyone, including people who are trans, non-binary and queer and people of all races and cultures to feel welcome. Everyone deserves to be heard and to celebrate their identities.”

Sold Out Productions’ website has the full extensive lineup of artists attending, all are different mediums, detailing groups from all over Arizona as well as the Los Angeles area.

Fifteen bands will be playing. A sliver of the lineup includes Bad Cop/Bad Cop, Go Betty

Go, Glam Skanks and The Venomous Pinks, as well as Flagstaff local groups Fake Nails, Egg Princess, Shark the Band, Rabbit Trap and solo singer Cyam.

Visual artists attending include Jill Sans, Jessica Tennyson, Kenna Douds, and Sami Claire. Femme Fest will also host various poets through a collaboration with Flagstaff Slam Poetry, notably featuring poet Kimberly Jarchou.

The event is sponsored by Planned Parenthood, Girls Rock! Phoenix and the Northland Family Help Center. AZMakersWTF — WTF standing for Women, Trans, Femme — and Planned Parenthood speakers will also be attending to share experiences at Firecreek Roasting Works.

Local band Fake Nails, the self-proclaimed “Flagstaff’s Cutest Band,” will also be in attendance. When asked about the genre of their band, Fake Nails responded in unison, “fuzzy BFF college rock.”

The band consists of NAU alumna Sarah Spainhower, senior German and environmental science major Sofia Ramcke, and environmental

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science majors junior Sarah Lydford and senior Luna Thompson.

Ramcke, who is the band’s drummer, first formed the band with bass-playing Spainhower in 2016. Lydford and Thompson, who both provide vocals and play electric guitars, later joined in 2017. The band has played at Riot Fest, Flagstaff Brewing Company, Firecreek Coffee Company and the Flagstaff Women’s March in January.

Lydford said that the group discovered Femme Fest through Kathryn Meyers, who requested Lydford’s assistance with the event’s official branding.

Thompson was clear on what her band hoped to accomplish through Femme Fest.

By playing in this fest, Thompson said she wants to continue to make and take back space that has been taken away and denied from femme artists.

Though Fake Nails is happy about their own opportunity to perform, and they are equally excited about the other local voices

Illustration By Megan Troutman being heard.

“It’s a really rad group of bands playing... very musically diverse,” said Lydford.

The group is anticipates the music scene to be brought together as one and to have the opportunity to talk about shared experiences within the artform with other women and femme artists.

Fake Nails emphasized that, within their group as well as the other groups playing at Femme Fest, they hope that people will look beyond the femme identity of the individuals and instead see them as musicians. To Fake Nails, the femme identity is not a novelty.

“We’re not just femme musicians,” said Fake Nails. “We are musicians... we’re rock and rollers.”

More information on Femme Fest can be found on Sold Out Productions’ website. Fake Nails will be dropping a new album near the beginning of March and has a band page on Facebook titled FakeNails.

CULTURE

Top Left: Four Cornered Room bassist James Corbett plays a set for fans at Flagstaff Brewing Company Feb. 2. Top Right: Jordan Butler, lead guitarist of Four Cornered Room, jams out Feb 2.

Bottom Left: Fans dance to the music of Four Cornered Room Feb 2. Bottom Right: Four Cornered Room drummer August Shultz performs at Flagstaff Brewing Company Feb. 2.

Austin Corbett | The Lumberjack

FEB. 8, 2018 – FEB. 14, 2018 | THE LUMBERJACK 19

SPORTS

NAU football head coach Jerome Souers talks to junior tight end Jonathan Baldwin at the last home game of the regular season Nov. 11, 2017. Victoria Kaschl| The Lumberjack

JEROME SOUERS’ RETURN MAY BRING STABILITY TO RECRUITING Maddy Willett

I

n a twist of events, NAU President Rita Cheng announced in November 2017 that Jerome Souers would remain head coach of the Lumberjacks’ football team. Along with the return of Souers, defensive coordinator Andy Thompson was promoted to assistant head coach.

Souers announced in September 2017, after losing the first two games of the 2017 season, that he would not return as head coach following the completion his 20th season at NAU. His resignation was the outcome of being encouraged to depart by former athletic director Lisa Campos. A press conference was held in September 2017 with Campos to make the announcement.

Campos then left NAU in November 2017 to take the athletic director position at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Cheng soon reinstated Souers as head coach.

NAU recently welcomed Mike Marlow as the new athletic director.

Souers said Cheng’s decision to keep him as head coach was

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to keep continuity in the football program and grant him the opportunity to work alongside Marlow to reset the direction of the athletic department and football team.

“I think we have been really close to actualizing our vision of a championship culture in the NAU football program,” said Souers. “It has remained our goal to play championship football year in and year out.”

Marlow brings with him to NAU a history of being progressive and furthering programs. Souers said he is thrilled to be able to work next to an athletic director whose work is a proven product.

The Lumberjacks finished this past regular season with a loss to Southern Utah and an overall record of 7-4 and 6-2 in the Big Sky Conference. The Lumberjacks also had a bid to the Football Championship Series Playoffs for the first time since 2013, but fell 41-10 to the University of San Diego in the first round.

Souers is adamant that the coaching staff is not treating his renewal as a one-year situation.

“We are recruiting towards several different dimensions:

depth in the offensive line, defensive secondary and the future of our program,” Souers said. “We are trying to solve problems that will help our team in the fall, as well as build toward the future.”

Along with the search for athletes, wide receivers coach Aaron Pflugrad has been promoted to offensive coordinator, according to a Jan. 25 the Arizona Daily Sun article. Pflugrad replaces former offensive coordinator Brian Sheppard who departed from the program in December 2017 after just one season at NAU. NAU is still searching to replace special teams coordinator Gary Hyman who departed at the same time as Sheppard.

Souers has a 119-107 career record with the Lumberjacks.

He holds the record for number of seasons coached at 20, overall wins with 119 and 82 Big Sky Conference wins.

“The number of returners we have from last year give us a lot of optimism to build on the traction and progress that we have gained,” Souers said.

With Souers returning for at least one more season, NAU football has been granted some stability, at least for the time being.

SPORTS

New year, a new athletic director Bailey Helton

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fter serving seven years at Washington State University (WSU) as the deputy director of athletics, the WSU graduate Mike Marlow is now a part of the Lumberjack family serving as the vice president of intercollegiate athletics.

On his journey from WSU, Marlow has brought his wife, Barbara Ann, his daughters Courtney and Haley and son Jeffrey.

“I’m so happy to be coming to NAU and for my family to be a part of this Lumberjack community,” said Marlow in the press release with President Rita Cheng, December 2017.

Marlow has been a part of athletics in multiple settings.

His first atheltic appointment was at the University of Montana in 1991 where he served as the assistant director of the Grizzly Athletic Association. After some time at Montana, Marlow was the assistant athletic director at the University of Idaho where he oversaw donor ticketing and fundraising from 1995 to 1998.

The next stage in his intercollegiate athletic administration career was in Oregon where he stayed for 12 years, from 1998 to 2010, as the senior associate athletic director of the University of Oregon. While in Oregon, Marlow produced a slew of accomplishments: attendance records were at an all-time high, annual fundraising numbers were tripled and large donations were secured.

Not only did Marlow build the athletic department up in finances, he also made it possible to construct a larger football stadium as well as a new baseball and basketball arena.

In 2010, Marlow made one last stop — at WSU — ­ before coming to NAU. During his seven years in Washington, Marlow was in charge of all athletic funds, athletic communications, ticket operations and worked as a liaison for lucrative sport broadcast contracts.

Outside of the roles he held at WSU, Marlow made many other achievements. Marlow was to introduce creative programs for fan engagement, shift marketing strategies within the athletic department from program-centric to fan-centric and close a $32 million multimedia rights partnership with the International Management Group.

“I’m excited for NAU Athletics under Mike Marlow’s leadership. I’m excited for everyone else to see what I saw during our search process. ” – Mitch Strohman, The voice of the lumberjacks On Dec. 13, 2017, Marlow was officially introduced to NAU through a letter from the president’s office. Shortly following the letter came a press conference during which Cheng enthused the school about Marlow’s arrival.

Mike Marlow, new vice president of Intercollegiate Athletics, began his career with NAU in January. Marlow replaces Lisa Campos, who left NAU for the athletics director position at University of Texas at San Antonio. Raymond Felix Olivarez |The Lumberjack

“Mike rose to the top from a very impressive field of candidates,” said Cheng in the press release. “He is a strategic leader with the experience and background needed to elevate NAU’s athletic program.”

Another staff member from the president’s office who is just as excited as Cheng about the arrival of Marlow is the Voice of the Lumberjacks, Mitch Strohman.

“I’m excited President Cheng picked Mike Marlow from a powerful list of final candidates,” said Strohman. “I’m excited for NAU Athletics under Mike Marlow’s leadership. I’m excited for everyone else to see what I saw during our search process. Mike’s effusive feelings for NAU and Flagstaff and his vision for the future of Lumberjack athletics.”

Marlow has many aspirations for NAU during his time at the helm. Some of which include having the Flagstaff community and student body more invested in the athletic program. Marlow feels the best way to entice the community is to share the story of NAU athletics.

Most people aren’t aware of what goes on behind the scenes of athletics. During an interview, Marlow walked among the athletes. While walking, Marlow overheard track-and-field athletes discuss their majors and minors, as well as get a glimpse of an athlete working on homework while sitting in the highjump pit. These are the stories Marlow feels the community needs to hear more.

Not only does Marlow feel that the stories of balanced

lifestyles within athletics needs to be shared, but he also feels that a partnership between NAU and the community would benefit all those involved. “[Collaborating with the community] looks like a partnership, where athletics can help to elevate the brand of an entire university,” Marlow said. “Our athletic program has here in many ways, that I think with continued collaboration and even increased collaboration, could find more ways to tell our story.

That really in essence, tells the story of NAU.” Scaling it back from community to focus on athletics, Marlow is impressed by the coaches’ dedication to their student athletes and the emphasis they put on academics. However, in the few short weeks Marlow has been at NAU, he has taken notice of the needs coaches have including practice times and living arrangements.

When it comes to NAU Athletics as a whole, Marlow feels that the action of the athletic administrative staff would be best if it were prudent in decision making, especially in decisions that can only be made once.

All in all, Marlow is excited for what the future holds when working with the entire athletic department.

“I’m looking forward to what it appears to be a great group of professionals, coaches and staff,” Marlow said. “Going through team-building exercises where we really become more as one.”

Marlow extends an invitation to the NAU student body to get involved with athletics in any way possible.

FEB. 8, 2018 – FEB. 14, 2018 | THE LUMBERJACK 21

SPORTS

Finite training for infinite life skills Cara Heise

I

t was a windy day in Las Vegas, and while most people head to Sin City to gamble, the women who make up the Lumberjack golf team are there for tournament play. It is the final round of University of Nevada, Las Vegas’ Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown. The day before, the Lumberjacks finished with their second-best tournament score of the season. They ended the tournament No. 15 overall, with a score of 19 over 307 for the final round.

Since the end of the fall season, the women’s golf team has not only been preparing for the spring physically, but mentally as well.

“We do things a little bit different than a lot of programs,” said head coach Brad Bedortha.

“We do a lot of character development. Instead of coming in and worrying about them as golfers, our first priority is worrying about them as people.”

The Lumberjacks finished the fall season with an average score of 299 during their four tournaments and 12 rounds of play.

Their tournaments included: Ptarmigan Ram Classic Invitational, Coeur D’Alene Collegiate Invitational, Ron Moore Women’s Intercollegiate and the Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown.

Looking ahead to the spring season, the team is focusing on having fun and not getting caught up in the game. The coaching staff has been working on creating a culture that instills hard work, having a good attitude, treating each other well and being grateful.

“For us, it’s continuing that direction, trying to get them to perform better while they’re competing to shoot lower scores,” Bedortha said. “[I’m] not actually worried about their actual scores, but that they’ve put in the work during practice so when they go out there, they can perform the shot or shots that they need to do.

If they do that enough, it’ll lead to lower scores.

We’re off to a great semester.”

Their upcoming tournaments include: Battle at the Rock, The Rebel, Wildcat Invitational, Red Rocks Invitational and the Wyoming Cowgirl Classic. The Big Sky Championships will be April 20-22.

The Red Rock Invitational is NAU’s home tournament and is a favorite tournament of some of the women on the team.

“We’re actually doing the College Am [tournament] and I am very excited about that one because there will be a lot of people who are attracted to NAU life,” said junior Sofia

Courtesy of NAU Athletics

Anokhina. “I think that it’s going to help decrease the amount of questions of ‘NAU has a golf team?’ So, I think the tournament will help improve our popularity.”

Bedortha is entering his 10th season as the women’s golf head coach. Prior to coaching at NAU, he coached at Ferris State, in Michigan.

During his time as a Lumberjack, Bedortha and his teams have won three Big Sky Conference titles — 2009, 2013 and 2015 — with 16 tournament victories.

“In some ways it’s my life passion, it’s what I want to do,” Bedortha said. I love to be able to recruit people here to get a great education. I get to coach them and better them in golf a little bit, but more so in life. It’s about the people.”

Bedortha is also a coach who cares about his athletes more than winning, and he prepares his athletes for life after college.

“Coming into it, I wasn’t sure if I really wanted it,” said senior Kaitlyn Saum. “Not sure if I really wanted to be here, but [Bedortha] had unconditional faith I could do it, and I think that’s carried me a lot through the last four years.

I owe a lot of staying motivated and staying here to him. Because no matter what, he still loves us and still cares about us as people. He doesn’t care about how we do on the course, as long as we’re good people, it doesn’t matter how we play. He’s not preparing us for our next tournament, he’s preparing us for after college.”

Bedortha and his coaching staff is not

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primarily concerned about winning or losing, but instead they are working on character development by encouraging the team to get out of their comfort zones and to better themselves as people. Bedortha has the team read books, complete book reports and present them to the coaching staff, which are then filmed and put on YouTube.

“We want them to get out of their comfort zones and be vulnerable and authentic and learn and kind of figure out who they are in life,” Bedortha said.

For the spring season, the Big Sky Coaches Poll has selected NAU to finish fourth in the conference. NAU earned 90 points, behind Sacramento State (119), Idaho (109) and Portland State (105), in voting. Bedortha is not surprised about where the team sits in the poll.

“We had some flashes of playing well in the fall, [but] it just wasn’t as consistent as we would have liked,” Bedortha said. “Our biggest thing is getting the depth of the team to close that gap, so we can take a fourth and fifth player, and they can go out and get good enough scores to help our team.”

Last year, Bedortha decided to have a theme for the team that was based off Teddy Roosevelt’s 1910 speech, “The Man and the Arena” speech.

This tradition has now carried into this season.

The theme for this year is Infinite Training.

Each member of the team thinks differently about the meaning of the theme, but they all

agree that it means to not stop training.

“We actually got the theme this year from my brother who has a debilitating disease and he came to a tournament in Sacramento last spring and the girls met him and he wrote a letter to the team,” Bedortha said. “One of the things he talked about was talent, the finite training, it’s infinite, so we used that as our team theme and worked around it. We talked about it and reminded them that they can always be training in something.”

The impact of implementing a team theme has left as lasting impression on the team, as golfers and as individuals.

“For me, it’s kind of humbling because it says no matter how good you get or what level you’re at, there’s always room for improvement,” said senior Carly Akine. “So you have to keep asking questions and keep learning.”

The character development and infinite training skills Bedortha has taught the women are lessons he hopes they will carry with them for many years.

“Golf is a metaphor because of the adversity and having to push through and try to manage a social life, studies, and golf kind of teaches you how it is in the real world,” said senior Sierra Bezdicek.

The Lumberjacks start tournament play Feb. 12 at the Battle at the Rock in Riverside, California hosted by the University of California, Riverside.

FEB. 8, 2018 – FEB. 14, 2018 | THE LUMBERJACK 23