The Lumberjack -- November 10

Northern Arizona University’s student voice since 1914

NAU loses Homecoming game against Montana State, 41-38

The Lumberjacks fell to the Montana State Bobcats on Homecoming, 4138, after a game-winning field goal by sophomore kicker Blake Gessner. After a week of festivities for the Lumberjacks, high hopes were set for the football team’s impending homecoming game against the No. 2-ranked Montana State Bobcats. In the teams’ last matchup, the Bobcats came out on top, 49-31, in Bozeman.

The Lumberjacks’ last game was a much-needed win against Idaho State, 2410; the NAU squad gave up a season-high 56 points the week before.

Montana State became the No. 2-ranked team in the FCS after beating Top 10 opponent Weber State last week, 43-38.

The Bobcats won the coin toss and elected to defer the kick to the second half, meaning the Lumberjacks would receive the kickoff. This proved to be the right call, because the first play for NAU ended in an immediate turnover.

On the first play from scrimage,The Bobcats’ sophomore defensive end Brody Grebe lit up sophomore quarterback RJ Martinez and caused him to fumble the ball. Junior defensive end Ben Seymour recovered the fumble and set Montana State for an immediate redzone possession.

The Bobcats only took four plays to get into the endzone; senior fullback R.J. Fitzgerald pushed his way through NAU’s defensive line for the touchdown. Glessner drilled the extra point to make it 7-0 Montana State only two minutes into the game.

Defense turning into offense was a big factor early in the game for the Bob cats. In the first quarter alone, the Lumberjacks coughed up two fumbles, both of which were recovered by Montana State.

NAU was unable to find a rhythm in the first quarter, and as a result, their defense was out on the field a considerable amount.

Ringing in Homecoming with carnival in the cold

MONTY GANTT

NAU kicked off the annual homecoming weekend on Nov. 4 with the 2022 Homecoming Carnival at the University Union Fieldhouse parking lot, a brand new location for the festivities after last year’s carnival was hosted on the union’s pedway. This was also the university’s second carnival to be hosted since the event was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The night was filled with activities to help NAU students ring in another year of celebrating the past, appreciating the present and welcoming the future.

As with any carnival, highlights of the evening included the rides. Many classic contraptions could be seen throughout the east side of the union, as well as the extremely long lines to get a chance to indulge in the thrill.

There was the pendulum-like structure with an Egyptian theme known as Pharaoh’s Fury, Zero Gravity — a whirlwind mechanism guaranteed to induce dizziness — and the Ring of Fire, which treats its occupants like hands on a clock, rapidly rotating them in circles both clockwise and counterclockwise.

There was also the confusing Mirror Maze, for which the description of the attraction lies within its title. Also present was a ride that could arguably take the title of most famous, the oh-so-classic Ferris wheel. A multitude of people also were in line for the Zipper, a ride that is similar to the Ring of Fire except those on

the ride are confined in cages as opposed to traditional roller coaster buckling.

Freshmen Body Neff and Samuel Van Nuys were among the many in line for Zero Gravity with their friends Jillian Simpson and Jenna Hamm, both freshmen as well. Zero Gravity was one of the few rides that laid claim to having the longest line. When the on switch is flipped to signal that the ride is ready to begin, it’s easy to see why so many people were willing to wait in the cruel cold to get a chance to experience the thrill it provided. While Van Nuys and Neff were looking to put a little bit of that thrill in their evening fun, Simpson and Hamm were simply looking to have their fun while avoiding the structure.

“The few of us that do want to go on it are outvoting those who don’t want to go on it,” Neff said.

Van Nuys also echoed Neff’s encouragement towards Hamm and Simpson. Van Nuys said that he, Hamm and Simpson didn’t want to initially go on the ride, they changed their minds because of the potential it had to be fun.

“I’d honestly rather die, but I’m here now,” Hamm said with a laugh.

Another commonality of any carnival is the food. On-campus dining staple Where’s the Food Truck provided attendees with free barbecue dishes such as pulled pork sandwiches and barbecue chicken.

Students ride Pharaoh’s Fury at NAU’s annual homecoming carnival Friday evening in the University Union Fieldhouse parking lot, Nov. 4.

Victoria Medina | The Lumberjack

Sophomore running back Draycen Hall (26) jumps to catch the ball during the third quarter against Montana State University on Findlay Toyota Field, Nov. 5. Mallory Derrick | The Lumberjack

NAU goes up against Montana State University on Findlay Toyota Field for NAU’s homecoming game Saturday, Nov. 5. Victoria Medina | The Lumberjack

NOAH BUTLER

BRISA KAROW ASSISTANT

NAU

The Lumberjack staff consists of the hardest-working people I know. While many people will say that about their clubs, jobs, family members and friends, I truly believe the people I work alongside in the Media Innovation Center (MIC) are some of the best.

Their bright minds and assorted personalities are contagious, and I have caught their bug.

I joined The Lumberjack staff as a writer, hoping to enjoy the art of journalism, but I found so much more: companionship from our entertaining staff, a passion for creativity and an intrigue into the community we report on.

My involvement in the Flagstaff community has only grown, and I hope to never stop the hard work journalism requires.

The newspaper is my livelihood, and I think I can speak for the rest of the Editorial Board when I say the same for them. You can find the majority of us in the MIC any time of the week, and while we live and breathe in that building, I could not be more content. Working late nights and weekends, we make sure the news we produce is accurate and our best possible work.

Some may say journalism is dying, or our profession has a falling standard, but the content our staff produces is a direct reflection of our pride.

And our group has a whole lot of pride.

I cannot thank our staff enough for the past year, and while a new semester will bring change, I know our staff can tackle anything and keep our integrity intact along the way.

Thank you for reading!

EXECUTIVE BOARD

Camille Sipple, Editor-in-Chief

Brenden Martin, Managing Editor

Emily Gerdes, Director of Digital Content

Marley Green, Copy Editor

Lian Muneno, Director of Print Design

Lydia Nelson, Director of Marketing

EDITORIAL STAFF

Daisy Johnston, News Editor

Sophia Swainson, Assistant News Editor

Jorja Heinkel, Online News Editor

Xavier Juarez, Assistant Online News Editor

William Combs III, Senior Reporter

Jessie McCann, Opinion Editor

Maria Rodriguez, Assistant Opinion Editor

Hannah Elsmore, Features Editor

Brisa Karow, Assistant Features Editor

Emily Rehling, Culture Editor

Emma Long, Assistant Culture Editor

Evan McNelia, Sports Editor

Noah Butler, Assistant Sports Editor

CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS

VISUALS

Jonah Graham, Director of Photography

Rainee Favela, Director of Illustration

Collin Vanderwerf, Director of Multimedia

Taylor McCormick, Assistant Director of Photography

Tess Bandstra, Assistant Director of Print Design

Jacob Handley, Senior Photographer

Octavia Freeland, Senior Photographer

Amirah Rogers, Director of Social Media

FACULTY ADVISERS

David Harpster, Faculty Adviser

Rory Faust, Sports Adviser

Issue 9 of The Lumberjack mistakenly listed a front page illustration under the name Emily Delabarra. The illustrator receiving credit should be Alexis Beaman.

The Lumberjack is committed to factual correctness and accuracy. If you find an error in our publication, please email Camille Sipple at

4 ASNAU Carnival @ Union Pedway

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21 Chosen Family Diner @ IMQ Center

22 NAU Jazz Big Bands Concert @ Kitt Recital Hall

16 Film Screening: Portrait de la jeune fille en feu (Portrait of a Lady on Fire) @ Liberal Arts 136

10 Prochnow Movie Weekend: Twilight Breaking Dawn

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Prochnow Movie: Everything, Everywhere, All At Once

23 24 Thanksgiving

18 Louie’s Cupboard Food Distribution @ University Union

25 Slack Friday @ Downtown Flagstaff

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19 NAU Football vs. Weber State @ Walkup Skydome

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28 Jake Shimubukuro @ The Orpheum Theater

29 NAU Jazz Combos Concert @ Kitt Recital Hall

30 Film Screening: La Yuma @ Liberal Arts 136

Photo by Collin Vanderwerf Northern Arizona University sits at the base of the San Francisco Peaks, on homelands sacred to Native Americans throughout the region. We honor their past, present, and future generations, who have lived here for millennia and will forever call this place home.

COMPILED BY TESS BANDSTRA

Oct. 30

March 11

was a non-student and was arrested for trespassing.

First snow of season Wind, rain and snow

covered Flagstaff Nov. 3 as locals enjoyed winter

weather

At 1:09 a.m., a student reported an unconscious subject at McConnell Hall. It is unknown whether the subject had campus affiliation. NAUPD responded and the subject was transported to Flagstaff Medical Center (FMC).

March 7

At 8:56 a.m., a student requested assistance outside McKay Village after falling on ice. NAUPD, Flagstaff Fire Department (FFD) and Guardian Medical Transport (GMT) responded. The student was transported to Flag staff Medical Center (FMC).

At 1:58 a.m., a student reported an intoxicated subject at Hilltop Townhomes. The intoxicated subject was a student and refused medical transport. The student was deferred for minor in consumption.

At 12:54 p.m., a RA reported a “Mc Connell Hall” sign had been taken. NAUPD responded and later de termined the sign had already been found.

At 8:29 p.m., a Drury Inn & Suites staff member reported a male non-student asking for clothing. Offi cers responded and no criminal activ ity was witnessed.

At 3:17 p.m., a staff member called to report a weapons violation at Mountain View Hall. An officer responded and took a report.

March 12

for the first time this season

JORJA HEINKEL

At 12:04 a.m., a faculty member re quested a welfare check on a previous student. NAUPD was unable to con tact the subject and the requesting party was notified.

At 9:08 p.m., NAUPD received a supervisory alarm from Wilson Hall. The area was searched and the alarm was caused by burnt food.

Nov. 3

Flagstaff saw its first snowfall of the season late Nov. 3. A winter weather advisory from the Weather Channel confirmed four to eight inches of snowfall, peaking the afternoon of Nov. 3. The National Weather Service tweeted estimates of three to six inches. Rain was first expected to start in the evening and turn into snow by midnight.

The Weather Channel issued a wind advisory warning with southwest winds from 20 to 30 mph, and gusts as high as 50 mph until 8 p.m.

At 12:20 p.m., NAUPD reported assisting Flagstaff Police Department (FPD) with an off-campus robbery located at 1471 S Milton Road.

March 7

At 8:56 a.m., a student requested assistance outside McKay Village after falling on ice. NAUPD, Flagstaff Fire Department (FFD) and Guardian Medical Transport (GMT) responded. The student was transported to Flag staff Medical Center (FMC).

At 6:44 p.m., a student reported theft of personal property at Gabaldon Hall. NAUPD responded and took a report.

Oct. 31

At 12:54 p.m., a RA reported a “Mc Connell Hall” sign had been taken. NAUPD responded and later de termined the sign had already been found.

At 10:23 a.m., a student called to report a non-injury traffic collision at San Francisco Parking Garage. An officer responded and took a report.

At 10:27 p.m., a subject reported a Reilly Hall resident making suicidal statements. NAUPD responded, lo cated the student in good health and provided the student with a public assist ride to The Guidance Center.

At 11:24 a.m., a student called to report a suspicious person at W.A. Franke College of Business. NAUPD responded, one non-student was cleared after a field interview and left the area.

At 1:54 p.m., a non-student called to report a non-injury traffic collision at the San Francisco Parking Garage. An officer responded and took a report.

March 8

At 6:03 p.m., NAUPD received mul tiple fire alarm notifications coming from Mountain View Hall. NAUPD and FFD responded, the area was searched and determined the alarm was caused by a mechanical failure from a dryer. Fire Life Safety was no tified.

At 4:07 p.m., NAUPD received an alert of a fire alarm from an engineering lab. NAUPD responded, the area was searched and the cause of the alarm was found to be excess heat in the compressor room.

March 9

Nov. 1

At 12:20 p.m., an employee reported finding drugs in the University Union. NAUPD responded and entered the found drugs into evidence. A report was taken for information only.

At 7:49 a.m., NAUPD received a call from a Mountain View Hall elevator. The area was searched, and no criminal activity was witnessed.

At 7:02 p.m., a Campus Heights staff member reported having constipa tion. NAUPD, FFD and GMT re sponded and the staff member was transported to FMC.

At 11:02 a.m., a student called to report a non-injury traffic collision at the San Francisco Parking Garage. NAUPD responded and took a report.

At 4:20 p.m., a student walked into NAUPD to report the theft of headphones from the Wettaw building. NAUPD responded and took a report.

March 10

At 6:16 p.m., a student reported three vehicles stuck in the snow near the Skydome Practice Fields. NAUPD responded and assistance was provid ed. Facility Services was contacted to plow the roads and put cinders on the hill.

Nov. 2

At 8:32 a.m., FPD requested assistance off campus with the recovery of NAU property. NAUPD responded and took a report.

At 10:53 p.m., an Allen Hall RA reported a damaged ceiling tile. NAUPD responded and took a report.

At 11:23 a.m., a student reported being harassed at University Union and an officer responded. The harasser

At 7:30 a.m., a student reported an alarm in the Honors College. The alarm did not notify NAUPD and later an officer responded to investigate and reset the panel.

March 13

At 11:11 a.m., NAUPD reported observing a vehicle violation off cam pus. A citation was issued for driving without a valid license, no valid reg istration and proof of insurance. The vehicle was towed for a mandatory 20-day impound.

Slippery road conditions and low visibility were expected. Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) and the National Weather Service advised checking road conditions and driving with caution. Information on road closures is available on the ADOT website and Twitter.

The City of Flagstaff said in a press release snow equipment and operators will be running 24 hours a day during significant snow events. Parking on city streets or alleyways will be prohibited from midnight to 7 a.m. until April 1 in accordance with the city’s Winter Parking Ordinance.

March 14

At 4:57 p.m., a student called to report an injury at The Suites. NAUPD, FFD and Guardian Medical Transport (GMT) responded, and the student was transported to FMC.

At 6:58 p.m., a student reported a sus picious person in the area of lot 3C. NAUPD responded but no contact was made.

Street plowing priorities are main roads, major hills, downtown streets and transit routes for public and school buses. Vehicles parked on city streets and alleys with winter parking restrictions will be ticketed.

March 15

At 6:02 p.m., a McKay Village staff member called to report visible smoke. NAUPD and FFD responded and found the smoke was caused by a dirty oven. ]

At 4:26 p.m., a staff member report ed graffiti on a blue light phone near Knoles and McConnell DrivesAt 4:44

Nov. 4

At 8:09 a.m., an officer reported issuing a citation for an expired registration at Hilltop Townhomes. The driver had no drivers license in possession.

At 11:04 a.m., a student called 911 from the University Union to report an ill student. NAUPD, FFD and GMT responded. The student was transported to FMC.

At 7:26 p.m., an employee called to report a violation of code of conduct in Tinsley Hall. NAUPD responded and one student was transported to FMC for an illness.

Nov. 5

At 11:16 a.m., an officer reported assisting the Arizona Department of Liquor Licenses and Control at Lot 66 with a cite and release for liquor violation.

At 11:36 a.m., a non-student called to report a non-student with an illness at Drury Inn & Suites. The non-student declined medical assistance and left the area.

At 12:57 p.m., a student called to request a standby to keep the peace at Hilltop Townhomes. NAUPD responded and assistance was provided.

At 7:49 p.m., a student called to report finding a wallet at Tinsley Hall. The wallet was returned to the owner and a fake ID was taken for destruction.

Top: A snowman stands tall outside the Union, Nov. 3. Throughout the day snowmen popped up all over the campus. Bottom: Freshmen Jaidyn

Destefano Alai and Connor Morgan place eyes on a snowman near University Union and the bookstore, Nov. 3. John Chaides | The Lumberjack

Zani Cards & Gifts closes temporarily after fire

Six fire engines were sent to Zani Cards & Gifts Oct. 27 after smoke coming from the store was reported in Beaver Street Brewery. Presumably starting in the attic space above Zani, Flagstaff Fire Department (FFD) said the specific cause is still under investigation.

While the fire was extinguished before spreading severely to nearby businesses, significant damage was done to the inventory inside Zani. Co-owner Lizzy Simkins said it was devastating to see the work of local artists charred, tipped over or sopping wet.

Chris Fennell is the deputy chief of operations at FFD. Fennell said crews arrived Thursday to find smoke in the area and were directed to the roof of Zani, where they found material around a drain.

“The fire was spreading through the attic of Zani and going toward Biff’s Bagels,” Fennell said. “Multiple holes were cut in the roof of Zani to expose burning material under. Crews worked to expose attic space in Biff’s Bagels to check for any fire extension and ensure the fire was out.”

In addition to nearby businesses closing early, residents living in the apartments above Biff’s Bagels were evacuated and no person was harmed.

“The Red Cross worked to find housing for the residents living in the apartments above Biff’s Bagels,” Fennell said. “They were displaced due to the natural gas being shut off to the building and not having any way to heat the apartments.”

While Biff’s Bagels prepares

to reopen Nov. 7, Simkins said at Zani, they are taking it one day at a time because the amount of work is overwhelming.

Simkins and her partner Jeff Caylor bought Zani in 2016 after graduating from NAU. Zani was the first store to

sell art made by Caylor and Simkins, so before they bought the store, Simkins said it was already a special place for them.

Over the past two years, however, Simkins said they feel like the store cannot catch a break, having been

closed for COVID-19, a city project to rebuild infrastructure around the Rio de Flag and now a fire.

Simkins was getting ready for bed when her landlord told her about the fire.

“It happened only an hour after we closed, which is insane to think about,” Simkins said. “It’s not like you would have stopped it, but maybe you would have smelled it [or] it would have gotten done a little faster. But they still would have to tear out the roof, from my understanding.”

When firefighters located the fire in the attic above Zani, three-foot flames shot across the ceiling.

After the fire was extinguished, employees from Beaver Street Brewery stayed after hours to help clean up water damage to their own space.

“Us, we have everything cut, obviously we’re a mess in there,” Simkins said. “Biff’s is about to reopen soon, but they’re all in there scrubbing it down right now, like every square inch of it, they had some water damage and a little roof damage.”

For the stores in the surrounding area, Simkins said they all acknowledge the buildings are old and she feels supported by a community that understands unprecedented closures that are out of the owner’s control.

Moon Mandel sells their patches at Zani.

Mandel began selling handmade embroidery patches in 2020 on social media but it was not until Zani reached out to Mandel that they could first sell their patches in a store.

DAISY JOHNSTON

Top: The interior of Zani Cards & Gifts after it was caught fire, Nov. 1. Jacob Handley | The Lumberjack Bottom: Firefighters from the Flagstaff Fire Department respond to a fire above Zani, Oct. 27. Daisy Johnston | The Lumberjack

A Multiple Builders Inc. worker climbs down from the roof of Zani Cards & Gifts, which recently caught fire, Nov. 1. Jacob Handley | The Lumberjack

NAU hosts annual Eunson Awards

AVA HINIKER

The annual Robert R. Eunson Awards Ceremony was held Nov. 3 in the School of Communication building. Shelly Watkins, general manager of KNAU radio, was granted the alumni achievement award and journalist Celeste Headlee was recognized as this year’s distinguished lecturer.

Since the ceremony’s creation in 1981, the Eunson Awards have honored the achievements of exceptional journalists and NAU graduates. Each year, members of the journalism faculty nominate an esteemed graduate to receive the alumni achievement award and a speaker to be recognized with the distinguished lecturer award. The nominations are then approved by the Associated Press.

Martin Sommerness is a professor of journalism and the organizer of the ceremony. He said he believes these ceremonies are important for students and staff alike because they give them opportunities to hear from professionals in the journalism field.

“These are people who are good role models and have something to say to students,” Sommerness said. “Many times, a speaker can say the same thing that a faculty member does, but because they’re a speaker, they pay attention. Plus, it’s a way to recognize those who were students here themselves as people who have made a mark in their career.”

Robert R. Eunson graduated from Arizona State Teachers College, which later became NAU, in 1936. Throughout his life, Eunson was a war correspondent during World War II and vice president of broadcast news at the Associated Press. His reputation for firsthand coverage of events led to the Associated Press naming these awards in his honor.

Eunson’s achievements and notoriety are now used to recognize respected journalists like Watkins. Sommerness said it was her determination and resilience that made her the first choice for the alumni achievement award.

“She has done a great managerial job turning KNAU into the primary, goto news source in the northland,” Sommerness said. “She deftly navigated budget issues in the heart of the pandemic when lots of underwriters didn’t pay without any diminution in quality or quantity of coverage.”

Watkins began as a reporter at KMGN radio before working at local television news station KNAZ as a reporter, anchor, producer and news director. After reporting local news in Los Angeles, the Bay Area and Phoenix, she returned to Flagstaff in 2007 to work at KNAU. She became the general manager of the station in 2013.

Watkins ensures KNAU complies with federal regulations and coordinates the

station’s pledge drive. Throughout her career, she said she is most proud of her ability to support and grow local news teams.

“I have always thought that local news was critical to the community and to democracy,” Watkins said. “To be recognized for doing something that I’m passionate about at this place which I hold dear is awesome. It’s an honor.”

Watkins received a bachelor’s degree in mass communication from NAU in 1989. She said her college experience set her up for a successful career.

“I remember falling in love with absolutely everything about NAU from the moment I stepped foot onto this campus,” Watkins said. “Without guidance from NAU professors and advisers, I would never have found my way into local journalism. The decision to come to NAU changed my life and I will always be grateful for that.”

Headlee, an NAU alumna, has appeared on PBS World, CNN, BBC and other international news networks after starting her career at KNAU. She is the managing editor of NPR’s Next Generation Radio project meant to train new journalists and has experience in public speaking. Headlee is also a published author.

During the ceremony, Headlee gave a speech identifying harmful misconceptions in the journalism industry. She said she hoped to inspire future reporters to avoid these mistakes.

Specifically, she discussed the issue of reporters prioritizing balanced or objective coverage over accurate information. Moreover, how news organizations contribute to discrimination by attributing value based on merit and justifying prejudiced coverage by claiming to have a “gut instinct” for what counts as relevant news.

“I revere my profession,” Headlee said. “I am passionate about getting it right and frustrated with our mistakes. We can be better. We should be the first ones to interrogate our decisions and accept criticism without defensiveness. Our work is too important to keep doing what we’ve always done and ignore what’s going wrong.”

Headlee said she is dedicated to making the journalism industry more inclusive and equitable through her work. By educating people on the dangerous aspects of reporting, she said she hopes to highlight the stories that work to be honorable.

“When you read a story that gets it right, please share it and praise it on social media,” Headlee said. “Rather than rushing to tweet out your outrage over a bad story, make it your practice to greet outstanding journalism with respect, applause and amplification and greet sloppy journalism with silence.”

To learn more about this year’s Eunson award honorees, visit the KNAU website and Headlee’s virtual portfolio

Left: Shelly Watkins talks about her involvement with KNAU at the Eunson award ceremony, Nov 3. Top right: Martin Sommerness, a professor of journalism at NAU awards Celeste Headlee at the Eunson award ceremony, Nov 3. Bottom right: Distinguished lecturer Celeste Headlee gives a passionate speech about the missteps in journalism at the Eunson awards ceremony, Nov. 3. Sara Williams | The Lumberjack

Election day updates

so far, voters are primarily voting no.

The Flagstaff Sustainability Office proposed revisions to the Carbon Neutrality Plan

MCKAYLA HOLDER

Climate Program Manager Jenny Niemann spoke on behalf of the Flagstaff Sustainability Office in the Oct. 25 city council meeting to propose three revisions to the Flagstaff Carbon Neutrality Plan (CNP). The revisions proposed are new information, standard annual revisions and plan consolidation.

The new information revision focuses on regional partner updates, Flagstaff’s 10-year housing plan and financial investment data. The CNP has three key partners: NAU, Flagstaff Unified School District and Coconino County. President Cruz Rivera has committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2030

“NAU buildings contribute more than 10% of our building emissions, so NAU saying ‘we are going to get to carbon neutrality’ is hugely impactful for how we achieve our goals,” Niemann said to Mayor Paul Deasy and council.

Niemann said the total communitywide investment needed to achieve CNP goals, which is about $600 million, while the total community benefit would be about $622 million. The investment will come from a variety of sources, including federal grants, personal investments into homes, conservation of water, or city projects and utility incentives to increase energy efficiency.

The sustainability office is working to incorporate the 10Year Housing Plan into the CNP. Neimann said they will do this by creating a new target area focused exclusively on housing by incorporating the complete housing goal into the CNP.

Polls close Tuesday night

Early ballot results for the city of Flagstaff’s local elections have begun filing in. According to KAFF News and Coconino County’s website polling results, Becky Daggett is in the lead for the Flagstaff mayoral race at 62.6%. Incumbent, Paul Deasy is currently trailing Daggett with 37.4% of the votes.

Flagstaff City Council candidates in the lead with the early ballot count Tuesday were Austin Aslan, Lori Matthews, Khara House and Deborah Harris. Both House and Harris are among five write-in candidates in the running for council seats.

As mail-in ballots were counted first, Democrats took an early lead. Democratic nominee for governor Katie Hobbs had 56.9% of the vote over Republican nominee Kari Lake with 43.1%.

In the Senate, incumbent Mark Kelly was defending his seat against 36-year-old Republican Blake Masters. CBS News called the senate election a toss-up although Kelly took an early lead with 58%.

In the House, voters watched the impact of newly redrawn districts in 2021. Republican representatives Debbie Lesko and Paul Gosar in Arizona’s eighth and ninth congressional districts ran uncontested. Democrats take the lead in the seven other congressional districts, however the results are too early to call.

10 propositions were on the ballot for Arizonans come election day. As ballots were counted Tuesday, the results for propositions were still too close to be called.

Proposition 128 would amend the Arizona Constitution for legislators to be able to repeal voter-approved ballot initiatives. If the Arizona State Supreme Court or the Supreme Court of the United States regards a citizen initiative as unconstitutional, they may ignore or amend it. Ballot results have not yet been called for Proposition 128 and at 67.7% of ballots counted

Proposition 209 would put a cap on interest rates for medical debt. The proposition was proposed to decrease the burden of medical debt for Arizonans and make medical care more accessible. Still too early to call, ballots counted so far were overwhelmingly for the proposition, with 75.2% voting in favor.

Proposition 308 detailed that financial aid would be allotted to college students regardless of immigration status. With a 46% reporting rate, 55.6% of Arizona voters are in favor of the proposition.

Proposition 309 called for a revision to election voter identification rules. If passed, this proposition would require a photo ID for in-person voting. At a 46% reporting rate, 57% of Arizona voters have voted against this proposition.

Ballots still being counted Wednesday

The polls closed Tuesday and the results in Arizona were still too early to call on Wednesday. As ballots continue to be counted, results for propositions 128, 209 and 211 have been the first to be called by the Associated Press.

Proposition 128, allowing voter initiatives to be repealed or amended by state legislatures, did not pass with 63.7% of Arizonans voting against. Proposition 209, limiting interest rates on medical debt, passed with 72% of voters in favor. Proposition 211, limiting finance for political campaigns, also passed with 72.4% of voters in favor. Results for the remaining seven remaining propositions are still being counted.

In the House, five congressional races have already been called. Democrats Ruben Gallego of the third congressional district and Raul Grijalva of the seventh have been elected as well as Republican Andy Biggs in Arizona’s fifth congressional district.

Election results for governor and senator are still being anticipated. Both races are up for grabs as votes continue to differ less than one percent between candidates in both elections.

The second proposed revision is annual updates. This will include annual CNP updates involving the city’s updated greenhouse gas inventory. These annual updates will track the progress Flagstaff is making toward its goal.

“We want to achieve carbon neutrality in less than eight years, so we can’t come back to this plan every three to five years,” Niemann said. “We need to check in often, and when adopting the carbon neutrality plan, we said we would revise it every year.”

The third proposed revision is plan consolidation. This will incorporate resilience strategies and actions from the 2018 Climate Action and Adaptation Plan into the CNP, creating one climate planning document. Four target areas will be incorporated into the CNP: natural environment, water resources, economic prosperity, recreation, public health facilities and safety.

Flagstaff’s climate is changing. According to the sustainability office, by 2050, Flagstaff is expected to have hotter temperatures, lower snowpack as overnight low temperatures increase, increased wildfire risk, declining forest health, and increased dryness, more severe drought.

These revisions are focused on both decarbonization and resilience, which will help Flagstaff progress in achieving carbon neutrality. These revisions will return to council on Dec. 6 for consideration of adoption.

ILLUSTRATION BY CHRISTIAN AYALA

DAISY JOHNSTON & CAMILLE SIPPLE

ILLUSTRATION BY LENORE OTERO-STRONG

The downfall of Ye

Ye, previously known as Kanye West, is no stranger to sharing tweets or Instagram posts out of the social norm, only to delete them right after.

This time, on Oct. 9, Ye posted that he was going to go “death con 3” on Jewish people. He was also considered to be very controversial at the beginning of October for his Yeezy fashion show during Paris fashion week, for the debut of his “White Lives Matter” shirts.

OPINION WRITER

For the past couple of months, Ye has been discussing a lot of topics over social media that have caused significant controversy. Most of his past comments have been related to his divorce from Kim Kardashian; he has posted their private conversations as well as coming after Pete Davidson, or as he called him, “Skete,” for dating his ex, Kim. This is not his most recent controversy, but it has escalated since those events.

Ye is diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and every time he comes out with some new controversy, many of his fans defend him by saying it is just his disorder making him do it. Yet, many others believe that these racist remarks aren’t caused because of his disorder and that this time they are not defendable. Fans of his should not accept his problematic behavior due to his illness because he has been crossing the line with these remarks and has been hurting others as well.

In one day, Ye lost up to $2 million due to his racist posts on Twitter, and many big companies like Adidas dropped him.

Ye was a huge shareholder of Adidas, with his shares for the brand estimated at 15%, which led to a huge loss of money estimated to about $1.5 billion. Adidas dropping him only influenced other companies to not want to work with Ye. He showed up to the Sketchers office in Los Angeles to try to work with them and the company turned him down for his recent antisemitic posts.

Many people in the media think Ye has taken it too far this time and that there is no coming back from this, especially after losing most of his company deals. I also agree that he might have gone too far this time and I have no idea how he is planning to come back from this or if he will be able to.

One family Ye had supported in the past is also now suing him for $250 million for claiming that George Floyd died from a fentanyl overdose instead of being killed by police on a podcast.

He did not respond well to this and even made a post that has since been deleted about George Floyd’s ex, stating she was ugly and that she wanted to sue them after he helped them during the Black Lives Matter movement in an Instagram post

While Ye has many ongoing personal and public issues in his day-to-day life, disrespecting people in the media like his ex-wife and other celebrities, plus making antisemitic statements, is certainly not helping matters. Fans are running out of excuses for Ye, and as a man who has made many strides in pop culture, he certainly has the potential to influence good, but without any changes, his pedestal won’t last long.

The time of Ye’s downfall is quickly approaching; he has already lost a lot of connections, brands and respect, but there may still be more for him to lose going down this road with no help.

BY EMILY DELABARRA

NAU needs Division I gymnastics

SAMANTHA LOGERWELL

NAU is a huge Division I school with almost 30,000 students attending and offers a multitude of sports.

The university has become increasingly popular and is growing by almost 1,000 students each year. NAU has been a DI school for decades, which is when a college team is at the highest level of college athletics, a rank decided by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). There are 15 DI-level sports offered on campus, from track and field to soccer.

Most universities have this DI rank in common, like Arizona State University and the University of Arizona. However, while these Arizona schools have gymnastics teams, NAU does not.

If you’re new to learning about gymnastics, let me give a quick breakdown of how the sport works in college. There are four events in gymnastics: vault, bars, beam and floor. A college team has 12-20 gymnasts. Six gymnasts compete in each event to get a high score, which is then added up at the end of all the events, and the team with the highest score wins.

Gymnastics is a prominent sport for people of all ages, especially college athletes; 89 schools across the country offer it as a competitive college sport.

The popularity of gymnastics won’t be declining anytime soon; as shown recently, the social media engagement with college gymnastics has been unbelievable.

Women’s gymnastics alone accumulated over 100 million views and clicks across ESPN social platforms this year, making it the most popular college women’s sport.

Not only do we need a women’s gymnastics team, but I also think we should have a men's gymnastics team for the same reasons.

NAU could benefit from having both a women's and men's gymnastics team. Even though men’s gymnastics isn’t as popular and isn't offered at universities nearly as much as women’s, it still deserves to be at the collegiate level.

With a small number of gymnasts required to compete, the school wouldn't have to provide numerous athletic scholarships to build a gymnastics team.

While gymnastics is not offered at all DI schools, it is more common for these universities to offer the sport. Out of the 89 schools in the United States that offer gymnastics, 62 of them are DI schools.

NAU does have a Gymnastics Club that

competes in the Big Sky Conference, but it is not the same as having a DI-level gymnastics team.

The different levels of college sports within the school are very important to note. There are intramural sports, club sports and collegiate sports.

Intramural sports are the most casual and affordable to join; they usually require no experience and no mandatory attendance. Club sports are a step up from the intramural level, as they are more competitive and require tryouts to be considered for a spot on the team. Lastly, collegiate sports are the most serious of school sports, funded and organized by the school and sanctioned by the NCAA.

So, while there is a gymnastics club that competes, it’s not at the collegiate level, which could greatly benefit NAU. With nearly half of all gymnasts in the U.S. being ages 6-12 as of 2020, there could be a large talent pool for the university to pull from in future years.

The only con is that gymnastics is an expensive sport, requiring facilities for practice, competition leotards and coaching staff.

Nonetheless, that is the same case with any other sport. NAU has the money to afford a gymnastics team, considering how much they fund the football team, which is estimated at about $5 million annually.

Gymnastics competitions are also fun for students to attend; they are full of energy and support the gymnasts very well. I especially love going to college gymnastics meets. The experience is not like any other and the atmosphere of the gymnasts competing makes it an exciting place to be. People love watching gymnastics because it is interesting and impressive to see how gymnasts do their tricks.

This love for gymnastics has been present for decades as the most-watched sport in every Olympics since 1996

Having a competitive DI gymnastics team at NAU would enable people to bond over the sport and allow gymnasts to express their passion. It has the potential to bring in a community of people who share a love for the sport or are interested in attending NAU to participate in gymnastics.

I believe gymnastics deserves to be represented at NAU, as it is an underrated sport and showcases the seemingly impossible talents and tricks gymnasts have. This could be made possible with the collaboration between ASNAU and the athletic department.

If students petitioned to both of these groups, then this conversation could become a reality.

ANGELICA NAVARRO

ILLUSTRATION

Preventing crowd crushing falls to event organizers

LISA HALL

Going to a concert, retail sale, sporting event or any public happening with large attendance is supposed to be a fun, lighthearted occasion. In reality, these events can quickly become quite dangerous. Many factors go into large crowds becoming a hazard, but when there are simply too many people in one area, the risk for injury and even death runs high with crowd crushing.

When a crowd reaches four to six people per square meter, crushing becomes a risk and people should start to look for ways out of the crowd. The situation further escalates when people start pushing against the motion of the crowd and fall down as a result.

If someone falls in the middle of a crowd crush, they can be trampled, but the main risk is asphyxiation from insufficient space to breathe, which can be fatal. If the result is not as severe as death, it is still possible to pass out from a lack of oxygen.

Over the past year, instances of crowd crushing have sparked conversation on social media.

Last summer at the Astroworld Festival, the crowd crushing tragedy resulted from the lack of medical personnel response as they were unable to reach the audience, as well as Travis Scott and event staff blatantly ignoring pleas for help from the crowd.

Medical personnel were not able to access attendees to take life-saving measures because of an enclosure around the stage where people were meant to mosh and dance. If this enclosure had been removed, many lives would have been saved. Event planners should have made the enclosure with exits on all sides so people would have been able to escape more easily.

An even larger tragedy occured more recently. Over Halloween weekend in the downtown district of Itaewon in Seoul, South Korea, a huge holiday festival resulted in the death of 156 people and the injuries of another 149 caused by a crowd crush.

The lack of crowd control, police presence and

medical personnel resulted in a crowd crush that quickly went out of control, with rescue attempts that were near impossible with the conditions. Twitter user Prateek Pratap Singh shared a video of rescue attempts being unsuccessful among the raging crowd.

Had this event been planned properly and police coordination was taken more seriously by those in charge, lives could have been saved. However, the police response to the disaster in Seoul was disappointing and a contributing factor to the tragedy.

Attendees started making emergency calls around 6:30 p.m., but police did not immediately respond. These emergency calls lasted until around 10 p.m. The officers on the scene were not there for crowd control either, as they were assigned to watch for other crimes such as sexual harassment and robberies.

It’s incomprehensible why these officers did not take action or measures to deescalate the situation before it got worse.

The Halloween festival had no organizing body and therefore did not follow the guidelines of the safety manual used for events with over 1,000 attendees. This was the first problem with the festival, as there were an estimated 100,000 people in attendance.

Because of the gray area in the legal system pertaining to crowds, there are hardly any consequences for event planners and venue owners when these events occur. There is not any legal pressure for those putting on the events needed to make people attending safer.

Unfortunately, a lot of the blame for crowd crushing tragedies falls on the victims rather than those organizing the events. Twitter user @corail_ haggis tweeted that the people attending events, like the one in Seoul, contributed to the crowd crushing and stated that “if these people knew how to act in a crowd it would not have happened either.”

This public affair was detrimental to the community because officials did not properly handle the event and take all necessary precautions.

No street blockings, crowd control, direction

or assistance were in place for the mobs of people trying to navigate the area. This disaster seems almost inevitable from the start due to the lack of planning and accountability.

In most cases, when this situation occurs, people panic, which adds to the overall chaos and horror. People begin to look for ways out of the crowd and most likely respond by pushing others out of the way. However, there are ways to protect yourself in these types of environments.

Researching ways to protect yourself in case of a crowd crushing scenario is something everyone should consider before attending any type of largescale event.

NPR recently published an article highlighting eight tips to follow if you find yourself in a crowd crush. These tips include: Learning signs of crowd density, being aware of the crowd, leaving at the first sign of danger and to stay standing. People should create a circle with their arms around the chest for breathing space, move with the crowd, avoid walls and look out for others if it’s safe to do so as well.

By following these steps, you’re automatically more prepared for this kind of life-or-death situation.

Event organizers should be responsible for ensuring safety, labeling exits properly, making warning and emergency posters visible to guests as well as ensuring enough medical personnel and police are present.

These are simple steps that event planners are not taking just because they don’t have to — but these measures could result in lives saved in emergencies.

Venue owners and event planners should be held more accountable for the people attending their functions. If there were more direct consequences for those organizing, I’m sure there would be fewer of these tragedies occurring. Although, until that happens, the best practice is to ensure your own safety by taking the correct precautions before attending a mass gathering.

ILLUSTRATION BY JESSIE LI

150 years of Flagstaff’s history unfolded

Over the last century and a half, Flagstaff has experienced an immense amount of change in its landscape and towns. By way of building railroad tracks, neighborhoods, businesses and schools like NAU, Flagstaff has a different look now compared to that of the 1800s.

On Nov. 3, John Vankat — writer, photographer, educator and ecologist — presented over 150 years of Flagstaff’s history through archival drawings and photographs at the Flagstaff City-Coconino County Public Library

Vankat earned a bachelor’s degree in biology at Carleton College and his master’s and doctorate in botany at the University of California, Davis. He taught plant ecology at Miami University for over 30 years before moving to Flagstaff as a special projects ecologist with Grand Canyon National Park.

He has published works in Landscape Ecology, Journal of Vegetation Science and Ecological Modelling, which include text and photographs.

With the use of a historical image, its repeat in black and white photography and the same repeat in color, audience members saw Flagstaff as it began as a grassland and turned into a city. Both repeat photos, in black and white and in color, were taken by Vankat over the past seven years.

With help from Tom Alexander, a professional photographer in Flagstaff, Vankat repeated over 135 photographs for his book. But even with an extra set of hands, Vankat said it was extremely difficult to perfect all three of these aspects in his photographs.

“Some of the archival drawings and photographs of Flagstaff in the 1800s didn’t provide the season or month when it was taken,” Vankat said. “A majority of them only provided the year so we had to work with just that information.”

Vankat said he has spent hours trying to find the precise location of photographs to recreate them. Some of these locations were found to be on private property and Vankat had to seek permission prior to photographing.

He said he found it easier to take photocopies of archival drawings and photographs and show private landowners what he aimed to replicate in his photographs.

“These people didn’t know me,” Vankat said. “I just went to their door and knocked on it. I was only turned down once or twice, but it was stunning for people to allow me to go on their property.”

One of the photographs included in Vankat’s book required him to get on top of Old Main to capture the landscape as accurately as possible. With the university’s permission and an official to safely strap him in a harness, Vankat got his shot.

Other photographs required Vankat to get assistance from the Flagstaff Fire Department to gain the proper elevation for his repeat photography.

Many members of the Flagstaff community were in awe of the archives Vankat presented. With over 35 Flagstaff residents seated in the community room of the downtown library, they were eager to see archivals of the city in the past.

Deborah Cordova, an audience member, said she was intrigued to see the history of the city she calls home. Cordova said she tries to attend various events held downtown in her free time.

Many of the archival drawings and photographs were available in Arizona at various locations like libraries and universities. Others were found at institutions and libraries in Colorado, California and New Mexico.

A majority of the photographs presented, which will be included in his book, were taken in various locations from downtown Flagstaff to Humphreys Peak.

Vankat’s book, “The San Francisco Peaks and Flagstaff Through the Lens of Time,” will be released nationally by Soulstice Publishing. It is available for presale before it hits shelves at Barnes & Noble locations and select independent bookstores.

By matching historical archives with current photographs, his book displays the past and present of Flagstaff through repeat photography.

The process of repeat photography consists of taking multiple photographs of the same subject or location but at different periods. The goal of this process is to note the differences and similarities both photographs hold despite having been taken at separate times.

With this technique, Vankat was able to illustrate ecological changes seen throughout various parts of Flagstaff by comparing archival photographs and drawings from the 1800s to photographs he had taken in the past seven years.

“Good repeat photography is challenging,” Vankat said. “There are three goals, which are getting the precise location, taking the photograph in the same season of the year and the same time of day.”

“Throughout my years here, I’ve seen new businesses and restaurants be built and seen so many people come and go,” Cordova said. “I thought it was extremely eye-opening to see how this city looked before we were all here, before it became such a lively place. It shocked me to see what was and what it is now.”

Mary Ross, graphic designer for “The San Francisco Peaks and Flagstaff Through the Lens of Time,” said she was appreciative of the high regard Vankat had of the environment.

Based in Flagstaff, Mary Ross is an artist and designer who is committed to forming creative partnerships with those she works with. Despite this being her first project with Vankat, Ross said she was appreciative of his dedication.

“His care for the peak, the region, the history and ecology is something that should be acknowledged and spoken of,” Ross said. “It was a pleasure to work with him.”

Despite working with Ross and Julie Hammonds — a representative of Soulstice Publishing — Vankat believes a majority of the credit should go toward people of the past.

“Most of the credit goes to the people who took the historical photographs and the archives that preserved them,” Vankat said.

On Nov. 10, Vankat’s book, “The San Francisco Peaks and Flagstaff Through the Lens of Time,” will be released nationally. It will be available across shelves at Barnes & Noble and select independent bookstores.

John Vankat presents an example of his repeat photography at Flagstaff City-Coconino County Public Library, Nov. 3. Photo Courtesy of Matt Anderson

“HIS CARE FOR THE PEAK, THE REGION, THE HISTORY AND ECOLOGY IS SOMETHING THAT SHOULD BE ACKNOWLEDGED AND SPOKEN OF. IT WAS A PLEASURE TO WORK WITH HIM.”

– Mary Ross, Flagstaff based artist and designer

MARIAN HERNANDEZ

“THROUGHOUT MY YEARS HERE, I’VE SEEN NEW BUSINESSES AND RESTAURANTS BE BUILT AND SEEN SO MANY PEOPLE COME AND GO. I THOUGHT IT WAS EXTREMELY EYE-OPENING TO SEE HOW THIS CITY LOOKED BEFORE WE WERE ALL HERE, BEFORE IT BECAME SUCH A LIVELY PLACE. IT SHOCKED ME TO SEE WHAT WAS AND WHAT IT IS NOW.”

– Deborah Cordova

Top Left: John Vankat laughs in response to an event attendee's comment. Middle Left: Vankat displays photography from his book, "The San Francisco Peaks and Flagstaff Through the Lens of Time." Top Right: Vankat interacts with his audience. Bottom: During his book signing, Vankat and an attendee hold a conversation, Nov. 3. Photos Courtesy of Matt Anderson

Swifties sweep the charts

The Taylor Swift Society is a space on campus for all fans of the artist to gather and bond over her work.

President Iris Robedeau and Vice President Lindsay Mauss founded The Taylor Swift Society in October 2021.

Robedeau and Mauss met their freshman year because Mauss saw Robedeau wearing a Taylor Swift shirt on campus. She posted on YikYak looking for the person who wore the shirt, and Robedeau responded saying they were the person she saw in the DüB. Robedeau then came to Mauss with the idea of starting a Taylor Swift Club on campus.

“We made it; two overzealous freshmen who should not have been given the confidence we were given to start a club, because it was way harder than we thought,” Mauss said.

Their first meeting took place after the release of “Red (Taylor’s Version).” Mauss said on average, the club sees about 30 attendees every meeting, but their email list has over 200 students on it.

“People get a little mean about us sometimes, but we are just having fun,” Mauss said.

Along with their weekly meetings held Tuesdays at 7 p.m., the club hosts listening parties and karaoke nights at certain meetings. Around 70 people attended a karaoke night on Sept. 13. Mauss said everyone sang along to the songs, and at the end of the night, they all screamed the lyrics to “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)."

Their first event outside of school took place the morning of Oct. 21, following the release of Taylor Swift’s newest album “Midnights.” Mauss said the club members walked to Target together to purchase the newest album in either vinyl or CD form.

“We get called weird a lot,” Mauss said. “I just think we choose to laugh at it, ‘shake it off,’ if you will.”

The release of “Midnights” was big for Taylor Swift as an artist, Mauss said. The album got over 1.5 million sales within its first week of release. Mauss said this was huge for Swift because these numbers are not seen anymore in the music industry because of the streaming era of music. Because of this, it is harder for artists to make sales off their music, as a lot of listeners have apps like Spotify and Apple Music where

Joya Byrnes, a freshman, said she first heard of The Taylor Swift Society when she saw an advertisement for it while touring the university. She is a big fan of Taylor Swift and said she was in the first 1% of “Midnights” listeners on Spotify.

“My favorite song off the album is “You're On Your Own, Kid” because I connect with the sense of loneliness and isolation that comes with working toward goals,” Byrnes said. “It is encouraging to know that other people have felt the same weight and struggles.”

Mauss said it is common for women in the media to get famous, get booted out of public favor for a few years and then have to make a comeback.

“I think when you stay in the media for too long, that’s when celebrities start to get picked on a little bit and I think she’s very smart about staying away from the media now,” Mauss said. “I think that is a part of what caused everyone to hate on her in 2016.”

Though some of the fans who turned their backs on Taylor Swift have started listening to her again, Macnab said she believes a lot of people still do not like her.

“I think having this club on campus is really important, because, well, there are a lot of people out there who don't like or respect Taylor Swift and the music and art she puts out,” Macnab said. “In my experience, it has made it extremely difficult to find friends who I can share my love for her and her music with, because in most instances, I get made fun of.”

“Midnights” was not the only project Taylor had up her sleeve. On Nov. 1, Taylor Swift announced her “Eras Tour.” On this tour, she will sing songs from every one of her albums. On the day of the announcement, there was a virtual queue to sign up for presale codes. Some fans said they experienced wait times of three hours to receive a code.

Lily Macnab, a junior, is another member of The Taylor Swift Society. She said she enjoys Taylor Swift because she feels like she can connect to the artist on a personal level.

“I honestly have some pretty crazy anxiety about the tour,” Macnab said. “Tickets are in high demand, and getting them will be more or less ... an all-out war, but I desperately want to see her on tour, probably more than anything I've wanted in my whole life.”

Byrnes said she is also excited for the Eras Tour. She attended the “Speak Now” tour when she was 5 years old but has not been to another concert since. She said she is hoping to secure tickets this year.

For The Taylor Swift Society, having a safe space where they can share their love for Taylor Swift is

Though some may not understand the club and their love for the artist, Mauss said Taylor Swift listens to and cares about her fans. Mauss said that during the 1989 tour, everyone wanted her to sing “New Romantics.” Usually she does not sing it because it is a bonus track, but because of the demand from her fans she played it.

Taylor Swift used to hold secret sessions before the release of some of her albums, where she invited fans to her house to listen to the album, and they were sworn to secrecy. Because of COVID-19, these meetings have stopped. Mauss said she hopes they will return as it is one of her dreams to attend one.

“Taylor Swift might not be that big of a thing to someone else in their daily lives,” Mauss said. “But to me, since I have been a fan of her since I was 8 years old, she has been such a monumental part of my life.”

The Taylor Swift Society is open to all Swifties, people who just want to come and listen to her music for the first time and any other curious minds. Students who are interested can attend a club meeting on any Tuesday at 7 p.m.

they do not have to purchase songs individually and instead pay a subscription. Taylor Swift is also the first artist to ever occupy the entire top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100

important, since many people do not like the artist, Macnab said. In 2016, the media and the world turned their back on Taylor Swift after Kanye West attempted to paint her as a villain. The sudden turn on the artist made Taylor take a break from the media for several years.

ABIGAIL CELAYA

A group of student performers sing "I Knew You Were Trouble" by Taylor Swift during the Taylor Swift Society Karaoke Night in the Franke College of Business, Nov. 8. Ethon Peddle | The Lumberjack

“WE GET CALLED WEIRD A LOT. I JUST THINK WE CHOOSE TO LAUGH AT IT, ‘SHAKE IT OFF,’ IF YOU WILL.”

– Lindsay Mauss, vice president of The Taylor Swift Society

Photographer Spotlight Collin Vanderwerf

My name is Collin Vanderwerf, I am a staff photographer and the director of multimedia for The Lumberjack . As a kid, I was obsessed with animals. My favorite book was an encyclopedia of “extreme animal facts,” I can still remember the bulging yellow eyes of some weird variety of grasshopper that was on the cover. Having some intuitive sense of this, my dad got a subscription to National Geographic and I was immediately obsessed. The articles themselves were a bit over my head at the tender age of 7 but the pictures really captured my attention, particularly the animal pictures. I would pour over them the very instant the newest issue came in the mail and read what I could about the animals therein. In fourth grade, I was given the assignment to research a job that I would want to do as an adult. Many of my fellow students chose the standard responses one expects from a kid when you ask them what they want to be when they grow up: doctor, firefighter, astronaut, etc.; I — to the delight of my teacher and the eye-rolling of my peers — chose wildlife photographer for National Geographic. My dad got me a sh**ty little Olympus point-and-shoot and I was destroyed when it turned out that I was terrible at taking photos. Being all of 8 years old, I didn’t quite grasp the concept that photography was a skill that took time and work to cultivate, so I gave up. In a very roundabout way, I have come back to my original obsession with photography within the last few years. Though my interests and skills have broadened since then, my favorite thing to take pictures of is still animals. You can check out more of my work at collincharlesphotography.com or follow @ collincharlesmedia on Instagram.

Illustrator Spotlight Samantha Glaberman

Hello, I'm Sam! It has always been my passion to CREATE! Currently, I am majoring in Visual Communications with an emphasis in Graphic Design! When I was in high school, I was all about the design aspect of my school presentations. Having the opportunity to learn more about design in college and create so many fun projects is super exciting to me! Art is part of our everyday lives. Just looking at unique packaging at the grocery store amazes me, which is why I am so passionate about it! With that being said, I would like to share with you all some of the fun projects I have created during my time at NAU!

Homecoming Bonfire

Spin to win

MAKAYLA RICHARDSON

The Homecoming Carnival is a tradition my best friend and I adore. Last year, we were obsessed with its novelty. Much like everything else last year. We didn’t want to miss a single part of “the college experience.” The rides, games and coffee on the Union Pedway left us spinning. We made sure to go on every ride and stayed for hours.

This year, the carnival felt more like an obligation.

As it turns out, “the college experience” isn’t always fun parties and carnivals.

After getting used to the idea of college, we were met with the weight of our new responsibilities. It seems as if she and I never have a spare moment to ourselves. So, when we learned about the carnival, it was just another thing put on our checklist.

I am so happy we were wrong.

Our evening started with the only rational decision: coffee. How were we supposed to get through another mentally taxing event without caffeine?

We thought that the scalding hot coffee was going to be the highlight of the trip. I mean, the sun was setting and the temperature was rapidly dropping.

It felt as if neither of us wanted to stay, but we didn’t want to admit it to each other.

Every inch of the carnival was scoured within the first half hour, almost as if we were trying to speed run the whole thing. When we came back to the entrance, we finally decided to get on a ride. It just so happened that the shortest line was the UFO-shaped one that spun.

We immediately had our senses jolted by the lights and sounds of the confined space. The speakers blared club music, and I couldn’t hear a word anyone was saying.

When the ride started, I wasn’t sure if I’d make it through without losing my stomach. Luckily, I survived … obviously. We spun faster and faster. Soon enough, a laugh escaped that I didn’t know I was holding back. Every single person on the ride seemingly had their spirits lifted in time with their seats rising from the floor. I don’t think I could have stopped laughing if I tried.

The sun had set once the ride was over and it was like we were gifted rosecolored glasses. The obligation turned into something I couldn’t imagine myself leaving.

My best friend and I marveled at the dazzling attractions illuminating the lot and made it our goal to conquer every ride. Despite the cold, it was the most fun we had in a very long time.

The homecoming carnival gave my best friend and I an amazing opportunity to escape the increasing dread of finals season.

Top: Wooden pallets lay upon each other as they burn at the Homecoming Bonfire at the Central Quad, Nov. 3. John Chaides|The Lumberjack

Bottom: An NAU Dance Team member performs with a light-up baton for students as it snows at the Homecoming bonfire on the central quad, Nov. 3. Taylor McCormick|The Lumberjack

THE LUMBERJACK |

Left: Students gather around the fire at the Homecoming bonfire on the central quad, Nov. 3. Taylor McCormick|The Lumberjack Right: Clay Pence from Peaks Audio DJs at the Homecoming Bonfire at the Central Quad, Nov. 3. John Chaides|The Lumberjack

“The Car:” Arctic Monkeys’ most experimental album

Songs about cars are a staple piece when it comes to rock music, with“Highway to Hell” by AC/DC, “Little Red Corvette” by Prince and more as classic examples. Though, the car Arctic Monkeys are referring to in the title of their latest album is far different from the usual ones we’d hear about in traditional rock songs.

CARNIVAL continued from FRONT

FlagTag AZ also provided an area where carnival-goers could get a chance to participate in some ax throwing; Louie was nowhere to be seen.

Carnivals and fairs, alike, traditionally take place during seasons in which the weather is slightly warmer. This year’s homecoming carnival was plagued by temperatures that only dropped when gusts of wind would blow. Rides moved at incredibly fast speeds, which created more cold wind. Temperatures throughout the night stayed in the low thirties, pushing students to bundle up in coats and jackets while staying on the move to keep warm.

The homecoming carnival also provided students with an opportunity to let loose and relax as they approached the end of the semester, an opportunity fully taken advantage of by students like freshman Carlos Medina.

“I’m just here to have a good time and meet new people,” Medina said.

Sophomores Nora McCarthy and Kayla Moeller came out to the carnival to get outside and take the chance to spend time with friends — time that on any other day of the week, is occupied by schoolwork.

“For me, I came [to the carnival] to kind of get away from school and to have fun a little bit with my friends,” McCarthy said.

Moeller’s reason for taking the opportunity to join McCarthy at the carnival was simply to get out of the confines of her dorm and hang out with her friends.

STELLA SPERIDON

CULTURE WRITER

English rock band Arctic Monkeys released their seventh studio album on Oct. 21, and it needs to get the recognition it deserves. There are only 10 songs on the album, making it the shortest album released by the band.

Those 10 songs proved that the band doesn’t have to stick to the same old music they’ve released in the past.

This toned-down album is out of the ordinary from the usual fast-paced indie rock songs we’ve heard on the band’s older work. Even the album cover, an isolated car on top of a parking garage, is something the band hasn’t done before.

Arctic Monkeys’ most notable albums are “Favourite Worst Nightmare” released in 2007 and “AM,” released in 2013. Both are from the beginning stages of the band’s career and have youthful rock tones.

Comparing their older albums to “The Car” would be difficult, because they don’t fall under the same genre at all. If you have been an avid Arctic Monkeys fan for a while, this album may take some time to get used to, but it is worth it.

Apple Music sums up the style by saying it sounds like composed, wellmannered mid-century pop. This was a shock to a lot of fans since all of their other albums are classified as indie rock.

Lead singer Alex Turner also spoke with Apple Music in an interview and said he wanted to produce something more experimental and well-edited.

“I wanted to pay more attention to dynamics, economy and space,” Turner said. “It doesn’t feel as if there are too many times where everything’s all going on at once, like in previous albums.”

A lot of other artists like Father John Misty and The 1975 are also taking new directions in their music. This is coincidental because this album does have a similar tone to Father John Misty’s latest album, “Chloe and the Next 20th Century.”

The genre of the album is classified as both orchestral rock and baroque pop. This means the album features both rock music along with heavy elements of classical music.

Instead, this is why “The Car” is so unique and stands apart from anything by Arctic Monkeys. A lot of other artists couldn’t pull off orchestral rock, but the band proves that they are not one of them.

Every song sounds like it would be featured in a movie, especially the opening song, “There’d Better Be A Mirrorball.” The fine-tuning of the piano, strings and vocals on the first song will make you want to keep listening.

The meaning behind the songs is to give closure to the person you once were and reminisce on the people and memories tied to an old place. This is the most self-reflective album Turner has ever written, yet the most relatable.

Some fans of Arctic Monkeys that have been there since the beginning are now in their 20s, which makes the meaning of change and growth more relatable to the band’s audience.

When you finally decide to leave your childhood home and start your own life, oftentimes you mourn the person you once were. If this has happened to you, then you’ll be able to relate.

Most of the time, though, listening to this album feels like being slapped followed by a kiss. The beauty of it will remind you of a classic car, much like the album cover. Overall, this album gets a 10/10 for creativity, style and easy listening ability.

Senior Bryce Baker’s reasoning for coming to the carnival wasn’t the food or the thrill that the many rides provided. It was a simple, yet somewhat relatable reason. “Vibes,” Baker said.

Also present at the carnival were several on-campus clubs and organizations hosting minigames for people to participate in. The Black Student Union presented a soda ring toss, while the Latine Student Union hosted a duck fishing competition. NAU Esports also invited patrons to compete against each other in multiple rounds of Mario Kart.

Homecoming weekend was wrapped up the very next day with Flapjacks & Flannels, the homecoming parade and NAU football taking on Montana State, falling to the Bobcats by a score of 41-38.

Students enjoy Rock Star, one of the rides at the annual Homecoming Carnival at the University Union Fieldhouse parking lot, Nov. 4. Victoria Medina | The Lumberjack

Freshmen Maya Fritz and Leah Fuller laugh together before the ride, Sizzler, starts at NAU’s annual Homecoming Carnival Friday night at the University Union Fieldhouse parking lot Nov. 4. Victoria Medina | The Lumberjack

Graduate students Jessica Alcala and Anahi Pina enjoy their ride on Sizzler at NAU’s annual Homecoming Carnival Friday evening on the University Union Fieldhouse parking lot, Nov. 4. Victoria Medina | The Lumberjack

Celebrating languages with NAU’s Global Cabaret

On Friday, Nov. 4, NAU’s Department of Global Languages and Cultures hosted its annual Global Cabaret in the International Pavilion, where students and staff alike showcased a variety of performances.

The event honored various cultures from around the world through performances in different languages. Songs and poems were performed in French, German and Spanish, and there was also a violin solo by one student and a dance routine performed by two others accompanied by French music.

As people began to enter the room and take their seats, Michael Rulon, host of the event and associate teaching professor of French and world cinema greeted them. He invited audience members to enjoy refreshments, cheese and crackers, brownies and hot chocolate.

Once everyone was seated, Rulon kickstarted the event with a performance of his own. He said this was because he usually makes his students go first, but that they do not always want to volunteer.

When explaining the origins of the event, Rulon said the Cabaret has not always existed, rather it used to be an event dedicated solely to theater.

“When I arrived here we had the French Theater Guild,” Rulon said. “The first semester, we did some scenes from French plays, and then I thought, ‘Why don’t we broaden our horizons and include some things other than theater like poetry and music?’ After that, I thought, ‘Why don’t we involve the whole department, why just limit ourselves to French?’”

Rulon said his inspiration for turning the guild into a Global Cabaret came from fond memories of the cabaret that his high school teacher would put on every year.

“So in spring 2014, the French Theater Guild put on the first Global Cabaret, and it was such a hit that we decided to make it its own club, and the Guild actually got absorbed by the Global Cabaret.”

After Rolan’s performance, the majority of the other performers were students taking various language classes at NAU, who participated in the event to earn extra credit.

A student trio of senior Ronald Carter, sophomore Alex Begush and junior Reece Bayliff performed the German song ‘Deutschland’ by Rammstein as part of their German class.

“It initially started because performing in this meant we got to do one less oral exam,” Bayliff said. “But it turned out to be a really good experience.”

Regarding their song choice, they explained they originally planned to perform

something else, but switched due to the difficulty of the song.

“Initially we were going to do ‘99 Luftballons,’” Bayliff said. “But we thought it was too fast for first-year students, so we opted for Deutschland instead because it was slower for us.”

Carter added he was already familiar with the band whose song they selected, which made the performance easier.

“On top of that, I had been listening to Rammstein for about a month prior,” Carter said. “So that definitely helped.”

During the group’s performance, they encountered some slight technical difficulties with their microphones, but they didn’t let this stop them and performed without them.

Begush said this added to their pre-existing nerves.

“We only met for the first time before this to practice,” Begush said. “And it was also incredibly nerve-wracking when the microphones wouldn’t work.”

Despite these slight issues, the group said they really enjoyed performing at the event.

“It would definitely be something I would do again if I wasn’t graduating this semester,” Carter said.

Another group of students performed a German rendition of the Beatles classic, “Let it Be,” while others opted for poetry readings, with some even being originals.

The performances were not only for audiences to simply listen to. They also included a variety of sing-along opportunities, with audiences being handed out lyric sheets upon arrival. Given the songs were all in foreign languages, the lyric sheets were helpful to audience members unfamiliar with the songs.

When talking about convincing students to participate in the event, Rulon said they are often very forthcoming and willing to join in.

“It can be quite nerve-wracking,” Rulon said. “But first off, it’s a very friendly environment, and we make sure that students understand that they’re not being judged or made fun of, it’s something that we do for fun, and also they tend to get extra credit for it ... A lot of the students, especially at the upper division, are always looking for new pieces to perform.”

German language lecturer Vicky Vandermale also said she tries to get her students to join in on the cabaret performances.

“I always encourage my students to participate,” Vandermale said. “Just because we’ve been doing this for years, and it’s so much fun.”

She added the event is a great way not to have fun performing, but also for students to practice the languages they are learning.

“It helps them practice their German in a serious but also fun fashion!” Vandermale said.

Rulon shared this view and said he sees the event as a great way for people to immerse themselves in the subjects they are learning.

“The whole department has a lot of fun with it,” Rulon said. “It’s a way to experience the cultures that we’re studying a little more hands-on, and to have fun with it.”

The event is recurring, with the department hosting it at least once a semester. In his final statement to the audience, Rulon invited everyone to come again next semester and to contact him if they have any interest in performing themselves.

NAU Global Cabaret host Michael Rulon speaks infront of the attendees of the event at the International Pavillion, Nov. 4. Ethon Peddle | The Lumberjack

ALICE COLLINGWOOD

“...IT’S A VERY FRIENDLY ENVIRONMENT, AND WE MAKE SURE THAT STUDENTS UNDERSTAND THAT THEY’RE NOT BEING JUDGED OR MADE FUN OF, IT’S SOMETHING THAT WE DO FOR FUN, AND ALSO THEY TEND TO GET EXTRA CREDIT FOR IT.”

–MICHAEL RULON

CULTURE

Flagstaff flips out for flapjacksFlagstaff flips out for flapjacks

Lumberjacks gathered for fluffy flapjacks and fun activities at Union Point on Nov. 5. Students dressed in their warmest flannels to have their share of fun for homecoming week.

The event took place from 8-10 a.m., and NAU students enjoyed warm pancakes and a coffee stand with many other engaging activities. As the line drew on, those who had already been served passed syrup and whipped cream between tables.

NAU cheerleader Ashley Delbianco shared her thoughts on the pancakes and event.

“We are here with the NAU cheer team volunteering,” Delbianco said. “I love this event, it’s very positive. NAU set it up, we’re just here serving.”

The event gave off a wholesome feeling when students started to gather around, spend time with their friends and listen to music.

Senior Francine Cerna discussed their reason for attending the event.

“It’s my senior year [and] I’ve never done it before, so I gotta do it at least once,” Cerna said.

The pancakes were rated by students out of 10. Ratings were based on fluffiness and toastiness.

“I’d rate the pancakes seven out of 10,” Cerna said. “They were soft and all the same size, which I like. They’re just good. I haven’t had flapjacks in a long time.”

The lines for face painting and henna tattoos were constant. Students even received the chance to win prizes if they entered the raffle.

Jermaine Barkley, health educator of Health Promotion at NAU took time to announce prizes at the event and his thoughts on the community gathering.

“After two years of isolating, it’s just nice for the students to have the opportunity to hang out in a low-contact way,” Barkley said. “Kick it, get some music, get some food.”

Although the event was in colder weather, it allowed students to get out and enjoy music and time with friends.

“Pancakes were 11/10,” Barkley said. “In my opinion, they were the best pancakes I’ve ever had in my life.”

The community was filled with smiles and laughter as they waited for a new batch of pancakes to come out. Select students were there to promote some of NAU’s sustainable opportunities and anticipated the parade following the event.

Senior Joanna Chavez and sophomore Izabelle Taddie with Louie’s Cupboard attended the flapjack event dressed up as fruit.

“[Louie’s Cupboard] is an on-campus food pantry,” Chavez said. “We hand out groceries to students, faculty and staff, and we do biweekly distributions.”

Louie’s Cupboard of NAU is a sustainable way to receive groceries. The organization is always looking for volunteers.

“We also give out other things aside from groceries like hygiene products,

miscellaneous items and spices,” Chavez said. “We haven’t tried the pancakes yet but we’re looking forward to it.”

Junior Zachariah Derrick shared his motivation as to why he woke up early for the event.

“Pancakes and friends [were] my motivation,” Derrick said. “I would rate the pancakes, like, an eight out of 10. They’re pretty thick, and I like them fluffy.”

Senior Audrey Smith, accompanied by their friends, spoke about how good the pancakes were and what motivated their decision to get up early.

“I think hanging out with friends and also getting food [was my motivation],” Smith said. “The pancakes were a solid eight of 10.”

Smith said the toppings made the pancakes good, and the group agreed that the flapjacks were eight out of 10.

As the flapjacks ran low and the event came to an end, students made their way to the bleachers to watch the Homecoming parade.

Overall, the flapjacks were highly rated. The general consensus was that they were soft and warm, much like flannels.

Attendees receive crowds of people coming to pet their dog during the Flannels and Flapjacks event at the student union, Nov. 5. Octavia Freeland | The Lumberjack

ANAI CARRASCO

NAU workers handout pancakes to NAU students between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. Saturday during the Flannels and Flapjacks event, Nov. 5. Octavia Freeland | The Lumberjack

Top: After receiving pancakes students head to the toppings station Saturday morning at the student union, Nov. 5. Middle Left: Jayden Hagerman, Zachariah Derrick, Andrew Estrada, and Andrew King pose for a picture during the Flannels and Flapjacks event at the student union, Nov. 5. Middle Right: Students sit in the lawn and along the sidewalk to eat pancakes during the Flannels and Flapjacks event, Nov. 5. Bottom Left: Jermaine Barkley, Health Educator, is the announcer for the Flannels and Flapjacks event, Nov. 5. Bottom Right: Freshman Annapaoloa Cuffaro gets her face painted at the student union during the Flannels and Flapjacks event Saturday morning, Nov. 5. Octavia Freeland | The Lumberjack

LENA ZAUBZER

We have seen some, let’s say, interesting decisions for big sports events in the last few years. Ski race competitions in Dubai, a soccer world championship in winter, and the winter Olympics in a region without any natural snow. Now nothing seems too far-fetched. Just when we thought it could not get any more ridiculous, the Olympic Council of Asia announced the host for the Asian Winter Games 2029: Saudi Arabia, a country with an average winter temperature of 46 to 68 degrees. People already raised their eyebrows at that. But these eyebrows went up even further when the hosting city in Saudi Arabia was named: Trojena. Never heard of it? Well, that does not come as a surprise, because this city does not exist yet.

Trojena is worth a closer look, particularly when it comes to winter sports. It is going to be a luxury winter resort in the mountains of Saudi Arabia. It is part of the 500 billion dollar city project Neom, which also includes an inverted technology building, a man-made lake looking like a huge infinity pool and oval-shaped apartments sticking out of the mountain like mushrooms on a tree trunk. If you ask the Saudis, this is the new ski paradise from 2026 on. So far, there is barely anything done.

What is done is the highly polished advertisement website, showing beautiful pictures of a completely snow-covered mountain area. But even in the winter season from December to March snow is not granted in this region. It can get below 32 degrees in winter in Trojena. But it is dust dry with barely any natural snow — not unusual in a desert. The ski village needs artificial snow for every slope. Saudi Arabia wants to use exclusively renewable energy. But it is questinable if they can produce enough to get artificial snow on the slopes in Trojena by 2026.

Trojena will probably not be the skiing resort for you and me. Saudi Arabia plans a luxury experience that will presumably cost a fortune. But they are only planning 18.5 miles of slopes, which is about Snowbowl size. Compared to well-known luxury ski resorts with the same winter season, like Aspen in Colorado or St. Moritz in Switzerland, this is nothing as they offer 147 and 96 miles of slopes respectively. Is there even a point to build slopes on a not yet touched mountain, when other wellestablished luxury resorts with natural snow resources are already existing? Futuristic slopes that remind of space shuttles spanning over rocks are what Trojena wants to offer. Supposedly, normal natural mountains have lost their charm and need to be replaced by astonishing designs.

To be fair, there was no other candidate for hosting the Asian Winter Games 2029 and the organizers already struggled for years to find a suitable host. You cannot really blame them for supporting these plans by placing this big sports event there. But I doubt the solution is to conjure a complete skiing area, with slopes and lifts out of thin air in a location that you can definitely question to be suitable for winter sports. It seems to be more like a good idea rather for a movie than for reality.

NAU women’s basketball season preview

After a surprising season that saw the Lumberjacks finish just short of making the NCAA tournament last March, the NAU women’s basketball team looks to run things back this season and grab not only its first Big Sky Tournament victory since 2005-06, but also its second ever NCAA tournament berth.

Last year, the Lumberjacks, who went 17-14 overall and 12-8 in conference play, made it to the championship round of the Big Sky Tournament, where they fell to the No. 2-seeded Montana State Bobcats.

NAU lost eight players from that championship-contending roster this year, including five graduates: Sentia Bryant, Lauren Orndoff, Khiarica Rasheed, Miki’ala Maio and Nina Rashford. However, some notable players are returning to the Lumberjack roster this year.

Senior guard Regan Schenck has been thrust into a leadership role this season, being the only one from her class on the team. Schenck was second in the Big Sky last season in assists, tallying around 5.9 dimes per game. Schenck now sits at 485 assists, good for second place on the alltime assists leaderboard for NAU, behind only Sade Cunningham’s 637. Cunningham played at NAU from 2005 to 2009.

Schenck posted a 12-point, nine-rebound game in NAU’s 75-64 loss to the Bobcats. She credits that experience to her goals for the team this season.

“It’s just the fact that we know we can get there, and it’s just really working hard every day, knowing that that’s our goal,” Schenck said, “We know that if we get there we can win the game; it’s just really a mindset that we kinda switched to and I think we can do it again.”

Right alongside Schenck will be junior Emily Rodabaugh, who was NAU’s leading scorer in that tournament loss. Last year, Rodabaugh averaged around 10 points and four rebounds a game, while also shooting 42% from three-point distance on 130 total three-point attempts. If she can shoot that percentage at a higher volume, then the Lumberjacks will be graced with an offensive weapon that will undoubtedly be useful this year.

This offseason, NAU recruited quite well, bringing in five freshmen as well as an inconference transfer student who will have an immediate impact on the court.

Montana Oltrogge is a graduate transfer student who previously spent four years at Big Sky rival Idaho State. Oltrogge brings not only Big Sky Championship experience, but also NCAA tournament experience, specifically against Kentucky in 2021. She

comes onto this NAU roster as one of the taller players on the team, standing at six feet, while also being able to shoot the ball from beyond the arc. Oltrogge is a career 33% three-point shooter and has made 133 in her career entering the season.

The Lumberjacks offense has changed a decent amount this offseason, and that can be attributed to the addition of the athletic freshmen that joined the team.

Head coach Loree Payne, who recently signed a five-year contract extension in April, is looking forward to the roster that the coaching staff has put together this year.

“We’re probably the most talented we’ve been since I’ve been here,” Payne said. “We do have some bigs this year, but we have a lot more athleticism so we’re able to stretch the floor. I think that also comes with having a little bit more talent.”

One of the more athletic members joining the team this year is freshman guard Taylor Feldman, who did nearly everything for her high school team. She is the all-time leader in points, assists and steals for her high school, Crean Lutheran, and once dropped 54 points in a game. Feldman could be a key player for the Lumberjacks this season, depending on how and where Payne decides to play her.

Of course, no team with good talent can go very far without chemistry, which Payne noted the team has been working hard on this summer.

“I think our leaders probably get along really, really well and their chemistry is great as a group to help the young ones transition into college … this is probably the closest group we’ve had,” Payne said.

The Lumberjacks began the season on a journey south on I-17, facing the Arizona State University Sun Devils, falling 6968. They also played the No. 19-ranked University of Arizona Wildcats on the road Thursday night. Both arenas will have significantly more fans in them than a typical Big Sky matchup would, and they will be two very tough road tests for NAU.

The Lumberjacks’ first home game this season, held at the Rolle Activity Center, is against the University of California San Diego Tritons on Nov. 13.

On Dec. 29, NAU will begin Big Sky Conference play, hosting Idaho State in Flagstaff. This will be the first game that Oltrogge plays against her former team. The long-awaited rematch between the Lumberjacks and the Montana State Bobcats is on Jan. 7, 2023, in Bozeman.

If NAU can repeat the success it had at the end of last season, it may very well be back in Boise, Idaho for the Big Sky Basketball Championship in March.

NOAH BUTLER

NAU wins Big Sky Soccer title in penalty kicks

In what was a battle between the top two seeds in the Big Sky Conference, the No. 1-seeded NAU Lumberjacks ousted the No. 2-seeded University of Idaho Vandals in a thrilling match, winning 4-3 on penalties. Sophomore goalkeeper Trinity Corcoran saved a shot late in the penalty kick round to set up the eventual game-winning goal that was booted in by senior defender Rylie Curran.

The game’s tone was set very early on, as both teams stuck to the defensive mentality that got them to the championship match. The Lumberjack’s semifinal match ended in a 4-2 penalty kick win against Weber State, highlighted by a key Corcoran save. Idaho scored late in double overtime against No. 6-seeded Montana and came out with a 1-0 victory in its semifinal match.

In the first half, both the Lumberjacks and the Vandals took turns possessing the ball in each other’s territory, and each possession ended in either a corner kick that got cleared by the defense or a shot on goal that was stopped by the goalkeeper.

This trend held up for most of the half, although both teams had very close opportunities to score.

For NAU, it was junior midfielder Maddie Shafer, who took a free kick just outside of the 18-yard box. The shot ultimately hit the wall of Idaho defenders that set up in front of her, but it forced Vandals’ goalkeeper, freshman Kira Witte, to make a save.

Idaho’s best chance to score came on a corner kick midway through the half. The ball was booted well into the goal box, but Corcoran made solid contact on the ball and punched it out of bounds.

At the end of the first 45 minutes, the score was knotted at 0-0.

NAU gained some momentum in the second half, starting things early with a dangerous attack that led to a shot on goal by freshman midfielder Avery Ott Witte made an easy save on the ball, but it was not long until NAU had another good look on goal.

Junior forward Dai Williams got a chance to score not too long after Ott’s shot was saved. Williams missed wide right on what could have been a go-ahead goal for the Lumberjacks.

After these chances, the match was back to stagnant defense by both sides, and more excellent goalkeeping by both teams. NAU had 17 total shots on goal in regulation, compared to Idaho’s eight.

The match rolled into a 20-minute overtime period, split into two 10-minute halves, still knotted at 0-0.

Not much occurred in the first half of overtime, similar to play from regulation. Tension was quickly building, however, as the penalty kick rounds loomed ever closer.

The second overtime period showed this increased tension very early on. The Vandals got into Lumberjack territory and got a shot on goal that Corcoran punched out of bounds. This led to a corner kick that Corcoran stopped yet again and flipped possession back to the Idaho side.

Junior defender Grace Quinn barely missed a header to the left of the Vandals’ goal on the ensuing NAU attack, and that was the last real chance either team had to score in overtime.

For the second straight match, the Lumberjacks had to win a penalty shootout, this time against an All-Conference First Team goalkeeper in Witte.

Idaho kicked first in what was a very back-and-forth penalty round. The first

shot by Margot Schoesler went high, missing the goal entirely.

The Lumberjacks got on the board soon after with a strike to the bottom right corner by senior defender Abby Donathan. After this shot, neither team missed until the score was tied at three apiece.

Corcoran perfectly read the next Idaho shot and sent it clear away from the goal, setting up NAU’s next kicker, Curran, with a chance to clinch the Lumberjacks’ first Big Sky Championship since 2014.

Curran delivered a perfect kick to the bottom left corner of the goal, sending the rest of the team into a joyous frenzy.

The celebration continued into the awards ceremony, where a multitude of NAU players were selected for the All-Tournament team. This list included Shafer, Curran, Donathan, Corcoran, grad student midfielder Mikhail Johnson and junior forward Josie Novak.

Corcoran was also named the Tournament MVP after allowing only one goal in regulation and making key stops in the penalty kick rounds.

“I couldn’t have done any of this without my team … they encourage me and have my back on and off the field … I wish it could go to all of us,” Corcoran said of winning the Tournament MVP.

Interim head coach Alan Berrios received the big trophy for the Lumberjacks, and Corcoran placed the NAU logo in the middle of the bracket to solidify the championship win.

Berrios has been NAU’s acting head coach since Kylie Louw was put on administrative leave in early October. He noted the team’s turnaround in an interview for the television broadcast.

“We hit a point in the season where we were struggling and adversity hit … but you know what, this team never gave up … the turnaround was unbelievable,” Berrios said.

The Lumberjacks now get a chance to “go dancing,” as those who win their conference do in the NCAA. After the 64-team field was set on Nov. 7, NAU was drawn against No. 1-seed UCLA. This match will take place on Nov. 11.

NOAH BUTLER

NAU soccer celebrates following its championship game win. Photo courtesy of Big Sky Conference

NAU soccer poses with the Big Sky Championship trophy following the championship win over the University of Idaho at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, Nov. 6. Photo courtesy of University of Northern Colorado Athletics

HOMECOMING GAME continued from FRONT

Being tired on defense can have some dramatic side effects, like not being able to stop the run, something the Bobcats did throughout the entire first quarter. Montana State pounded the rock like no other, rushing 11 times, resulting in 93 yards on the ground.

The longest of these early runs was a 44-yard read-option play that sophomore quarterback Tommy Mellott rattled off right through the heart of NAU’s secondary. This rush ended in a touchdown, putting the Lumberjacks in a rough spot — down 14-0 early on.

Feeling hot after the touchdown, the Bobcats went for an onside kick, which did not go the ten yards it needed to in order for them to retain possession. For the first time in the game, NAU was in their opponent territory.

Junior wide receiver Hendrix Johnson snagged a first down to get the Lumberjacks within 30 yards of the endzone, but it was fruitless, as just four plays later, Martinez fumbled for the second time. Senior linebacker Callahan O’Reilly forced the fumble.

After the turnover, the Bobcats got a field goal, putting them up 17-0.

Martinez would not be denied his chance to shine, and on NAU’s next possession, he methodically drove the Lumberjacks downfield with the help of sophomore running back Draycen Hall.

Hall rattled off a 20-yard run to put NAU on the Montana State 34-yard line and from there, Martinez slung the football to a wide open Coleman Owen. The redshirt sophomore wide receiver would have 144 receiving yards in the first half alone.

At the end of the first quarter, it seemed the Lumberjacks had some momentum on their side after they made the score 17-7.

This momentum was all but short-lived. NAU drew two consecutive false start penalties to start their next possession and essentially stunt their drive. The Lumberjacks went for it on fourth down, but Martinez was sacked yet again, giving the Bobcats a chance to put even more points on the board.

NAU’s defense pulled through and got a massive stop on third down, forcing Montana State to punt.

The punt pinned the Lumberjacks deep within their own territory, but Martinez threw a 52-yard rocket to Owen to flip the field. This was the longest play NAU had on this drive, and they were forced to kick a 38-yard field goal, which redshirt sophomore kicker Collin Robbins missed wide right.

Martinez again showcased his elite ball placement on NAU’s next possession

with a 48-yard heave to Hendrix Johnson to put the Lumberjacks within three points.

This was when Montana State realized that what it was doing before, running the read option, worked very well against the Lumberjack defense, and they began to run it almost exclusively for the rest of the half.

NAU finally put a stop to the run and gave Martinez and the Lumberjack offense a chance to take the lead. Martinez threw a heavily contested pass to Owen off his back foot for 36 yards to put NAU in scoring range.

From there, the Lumberjacks pulled out the Philly, or Flagstaff, special. This consisted of multiple backfield pitches that led to sophomore Xander Werner throwing a perfect pass to Martinez for the score.

“I like to think of myself as an athlete, so they obviously trusted me to make that play,” Martinez said.

NAU had the lead at the half, 21-17. It would not be the last time they had the lead this game.

The second half showcased the strengths of both offenses, and the game quickly turned into what is known as a “shootout.”

Of course, this back-and-forth scoring cycle started off with methodical drives downfield by both teams. Montana State took back the lead not long after the half with a very balanced offensive approach. Mellott scored his second of four rushing touchdowns to put the Bobcats back up by three points.

This was not without cost. On that same drive, Lumberjack redshirt freshman defensive back Sean Haymon layed a hit stick on Bobcats’ freshman running back Garrett Coon, forcing him to be out for a few plays.

NAU struck right back, though, off the grace of Martinez yet again. He converted on a huge fourth down play in Montana State territory to Hall and gave the Lumberjacks yet another redzone opportunity.

Martinez took the eventual touchdown himself, scrambling five yards into the endzone.

Montana State stuck to the run on their next touchdown drive, and punched in their fourth touchdown of the game, making the score 31-28 in the Bobcats’ favor.

The Lumberjacks struck right back — again it was Owen who finished with a career-high 196 receiving yards. That mark is good for ninth place on the singlegame receiving yards leaderboard; one yard shy of Gibbons St. Paul’s 197 back in 1996.

Montana continued to pound the rock in the fourth quarter, and yet again it resulted in a Tommy Mellott touchdown. Mellott finished with four total touchdowns on the day, three rushing and one passing.

With the clock dwindling down, Martinez had to make some type of score happen on the Lumberjacks’ next possession. Yet again, he delivered, converting on two key fourth down passes to set up a 46-yard field goal which Robbins drilled. This long field goal knotted the score up at 38, with just over a minute left in regulation.

NAU had the Bobcats on the ropes, a stop on third and ten in their own territory would grant another opportunity for the Lumberjacks to score, but blown coverage led to a 64-yard pass play to put Montana in prime field goal range. Glessner made the kick, and the Bobcats walked away with the win.

This was a heartbreaking loss for the NAU faithful, even though the team had multiple players with career days.

Martinez played his best game of the season thus far, throwing for 452 yards, tied for third most in a game in school history. He also accounted for five touchdowns of his own, three in the air, one on the ground and one receiving.

“I was proud of the way our guys fought all the way to the end, it gave us a chance to win, we believed that we could win the game … We just didn’t finish,” head coach Chris Ball said.

For NAU, its next opponent will be against the Northern Colorado Bears in Greeley, Colorado on Nov. 12 at noon, as they look to build off of a very solid offensive performance. As for Montana State, it heads to San Luis Obispo, California to face off against the Cal Poly Mustangs the same day at 6 p.m. Both games will be streaming on ESPN+.

Sophomore running back Draycen Hall (26) runs the ball against Montana State University defense at Findlay Toyota Field, Nov. 5. MalloryDerrick |The Lumberjack

Above: Redshirt freshman defensive back Sean Haymon (21) cheers his teammates on against Montana State University from the sidelines of Findlay Toyota Field, Nov. 5. Mallory Derrick | The Lumberjack

Above: Sophomore quarterback R.J. Martinez sets up for a play during the third quarter of the homecoming game against Montana State University, Nov. 5. Victoria Medina | The Lumberjack

NASCAR season wraps at Phoenix Championship Weekend

This year’s NASCAR Championship Weekend took place in Phoenix last weekend with new champions being named across all three of its nationally touring series and in the ARCA Menard’s Series West. Joey Logano won the second championship of his 15-year Cup Series career. Driving the No. 22 Team Penske Ford, Logano became the first driver to win two championships in a Ford since David Pearson won two championships in a Ford in 1968 and 1969.

The championship wrapped NASCAR’s 74th season, as it was all the way back in 1949 when Raymond Parks, a founding member of the sport, won the first ever NASCAR championship behind the wheel of an Oldsmobile.

There have been many different makes and models that drivers have won races behind through the history of NASCAR; but this year was the inaugural year of the Next Gen car. The model was drastically different than anything NASCAR had ever seen. Drivers and engineers, veterans and newcomers, all had an adjustment period while getting to learn the new car. New rules pertaining to single-source parts and modifications that are allowed to be made to them led to new challenges for teams when figuring out how they could legally modify their cars.

The Next Gen car made its debut at the first ever Clash at the Coliseum, a preseason race held on a quarter-mile track inside of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Logano also won that race, ending the season how he started in the new car.

NASCAR’s postseason is set up as an elimination bracket with the top 16 drivers from the regular season. Drivers qualify by either winning a race — which automatically guarantees a spot in the playoffs as long as 16 or less drivers win races during the regular season — or being in the top 16 in driver points at the end of the season, also depending on how many drivers have won races.

Once the playoffs start, drivers advance by either winning a race or placing above the bottom four in the playoff field. Points reset at the start of each playoff round. The Rounds of 16, 12 and 8 all feature three races. The final round, referred to as the Championship 4, is a one-off championship race, the NASCAR Cup Series Championship. The top finishing Championship 4 in the race is named Cup Series champion. Though a driver does not need to finish first to claim the title, the championship-winning driver has won the race every year since the format was introduced in 2014. The championship race has been run in Phoenix since 2020. Before, it was hosted at Homestead-Miami from 2002-2019.

Apart from Logano, this year’s Championship 4 featured Trackhouse Racing No. 1 driver Ross Chastain, 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Champion Hendrick Motorsports No. 9 driver Chase Elliot and Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 driver Christopher Bell. Bell and Elliot qualified via wins in the Round of 8. Chastain clinched his Championship 4 berth in much more dramatic fashion.

On the final lap at Martinsville, the elimination race in the Round of 8, Chastain accelerated into the final turns as opposed to slowing down, needing to make a couple of positions to earn his way into the Championship 4. He rode the wall a quarter of the way around the racetrack speeding up through the contact, gaining more than what he needed and eliminating Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 driver Denny Hamlin with an unprecedented and likely never-to-be-replicated maneuver.

Logano took the pole in qualifying with a 26.788 lap time, .003 seconds quicker than the second qualifying driver. As the top qualifying driver out of the

2022 NASCAR Xfinity Champion Ty Gibbs’ weekend was unfortunately overshadowed by the heartbreaking loss of his father, JGR team co-owner, Coy Gibbs. JGR announced Sunday that Coy had passed away in his sleep on Saturday night, hours after celebrating his son’s championship win and speaking on the victory as Chief Operating Officer of JGR. Coy is the son of team owner and Pro Football Hall of Fame head coach Joe Gibbs.

The loss was felt deeply across the motorsports community and NASCAR honored Coy with a moment of silence prior to Sunday’s cup race. Logano also dedicated his win to Coy as JGR was the first cup team to give him a full-time ride.

In the Xfinity championship, JGR No. 54 driver Ty Gibbs beat out three JR Motorsports, No. 9 driver Noah Gragson, No. 8 driver Josh Berry and No. 7 driver Justin Allgaier. Allgaier was in his seventh straight NASCAR Xfinity playoffs, making the postseason every year since its introduction in 2016. It was his fifth Championship 4 appearance. It was Berry’s first full-season in the Xfinity series and he capitalized with a deep playoff run.

Gragson will depart the Xfinity series to join Petty GMS Chevrolet, taking over driving responsibility of the No. 42 Cup car, which was piloted by Ty Dillon in 2022. It was announced Friday morning at the racetrack that seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson would be joining Petty GMS as a partial owner. Petty GMS now has 14 driver titles in its ownership group, pairing Johnson alongside Richard Petty, a second of only three people to have won seven NASCAR titles, the third being the late Dale Earnhardt Sr..

It is expected that Ty Gibbs will also be making the jump to the Cup Series in 2023, though it is only speculation as of now and no official announcement has been made.

In the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Front Row Motorsports Ford No. 38 Zane Smith took the pole and the race taking the championship, holding off the rest of the Championship 4 in a tight race late. The truck race is the one event of the weekend that takes place at night, offering a different track ambience. Smith had placed second in the Championship 4 in back-to-back years, but finally capitalized on his third opportunity.

He beat out ThorSport Racing No. 99 driver Ben Rhodes, who won the championship the year before, as well as Rhodes teammate No. 66 driver Ty Majeski. Kyle Busch Motorsports No. 18 driver Chandler Smith was the fourth driver in the Championship 4. Zane, Rhodes and Chandler finished first, second and third in the race. Majeski finished in 20th after a crash with four laps remaining left his truck unable to keep up with the front of the pack.

Sunrise Ford No. 6 driver Jake Drew needed just to start the race in order to claim his 2022 ARCA Menard’s Series West Championship, which is also run as a part of the NASCAR Championship Weekend. ARCA does not use the Championship 4 format and Drew had enough points to clinch the title upon race start.

Racers will get the next three and a half months to themselves to recuperate ahead of the 2023 NASCAR season. The 2023 Clash at the Coliseum is on Feb. 5 and will serve as a preseason ahead of the season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway with events over the weekend of Feb. 9.

Championship 4 and Hendrick Motorsports No. 5 driver Kyle Larson — who remained in contention for the Owner’s title — Logano got to select his teams pit stall first, which was a huge advantage for pole winners all weekend, as in each of the three major championship races, the pole winner also took first place.

EVAN MCNELIA

Joey Logano celebrates after winning his second NASCAR Cup Series Championship Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images