The Lumberjack -- September 26, 2019

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THE LUMBER JACK

SEPT. 26, 2019 – OCT. 2, 2019

Online at JackCentral.org

From the Editor

W

hen I was in fifth grade, I used to walk to the local community center to play basketball every day after school. I would scan my card, say hello to the lady working the desk and glance over to the entertainment area. Every single time, there was the same elderly man just absolutely dominating the pingpong table. Kids of all ages circled the table in excitement and lined up to try their hand at defeating the old man at his game.

Not once did I ever see him lose.

I was 10 years old then. I’m now 9 years older and a sophomore in college.

Back then, I never knew I would attend this university or choose this field of study. Little Nathan only ever cared about basketball, video games and his family.

I changed.

Well, not really. Aged is a better word in that context, because I really have not changed much. I’m actually enrolled in a basketball fitness class at the moment. I still play video games, but I traded my race car bed for a dorm room.

My affinity for family has only grown with time.

NATHAN I like to think that the old man is still at the pingpong table, embarrassing MANNI any challenger that tries to beat him. Maybe not.

I’m slightly taller now and a tad bit wiser, but I still feel like a kid inside.

ASST. CULTURE Life is constantly in motion, but some things aren’t supposed to change.

EDITOR Staying true to myself has gotten me to this point. Not to say I’ve achieved greatness at any rate, but I’m at peace right where I am. I’ve never been one to tell people how to live, because as a maverick myself, I hate the pressure of strangers who think their opinion affects my day to day. But if there’s anything I’ve learned in 19 years of life, it’s this: Do whatever it is that puts a smile on your face, and f*** the naysayers.

Life is an interminable game of people trying to keep their happy meter as full as possible.

Everyone is trying to get somewhere. Do what makes you smile and be solid in your core values. It’ll be enough.

You’ll get to where you’re meant to be in life, just don’t lose yourself along the way.

Thank you for reading.

“It’s [Climate change] a particularly important issue for the Gen Z students who are now our juniors and sophomores at our universities.”

– Larry Penley Arizona Board Of Regents Chairman Roadside protestors hold signs and shout in support of the Global Climate Strike held Sept. 20.

Damia Drewek | The Lumberjack

THE LUMBERJACK VOL. 108 ISSUE 7

Editor-in-Chief Bailey Helton Faculty Adviser David Harpster

Managing Editor Sebastian Moore Sports Adviser Rory Faust

Director of Digital Content Brady Wheeler

Sales Manager Marsha Simon

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

Copy Chief Collin W. Clayton

Faculty Adviser, Visuals Taylor Mahoney Valerie Devoy

Print Chief Bella Valenzuela

Media Innovation Center Editorial Board News Editor Scout Ehrler

Features Editor Shaelene Walker

Sports Editor Molly Smith

Asst. Dir. of Illustration Aleah Green

Asst. News Editor Trevor Skeen

Asst. Features Editor Ash Lohmann

Asst. Sports Editor Jacob Terrill

Director of Photography Morgan Fisher

Online News Editor Ray Anne Galzote

Culture Editor Sabrina Proffitt

Director of Circulation Robyn Monroe

Asst. Dir. of Photography Bess Valdez

Asst. Dir. of Circulation Anel Lamadrid

Senior Photographer Shannon Swain

Director of Illustration Madison Cohen

Director of Multimedia Shawn Patti

Online News Editor Karin Johnson Op-Ed Editor Caitlin Burke

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Asst. Culture Editor Nathan Manni Asst. Op-Ed Editor D’Anna Davis

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On the cover Mike Sandoval tattooing, NAU student Tori Reinhart at Sacred Ground Tattoo Shop, Sept. 21.

Sandoval has been tattooing for 30 years and has been working at Sacred Ground since it opened four years ago. Jay Soliz| The Lumberjack

Corrections & Clarifications Last week in the story “Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra’s special anniversary” details about where to purchase tickets was cut off. If interested you can purchase tickets through the NAU ticket

website or the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra’s website.

The Lumberjack is committed to factual correctness and accuracy. If you find an error in our publication, please email Bailey Helton at brs289@nau.edu.

PoliceBeat Sept. 16 At 12:13 a.m., a student at Pine Ridge Village reported hearing a subject screaming in the area. NAUPD searched the area, but no criminal activity was witnessed.

At 12:12 p.m., at South Riordan Ranch Street and West Riordan Road a nonstudent reported to NAUPD that another non-student had threatened them with a knife.

Officers were unable to locate the subject.

Sept. 17 At 11:07 a.m., a student at the San Francisco Parking Structure called to report water flowing from a pipe. Officers responded and verified the pipe was broken due to work being done in the area. Maintenance was already on scene, and NAU Work Control was notified.

At 3:31 p.m., a staff member at the University Union called to report a lost wallet. The wallet was returned to the owner.

At 7:16 p.m., a staff member at the Union called to report a student who had passed out. The student was transported to FMC. At 8:04 p.m., a student at the San Francisco Parking Structure called to report a subject sleeping in the stairwell.

An officer responded, and one non-student was identified and given a ride to a shelter.

called to report a student with a dislocated shoulder.

The student refused a medical transport.

Sept. 19 At 1:06 a.m., NAUPD initiated a traffic stop at the intersection of North San Francisco Street and McCreary Drive. A student was cited and released for possession and use of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia. A second student was also cited and released for possession of drug paraphernalia.

At 10:40 a.m., a parent at the Ernest Calderón Learning Community called to report a student attempting suicide.

The student was located and transported to FMC. At 1:26 p.m., a RA at Allen Hall called to report a possible drug deal. An officer responded, and one student will be charged through the county attorney’s office for possession of narcotics.

At 9:56 p.m., an RA at Wilson Hall called to report three intoxicated residents.

NAUPD responded, and all three students were deferred for underage consumption of alcohol.

Compiled by Ray Anne Galzote called to report an intoxicated student requesting medical assistance.

The student was transported to FMC and criminally deferred for underage consumption.

Sept. 21 At 11:25 a.m., a staff member at the du Bois Center called to report a suspicious person. NAUPD responded, and one nonstudent was booked for minor in consumption, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

At 1:25 p.m., a student at McConnell Hall called to report a skunk that appeared ill. NAUPD responded, but the animal left the area.

At 9:06 p.m., a RA at Allen Hall called to report a student with a stun gun and flashlight in their dorm. One student was referred for a violation of the Student Code of Conduct.

At 11:50 p.m., staff at Pine Ridge Village reported a loud party. The party was dispersed civilly by NAUPD officers.

Sept. 22 At 12:58 p.m., staff at the Drury Inn & Suites called to request a welfare check on a non-student sleeping under a tree. Two subjects were contacted, identified and left the area.

Sept. 20 At 8:47 a.m., a student at the Ardrey Auditorium called to report being stuck in an elevator. NAUPD responded, and the subject was able to exit the elevator. Facility Services At 7:45 p.m., a RA at Sept. 18 was also on scene to provide Mountain View Hall called At 8:14 a.m., staff at the assistance. to report a possible gas leak.

Science Lab Facility called to FPD cleared the area and report a gas leak. A FPD officer At 4:54 p.m., a student determined the cause to be a responded, but the gas leak had called NAUPD to report his natural release of a gas vent. already been contained. NAU information being hacked and Work Control was notified. used against him. An officer responded, and took a report.

At 9:34 p.m., a subject At 10:42 p.m., a staff at the South Recreation Fields member at Campbell Hall

SEPTEMBER 26, 2019 – OCTOBER 2, 2019 | THE LUMBERJACK

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NEWS

The beneficial strategy of burnout operations and the Whiskey Fire Paighten Nolker

I

n July, Flagstaff faced a state of emergency caused by the Museum Fire. Not even two full months after the ignition of the Museum Fire, Coconino County faces a new threat: the Whiskey Fire.

On Sept. 2, the Whiskey Fire reportedly started from a lightning strike during Arizona’s monsoon season. According to the InciWeb incident overview, the fire is burning approximately 8 miles northeast of Turkey Butte Lookout, which is located near Sedona. Additionally, the smoke will affect numerous areas in Coconino County, including Flagstaff, Munds Park, Kachina Village, Sedona, Mormon Lake Village, Mountainaire, Forest Highlands, Doney Park, the Highway 89A Corridor, the Village of Oak Creek and portions of the Interstate 40.

Fire crews are allowing the fire to move naturally along the landscape. This decision may help consume excess fuels, such as trees and shrubbery, and reduce the risk of hazardous wildfires in the future. According to the incident overview, the goal is to also rejuvenate the forest by stimulating vegetation growth.

During a phone interview, public information officer for Coconino National Forest Allyson Pokrzywinski, spoke about the approach to managing the Whiskey Fire.

“We allow a lightning-started fire to burn to remove some of that fuel. If a fire were to move through in the future, it will be stopped either by the burn scar of the Whiskey Fire, or it will be decreased in severity,” Pokrzywinski said. “We are allowing the fire to play its natural role in the ecosystem, but we also actively manage the fire. We have a strategy ... We allow it to burn naturally to an extent so we can also manage where the fire goes.”

While allowing a fire to continue burning, firefighters pay close attention to its direction, intensity and overall effect.

“We do not just sit back, let the fire burn and let it do whatever it wants to,” Pokrzywinski said. “It is important to allow fire to play its natural role, because we live in Flagstaff, which is a fire-dependent ecosystem. Ponderosa pine forests need fire to thrive, [because] without fire, the forest becomes overgrown and overcrowded.”

Pokrzywinski explained the science behind allowing the Whiskey Fire to naturally develop. “[When overcrowding occurs], the trees are less healthy, there is less habitat for the wildlife and there is less grass, which wildlife depends on for food sources. There is also less water available for humans and for wildlife.”

In 2014, the Slide Fire started in approximately the same region as the Whiskey Fire. In the five years since the Slide Fire, trees and other plants have regrown throughout the area, Pokryzwinski said.

“When a fire burns, it does not burn everything. It burns in mosaic patterns,” Pokrzywinski said. “There is still going to be leftover fuel that did not burn in that fire, and there will be lots of additional fuel buildup since 2014.”

Wildfires have varying levels of seriousness. Pokrzywinski said the Museum Fire was more dangerous and concerning than the Whiskey Fire.

“The Whiskey Fire and the Museum Fire are very different fires,” Pokrzywinski said. “The Whiskey Fire was started by a

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Firefighting responsibility was transferred to a type 4 incident command team Sept. 20, which calls for the use of fewer crews and resources. Shannon Swain | The Lumberjack lightning strike, [and it] has burned at low to moderate intensity, cleaned up forest fuel and has done good things.”

According to a Sept. 17 report, the Whiskey Fire stretched to 3,900 acres and reached 16% containment. On Sept. 18, the Whiskey Fire had reached 4,190 acres and remained at 16% containment.

Fire managers also reported implementing helicopter support to “conduct aerial burnout operations.”

In addition, firefighters on the ground contributed by performing planned hand ignitions.

Coconino Community College sophomore Katia Rodriguez lived in Sedona for 18 years before relocating to Flagstaff for school. Rodriguez said she is familiar with wildfires, their benefits and ramifications.

“I have noticed the fire in the past month ... I definitely noticed that the smoke has been affecting how I breathe, but not significantly enough to be harmful,” Rodriguez said. “I also feel like the weather has been a little warmer than usual, considering it’s normally cooler at around this time of year.”

Rodriguez also spoke about the Whiskey Fire, and specifically

said she found it less dangerous than other wildfires in recent years.

“Fires aren’t that uncommon to me, so I’m not very concerned that [the Whiskey Fire] will have any dangerous impact,” Rodriguez said.

On Sept. 19, the Whiskey Fire expanded to 5,859 acres but reached 34% containment.

Pokrzywinski said firefighting responsibility was transferred to a type 4 incident command team Sept. 20, which calls for the use of fewer crews and resources.

According to InciWeb, all coordinated burnout operations are complete. Residents of northern Arizona should be mindful of smoky conditions, which will likely dissipate once precipitation moves through the area. According to Pokryzwinski, the fire and smokey conditions should clear around mid October.

Any additional updates can be found on the Whiskey Fire information page.

“When a fire burns, it does not burn everything. It burns in mosaic patterns.”

-Allyson Pokrzywinski

NEWS

Arizona Republican Party cancels 2020 presidential preference election Jacob Meyer

A

rizona Republican Party Chairwoman Kelly Ward formally notified Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobb’s office regarding the party’s intent to cancel the 2020 presidential preference election. This decision stems from an effort to bolster President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign.

The cancellation was made official Sept. 10 and was announced by the Republican Party in a statement on Twitter.

“Today, [Chairperson Ward] delivered a letter to Secretary Katie Hobbs’ office announcing the Republican Party of Arizona’s intent to opt out of the 2020 Presidential Preference Election,” the tweet stated.

Canceling the preference election will influence over 1.3 million Republican voters throughout Arizona, according to the state’s official website. With Trump favored for to win reelection, these Republicans will not have the chance to vote for other presidential candidates in the primary. However, Arizona’s 57 Republican delegates will still travel to the national Republican convention to nominate a candidate for president.

In the absence of the election, Ward’s letter to Hobbs states that Ward will personally nominate electors.

According to The Arizona Republic, the cancellation has been in the works since at least April. The Arizona GOP (Republican Party) is the fourth state party to cancel a presidential primary, following South Carolina, Nevada and Kansas.

Conservative political consultant Constantin Querard, the president for Grassroots Partners and the Arizona state director of Ted Cruz’s 2016 presidential campaign, spoke about the Republican Party’s motivation for the cancellation.

“It’s basically the same as it always is in this case,” Querard said. “We don’t waste money on a primary where there’s no question of who’s going to win. The goal is to take all of that time and resources and put it to something else.”

Querard added how the decision follows the standard for Arizona in recent presidential elections. Since the Clinton administration, both the Republican and Democratic parties have canceled their presidential preference elections when the incumbent president was up for reelection.

The political consultant said that Trump does not think the decision presents a great concern to Republican voters in Arizona.

Querard noted that Trump would have a high likelihood of winning a clear majority of the vote, and that given Arizona’s status as a winnertake-all state, delegates would eventually go to Trump regardless.

Despite the beliefs of the Arizona GOP, there is controversy surrounding this situation. The decision to cancel the election has received criticism, especially given the circumstances of the primary. Trump currently faces three challengers from within his own party: former South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, former United States Representative Joe Walsh of Illinois and former Governor of Massachusetts Bill Weld.

Junior Brock Schroeder, president of the Political Society of Northern Arizona University, shared his thoughts on the cancellation.

“I disagree with the cancellation, as I feel that it undercuts the democratic process,” Schroeder said. “This is a failing of the party to recognize the other potential candidates: Bill Weld or Joe Walsh.”

Schroeder said that canceling the primary prevents some Republican voters from voicing their opinions.

In particular, this includes those with an unfavorable view of Trump.

“It also signals potential fears that the Trump campaign has in having a Republican primary, that being that he could lose,” Schroeder said.

Despite Schroeder’s criticism that the cancellation takes away choice from voters, he said the decision has potential strategic benefits for the GOP. He said the decision seeks to create unity in the party, discourage strong opposition to Trump and could help the GOP going into the general election.

“I think that this will allow for the entirety of the resources in the Republican Party to be used for their potential candidate,” Schroeder said. “This is an

intelligent move, as it ensures that those who vote party lines will, by default, vote for Trump, ensuring a unified party that can stand up to the myriad of Democratic candidates.”

Dan Howle, executive director and chairman of the Independent Voter Project, said his organization is against the GOP’s ability to cancel the presidential preference election, finding it to be representative of broader issues in the election system.

“Our opinion is that political parties should not decide when and where elections are held,” Howle said. “Elections are for the voters.”

Howle said primaries act less like actual elections and more like large-scale recommendations, while the parties

“We don’t waste money on a primary where there’s no question of who’s going to win.”

-Constantin Querard

ultimately decide on their respective nominees.

The cancellation of the preference election could hurt voter turnout in the Republican primary for other positions, such as statewide and local offices.

According to the Arizona Secretary of State’s elections schedule, the Democratic Presidential Preference Election will be held March 17, 2020, the regular Democratic and Republican primary elections Aug. 4, 2020 and the general election Nov. 3, 2020. Instructions for how to register to vote can be found on the Arizona Secretary of State’s website.

Even with the primary cancellations in Arizona and other states, Trump still faces dozens of primary elections and caucuses throughout the country.

Additionally, the current United States President will have to face the Democratic nominee on election day.

Illustration By Blake Fernandez

SEPTEMBER 26, 2019 – OCTOBER 2, 2019 | THE LUMBERJACK

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NEWS

As enrollment decreases, budgets get shuffled Scout Ehrler

F

rom the outset of the semester, buzz about budget cuts has been floating around campus.

It began in the Media Innovation Center (MIC), when the production of NAZ Today was reduced from four to two live shows per week. Since then, details about additional budget changes have been released.

The university’s annual budget relies on enrollment, broken down into a few categories, although tuition is the biggest factor, making up over half of the total budget revenue.

According to an official budget report, NAU’s budget revenue for fiscal year 2020 is $270 million, with the majority — $153 million — accounted for by tuition dollars.

Official enrollment numbers have yet to be published, but according to faculty senate notes, university enrollment is down 3% this year.

“Our overall retention was up,” Provost Diane Stearns said. “As of [Sept. 17], our graduate student enrollment was up 228 students.

Undergrad student enrollment was down 565. Those are the numbers we presented to the board.”

The correlation between enrollment and budget is closely tied, meaning NAU is not undergoing budget cuts, but a decrease in funds due to a dip in enrollment. The difference begins at the state level, where a large portion of funds are allocated. If the state cuts that budget, public universities are forced to cut back extensively. In this case, enrollment is down, so NAU has to make up for those funds by prioritizing and reallocating funds.

As the budget is adjusted to accommodate the decline in enrollment, students and programs such as those in the MIC are affected.

A mix of rumors and an unannounced change surprised many among the student body. However, Dean of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Karen Pugliesi, said no sweeping changes will occur.

“Our budget is not being cut ...

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Due to a decrease in university funds, NAZ Today has been altered from four live shows per week to four.

Shannon Swain| The Lumberjack

One way I would describe it is the source we are using to pay the expense of instruction is changing. We’re not letting anyone go — we won’t have any fewer faculty or staff or [graduate assistants],” Pugliesi said. “It’s not that there’s less money being put into it, it’s just that where that money is coming from is different than what it has been in the past. That’s been changing incrementally over a period of years. In regard to the [Central Instructional Funding (CIF)], what’s been happening is the university has been seeking to reduce the amount of CIF that’s being invested.”

Additionally, the domino effect caused by the slight dip in enrollment has affected Cline Library, which has experienced a $200,000 reduction in funds this academic year. Kathleen Schmand, Cline Library’s director of development and communications, emphasized these budget changes are “holdbacks,” not permanent or major state-induced cuts.

However, Stearns said there is less money coming in based on tuition and enrollment alone. The point lies

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in the word “cut.” The state has not minimized NAU’s budget, hence there are no official cuts. However, the university’s funds are limited compared to past years.

“There are less students, so there’s less money,” Stearns said. “Well, there’s less money from tuition. We have different revenue sources.”

CIF is one portion of the university’s budget. This money is appropriated by the state to fund public higher education and is roughly based on enrollment numbers. Throughout the years, CIF has become increasingly less vital to NAU’s budget.

“CIF is renewed each year from enrollment, so once official enrollment is done, then we get an amount of money. CIF funding could be reduced, then we would have to go back and find some other ways to manage it,” director for the School of Communication, Brant Short, said.

“Personnel wouldn’t change, but we may have to find some ways in the school’s budget to pick up an extra class or low enrollment classes. We

might cancel a couple or combine them.”

CIF and tuition dollars fluctuate as enrollment changes, which often causes temporary shifts in where, when and why funds are allocated.

Since enrollment numbers are expected to change year to year, slight fluctuations in budget are common.

Additionally, noticeable patterns within this process allow the administration to anticipate dips in funds. Depending on students’ enrollment status, major, location of residence and other factors, the budget will increase or decrease.

“It is a somewhat complex equation, because it depends on who left and what tuition they would’ve paid,” Stearns said. “Everything’s shifting ... It’s somewhat of a free variable in terms of who gets it for what and why. The fact is now that it’s shrinking with the shrinking of students and tuition, [CIF is] becoming a less useful pot of money or even a designation or a label. I know people like to define the pots of money, but it’s one budget.”

Overall, NAU’s programs are not at risk of being cut, at least in the short term. While departments like the School of Communication and Cline Library have experienced changes to their funds, shuffling the budget to make up for lost funds is not unprecedented.

Stearns said the university’s enrollment numbers are a projection of a national trend, which administration has been anticipating for a while.

“Our drop in enrollment is what we’ve been seeing across the country.

We have been beating the odds for several years, and now we’re matching the national average,” Stearns said.

“Some units are losing more than others, because again, depending on who the students are and what they would’ve majored in, that’s also a variable. So, we are now going to need to have a more transparent, calculable budget going forward. And I’m expecting it’ll be like this through 2026 or 2027.”

Projections of college enrollment are related to national demographic trends, specifically the birth rate, which decreased around 2008 due to a recession. Nathan Grawe, an author and economist at Stearns’ alma mater, Carleton College, projects undergraduate enrollment will drop nearly 15% between 2025 and 2029, when the children from the birth rate dip will have reached college age.

Pugliesi said enrollment income is guaranteed to shift with each year, because it is dependent on numerous evolving factors, but the changes that are being made are intended to “enhance [NAU’s] programs.”

NAU is undergoing routine budget changes caused by a decrease in incoming funds, which has induced temporary cutbacks and changes in certain programs.

Despite the nature of the discussion around campus, the consensus among the administration was that students and faculty have nothing to worry about.

SEPTEMBER 26, 2019 – OCTOBER 2, 2019 | THE LUMBERJACK

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OPINION-EDITORIAL

Letter to the Editor: A decrease in funds Karen Pugliesi and Brant Short

T

he Media Innovation Center (MIC) is a signature facility within the School of Communication. The MIC offers outstanding preprofessional co-curricular opportunities to students in the School and throughout Northern Arizona University. The MIC offers students experiential learning in multiple media platforms including: print journalism; television broadcast news; radio; creative film production; film festivals; podcasting; virtual reality, and social media. The MIC is integral to programs within the School of Communication and is central to the mission and goals of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences.

We write to offer information relevant to opinions expressed recently in The Lumberjack. It is heartening to hear directly from graduates who had powerful, door-opening experiences with the MIC (formerly, Student Media Center). The testimony offered by those writing letters is entirely consistent with our experience in communication with NAU alumni. We take this consistent feedback to heart and understand our responsibility to sustain and enhance one of the gems of NAU. Let us be very clear — there is no intention to cut funding or otherwise diminish the MIC. Given the dynamic media landscape that our graduates face, we need to provide instruction and experiential activities that prepare our students for this world. Toward that end, we continue to explore ways to strengthen our MIC programs. That means openness to changes that face our realworld counterparts in the media industry every day. While the School of Communication used to anchor its programming in the traditional areas of newspaper, television, and radio, we have expanded in other relevant areas over the past decade.

The leadership of the college, the school, and the MIC will work with students, faculty, staff and industry professionals to look at what we do, how we do it, and think ahead. We have added facilities and opportunities in recent years to serve students seeking preparation with the increasingly diverse spectrum of media forms. In collaboration with students, faculty and staff, we seek to create a foundation from which we can build a strong center of content creation and build out additional media forms in the MIC. The MIC is evolving, as it should, along with the media industry. Like any media enterprise, we work with resources, set priorities, and recalibrate as necessary to gain a foothold on the landscape of change we inhabit in 2019.

Our priority is to put students first and offer educational opportunities in media that are innovative, relevant, and dynamic. We are preparing students for the rest of the 21st century.

The Media Innovation Center is a hub of outstanding experiential learning in the School of Communication, College of Social & Behavioral Sciences and NAU. Our commitment is to enhance and grow what the MIC offers to the next generation of media professionals.

Illustration By Maddie Cohen

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Brant Short, Director, School of Communication Karen Pugliesi, Dean, College of Social & Behavioral Sciences

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SEPTEMBER 26, 2019 – OCTOBER 2, 2019 | THE LUMBERJACK

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OPINION-EDITORIAL

A dimly lit concern for safety caitlin burke

Power dynamics don’t mean doom

H

aving an age gap between you and your significant other can pose issues on its own. When this factor is combined with your significant other being your professor, the relationship may be destined to fail from the beginning.

I personally have never been in a relationship with anyone older than me by more than three months. I may not be very qualified to speak on this topic, however, I have personally seen healthy and longlasting relationships between two people in an unequal power dynamic that are successful to this day.

I don’t want to encourage making a move on the professor you’ve always thought was cute by any means. However, whether or not someone wants to romantically pursue an authoritative figure like their professor is CAITLIN their prerogative. It’s not really my business BURKE to judge.

OP-ED EDITOR I want to stress that this type of relationship will inevitably come with criticism and judgment if the relationship is not kept under wraps.

If two people somehow find love together in an odd situation, such as this example of an unbalanced power dynamic, then who’s to stop them. As long as the relationship is consensual and is not breaking up a marriage, there shouldn’t be anyone getting in the way.

The issues that may come with navigating such an unequal power dynamic in a romantic relationship will stem from whether or not boundaries and parameters are acknowledged from the beginning.

When specifically discussing a student-professor relationship, if the student remains in the class that their partner teaches, ethical concerns can run rampant and cause many relationship problems.

I believe the only way to successfully navigate being in a class that your romantic partner teaches is if there is a teacher’s assistant or graduate student grading all of your work in the class and no preferential treatment is given above other students.

Otherwise, it is extremely unethical to have the person you share a bed with be the same person who decides your grades. Of course, this doesn’t mean there isn’t any room left for other ethical questions, and the relationship may fail regardless. I would advise that the alternative — switching classes to a section that your love interest isn’t teaching — is by far the best option.

If a professor and student want to prove to the world that a mature relationship together is their priority, then the student should take every step to remove themselves from the class.

An unequal power dynamic is never ideal in a romantic relationship. It isn’t automatically destined to fail, but if neither parties commit to removing their authority from getting in the way of a successful partnership, there’s no way for the relationship to be healthy.

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I

f it isn’t already obvious, Flagstaff gets really dark once the sun goes down.

The streetlights in Flagstaff are either a dimly lit orange color that illuminates approximately 5 feet of the street below or, depending on the location, there simply aren’t any streetlights for a mile down the road.

There is a justifiable reason for this.

As stated on the city of Flagstaff’s official website, “The City of Flagstaff holds the distinct honor of being designated by the International Dark-Sky Association as the world’s first Dark Sky Community in 2001.”

Getting Flagstaff on the map with this unique distinction is great. I love this little mountain town, but that’s not to say that it is without its flaws.

According to the city’s website, “As an International Dark Sky City, Flagstaff strives to meet certain standards with regards to light pollution. Flagstaff has been recognized for its pioneering work in the development and implementation of lighting codes that balance the need to preserve Flagstaff’s dark sky resource with the need for safe lighting practices.”

Sustainability and environmental policy are very important to me. I try to live as sustainably, yet comfortably, as possible.

However, as a young woman I would rather prioritize being able to see where I’m walking or driving farther than 50 feet in front of me once the sun goes down.

If there’s a chance of getting abducted or stalked when I walk home alone at night, it would be really helpful if I could actually be aware of my surroundings with more streetlights or brighter bulbs in the ones that already exist.

The Dark Sky Community certification in Flagstaff certainly protects from light pollution getting out of hand compared to cities like Phoenix, but this comes at the cost of public safety in a busy college town.

Arguably, a college town should have more precautions in place to protect the abundance of young and vulnerable students from crime.

I’ve personally felt like it has been very difficult for me to see at night because of how dark it is with the limited illumination from the streetlights in town.

The website for the Dark Skies Coalition goes as far to claim that, “We have advanced technology

to the point that we can now strike out the dark of night and replace it with a perpetual twilight. No longer do we have to fear the dark and the scary monsters that come out when the sun goes down.”

For me, as a young woman who often walks at night alone, clutching my pepper spray, I’m definitely still afraid of who could be lurking in the dark. Maybe I’m paranoid, or maybe I listen to too many true crime podcasts, but I don’t feel as safe being alone at night in Flagstaff than I do in a brightly lit city like Phoenix.

The compromise of having Flagstaff be a certified Dark Sky Community leaves room for perpetrators to stalk young people easier without anyone noticing because of how dark the streets get at nighttime.

I value that Flagstaff cares about being environmentally conscious and has actually adopted policies toward this end. Politicians these days will often say they care about the environment, but their legislation reflects the opposite once money is involved.

It’s true that I love looking at the starry night sky as much as the next person, but I wish I’d be able to enjoy it without also worrying that someone may jump from around a dark corner and take me.

Illustration By dominic davies

OPINION-EDITORIAL

No one gets the final rose in the real world kylie soto

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hat’s right, I’m saying it. “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette” flaunt toxic, unhealthy and unrealistic relationships.

Fundamentally, these shows are made to set up any and all lovers for failure and pain.

Combined, the two shows have aired for over 30 seasons.

This is unbelievable due to their artificial and over-the-top nature.

Every aspect of each show is manufactured to exaggerate any and all conflict, distress and real emotion. Illustration by amy czachowsky And, as anticipated, it glazes over all the things that could make it a successful experience for the hopeful singles.

First, this show is set across two months.

Not to mention, there are roughly 20 This is a delusional and improbable amount of to 30 contestants on the show in the beginning. time for people to find love and let it flourish, Truthfully, no human can realistically form especially considering the fact that these people genuine and wholesome relationships with an are to be engaged by the end of the two months. amount of contestants similar to that of a high

school classroom.

By the end of their time on the show, people are more deprived of love instead of getting any taste of the one reason why they were on the show in the first place.

The impacts can go as far as tarnishing some of the contestants’ self-esteem and willingness to date in the future, because the show gives them this subconscious fear of losing the connection to their love interest in its premature stages.

All of this, only eight couples total in both renditions of the show have ended up following through and staying together. Which, speaking of, is less than a 50% chance for these couples to have actually been successful because of the show.

Even after it all, people apparently seem to believe this carefully crafted illusion of what love should be is worthy of adoring.

Anyone who is hypnotized by their TV screen into thinking that this is the full scope of the story is living a fantasy.

Aside from the polished black limousines and fresh red roses, the things that occur prior to filming are shocking.

As if the shows weren’t emotionally gruesome enough, contestants even postpone their careers with the vain belief that they will find fortune and fame on the show.

Some have spoken out about this struggle.

J.J. Lane, a contestant from season 11 of “The Bachelorette,” told MarketWatch that he had issues finding a job after the show aired. Lane said in the article, “Everyone knows who you are, and employers see it as a distraction.”

Overall, these are extremely grim circumstances to find and maintain what is supposed to be everlasting love. It is foolish and unrealistic to believe these relationships are anywhere near equipped for marriage status and everyday life without cameras around.

These are merely formulated relationships, although the word “relationships” is not even accurate to what these shows create.

No one should idolize others’ lives on TV. If someone expects to have a relationship exactly like the ones portrayed on “The Bachelor” in real life, they are in for a rude awakening.

Real life isn’t roses and beach getaways, and real love takes time to foster and cultivate.

Presidential candidates, focus on policy please ryan dixon

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s a merged political science and journalism major, campaigns, debates and government are my niche.

I’m a self-proclaimed politics geek, so the most recent Democratic debate was at the top of my watch list.

I almost wish it wasn’t.

Regardless of partisan identities or alliances, it was difficult to call the debate a success. Typically, the purpose of debates among presidential contenders is to clarify the intentions and views of candidates. The nearly three-hour long event left me with more confusion than clarity.

Watching the debate felt more like a crossover between “Scandal” and “Saturday Night Live” than an important step in the election process.

The candidates were sharp and prepared, even proposing their own approaches on the topic of health care. Challenges between the candidates laid out differences between former Vice President Joe Biden’s ideas and those of Senator Kamala Harris, but without much help from the moderator’s end, the debate started to spiral into a verbal spat that was more fitting for a middle school cafeteria than a stage.

Julián Castro, former United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, led the mudslinging with a thinly veiled jab at Biden’s mental sharpness and age.

“You said they would have to buy in. Are you forgetting not be on the same page as the current Republican president. The what you said two minutes ago? Are you forgetting already what audience could’ve been saved the reminder. you said just two minutes ago?” Castro said during the televised Focus on policy, please. debate.

That thought was on loop in my mind as the candidates The comment was based on Castro’s own squabbled on stage. misunderstanding of Biden’s plan for affordable I think it is safe to assume that the American people health care and was a low blow. want to see who best fits their beliefs and I understand that the candidates wish to wants for the country, rather than who establish themselves ahead of the pack in an can win in a roast session. Voters like environment as competitive as the race for the to be informed on issues that matter: most esteemed office in the nation. But those immigration, the economy, trade steps that place a potential president above the policy, gun control and more. others should be grounded in superior policy ideas Save the personality contest and leadership, not age. for “The Bachelor.” This is America’s Instead of calling out the former vice president future we’re talking about, and voters for being old, I wish Castro had explained why his need to be informed. The primary is a Illustration By angelo sanchez contest of ideas, and the Sept. 19 debate did health care plan was the better alternative.

Senator Harris also missed the mark throughout the very little to reflect that concept. debate when she seemed determined on trolling President Trump’s Perhaps it was the structure of the debates that led the trade policy rather than establishing herself as a front runner. candidates astray, or maybe it was rollover influence from the hot “The bottom line is this: Donald Trump in office on trade mess that was the 2016 presidential debate. policy … reminds me of that guy in “The Wizard of Oz,”” Harris Maybe a different structure would allow the primary debates said during the televised debate. “You know, when you pull back to inform, rather than confuse the audience. Or maybe the the curtain, it’s a really small dude.” politicians just need to get back to politics and stay away from the It comes as no surprise that a Democratic candidate would Hollywood theatrics.

SEPTEMBER 26, 2019 – OCTOBER 2, 2019 | THE LUMBERJACK

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Student YouTubers FEATURES

“I have a really cool job because of [YouTube] that I love and that I’ve learned a lot from,” Austin said. “I think the fact that it’s turned into something that I can do to help pay my bills is really special. It was like, ‘Oh, I like making videos, and this is a good place for me to put them if I wanted someone like my family to see them,’ and then it just became something I started making money off of. So, I think that to be able to make a job out of something I would do anyways is really fun.”

“Every once in a while, I’ll be walking on campus and someone will recognize me” Sophomore Katie Austin has been making YouTube videos since her sophomore year of high school. Quinten Kessler | The Lumberjack

Ash Lohmann

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longside their preexisting course load and other obligations, a handful of NAU students also dedicate portions of their time to YouTube. Between coming up with entertaining video ideas, filming and editing, NAU YouTubers said the stress is worth the reward when it comes to being an online content creator.

Katie Austin, sophomore creative media and film (CMF) major, has been making YouTube videos since her sophomore year of high school. She only started getting serious about being a YouTuber a year and a half ago, when she began uploading weekly videos as a way to archive her life as an NAU student.

“I feel like I’ll go through phases where I would do more stuff geared toward fashion, or document if I’m traveling,” Austin said. “It’s all about whatever is prevalent in my life. Since we just came back to school, I’ll do a handful of college centered videos, because that’s what’s going on in my life.”

Austin said most of her YouTube subscribers especially enjoy the college related videos she uploads, and that many of them started watching her because of those videos.

While it can be exciting to have lots of viewers, Austin said it can also be stressful to try and

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please so many people. She finds it difficult to make weekly videos while also keeping up with school work. Thus, Austin makes uploading her videos weekly more of a personal goal than a deadline. She said this helps reduce the stress of maintaining her channel.

“There’s this pressure that I put on myself to have something out every week that I’m excited about, and it’s kind of difficult, especially when I’m not 100% feeling it,” Austin said. “It’s completely self-inflicted — just the expectation of myself to have something good every single week.”

Some weeks, uploading a video she is proud of is harder than others for Austin. Depending on the type of video, filming and editing times fluctuate, and she can work 10 to 12 hours per week on her videos, which can make her other obligations like school and work difficult to manage.

Even when balancing YouTube and work seems difficult, Austin said she must remember that she got her job, a job she loves, because of YouTube. She said after watching a few of her videos, the senior videographer at NAU’s marketing department offered Austin a job making videos for the school. Austin said she is incredibly grateful to have a job where she can do what she loves and learn how to improve at making videos.

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– KATIE AUSTIN Austin said YouTube, as well as the job she’s gained because of it, has given her a leg up in the career she hopes to pursue in CMF. Despite her growing portfolio of videos, she said being a CMF major and a YouTuber has its drawbacks when it comes to stigmas that other filmmakers place on DIY content creators like her.

“I feel like in the CMF major there are a lot of people who look down on [YouTube] since it’s on the internet and it’s easy to share,” Austin said. “They view it as just a social media platform, and it is technically. I feel like sometimes it gets looked down upon since it doesn’t take as long to turn around in comparison to a short film or a feature.”

Despite the stigma she’s faced from some fellow CMF students, Austin said people tend to receive her videos well. She said she hasn’t gotten any negative comments that haven’t been constructive, which she appreciates.

Austin said she has sometimes come across viewers of her channel, which she described as a surreal experience.

“Every once in a while, I’ll be walking on campus and someone will recognize me,” Austin said. “Which is cool, because you can see a number on a screen or whatever, but when it’s an actual person that comes up to you and talks to you, it’s completely different.”

Like Austin, sophomore CMF major

Chance Arnoldussen said he interacts with people who watch his YouTube videos often, largely because Arnoldussen involves many other NAU students in his daily videos. Vlogs or less scripted videos, compared to typical YouTube videos, document a person’s life and thoughts, and are becoming increasingly popular on YouTube. Arnoldussen focuses on this style of video.

He said he felt as though he wasted a lot of his time in his first year of college and wanted something creative and productive to focus on. Taking inspiration from popular vloggers he follows, Arnoldussen began uploading daily vlogs just before the semester began.

“I wanted to find something where I’m creating, because I was a big gamer, and I just consumed, consumed, consumed,” Arnoldussen said. “And now, I want to produce content.”

Arnoldussen is using his daily routine of uploading videos as a challenge to learn about filming and editing videos. He is also working on creating better content for his vlogs. He is implementing different shows for each day of the week. These shows will vary among discussion topics and different challenges.

The challenges, among other things Arnoldussen does and says on his vlogging channel, make him subject to scrutiny. He said he puts himself out there on his YouTube channel, and he’s received disapproval from friends and family members, and judgment from people who watch his daily vlogs.

“There are some things I’ve said that are definitely inappropriate, and I think people might not like it, but that’s who I am in real life,” Arnoldussen said. “If you’re afraid to show who you are then you have a problem, and you’ve failed to stand up for who you are and be confident in that person. You really shouldn’t be worried about other people’s opinions about you. It doesn’t matter what they think about you. I know who I am, so I’m not worried, and if you don’t like me, that’s fine.”

Arnoldussen said he is publicizing so much of his life and himself online because of the very personal nature of vlogging. Alhough Arnoldussen said having an online audience pushes him to have the confidence to do things he wouldn’t do otherwise, and maintain his daily uploading schedule, as his viewers hold him accountable to produce interesting content regularly.

on the small screen FEATURES

While having this pressure helps Arnoldussen achieve his goal of creating and being productive, he said it has had a toll on his sleep schedule.

“It’s so much fun and so much work,” Arnoldussen said. “I probably stay up until 2 a.m. every single night editing, but I’ve already learned so much. I’ve learned more in these past 17 days about filmmaking than I’ve learned in any class I’ve taken so far.”

Arnoldussen said while the process isn’t too strenuous on the whole, the daily aspect makes his vlogging routine difficult. Despite this, he said every late night is worth the learning curve and uploading content to his channel.

“It’s easy to watch a 10-minute video, but you never realize how long it takes to make a 10-minute video,” Arnoldussen said. “School is a priority for me, because I have a priority to keep my scholarship. I think school is great if you’re going to be a doctor, lawyer, engineer.

But if you want to make films and be an artist, I would rather hire somebody who has a catalog of 100 videos and they get to show me their work than somebody who has a degree and has nothing to show for it.”

Building a portfolio on YouTube is important to senior CMF major Kye Hill, who mostly makes comedy YouTube videos.

“From the moment I could use the internet and know what YouTube was, I was an avid consumer of YouTube content,” Hill said. “The concept of being a YouTuber was always so appealing to me. Things just got to the point where I had so much to say but no place to say it, so starting my YouTube channel seemed to be the obvious course of action.”

She said she has a desire to be constantly creating and expanding her experience on YouTube, but being busy while making movies in school is among many reasons she finds it difficult to upload regularly.

“It is extremely time consuming, and difficult to maintain my channel and be a student,” Hill said. “I’m creating so many videos and films due to my major that it’s hard to make YouTube content for fun.”

Alongside the time creating YouTube videos, Hill said another struggle of being an online content creator — especially a comedy content creator — comes with finding something unique to make.

Hill said while she doesn’t upload regularly

Sophomore Chance Arnoldussen, student YouTuber, vlogs daily for his subscribers.

Quinten Kessler | The Lumberjack

or often by any means, her videos tend to be of a certain breed of comedy to stand outside the norm of comedy content on YouTube.

“My channel is really hard to box into one category,” Hill said. “I would say it’s comedy, but not sketch comedy. Sometimes I’ll do challenges on my channel, but they aren’t like the typical viral challenges one would see online.

I’m definitely not saying I’m doing anything unique, because my genre of content has become increasingly popular over the last few years. I think the whole purpose of my channel’s content is to satirize things that are popular on the platform and the things that are happening within the YouTube community.”

While she found a challenge in creating original content, Hill said making YouTube videos pushes her to think creatively and edit better. She said her favorite part about YouTube is being able to say she’s created something.

Senior Natalie Worthington agrees that creating content is satisfying. She has been creating YouTube videos since just before starting her freshman year at NAU.

Worthington said her YouTube channel is made up of videos that reflect what is going on in her life at any given time and compared her channel to a public video diary. She said her videos are mostly centered around college because that is what’s prominent in her life at the moment.

Wo r t h i n g t o n doesn’t upload on a set schedule, and said that helps keep YouTube feeling fun and not like a chore.

“I started my channel during the summer going into my freshman year of college, and I mostly wanted to do

something new and different,” Worthington said. “I thought it would be fun to document going through college and growing up, and it turned out I really enjoyed doing it, and it has been so cool to look back on. I truly never thought anyone but maybe some friends would watch.”

Worthington’s YouTube channel became much more popular than she imagined. While this was exciting for her, Worthington said it put additional pressure on her to create interesting content and also gave her doubts about being herself in such a public light.

“Sometimes I do look back and wonder if making a channel was the best decision for me because I am actually a very private person, which is kind of ironic,” Worthington said. “I’m more of an introvert, so sometimes I do feel weird that so many people who I don’t know personally know about my life. However, of course I only show what I want to show and what I’m comfortable with being out there, so I have established boundaries in that way.”

Worthington said these boundaries helped her create a healthier lifestyle as both a student and a YouTuber.

Despite the struggles that living publically online can introduce, NAU’s student YouTubers said that creating content on this platform is more beneficial than it is disandvantegeous, especially with the connections and opportunities an online presence can open up.

The YouTubers generally agree that creating online content and balancing a school schedule is difficult, but is ultimately worth the blood, sweat and tears for the satisfaction of uploading something they’re proud of, having the opportunity to meet new people and learn more about making videos through real world experience with a real world audience.

Illustration By Blake Fernandez

SEPTEMBER 26, 2019 – OCTOBER 2, 2019 | THE LUMBERJACK

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FEATURES

Meet Flagstaff’s own “Ink Masters” Katelyn Rodriguez

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attoos can be seen as a form of selfexpression, but the cost of getting a tattoo can sometimes be extremely high, depending on the shop or artist. This could ultimately deter someone from getting a tattoo.

Looking for a good shop without the expensive price tag can be difficult. However in Flagstaff, students have an affordable option at Sacred Ground Tattoo and Piercing, which has a $25 minimum on all small tattoos.

Sketches of tattoo templates line the walls of Sacred Ground, while framed sketches and stickers pop out. An ATM sits in the corner to assist with the shop’s cash only rule, along with work stations for each of the shop’s artists.

David Maestas, Mike Sandoval and Jason Schuening are the artists at Sacred Ground.

They have been there since it opened four years ago. Maestas has been tattooing for almost 40 years, while Sandoval and Schuening have both been tattooing for 30 years.

All of Sacred Ground’s artists started working together when Flagstaff’s first successful tattoo shop Ratatattoo opened, Sandoval said. Ratatattoo then changed ownership, and Schuening opened Holepunch Body Piercing and Aces High Tattoos before Maestas opened Sacred Ground, where all three work together again.

“We had a shop down here open in ‘91,” Sandoval said. “David had the opportunity to

open up another shop down here, and we were the first successful tattoo shop. So, this place has a lot of history.”

Sandoval said he has been obsessed with tattoos since he was a kid and got his start after a friend made him a tattoo machine. Although his first tattooing experience didn’t go well, he ran into Maestas a few years later, and that’s when things changed.

“I ran into David a couple years later, and he built me a nice [tattoo machine],” Sandoval said. “I started tattooing on the friend who built the first machine, and it turned out well.”

Sandoval said he’s still trying to develop a specific tattooing style. He considers himself obsessed with the craft, and works on improving by working through issues. He likes tattooing so much because he enjoys meeting the different people that come into the shop.

Maestas said that while they have their own clientele who come in to get work done, the number of students who come into the shop varies.

“I’d say [we see students] about 70% of the time,” Maestas said. “It depends on the season, like in the summer when students leave is when we’ll start getting tourists.”

In addition to offering their daily $25 minimum, the shop also participated in a Friday the 13th special, where they offered $5 off tattoos. They have been involved in the popular sale for the last three years. However, this was the first year they officially held and advertised

the special on their Facebook and Instagram accounts.

“On Friday the 13th, the other shops get so packed that we end up catching all the residuals, so we get packed in here too,” Maestas said.

When it comes to picking what designs go on the template for the Friday the 13th special, Sandoval said they prefer customers to bring in their own designs, like they would do if it were a normal day at the shop. Maestas said that they would rather tattoo something more personal and meaningful for their customers.

During their most recent Friday the 13th special, the shop had a line going up the stairs and around the corner by 1:30 p.m. The shop got so busy that they ended up telling people to come back the following day.

During the Friday the 13th event, Maestas and Sandoval both did 50 tattoos, and Schuening was close to 100 piercings.

For NAU freshman Monica Houltram and sophomore Mya Gentry, who were in line for the Sept. 13 special, their visit to Sacred Ground marked a new addition to their growing tattoo collections. Gentry said she already has six tattoos, but this was her first time getting inked at Sacred Ground. She said she found the shop because she had heard a lot about it.

On the other hand, Houltram said she picked Sacred Ground due to overcrowding at another location in town.

“We showed up a little late to go to [Woody’s Old School Tattoo & Piercing Studio]

and the line was already really long,” Houltram said. “So we looked up the reviews for Sacred Ground and it seemed pretty alright, so we came here.”

When it comes to working at Sacred Ground, Sandoval said that being in the shop and working with customers every day is something that can lift his mood, especially because they like the shop to have a mellow and laid back feel to it.

“I can be having a bad day, but get me down here and in 20 to 30 minutes, I’m back,” Sandoval said.

Maestas said he wants customers to come into Sacred Ground and feel comfortable.

He wants the body art they leave with to be something they can cherish for the rest of their lives, or just look back on and remember a specific time in their lives.

“I want to be able to make it affordable for people who can’t pay $150 an hour,” Maestas said. “I want it to be a place where people can come, feel welcome, get a nice tattoo and just be of service to the community in our own way.”

Maestas also said he is at the age where he understands that being of service to other people is something great, even if it’s just sitting and talking with someone or giving a customer a tattoo.

“It helps my world become a better place, and hopefully it helps that person, too,” Maestas said.

Left: Mike Sandoval tattoos NAU senior Tori Reinhart at Sacred Ground Tattoo Shop. Photo illustration by Jay Soliz and Aleah Greene| The Lumberjack Right: Mike Sandoval tattoos NAU freshman Isaiah Lopez at Sacred Ground Tattoo shop Sept. 21. Jay Soliz | The Lumberjack

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SEPTEMBER 26, 2019 – OCTOBER 2, 2019 | THE LUMBERJACK

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CULTURE

Threading Flagstaff together Olivia Charlson

A Thai tea triumph

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hile there are many amazing coffee shops in downtown Flagstaff, a new place in town has stolen my heart. Java Juice Cafe, not to be confused with Jamba Juice, is a new cafe next to Bookmans Entertainment Exchange on South Riordan Ranch Street. They have teas, coffees, boba drinks, crepes, smoothies, ice cream and more. If you have a sweet tooth, this place won’t disappoint.

On top of the amazing drinks and desserts, the staff is also friendly, and the shop is incredibly close to campus as well.

When I first walked into Java Juice, it reminded me a lot of home. I was really craving a smoothie and didn’t feel like heading to north campus for Jamba Juice, so my boyfriend and I headed toward Milton SABRINA Road in search of a new place to try.

PROFFITT Back in Phoenix, we would go to a CULTURE EDITOR place called Snoh Ice Shavery all the time and would get boba. I would specifically get a Thai tea slushie with tapioca boba. What I really enjoy about Java Juice’s boba is that they not only have the black tapioca balls, but they also have the popping juice flavored ones as well for those who aren’t ready to fully commit to the boba lifestyle.

When you walk into Java, it is small but lively and usually filled with people enjoying their drinks or smiling behind the counter, ready to make whatever you desire. Their menu feels almost endless as you stand in front of the barista, trying to decide what you could possibly want to order. I’d definitely consider looking at their online menu before going in, or at least before you’re at the front of the line, because there are so many amazing options, from coffee drinks to fruity crepes. I honestly couldn’t decide what I wanted more, but I thought I might as well try my classic order to make sure they’re on the level I need them to be whenever I’m having a Thai tea craving.

So, I ordered my favorite bright orange drink, and they even had the option to make it a slushie, which completely excited me.

I’m always the type of gal to order a frozen beverage before an iced one, because I sip iced drinks way too fast that it isn’t even worth the money to me.

I waited for my drink to be made and sat at the bar along the wall. Even with a small crowd, my drink was made quickly and handed off to me immediately. I took my first sip and was delighted.

It was super flavorful and didn’t seem watered down like some Thai teas I have had in the past, and the boba was not overcooked either.

It tasted great overall, but I’d recommend anyone who shares my favorite drink to grab a napkin, because Thai teas have a nasty habit of making your teeth orange like Halloween pumpkins, unless that’s what you’re going for, since October is right around the corner.

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lagstaff is a town where artists can thrive, whether it be making physical projects, painting around the city or getting tattoed at the local shop down the street.

However, there are other art forms in town that come with their own culture and unique take on body ink. Some local shops offer henna and threading, bringing Indian culture to northern Arizona.

Bhumi Threading & Henna Tattoo is a shop in downtown Flagstaff where the property is smaller than the average dorm room, and is highlighted by a single chair standing alone in the middle of the shop. Customers patiently sit to the side as they wait to have their eyebrows threaded in minutes. Pranoti Ithape specializes in threading and henna, and has lived in Flagstaff for six years while running the establishment.

“Henna means tree,” Ithape said. “That is why it is painted with natural colors.”

According to HuffPost, henna is ground into a fine powder to produce a dye. Many artists add essential oils as well. Artists have their methods for applying the paste, which will dry and then is brushed off the skin to reveal the brown ink. The henna fades out over the course of a few days and slowly turns a deep red color before fading for good.

Henna has meaning behind it, but threading is also culturally significant. According to the Bhumi website, threading was first practiced in India more than 6,000 years ago and still remains very popular in India, Middle Eastern countries and Persian culture. It is now gaining popularity in the United States, too. It is healthy for sensitive skin, because it does not use synthetic chemicals — everything is done by cotton thread.

An article on InStyle, a fashion magazine website, explained threading as the process of twisting a piece of thread onto itself and gliding it along the edge of the brow to pluck out hair and shape it. The results last longer than shaving, because hair

is removed from the follicle. Even though it can be painful, threading does not damage the skin when done correctly.

Ithape said she has a good relationship with familiar customers who have been coming in for a long time.

Roberta Peaches praised Ithape as she was getting her eyebrows threaded. Peaches said her and her daughter had been coming to Ithape’s business for years.

“She has avid followers,” Peaches said. “We come here from out of town. We’ve been coming since my daughter started high school.”

Another henna and threading business located right next to NAU is Apsu Eyebrow Threading & Henna Tattoo. The business has a friendly atmosphere, bright colored walls and has joyful music playing. An Apsu employee, Apsar Gautam, said he was with the business when it opened about a year ago, and that the business is just getting started.

“We do henna for weddings and in the summer mostly,” Gautam said.

Henna art is an important factor for traditional Hindu weddings because of the importance of rituals and customs.

Each artist has a unique method for painting.

The Spruce, a lifestyle website, reported that many Hindu and Muslim weddings have a bridal henna party, called a Mehndi party, before the ceremony. The bride usually has the most intricate henna design, which can take several hours to complete. It is supposed to be a joyful ceremony where the bride is entertained and has wisdom passed on to her by female family and friends. According to The Spruce, henna is believed to give blessings, luck and joy, but is overall a way to enhance beauty through body art.

These local shops are a resource for students and a way for them to experience a culture that may be different from their own. Henna is a way that one can express themselves through body ink that isn’t permanent. Art and beauty can come in many different forms, and these shops are providing new ways to express it.

Pronoti Ithape, the threader and henna artist at Bhumi Threading & Henna Tattoo, paints on a customer Sept. 20.

Renee Hanneken| The Lumberjack

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CULTURE

Take care of your mind with NAMI Kyler edsitty

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s stigmas surrounding mental illnesses linger, one NAU organization aims to help students any way it can. The National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) is a nationwide organization that helps individuals and families who face behavioral issues and mental illness.

The current NAU chapter of NAMI was started by a group of graduate students who sought to give support and resources to other students dealing with mental illness.

This is achieved through education and conducting mental illness support groups.

Club president Joseph Aruguete joined NAMI to address and correct the gap in mental health services that NAU students have to deal with.

“The previous president had a deep passion for NAMI, and I fed off her energy,” Aruguete said. “I wanted to try to establish the organization permanently.”

Junior and Vice President Elizabeth Livingston joined the organization in her freshman year.

Livingston said she joined because she knows several people who have mental illnesses and wanted to learn as much as she could about them.

“I am NAMI trained to run support groups, and I know more about how to help people,” Livingston said. “I will forever be learning more and more.”

Secretary Cameron Gaetz saw NAMI as a way to get more involved on campus and to gain experience.

Gaetz said the organization is an effective way for students to make long-term connections with others who have similar struggles.

The organization aims to educate the public through a series of lectures that break down the stigmas surrounding mental illnesses and discuss what creates them. NAMI NAU works with Flagstaff NAMI, a larger division of the organization, to

educate more people off campus. They have hosted lectures on the Navajo Reservation concerning suicide prevention, and plan to facilitate more on-campus events.

However, the group does not provide treatment or diagnose individuals in the way professionals would, nor should they be used in emergency situations. “[Education] helps break down false images and misconceptions that students have,” Livingston said. “Reducing stigma is one of our highest priorities, because it can cause alienation and

prevent people from seeking the help they need.”

NAMI runs peer-led support group sessions that help

individuals with more common illnesses, such as depression and anxiety. These sessions allow people to have a supportive space where they can discuss their issues and learn about resources for how to seek help if emergencies occur. These groups also aid people who struggle with stress and mental exhaustion.

The training process for leading group sessions is broken up into two parts. First, members are taught the do’s and don’ts of leading discussions. After technical training, members sit in on actual sessions led by another person

to gain more experience.

The organization’s main issue is that it doesn’t have enough members to support all of its campaigns on a larger scale, because they only have two members who can run group support sessions. This limits the number of students who can have access to these services. Livingston said the group needs more members they can train to lead more support groups and reach more people.

She also said NAMI seeks to have a large impact on how NAU students discuss mental health and that any student can reduce stigma and create safe spaces.

Senior Megan Gray has been an advocate for the importance of mental illness since she became a psychology major. Gray said the work NAMI is doing will have a positive effect on NAU. “Mental health alone is something that people don’t think to pay attention to,” Gray said. “Just because [mental illnesses] can’t be seen physically, it still needs treatment, as with any other illness.”

Gray said mental health is very important and that everyone should take time to address it and take care of their mind, especially college students.

The board members of NAMI said students don’t need a psychology background to join their cause. Anyone who wants to make an effective change is welcome. Students interested in joining NAMI or who seeks to use their services can visit its website.

“NAMI is a growing group that has big plans for the future that we hope will be a great asset for students here at NAU,” Gaetz said.

Illustration By Madison Cohen

SEPTEMBER 26, 2019 – OCTOBER 2, 2019 | THE LUMBERJACK

17

CULTURE

Junior Makamae Tan prepares fry bread during the Creating Community Cooking Series event Sept. 19. Brian Burke | The Lumberjack

Community cooking in the cultural center Ian Sloan

T

his September, the Native American Cultural Center began its Creating Community Cooking Series. This series is hosted every semester to bring together different communities on campus. In its third year, the center aims to give students a place to learn recipes and meet new people.

The first event in the series took place Sept. 19, and the exhibited dish was fry bread, a simple to make, yet culturally essential dish. As the name implies, fry bread is flatbread deep fried in oil, shortening or lard. Later events will feature food that is a little more complex, like tamales and stews.

“We definitely theme it. We’ll

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start out with something easy like fry bread … Generally, we’ll have a lot of people who want to try their hand in [cooking], and we’ll try to think of dishes that allow a lot of people to pitch in,” cultural center executive director Ora Marek-Martinez said.

“We’ve also done yeast bread and tamales, which were really popular.”

Since she was raised on the Nez Perce Reservation in northern Idaho, the dishes made in these events hold sentimental value to Marek-Martinez.

She said her community believed in everyone pitching in and had different feasts to celebrate times of the year.

“I learned to cook a lot of southwestern dishes and other Pueblo foods,” Marek-Martinez said. “That’s something I take as part of my role

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here: teaching students how to make these cultural foods, because it is important that they have a sense of who they are and what they do in their communities.”

Marek-Martinez is not the only person who was taught these dishes when she was young. Many students in attendance had been made dishes like fry bread beforehand. Freshman Makayla Jackson said she’s been making fry bread since she was young.

“Coming into this, I wanted to see how other people are making [fry bread],” Jackson said. “It has a technique to it, so it’s kind of funny seeing how [they] make it. I’ve been making fry bread since I was 7 years old.”

On the other hand, one of the

student volunteers, junior Makamae Tan, has only been making fry bread for one year.

“It started when I was a peer mentor here. We did the stew fest, so I was taught by my fellow coworkers,” Tan said. “I’ve never tried different styles. I was only taught one way, and I have just been sticking to it.

The ending texture is different every way — everyone makes [fry bread] differently. Some people like it gooey and sticky, some like it not, and some of it is really stretchy.”

Fry bread is one recipe Tan learned during her time at the Native American Cultural Center.

“This helps when making Navajo burgers and Indian tacos, because those aren’t strictly a Navajo thing,”

Tan said. “Working here has also connected me to the culture, and being able to do something that is part of the culture, I feel more connected and more accepted.”

Tan is a regular at the cooking series and said she makes the effort to attend as many as she can. Her favorite dishes to make are fry bread and poi, which is made from taro root and is a part of her Hawaiian background.

The cooking series will host more sessions throughout the semester. The next session is scheduled for Oct. 9.

Similar events will also be held at the Native American Cultural Center, such as the Decolonize Your Diet workshop.

SEPTEMBER 26, 2019 – OCTOBER 2, 2019 | THE LUMBERJACK

19

SPORTS

A

There’s more than conventional sports

few issues ago, The Lumberjack assistant sports editor, Jacob Terrill, wrote an article about football’s ticket sales.

Attendance for all NAU home games are low — not just football.

After that fact was uncovered, I could not help but think, “What the heck do people do out here?”

Being a California native, my family loved sports. On the weekends, we were watching our siblings do their thing if we weren’t playing ourselves. Off days were spent at the beach or watching an Angels game.

Now, northern Arizona does not have beaches nor a professional team of any kind, so how are there not more people at NAU’s athletic events?

MOLLY This was a very close-minded SMITH thought.

I have been here for three years, SPORTS EDITOR and I’ve learned that outdoors is where everyone wants to be. For some hiking, biking and slacklining are a lot more interesting than sitting in the Walkup Skydome to watch a losing team.

The culture is different than what I’m used to. My culture back home quite literally revolved around sports. If you attend a game at NAU, there are very few local families attending. The crowds consist largely of students who get in for free and leave at halftime.

A huge university with beautiful facilities, fun quarterly events and halftime shows is at the heart of the town, and the stands are extremely vacant. Why? I’ve had to understand that just because I know and expect something a certain way does not mean it is wrong. The interests here are vastly different. If the Lumberjacks played like the University of Alabama, people would travel to see them play.

The stands would house more than just the typical fans.

Tucson and Phoenix are only a few hours away, yet each of them are pouring in with people to support their local universities. We’re in the same state, and many people are originally from those areas. So I ask again, why?

Northern Arizona is much different than its southern counterparts. People come up here to take a break from that business. Flagstaff is treated like the John Candy movie “The Great Outdoors,” and people do not think twice about missing whatever game NAU plays.

Just because attending NAU football, soccer and volleyball games is not a priority in Flagstaff does not mean our town is inactive. Flagstaff locals are the ones running, climbing and jumping outdoors.

Why sit in the stands when there are plenty of ways to be active?

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Photo courtesy of Trijacks

Trijacks take it up a notch amber neate

H

earts racing, legs quaking — it’s race day. Endurance, drive and resilience pulse through his veins in a wave of electric shock. It’s been months of consistent training and pushing the body to its limit. Above all, an unquenchable thirst for success fuels this triathlete.

NAU junior Tyler Plihcik woke up before the sun kissed the Earth in Boulder City, Nevada. It was his first collegiate triathlon race.

“We get up at these obscene hours of the morning,” Plihcik said. “We are up and out of the hotels and at races by 4:15.

That just sparks a comraderie between total strangers, and I don’t think any other sport has that.”

Plihcik participated in the Pumpkinman Triathlon as part of a sprint relay team. He was responsible for completing the 5-kilometer run, the final portion of the race. As the athletes took their marks at the starting line, a nervous feeling squeezed his stomach into twists and ties like ribbons on a Christmas present.

The swim and bike portions of the race were almost finished. Now, it was Plihcik’s time to shine. With a swift tag from his partner, he was off, kicking up dust in the crisp air. Nothing was more

important than securing this win for his team. With each long span of his legs, Plihcik zoomed closer to the finish line.

Like a dart, he passed by each competing runner. With a final burst of sprinting power, Plihcik leapt to the finish line.

It was first place for his first race as the Trijacks snatched gold.

Plihcik was a sprinter and crosscountry runner in high school. His love for endurance sports led him to take on the position as coach and competitor on the Trijacks team.

The Trijacks generally compete in Olympic distance triathlons, which consist of a 1,500-meter swim, a 24-mile bike ride and a 6-kilometer run. The

SPORTS average triathlon lasts two to four hours, but Ironman competitions can take all day. Beginner triathletes usually start with sprint distance races, which consist of a 750-meter swim, a 12-mile bike ride and a 5-kilometer run. Professional triathletes take on the Ironman: a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and a 26.22-mile marathon. Training for a triathlon involves sticking to a rigorous exercise schedule.

“My motto is you can’t win a race with a workout, but you can win a race with 40 good workouts spread out over a good training block,” Plihcik said. “It’s not one single thing that is the key to success. It’s multiple things going well over a long period of time that adds up to success.”

The athletes practice once or twice a day for an hour each training session. The team works hard to create a variety of exercises that involve a swim, run or bike workout.

“Even though it’s a team-building environment in practice, when it comes to race day, you are ultimately racing yourself,” senior club member Miguel Mariscal said.

It’s a solid six to seven days of conditioning per week. This does not include the training athletes do individually outside of club practices.

Learning to transition between events isn’t easy, as sophomore Anna Whitley practices 20 hours per week.

“It’s challenging. You have to ease into it and get into a routine,” Whitley said. “If you swim, you have to practice transitioning, because you might have jelly legs and be winded from the water, so you have to figure out how to run and how to bike after that. Your legs get a little wobbly, so it’s just getting used to the feeling of not always being steady.”

“It’s challenging. You have to ease into it and get into a routine.”

– Sophomore Anna Whitley Whitley currently serves as vice president for the Trijacks club. She began competing in triathlons her

Illustration By BRADY WHEELER

senior year of high school. Whitley’s favorite triathlon event is biking.

For her, it’s a time to relax, get into race mode and clear her head. These athletes get the chance to explore beautiful courses like the forests and mountains of Flagstaff, ocean coasts of California and much more.

“It’s a fun way to get some exercise and see the city that you’re in,” Whitley said. “You get a chance to sit with your own thoughts on the bike.”

The longest triathlon Whitley completed was a 70.3-mile half Ironman race that consisted of a 2.4-mile swim, a 56-mile bike ride and a 13-mile run. Whitley has also

competed in several marathons, the longest being 26.2 miles.

The Trijacks participate in six races per year. Conference races take place in Arizona, Utah, Colorado and Nevada. The first semester revolves around recruiting new club members and regular training sessions. Second semester is crunch time. The athletes perfect their techniques and hit the tracks harder for a championship season.

Diet is a crucial component to a successful race. Some triathletes even eat during races to replenish nutrients that are quickly being drained. The number of calories lost per race depends on an athlete’s body weight,

speed, athleticism and external factors, such as weather and temperature.

The Arizona Republic reported an athlete may burn roughly 410 calories during a swim, 900 calories during a bike race and an additional 700 calories during a run for a 2,010 calorie deficit.

Some competitors carry goo packets that are about 100 to 150 calories. They contain a gummy, sugary paste that helps the body replenish its energy so an athlete is able to perform for the entire duration of the race.

Triathletes not only strengthen their bodies, they develop a goaloriented mindset, strengthen

their time management skills, and become disciplined in patience and persistence. For Mariscal, competing in triathlons has played an important role in self-growth and discovery.

“The sport has taught me there is a lot to learn. It humbles you,” Mariscal said. “There are always more ways you can push yourself. Even though you may be confident in one skill — in my case running — it gives you the ability to diversify yourself as an athlete.”

Being a triathlete is a huge commitment, but crossing the finish line is the ultimate reward.

SEPTEMBER 26, 2019 – OCTOBER 2, 2019 | THE LUMBERJACK

21

VISUAL SPOTLIGHT

Monsooning into fall

Top left: Pedestrians cross Route 66 in Downtown Flagstaff as rain comes down the afternoon of Sept. 23, 2019.

Top right: Phoenix resident Kellie Callahan waits on the corner of E. Aspen Ave. and N. San Francisco St. in downtown Flagstaff.

Bottom right: A van splashes through S. Mike Pike St. in Flagstaff Sept. 23, during Monday’s downpour.

Bottom left: Kristy Morrisette, left, and Lynn Morrisette, right, operate a ParkFlag kiosk in downtown Flagstaff as rain comes down. Michael Patacsil | The Lumberjack

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VISUAL SPOTLIGHT

Climate strikes NAU’s Campus Top and bottom left: NAU students protest through Flagstaff Sept. 20, 2019.

Protestors around the world strike for climate change three days before the United Nations Climate Action Summit. MacKenzie Brower | The Lumberjack Bottom right: Kristina Luthringer cheers at passing cars and holds a sign in front of Flagstaff City Hall for the Global Climate Strike Sept. 20, 2019. “We need systemic change, the world is unified around this issue, we all need to be concerned,” Luthringer said. Brian Burke | The Lumberjack

SEPTEMBER 26, 2019 – OCTOBER 2, 2019 | THE LUMBERJACK

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