The Lumberjack -- April 28, 2023

student voice since 1914

The McMillan gives new life to historic building

The past and the present blur on the corner of East Route 66 and North Leroux Street, where the McMillan Building stands as the oldest building in downtown Flagstaff. Since 1886, the building has witnessed the changing Flagstaff scene in its nearly two centuries standing. Now, The McMillan Bar and Kitchen operates out of the historic location, giving the former bank hotel new life as a modern eatery. The McMillan upholds its legacy of hospitality by welcoming locals and tourists alike to “drink in the history.”

The McMillan Building was originally The Bank Hotel Building

The National Park Service lists it on its National Register of Historic Places, which ensures the building’s indefinite preservation in nearoriginal conditions. The McMillan building is included in Flagstaff’s Railroad Addition Historic District

Tucker Woodbury, the founder of The McMillan Bar and Kitchen and co-founder of its parent company, Genuine Concepts, has been involved in the restaurant’s creation and development since obtaining the space in 2012.

Thomas McMillan, who was one of the first Flagstaff settlers, bought the building during its construction and was the original owner. The McMillan Building still remains in the original family’s ownership. Ed Fleming, a member of the McMillan family, is the landlord of the building and offered the space to Woodbury and his team in 2012.

This May, The McMillan Bar and Kitchen will celebrate its 10th anniversary.

When surveying the building for the first time, Woodbury said he and his team immediately fell in love with the exterior. From that point forward, their vision was to create a historic tavern.

However, the interior of the building had modifications, which did not fit the historic look Woodbury’s team was going for. The red brick walls were concealed behind drywall, and the original flooring was covered in carpeting.

“When we saw that building, we said, ‘We’ve got to bring this thing back to its old glory and make it a neat little watering hole,’” Woodbury said. “We just started peeling everything away and got overthe-top enthused because a lot of our projects, especially at the time, were adaptive reuse projects and all driven by cool architecture.”

The original exterior window frames, door frames, local red sandstone and timber, Woodbury said, are all “easter eggs” from the original Bank Hotel, which visitors can discover around the building.

See MCMILLAN on PAGE XX

Navajo Nation fights for water access

500 home water system installations since its formation in 2014 in New Mexico, Arizona and Utah.

Individuals living in the Navajo Nation without indoor plumbing often have to drive to designated water fill stations and haul containers back to their homes, a process that can be taxing.

Throughout the Navajo Nation, studies estimate more than 30% of households do not have access to running water. Additionally, water scarcity can be exacerbated by mining enterprises’ contamination of natural water sources.

While Navajo Nation leaders fight for quantified water claims, Indigenous-led nonprofits are working to increase water access and protect crucial aquifers — layers of rock that release water into wells and springs — from industrial exploitation.

The Navajo Water Project (NWP), part of the DigDeep organization, is an initiative to provide clean, temperature-controlled water to Diné families living without indoor plumbing. The program has completed more than

Katie Janss, the program operations manager for NWP, said its services are intended to alleviate the burdens people without running water experience. Janss said some who have access to running water take it for granted.

“It just takes a lot of time out of your day to have to complete this extra chore where you get in the car, grab your buckets and carry eight pounds per gallon just to drink, bathe and clean your clothes,” Janss said. “It’s not good for your body, and it’s not good for your vehicle.”

The water system installation process begins with identifying and surveying homes in need. Local governments and municipalities collaborate with NWP and connect them with households requesting their services. Depending on how

many homes are in need and their individual circumstances, NWP assesses viable methods of accessing and distributing water.

Due to the depth of underground water sources and the high costs of commissioning new wells, water is often accessed by repurposing preexisting agricultural wells or filling up water trucks at utility watering points on the Navajo Nation.

Technicians then install a 1,200-gallon water tank and ensure the home has a functioning sink, water heater, filter and drain line — all within 24 hours. Once this process is complete, water trucks will visit each home monthly or by request to refill the tank and make any necessary repairs.

Increasing the accessibility of running water ensures elders, larger families and those without transportation have access to water without having to make hauling trips. This way, Janss said individuals will not have to leave culturallysignificant land due to a lack of available resources.

See WATER ACCESS on PAGE XX

Fat Olives: Flagstaff’s premier Italian cuisine

See FAT OLIVES on PAGE XX

The McMillan Bar and Kitchen on East Route 66 and North Leroux Street is a premiere location in town for plays, dances and other events, April 11. John Chaides | The Lumberjack

A Flagstaff-Grand Canyon stagecoach waits outside the McMillan Bank Hotel, 1892.

Photo courtesy of Discover Flagstaff

Bottom left: Fat Olives chef Ricardo Onduna prepares a bacon marmalede bruschetta board to go out to customers, April

Fat Olives, April 9. Sara Williams | The Lumberjack

MARIAN HERNANDEZ ASSISTANT CULTURE EDITOR

Whenever I look back at my life, I always associate different years with the music I listened to at the time. With a huge chunk of those years dedicated to One Direction, per my fangirl phase (which will make its return once the band finally reunites), there has been one artist who has sat like an angel on my shoulder, ready to transport me into her world: Lorde.

From listening to “Team” as my mom dropped me off in middle school, to silently contemplating my life while listening to “Liability” on the bus home from high school, even blasting “Solar Power” on the weekend it was released as I moved into my college apartment, Lorde has been with me as I’ve grown up over the last 10 years.

So, is this basically a love letter to Lorde? Yeah, it really is.

When I finished my junior year of college in spring 2022, I traveled to Seattle and finally got to see her in concert for the first time and it was an ethereal experience. On stage was the woman who, so perfectly, had been able to put into words some of the intense feelings that come when we experience life as it happens.

I know everyone goes through different journeys in life, but with her music, I feel less alone. Despite our journeys not looking the same, some of the emotions we experience might be.

As Lorde releases music, I feel like it’s been able to help me transform myself into someone new, into someone who has learned from the mistakes of their past-self and grown from it. But recently, it’s feeling like I’ve been in a rut, especially with commencement coming up and not knowing what my future holds. I’m feeling melodramatic.

But, I want to know what it’s like to be “Solar Power.” With its warmth, it feels like a perfect place to be. I want to reach the state of mind I hear in “Secrets from a Girl (Who’s Seen it All)” but the truth is, I haven’t seen it all and I’m still trying to trust all the rays of light that might cross the path on It’s a process and I can’t rush it. When the time comes, I’ll fall. But for now, I’ll be dancing in a world alone, because what the f— are perfect places anyway?

Thank you for reading!

Freshman year was hard on me as it is for many people. Coming up to NAU, I was only two hours from home, but it felt like I was across the country.

I wasn’t adjusting well, so I left town as often as possible.

My mom used to come and get me almost every other Friday and my dad would drive me back up on Sunday. When I wasn’t home, talking to them frequently on the phone or texting my sister and brother helped me get through the tough time.

They always supported me and talked to me when I needed it and told me it would get better. I didn’t believe them at first, but I’m glad they kept saying it.

The second semester started off well, but then the pandemic started, and we were home for the rest of the semester.

The next year, everything was online and I lived off campus. I felt so isolated from college life and campus. I rarely saw my friends or went to campus for anything.

Things changed when I got a job on campus in January 2021. I didn’t know it at the time, but it was more than a job. It gave me a reason to go to campus, and it gave me a chance to interact with customers and the people I worked with.

TAYLOR SCHWARTZ-

NEWS EDITOR

I started at a bit of a rocky time when a lot of people were quitting, and after working there for over two years, I have seen a lot of people come and go. Some of my other coworkers, I have worked with the whole time, or most of the time.

My coworkers have become some of my closest friends, and I consider us a family. Though work is work and it isn’t always fun, I could always count on them for a good laugh.

We were able to share things and listen and support each other, whether we were dealing with something school related or personal. During a time when everyone felt so alone, we had each other, and that still continues today.

Overall, I want to thank my actual family and my work family for getting me through the hard parts of college. I will never forget everything they did for me and how they shaped my life.

Thank you for reading!

With graduation only a few weeks away, the decision of what to do next with my life creeps closer. There are so many paths I could take, but the first thing I decide to do will impact where I end up further down the road. Do I go to graduate school? Do I start internships in my selected field? Or do I take a one-way ticket to volunteer abroad? Maybe I’ll ignore responsibilities and take a road trip across the United States and sleep in my car for a while.

I am currently in school for photography and want to continue with it as a career, but now as I graduate, there is pressure to pick which type of photography to focus on. Part of why I love photography is having a variety of subjects and the excitement of facing new challenges. I am interested in photojournalism and documentary work because it involves quick problem-solving and finding elements I can control in any environment. I also dearly want to get into the performing arts world, possibly as a concert or theater photographer. I know my future could involve all sorts of different types of photography, but which to pick first?

Besides career choices, I also want to leave my home state because there are so many locations in the world that I wish to explore. I spent some time abroad and got a taste of international travel, so now I yearn to visit a multitude of countries. This travel also made me more curious about what beauty lies within the U.S., especially because I am from the desert and I want to immerse myself in luscious, green environments.

MEGAN FORD-FYFFE DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

I am lucky to have so many options available for my future. I know I want to spend my twenties as a trial period by trying new things and figuring out what it is I genuinely want to do. I try to remind myself that I can change direction at any time, but sometimes the fear of getting stuck somewhere I don’t want to be, makes me overthink my decisions. I shall take a leap of faith and see where the wind takes me, despite limited money, plans and comfort. The future currently looks a bit cloudy, but it still shines bright.

Thank you for reading!

Writing has always come easily to me. It might be because I am a fast talker, or because there are constantly a million different dialogues in my head, but I have never struggled with putting words onto paper. Because I enjoyed writing so much in high school, I failed to consider it as an option for a major or career path. I was afraid of monetizing something I loved so much. I was afraid that I would begin to hate writing if I was doing it all the time.

Fast forward to now, I am about to finish a degree that almost entirely pertains to writing. My fears were incorrect. Changing my major to journalism was one of the best decisions I could have made.

Communication is something that I take very seriously. That might be a bit of a “duh” statement, we all communicate everyday with different people. However, I mean it as it sounds, I love communicating.

I have always loved writing because it offers another form to express my thoughts and emotions. Written language does not carry the same expression that verbal communication does, so writers are responsible for inserting emotion into their language. Journalism scared me at first, because it comes with a lot of guidelines. AP Style, proper grammar and punctuation, story formatting — it all seemed a bit overwhelming initially.

HANNAH ELSMORE MANAGING EDITOR

Journalistic writing has taught me one thing I will never forget: Most stories are best told by the person who experienced them. Every individual has a capacity for storytelling, and most people are pretty willing to sit down and tell you their story. I am so grateful to do just that, to sit back and let someone talk. Everyone deserves to be listened to.

My journalism degree has shown me the power of combining storytelling and compassion. At first, all the rules that came with this style of writing irritated me, but now I understand their purpose. I am grateful to be able to write in a way that removes me from a story, to give individuals a moment to share what they are willing.

So, I guess the lesson I have learned is to never veer away from what brings me joy. If you are good at something, run with it, and never look back.

Thank you for reading!

Ablank document. I’ve been staring at a blank document for over a month knowing I am going to have to write my final letter from the editor. What a change from the very first time I wrote a letter from the editor.

It was March 2021, and it was my first time on The Lumberjack Editorial Board as assistant features editor. Very few people knew I was immunocompromised. I physically could not stop writing and ranting about life during lockdown. At this time, some of my friends were already back in college living their normal 20-year-old lives with much fewer restrictions than they should have been. All the while, I was stuck in my childhood bedroom literally counting down the days until I could get my second COVID-19 vaccination, so I could hug my grandma for the first time in over a year.

That letter from the editor was written in less than an hour, spanning over a page and turned into a rant about how much life sucks when you are a young adult with an autoimmune disease in a global pandemic.

The next few letters from the editor I wrote all encompassed a little update about my journey of being a college student and living with arthritis. I would send it to my family and my mom would always respond with dozens of red heart emojis and a “Thanks for the update” message with the caps lock on. Now, all I feel is nostalgia.

It was bittersweet to go back and read each of my letters from the editor and see how much I have changed and how the world has changed around me.

The growth I have experienced in every aspect of my life has been for the better, and I’m proud of how far I have come.

I would simply like to say thank you.

Thank you to The Lumberjack for giving me a home. Thank you to my friends for making endless memories with me. Thank you to the Media Innovation Center for providing me with a place to work on my essays until 3 a.m. with double-locked doors, giving my mother peace of mind. A special thanks to the School of Communication vending machines for the late-night candy bars, which I could not have made it to graduation without. Thank you to NAU for giving me enough free T-shirts to fill my entire closet. Thank you to the Milton Road Starbucks location for having the option to mobile order. Thank you to my family for supporting me and listening to my rants for the past four years.

Thank you to everyone else who has been a part of my life for the last four years.

Thank you for reading!

OLSON

EMILY GERDES EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

ACROSS

3. Each time it rains, I become full

4. Light up the kiln; I’m the product

6. I provide classes and student housing. What building am I?

7. Babbitt is where you go to learn a new ____

SOCIAL MEDIA

DOWN

1. Interested in the Lumberjack? Visit me!

2. Graduation is upon us; I am the trophy

5. Open spaces are hard to find, especially in here

8. You’re up at 7,000 feet. Why run here when the outdoors suffice?

EXECUTIVE BOARD

Emily Gerdes, Editor-in-Chief

Hannah Elsmore, Managing Editor

Lydia Nelson, Director of Digital Content

Daisy Johnston, Copy Editor

Lian Muneno, Director of Print Design

Marley Green, Director of Marketing

EDITORIAL STAFF VISUALS

Taylor Schwartz-Olson, News Editor

Tess Bandstra, Assistant News Editor

Emily Rehling, Opinion Editor

Halli Smith, Assistant Opinion Editor

Brisa Karow, Features Editor

Zachary Markewicz, Assistant Features Editor

Jessie McCann, Culture Editor

Marian Hernandez, Assistant Culture Editor

Noah Butler, Sports Editor

Nathan Ecker, Assistant Sports Editor

Megan Ford-Fyffe, Director of Photography

Taylor McCormick, Assistant Director of Photography

John Chaides, Senior Photographer

Alexis Beaman, Director of Illustration

Jonah Graham, Co-Director of Multimedia

Liam Combs, Co-Director of Multimedia

Amirah Rogers, Director of Social Media

FACULTY ADVISERS

Bree Burkitt, Faculty Adviser

David Harpster, Reporter Adviser

Rory Faust, Sports Adviser

CREATED BY JONAH GRAHAM, CASEY EVERETT AND MAKAYLA RICHARDSON

Masthead illustration by Alexis Beaman

NAU improves the

Ground-breaking research is being developed at NAU’s School of Forestry and Ecological Restoration Institute (ERI), with the intention to improve forest health and combat climate change.

The United Nations issued its latest climate change report on March, which warned the “climate time bomb is ticking.” It renewed the initative for many nations, including the United States, to take more aggressive actions to curb carbon emissions.

The report concluded that sustained global fossil fuel usage has caused the world to warm 1.1 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. This is edging closer to the emergency temperature of 1.5 degrees Celsius, pushing the world closer to a point of no return.

As climate change and droughts cause increasingly severe wildfires and degrade forest health throughout the Southwest, researchers at the ERI are working on sustainable solutions that support forest restoration and long-term economic health.

Han-Sup Han, the ERI director of forest operations and an NAU biomass utilization professor, said overcrowding of trees can create an unhealthy environment.

“Trees are fighting each other for nutrients, light and water,” Han said. “That then exposes [them] to become more vulnerable to insect attack and disease. When the trees are killed, they become dry fuel for big fires.”

One of the solutions to address this issue is the mechanical thinning out of forests through controlled burns. Han is heading a group to create the Forest Operations Training Center in Coconino County. This project aims to increase the workforce needed to operate machines that cut trees and use the material for purposes like lumber for construction or furniture making. Controlled burns help limit the amount of flammable material, such as pine needles and tree seedlings on the forest floor.

“I think it’s been shown that mechanical thinning treatments are very effective in reducing the risk of fire, but also, when the fires happen, you can easily suppress the fires because there’s [fewer] fuel to be burned,” Han said.

After thinning operations, biomass, — a by-product made up of small logs and forest residues — linger on the site. Due to a lack of businesses that can use the material and high hauling costs that inhibit transportation, biomass is often piled on site and left in the forest. It later can become fuel when a forest fire breaks out.

The ERI pilot program Chip-and-Ship evaluated the possibility of breaking down and shipping biomass remains by railway transportation and cargo shipments to overseas bioenergy markets in South Korea.

“It has shown a very strong promise, and there are a lot of people interested in getting involved,” Han said. “We tested a good concept, and there are a lot of people behind it. We just need to work toward all the requirements needed for the infrastructure.”

Diseases among white pines have been spreading for nearly 100 years. A fungal disease called white pine blister rust has steadily spread from Canada across U.S. western forests and along the Atlantic Coast.

EMMA WEAVER

Photo courtesy of Han-Sup Han.

Photo courtesy of Han-Sup Han.

lifespan of trees

White pine blister rust is a fungus native to Asia. Researchers say the disease was introduced to North America unintentionally around the turn of the 20th century through the import of infected white pine seedlings. The fungus attacks five-needle pines and kills more than 95% of the trees it infects by cutting off pathways for water and nutrients where new growth occurs.

Amanda De La Torre, an assistant professor of forest genetics, researches the genome of sugar pines to find out why this fungus has spread over the years.

“What my lab is trying to do is to know whether this species has some sort of resistance to that fungus,” De La Torre said. “And they try to identify which natural populations have resistance to the disease so they can use them for forest restoration purposes.”

The U.S. Forest Service reported about 3% to 5% of white pines are resistant to the effects of white pine blister rust. However, the tree will not necessarily die right away. De La Torre said she found certain trees with natural resistance genes known as CR1 in their DNA can live with the fungus.

“There’s other genes of smaller effect that also provide some resistance in the long term,” De La Torre said. “We have identified a bunch of them that we’re trying to confirm whether they are really what we’re looking for.”

One of the main objectives of the research is to understand how climate is affecting the trees’ resistance. With warming climates, De La Torre said white pine blister rust fungus is spreading at a faster rate. In certain areas, this fungus can spread because of the warmer temperature, which not only affects this specific fungal species, but also the spread of other diseases and pests.

Researchers have found rotting trees killed in the U.S. by forest insects such as bark beetles and emerald ash borers releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere at the same rate as wildfires.

“So, by having trees grow bigger and healthier, that can actually positively address the carbon emission issues,” Han said. “Forestry is a good player in the idea of mitigating climate change issues. I won’t say that it will solve the climate change problem, but it will contribute to slowing it down.”

As healthy trees grow, they take in carbon from the air and store it in their wood, plant matter and soil. Trees play an important role in the global carbon cycle by soaking up carbon dioxide that would otherwise live in the atmosphere.

An MIT report found an older tree has the ability to absorb around 50 pounds of carbon dioxide in a year. However, the carbon dioxide that trees absorb is released back into the atmosphere if they are burned in a forest fire.

California’s record-breaking 2020 fire season experienced more than four million acres burned. According to a study published in Environmental Pollution, the fires released almost twice the tonnage of greenhouse gasses as the total amount of carbon dioxide reductions California made since 2003.

Researchers estimated the fires released 127 million metric tons of carbon dioxide into the air, reducing the 65 million metric tons of carbon reductions California made in the past.

More information about forestry’s projects can be found on the NAU Research website. De La Torre’s project can be followed through her labs’ Twitter and Instagram accounts, and ERI projects, including Han’s, can be found on the ERI website

Han-Sup Han, a biomass utilization professor at NAU, poses for a photo in his office at the Southwest Forest Science Complex. Han leads a project that involves a workforce out in the forest that thins out trees to prevent harm to the forest environment, April 12. Alesia Hurtado | The Lumberjack

NAU works to mitigate tuition increases

ABIGAIL CELAYA

NAU is working to decrease the cost of tuition and keep college as affordable as possible by collaborating with students to determine price increases on campus. The efforts are in accordance with Article 11 of the Arizona Constitution which states that tuition should be kept at a low cost so education is accessible to as many students as possible.

Data on tuition costs show a previous 2-1 ratio in favor of the state’s university funding versus what students paid to attend. In 2017, the ratio reversed and the state paid less than half of what students paid.

The university has put a cap on tuition increases. For the next six years, students will not see more than a 3% tuition increase.

Those who enrolled during the time of the tuition pledge program specifically will not see an increase. The program, which had its last run this academic year, guaranteed enrolled students would not see a tuition increase during their first four years as an undergraduate. If first-time students enroll at NAU for fall 2023, they will not receive the tuition lock.

In place of the pledge program, the Access2Excellence program will start in the fall and guarantee free college for any students who come from a household with a combined income of $65,000 or less a year.

Senior and Student Body President Brendan Trachsel advocates for students when NAU determines the rate of housing, dining, tuition and fees. Public universities communicate with the Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) to determine what students pay for the school year.

“I believe with my heart [NAU] is doing the best they can to reduce costs for students, but the fact of the matter is they are working within a greater system that just isn’t working for them,” Trachsel said. “So, until we see expanded significant state support, we aren’t going to see lower tuition for students.”

Tuition increases are primarily used to fund education and staffing.

“The increases that are being brought to students are simply paying for the bottom line,” Trachsel said. “We are not funding the wildest dreams of the university administration. We are paying for our education and the resources we get.”

Amanda Cornelius is associate vice president of enrollment management at NAU. She oversees the Office of Financial Aid, Enrollment Management Communications and the Jacks on Track Program

Cornelius said NAU uses a lot of money to invest in employment, with approximately 60% of its expenses going toward staff. In January, faculty and staff received a 4.5% salary increase, which cost $14.5 million in recurring expenditures.

NAU offers a number of scholarships and has low student loan debt averages. Cornelius said she has seen

WATER ACCESS continued from FRONT

“It’s important to have that understanding that a place your family has been for generations is a place you don’t want to leave,” Janss said. “It’s also important for us to get water access to those people too, because it’s a human right.”

Janss said DigDeep is looking to expand NWP to additional communities across the Navajo Nation.

Black Mesa is home to a diverse system of aquifers used by locals to meet their water needs. This includes most of the Navajo aquifer, which stores drinking water and is used by Diné and Hopi communities.

Historically, coal plants have taken advantage of this aquifer and others like it. Tó Nizhóní Ání, a nonprofit which translates to “sacred

the number of scholarships increase every year regardless of tuition increases. These scholarship opportunities come from new scholarship donors, along with new community organizations “In the 2021-22 academic year, we disbursed over $20 million in scholarships, up over $400,000 from the previous year,” Cornelius said. “This does not include tuition waivers.”

Ninety-five percent of first-year students at NAU receive financial aid, leaving 5% of students to pay for college on their own, according to an NAU paying-for-college flyer.

“Each institution has its own needs and goals, but I

“IT’S IMPORTANT TO HAVE THAT UNDERSTANDING THAT A PLACE YOUR FAMILY HAS BEEN FOR GENERATIONS IS A PLACE YOU DON’T WANT TO LEAVE,” JANSS SAID. “IT’S ALSO IMPORTANT FOR US TO GET WATER ACCESS TO THOSE PEOPLE TOO, BECAUSE IT’S A HUMAN RIGHT.”

– Katie Janss, program operations manager for Navajo Water Project

ILLUSTRATION BY CALLEIGH JUDAY

think NAU does a great job of keeping tuition as affordable as possible,” Cornelius said. “During the pandemic, tuition was not increased for three consecutive years. Any proposed increases are discussed and carefully weighed to best suit the needs of students, faculty and staff — the whole NAU community.”

Students can see what scholarships they are eligible for, how much federal aid they may receive and the number of federal loans they can take out by filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

ensure water sources on Black Mesa are protected from industrial contamination and misuse.

In the ‘70s, the coal mining company Peabody Energy began operating the Black Mesa and Kayenta Mines. Both mines used high quantities of leased water from the Navajo aquifer to transport coal to the Mohave Power Station in Laughlin, Nevada and the Navajo Generating Station in Page, Arizona.

On average, the Black Mesa Mine required 1.3 billion gallons of water annually to function. In 2005, the mine permanently closed along with the Mohave Power Station. The Navajo Generating Station and Kayenta Mine later closed in 2019.

The mining operation had a lasting impact on the Navajo aquifer. According to the National Resources Defense Council, declines in the aquifer’s structural stability and water quality were amplified by the corporation’s 50 years of water use.

ILLUSTRATIONBYCALLEIGHJUDAY

Nicole Horseherder, Diné, founder and executive director of Tó Nizhóní Ání, said this study sparked the nonprofit’s creation in 2000. Since then, Horseherder said she has worked to reclaim land ravaged by Peabody Energy operations.

“What that means for us is, in the lifetime of the coal mine, we had lost access to our drinking water,” Horseherder said. “It also brings up the issue that if we can’t do coal mining right in this country, we probably shouldn’t be doing it at all.”

Tó Nizhóní Ání advocates for the proper rehabilitation of water sources and former power plant sites that have been depleted by fossil fuels. This includes ensuring native plants used for medicinal and ceremonial purposes made obsolete by mining operations can flourish, an initiative Horseherder said she has yet to see from current reclamation efforts sponsored by mining corporations.

As a part of its Just and Equitable Transition campaign, Tó Nizhóní Ání is focused on combating the economic losses inflicted by mine closures for Indigenous employees and the entire Navajo Nation. These efforts consist of advocating for renewable energy and offering re-training and jobs for displaced mine workers.

In total, Horseherder said Tó Nizhóní Ání strives to help individuals on and off reservations to understand the importance of fighting for a healthier ecological future before it is too late.

“We know very deeply how we are connected to water, the relationships we have with water and the fact that no life could exist without it,” Horseherder said. “By acting out and speaking out, we’re living in accordance with the principles we were given to live with, and that is to protect the water sources for the next generation.”

Women are breaking the glass ceiling of politics

The world of politics is ever-changing.

One of the primary movements seen in the past years is the involvement of women in politics, which has had a large impact on the political world. Political involvement is not exclusive to females that hold a place in office; it has reached women of all demographics.

CAYLA VIENT

OPINION WRITER

Susan B. Anthony was a very influential person during the women’s suffrage movement and an advocate for women’s rights.

“In a true republic, men should have nothing more than their rights,” Anthony said. “And women? Nothing less.”

This was one of many speeches by Anthony, which helped pave the road to the 19th Amendment, giving women in the United States the right to vote.

According to a 2020 U.S. Census report, 68% of eligible women reported voting, compared to a 65% turnout for men. In the 2016 election, 63% of women and 59% of men reported voting.

One century ago, women were not allowed to vote, and the entire demographic was left out of political decision-making. I can’t help but wonder what women of the 1920s would think if they could see how far women have come. Once upon a time, the idea of women having a voice was just a dream, but due to perseverance and hard work, when women scream, they are heard.

The presence of women in leadership roles is a great asset because of their capability to provide different skills and imaginative perspectives. For example, a national survey by the Pew Research Center Social and Demographic Trends survey ranked 2,250 adult women better than or equal to men in seven of the eight primary leadership traits assessed throughout the survey.

UN Women Executive Director Phumzile MlamboNgcuka has been an advocate for diversity and inclusion, specifically when it comes to gender.

“No country prospers without the engagement of women,” Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka said. “We need women’s representation that reflects all women and girls in all their diversity and abilities and across all cultural, social, economic and political situations.”

Women are changing the face of politics in revolutionary ways. Since the beginning of U.S. politics, the presidential race has been a popularity contest between two white men.

Women in power are building a different world where everyone has a role and it is respected — they are fighting for equality, integrity and respect. This is because women have lived in deprivation of rights and dealt with the consequences. Women fight every day to ensure change and make sure deprivation of rights are no longer present in young girls’ lives, paving the way for the future female figures.

Shannon O’Connell, the director of programmes at Westminster Foundation for Democracy, has expressed concern on various occasions regarding the treatment of different genders in politics.

“Understanding the gendered nature of political leadership and decision-making is more important than ever as we collectively rebuild and hopefully move toward a more sustainable, resilient and inclusive future,” O’Connell said

In the past decade, women have rebuilt the political world to begin the construction of the future. In 2020, the U.S. elected the first female vice president, shattering the gender barrier in the White House.

Other actions taking place in Congress are the presence of Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, also known as “The Squad.” All four are democratic women of color looking to make systematic change.

Since taking office, Ocasio-Cortez has been busy creating major change, co-sponsoring the Green New Deal, advocating for the U.S. economy to combat climate change, Medicare for All and free public college.

Omar’s election made her the first Somali-American and the first naturalized citizen from Africa in Congress, bringing a more diverse background to encourage new ideas. Her victory spurred the House to end its 181-year ban on headwear, and Omar became the first woman to wear a hijab on the House floor.

In Congress, Pressley has been an advocate for survivors of sexual assault, arguing for better protections for victims and a staunch supporter of abortion rights. Pressley’s first amendment on the House floor called for lowering the voting age from 18 to 16, but it did not pass. Her ideas are centered around female reproductive rights and have created a new feminist perspective in politics.

Tlaib is the first Palestinian-American woman in Congress. She has proposed legislation to expand federal civil rights laws, marched against police brutality and decried the impact of corporate money on politics. She holds very strong ideas about the former president. Donald Trump, and after this led to controversy on Twitter after sharing her opinion, her popularity has risen.

Electric vehicles are reinventing the car industry

The car industry has changed in a big way over the past several decades. Companies across the world are promoting, advertising and conceptualizing never-before-seen designs. However, this is all changing with the demand for something new and more modern.

For example, BMW is an iconic German-based company that has made a fortune on a sleek design that hasn’t changed in a while. The same can be said for the now BMW-owned company, Mini. The company that is best known for its Cooper model and has had great success with a simplistic car design that was, for the most part, unchanged from its initial concept in the 1960s. In the past year, both have introduced slight changes to their designs as well as a completely new one for BMW.

Car companies are releasing prototypes, concept designs and plans to make designs that were long thought to have been impossible or looked like they were pulled straight from science fiction. What was once unattainable has now been achieved. One design that had car enthusiasts salivating was BMW’s IX Flow, which can change from an inky black to a cool, soft white with just a click of a button.

“The body is laminated with an electrophoretic film containing microcapsules the diameter of a human hair,” the BMW website reads

In basic terms, microcapsules are charged particles that can change from white and black when electricity is applied.

The design was a huge success when it was unveiled for the first time at the Las Vegas Consumer Electric Show (CES), an event that showcased tech in categories like automotive, artificial intelligence, audio engineering and cyber security.

BMW wasn’t the only car manufacturer to dazzle the attendees of CES with the immense advancement of its designs. Sony and Honda unveiled the Afeela electric car that brings together Sony’s technology and Honda’s vehicles. Not only did it introduce a car that utilizes Unreal Enginedesigned interfaces, but it introduced the first partnership for Sony and Honda. Unreal Engine is a 3D model software used by video game developers to manipulate visuals, sounds and physics. This unique partnership is the first of its kind since this software has never before been implemented in a vehicle. The Afeela uses technology from the Unreal Engine to detect objects 360 degrees around the car’s exterior and the driver’s condition while driving.

In the typical showroom of electric vehicles, trucks are usually missing. However, at this year’s CES, that was not the case. Ram was one of a few automotive companies that showcased an all electric-pickup truck with the Ram 1500 Revolution BEV, an all-electric pickup truck that provides a “Shadow Feature,” which follows the driver around if they are on foot.

These are just a few of the brand-new designs companies have brought about major changes in the car industry. However, these designs are strictly prototypes. It will most likely be a while until we see these vehicles on the road or available on the general market.

Despite this, the automotive industry has already gone through a slew of changes in new markets, which caused a

major growth period in the industry.

A few years ago, critics laughed at the idea of people driving around in fully electric cars. It didn’t seem possible for prototypes that relied entirely on a charging station to have long ranges when it was first introduced. While it still is not perfect, it now is able to provide a lot of benefits. These benefits can range from being emission-free, providing the convenience of charging at home and costing less to operate than non-electric vehicles.

In 2022, 5.6% of sales in the automotive industry were for electric vehicles, and that percentage steadily climbs each year.

All-electric and hybrid models doubled in sales from 2020-21, with all-electric vehicle sales increasing 85% in the year. The demand keeps going up, and it has reached the point where some companies have a two-year waitlist for people to get their hands on an electric vehicle.

The popularity of these vehicles is not dwindling, but growing. It’s no wonder companies are rushing to find new, exciting designs.

Electric vehicles have reshaped the auto industry, and while they may not be for everyone — nor are they perfect as of now — the change they brought has led to a more creative industry. More companies are desperate to compete, leading to a variety of designs, some that work and some that don’t.

The progress designers and engineers have made is opening doors to futuristic designs.

Ford is another company trying to find a way to capitalize on the popularity of electric vehicles by moving some of its designs into a more ultra-modern and ultraluxury look.

Last year, Ford hired a new chief design officer, Anthony Lo. The new addition is a former exterior designer at the French company Renault. Lo’s first concept as chief design officer came in the form of the Lincoln Model L100, a vehicle that looks futuristic with a sleek design. This is entirely new territory for Ford, which has a reputation for an array of pickup trucks.

The car industry is certainly moving into a new style, and almost all of its major growth can be attributed to electric vehicles. Popularity for these cars keeps on growing, and it forces the industry to grow and adapt. The design for vehicles has to grow if companies want to keep people interested.

Most of the people buying these cars are young people Many don’t want to be driving the same cars they sat in the backseats of as kids; they want something that resembles a part of themselves and a part of the time they are living in.

Station wagons became popular when the idea of the American dream was popular, and now, moving into a cleaner, more modern future is the trending concept. Our cars should reflect that. Car trends are a lot like fashion trends: the popularity of certain designs comes and goes, but some things always remain popular.

For a while, all-electric designs were foreign to us, but they have since grown to become the norm for the landscape of cars. The popularity of these cars keeps growing and will probably continue until something new and revolutionary comes along to shake things up again.

A full-body exterior view of the 2023 Toyota bZ4X electric vehicle. This electric vehicle is located inside the Findlay Toyota Flagstaff, April 12. Alesia Hurtado | The Lumberjack

NATALIE DAVIS

The front interior of the 2023 Toyota bZ4X electric vehicle. Newer car models offer touch screens car displays, April 12. Alesia Hurtado | The Lumberjack

Growing alongside your plant

MACIE GUTIERREZ

Ihave never been able to take care of a plant for longer than a couple of weeks. I have tried on multiple occasions and failed every time. I do not even like plant-sitting.

Every time I am asked to water a neighbor’s plants for a couple of days, I panic. I know something my neighbors do not know — if they leave their plants with me, they will die.

I wish I had a green thumb. I wish more than anything I could look at a plant and have it blossom before my eyes. The older I get, the closer I come to the realization: I am not meant for the plant mom lifestyle. I even have the skill it takes to kill a succulent.

While there are some defining qualities that make a person a good plant parent, plant owners do not necessarily have to be good at taking care of themselves to take care of another living thing.

Accomplished plant owners may have differing opinions about this. Some people have their entire lives figured out, including their relationships, social lives and mental health. On the other hand, there are some people that put all of their energy into their plants without leaving any for themselves.

Sometimes, having something to put energy into can be incredibly beneficial to a

person’s growth and mental health. Plants can be an excellent outlet for this purpose.

Even if the ability to take good care of yourself has a correlation to taking better care of a plant, having plants around can be incredibly beneficial.

Taking care of plants can help reduce stress and anxiety while increasing productivity. Watching something flourish and grow can inspire you to look inward and do the same for yourself.

I often like to say I am just a more complicated version of a plant. Give me some fresh air and sunlight, and I am good to go. Like plants, humans need sunlight to thrive and blossom.

There are numerous benefits of exposure to sunlight such as improvements in sleep, mood and energy. The most noticeable benefit of spending time in the sun is the proven boost in serotonin — the chemical in the brain that controls mood. The more serotonin, the happier you feel; the less serotonin, the more anxious and tired you feel. When individuals spend time in the sun, their body receives a signal to release serotonin, making them feel cheerful and more productive.

When it is time to wind down for the night, there is melatonin. Melatonin is the hormone your brain releases when it is dark or cloudy outside. Melatonin helps the body sleep and feel ready to wind down. Many people take melatonin supplements to help them sleep at night. Melatonin is great, except when your body releases too much of it; such as when you are surviving through a week-long snowstorm and have not seen the sun in days.

People feel their best when they have a balance of both chemicals. I can tell these chemicals are working when I spend the majority of my day outside either hiking, walking or when I wind down as the sun is going down.

Just like plants need a little extra love and attention sometimes, so do people.

Seasonal depression occurs in individuals during times of the year when there is overall less sunlight. The symptoms of seasonal depression include sadness, fatigue and social removal. The medical terminology for seasonal depression is Seasonal Affective Disorder — or SAD — which causes sadness and melancholy feelings, usually in the fall and winter.

For some, seasonal depression can be treated properly with light therapy. Light therapy can treat SAD by replicating the effects sunlight has on the body. Light triggers the body’s response to produce serotonin.

Like plants, without sunlight, we are unable to stay happy and stay healthy. If you and your plants are having a rough day, it could be because you both need to spend some time outside. If humans and plants are similar in some ways, it seems as though it should be easier for me to take care of them.

I know I am good at taking care of myself. I have a loose routine I follow that keeps me active, and I make sure to spend time outside every day to get my dosage of sunlight. So, I can’t understand why I can take care of myself, but not a plant.

It could be because people like me are too focused on keeping themselves in check to spare focus on something else, and that is not a bad thing.

Making personal growth your number one priority is essential. If you feel like you barely have enough time to take care of yourself, I suggest waiting to adopt a plant until you have time for both of you. That may seem obvious, but for some, it is hard to acknowledge they need work, love and attention, just like a plant does.

People who are able to prioritize and acknowledge that they can put themselves first are better able to support their own mental health and growth. If someone only has time for themselves and not a long-lasting relationship with a plant, that is fine. People shouldn’t feel shame from plant owners for not having a green thumb.

Wanting to have plants around is understandable, but some plants are harder to take care of than others. Some of the best plants to start off with are cactus, monstera and ponytail palm. Each of these plants are low maintenance and still offer the benefits of having greenery around.

Being around plants can work as a simple reminder that plants and people are not so unlike. Plants show that self care can be as simple as spending time in the sun and allowing yourself time to grow.

So, a person’s ability to take care of a plant is not a direct reflection of their ability to take care of themselves.

Some people can take care of themselves and their plants, and others choose to take care of themselves and admire the plants of others from a safe distance. Both of these options come with no shame. As long as you give yourself the tools you need to grow, you shouldn’t worry about growing something else, unless you want to.

Diversify your life and avoid role engulfment

JAMES HAFNER

Everyone deserves to live a positive, fulfilling life. Not everyone will agree on what the best way to live is. Role engulfment, or going all-in on one role in your life, is limiting your chance of living your best life. Profession, athletics, parenthood, religion and literature each grant meaningful aspects to an individual’s life, but problems can arise when someone restricts their entire self-image within one of these categories.

Labeling theory is a prominent theory in criminology that first created the idea of role engulfment — where a person’s identity is created from a role. Initially, this was theorized with negative roles, like deviant or felon. Future orientation is the ability to understand your future isn’t predetermined and you have the power to control your future. Labeling theory found that people who become engulfed in their roles enter a fixed mindset suited to their role and have a harder time using future orientation. This means someone who was labeled as a criminal would have difficulty imagining a future as any other role, unknowingly leading the individual to make decisions that coincide with their label. Whether the role is athlete or mother; research on role engulfment has proven multiple times people consumed in one role, suffer in other relationships.

NFL players are an excellent example of role engulfment at work, because it can be so easy for them to be consumed in athletics. Many of these athletes spend their entire lives training to join the NFL, but retire as early as 24 years old. What happens to the athletes who have already achieved their lifelong goal and retired at a young age with a majority of their life ahead of them?

Many NFL players become consumed in their role as an athlete and could suffer an identity crisis after being ejected from a role they were thoroughly consumed in. These athletes struggle to find direction when they retire. Imagine working your entire life to accomplish your dream job, but after only three years, you retire. This is what many NFL players experience. It is easy to tell how big of an issue retiring from the NFL is when there are companies like The Trust, which is dedicated to helping these retired players find opportunities to explore more aspects of life like careers, education and entrepreneurship.

While role engulfment isn’t exclusive to athletes, most of the research available focuses on athletes or coaches. People can become engulfed in any high-performance role. Athletic role engulfment is so well-researched because it is the easiest to notice.

Self-determination and dignity of risk play an important part in how role engulfment manifests. Both reflect the choices a person makes. Self-determination is the personal factor of making decisions and goals, and ultimately working toward them. Dignity of risk, on the other hand, is making decisions that have the potential for negative outcomes, like getting physically hurt, getting lost and ending a romantic relationship.

Ultimately, having a choice can make a big difference in a person’s mental state. When the choice is removed from an individual they are less satisfied with whatever the outcome may be. Some people endured role engulfment during their college years and enjoyed it; the difference here is the choice to willingly become consumed for a set time.

Despite the people who experience role engulfment and enjoy it, taking on multiple roles has more benefits. Physical and mental health is improved when involved in multiple roles. Additionally, role multiplexity creates a strong and well-supported career. Specialization is great, but when it comes to people and their happiness, it seems they are at their best when they aren’t hyper focused on one aspect of their life.

This principle doesn’t only apply to the role that a person takes, but also to the interests

they have. Diversifying your interests is a great way to broaden your horizons

People who have many interests and creative pursuits are called multipotentialites

This concept is best visualized as the opposite of a specialist. There are three key advantages of being a multipotentialite: idea synthesis, rapid learning and adaptability. Pursuing multiple interests essentially trains your mind to do these three things better than others. Understanding many topics allows you to pull knowledge from a wide variety of concepts, which can help significantly with the brainstorm step of problem solving

Everyone should strive to pursue multiple interests, whether it’s a side hustle or a hobby, there are many benefits to having multiple sources of satisfaction in life.

A classmate of mine built their life around their role as an athlete, but a crossroad in life suddenly forced them out of the dream they spent 18 years working toward. The uncertainty about what to do next was the most notable trait I saw firsthand. I grew up with a constant variety of interests, so role engulfment felt foreign to me. If I ever found myself unable to pursue one of my interests, I know I could move on and focus on other things that bring me joy. After all, the world we live in is so vast. It would be a waste to limit yourself.

A bamboo plant is held towards the sky as the sun peeks through its leaves outside of McKay Village, April 14. Victoria Medina | The Lumberjack

POINT

End the urbanization of Arizona

In 2021, Phoenix became the fifth largest city by population in the United States, trailing behind New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Houston. Another title that came alongside the city’s growing urbanization was “the least sustainable city in the world,” a name branded by Andrew Ross, a sociologist at New York University. The growing urbanization of the state will only create an unhealthy and unsustainable environment.

Urbanization is the process of people moving from rural settings to urban centers. It is almost always the result of growing populations, migrations or industrialization. This phenomenon is rapidly occurring in Arizona.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, from April 2010 to April 2020, the population in Phoenix grew by more than 160,000 people. Arizona’s overall population is growing at a rate of 1.28% per year. It is projected by the Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity that if this rate is sustained, the state’s population will surpass eight million people by 2026.

New cities will need to be built to accommodate the growing population, and more people will move to Arizona because of its growing economy, creating a never-ending cycle, meeting the same fate as a state like California, the most urbanized city in the country.

One of the biggest problems that arises from the rapid urbanization of suburban areas is the lack of resources, specifically water. In terms of precipitation, Arizona receives 13 inches of rain water per year, and Phoenix receives less than 8 inches in an average year.

Due to the scarcity of this resource, central and southern Arizona receive most of its water supply from the Colorado River — a river that, according to The Washington Post, is drying up due to a combination of chronic overuse of water resources and a historic drought. Climate researchers have been analyzing the long-term effects that result from this reckless water usage, one of whom is Jonathan Overpeck, the Samuel A. Graham dean of the School for Environment and Sustainability at the University of Michigan.

“There are plans for substantial further growth and there just isn’t the water to support that … the

Phoenix metro area is on the cusp of being dangerously overextended,” Overpeck told The Guardian. “It’s the urban bullseye for global warming in North America.”

The growth of urbanization creates issues because it causes a lack of access to safe water and sanitation, and increases water-related disasters, such as droughts and floods. Phoenix still refuses to place stricter water restrictions or develop a drought contingency plan.

Arizona is experiencing a declining water supply, but rich capitalists are still in the process of expanding their construction sites. Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, has invested $80 million into his “smart city,” a plan to build 80,000 new homes on undeveloped land west of Phoenix and a new freeway connecting to Las Vegas. Gates isn’t the only person or company with plans to further urbanize Arizona.

“Another firm wants to build a ‘master-planned community,’ like Anthem, south of Tucson and modeled after the hilltop towns of Tuscany,” according to an article from The Guardian. “It envisages five golf courses, a vineyard, parks, lakes and 28,000 homes.”

As Arizona becomes filled with urban areas rather than suburban areas, water is not the only resource affected. In its 2022 State of the Air report, the American Lung Association ranked Maricopa County the seventh most polluted county in the country.

Environment America, a research and policy group that uses data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, found the Phoenix metro area experienced 149 days of elevated air pollution in 2020. Arizona’s air quality is steadily declining, and the further expansion of the metropolitan area is only worsening it.

Residents of sprawling cities, a term given to describe growing cities that cover a large area, usually generate more carbon emissions. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas and one of the major contributors to climate change and air pollution. Carbon dioxide is often found in developing and growing cities because of the increased need to drive.

It’s the theory of induced demand — building more roads and adding more lanes gives the appearance of speeding up traffic, but by encouraging sprawl, stores, houses and jobs are spread out and provide more reasons to drive to more places and expand many people’s commutes.

With the construction of new freeways, the ‘urban heat island effect’ is produced, meaning cities become hotter than the countryside due to human-made structures and activities. In 2017, 50 flights were grounded at the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport because the heat — which hit 116 degrees Fahrenheit — made the air too thin to take off safely. This “heat island” effect also keeps temperatures in Phoenix above 98 degrees Fahrenheit at night during the summer, primarily July.

Another factor that isn’t often considered by the companies and firms that support urban sprawl is how it affects low-income families. When a city or area becomes metropolitan, rent prices soar. Phoenix led the U.S. in the highest rent increases in 2022 with a 30% jump, and rent prices could climb another 20% this year. Phoenix is in a housing crisis and needs 270,000 additional homes in order to combat it, according to the state Housing Department

Even with the construction of these new homes underway, low-income families are at a disadvantage because of the number of affordable housing options bought up by large corporate investors who raise rent prices and refuse to take housing vouchers.

For every 100 families in Arizona with incomes below the poverty line, there are only 26 affordable and available rentals. While no state has been able to fully combat this crisis, Arizona’s statistics are concerning when compared to the national rate of 37 homes available for every 100 lowincome renters.

The rapid urbanization of Arizona is primarily beneficial to big corporations who only care about increasing their revenue, often at the expense of the environment or low-income communities. As the Phoenix metropolitan area expands, so does every negative effect that comes with urbanization. As more freeways are constructed, there will be an increase in the state’s air pollution. As more homes are built, there will be more corporate investors to raise rent prices. It becomes a never-ending cycle where residents of the Phoenix area have to deal with a decrease in the quality of the air they breathe while also figuring out how they’re going to afford this month’s rent. The urbanization of Arizona needs to slow down before it inevitably run out of resources.

GLORIA DIAZ

ILLUSTRATION BY ALEXIS BEAMAN

Localized urbanization will save Arizona

EMILY REHLING

The plight of commuting in Phoenix is well known by the city’s residents. Much of the time spent by Phoenicians consists of driving across the city, which can take over an hour when going from end to end. This trek is unsustainable for the city’s growth.

At this point, growth is inevitable. Arizona’s growing population is no exception, boasting some of the highest annual growth rates of the past few years. However, a disturbing and noticeable trend has taken its toll on the state, manifesting itself in suburbanization — or the expansion of metropolitan settlements.

Much of Phoenix’s suburban area is spread throughout the different cities in the Phoenix metropolitan area, which consists of 27 different municipalities. These suburbs stir up a familiar idea — “Little Boxes,” the 1962 song by Malvina Reynolds, which captures the sentiment perfectly; no community is formed by proximity to neighbors alone.

“Little boxes on the hillside, and they all look just the same,” Reynolds sang.

Downtown Phoenix, described by The Arizona Republic as “hiding in all that sprawl,” is the only place in the metropolitan area that has any sense of identity.

Community is best in close quarters, where small businesses are within walking distance of homes and life takes place at every corner. Phoenix’s layout is not made to support these activities; in suburban neighborhoods, life is hidden in “little boxes.” Its beauty is limited to tan and white subdivisions. Humanity’s gifts fall short when they are witnessed through a window.

The revitalization of Phoenix’s “urban core,” as the nonprofit group This Could Be PHX puts it, is what could bring Arizona to its full potential. The goal is not economic vitality — though it could be a side effect — but ultimately, a strengthened community.

Arizonan culture does not consist of strip malls and freeways, as much as the city’s layout might imply. The best of Arizona is only seen in the central, urban areas of its cities, from those of Phoenix, Flagstaff and Sedona.

These communities are alive. Each has its own identity; spiritualism thrives in Sedona, while Phoenix is fast-paced and modern. However, if Arizona’s main priority of expansion focuses on dull suburban areas, any livelihood in the desert will die.

One of the primary concerns that lead to Arizona’s urban sprawl is heat. The idea of traveling in an air-conditioned car is much more appealing than walking far distances in high heat. But this train of thought is paradoxical; carbon emissions raise a place’s temperature. Highway vehicles produce about 1.4 billion tons of greenhouse gases, which contribute to increased temperatures in cities. Avoiding heat by creating more emissions is a

failed attempt at finding a solution to high-temperature living.

Walkable communities, on the other hand, offer both livelihood and climate-safe transportation.

With a population of 1.625 million people — about 80% of whom reside in the Greater Phoenix area — this highway-reliant state cannot stay as it is much longer.

Arizona is a unique state. When a place is consistently hitting temperatures over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, the conditions required to live will be different than in other places. Walkability is a concern in a hot city like Phoenix, but rest assured, it’s attainable.

Phoenix’s heat is more demanding of its people than most walkable cities, like Manhattan or London. However, the state is left with few alternate choices if economic fruition is expected to continue while creating equitable solutions to the climate crisis.

It is too late to reverse city growth. Urban communities cannot be torn down when people have built lives there for generations. Of course, this growth has led to negative impacts on temperatures in urban areas. These phenomena are known as heat islands. But even though damage has already been done, efforts to combat it can be made; cool roofs, increased shade and Phoenix does not have to be reliant on cars.

While high heat makes walkability difficult, time in this desert is better spent with neighbors and friends on a warm evening than in a car.

Walkable communities maintain stronger bonds. Right now, it could be argued Arizona’s strongest bonds lie in camaraderie for sports teams. Though this is not completely negative, it is unsustainable and provides few benefits to the communities themselves, favoring wealthy team owners and imported athletes over home cities themselves. The central locations for Arizona’s basketball, baseball and football teams are in downtown Phoenix and Glendale, far from where many Phoenicians reside. In walkable urban communities, relationships could be formed by neighborliness and human kindness, rather than shared joy for a sports team.

Arizona’s beauty is significant. It must be left untainted; therefore, urban growth needs to be localized. Small urban areas are the key to preserving it, as opposed to massive, disjointed ones.

Strong communities are essential to a city’s success and longevity. In a state like Arizona, with so many challenges, the only way is up, not out.

It’s difficult to maintain livelihood in a desert state. Now that life is growing in Arizona, it’s essential to keep the communities which have been built here livable. Otherwise, the state is better off without us.

SENIOR GOODBYES

ILLUSTRATION BY ALEXIS BEAMAN

Taylor

Schwartz-Olson

Ihave wanted to be a journalist ever since I was a freshman in high school.

When I first started at NAU, I was more interested in photojournalism than traditional journalism. During the second semester of my freshman year, I started taking photos for The Lumberjack. That was cut short by the start of the pandemic, however. After that, with sophomore year being fully online, I took a break from the paper. My junior year, I decided to try writing, but I felt a little intimidated, so I decided to start in the culture section. I enjoyed covering events for the culture section, and it helped me learn the basics. After that, I moved on to news, where I first worked as a writer and then news editor.

During my time at The Lumberjack, I not only gained experience as a writer and editor, but I learned a lot about my strengths and weaknesses and got a chance to work with a special group of talented people — including writers, editors and photographers — who taught me a lot. I know everyone I worked with is going to go far and exceed in whatever comes next. I’m excited to see what everyone else will do after graduation and what career or life path they will go down.

Working for The Lumberjack was my first real chance to fulfill my dream of becoming a journalist that I have had for almost eight years now. It wasn’t just a job, though. Out of all the students at NAU, the paper is a small group of people that share my passion for journalism, which made it special. My only regret is that I didn’t join sooner and get to spend more time with the paper. I wish I would have gone for it rather than feeling worried that I wouldn’t do well enough. Wherever I end up after graduation, I will always look back at The Lumberjack as my first journalism “job” and use everything I was taught.

ILLUSTRATION BY ALEXIS BEAMAN

Halli Smith

Fifty one years ago, Jim Croce released his third studio album, “You Don’t Mess Around with Jim,” aptly named after one of the three featured singles. The eighth track on the album, “Time in a Bottle,” features the lyrics, “...there never seems to be enough time to do the things you want to do once you find them.” As I approach my college graduation, Croce’s words couldn’t ring more true.

When I got accepted to NAU in 2019, I was beside myself with excitement. I wanted to learn everything about anything. I originally wanted to study journalism, but changed my major to communication. I was apprehensive at first, but my introductory communication classes lit a fire within my chest cavity. I felt an immovable passion when I sat in a lecture hall, surrounded by people who studied the same things I did. I declared a minor in creative media and film. I was studying things that lifted my soul. Then, in March 2020, NAU students got an email that changed college life.

The beginning of the pandemic marked the end of my freshman year, cutting it two months short as everyone traveled home to mitigate the effects of COVID-19.

I was a college freshman who had just gained a sense of independence and I was suddenly ripped from my environment of learning and opportunity. The pandemic was a major setback for most college students I know. The transition to online learning was difficult, and for a little over a year, I was discouraged. I didn’t know when, if ever, I would be back to the tiny mountain town that encompassed everything I was passionate about.

My sophomore year was stagnant and characterized by dialog boxes and Zoom links. The only reprieve I found from the mundanity was in a daily Einstein’s bagel.

Then, during my junior year of college, as the world began to open up, I found KJACK Radio. Up until that point, I wasn’t even aware NAU had a college radio station. I joined the promotions department, and I felt the kindlings in my chest ignite again. I learned how to broadcast music live on air. I made connections with people who cared about music in the same way I did. Growing up as a military kid, my environment regularly changed. I never stayed in one place for too long. Music, however, was a constant. My mom taught me to love music with everything in me.

As a kid, I remember sitting in the back of my mom’s car, watching the world whip past me through the window while she sang along to her favorite artists, who inevitably became mine. I was raised on the musical stylings of Jimmy Eat World, The Smashing Pumpkins, Fiona Apple, Fleetwood Mac, Alanis Morisette, Led Zeppelin and Jim Croce. These were the musicians that provided the soundtrack to my childhood. They gave all my emotions a name and melody.

When I joined KJACK Radio, those emotions flew free, and the sense of community and belonging I felt during my freshman year returned. My passion for music resurfaced in a big way. I had a voice again.

I followed that voice to The Lumberjack. I started out writing culture pieces last semester and enjoyed it so much that I decided to try my hand at being an editor. My position as an assistant opinion editor this semester has taught me so much. I am forever grateful to The Lumberjack for giving me the opportunity to learn and grow, both as a writer and a student.

As I prepare to leave NAU, I am overwhelmed with gratitude. I’m leaving KJACK Radio as a promotions manager and The Lumberjack as an assistant editor, and I am forever indebted to the people I’ve met along the way who helped me gain my footing. These past two years of my college experience have impacted me in an immeasurable way. There never seems to be enough time to do the things you want once you find them, so I’m off to find more things. I don’t know where I’ll end up next, but I know that wherever I go, I’ll be prepared.

Megan Ford-Fyffe

Ijoined The Lumberjack as a freshman during my first week at NAU when I walked into the Media Innovation Center Open House on a whim. I told them I was interested in photography and they sent me over to talk to then-Assistant Director of Photography Bess Baldez to sign up for the class on the spot. Here I am today as director of photography, about to graduate college with a photography degree and a minor in creative media and film.

I believe my time at The Lumberjack has been the most rewarding experience I have had in my college career. I learned an extravagant amount about photography through hands-on experience covering stories as a photojournalist each week. I also learned a great amount from my peers on the photo staff who all had different interests and backgrounds in photography. Little tips I picked up over the years, such as don’t ever manipulate a photo, get different angles, get a variety of shots, know your camera gear and watch your corners, have made me a significantly better photographer. It may sound crazy to nonphotographers, but I also analyze light everywhere I go and recognize how it can change the meaning of a photo. Skills like this have taken years of practice I will always be grateful for.

The experience I gained as a leader here has also been extremely beneficial. I needed to problem-solve, communicate with multiple teams, distribute tasks and teach lessons weekly. I have learned through this experience that I thoroughly enjoy working with a team rather than alone, which is helpful when choosing a career path. I have also learned how satisfying it feels to teach others and see the information impact them.

My love for documenting authentic moments out in the real world rather than photographing posed people in a studio was ignited by my experience at the paper. Using my camera to tell stories became my favorite way to experience life. It makes me notice more details about a scene and appreciate humanity more than ever. I would much rather attend an event with my camera and a press pass than as a guest in a crowd.

Thanks to my involvement in The Lumberjack, I plan to continue documenting life for my future career as a photojournalist or travel photographer, as I meet new people and find new stories to tell. My experience here has helped me create a diverse portfolio of work and has ingrained photojournalism ethics into my brain. I am indebted to the connections I made and the skills I obtained working as a photojournalist for my school newspaper.

ILLUSTRATION BY CALLEIGH JUDAY

Lydia Nelson

From high school yearbook kid to college newspaper kid, I didn’t take the path to get where I am today quite like I expected.

My yearbook kid roots catapulted me to the trajectory I am currently on. I fell in love with Adobe InDesign from day one and knew I wanted to continue that path. I remember touring NAU, passing by the School of Communication and hearing them mention The Lumberjack The yearbook kid in me got excited – page layout, photography and storytelling is everything I dreamed about.

When I got to NAU, I almost immediately changed my major from journalism to strategic communication; then the pandemic hit and classes were moved online. My excitement for joining the newspaper quickly faded.

It took until my junior year when classes returned to in-person for me to pique an interest in joining The Lumberjack. In spring 2022, they were looking for a director of marketing and I was looking for more social media experience. I applied and got the position; little did I know I got so much more. I gained experience that I would never get in other classes, but I also gained friends and community.

I was a junior at this point and had never stepped foot into the Media Innovation Center (MIC). After joining The Lumberjack, I soon became a MIC regular. It is the place I go between classes, where I hide inside from the snow and my favorite place to see a friendly face on campus. The MIC is full of passionate and motivated individuals who I look up to every day. Without them, I would not have been able to get where I am today. Surrounding myself with those who inspire me has pushed me further and allowed me to see more potential in myself.

Working together we were able to make a lasting impression on the newspaper and make impacts on both the NAU and Flagstaff communities. Getting the newspaper printed was something that seemed impossible when we first started.

When I got the position at The Lumberjack — like all my major life updates — I immediately told my grandma. She told me “Wow, next thing we know you’ll be the president of the university.”

Now, I hate to break it to you, but this is not my presidential announcement. While I initially laughed off my grandma’s text, she was right. I may not be the president of the university but I got further than I ever thought I could.

ILLUSTRATION BY ALEXIS BEAMAN

When I first came to Flagstaff in 2019, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. With my exploratory major, I was weaving in and out of courses I thought I would enjoy. When I finally landed on journalism and political science, COVID-19 had forced my college experience to take an unexpected turn as I completed an entire school year remotely.

Coming back in August 2021, everything felt so foreign to me. I was a different person from the one who left NAU in May 2020. As I was navigating feeling unfamiliar in a place that was once familiar, I decided to take the process slowly and simply focus on my classes.

It wasn’t until I was walking the halls of the School of Communication when my eyes caught a flyer of a writing course being offered in England in summer 2022. Little did I know this would be the start of my journey with The Lumberjack

Learning the ins and outs of working for a publication with other journalism students (who I knew almost nothing about) in a country I had never been to (because I had never left the continent) was an experience in itself. But, for some reason, it felt fitting to how I go about things in my own life — on a whim and unaware of what the opportunity would entail.

The following semester I returned to The Lumberjack as a features writer before I started my final position at the paper, assistant culture editor. Both of these roles, for me, were learning experiences filled with trials and tribulations as I was trying to figure out who I wanted to be, especially as a journalist. Even now, I’m still not sure who that person is.

Here I am — four years later — and I still don’t know what I’m doing. But at least my time at The Lumberjack brought me memories I can always look back on. From being able to travel to a foreign country to learning to work with a team of talented students, these opportunities wouldn’t have been possible without The Lumberjack. I might not know where I’ll be another four years from now but I’m ready to end this chapter of my life and find out.

Amirah Rogers

As my quick four years at NAU come to a close, I am reflecting on my time in college. Starting in 2019, I see how much I have changed and grown. As my freshman year was before COVID-19, life was much different. I spent lots of time on campus and was involved in various activities. When the pandemic hit, my time on campus was decreasing immensely due to having online classes and lack of event attendance.

When in person classes started back up again for my junior year, feelings of disconnection were settling in for me. I was beginning to feel as though I had lost a connection to NAU.

In one of my junior year strategic communication courses, it was brought to my class’s attention that The Lumberjack was hiring a director of social media. At first I was intimidated by the opportunity and convinced myself I should not apply. After some thought, I realized I really wanted to be a part of something on campus and more specifically, something communications related.

Applying to work for The Lumberjack has changed my NAU experience for the better. I was able to meet new people, become more involved in local events and gain experience that will help me after I graduate.

I am certainly not a journalist, so I was excited that I could contribute to the paper without having to write stories. I have learned so much about NAU and Flagstaff from working at The Lumberjack This experience allowed me to feel more comfortable on campus and in the School of Communication.

I switched my major to strategic communications during the time of online school so I came back to campus feeling new again. The feelings of unfamiliarity were definitely heightened. Starting my journey at the paper was scary, but I have to thank everyone on the staff for making me feel welcomed and included.

My favorite thing about The Lumberjack is that there is a place for just about everyone. I like that there are numerous ways people can showcase their skills and practice their hobbies. This aspect of the paper is what makes it so enjoyable. It was inspiring to see people be so talented at what they do. I have caught myself picking up on things I would have never thought about or noticed before — simply because I am soaking up details from all of these talented people.

I am very appreciative that I was able to work at The Lumberjack for a full year. I am still in shock that this point in my life is quickly approaching, but I am eternally grateful for my time at The Lumberjack and NAU.

My letter from the editor last semester started with me explaining how shocked I was at how hard my senior year was going. At this point, I’m shocked at how easy my senior year is going. What a difference a few months makes!

As I came into the role as editor-inchief (EIC) at The Lumberjack, I thought I wouldn’t have enough time to dedicate to the role. Little did I know the second semester of my senior year would be the absolute easiest.

I specifically remember walking back into the Media Innovation Center (MIC) after summer break in 2022 and I felt something resembling a weight on my shoulders disappear the minute I entered the room. I felt happy and excited. I was going back to doing what I love with my friends right next to me.

For the first time in college, I don’t have back-to-back meetings, I go home during daylight hours, I have time to make lunch and dinner each and every day and on top of all that I dedicate time to myself. Now that is a magical feeling. I have been able to enjoy my remaining time at NAU and The Lumberjack As most people know, I’m very nostalgic. I have so much fun exploring The Lumberjack archive room and printing behind-the-scenes photos of The Lumberjack staff to make a photo gallery wall. I like looking back on who was on staff two years ago and the silly little memories we have while working overtime on the weekends.

The Lumberjack has given me so much and I am eternally grateful. I have met friends I will know for the rest of my life. The MIC has allowed me to network with professors who provide me with guidance and advice that have allowed me to jump outside my comfort zone.

Without this newspaper, I wouldn’t have been able to study abroad in England where I conducted interviews and wrote multiple journalistic pieces in a foreign country. That trip is something I wouldn’t give up for the world.

The domino effect of how life plays out is one of the most fascinating aspects of life to me. During freshman year, the second person I ever met at NAU was Camille Sipple. It was a pure coincidence too. A friend I met only a few hours before and I walked into a random lounge in the Honors College looking for friends and Camille was sitting there reading a book. We asked if she wanted to join us and the rest is history.

A few weeks later, we attended the MIC Open House together and talked to a few faculty members about joining the MIC organizations. I didn’t have the time in my schedule at that point to join another group but the thought never left my mind.

Camille and I became good friends throughout that first year with weekly family dinner nights and attending Prochnow movie nights hosted by SUN Entertainment together, but during lockdown we grew apart.

When I joined the paper in-person during the fall semester of 2021, we quickly caught up and have been inseparable ever since. We have traveled all around Arizona together and went on the England study abroad trip together. We like each other so much we even decided to spend an extra week after our trip finished and explored Scotland too.

Last semester Camille became EIC for The Lumberjack, a position I now have the privilege of possessing. On April 10, Camille attended my Gold Axe Award Ceremony as one of my closest friends and I think that is a pretty cool change from us being two lonely and lost freshmen in the Honors College.

If you told those two young girls who were basically strangers, they would both become EIC of the newspaper and best friends in just three years, I’m not sure they would have believed you.

I have a million more little stories like that to tell about the friends and found family I have acquired while being at the paper, but it is time for me to move on and find a new place I can call home.

Hannah Elsmore

To be frank with you, if you told Hannah two years ago that I was graduating college with a degree in journalism — she would absolutely not believe you.

When I was in high school, I thought I had it all figured out. I held high standards for myself, and I thought school was everything. I remember feeling embarrassed for committing to a small state school in Arizona, rather than some big Ivy League university.

However, looking back on my college experience now, there isn’t a single thing I would change. Flagstaff has quickly become the place I call home — and it is just as quickly becoming a place I will no longer call home.

Every choice I made in the past four years has culminated to form this moment in time. Every small decision I have surpassed has affected my current version of myself. One huge decision I made two years ago was to join The Lumberjack

Reflecting on this choice, I realized how easily I could have completely missed this amazing opportunity. If I hadn’t thought to give a new major a try, if I hadn’t answered one simple email, who would I be today?

The friendships I have formed through the newspaper have altered my life forever. I am so grateful for the compassion my peers have treated me with. When I arrived at the Media Innovation Center (MIC) for the first time, I was scared of how everyone would treat me — a junior who just changed her major and had no clue what she was doing. However, when I struggled, I was met with kindness and support from my peers. I am so grateful for this.

When I first entered the MIC, I was like a small flower that needed water and sunlight to grow. My Lumberjack peers, my coworkers and now my friends, they saw me for what I could become, not just who I was when I first joined.

I feel nurtured by my experience with the newspaper, I was allowed to make mistakes and learn from them. I was held to high standards, and I am so thankful that my peers saw my potential when I couldn’t see it myself.

Now, two years later, I am confident when I say I have blossomed into a version of myself I didn’t know could exist. As I have grown, I carry pieces of every person that has helped me reach this point. I am thankful for every learning curve, every mistake and every moment I have spent working for The Lumberjack I am unsure where the future will take me, but I am going into it with a level of confidence I have never had before. I am not religious, but I do feel something special guided me to The Lumberjack just when I needed it. It is so bittersweet, but I am ready to turn the next page in my life.

Emily Gerdes

Marian Hernandez

ILLUSTRATION BY ALEXIS BEAMAN

ILLUSTRATION BY CALLEIGH JUDAY

ILLUSTRATION BY ALEXIS BEAMAN

ILLUSTRATION BY ALEXIS BEAMAN

Photography and Multimedia Only on JackCentral.org

Celebrating literature at the Northern Arizona Book Festival

Multimedia by Jonah Graham

The Lumberjack Q&A with NAU President José Luis Cruz Rivera

HAPA Hawaiian Club hosts 17th annual lū’au

WildArt by John Chaides

Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra’s Haydn and Beethoven: Victory in Times of Struggle

WildArt by Victoria Medina

First Friday ArtWalk

WildArt by John Chaides

FASA LuzViMinda Culture Night

WildArt by Caitlyn Anderson and John Chaides

Photography by Gwen Costello

Photography by Megan Ford-Fyffe

Multimedia by William Combs III

Flagstaff Flowers

Top left: Blue grape hyacinths stand clustered together outside the University Union Fieldhouse, April 15. Top right: Yellow daffodils begin to bloom through the grass in front of the NAU sign in front of Applied Research and Development, April 14. Middle left: White daffodils and blue grape hyacinths grow together in the sunshine outside Cline Library, April 15. Middle right: Yellow daffodils push their way through the dry soil in front of the University Union, April 14. Bottom left: A sprig of fully bloomed blue grape hyacinth sprouts through the dry weeds outside the University Union Fieldhouse, April 15. Bottom right: Pink tulips stand together and blossom in the sunlight outside the University Union Fieldhouse, April 15. Caitlyn Anderson | The Lumberjack

Photos by Caitlyn Anderson

Awareness to action

NAU addresses mental health through programs and resources

OLIVIA LOPEZ

With growing recognition of the importance of addressing mental health, NAU has developed over 15 programs to support students. While some fell through or were unsuccessful, the majority flourished to service the student population. Some of the most frequently-used programs include the Mental Health Support Squad (MHSS), Peer Jacks Mentoring and the Resilience Project

Carlos Calderón is a tenured associate psychology professor at NAU. He began in 2018 as a visiting assistant professor and has seen mental health services at NAU change over time. He said having access to mental health services is crucial for students’ academic success.

“It is important for college students to have mental health services available because mental health is intertwined with academic success,” Calderón said.

Students have access to assistance from NAU that pertains to various aspects of their well-being, Calderón said, such as their physical and mental health, abilities and disabilities, identity, diversity and personal development.

He said he believes NAU can destigmatize mental health services through better communication. Displaying diverse groups of people using services that work with mental health, Calderón said, can normalize reaching out for help.

“These communications should feature college students so that students can relate to the content and the intended population,” Calderón said. “These communications should also emphasize that many students are using these services, suggesting that it is a normal thing to do.”

NAU Peer Jacks is an initiative exclusive to firstyear students to assist with the transition to college. The program offers one-on-one peer mentoring for students to work with another person through academic and personal challenges. Peer Jacks mentors assist students beyond the classroom and work to connect students with the Flagstaff community. To better serve the student population, the program expanded its outreach over the past few years.

Peer Jacks Mentoring began servicing in-state students

Halie Swanson, a senior coordinator with Peer Jacks, said the program supports students’ wellness and development while in college. Mentors schedule biweekly meetings with mentees, and the pair plan out and work toward the student’s improvement and success, Swanson said. The Peer Jacks program matches students with mentors based on similarities in majors and interests.

Students can attend Peer Jacks social, cultural and academic events throughout the year. Past trips for first-year, out-of-state students include visits to the Grand Canyon, Sedona and Lowell Observatory. These trips are concentrated in northern Arizona because many out-of-state students have yet to see the area.

“The goal is to get first-year students acclimated to NAU and Flagstaff, along with getting them connected to peers as they transition into college,” Swanson said.

Senior Kirsten Nolker, a student development coordinator with Peer Jacks, said the number of mentors on staff has steadily increased each year, and they hope to maintain that trend. Last year, there was a staff of 40 mentors; this year, they had 60

mentors and next year, they plan to hire 75 to 100 staff members.

The transition into college can cause struggles for incoming students, such as homesickness, cultural differences, new academic pressure, social isolation and financial concerns. Resources are made available to students in order to help them navigate these challenges.

The first year the program welcomed first-year, in-state students was 2022. Before that, the program only offered its services to out-of-state, first-year students to help with retention rates, which were lower than that of in-state students, Nolker said.

Swanson said the program expects to receive more instate students from lower-income families in the upcoming year due to the Access2Excellence initiative NAU President José Luis Cruz Rivera advocated for, offering free tuition to students from households that have an annual income of less than $65,000.

She said they want their Peer Jacks mentorship team to be well-trained for the different populations of students that will join the program in the upcoming years.

“[We] take a good hard look at the training curriculum that we give to our mentors and make sure we have a wellequipped and trained team to handle a wide variety of struggles,” Swanson said.

Peer Jacks collaborates with other on-campus mentoring programs, holding events with the Office of Inclusion and First-generation programs. Nolker said she hopes they can continue to increase those collaborations.

“We can collaborate with other mentoring programs to create more meaningful experiences for students,” Nolker said.

Any changes made to the Peer Jacks program will come from student input, Nolker said. In December, a survey went out to the NAU student population, asking if they were comfortable reaching out to peers or professors for support. Nolker said the coordinators analyze the data and compare results from Peer Jack mentees and other student groups.

“We are not afraid to look at what is working and what not is working and make those changes,” Nolker said.

Resilience Project provides online support

The NAU Resilience Project is an online resource that assists students with increasing positive coping skills and resilience. The project originated at Florida State University (FSU) to connect incoming students to the FSU community and its resources. NAU began using the program in 2020, making it the first university outside of Florida to use it.

FSU created the program to improve students’ academic and emotional coping abilities. Regardless of whether individuals have had prior trauma, the program promotes self-awareness and personal progress. It includes multimedia, interactive audio, video, coping content and tasks to help students find their strengths.

Alix Ford, a health educator in the Health Promotion Office, heads the Resilience Project at NAU. Ford said it is a recommended program for first-year and transfer students and was implemented into NAU100, a transitionary college class for first-year students. The class helps students develop a sense of social, academic and campus community belonging. Students also learn about campus resources meant to support their successes.

“Students are able to identify their own strengths and values, learn new skills and listen to expert talks on a variety of topics,” Ford said.

Since the program is still new, it has not received many modifications.

Ford said the program is constantly seeking creative

ideas to integrate the program into student orientations, onboardings, lessons and partnerships.

“I would love to see the program utilized by all incoming students, then even revisited throughout a person’s time at NAU to continue learning new skills,” Ford said.

The NAU Resilience Project has had 5,962 students registered and 4,382 completions in total since it was started. Ford said in this academic year, there have already been 1,200 completions.

Data from the program shows the majority of student users of the NAU Resilience Project are aware of their values and the lasting impacts of trauma on one’s well-being, Ford said. More than 70% of students who completed the program said they can now healthily manage their stress and feel they are part of the university community.

“Almost 82% feel confident that they have the skills to ‘bounce back’ from future failures and adversity,” Ford said.

Students can gain insights into new ways to deal with stressors or trauma in their lives, Ford said, and become more resilient to the demands of college.

Student input advanced Mental Health Support Squad

The Mental Health Support Squad (MHSS) is a community of student mentors who prioritize mental health and act as guides for individuals on campus. Through education, advocacy and outreach, the group connects students with mental health resources.

Rebecca Flasz, the mental health program manager at Counseling Services, created the MHSS program with the help of a few students who served as mentors. The program now has 54 members.

Flasz said the services and events offered by MHSS are free to the NAU community.

To start the program, students complete a consult appointment with a program manager, before being

matched with a mentor. From there, mentees attend oneon-one biweekly meetings to discuss their mental health and how their mentor can best support them, Flasz said.

MHSS hosts events like homework nights, peer support groups, art nights and journaling workshops. The events allow students to involve themselves in group settings that combat college stressors.

On homework nights, students can study or work on projects in a stress-free zone. MHSS’s peer support groups create a safe environment for students to interact with each other and vent about aspects of their lives. During art nights, the program provides changing art themes and a choice of mediums to further the connection between creativity and improved mental health.

MHSS journaling workshops provide a space for individuals to support and engage with one another through writing. Flasz said journaling helps people channel their thoughts into writing.

“Words have the power to shape, to transform, to heal and to nourish, and we want to help students explore how writing can support them,” Flasz said.

MHSS began in 2020 as a small project and slowly became part of the NAU Counseling Services Department. The program expanded based on student suggestions, and by trying new events and engagements, it reached its current state, Flasz said.

After every scheduled event, MHSS asks students to give feedback about their experience, provide examples of areas that need improvement and share what works well.

Junior Audrey Sing, a mentor for MHSS, has been with the program for one semester. Sing said the most difficult part as a mentor is constantly wanting to do more for the students.

College can be a difficult transition for new students, Sing said, which makes it an exciting and anxiety-ridden time.

While the support squad is not licensed counselors, Sing said the mentors are there to listen and support other students in a friendly capacity. The mentor’s job is not to solve the student’s problems but to support them and hear what they are going through.

“We discuss different things that are happening in their lives, any changes that have happened, anything that is heavy on their minds or hearts recently, really anything in life that they feel comfortable sharing,” Sing said.

She said she loved that the program works to make college a welcoming experience for all individuals. Sing said she appreciates seeing others meet new people and building connections through their differences in the program.

“I’m part of something real and impactful on campus,” Sing said. “I like knowing that I’m making a difference, even if it’s just for one person.”

Flasz said they struggle to increase the number of participants they serve. Since the program was established a few years ago, many students do not know about MHSS resources. Flasz said MHSS posts on Instagram and visits events or classrooms, but it is looking to grow into greater coverage.

The growth of MHSS comes from the students involved and their willingness to put in work, Flasz said. This semester, the program hired more than 50 mentors who provide oneon-one and community support.

“It’s a beautiful moment when a mentor can report on the growth and progress they have seen in their mentees or community event participants and know that they have played a role in making that happen,” Flasz said.

Within MHSS, there is a collaborative effort to produce new ideas for events and services to talk about mental health, Flasz said. Flasz said her goal for MHSS is to excel in providing student-based support that helps create an environment where students feel welcome to grow.

ILLUSTRATION BY ALEXIS BEAMAN

ILLUSTRATION BY ALEXIS BEAMAN

ILLUSTRATION BY ALEXIS BEAMAN

Genuine Concepts has several restaurants built into historic buildings in Phoenix and Scottsdale.

The Vig has five locations that inhabit mid-century modern buildings, including an original Phoenix home, and one location in an old bungalow, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. The Womack Cocktail Lounge was inspired by its predecessor, Chez Nous, a ‘60s cocktail lounge. Other locations include The Genuine The Little Woody and Campo Italian Bistro and Bar

Woodbury said The McMillan would not look how it does now without the vision of architect Arthur “Artie” Vigil, who helped design some of Genuine Concept’s other restaurants. Vigil owns AV3 Design Studio, an architecture and urban design firm based in Phoenix.

Woodbury said at Genuine Concepts, they look for buildings with “a soul and a history,” so a few of the Phoenix locations also occupy historically-significant buildings. He said they work with Vigil because of his passion for preservation and skill in adaptive reuse projects.

“A lot of downtown Phoenix is gone … but there were a lot of beautiful homes and historic architecture that were lost because people didn’t have the foresight to hang on to it,” Woodbury said. “Flagstaff has always been able to maintain it. That’s a big draw for everybody, and it just makes you feel like you go back in time [when] you wander around.”

Besides Genuine Concepts’ draw to historic buildings, it also gives back to the communities it serves at each of its locations.

Moreover, The McMillan contributes to Flagstaff through its Community Handle program

Every month, The McMillan partners with a local brewery to make donations to Flagstaff charity organizations, such as Flagstaff Shelter Services High Country Humane and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Flagstaff. They reserve $1 from every purchased pint of the featured monthly beer to be donated to a Flagstaff charity.

In the past, The McMillan partnered with local businesses, like Flagstaff Brewing Co. and Mother Road Brewing Co., and Phoenix breweries.

“We really care about the community …,” Woodbury said. “It was important for us to come up with an idea to give back to local charities,

and the Community Handle is our vehicle for that.”

Woodbury said his team wanted to create a space suitable for students by having an approachable and affordable menu. Before COVID-19, The McMillan had arcade games, pinball machines, Skee-Ball and a pool table, but they removed them to comply with Centers for Disease Control guidelines. Woodbury said The McMillan plans to bring the games back at the beginning of summer.

Mark Reavis, a heritage preservation officer and neighborhood planner, works with historic properties to adhere to the Flagstaff Municipal Code for Heritage Preservation Flagstaff is the third city Reavis has helped historically preserve.

Reavis said historic preservation can benefit a community by providing housing, keeping cities walkable and supporting economic development through tourism and local services.

“Historic preservation is authentic and is the essence of a community at its core,” Reavis said.

The McMillan Building is important to preserve because it conveys a story with its architecture, Reavis said. The building also meets historical criteria, which according to the National Register of Historic Places, is a site or structure with “significance in American history, architecture, archeology, engineering and culture.”

Atop the building’s roof sits chiseled stone signs that read “BANK” and “HOTEL” from the original business the building housed. Reavis said the building’s facade is crafted of red stone, while the stone walls on the sides are rough and uncut. He said the choice to smoothly carve only the street-facing walls was a 100-year-old cost-saving effort.

Reavis said growth and change are inevitable, but historic structures can survive longer with some help.

“Existing structures contain a significant amount of embodied energy,” Reavis said. “If the situation exists where a building can remain and be adaptively reused, why not help save that energy.”

Kevin Schindler is a local historian, writer and speaker. Schindler said downtown Flagstaff has a unique layout that makes it stand apart from other historic districts.

“I think one thing is the juxtaposition of the roads plotted on top of the railroad,” Schindler said.

“It’s not a planned community where all the roads are parallel — north or south. [Flagstaff has] all sorts of angled roads, probably because of the railroad they had to build around.”

The transcontinental railroad that was installed in 1882 made the Flagstaff community grow, Schindler said. However, the railroad and downtown that people know today are not in their first location. Downtown’s original site was located where Old Town Spring Park is now, about one mile west of where downtown currently resides.

Downtown Flagstaff was moved from its initial location because the grade was too steep, Schindler said. The town followed the relocation of the railroad and remains where it was rebuilt to this day. With the town on the move, permanence was not a priority, so the buildings were constructed from wood. This ultimately caused the old and new downtown locations to burn down a few times.

The McMillan and other downtown structures were built with rock for this reason: to prevent fires. Schindler said this caused a boom in the local stone industry.

In the 1990s, many of the historic stone buildings were restored to their original look, Schindler said. An architectural trend at the time was to cover the rock with metal, which he said made downtown lose its character.

As a historian at Lowell Observatory, Schindler said he is fond of the building because of its connection to Percival Lowell, the founder of Lowell Observatory. Before determining where his observatory would be, Lowell stayed in the Bank Hotel after surveying Flagstaff as a potential location.

“I imagine him coming into town and walking out of the train station and walking over to the hotel,” Schindler said. “If he could be alive today, he would say, ‘That’s [The McMillan] Building. Other stuff doesn’t quite look the same, but I remember that building.’”

The McMillan Building has had many past lives since its inception, with businesses moving in and out. What started as Thomas McMillan’s Bank Hotel is now remembered through The McMillan Bar and Kitchen. Woodbury said Genuine Concept recently re-signed their lease, with plans to make sure The McMillan is here to stay.

Iwould not get along with my freshman-year self. I had one friend group with only a few close friends, none of whom truly knew me. I went to events and tried to go downtown but still felt like an impostor and as if I was trying too hard in a city that was supposed to be my own.

Now, after four years and an entire college degree, I know the hidden alleyways downtown, how not to get stopped by the train, where the best lunch spot is on campus and how to balance a college budget at the bars on South San Francisco Street.

Freshman year Emily would be shocked speechless if she was told what life is like now.

I have an amazing group of friends and even better, I have multiple groups of friends. I have a boyfriend. I’m accomplishing all the academic and extracurricular activities I could only dream of freshman year. I’ve been to Phoenix. I’ve visited the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. On weekends, I go on solo hikes. On occasion, I may visit a friend’s house for the consumption of 21+ beverages which would have floored freshman year me.

I’ve received the Gold Axe Award, been Editorin-Chief of the school newspaper, hosted a conference of 300 students from out of state, I’ve worked three jobs at once, finished four capstone projects, added a merged major and studied abroad.

I have learned how to balance having a personal life with friends, school and a job. This was something I never imagined was possible four years ago.

Freshman year, getting an iced caramel latte and doing work at the Union Starbucks, was a treat. During senior year, two shots of espresso every morning and then another source of caffeine in the afternoon is a routine. Truthfully, my caffeine intake is something I actually do regret, but come on, IT IS SO GOOD!

Even during my junior year, I sat on my couch in an empty house wishing I was home with my parents and sister so I would have someone to talk to about whatever movie or TV show I was watching. Now, my friends and I stay up until 3 a.m. binging cringy series made by Wattpad Studios, or my boyfriend and I fall asleep watching our favorite YouTube channels.

I’m happy now. I don’t feel an empty sense of longing for something more. The hole in my heart and stomach has disappeared. I feel at home.

I walk into the Media Innovation Center within the School of Communication (SOC) and a weight is lifted off my shoulders since I’m surrounded by my friends who I know will love and support me through anything. Friends who will know something is wrong without me saying a word. A community that will hype up my greatest accomplishments and encourage me to always go outside my comfort zone. A family who will cry with me when I’m overwhelmed. A support system that makes me laugh uncontrollably at 10 p.m. on a Friday.

That is what I am going to remember about my college years. Not the panic attacks or stress acquired from a 10-page paper, but the people who made me smile.

When I first started at NAU I was under the impression that I would graduate with an Honors degree in journalism with an emphasis in photojournalism and a minor in photojournalism. My very first Honors adviser said not to add my major just yet since I wouldn’t be taking any classes until my sophomore year at the earliest. When I went to add my photojournalism minor at the end of my freshman year, it wasn’t offered at NAU anymore. At that point, the Honors College had gone through two advisers since the start of the year.

I settled for a minor in photography and enrolled in PHO101, it wasn’t until I was over halfway done with that class that I was told PHO101 wasn’t a class on my progression plan. After that, I picked up the correct classes and my first, definitely not my last, adviser in the SOC left NAU.

At the beginning of my sophomore year, I took a chance and changed my major from journalism to journalism and political science merged; a choice I wholeheartedly regret now. I had to make this choice by only speaking to my friends and family since there is a lack of consistent advisers in the SOC.

I ended up having to take more classes than I ever imagined and my freshman-year goal of doubledipping in as many classes as possible was completely out the window.

Advisers in the SOC and the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences (SBS) know little about how to assist students and know even less about the merged major they recommend to every journalism student, which ends up creating an insanely difficult academic progression plan students must navigate by themselves.

Despite all these trials and tribulations I experienced, I sit here (in complete delusion) writing this story with every ounce of faith that I could have added another major or minor with no problems. Unfortunately, a student can only take so many 21+ credit semesters before burning out and another major surely would have pushed me over the edge. That is what makes being a young adult so sweet, choosing to ignore the heartache and struggles, in order to live a great life.

A car speeds past shops on North Leroux Street, April 11. Weatherford Hotel and The McMillan Building have been around since the 1800s. John Chaides | The Lumberjack

A parade of horses trots down Gold Avenue past what is now Weatherford Hotel. Gold Avenue was later renamed North Leroux Street. Photo courtesy of Tom Alexander

EMILY GERDES

The history of shelters in Flagstaff

With the creation of major interstate highways and the continuous development of the city, Flagstaff’s population has increased from 7,600 to more than 76,000 since the 1950s. This population increase has contributed to a growing number of individuals experiencing homelessness in the city.

In 1957, Flagstaff church members, businessmen and individuals came together to create a soup kitchen to meet the needs of community members without homes. Over the course of 66 years, the soup kitchen turned into four shelter and service facilities in Flagstaff known as Sunshine Rescue Mission Inc. (SRM), and two other shelter organizations have been established in the city.

SRM initially operated in what is now Southside Tavern in downtown Flagstaff. It is a faith-based organization that started by providing free meals, overnight shelter and clothing for people without homes.

Within its first month of establishment, the organization served 1,200 meals, provided 200 people with overnight shelter and gave out 34 pieces of clothing. Now, SRM serves over 60,000 meals, shelters more than 35,000 people and provides over 6,000 pieces of clothing annually. Its services have expanded to offer healing and recovery programs and job opportunities for individuals seeking support.

The organization was originally managed by a board of local business owners and relied entirely on community support with some surplus food contributions from the federal government.

Kathie Knapp is the current executive director of the nonprofit organization and said SRM still leans on the community for donations.

“We have donors that believe in life and people being restored and the creativity and dignity of the human heart and soul,” Knapp said. “And if it wasn’t for those people, literally thousands of people, this place wouldn’t exist.”

Five years after opening, the organization moved its location across South San Francisco Street to open its first official shelter — The Mission. The Mission originally housed both men and women until the organization opened a second facility for women only 33 years later.

In the 1960s, Flagstaff underwent major road and tourist traffic changes with the construction of Interstate 17, connecting the town to Phoenix and Interstate 40, providing a connecting route between California and North Carolina. These interstate highways brought an influx of people to Flagstaff.

Knapp said she estimates half the people the organization helps come from Arizona, and less than one-third are from Flagstaff. She said SRM has sheltered people from as far away

as Hawaii and Florida who came to Flagstaff specifically for shelter and safety.

“We get people coming here from all over the United States,” Knapp said. “It shocks me.”

Knapp said The Mission sheltered a man who travelled from California to Flagstaff seeking a faith-based shelter. She said he did not know about SRM, but a stranger outside a crowded shelter in Los Angeles told him he needed to go to the mountains in Flagstaff. A police officer later found the man hiking in the desert and took him to the Arizona state line, where he hitchhiked his way to the corner of The Mission.

As more individuals came to Flagstaff for shelter, outreach organizations continued expansions to meet increasing needs.

In 1995, SRM opened Hope Cottage, a shelter for unhoused women and children. It was the first shelter in Flagstaff solely for women and children, and it could shelter up to three mothers with their children and eight women. Now, the shelter has nine rooms for families, 20 beds and a long-term program for women interested in pursuing faith and job programs.

Sharon Wilcox is the director of Hope Cottage and said the goal of the shelter is to transform lives through community and mentoring.

“Community is where healing happens,” Wilcox said. “I believe it is a very basic need to know someone and to be known.”

Along with Hope Cottage, SRM has opened two other facilities. In 2019, Thrift for Goodness Sake! opened as a nonprofit thrift store that provides jobs for people in need, and in 2021, Sanctuary House SRM opened a long-term healing center for men.

Catholic Charities Community Services, a faithbased organization, joined the Flagstaff shelter scene in 1972. The organization had been operating in Phoenix since 1933 providing programs for youth development. Its Flagstaff office has a shelter for families, a housing program and an outreach program to find unsheltered individuals in the city and provide them with emergency housing.

In 2006, Flagstaff gained a third shelter.

Flagstaff Shelter Services (FSS) started as a seasonal emergency shelter with about 12 staff members. In 2014, Ross Schaefer became executive director of the organization and moved the shelter to a year-round service provider. One year after it opened full-time, FSS launched its Housing First program, which pairs people with case managers who help them obtain permanent housing.

“The true backbone of our organization is that, at the end of the day, housing is the answer to homelessness,” Schaefer said. “So, that’s where we try to spend a lot of our

time and resources in solving this crisis for people, and it’s kind of who we are.”

They have 65 staff members who provide services to 2,000 individuals and find housing for 300 clients annually. The organization reported that 86% of its clients who attain permanent housing do not return to homelessness.

FSS opened a new shelter last year in a former Howard Johnson hotel. The shelter was named The Crown and has 58 emergency shelter rooms available for the elderly, immunocompromised individuals and families. Schaefer said the organization is currently working on purchasing another hotel to renovate into a shelter called The Lantern, which will focus its resources on people without children.

Schaefer said her organization has seen an influx of people seeking services throughout recent years, but the number of unsheltered people remains constant.

“In our community, [unsheltered numbers] seem to be steady or have a decrease,” Schaefer said. “The good news in that regard is people are connecting to services, at least from a shelter perspective.”

However, Schaefer said the acquisition of shelter services does not reflect the number of people securing housing.

FSS continues to prioritize the Housing First initiative, Schaefer said. They pair clients with housing case managers, work with a network of community landlords and provide clients with resources in employment, public benefits, physical and behavioral health care and other agency services.

All three organizations partner together and with other services in Flagstaff to create the Front Door — a program that serves as an entry point to connect people without shelter to services around Flagstaff. The Front Door program offers an assessment to match individuals with services that best fits their needs.

“We love that there are other agencies here, and we don’t try to reinvent the wheel,” Wilcox said.

The expansion of shelters has helped programs find their niche, allowing them to better assist the diverse homeless population. While each shelter organization in Flagstaff has a different focus, they all hold one common goal of supporting individuals experiencing homelessness.

Knapp said she believes people without shelter are the most misunderstood demographic in the U.S. She said it is important to make them feel seen and continue to offer services to help them find safety and healing.

“Some of the finest people I’ve ever met, I’ve met on the sidewalk,” Knapp said. “They are bright and they’re funny and they’re intelligent and they’re talented.”

LILY COMBS

Top right: Sunshine Rescue Mission, a faith-based shelter organization, opened The Mission in 1962. Bottom: A donor gave Sunshine Rescue Mission a building in 1982 which was remodeled into the original Hope Cottage facility. Photos courtesy of Sunshine Rescue Mission

The Mission Building has stood on the corner of South San Fransisco Street and East Benton Avenue for 62 years, April 12. Lily Combs | The Lumberjack

Cultivating Coffee Culture

Residents, tourists and students who visit Flagstaff may be familiar with its Historic Downtown area teeming -with storefronts and restaurants. A common sight is coffee shops — 10 of which are located in this area alone.

Longstanding locations, such as Macy’s European Coffee House and Bakery and Late For The Train, have remained in business for decades, while several new coffeehouses have opened in Flagstaff since a boom in 2008.

Since these new coffeehouses opened their doors, they experienced individual developments in the products they serve and how they approach the coffee business.

The Awa Kava Bar is a coffee and kava bar located on the outskirts of downtown Flagstaff. It is located on East Butler Avenue with an outdoor patio, tin walls and free parking.

Inside the bar, a small, fluffy dog named Ashe, an Awa Kava regular, greets the guests. The room is decorated with local artists’ work, and looks similar to the inside of a home Co-owner and Manager Juda Martinez said this design choice was Awa Kava’s intention. Their inspiration for a homey atmosphere came from the birthplace of their other signature drink, kava. Kava is a Polynesian tea derived from a root that helps reduce stress and anxiety.

“Kava is from the Western Pacific Islands,” Martinez said. “They don’t have kava bars out there. You just go to people’s houses and drink kava. So, this is kind of like the house where everybody can come in and enjoy kava. Here, all characters from all walks of life have a space.”

Opened in late 2019, Awa Kava began by only selling kava. However, the previous owners expanded their menu to include coffee to cater better to Flagstaff’s market.

Martinez said he was an employee when this change was introduced. Firecreek Coffee Company was Awa Kava’s first supplier of coffee beans, and a barista from Firecreek trained the Awa Kava employees to make espresso, he said.

In the year since Martinez and his business partner became co-owners, he said they decided to change their coffee provider to be known for a more unique taste. Their new provider is Toucanet Coffee whose owner ethically harvests coffee from sustainable, female-owned farms.

“Each shop in town [that uses Toucanet Coffee] has a different variation of their

coffee,” Martinez said. “Three shops can serve Toucanet Coffee, but we’re not all serving the same type of blend.”

Martinez said taking over the Awa Kava Bar came with its fair share of benefits and challenges for the duo. However, in the year since they became owners, they have already begun planning to open a second location, he said.

Although Martinez said there are too many coffee shops in Flagstaff for a second kava bar, he said he does not mind the competition. He said he cares more about the communal atmosphere of Awa Kava than the financial benefits.

“They can do what they want to do, how they want to do it,” Martinez said. “You do you. We’re not here just as a coffee shop but as a community space.”

Coffee shops in Flagstaff have a unique twist on their presentation of products to reach a niche group of coffee drinkers while also appealing to a broader audience.

Forêt Flg is a family-owned cafe that serves coffee, breakfast and lunch. Billy Greenhalgh is the lead barista and has been working at the cafe since before it opened.

The cafe opened in September 2021 and is owned by Greenhalgh’s mother and brother, which she said creates a family vibe. After working as a barista in Phoenix for five years, Greenhalgh joined her mother and brother and helped build the cafe from the ground up.

She said it was an opportunity she could not pass up.

“I knew it would be a part of my life that I would never get back if I didn’t do it,” Greenhalgh said. “I would look back and regret not doing it. I just knew it would be important, and I just sort of felt called to work with them.”

Greenhalgh said most visitors hear about Forêt Flg by word of mouth and almost everyone who comes in sees a familiar face.

As the lead barista, Greenhalgh makes seasonal drinks to keep guests entertained and interested in fresh creations. Their menu is never stagnant, she said, with the seasonal drinks serving as a way for each barista to hone their skills. This creativity is what sets Forêt Flg apart from other companies, Greenhalgh said.

“We like to switch it up and keep people interested,” Greenhalgh said. “We try to make sure there’s a drink for every different type of person. If you don’t want caffeine or you like sweet or bright or floral tones, [we have it]. I try to hit all different kinds of coffee.”

The family at Forêt Flg has plans to expand its menu and hours of operation. Greenhalgh said the cafe will be adding dinner options sometime this year.

The novelty of each coffee shop extends to local coffee roasters as well.

Matador Coffee Roasting Company has two locations in Flagstaff that sell coffee made from its own brand of coffee beans. Matador supplies coffee to various locations around the city, such as Black Bart’s Steakhouse and Mike and Rhonda’s The Place. Mario Martusciello is the founder of Matador Coffee Roasting Company. The first location for the coffee roasters in Flagstaff

opened in 2015. He said the company took a different approach to coffee rather than only becoming a shop. At first, Matador was a wholesale storefront providing coffee to other companies. Along with selling coffee beans, Martusciello said they assisted their clients with proper training on making espresso and using equipment to make good coffee.

Martusciello said the company is looking to bridge the gap between smaller coffee shops and large enterprises. Furthermore, he said the key to this is the type of espresso used in their drinks.

“We’re a little different, I think, than the other shops in Flagstaff,” Martusciello said. “You’re going to find a lighter roast of espresso. We have a light and a dark roast. Outwardly and wholesale, the majority of what we sell is the light roast espresso, for sure. In our shop, we chose a dark roast espresso more in league with some of the bigger companies.”

He said due to its main location on Interstate 40, the company provides coffee primarily to tourists who may unknowingly be used to dark roasts.

Martusciello said the coffee scene in Flagstaff is robust, especially with the student population. With the diverse customer base, he said he would like to see the coffee

community become more close-knit.

“I would prefer to have us be closer so we could actually build more together,” Martusciello said. “I’ve seen a little bit more of it as the years go on, but I’d like to see more.”

Matador hosts annual softball charity events. Martusciello said he wants other coffee shops in the area to collaborate with them on the venture.

Although Martusciello said there is room for improvement in the bond between each coffee shop, the culture surrounding coffee in Flagstaff is well established.

Due to NAU and its student population, Martinez said it is only natural there are so many coffee shops in Flagstaff. There is a need for caffeine in the city — especially during finals season, he said.

“The coffeehouse vibe has been synonymous with studying since the ‘90s,” Martinez said. “The more students we have, the more spaces are required for social areas. Caffeine is not only addictive, but it’s a mutual thing.”

Coffee in Flagstaff has been interpreted in many ways by shops across town,

developing distinguishing traits that cater to specific tastes, not only in how the drink is prepared but in the atmosphere of the shop as well.

LeRoy Miller laughs at a joke Debra Ott says to him as they eat breakfast at Matador Coffee Roasting Company, April 4. Victoria Medina | The Lumberjack

each

MAKAYLA RICHARDSON

Top: Junior Ruby McFerrin taps the coffee portafilter to evenly distribute the coffee grounds as she prepares an espresso for a customer at Matador Coffee Roasting Company, April 4.

Bottom: Rose Michalek (center) sets up a game of Chinese Checkers while her parents, Jess and Dylan Michalek (left and right), enjoy their drinks as they sit in front of a mural inside Awa Kava Bar & Coffee’s lounge area, April 4. Victoria Medina | The Lumberjack

“THE COFFEEHOUSE VIBE HAS BEEN SYNONYMOUS WITH STUDYING SINCE THE ‘90S. THE MORE STUDENTS WE HAVE, THE MORE SPACES ARE REQUIRED FOR SOCIAL AREAS. CAFFEINE IS NOT ONLY ADDICTIVE, BUT IT’S A MUTUAL THING.”

– Juda Martinez, co-owner and manager of Awa Kava Bar

Whether students have been at NAU for one semester or four years, there is no one-sizefits-all path for college. Both academic and non-academic experiences impacted students during their time at NAU, and through clubs, classes and jobs on campus, students said they developed new skills and made great connections with their professors and friends. Not all students saw growth in the same way:

“I’ve been [going] to NAU since 2019, so I’ve been through a normal semester, and I was so excited [and] made so many friends,” Tran said. “Then COVID hit. I had to do online school as an international student — because I’m from Vietnam — without being able to go back to my home country. Mentally and emotionally, it’s been like a rollercoaster for me.

“There was so much growth in the way I perceive friendship, both with Americans and international students, but also being independent and living in the United States without my family. Studying for a degree in my second language was also very challenging.

“The past four years have been the craziest growth in my life. I think I would not be who I am today without all the things that NAU brought to me — all the knowledge and all the friendships I’ve made. The way I think about life, about politics and humanity is so different now.

“With the NAU International Club, I learned a lot about organizing events, connecting people from different countries and I developed my leadership skills. And to this day, the International Club is still my favorite.”

“I’ve grown a lot, just in terms of confidence in myself and knowing what I can and can’t accomplish,” Chesley said. “I feel like I’m much more self-aware and know that I can do hard things. When I take a hard class here, I know that I’ll be able to do it, and in high school, I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to finish college because of how hard it would be. But I think it’s a natural progression once you get to college, and I feel like I’ve done a lot better than I thought I would.

“The professors helped me a lot. They really want the best for you, and they want you to do well. I used to be afraid to go up to my professors when I was a freshman, but I feel like they’re all my friends now because I’ve had them multiple times in my major, and they just really care about me and want me to do my best.

“In the future, I want to own my own bakery and cafe, and I feel like I’ve really been well-equipped with what I’ve learned here to be able to progress my career.”

“I’ve grown in social aspects,” Matsumoto said. “Coming from high school to living on my own for the first time, I’ve had a lot of freedom. I didn’t really know what to expect, but I’m glad with what I’m experiencing right now at NAU.

“First semester, I was in a few classes with some sophomores and juniors, so being in classes with people that have already experienced a few years at NAU helped me a little bit. Asking around, what I can expect from classes and even talking to my professors, was also helpful.

“I see myself pursuing the exercise physiology major, and then, I would like to get a master’s and then even pursue physical therapy.”

Amie (Anh) Tran Senior Information systems and accounting

STORY COMPILED BY MAXINE MARCHAND

Justin Matsumoto Freshman Exercise physiology

Gracie Chesley Junior Hotel and restaurant management

Some said they have grown personally, while others made new social connections. COVID-19 also had a huge impact on students’ lives and their relationships. Students with time left at NAU said they are excited to take advantage of opportunities the university offers. Students who are graduating are looking forward to their future careers.

“I’ve grown a fair bit,” Carranza said. “One of the biggest things coming to university was the freedom to choose. But also making friends in a community, I have learned what I like and what my preferences are. Taking Japanese has changed a fair bit since it is such a different language.

“I’m actually studying abroad next year in Japan, and that’s one of the biggest things I’m looking forward to. I’ve been preparing for some time. I’m excited to see how it can change me because that’s a whole different country, and I can’t wait for that experience.

“In International Affairs, I have to also take an internship in Washington, D.C., so it’s going to be a big change, and I can’t wait to grow as a person thanks to NAU.”

“I was a transfer [student] my freshman year, and with COVID, it was really hard to make friends, but NAU really helped me to find my people and my major and my passion,” Hallett said. “It really helped me be the person I am today.

“My job working for [the] student union keeps me connected to the NAU community. I’m able to help fellow students know where they want to go, and I just feel like I’m a part of NAU because I work here.

“I’m a part of Chi Omega, which is a sorority here on campus. That’s been a major part of me, finding a solid group of girls and my roommates and my best friends. In the future, I hope I can just take everything I’ve learned here and turn it into a career and passion.”

“I made a lot of personal connections …,” Morris said. “I also got an internship, so that helps. I’m in a fraternity, so that helped a lot to make a lot of connections and get great leadership skills.

“In the future, I’m hoping to be successful and see where life takes me.

“Before coming to NAU, I had no idea what an internship was. We have a really good construction management program with seminars every Thursday and then a couple career fairs, so that’s how I gained that internship.”

Collin Morris Sophomore Construction management

Ernesto Carranza Sophomore International affairs and Japanese

Kayleigh Hallett Junior Criminology and criminal justice

& PHOTOS BY JONAH GRAHAM

JESSIE MCCANN

EDITOR

When deciding where to eat out in Flagstaff, you can’t go wrong with most places. Downtown Flagstaff alone has just about every cuisine to offer, with many places providing a prime modern dining experience.

Yet what some forget is the downtown food scene wasn’t the only area that propelled Flagstaff to be recognized as the top “foodie” city in the state of Arizona.

The string of restaurants along the Eastside of Route 66 have continued to deliver the classics, with an array of traditional American diners and several highly-rated Mexican restaurants. Among the heavyweight champions, though, is none other than the city’s premier wood-fired pizzeria and Italian kitchen, Fat Olives

Prior to moving to Flagstaff, I always had a love for Italian food, but had little sense of what constitutes truly good Italian cuisine. I considered myself lucky if my family made a trip to The Cheesecake Factory, which in reality, is just a glorified Olive Garden.

Needless to say, my first Fat Olives visit over a year ago changed the game. Little did I know, I was eating at one of Food Network’s listed “Top Places To Eat” and a featured restaurant on Guy Fieri’s “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.”

The award-winning Chef John Conley opened Fat Olives as a mobile catering business over 25 years ago. Since then, has made waves in the Flagstaff food industry. Consistently voted the city’s “Best Italian Restaurant” and “Best Overall Restaurant,” the family-owned restaurant has brought a lasting sense of community and dedication to authentic Italian cuisine.

With the couple of visits I have under my belt, Fat Olives has never ceased to amaze me. Each time I step in, I am greeted with a sense of familiarity — friendly service staff accompanied by rustic brick and wood walls. For such high-end quality food, it’s pleasantly surprising that the interior design has such a homey, intimate atmosphere.

Even when visiting on weekdays, there’s rarely a slow day at Fat Olives. You likely won’t be guaranteed a seat upon entrance, but the wait is a small price to pay for the exceptional service. No matter the occupancy, service is fast-paced, which is rare for an upscale restaurant.

The appetizer menu is filled with classic Italian bites including meatballs, burrata and of course, oven-roasted olives. Just about all of the appetizers sound appealing, but the bruschetta boards are an absolute must. The classic bruschetta board — consisting of tomato, red onion, basil, pecorino romano cheese and lemon balsamic vinaigrette on finely-toasted bread — has a blend of savory, sweet and citrus notes, creating a flavorful explosion. It is also one of the most visually stunning dishes I’ve had at Fat Olives overall, as it is clear they have perfected the art of drizzling a vinaigrette.

It is always a personal struggle to decide between pizza or pasta as a main course. At most other pizza places, you won’t find true Neapolitan pizza freshly made from a wood oven. The thin texture with an airy, puffed-up crust makes any pizza delicious. Although a little more on the expensive side, the Kenai Pizza, made of a white base, ricotta, mozzarella, red onions and house-smoked salmon, is one of my favorites.

Fat Olives’ fettuccine alfredo truly puts food chain replicas of the dish to shame from just the house-made sauce alone. The noodles practically melt in your mouth because of the alfredo’s creamy consistency. Several other pasta dishes contain a ragu that is cooked for 10 hours, including the Signature Lasagna, Rigatoni and Spaghetti & Meatballs. I’ve finished the lasagna in one sitting, which is pretty much unheard of for me.

I would normally call it a day after finishing off the portions Fat Olives serves, but the dessert menu is too intriguing to skip out on. If you have a sweet tooth and want to save up the appetite, Smores-ala-Fat Olives, an oven-baked pizza with Colombian chocolate chips and roasted marshmallows, is a great choice. For those with smaller appetites, you won’t regret trying the gelato, with new flavors offered each day, or the chocolate mousse.

As the crown jewel of Italian fine dining in Flagstaff, Fat Olives is the place for special occasions and casual dinners. Every time I go, I’m left wanting to try more of their dishes, wondering what I’ll order the next time I dine in. Of course, nicer quality food means higher prices, but a visit every once in a while is worth it.

Flagstaff music scene challenges the norm

With the number of music-based groups in Flagstaff, there has grown to be a variety of genres and musical backgrounds that reflect local culture. As the city shifts and develops, its music scene does too, not only in size, but in diversity and novelty.

The Interference Series is a local organization that specializes in presenting experimental music performances. Owen Davis and Rob Wallace, the series’ curators, are both musicians and educators. Davis teaches music at Sturgeon Cromer Elementary School, and Wallace is an associate teaching professor at NAU.

Wallace, who was born and raised in Flagstaff, said the town is unique because of its cultural and geographical diversity.

“I have a fairly broad perspective on the Flagstaff cultural scene,” Wallace said. “There’s a lot of positive things that didn’t exist when I was growing up. The Interference Series is one of them.”

The Interference Series emphasizes improvisation and experimentation, placing jazz musicians at the forefront. In March, the series hosted a Primordial Light Show, which celebrated the spring equinox through light displays and world instruments. The event, held at Flagstaff Arts and Leadership Academy, featured improvised music on singing bowls and string instruments.

Wallace said a highlight of the Interference Series is the mix of musicians who have come together through live performances.

“I strive to bring local folks from a variety of backgrounds into contact with visiting artists from a variety of backgrounds to create a space for mutual exploration,” Wallace said.

While the Interference Series is unique in the kinds of music it promotes, it is not the only group that supports live music in Flagstaff.

Sierra Bryan is a Flagstaff indie-rock musician who was a finalist for the Emerging Artist Viola Award in 2021. Bryan is the co-founder of Mountain Town Sounds, a nonprofit organization dedicated to uplifting local singersongwriters.

“Mountain Town Sounds was made for Flagstaff to create a community between musicians, to make songwriters feel valued and to help provide opportunities and resources,” Bryan said.

Since its creation in 2022, Mountain Town Sounds has held singer-songwriter socials, in which artists converse and share their work. The group also hosts FLG Listening Rooms, a series of small, intimate concerts which are recorded and posted on the Mountain Town Sounds YouTube channel.

These events have laid the groundwork for Mountain Town Sounds to expand to larger projects. On April 15, the organization hosted its first music festival in downtown Flagstaff, Femme Fest. This all-day event was intended to support women and non-binary artists in the music scene.

“The goal of Femme Fest for me is just for other musicians to feel celebrated and seen,” Bryan said. “I didn’t

want this event to be centered around exclusively celebrating cis-gendered women. That’s why we landed on the term ‘femme.’ We have some artists that are gender fluid, in which ‘femme’ applies to them.”

Bryan said she was inspired to put together the festival after touring with the musician Red McAdam in March. After 26 days on the road, she had made connections with several female musicians across the country.

“As a femme musician as well, it was very encouraging for me to see so many other women pursuing music seriously in other states and giving themselves the power to put themselves out there,” Bryan said.

The festival featured Arizona-based artists such as Phoenix pop-rock band Diva Bleach, Williams folk singer Jess Ledbetter and Flagstaff indie duo Sleep Stampede. Performances were held at different downtown locations, including The Hive, Mountain Top Tap Room, Flagstaff Brewing Company and Late for the Train.

The growth of the Flagstaff music scene is evident, not only in downtown but also on NAU’s campus. Sophomores David Beley, Kendall Callison and Andy Campbell formed their band, The Home Owner’s Association, in 2022.

Beley, the band’s drummer, said The Home Owner’s Association has a relaxed attitude about their work.

“It’s not to be taken too seriously,” Beley said. “We do this because it’s just all around a fun and fulfilling time, especially when you get people dancing and being thrown around to what you are playing.”

As the band is still in its beginning stages, Beley said their Flagstaff basis has been a large part of their development.

“It started with us meeting last year and playing together in the dorms,” Beley said. “I feel Flagstaff has a really good set of people that are going to every show the band has. There’s such a good scene for live music, especially now that The Hive is up and running.”

The Home Owner’s Association performed at The Hive in December as part of the NAU Fashion Club’s runway show.

The band also performed at NAU Skate Club’s “Jam Sesh at the Fieldhouse,” an open skateboarding event on March 25 where students practiced skate tricks while listening to local bands. Campbell, who plays bass, said it is important that campus organizations host these events.

“There are so many great student groups like Fashion Club, Skate Club and KJACK Radio that have allowed a really cool diverse university subculture to develop that I hope continues to grow,” Campbell said.

Campbell said he credits the development of NAU’s music culture to the students.

“The NAU student body is a very accepting, creative and fun-loving group of people that really make it possible for people like us to share our love for music with others,” Campbell said.

Flagstaff’s unique culture will continue to be highlighted by its diverse local music scene.

Musician Sierra Bryan sings and plays guitar at Late for the Train during Femme Fest, a music festival hosted by Mountain Town Sounds, April 15. Chloe Legay | The Lumberjack

Rob Wallace of the Interference Series performs at Heritage Square during the Northern Arizona Book Festival, April 1. Chloe Legay | The Lumberjack

CHLOE LEGAY

The menu and wine list for Fat Olives is staged to be photographed, April 1. Sara Williams | The Lumberjack

Old shops, old style, new trends

Top: The Old Town Shops sign sits below mural pieces of how Flagstaff looked in the past, April 4. Left: Cow-printed purses in the shape of a boot stand on display in Basement Marketplace, April 4. Below: The sign for Flagstaff Chocolate Company hangs over its shop inside the Old Town Shops, April 4. Victoria Medina | The Lumberjack

Embracing changing landscapes

One question I have always been asked is, “Where are you from?”

I have heard this question more in my first year of college than ever before. For most, this is a simple question with a one-word answer. However, for me, it rings a little differently.

I usually answer, “Phoenix,” for time’s sake. Yet, an unsatisfied half-smile always lingers on my face when the word leaves my mouth. I spent my high school years in Phoenix, but it is not my “home” — it is not who I am.

I have lived in three states and four countries. Being raised in a military family, I have moved nine times in my 20 years of life. I cannot define myself by a single place.

I am a mixture of landscapes, cultures and experiences; a blend of all my nine homes.

As much as I would love to describe each home, it would take a great deal of time, so I’ll recount two which were paramount in creating who I am now: Washington state and Europe.

One week after my seventh birthday, my family moved to Olympia — the capital of Washington. Coming from San Antonio, Texas, I had never experienced so much nature right outside my house. Luscious pine trees loomed over every street corner. Chipmunks, red foxes, rabbits and deer constantly greeted me on walks. In the distance, Mount Rainier stood tall behind our house, its white, icy peak snuggled in a blanket of greenery.

An hour away from Olympia is Seattle, the largest city in Washington. Its famous attractions include the 605-foottall Space Needle and Pike Place Market.

Pike Place Market is the largest continuous farmer’s market in the country. It is a colorful and bustling market with over 220 independently owned shops and restaurants.

I have many memories of the market, however, they are all tainted by the overwhelming odor of fish.

Numerous fish stands in Pike Place, including the famous 93-year-old Pike Place Fish Market, embody the coastal culture of Washington. With fish-throwing workers and vibrant displays of sea and freshwater creatures, the

markets are breathtaking to fish enthusiasts. For fish haters like me, on the other hand, they are a nightmare. To this day, I cannot stand the smell of fish and I will always credit the Pike Place fish stands as the reason.

While Seattle had a life of its own, my fondest memories reside in the nature of Washington.

My family would often visit Mount Rainier National Park, the home to the tallest mountain in the state with 25 named glaciers. Locals and tourists always flocked to the mountain on beautiful days, but with hundreds of recreational trails, it never felt crowded.

In summers on Mount Rainier, we hiked through grassy fields painted purple and red by the blooming wildflowers. During winters, we bundled in our snow gear and sledded down the mountain slopes joining in the laughter of many families.

On other adventures, we canoed on the Puget Sound — an inlet of the Pacific Ocean, camped in Olympic National Park and toured Mount St. Helens.

My passion for the outdoors began in Washington. It is why I desire to constantly hike mountains, swim in icy waters and camp under treetops, all desires I pursued by coming to northern Arizona.

I enjoyed my life in the state for three years before I started my next adventure.

After I turned 10, my family moved to Belgium, the land of beer, waffles and chocolate. When I tell people about Belgium, they tend to follow up with, “Where in Germany is that?” It never fails to make me laugh but to be fair, I did not know about the country until it became one of my homes.

I like to describe Belgium as a quiet country compared to its touristy neighbors — except when it is FIFA World Cup season, whereas the screaming of Belgian Red Devil fans echoes throughout the streets and in every house.

The country is covered with rolling hills that stretch for miles and it is constantly wet and cloudy, with an average of 200 days of rainfall a year.

I believe the heart of Belgium lies in its historic cities, with their elaborate stone and brick buildings and cobblestone streets that are rarely overcrowded with tourists.

Christmas in the cities is extra special.

My family lived nearest to Brussels, the Belgium capital. One of the main attractions of Brussels is the Grand-Place the city’s central square. During the Christmas season, purple and blue lights illuminated 400-year-old stone buildings in the square.

In Bruges, a city only an hour from Brussels, an ice sculpture festival was held every year during winter. Countless magnificent, chilling sculptures commemorated an important cultural event of the year. For my first year, 2013, the festival was based on the popular release of the movie “Frozen.” The second year celebrated the finishing of “The Hobbit” trilogy and included an enormous ice sculpture of the dragon Smaug.

My family spent school breaks exploring other European countries such as Switzerland, Italy, Greece and the Netherlands. Before moving back to the United States, I also had the opportunity to briefly live in England and Italy.

I was engulfed in an array of cultures. I became fond of hearing four different languages around me as I ate pastries at a cafe. I loved grabbing gelato every time I went out in Italy and ordering a whole pizza to shamelessly eat alone. Joy filled my heart each time the Belgian team scored a goal in the FIFA World Cup and boisterous chanting instantly overtook the town.

I miss visiting museums and castles, swimming in the Mediterranean Sea, trekking through the Alps and getting my breath taken away by vibrant, beautiful tulips in the Netherlands.

Europe is the reason I will never be able to sit still. People tell me I have traveled the world, but I know I’ve barely seen anything. I have only been to two of seven continents; there is so much life and culture I have yet to experience.

This longing for adventure is what drives me to pursue my degrees in photography and journalism with the hope to eventually spend my life traveling the globe and capturing the beauty of the people on it.

Phoenix is special to me, but it is not who I am. When someone asks where I’m from, I wish I could express everything I just wrote, and more, in a single word with pride and excitement. I have not yet figured out how to, but one day I will.

LILY COMBS

Top: Ancient ruins remain in Athens, Greece, April 3, 2016. Bottom left: Driftwood gathers on the coast of Washington state, Sept. 6, 2013. Top right: Linderhof Palace in Bavaria, Germany, July 14, 2015. Bottom right: Ski slopes in the Alps of Switzerland, Dec. 28, 2022.

Photo courtesy of Lily Combs

The road to a greener future

ISABELLA GILBERT

Over the past few years, the demand for more sustainable practices and initiatives has become a mainstream movement. From renewable energy to sustainable fashion, there is a rising consciousness toward ensuring a greener future. At NAU, many students have become involved in sustainable clubs and organizations aiming to combat climate change.

Some of the clubs and organizations on campus include NAU Green Jacks Students for Sustainable Living and Urban Gardening (SSLUG) and Fossil Free NAU (FFNAU). Each of these groups have seen significant growth in recent years, as more NAU students become interested in environmental awareness.

Green Jacks is a student-run club that encourages sustainability by hosting different events — including street clean-ups, clothing swaps and biweekly meetings to discuss future plans. Grace Meinema has been involved in the club since 2021 and is now the president. She said she advocates for the planet in any way she can.

“Green Jacks was founded around 2012,” Meinema said. “I became involved with it, though, during my freshman year. I was excited to make a difference with other young adults who are passionate about our planet.”

Meinema was asked to be president during the 2022-23 school year by the previous president of Green Jacks. She said she is honored to take a lead role in the club and aspires to help it reach its maximum potential.

Green Jacks has seen a significant increase in regular attendance at its events and meetings. The group has gained over 200 followers on Instagram and has a steady 15 to 30 attendees at meetings compared to five to 10 in previous years. Due to the pandemic, Green Jacks’ attendance dropped significantly. Meinma said Green Jacks has struggled to motivate students to come to their events and meetings.

“I hope that Green Jacks never stops growing and evolving,” Meinema said. “I hope each semester brings in new people, events and collaborations. I hope Green Jacks can become a regular part of many students’ routines and keep up with consistent attendance.”

Green Jacks has worked with multiple organizations on and off campus to grow its audience. Since January, they have collaborated with the City of Flagstaff Sustainability Office, Flagstaff Water Services, NAU Green Fund, ASNAU, SUN Entertainment, Thrift Jacks, The Taylor Swift Society NAU, FFNAU, NAU Abaya Yala Organization, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, Oak Creek Watershed Council and SSLUG.

SSLUG is a community garden that promotes sustainability and organic growing methods on campus.

Sarah Tabak is a coordinator for SSLUG. She said the garden was established to create a hands-on learning experience.

Tabak is a second-year graduate student studying sustainable communities and an AmeriCorps member at SSLUG.

“The SSLUG Garden was started by graduate students in the sustainable communities program about 15 years ago,” Tabak said. “The space outside of Social and Behavioral Sciences West was underutilized and they were looking for a way to bring in more green space.”

Like Green Jacks, SSLUG encountered issues with engagement. With students leaving NAU and social distancing, the club became less prominent and the garden was at risk of being closed.

Tabak has used her time with the club to bring the garden back to life and restore student engagement. Her commitment to outreach resulted in SSLUG having over 100 volunteers, an increase from the steady 25 volunteers seen in the first semester back with in-person classes.

“I think that environmental clubs have had a lot of

increased engagement lately,” Tabak said. “With the climate crisis and everything, this kind of post-COVID reengagement has helped SLUGG.”

One challenge SSLUG struggles with is the continuity of leadership, as many members will be graduating this semester. With Flagstaff having a short growing season, most of the gardening takes place over the summer when some students are not in town.

Recently, they have grown into an established community allowing people to connect over sustainable practices.

Fossil Free NAU is another student-led campaign that has seen positive development in recent years. FFNAU’s goal is to create a future free of fossil fuel emissions that pollute the air.

Kim Curtis founded the club in partnership with Fossil Free Arizona. FFNAU collaborates with students minoring in community engagement to offer the opportunity to practice collaborative skills related to community involvement and sustainability practices.

By hosting weekly meetings, members of the club have worked to create a space for students to educate themselves on the climate crisis. As a club, FFNAU has also attended city council meetings and participated in protests together, urging the community to take a stand against actions that increase air pollution.

FFNAU member Alyson Horton said she hopes to spread her passion for the environment to the community through sustainability.

“A year ago, there were only four members in FFNAU and we struggled organizing,” Horton said. “Now, there are 12 to 15 members at our weekly meetings who are working hard to make a change in our community. We focus on building relationships with our community members which has helped our overall growth as an organization.”

Members of FFNAU have advocated for the NAU Foundation to divest from the fossil fuel industry. The club has reached out to the Board and the office of President José Luis Cruz Rivera to attempt to make this change.

Moreover, FFNAU works with other sustainable groups and organizations to bring awareness to the impacts of climate change.

“We will be focusing more on outreach and gaining support,” Horton said. “Thanks to the efforts of other community members and Ph.D. students, we don’t have to focus on the gritty financial details as much. We also hope to put on divestment teach-ins and informational workshops while continuously collaborating with other NAU clubs.”

By working together, these environmental groups are leveraging their collective power. As they continue to grow and expand their impact, Green Jacks, SSLUG and FFNAU are motivating students on campus to be aware of the effects of climate change.

Freshman Anastasiya Jonas waters a bed in the SSLUG garden on south campus, April 7. Chloe Legay | The Lumberjack

Freshman Maya Fritz and junior Estella Percarpio pose for a portrait at an informational table for Fossil Free NAU at the Open Air Market on the University Union pedway, April 12. Chloe Legay | The Lumberjack

SSLUG Coordinator Sarah Tabak waters a bed in the garden on south campus, April 7. Chloe Legay | The Lumberjack

Then & Now

Construction of the Science Building, later renamed Frier Hall, 1948. The Frier Building is now home to the geology department. Photo courtesy of Cline Library Archives

Vacant building that went on to become Old Main, 1898. Photo courtesy of Cline Library Archives

Campus life, 2001. Photo courtesy of Cline Library Archives

Graduate student Satya Kent laughs while sitting with friends in the north quad, April 14. Chloe Legay | The Lumberjack

Trees surround Old Main, the oldest building on Flagstaff mountain campus, April 14. Workers constructed Old Main in 1894, five years prior to the first classes at NAU, which was then called Northern Arizona Normal School. Chloe Legay | The Lumberjack

The geology building, formerly known as Frier Hall, resides on South Knoles Drive, April 14. Chloe Legay | The Lumberjack

An American elm, which the Coconino chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution planted in 1931, stands in north quad, April 14. A plaque in front of the tree states that in 2012, the tree was designated a Centennial Witness Tree, as it witnessed Arizona history during the 100 years prior. Chloe Legay | The Lumberjack

It is time to run from the grind — or rather, it has been for the last three seasons.

Damian Lillard just wrapped up his eleventh season in the NBA, posting career-high averages in points per game at 32.2, field goal percentage at 46.3% and free throws per game at 8.8. Add on a 71-point outburst and a three-point contest trophy and Lillard has had a career year.

However, basketball in the city of Portland is on the downturn.

The Portland Trail Blazers, the team he has been with since day one, failed to make any headway in the wild Western Conference, effectively wasting a spectacular season with the 6-foot-2-inch guard out of Weber State. The Blazers went 33-49, good for 13th place in the conference.

With seven games remaining in the season, Portland shut Damian, or "Dame", down for good, citing “right calf tightness” as the reason for doing so. The Blazers were also hit with the injury bug this season. Three of their top scorers behind Lillard – Anfernee Simons, Jusuf Nurkic and Jerami Grant all missed significant time.

Portland did not even make it to the Play-In Tournament, and they missed the playoffs for the second season in a row.

All things considered, Lillard has never won it all, or even gotten the chance to really compete for a title. The Portland management has built “around” Lillard, meaning quite literally the team simply acquires players for the sake of adding players. The Blazers' higher-

ups are willing to pay Dame the big bucks, but the rest of the money goes nowhere else in terms of building a competent roster.

There is some hope, one might say. Portland has some decent young talent in Simons and another guard, Shaedon Sharpe; but they need more than three good guards.

Now, more than ever, it is necessary Dame goes somewhere where he is actually appreciated and can contribute to a championship-winning team. However, there is a slight bump in that road.

He is on the Blazers’ books until 2027 when he will be owed a whopping $68 million. For anyone with an understanding of the current NBA market, acquiring him is virtually impossible.

There are a few teams that might try to get him: the Los Angeles Lakers, the Chicago Bulls and the Miami Heat, but the assets they would have to give may be too much for rings they may not get.

The Lakers are the most interesting option for Lillard to land, but it also has one of the worst rosters to try and acquire him. Los Angeles signed many of its players to cheap oneyear deals, and they have to match the $45 million Lillard will make next year.

It is safe to say this probably will not pan out unless the Lakers give away everything they have. If it works, they will have Lebron James, Anthony Davis and Lillard; an insane Big 3. That is about all they will have.

Lillard won championships in L.A., but at what cost? He has been a Portland mainstay for the last 11 years, but if winning is what he wants, he seriously needs to leave “Rip City.”

THE FACE OF CHAMPIONS

NOAH BUTLER

SPORTS EDITOR

Golf: Ellena Slater - Earned

honors in

Big Sky. Aleksandra Chekalina and Lizzie Neale - Earned second team All-Conference honors in the Big Sky. Lorel Hayward - Earned All-Conference honorable mention.

Track and Field: Kenya Coburn, Alyssa Colbert, LiNay Perry, Kyairra Reigh - Broke school and Big Sky conference record for 4x100-meter relay with time of 44.72 seconds.

Top left: Sophomore Piotr Galus jumps to return the ball during a Big Sky Conference tennis match against Sacramento State at the Tennis Center, April 6. Top right: Junior Dominik Buzonics celebrates his first round victory during a Big Sky Conference tennis match against Sacramento State at the Tennis Center, April 6. Gwen Costello | The Lumberjack

Bottom left: Junior Ava Neyestani watches the ball as she prepares her return during a Big Sky Conference tennis match against Montana State University at the Tennis Center, March 31. Bottom right: Junior Ana Karen Guadiana Campos cheers after scoring a point during a Big Sky Conference tennis match against Montana State University at the Tennis Center, March 31. John Chaides | The Lumberjack

High Altitude Roller Derby, fostering opportunity

The Flagstaff roller derby scene may not have the largest following, but it is one of the most exciting events in town.

Flagstaff’s roller derby league, High Altitude Roller Derby (HARD), has been around since 2012. The league had solid footing in the community for many years until the pandemic forced it to a standstill. Recently, however, HARD has come back stronger with a community that refuses to see local roller derby die.

The sport of roller derby has existed for more than a century. Its roots are from the early 19th century, when organized endurance races were held on flat and banked tracks. Eventually, roller derby transformed in the 1930s and became the high-intensity contact sport that is known today. In Flagstaff, and all across the country, the sport has become an outlet for individuals to express themselves.

What makes roller derby unique is that it is a sport for everyone. “We love everybody,” is the message that the roller derby master of ceremonies, Shawna Ritter — Honey Guns — preached over the loudspeakers.

There is no place for discrimination in the world of roller derby. The passion and acceptance can be felt as soon as visitors enter the arena. People from all backgrounds and ages come together for an event that feels more in tune with a family gathering than it does a clash between teams. However, that is not to undersell what occurs once the stands are full and the teams are ready to skate.

The bout, as it is referred to, consists of two 30-minute halves, separated by a 15-minute halftime. Each team has five players on the track at a time, and players can be suspended for minutes at a time similar to hockey. Instead of a penalty box, there is a “naughty box,” where offending players must sit until their penalty time is over.

The action is condensed into two-minute periods called jams. Each jam begins with either team’s jammer behind the pack of defenders. When the whistle blows, it is the goal of the jammer to fight past the pack and round the track as many times as possible to score before the period is over.

The jam is where the real action begins.

A jammer pushing through the pack is reminiscent of a running back plowing through a defensive line. In many ways, however, it takes more skill. Not only does the jammer have to push through a pack full of defenders determined to put them on their back, but they also have to stay agile on a pair of roller skates that do not allow for much lateral maneuverability.

The only way is forward, and many fall before any progress is made. Still, even after all the hard hits and tumbles to the ground, the smiles outweigh the bruises.

When the bout is over, the encouragement and praise for players is not yet finished. All the people involved in the roller derby are appreciated by the players and staff. By the end of the event, everything that goes into making the roller derby a fun and inclusive experience gets recognized.

Honey Guns was a player for five years, and took on a new responsibility as the announcing voice for home HARD bouts. Ritter also coaches newer players, some of which have never put on skates or played a sport of any kind.

“The new girls are my absolute passion and they pull on my heartstrings,” Ritter said.

The “fresh meat” players — newcomers to the program who learn to skate and play roller derby — are what Ritter now lives for.

“There is something really exciting about watching a girl who is not athletic, be scared and get hit, fall down and get up, they have this face … it’s like, ‘I survived,’” Ritter said.

It is a facing-your-fears type of moment for some, but necessary for players to realize they have greater potential.

“Or when they put the hit on somebody, knock somebody down for the first time, and they’re like … ‘I’m alive, I did that,’” Ritter said.

Freshman Marisa Liuzzo, aka Hugs ‘n Stitches, is a lifelong roller derby player. Liuzzo has been playing since the age of 10 when she competed in Phoenix. Now, she is a part of four different leagues, three in Arizona including HARD and one based in Maryland which Liuzzo travels with.

“It’s the best thing that could have happened to 10-year-old me,” Liuzzo said.

Liuzzo has a passion for roller derby that is reciprocated by everyone involved with HARD. Now, the goal for her is to create a club at NAU for those who want to test their skills on skates.

Liuzzo’s vision follows the same model so much of roller derby keeps close to heart — learning and inclusion. NAU’s new roller derby club would include derby bouts, but it would

also create a space where derby veterans and newcomers alike could come together and form a community.

“I just want people to have fun and try new things in a safe space that’s not so intimidating,” Liuzzo said.

She said she also wants to offer outreach for anyone who wants to learn to skate and hold camps for those who want to learn the game of roller derby. Theme nights are also a part of the vision. Such as disco nights that bring back the classic feel of the roller rink.

Through outreach and camps, HARD will teach newcomers about the varying rules of roller derby. There are seven different rule sets in the United States, depending on where bouts are played. HARD operates under Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) rules and regulations. Other sets include the Men’s Roller Derby Association, Roller Derby Coalition of Leagues, USA Roller Sports (USARS), Modern Athletic Derby Endeavor, short track and Junior Roller Derby Association (JRDA)

Variations of the rules can make it difficult for players to adjust when traveling. USARS is one of the industry standards because of its relationship to the Olympic derby, but unless players decide to travel, there is not much exposure to USARS rules in Flagstaff. Liuzzo’s vision includes holding clinics to specifically teach USARS rules to those who may not be familiar.

The presence of a roller skate club may potentially help HARD continue to grow as well. It could provide a chance for both the club and HARD to use the University Union Fieldhouse as a more temporary location for home bouts.

NAU Skate Club used the fieldhouse for an event with KJACK Radio on March 25 that included live music and food. This gave some members of the future roller derby club hope that they too could take advantage of the venue’s expansive floor space.

The biggest challenge in keeping roller derby together has been finding an available space. Flagstaff has no indoor facilities capable of accommodating sanctioned derby bouts, other than the University Union Fieldhouse. Up to now, HARD has not been able to secure the space on campus.

Currently, league bouts and practices are held at the Flagstaff Junior Academy. The league rents the school’s gym and installs its own track every time they use the space — twice a week for practices plus games.

The track is a combination of cord and painter’s tape. An ethernet like cord is laid on the ground and covered with the tape, forming a small boundary so skaters are aware of the edge. Approximately three rolls of tape are used, if not more, to create the temporary track. Volunteers with large tape rollers spend 30 to 45 minutes laying down the markings. The temporary track works in the interim, but the lack of a larger space — specifically for roller derby — limits how much the league can grow.

WFTDA regulations state track boundaries must be marked by a raised boundary at least one quarter inch high and no more than half an inch in height. The track boundary line width must also be at least 1.5 inches and no greater than three inches wide. An area of 10 feet outside the track is also required to have sanctioned bouts.

These regulations make it difficult for HARD to hold sanctioned bouts within the facilities that Flagstaff has available.

If HARD were able to share the space at the fieldhouse, the league could host sanctioned events, and bouts could count toward national point totals. Additionally, HARD could get the chance to receive more national recognition and find its footing within the Flagstaff community.

Another challenge the roller derby is facing is funding. HARD is skater-run, meaning league members are responsible for keeping the league afloat financially. To help fund the league, each member pays a monthly fee. HARD also receives revenue from sponsorships and bout tickets. However, most of the profit goes toward renting track space and supplying materials.

For every challenge the league faces, there is a silver lining.

The community that surrounds roller derby has no lack of excitement or support. The idea of resilience is prevalent, not just within bouts, but within the people who have built HARD into what it is today. The league would not exist without the skaters who put immense amounts of effort into the game.

Hugs n’ Stitches, Bloody Bridget, Sun-plow-her, Glitter Bomb, Gnarly Quinn, Kate Smush, Mini-Fridge, Vivien Slaya and so many more help create an environment with no room for animosity. If there is any residual stigma surrounding roller derby, the members of HARD are working to erase it.

NATHAN ECKER

Left: Blockers One Destruction (1D), Mini Fridge (32) and Swamp (73) talk strategy during the High Altitude Roller Derby Bout at Flagstaff Junior Academy, March 25. Right: The audience follow tradition by congratulating players during the High Altitude Roller Derby Bout at Flagstaff Junior Academy, March 25. Gwen Costello | The Lumberjack

Left: Lead jammer Kate Smush (45) throws her hands to her hip to end the round during the High Altitude Roller Derby Bout at Flagstaff Junior Academy, March 25. Right: The pack works to defend opponents during the High Altitude Roller Derby Bout at Flagstaff Junior Academy, March 25. Gwen Costello | The Lumberjack

Forts of our labor: Oakland’s rise

“Jalen Cone wrapped up, Fort for the win … GOT IT! And the one seed is one and done!”

That was Tony Parks’ ESPN+ call of Oakland Fort’s stunning 38-foot game-winner over Eastern Washington on March 5th.

The true freshman guard’s shot will go down as a career highlight, but it is only the beginning of his ascendance to become a Lumberjack household name.

To get to the shot, Fort and the entire team had to put in the work to get themselves within striking distance of the Eagles. Eastern Washington led by five points with less than one minute to go, in a prime position to take fouls and essentially end the game.

The Lumberjacks did not back down and played their hearts out. With just a touch of luck and some defensive stops, there were eight seconds left and barely enough time to take one more shot.

Queue Fort.

In a state of pure ecstasy, the entire bench swarmed him and he celebrated as if he was shivering, alluding to the “cold” shot he had just sunk.

In the locker room, his mentor, junior guard Cone, embraced him in a hug of brotherly love.

The rise

To see the development of Fort, we have to go all the way back to his sophomore year at Sunnyslope High School, or the beginning of his relationship with NAU Head Coach Shane Burcar.

“Oakland has been the longest courtship of my life, two and a half years,” Burcar said. “I offered him as a sophomore, as an interim [coach]. I say with Oak, he’s opened up Interstate 17, the highway between Flagstaff and Phoenix.”

This is to say that recruiting in Arizona has opened up after the Lumberjacks were able to snag Fort.

Fort improved every year of high school. He brought his point-per-game average from eight in his freshman year to 17 by the end of his senior year. His team improved every year as well, going from a 13-5 record his freshman year to an undefeated 16-0 season in his last.

Rome was not built in a day, and neither was Fort’s success. All the team’s work in the offseason began with Burcar’s ideology of getting the team together first and then focusing on game-time preparation.

It helped that the team bought into Burcar’s ideology, because only then could they truly lock in.

“We work on our game-winning situations, or ‘winning time,’ in June and July when we have our eight weeks, but we didn’t do that this year,” Burcar said. “We just wanted to build the team chemistry and get them comfortable for August.”

The team looked comfortable and locked in come tournament time.

Oakland, in particular, was a big name Burcar touted at the beginning of the season, alongside other new team members — like Xavier Fuller, a transfer graduate student guard, and sophomore Trent McLaughlin — and fellow freshman forward Jack Wistrcill.

Burcar wanted Fort to thrive in the NAU system, and conveniently, there was already a guard of similar stature and frame to act as a mentor. That would be Cone, who is only an inch taller than the 5’10 Fort.

It helps that Cone is also the focal point of the NAU offense as its star player: So many of the plays are already based around a shorter guard. As a team leader, Cone said he was excited for the opportunity to coach a teammate to succeed.

“Being able to take him under my wing and help me out a bit, I think he’s going to have a big year for us,” Cone said in a season preview.

He was absolutely correct, although it took a while to see Fort’s immediate impact.

In the first game of the season against Big Ten school Michigan State, Fort only posted one point and one rebound, but the potential was there. He showed flashes of being able to attack the glass and the paint.

He only played six minutes in the Lumberjacks’ next game against ASU, but he scored two points this time. Things were looking up.

In the third game, he broke double-digit scoring — 12 points, to be exact — in a fourpoint loss to the Utah Valley Wolverines.

His breakout game came against NAIA school Benedictine Mesa, where he dropped a career-high 15 points. This total was only matched by the playoff performance against Eastern Washington. Each game he played led to more growth, another topic that Burcar talked about all season.

“He’s been consistent all year, and sometimes the stats don’t reflect that,” Burcar said. “I think Oakland has built that confidence to make big shots all season long.”

For the rest of the season, Fort continued to be a backup rotational piece, averaging five points per game. However, things changed drastically as the postseason loomed.

His teammates saw his “arrival” coming from a mile away.

“Oak works hard too,” Fuller said. “That three wasn’t lucky.”

The arrival

The learning and training Fort did in the regular season came to fruition at the exact time the Lumberjacks needed him to step up.

NAU came into the Big Sky Conference basketball tournament as the No. 9 seed, the second lowest in the tournament. As such, the Lumberjacks had to go through the No. 10-seeded Idaho Vandals, who fired its head coach right after the end of the regular season.

The Vandals only won two of its last 11 games to end the season and were on a fourgame losing streak coming into the tournament, which boded well for the NAU squad that was on the losing side of luck most of the season.

The Lumberjacks had five players, including Fort, score in double figures en route to the 87-76 win. Fort set a season-high for three-pointers made in a game with three and scored a total of 13 points off the bench.

Idaho’s Interim Head Coach Tim Marrion said he was surprised with the way Fort shot the ball, so much so that it interrupted his defensive game plan.

“I think he had hit four threes in conference play, and we go on synergy, we look at the numbers, and he was 2-12 from three on the season off the bounce,” Marrion said. “And wouldn’t you know it, we go under and bang bang bang, three threes?”

Fort shot 5-6 from the field in only 14 minutes and proved he could be a dangerous offensive option.

After booting the Vandals out of the playoffs, NAU was faced with a much taller task, the No. 1-seeded Eastern Washington Eagles. Simply put, the Eagles dominated the Big Sky regular season, going 16-2 behind the hot hand of senior guard Steele Venters.

The Lumberjacks were not fazed by the prowess of the Eagles; and behind yet another stellar shooting performance by Fort, the team hung on until the very end.

It was then that the “play” happened.

Eastern Washington had the clamps on Cone all game long and forced him to take bad shots. He was double-teamed on the last play of the game and had to move the ball somewhere to avoid NAU’s second straight tournament loss to the Eagles.

One quick flip and Fort changed the Lumberjack’s season trajectory.

He played only 14 minutes, yet again, but went 6-8 from the field with a career-high 15 points.

As for the shot, Fort said he had no doubt he could make it.

“I’ve been consistent with my work, and I’ve been consistent every day, along with my other teammates, so I just feel like consistency is the biggest thing and it’s coming to fruition at the right time,” Fort said.

All the hard work and strife NAU dealt with this season climaxed in the Eastern Washington game, but the job did not end there; there were still two more games to be played.

They ended up being against the “Montana Gauntlet,” Montana and Montana State, in back-to-back games.

Fort had very little impact in the win against the Grizzlies, only putting up two points. In the championship game, however, he added 14 points in a playoff-high with 17 minutes of playtime.

Fort’s scoring ability will have to be even more prominent next season due to the departures of Cone, who entered the transfer portal in late March, and Fuller, who graduates this spring.

Based on this late-season turnaround, Fort has the capability to establish himself as a star NAU guard, and the assistance of Carson Towt will factor a lot into Fort’s growth.

NOAH BUTLER

Photo courtesy of Sacramento State Athletics

Photo courtesy of NAU Athletics

Let the Bayou Barbie be

MONTY GANTT WRITER

On April 2, the Tigers of Louisiana State University captured the school’s first ever national championship in men’s or women’s basketball. LSU, led by Head Coach Kim Mulkey and Final Four Most Outstanding Player Angel Reese, defeated the University of Iowa 102-85. The Hawkeyes were led to the title game thanks to record-breaking performances by national player of the year Caitlin Clark. But in the days following the game, nobody wanted to talk about Kim Mulkey standing alone as the coach with the third most titles in NCAA women’s basketball history, behind Geno Auriemma and the late Pat Summit, respectively. Nobody wanted to talk about the stellar first half shooting that put LSU in the driver’s seat to take the national title. Nobody wanted to talk about the fact that the game was the most watched in the history of women’s college basketball.

Everyone wanted to talk about Angel Reese.

With under a minute to go in the game, and the score seemingly out of reach of Iowa to mount a comeback, Reese pointed at her ring finger while looking at Clark. She also hit the Iowa star with John Cena’s, and originally G-Unit rapper Tony Yayo’s “you can’t see me” taunt. This drew the ire of many people who decided to voice their displeasure with Reese’s taunting of Clark.

While a lot of opinions on this topic over those few days made me roll my eyes, the reason why I have decided to write this Weekly Take can be attributed to Barstool President Dave Portnoy’s tweet on how he felt about Reese’s behavior toward the end of the game: a tweet in which the 46-year-old Portnoy called the 20-year-old Reese a “classless piece of sh*t.”

Keith Olbermann, a former anchor for ESPN and a man 43 years older than Reese, also chimed in calling the LSU player a “f–ing idiot.”

What Portnoy, Olbermann and people who share similar feelings failed to do is direct that exact same discourse towards Clark when she did the exact same gesture in Iowa’s Sweet Sixteen showdown with Louisville. They were also very silent when, in the same game, Clark was caught on camera telling Louisville star Hailey Van Lith, “You’re down 15 points, shut up” as the Cardinals trailed late.

In Iowa’s Final Four matchup against South Carolina, Clark also waved her hand dismissively while guarding the Gamecocks’ Raven Johnson, who was at the top of the three-point line. A display that LSU guard Alexis Morris stated she found “disrespectful.”

I’m not here to critique Caitlin Clark’s methods on gaining a mental edge on her opponent. I personally love trash talking in sports. My rule has always been if it isn’t personal, you should talk all you want. The issue here is the response to Reese returning the favor.

Let’s be honest. The majority of people have an issue with her acting the way she did because of two things: She’s Black and a woman.

Let’s break down that first part. Angel Reese spoke about the criticism she’s faced about

the way she plays in her press conference after the championship game.

“All year, I was critiqued about who I was," Reese said. "I don’t fit the narrative, I don’t fit the box that y’all want me to be in. I’m too hood. I’m too ghetto. Y’all told me that all year. But when other people do it, y’all don’t say nothing. So, this is for the girls that look like me that want to speak up for what they believe in.”

Shannon Sharpe, host of ‘Undisputed’ alongside Skip Bayless, put it so eloquently when discussing the discourse the day after the game.

“This is about the portrayal of how we see it two different ways: 48 hours ago when Caitlin Clark did the John Cena, it was considered swag." Sharpe said."When Angel Reese does the exact same gesture, it’s ‘classless.’”

This double standard isn’t limited to basketball. Take a minute and think about how many times a white quarterback caught yelling at their sideline was referred to as ‘passionate,’ while a Black player in the same position has his character questioned.

When a white athlete is physical in their play, they’re scrappy or hard nosed, while a physical Black athlete is accused of being dirty or thuggish.

Or think about the amount of times the late, great Florence Griffith-Joyner was subjected to allegations of doping to enhance her performance. The issue is Black athletes are constantly under a microscope, which brings me to the second part of Angel Reese’s core identity: She’s a woman.

Men in sports are praised for their high-intensity level of trash talk. Plain and simple. Larry Bird, Michael Jordan and Philip Rivers were amongst the elite levels of trash talkers in sports history. When men talk trash, it makes the game more intense. When women do it, it’s not attractive.

I never understood the obsession with policing women’s sports. A point that enforces the very ignorant opinion that nobody watches women’s sports is that they lack personalities. So when personalities come along, why does society like to shut them down as much as possible?

These female athletes come from the same states, cities and parks as the male ones. Trash talking is a part of sports. It’s a sign of competition. This is the reason that Caitlin Clark herself defended Reese in an interview with ESPN “I’m just one that competes, and she competed,"Clark said. "I think everybody knew there was going to be a little trash talk in the entire tournament. It’s not just me and Angel,”

Female athletes are just like their male counterparts: intense, competitive and willing to leave it all out there on their field of play to get a win. How they express that drive and will should be celebrated. It’s bringing more eyes to their sports and allows us to see a side of them that has been discouraged for a long time.

Let women be competitive. Let women talk trash. Let women be intense. If they’re not hurting anyone, just let women be, period.

Keep being you, Angel. The culture loves you, Bayou Barbie.

NAU sports media: growing the brand

The San Francisco Peaks tower over northern Arizona and reach 12,633 feet high at its tallest point. The snow-capped mountains can be seen as far as 60 miles away — if you’re standing in the right place.

The mountains birth clouds that travel over sacred Navajo and Hopi lands and provide rain to the otherwise arid landscape. Their magnificence on the horizon has attracted attention for centuries and produced opportunities for individuals to lose themselves in the ponderosa pines and underneath the vibrant, starry skies.

NAU will take advantage of the state’s natural beauty with the introduction of the Sports and Adventure Media program in fall 2023.

The program will provide students the opportunity to gain hands-on experience across various media platforms while covering adventure sports, such as mountain biking, climbing, backpacking and snowboarding in addition to traditional sports, like football and basketball.

Rory Faust, a professor at NAU and director of sports media, is responsible for the creation of the program.

“There’s nothing west of the Mississippi like this,” Faust said.

The program will be one of a handful of sports and adventure media programs offered across the country. One of the few is at the University of West Virginia. West Virginia’s program was one of the first of its kind and inspired NAU's.

The vision at NAU has been growing since 2010 when Faust was hired full-time. Faust, who had a career as a sports writer, was brought on to teach a sports journalism class. The class was taught every fall and covered in-depth writing in sports media topics.

Then in 2014, Faust suggested converging all sports media inside the Media Innovation Center (MIC). Before, students were subject to one medium at a time. The Lumberjack, KJACK Radio and NAU-TV were separate entities that students could enroll in to cover sports, but there was not much overlap. Students chose between writing stories for the newspaper, going live on the radio or becoming an on-screen sports reporter with NAU-TV.

The converged sports class allowed students to become immersed and get comfortable covering sports from multiple angles. Instead of being subjected to a single medium, students were able to explore sports through every platform. Though there was no formal program for students to enroll in, they could still enroll in undergraduate programs such as journalism or photography with no emphasis on sports.

It was not until after the pandemic that Faust was able to receive the support needed from the School of Communication and the Office of the Provost for a proper program and began laying the foundation in spring 2022. They gave formal approval at the beginning of the spring 2023 semester.

NAU media has always covered traditional sports for the university’s Division I teams and Flagstaff high schools, but now coverage will expand, appealing to those who come to northern Arizona specifically for outdoor engagement.

“What we kept coming back to is we are in this amazing geographical area with all these outdoor opportunities,” Faust said. “It was only natural for us to incorporate that outdoor adventure element into this new sports media program that we’ve built.”

It is an opportunity for NAU to separate from other programs and set a unique precedent for what can be covered at the university level. Brian Rackham, director of the MIC, said the program is a great move for the journalism

department and will complement the MIC’s other divisions.

“It’s something that we can do uniquely here in Flagstaff because we have an excellent environment and such great outdoor spaces, so combining sports and outdoor media are a natural fit,” Rackham said.

A formal program at NAU also creates further opportunities for nationwide recognition. Even without a formal program, Faust and others had success building a collegiate sports media enterprise that rivals those across the country. This is mostly because of the opportunities created by Faust that have been presented to students pursuing sports media.

Recently, a group of students covered Super Bowl LVII in Phoenix. Students also covered the Fiesta Bowl in Phoenix, the men and women’s basketball Big Sky Championships in Boise, Idaho, multiple NASCAR Cup Series events and MLB Spring Training in Arizona.

Now that NAU can market a formal sports media program, Faust and Rackham both said they hope more of the community will recognize what is possible at NAU and notice the windows that can open for students who want to pursue sports media careers.

Without a formal program, NAU has had success creating content that is recognized on a national level.

NAU was ranked 13th in sports programs by the Broadcast Education Association in 2022 and 32nd for overall media programs. NAU also received an honorable mention from the SportsCasters Talent Agency of America in its 2022 ranking of the top 20 sports broadcasting

schools

The Sports and Adventure Media program will also provide NAU with a diverse portfolio of community-based opportunities. There is already an urge from students in the MIC to tell more of the stories that are unique to Flagstaff, but now there will be more leeway for those covering local sports news.

Sophomore Ava Nichols, sports director at NAZ Today, said she is excited about the new opportunities to promote the outdoors.

“Meeting more people and telling more stories is our job, and it’s what we love to do, so it just allows us to do more of that,” Nichols said. “It will grow how our program connects to the community because, for instance, there’s a large climbing community in Flagstaff, and now, maybe we cover them and for once, they feel like they get to share their sport and share their stories.”

For Nichols and other journalism students, the chance to connect to Flagstaff beyond the university sports environment means more opportunities to tell untold stories and provide insight into how the mountain-side community flourishes through sun and snow.

The new program shows a commitment by NAU to expand upon the success that the current assembly of sports media personnel has created in a short period. NAU’s MIC is small now in comparison to other collegiate programs, though the current generation of sports media students is paving a path for anyone who wants to tell immersive stories about any sport in any arena.

NATHAN ECKER

MIC students discuss sports reporting with NAU-TV general manager Mitch Strohman during a workshop, April 10.

Photo courtesy of Rory Faust