The Lumberjack -- August 20, 2020

MOVE-IN CHALLENGES PAGE 4

THE LUMBER JACK

AUG. 20, 2020 – AUG. 26, 2020

Online at JackCentral.org

From the Editor

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’m scared and honestly, I assume most of us are. Some days, I’m lighthearted and a bit careless; when I’m sheltered and oblivious, I seem to be my happiest. As a journalist, these moments are few and far between and often saved for the weekends. The last few weeks — with a staggered return to campus, postponed in-person instruction and other universities closing their doors before they’ve hardly opened — have been a lot.

With the fall semester comes change and oblivion, which is usually true, but this year, feels like the forefront of the university experience. With every change comes more questions than answers and there are too many moving pieces to monitor. Freshmen are coming to campus for the first time in an atmosphere of distance and caution. Those returning are adjusting everything they know about higher education.

I believe learning is fundamentally changing before us. I’m frustrated, tense, stressed and anxious. I’m scared — for my peers’ and mentors’ health, our mental well-being, the future of our university and its programs and so much more.

SCOUT EHRLER

If you read our Editor-in-Chief Brady Wheeler’s letter from last week, MANAGING EDITOR it should come as no surprise The Lumberjack will no longer produce a physical publication and is pivoting to a digital model. This change was inevitable, but expedited by COVID-19. In the midst of it, this change is overwhelming.

Zoomed out, I know I’m only one of thousands of people on campus grappling with loss and the unsettlingly quick approach of a future shrouded in oblivion in some shape or size.

Despite how it feels in the moment, I often remind myself change is necessary and fleeting.

We’ll always encounter new changes and challenges, but the current moment will be past before we know it. Stress and hard work usually lead to the completion of a goal, a conquering of a hurdle.

Fall will be a hard semester for more reasons that I can count. Between technological difficulties, buffering Zooms and spotty communication, there is a collection of reasons to be frustrated right now.

This frustration does not indicate failure, but is instead a side effect of change. A future we can’t yet see awaits; I hold onto hope it will be better than our present moment.

Spring and subsequent semesters will see brighter days, I urge you to persevere if you can. If you can’t, godspeed to your next adventure. Take care of yourself in the process, and I’ll attempt to do the same.

Continous local and campus covid-19 coverage available at jackcentral.org

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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. 110 ISSUE 2

Editor-in-Chief Brady Wheeler

Managing Editor Scout Ehrler

Copy Chief Nathan Manni

Faculty Adviser David Harpster

Print Chief Jacob Meyer

Director of Digital Content Sabrina Profitt

Media Innovation Center Editorial Board Director of Social Media Maddie Cohen

Op-Ed Editor Ryan Dixon

Asst. Culture Editor Katelyn Rodriguez

Director of Illustration Aleah Green

News Editor Trevor Skeen

Asst. Op-Ed Editor Kyler Edsitty

Sports Editor David Church

Asst. Dir. of Illustration Blake Fernandez

Asst. News Editor Camille Sipple

Features Editor Ash Lohmann

Asst. Sports Editor Cameron Richardson

Director of Photography Michael patacsil

Online News Editor Alliya Dulaney

Asst. Features Editor Olivia Charlson

Sports Adviser Rory Faust

Asst. Dir. of Photography Mackenzie Brower

Senior Reporter Mark Fabery

Culture Editor Nayomi Garcia

Senior Photographer Brian Burke

Director of Multimedia Shawn Patti

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On the cover With the help of her parents, Sophomore Samantha Roan moved into Ernest Calderón Learning Center, Aug. 19 MacKenzie Brower| The Lumberjack

Corrections & Clarifications The Lumberjack is committed to factual correctness and accuracy. If you find an error in our publication, please email Brady Wheeler at bew85@nau.edu.

PoliceBeat Aug. 10 At 11:25 a.m., staff at North Hall reported a subject asking for money and causing a disturbance. NAUPD responded, but the subject left the area prior to officer arrival.

At 6:08 p.m., a student reported suspicious photos left in a printer at Cline Library.

NAUPD responded, but no criminal activity was witnessed.

At 10:08 p.m., staff at Allen Hall reported the odor of marijuana. NAUPD responded and one student was deferred for possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Aug. 11 At 12:13 a.m., multiple students reported a suspicious person outside of Wilson Hall.

NAUPD responded and one student was cited and released for disorderly conduct and harassment.

At 3:42 a.m., students at Wilson Hall reported being stuck in a room due to a broken door handle. NAUPD responded and the students were successfully freed. Facilities was notified.

At 3:38 p.m., a shuttle driver reported witnessing a hit-and-run at the intersection of Knoles Drive and W. University Avenue.

NAUPD responded and failed to locate a victim or suspect. No criminal activity was witnessed.

At 4:30 p.m., staff at Reilly Hall reported the odor of marijuana. NAUPD responded and one student was deferred for use of marijuana, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. Four students were deferred for use of marijuana.

Aug. 12 At 12:54 a.m., a resident at Pine Ridge Village reported a student having a seizure.

NAUPD, Flagstaff Fire Department (FFD) and Guardian Medical Transport (GMT) responded, and the student was transported to Flagstaff Medical Center (FMC).

At 8:13 a.m., staff at Knoles Parking Garage reported suspicious packages. NAUPD responded and the property was taken for safekeeping. No criminal activity was witnessed.

At 10:58 p.m., NAUPD reported an abandoned bicycle outside The Suites. The bicycle was listed as stolen by the Mesa Police Department, and was transported to NAUPD for storage.

Compiled by mark fabery

Aug. 13 At 10:57 p.m., NAUPD reported contacting four students in Lot 64. The students were deferred for minor in consumption and possession of alcohol.

Aug. 14 At 11:30 a.m., a student reported that an individual attending an online lecture had made possible threats. NAUPD responded and took a report.

At 7:46 p.m., a student reported a suspicious person outside Tinsley Hall.

NAUPD responded, but the subject left the area prior to officer arrival.

Aug. 15 At 12:08 a.m., NAUPD reported a traffic stop at the intersection of S. San Francisco Street and W. University Avenue. Officers issued warnings for driving without a valid driver’s license and violating a posted stop sign.

FFD and GMT responded for a nonstudent experiencing alcohol intoxication, and the subject refused transport to FMC. At 3:11 p.m., a staff member called to report a group of skateboarders who almost collided with vehicles in the San Francisco Parking Structure. NAUPD responded and educated two subjects on skateboard laws.

At 7:35 p.m., a student reported the theft of two hats at the Mountain View Hall Parking Structure. NAUPD responded and took a report.

Aug. 16 At 11:48 a.m., a staff member at Gabaldon Hall reported the odor of marijuana. NAUPD responded and one student was referred for use of medical marijuana, while another student was criminally deferred for use of marijuana.

At 9:31 p.m., a student reported possible animal abuse in Lot 32. NAUPD responded and no criminal activity was witnessed.

At 10:47 p.m., an RA at Wilson Hall reported a student who coughed up blood.

NAUPD, FFD and GMT responded, and the student was transported to FMC. At 11:38 p.m., an RA at Taylor Hall reported three intoxicated students who were underaged. NAUPD responded and the three students were criminally deferred for possession and use of marijuana.

AUGUST 20, 2020 – AUGUST 26, 2020 | THE LUMBERJACK

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NEWS

Left: Kelsey Koziol’s dad loads a bin with her dorm supplies on her move-in day, Aug. 19. Students were emailed July 29 with their new move-in appointments and most will now be coming to campus between Aug. 19-30. Right: NAU’s central campus stirs with activity the afternoon of Aug. 19, as students move into their dorms. MacKenzie Brower | The Lumberjack

NAU faces controversy over staggered move-in dates trevor skeen

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ith in-person classes scheduled to start nearly three weeks after the fall semester began Aug. 12, NAU announced staggered move-in dates for on-campus residents throughout August.

This decision, which followed the surge of COVID-19 infections around Arizona, led to numerous controversies around the university community.

On NAU’s official Instagram account, one post about adjusted move-in dates, most of which were rescheduled between Aug. 19 and 30, generated nearly 400 comments. Many commenters expressed confusion and frustration with the unexpected decision to delay oncampus residence. In particular, students and their families reflected concerns about changing plane tickets, hotel bookings and time-off requests shortly before the academic year started.

During a phone interview with The Lumberjack’s news team on July 29 — five days after the announcement was made — president Rita Cheng said the pandemic forced NAU to make sudden decisions. As COVID-19 changes quickly and unpredictably, Cheng explained the university’s protocols are refined accordingly.

“We could not have made that decision [about housing] earlier, because we didn’t know what was going on with the virus in Arizona,” Cheng said. “Once we saw the decline in cases,

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we felt that we needed to give that decline more time.”

New information about COVID-19 is coming to NAU in “waves,” Cheng added, and administrators can only make decisions based on current knowledge. Although these choices eventually become more clear — usually in the following weeks or months — Cheng said they can be agonizing in the moment.

One student who commented on the university’s Instagram post was Harabel Lea Ancheta, an incoming freshman from Oahu, Hawaii. According to the Hawaiian government’s website, governor David Ige enacted a mandatory 14-day quarantine for anyone traveling to the islands, which would include Ancheta’s parents after they fly back from Arizona.

Over a text interview, Ancheta said her parents are both essential workers — one is a police lieutenant and the other as a nurse — which can make it difficult to schedule days off. The decision by university administration to postpone move-in dates was unacceptable, she added, simply because it was so sudden.

Regardless of the COVID-19 pandemic and the importance of limiting face-to-face interactions, these adjustments were made just a few weeks before move-in dates were originally scheduled.

“I personally believe it is not a reasonable justification,” Ancheta said. “I understand COVID-19 is stressful for everyone, especially

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the staff responsible for getting students on campus safely, but we’ve had our move-in appointments for way too long for them to change at the extremely last minute.”

While spending the summer in Hawaii, Ancheta said her family was aware of COVID19’s rapid spread around Arizona, which The New York Times documented in early July as the highest outbreak in the world per million residents. Although these figures slowed later in July, the Arizona Department of Health Services showed a total of 190,794 cases on Aug. 13, including a positive test rate of 12.2%.

Despite these statistics, Ancheta explained that move-in dates felt finalized and too late to change. Even though the coronavirus demands last-minute decisions, she said NAU could have been more proactive and honest about changing its arrangements for on-campus residents.

For students and their families facing these circumstances — such as commitments to work or travel — move-in exemptions were sometimes granted. According to the Arizona Daily Sun, NAU spokesperson Kimberly Ott said approximately 700 students will keep their original move-in dates through this process.

As she travels from Hawaii and moves across the country, Ancheta was one of these students allowed to keep her initial schedule.

Even though the exemption secured her plans, Ancheta said she feels guilty about what everyone else is going through.

“The exemption was accepted and I get to keep my move-in day, but I feel like it was unfair overall,” Ancheta said. “I feel really bad because I know a lot of other people are also struggling, and they won’t be able to keep the move-in days that they originally had. I just hope it all works for everyone.”

Another component of the adjusted movein process is a mandatory COVID-19 test upon arrival. According to the Jacks are Back website, a negative test result is required for all students in on-campus housing, and self-quarantine is advised before arriving in Flagstaff. Although NAU is participating in the statewide testing surge and providing accessibility on and off campus, it can be difficult to receive results before classes begin.

For Ancheta and her family, Hawaiianbased medical insurance is not widely available on the mainland. However, she managed to test negative shortly before flying to Arizona.

As online classes progress around the university, Cheng said NAU will continue to monitor the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects around the city, state and country. With everything changing quickly, administrators are aware of this active — and often ambiguous — situation.

“We’ll make the decisions that are the most responsive to the environment that is changing each and every day,” Cheng said.

NEWS

A new viewpoint on higher education alliya dulaney

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hen classes began last week, the new academic year was marked by a fresh and unique viewpoint on higher education. This fall is the university’s first semester implementing NAUFlex, which is a hybrid program that offers students the option to attend classes virtually in real time or in-person while maintaining social distance.

In an email from NAU Communications on Friday, it was reported that more than 4,300 students chose to attend classes fully remotely this semester. However, official enrollment numbers will not be released until after the 21-day census for the academic year.

Senior elementary education major Samantha Parrilla said she decided to attend classes entirely online this semester. Parrilla’s area of study requires hands-on lessons, including student teaching and class presentations, which she said could make online classes more challenging in terms of focus and interaction.

Parrilla also explained NAU could have done more to make online learning accessible. For students opting to attend classes virtually, online attendance forms were required

by Aug. 3 and the university provided approval afterward. Parrilla said this deadline was not enough time for students to decide if they wanted to participate in remote learning.

However, anecdotal evidence from other students suggests students are still able to shift to remote instruction.

“I tend to struggle with change and uncertainty, which is what we are currently facing, and I still feel like I don’t really know what the expectations are for coming back to school,” Parrilla said.

Junior Antonia Perez said she selected online classes to prioritize her safety, even though the decision was less than ideal. As a criminology and criminal justice student, Perez explained that one setback to online classes is the decrease in student and

instructor relationships, especially because students learn from in-person interactions and the ability to ask questions. In this regard, she said online instruction could provide a challenge for students seeking answers or clarifications.

Moreover, the opportunity to attend classes remotely sparked a conversation about the cost of attendance. All students at the Flagstaff Mountain Campus are charged mandatory fees — in addition to traditional tuition payments — as a means to provide campus services and activities. These fees include a health and recreation fee, information technology fee, transportation fee and student activity fee, to name a few.

According to the Student & Departmental Account Services website, “tuition and fees are based on [an] academic program by campus.

If some or all instruction for all or part of the academic year is delivered remotely, tuition and fees remain the same and will not be refunded.”

Parrilla said NAU should have considered the financial struggles that certain students are facing during the pandemic, along with automatically reducing the fees for remote attendees.

“Some students are not going to be on the NAU campus throughout the semester and will not be utilizing everything that the mandatory fees pay for, so they shouldn’t have to pay the entire cost of some of the mandatory fees for that reason alone,” Perez said.

Students can apply for a campus fee reduction, which reduces certain fees by 25%. However, the university outlined specific criteria that must be met for eligibility: students cannot be attending classes on the Flagstaff Mountain Campus, and they must be enrolled in a program that prevents them from taking on-campus coursework or be international students who are unable to return to school due to COVID-19.

While all classes are currently online for two weeks, students are slated to return to in-person classes beginning Aug. 31.

Photo Illustration By Shawn Patti

Junior Lauren Suthers said she plans to take in-person courses because of the opportunity to ask questions face-to-face. She said that with students learning from various locations, the in-person relationships that are important to both instructors and students will not be the same.

To maintain physical distancing, face-to-face classes are scheduled on a rotating basis where students will alternate between attending class in-person and online. For example, if a lecture meets on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, one student may attend on campus every Wednesday, while participating remotely the other two days.

“I think it’s going to get hard remembering when I have in-person classes versus online at first,” Suthers said. “It’s a new schedule and a new way of learning for all of us. When I get the hang of it, I really hope I enjoy

this new style of learning.”

For senior Luyi Liu, attending NAU is an opportunity to learn more about hotel and restaurant management, along with American culture. As an international student from China, Liu said she plans to attend classes in person, which will allow her to communicate with professors both directly and effectively.

As an on-campus resident, Liu said she is satisfied with the safety provisions the school has implemented. She added that NAU provided many tools for students to utilize in prioritizing their health, such as supplying masks, COVID-19 tests and an app for health checks.

“I highly recommend all people pay more attention to sanitation, especially when you are out in crowds,” Liu said. “Please sanitize your hands after you come back

home and before you touch anything.

Please wear a face mask to cover your nose and mouth when you are in a confined space or talking to someone else. Being responsible for yourself is being responsible to others.”

First-year students can visit the University Union Fieldhouse, where daily testing is available, with their JacksCard to pick up their safety kits, which include two masks, a thermometer and a bottle of hand sanitizer. Upper-division students can receive their safety kits through their on-campus housing or at the University Union or duBois Center information desks. Further information regarding updates on campus safety and guidelines can be found by visiting the Jacks are Back website.

AUGUST 20, 2020 – AUGUST 26, 2020 | THE LUMBERJACK

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OPINION-EDITORIAL

Liberating the walk of shame

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hile quarantining over the summer, I watched every season of “Jersey Shore.”

In one episode, the male housemates were shaming Angelina, another housemate, for having multiple sexual partners. They said that men were the only ones allowed to have sex with multiple people and the women were not. This rhetoric is very toxic to spread to a wide audience, considering I was in middle school when I first watched the show.

However, this was going on long before the show aired. Slut-shaming women has been taught for so long and exists in many institutions. For example, in school and in the workplace, women have always been told to cover their bodies so that they’re not distracting men. However, KYLER men are seldom told not to sexualize EDSITTY ASSISTANT OP-ED women’s bodies. All the responsibility falls EDITOR on the woman’s shoulders.

Women are also often slut-shamed when they take ownership of their sexuality and capitalize off of it, like while doing sex work and similar jobs. Vice reported that the pandemic allowed more people to create OnlyFans content, a subscription-based private photo sharing service, while they were quarantining to create more income.

People may slut-shame content creators without knowing how much labor goes into producing it. Content creator Taylor Stevens said she used to work 40 to 50 hours a week prior to quarantining, and now works 80 hours a week on her content. It seems that people have no issue streaming pornography for free, but have issues when women take ownership and make content that directly benefits them financially.

Although it’s mainly women taking the heat for displaying their sexuality, this trend seems to be making improvements.

Many cultures have reclaimed derogatory terms and the word “slut” is no different.

The Washington Post reported that in 2011, women in the United States and Canada marched, while wearing minimal clothing, fighting the idea that what women wear makes them a target for sexual assault. People participating in these SlutWalks painted phrases like “slut pride” and “my dress is not a yes” on their bodies.

Freedom of sexual expression has been increasingly embraced, as shown by SlutWalks and the societies that have accepted formerly derogatory terms. However, slut-shaming still exists in many institutions, and it must be fought on every level.

On an institutional level, schools need to provide spaces for women to feel safer and not at risk of being sexualized. Sexual assault allegations need to be taken more seriously. On a micro level, people have to make the conscious effort to acknowledge that a person’s sexuality should not be policed.

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Illustration By Aleah green

Stimulus checks are excluding millions KYLER EDSITTY

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hile the pandemic left many people unemployed and looking for a source of income, the first round of stimulus checks came to help them out. However, many did not have access to this money and probably won’t receive a check in a possible upcoming second round.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) allowed individuals to receive $1,200 and an additional $500 for each dependent. CNBC reported that the second round of stimulus checks will likely follow the same guidelines. However, undocumented people did not have access to stimulus checks or unemployment benefits.

According to The Seattle Times, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee created a relief fund of $40 million for undocumented people in the state. This money was pooled from a CARES Act fund that had no restrictions. Starting in October, individuals can receive $1,000 and families can receive $3,000.

Although more states like California and Oregon are creating similar policies, the rest of the country is way behind when it comes to assisting undocumented people.

While Americans are buying essentials with their stimulus checks, undocumented people don’t have that ability, even though they make up 22% of food production workers in the United States and provide the means for the stimulus-receiving Americans to purchase essential food supplies. The undocumented population is also more susceptible to the virus, making up 43% of Washington’s cases while only representing 13% of the state’s population, as reported by The Seattle Times.

I didn’t expect the U.S. to give undocumented people assistance during the pandemic, because of how poorly the country handles situations at the border. Unlike the U.S., the virus does not discriminate based on race or citizenship.

However, systemic racism allows COVID-19 to target marginalized communities. Although undoing institutional oppression will take years, the least the government can do is help

the people who are in need of the most assistance and who are vital to the culture and economic stability of the country.

Unfortunately, undocumented people are not the only ones being excluded from government assistance. The U.S. Department of Labor reported that the unemployment rate was at 10.2% with 16.3 million people unemployed in July.

In August, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that would allot $400 to unemployed individuals — $300 from the federal government and $100 from state governments.

However, many states may not be able to offer their portion of the benefits, leaving many with less income. Essential workers have also seen little to no assistance.

Essential workers may have received the stimulus check, but they have not seen hazard pay for being constantly exposed to the virus. Meanwhile, many others have received unemployment benefits for months without facing the dangers of working in a place with heightened exposure to the virus.

CNN reported over 100 grocery store workers have died from COVID-19 and over 5,500 have tested positive for it. This number is sure to rise, given how quickly other businesses are opening.

As an essential worker myself, it doesn’t get easier going to work knowing that you are put in harm’s way. Although masks are required and people are encouraged to stay a safe distance from one another, being in the middle of the back-to-school crowd can be scary.

It’s frustrating to see people who are allowed to stay home safely receiving assistance while you’re working with little to no benefits. Although I’m not opposed to people receiving income while quarantining, I think the people holding the country together deserve more compensation for their labor.

While billionaires make massive profits off the pandemic, the country’s majority has been left to fend for themselves during the most difficult of times. Once again, the country is doing the bare minimum to help the people who are most vulnerable, while allowing the one percent to prosper.

OPINION-EDITORIAL

It’s time to cancel cancel culture ryan dixon

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s consumers of media, entertainment and sports, and as active participants in American democracy, we hold immense power. We elect politicians, make athletes into globally recognized figures and provide media companies with the support and funding necessary to continue producing their projects. It is our ability within a capitalistic structure to build up and tear down such entities as we see fit.

The act of withdrawing support and ripping the platform out from under celebrities, or business’ feet has become known as “canceling.”

When Harvey Weinstein came under fire for severe sexual misconduct, he was the well-deserving recipient of a canceling wave that came his way. Social media united in a scorching condemnation of his actions, the Producers Guild of America banned him for life and he was eventually sentenced to 23 years in prison.

In some cases, cancel culture has been a righteous delivery of justice to people who are undeserving of their platforms or fame.

However, recently, cancel culture has taken a dangerous swing toward negativity. Instead of being a tool of the people to take down despicable elements of humanity, it has drifted toward a mob mentality of hate and hasty conclusions.

One of the recent victims of the darker new-era cancel culture is a rising television star, Jodie Comer. Comer was launched into the spotlight as the lead actor of BBC America’s hit drama and black comedy show, “Killing Eve.” In September, Comer won an Emmy for outstanding lead actress in a drama, becoming the first Emmy winner to be born in the 1990s, at the age of 27. This prestigious award comes after her win of a BAFTA TV award in May 2019. Comer is nominated for the same award at this year’s Emmys, for her recurring role in “Killing Eve” as the international assassin, Villanelle.

While Comer’s character is certainly familiar with death, I doubt Comer herself is ready for the assassination of her career that many former fans are calling for.

In the past month, Twitter flooded with the hashtag #JodieComerIsCanceled. The backlash began as fans ran with unsubstantiated rumors that the Liverpool native was dating an American Republican. Speculation on Comer’s love life uncovered details about her apparent boyfriend that upset and angered many fans.

While Comer herself has been vocal on social media in support of the LGBTQ+ community and the Black Lives Matter movement, the possibility of Comer dating a Republican is where the cancelers drew the line.

Canceling Comer based on speculation is an example of just how far cancel culture has swung toward mob mentality intolerance. A public humiliation and takedown of anyone who doesn’t fit the cookie-cutter mold of our own beliefs and opinions, or dating someone with opposing viewpoints threatens to throw society’s collective movement toward tolerance and inclusion down the drain.

The Constitution itself, in Article II, Section 2, allows the president to show forgiveness and tolerance of “offenses against

the United States,” through pardons and clemency. President Washington set the example by pardoning two men of treason after the Whiskey Rebellion in the 1790s. Since then, thousands of presidential acts of clemency have been granted.

America was not founded on ideals of conformity and the idea that public shaming and conviction without due process is the best route to improving humans. The infamous Salem Witch Trials show just how dangerous and inhumane a society with such elements can be.

Yet, cancel culture has become a normalized modern version of burning people at the stake for daring to defy our expectations and definitions of what is acceptable. Instead of sticking to ending the Harvey Weinsteins of the world, who undoubtedly deserve

the wrath of a united movement, cancel culture has slit the throat of Jodie Comers based on speculation and intolerance of differing opinions alone.

Spreading hate and unleashing anger in the name of righteous canceling is something I thought I left in the teenage, hormonefilled halls of middle school. Today, it is just as prevalent in the unfettered threads of Twitter mentions and social media pages.

It’s time for us as a society to grow up and cut ties with cancel culture. By all means, exercise your freedom of speech and right to withdraw support from anyone you choose, but remember that diversity is what makes life so beautiful. Not everyone looks the same, loves the same people or views politics the same way. If we canceled everyone we differ from, no one would remain.

Illustration By Aleah green

AUGUST 20, 2020 – AUGUST 26, 2020 | THE LUMBERJACK

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FEATURES

Starting college can be stressful enough, let alone in the midst of a pandemic. S encouragement for this sem

Stories Compiled by Ash Lohmann, Ph

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Junior mathematics major Ronald Ruch

Junior social work major Tailynn Maldonado

“Go to classes, don’t put off your work and make sure to go out and find things you want to do. There are lots of people on campus and lots of different clubs and activities to do. It’s not worth it to stay in your dorm doing nothing.”

“You are entering a time in your life filled with unknowns. There will be growing pains, abnormalities and struggles, but through this, you will come out a stronger, wiser and better person than when you first entered.

With this in mind, take care of yourself. There won’t be growth without selfpreservation. You have plenty of resources and people to reach out to, even if you feel like you’re alone. Take time to go easy on yourself and appreciate the assets you already have that contribute to so much more than just yourself.”

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Senior hotel and restaurant mana

“In times of great struggle, we difficult and you feel at your worst, t out to and someone or something tha is knowing that someone has to provi it is joining a club and creating that l that times may be tough, but you are or some bats can throw at you. Above serious all the time.”

FEATURES

Some upperclassmen have decided to help by sharing their words of advice and mester’s incoming freshmen.

hotos Courtesy of Featured Students

agement major Willie Gerkensmeyer

struggle together. When things seem there is always someone you can reach at can keep you on your feet. For me, it ide for my fish family. Maybe for you, life support everyone needs. Just know stronger than anything some professor all, enjoy yourself. Life is too fun to be

Senior elementary education and special education major Cierra Brown

Senior elementary education and special education major Bianca Salinas

“My advice to incoming freshmen is that it’s OK to fail in and out of the classroom. I have had my fair share of failures with friendships, assignments and exams. In the moment, it may feel like your world is ending, but by next semester, you won’t even remember it. You are not going to be good at everything and that’s the joy of college. You can take different classes, join clubs, meet new people and find things that you can really enjoy.”

“Don’t be afraid to get involved and try new things, because you never know who you’re going to meet or where it might lead you. College is also a great way to get to know yourself better.”

AUGUST 20, 2020 – AUGUST 26, 2020 | THE LUMBERJACK

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FEATURES

Log in and learn with online tutoring Olivia Charlson It can be hard not to feel stranded with your laptop in a whole new learning environment.

Online learning is not new, though for many students it has been a struggle to adjust to. Texting your peers for help with math homework may have been enough to get by last spring, but there are better ways to navigate the virtual experience this time around.

NAU has a multitude of programs in place to help students study and learn outside of their classrooms. Now is the time to take advantage of these resources as a means to keep their grades afloat without feeling overwhelmed or like there is a lack of hands-on information and they must teach to themselves.

NAU’s tutoring program is a free resource where students can get extra help from tutors who are studying a specific subject. According to NAU’s online tutoring website, there are over 100 courses supported by the program.

One of the program’s student tutors is senior Jerrika Wade, who tutors in math. Wade said there are tutors available for math, physics, science, English and some philosophy classes.

“Tutoring appointments are completely free. They are offered through NAU as a student resource and I think a lot of people don’t actually know that it exists,” Wade said. “All of us tutors are students with different backgrounds in whatever subjects we’re teaching. For me, I’m a double major, but one of my majors is math so I tutor most of the math classes.”

Wade said her supervisor told her inperson tutoring is definitely going to change, with masks, social distancing and hand sanitizer on standby, but online tutoring is not going to be much different. That with online tutoring, both parties join the call and conduct a normal tutoring session. Wade said she thinks they are going to receive more traffic this semester because classes have been starting online, but the online tutoring routine will stay mostly the same.

Another resource NAU has in place to try to help students is the Math Jacks at the Lumberjack Mathematics Center (LMC).

Students who have previously taken certain math classes had a required time limit that they had to fill by working in the LMC with the math tutors. In the LMC, student employees known as the Math Jacks, normally walk around and help students who are studying. However, these math classes now look a lot different for students after NAU switched to online classes in the

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Illustration By Blake Fernandez

spring semester and announced that classes will remain remote until Aug. 31.

Mary Fulé said the program director for the LMC, the original intention for the Math Jacks was to serve as in-person tutors for students who take classes within the LMC. The four math courses the Math Jacks program is designed to include are MAT 100, 108, 125 and 114.

Fulé said this coming fall, during specific office hours, Math Jacks will be available online for students to log in to an online chat room or Zoom call. Students do not have to make appointments to participate and can simply enter the room. Fulé said, as of now, there will be no one-on-one appointments between students and Math Jacks. She explained being

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online has been challenging and some students get uncomfortable interacting online, so there are starting point incentives for students in certain classes to use the chat rooms.

“It’s a little bit more flexible this year and we’ll have that in addition to having our LMC lab open this fall starting Aug. 12,” Fulé said.

“So, we will have space available for students to walk in and get help if they would like it, but they can also participate in these Zoom online sessions.”

Fulé explained even if students are planning on attending classes remotely, uncomfortable being in a space with other students or concerned about their health, they still have access to a quality remote tutoring experience.

It can be difficult to switch from having in-person interaction to an online learning environment. People like former tutor Leo Crowder have acknowledged that. Crowder is a senior who worked for NAU’s free tutoring

program last year helping students with physics and math.

Crowder said when he would do his online sessions, it was definitely more difficult than being in person and talking face-to-face, when he was able to write and use whiteboards. Crowder explained that considering the circumstances, the online format still worked out well.

“I was still able to draw visuals for students who needed to see the problems and you could share images,” Crowder said. “If people needed help with a specific homework question, they could still share a screenshot of homework they were working on. There was some connection that was lost that made it difficult, but I mean, ultimately, it still ended up working out really well. It just took a little getting used to.”

When taking online classes, the biggest challenge can be time management, Crowder said. It is easier to be motivated and stay on top of things when you have to physically go to class and turn things in, and that it is hard when you can stay in your apartment or house all day. He said the biggest thing that can help with motivation is devoting specific amounts of time every day to assignments and work.

Wade said the digital aspect of online tutoring can really work in students’ favor sometimes. She said it’s a resource that can actually help people, even remotely.

“I had a student this past spring who I helped tutor consistently and he was in Hawaii and I was at my home in Phoenix,” Wade said.

“So, we didn’t even have to be on the same campus, we didn’t even have to be in the same state.”

Despite the distance, Wade said online tutoring was a helpful resource for the student she was working with. With the switch to remote instruction, it can be easy for students to fall behind on their coursework, but she explained that online tutoring can really help students get back on track and succeed.

There are a lot of complications rising as the new semester comes closer, but those accustomed to online tutoring insist that students should not have to feel like they are in it alone. Online sessions with strangers may sound daunting, but learning to connect and being able to teach and learn online is something that everyone will have to adapt to together.

CULTURE

New housing struggles for students nAYOMI gARCIA

Reenter the world of Panem

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ans of “The Hunger Games,” rejoice! Suzanne Collins is back with her fourth novel of The New York Times’ bestselling series. However, “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” takes place 64 years before the events of the original trilogy and follows 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow. Yes, you read that right. President Snow is the protagonist of this story instead of the antagonist we know him to be.

The Capitol isn’t the glamorous world filled with outrageous outfits and parties we know, either. Instead, it’s a stark reminder of the events that took place during the war against the rebels and for Snow, of what he lost. The novel begins with Snow preparing for KATELYN the reaping, an annual televised event RODRIGUEZ in which a male and female tribute are picked from the 12 districts to fight to ASSISTANT CULTURE EDITOR the death in an arena. Children living in the Capitol are exempt from being selected, due to the gamemakers wanting to remind the districts of what happens if you cross them.

It’s revealed that Snow and his classmates at the Academy – the Capitol’s version of high school – are to serve as mentors in an effort to make the games more appealing so citizens will watch them. The mentors are assigned a tribute from the districts and are in charge of making them stand out so citizens of the Capitol will send them gifts, like food, while they’re in the arena. Snow’s typical arrogance is apparent as he awaits being assigned his tribute. He thinks it’s a mistake when his name is called to mentor a girl from the poorest district, District 12. However, he later considers himself lucky once Lucy Gray Baird is chosen and makes a scene, thus drawing the Capitol’s eyes toward her. This newfound connection between Snow and District 12 serves as a reminder of his eventual hatred toward the district and Katniss Everdeen during the 74th Hunger Games.

As the novel progresses, the audience sees Snow grapple with his morals as a result of a confrontation with Dr. Gaul, the head gamemaker, as well as assess his feelings for Lucy Gray. It’s clear that the novel wasn’t made to humanize Snow, but rather to explain how his past influenced his future as the tyrannical dictator of Panem.

While the novel seemed to drag at times, it had plenty of unexpected plot twists that held my attention. There are also numerous recalls to the original trilogy littered throughout the novel. So if you also went through a “The Hunger Games” phase or are currently going through one, I highly recommend you give this a read.

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ith each new academic year comes an opportunity for students to begin or continue their college careers. Most students are excited to live in a dorm for the first time, create a bond with a roommate or get their own apartment. Given the circumstances of this year, some students may not have the typical college experience they have been looking forward to. While some students have chosen to go remote or find off-campus housing, some of their plans have changed completely, given the struggles of the pandemic.

Sophomore Megan Valentine met her roommates last year when she was living at Gabaldon Hall. Valentine said she and her roommates clicked instantly, and they all became close friends.

When Valentine and her roommates found out Gabaldon was becoming an upper-division hall, she and her roommates decided to return to Gabaldon for the upcoming school year.

“I was excited to have another opportunity to live with my friends,” Valentine said. “When things got hectic with the pandemic, we had to decide what to do with our housing situations.”

Valentine has an on-campus job, but she also had the option to work back home. She said she decided to stay home when NAU made classes online after spring break in March.

Since then, Valentine has been getting used to remote learning.

At first, Valentine said learning remotely was a bit tricky for her. She said her main struggle while transitioning to online learning was getting distracted by things around her. Since the instructors cannot really control what a student is doing behind the screen, Valentine said she found herself using her phone more often during lectures.

“I also struggled with doing schoolwork at my house,” Valentine said. “For me, it’s easier to learn when I’m physically at school because I feel like I can concentrate better. It was weird to do lectures at home, since I was in a completely different setting.”

Sophomore Lauren Anderson, Valentine’s roommate, is a sophomore who decided staying remote would be the best option for her to continue with school. Anderson said the risk of getting sick and not being able to work outweighed the benefits of a college experience. Like Valentine, Anderson also has the opportunity to work at home, so she said that was the best option for her.

Anderson said that if school opens normally this spring semester, she and her roommates plan to keep their spot at Gabaldon. Despite their plans, she said the housing office hasn’t done much to help them.

“I have made several calls to the housing office to completely understand the problem we are in, but they haven’t reached out to me or helped me in any way,” Anderson said. “If things open next semester, our spots haven’t been explicitly guaranteed, but they did say we would have spots available.”

Valentine also said she has heard different explanations from the housing office. She said she saw a lot of people sharing their complaints about the last minute housing changes on social media.

Both Valentine and her roommates received a refund on their housing deposits, but depending on what happens in the spring, Valentine may continue to learn remotely from home.

While students are unclear about what is going on with on-campus housing, students living off campus have had more clarification on their homes for this year. Sophomore Delilah Lopez is living at Highland Village Apartments for this school year. Although the start of the semester was moved to Aug. 12, Lopez said the apartment complex was understanding about the new start date.

Lopez said she likes off-campus housing a lot more than when she lived in the dorms her first year at NAU. She said she is living with her friends, so she has been enjoying her time living with them off campus.

Despite her positive living situation, she said she has found it harder to manage online classes since she isn’t as close to campus anymore.

“What I most enjoyed about being on campus was the ability to go to the library whenever I wanted,” Lopez said.

“It’s difficult to adjust to a new environment when working on school assignments. I definitely prefer being in person and being near others when learning, but I have to learn to adjust to all the circumstances we are going through.”

Illustration By Blake Fernandez

AUGUST 20, 2020 – AUGUST 26, 2020 | THE LUMBERJACK

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CULTURE

The Orpheum Theater: Keeping the landmark standing kATELYN rODRIGUEZ

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he Orpheum Theater has been a staple of downtown Flagstaff since the venue opened in 1917. It has served as a local hot spot for concerts, films, festivals and other events for residents and visitors to enjoy during its 103-year history. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the iconic theater had shut its doors in March after gatherings of more than 10 people were banned.

General manager Susan Walter, who also serves as the theater’s event coordinator, said prior to the pandemic the Orpheum produced around 250 events a year. These events ranged from local and national acts to community fundraisers.

Now that holding live events is impossible, Walter said they’ve been livestreaming weekly since May in an effort to raise funds to keep the theater open.

“Unfortunately, as generous as donations have been, they only scratched the surface of our monthly bills,” Walter said. “We are shifting gears and moving toward small paid tickets at events in the fall and will be posting events for students indoors and outdoors as the year progresses.”

When the Orpheum first closed, Walter had to immediately lay off more than 30 bartenders, security guards and box office employees. The remaining staff currently consists of a small team of four to five employees on reduced hours, Walter said.

When it comes to creating the virtual events, marketing director Molly Baker said the process hasn’t been very difficult other than enduring a steep learning curve. However, the switch to an online format meant their team had a lot to learn within a short period of time.

“Our production team had to learn video and camera skills,” Baker said. “Mixing the sound of a live show is completely different from mixing a livestream that will be funneled through someone’s home speakers. Then there’s coordinating all of our safety protocols for staff and talent.”

The newfound learning experience was a necessary one for the Orpheum to stay active within the Flagstaff community, Baker said.

Scott Jensen, who serves as the Orpheum’s production manager, said the transition from live shows to livestreams has been a roller coaster of challenges for both him and the crew because they didn’t know how to produce a livestream earlier this year.

Jensen said they began the process by

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The Orpheum Theater in downtown Flagstaff is adapting to challenges incurred as a result fo the pandemic. Bryan Kinkade | The Lumberjack

talking to friends in the industry and watching YouTube videos in an effort to piece everything together. He has been working on updating the process and equipment — they started off with only two webcams and an old computer.

They are now streaming the performances using GoPros and iPhones, Jensen said.

When it comes to the performances themselves, Jensen said they’ve learned that putting on livestreams is an entirely different monster than live shows.

“It can be challenging for the artist as well, as many of them have never played a show in this fashion and have to get used to the IEMS [in-ear monitors] and the environment, but overall it’s been positive and really fun to do,” Jensen said.

“When we’re done for the weekend, everyone agrees that they really enjoyed the experience, and the public seems to really like what we’ve been doing as well.”

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Jensen also said while the streams look a certain way to the audience, they’re drastically different in-studio. For example, because the sound stage is quieter than when they have a live show, sound has to be monitored from all sides and lighting is narrower.

In addition to hosting livestreams for local bands such as WinterHaven and Tiny Bird, the Orpheum has also allowed organizations to rent the theater and hold their own virtual events.

For example, Pride Live was held virtually at the Orpheum in June in partnership with the Northern Arizona Pride Association.

Although it is unclear when the Orpheum will reopen its doors to the public, there are plenty of ways in which the community can support the venue. In addition to an optional donation for virtual events, the Orpheum also has a GoFundMe and is selling T-shirts through the Rainbow’s End website. However, Baker said

the most important action community members can take is contact their state representatives and urge them to support the Save Our Stages Act. If passed, the Save Our Stages Act, which is a bipartisan bill introduced by Sen. John Cornyn R-TX and Sen. Amy Klobuchar D-Minn., will provide six months of financial support to independent music and entertainment venues across the nation. If the act is passed, it will be a crucial move for Flagstaff to continue to have a live music venue after the pandemic, Baker said.

No matter when live shows return to music venues nationwide, Walter said she will continue to strive to bring people together through music during this time of uncertainty. She believes music has the ability to connect people and get them through almost anything life throws at them.

SPORTS

I

The Suns’ rise and fall

magine a team that finished its regular season on an 8-0 run. It would be fair to think that team would get a chance to play in the playoffs, right? Unfortunately for the Phoenix Suns, that will not be the case.

Th Suns were not expected to go on their undefeated run in the NBA restart. The team had the worst record of the squads in the Western Conference that were invited to Orlando. The best chance for the Suns to squeeze into a position to compete for a title was to win all eight of their games — and sure enough, they did.

Guard Devin Booker showed up big in the bubble, averaging 30.5 points, six assists and just under five boards per game. However, it was not just Booker contributing. Center Deandre Ayton DAVID became the tough big man that the Suns CHURCH needed, as well as extending his shooting SPORTS EDITOR range by hitting some 3-pointers. Guard Ricky Rubio shot 42.9% from range; forward Mikal Bridges was a lockdown defender. Guard Cameron Payne, who was only signed by the team to fill a roster spot for the NBA restart, gave the team a spark by coming off the bench, hitting 3-point shots and dishing out assists to anyone on the floor.

After winning all eight of their games, the Suns needed either a loss by the Memphis Grizzlies or the Portland Trail Blazers to earn the chance to compete in the Western Conference play-in tournament. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be.

Memphis ran through a Milwaukee Bucks team that rested a majority of its starters, and Portland was able to hang onto a one-point lead against the Brooklyn Nets.

Now that it will be another year the Suns spend the NBA playoffs on the couch, the question becomes: Where does Phoenix go from here? There has been constant talk about Booker wanting out of Phoenix by being traded to a team with a better chance of winning a championship. However, if the bubble games proved anything, it’s that the Suns have a chance to build an even stronger foundation that could be enticing enough for Booker to stay.

In fact, instead of the story being if or when Booker leaves Phoenix, it might become who is going to join him.

He has close ties with D’Angelo Russell and Karl-Anthony Towns, who are a part of a Timberwolves squad that had an awful year.

They proved they could be competitive and win against tough opponents, and they found pieces of the puzzle that could fit where they previously did not. They have an opportunity to go draft a young prospect that can become another franchise cornerstone for years to come. They can make some free agent signings in the offseason that will help fill team needs.

Although the ultimate goal for Phoenix was not achieved, they have a lot to be proud of and a lot to look forward to next season.

NAU football players run through the tunnel before a game Sep. 14, 2019. Brian Burke | The Lumberjack

NAU football shifts Focus to the spring Jacob Terrill

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s the leaves on trees start to turn , the sound of clashing pads usually signals the fall football season is right around the corner. This time around, the pads will remain on the practice field due to COVID-19, which has led the football players of the Big Sky Conference to wait a whole semester before they possibly see a game day.

Due to the pandemic, the Big Sky president’s council decided Aug. 6 it would be best to postpone the fall 2020 football season until spring 2021. This includes all sports that would’ve taken place in the fall such as men’s and women’s cross country, soccer and volleyball.

“While I am confident that our conference is making the right decision for the health and safety of our student-athletes, it breaks my heart knowing how disappointing this will be to all of them who were eagerly anticipating the opportunity to compete this fall,” Big Sky commissioner Tom Wistrcill said.

This decision also included the cancellation of all nonconference games. For the NAU football team, this includes the previously scheduled ASU and South Dakota matchups. For NAU head coach Chris Ball, the main concern during this time is the health of his players and to take every opportunity they are given to prepare for the upcoming season, whenever that may occur.

“All we can do is make the best of the situation and continue to make sure our players’ safety and health is the number one [concern],” Ball said. “If we get an opportunity to go out and continue to get better as a football team, that is what we are going to take advantage of.”

With the season postponed, the Lumberjacks had to change their mindset from preparing for a game in a couple of weeks to jumping back into the spring camp-style practices. Even with the shutdown, Ball and his staff made sure the players were in the loop and were getting the information they needed in order to come prepared when they returned to practice or participated in voluntary workouts.

“We have been keeping in touch with our players since March,” Ball said. “It’s not like all of a sudden we just came back together. We have been keeping in touch with them, talking with them and Zooming with them.”

Despite the postponement of the season affecting all people involved, it will have a direct impact on the players.

For redshirt senior wide receiver Stacy Chukwumezie, the break benefits the team when it comes to gaining muscle in the weight room.

“This break is kind of a blessing,” Chukwumezie said.

“We’re just building our bodies even more so that when we get to the season, we’re going to be that much more ready.”

A possible spring season brings more than just the advantage of getting bigger over the fall semester, though. The weather for the Lumberjacks at home isn’t a factor because they play indoors, but when they go on the road the weather has played a role in three games where it rained last season.

“Our team is a team — for some reason — that performs better when the environment around us is happy-go-lucky,” Chukwumezie said. “You can look back at our last season and see the Montana State game, the Weber State game and the Illinois State game, we started performing poorly when it started raining in all three of those games.”

Although the players want to play, Ball said they are ready whenever the rules allow it and once they get the opportunity to go out and compete, they will.

One imrovement made during the offseason is the team’s depth on both sides of the ball. All positions will have depth in the case someone goes down with an injury, and the preparation of the team has been a key focus during team competition.

“We are a lot deeper than we were last year. We have some really good new players out of our freshman [class],” Ball said.

“Offensively, we have our whole offensive line back and depth at wide receiver. We do need to find a quarterback. We got a great battle going on [right now].”

Even with the possibility of a season not occurring in the spring, Ball said he doesn’t think it will impact the process of getting players to NAU in the future because they already know where new recruits are.

“We have a really good idea of where all the players are,” Ball said. “I don’t think a lot of programs are going to do that. We have done a great job of identifying guys and I think there will be a lot of guys who get overlooked because [other programs] can’t get out and see them.”

Ball said from this point on, the goal of the team is to keep preparing for the upcoming season if conditions allow it. There is no set date to when the players will step onto the field for gameday, but they assure us they will be ready.

AUGUST 20, 2020 – AUGUST 26, 2020 | THE LUMBERJACK

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