MAKING MEMORIES PAGES 12–13
T H E L U M BE R JACK
AUG. 30, 2018 – SEPT. 5, 2018
Online at JackCentral.org
From the Editor
I
would like to give a little bit of advice to all of NAU’s newest freshmen — actually not just the freshmen, but to every NAU student: Don’t be too set in your plans for your life to write off completely changing things up. In the summer of 2013, I was working as a gas station attendant and did not know what I wanted to do with my life. After doing some true soul searching, thought I had finally figured it out and knew what I was going to do with my life. I decided that I was going to be a professional photographer, so I signed up for classes at Northwest College in Powell, Wyoming. I wanted to learn everything there is to know about photography and joined the student newspaper. Even then I had no intention of being a journalist. I realize this probably seems weird coming from the editor-in-chief of The Lumberjack, but bear with me. After a series of events that happened after graduating with an Associate’s degree in photography, I got a job working for the local newspaper in Havre, Montana. This is where I truly fell in love with journalism. The creativity that goes in to working for a newspaper and the collaboration between writers, photographer, editors and page designers is an incredible thing to see. MATTHEW STRISSEL Now, I am working full force in journalism. EDITOR-IN-CHIEF I say this because I consider myself to be a worker. I have always said that I am never the smartest person in the room, or the most talented or creative, but I have always worked as hard as possible. That is how I make up for my lack of smarts. However, in my new role as editor-in-chief I do much less hands-on work, and more giving direction. This has caused me to initially feel somewhat less of a person than I was last semester. But after doing some more soul searching, I have come to realize that what I do is still meaningful work — it is just in a different capacity — and I am extremely grateful to have this job. Having this in mind I say to you, dear reader, that life does not always work out the way you plan. In fact, it rarely does. But don’t worry about it! Who you are right now may be a completely different person than you will be a year from now. I say embrace that fact and enjoy the ebbs and flows of life. I’m listening to “Changes” by Garth Brooks
“I just knew right when I got on campus it was a school I wanted to be a part of.” - Sydney Dennis, Freshmen midfield soccer player, 2018
Thank you for reading.
Freshman midfielder Sydney Dennis makes her move from Nevada to Arizona after being named the 2017 Offensive Player of the Year Aug. 10 Bailey Helton | The Lumberjack Phone: (928) 523-4921 Fax: (928) 523-9313 Lumberjack@nau.edu P.O. Box 6000 Flagstaff, AZ 86011
THE LUMBERJACK VOL. 107 ISSUE 2
Editor-in-Chief Matthew Strissel
Managing Editor Ariel Cianfarano
Director of Digital Content Conor Sweetman
Copy Chief Ashley Besing
Faculty Advisor Anette McGivney
Faculty Advisor, Visuals Valerie Devoy
Sales Manager Marsha Simon
Print Chief Brady Wheeler
Media Innovation Center Editorial Board News Editor Owen Sexton Asst. News Editor Sean Cadigan Op-Ed Editor Peggy Packer Asst. Op-Ed Editor Maria Angulo
Features Editor MaryAnn Witt
Culture Editor Sebastian Moore
Director of Photography Shannon Swain
Asst. Dir. of Photography Asst. Features Editor Director of Circulation Shannon Ainsley Cowan Devyn Coons Luis Gardetto Senior Photographer Michael Patacsil Sports Editor Director of Social Media Director of Illustration Kade Gilliss Teana Long Katie Dobyrdney Asst. Sports Editor Bailey Helton
Director of Multimedia James Lamarr
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Senior Illustrator Colton Starley
On the cover Freshmen Berlin Cormey, Samantha Nugent, Dillon Browne and Dominic Montes pose for pictures at the photo booth during the Welcome Week Concert Aug. 25 at South Quad. Michael Patacsil | The Lumberjack
Corrections & Clarifications The Lumberjack is committed to factual correctness and accuracy. If you find an error in our publication, please email Matthew Strissel at mbs263@nau.edu.
PoliceBeat Aug. 14 At 1:30 a.m., an NAUPD officer initiated a traffic stop at the corner of San Francisco Street and Franklin Avenue where, upon conducting a field sobriety test, one nonstudent was cited and released for driving under the influence. The case remains open pending lab results. At 4:22 p.m., Flagstaff Police Department (FPD) transferred a call requesting a welfare check to the NAUPD police station. The nonstudent was located near the corner of Beaver Street and Ellery Avenue and found to be in good health. An escort was provided to a local shelter. At 6:53 p.m., staff reported fire alarm lights blinking in the South Village Apartments with no accompanying alarm. NAUPD officers responded but did not find any fire, just blinking lights. Fire Life Safety was advised and responded. Aug. 15 At 1:57 p.m., a subject called to report a puncture wound to the leg at the Parking Services building. NAUPD, Flagstaff Fire Department (FFD) and Guardian Medical Transport (GMT) responded and the subject was transported to Flagstaff Medical Center (FMC). Aug. 16 At 10:55 a.m., a subject called to report loud music coming from the Walkup Skydome practice fields. An NAUPD officer responded and the music was turned down. Aug. 17 At 5:01 p.m., staff at the du Bois Center reported another staff member’s hand got stuck in a pasta machine. NAUPD, FFD and GMT responded and the staff
Compiled by Sean Cadigan
member was transported to child at the NAU Bookstore. FMC. The nonstudent was found to be in good health and the At 9:03 p.m., a passer- parents were found nearby. by reported a subject walking around with a shopping cart. Aug. 23 The subject was contacted at At 7:45 p.m., an off-duty the corner of San Francisco NAUPD officer requested Street and Pine Knoll Ridge a welfare check on an and returned the shopping cart intoxicated non-student in the to its rightful home. San Francisco Parking Garage. The subject was arrested and Aug. 18 booked into Coconino County At 2:04 p.m., a staff Detention Facility (CCDF) on member called to report a an outstanding warrant. student who had presumably passed out after falling and Aug. 24 hitting their head. NAUPD, At 12:45 a.m., a student FFD and GMT responded and at Reilly Hall reported the student was transported to another student passed out FMC. in a hallway. NAUPD, FFD and GMT responded and the At 4:30 p.m., a subject student was cited for underage called to report their skateboard consumption of alcohol and rolling under a gated area and transported to FMC for needed assistance getting it out. treatment. An NAUPD officer responded and assistance was provided. At 9:23 p.m., a staff member at The Suites reported Aug. 20 an abandoned vehicle. At 12:03 a.m., an NAUPD responded and upon NAUPD officer reported a brief investigation discovered contacting two subjects laying the vehicle was reported stolen on the ground. The subjects in New Mexico. The officers were not in distress and were impounded the car. just attempting to camp. The subjects were informed of At 10:37 p.m., a the no-camping rule and left staff member reported campus. an intoxicated student at Reilly Hall. FFD and GMT At 7:56 a.m., a staff responded but the student member at the Performing and refused medical transport, Fine Arts building called to however, five additional report the theft of a paperclip students were deferred for holder. An NAUPD officer underage consumption of responded and the paperclip alcohol. holder was located. Aug. 25 Aug. 21 At 9:26 p.m., a student At 5:11 p.m., a staff reported being in a traffic member at Cline Library called collision near the College of to report finding marijuana. Social and Behavioral Sciences. An NAUPD officer responded NAUPD responded and and took a report. another student was arrested and booked into CCDF for Aug. 22 driving under the influence, At 7:12 p.m., a subject underaged consumpsion of called to request a welfare alcohol and failing to remain check on an unaccompanied on the scene of a collision.
AUG. 30, 2018 – SEPT. 5, 2018 | THE LUMBERJACK 3
NEWS
City staff reports on Regional Plan 2030 Sean Cadigan
D
uring the City Council meeting Aug. 21, Associate Planner Carlton Johnson presented on Flagstaff’s Regional Plan (FRP) 2030: 2017 Annual Report. In this report, Johnson outlined the progress and shortcomings of the FRP. The FRP was implemented in 2014 to “[provide] guidance for preservation and growth in the coming years,” according to its mission statement. According to the Comprehensive Planning page on the City of Flagstaff Website, the council hopes to accomplish this by promoting eight guiding matters within the community: the environment, sustainability, prosperity, cooperation, people, place, a smart and connected community, and trust and transparency affairs. To make the report more comprehensive, it was broken down into key insights, which were sub-headed into natural environment, built environment and human environment sections. Under natural environment it was reported that 99,146 tons of solid waste were disposed in Cinder Lake Landfill. This is 7,996 more tons of solid waste than what was disposed of in 2016 or a 9 percent increase, which is “substantially more than our population is increasing,” said Johnson. Average growth of waste disposal is increasing at an average rate of 5 percent over a four-year period. The waste production of Flagstaff is out-pacing the average population growth seen over a four-year period, which is 1.6 percent. “One of the large pieces of that is the uptick in construction activity,” Johnson said. “Some of the others are unknown, wrapped up in all kinds of different things.” Although the tons of waste the community is producing is increasing, waste diversion, or the use of reduction, recycling, reusing or composting to reduce the burden placed on landfills, remains under-utilized by Flagstaff.
Renewable energy produced by the city is down, following a trend starting in 2015. This is due to the cogeneration facility at the Wildcat Hill Water Reclamation Plant not operating, a facility designed to produce electricity from the heat and steam remnants of the original water generator. Director of Water Services Brad Hill informed the council why the reclamation plant wasn’t operational. “We need to fix [the Wildcat Hill Water Reclamation Plant] and upgrade it, and it takes two parts, two fiscal years: fiscal year ’19 and fiscal year ’20,” said Hill. Both fiscal years will see improvements to the piping system to make them more efficient and a rehabilitation of the unit itself that produces power. Next was the Building Environment, which saw 18 miles of road improved in accordance with the Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) along with a consistently high “beautification funding” thanks to a sizable tourist population. The CIP is a program lead by the utilities department and seeks to improve water and sewer infrastructure. Projects are determined by the utilities division heads, utilities engineering manager and the utilities director. Large projects like North Beaver Street and Lockett Road were chosen because the roads and the infrastructure beneath needed design work Johnson said. 2017’s roadway improvements saw 15 miles of roads improved here in Flagstaff in 2016. “This large increase is related to a tax from 2014 that funded these projects,” Johnson said. 2017 also saw a sizable increase in the number of permits issued for new construction and new residential units at 260 permits and 719 total units. This is almost twice as many as the previous year. This means the housing community is growing and is returning to prerecession numbers. Finally, Johnson explained the changes to the Human Environment.
Flagstaff’s population has seen steady growth of approximately 1.6 percent and the educational attainment, or the highest level of education completed, is relatively flat. The median home price increased 11 percent from 2016 to 2017. It is five percent higher than the median home value from 2015 to 2016, which saw an increase of 6 percent. “Your house may or may not have gone up 11 percent,” Johnson said. “A few really expensive homes are going to skew this number but nonetheless it shows this trend that we all kind of know about right now.” This year, the property surveyors were able to include an affordability index and it revealed that Flagstaff isn’t exactly an affordable place to live, Johnson said. “56 percent of income goes towards housing and transportation [and] 45 percent is the national benchmark,” according to the 2017 annual report. Despite these issues, citizens in attendance at the meeting had another thing on their minds. During the public participation portion of the meeting, three different community members raised concerns over Fort Tuthill’s planned use of potable water to produce artificial snow for the upcoming winter season. Marilyn Weissman was the first community member to speak about the subject and requested the issue be added to a future agenda for public discussion. “I want you guys also to weigh in … [the City Council] has really done a good job of promoting a culture of conservation,” said Weissman. “We can’t continue to pretend that we’re always going to have snow ... our water and our aquifers are going to be endlessly there.” A representative from the Sierra Club and another community member voiced similar concerns over the liberal use of water that could someday be vital to Flagstaff after a less than plentiful winter.
NextGen America conducts voter registration drive Owen Sexton
T
he November midterms are quickly approaching and most candidates have their sights set on firing up their bases to win. The partisan organization NextGen America is going against political traditions, and members of the group are now here at NAU concentrating their efforts on strictly registering younger voters between the ages of 18 to 35. Here in Arizona, they are concentrating on the three state universities as well as the private and community colleges. Volunteers on these campuses are collecting voter registration forms and pledge to vote cards from students. Abigail Jackson, junior political science and international
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affairs double major, wanted both new and returning students to know they have a voice. “They [the students] are part of the largest voting block in the country right now,” said Jackson. “NextGen is on campuses all across the state registering them and making them aware of their power so that we can elect officials that share our progressive values and represent us better.” Jackson and the others involved are working to get at least 12,000 students registered to vote in Arizona universities by the time the midterms roll around. As of Aug. 22, NextGen Arizona registered 1,144 voters around the state, with 811 of those coming from the University of Arizona (UA) alone. With Welcome Week having just kicked off, Jackson and those working with her managed to register another 314 voters here at NAU by the end of the day Aug. 23.
NextGen isn’t the first organization to aim at registering young voters. The cable network MTV is once again holding its own voter registration campaign, “+1thevote.” NextGen America President Thomas Steyer has also promised to donate $31 million this election season to fund voter registration campaigns, dwarfing what MTV is spending on its campaign as reported by The Washington Post. According to Jackson it appears the youth vote is being much more highly sought after this midterm season. She explained that it seemed to her the youth vote was previously being ignored and those she had registered were excited just to have someone talk to them about politics. “A lot of the kids we talk to have never even been asked if they were interested in registering to vote. It’s exciting for them, it’s adulting 101,” Jackson said.
NEWS
Students register to vote at the NextGen America booth during the Student Involvement Fair in the Health and Learning Center Aug. 24. Michael Patacsil | The Lumberjack
Jackson further explained that NextGen is partnered with both former United States Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and Everytown for Gun Safety to get people registered to vote, even if they are still in high school. “All across this country, young people are using their voices to call for change and demand political courage from their representatives, and we are proud to encourage those efforts,” said Steyer in an April 12 Everytown press release. The three are partnered in a campaign called Our Lives, Our Vote. They have adopted several tactics to get young voters registered, including sending voter registration forms to people who have just turned 18. They are also targeting youth with online voter-registration ads, helping grassroots organizations that are registering people by hand within their communities and preregistering people as
young as 17 or even 16 to vote in the 14 states where that is legal, according the Everytown press release. They explained their partnership was meant to combat NRA lobbying by registering voters in states where midterm candidates have taken NRA campaign contributions, including Arizona. While Our Lives, Our Vote aims only at NRA-aligned candidates, NextGen focuses on multiple social issues. In fact, Steyer originally co-founded NextGen Climate, which evolved into NextGen America following the 2016 presidential election. Another NextGen organizer, junior elementary education major Megan Brown, said she thought this upcoming midterm election was especially important and why she wanted her fellow classmates to not only register but pledge to vote as well. “The time is now to get out and vote. We clearly care about the issues. We care about having affordable health care, lowering
the cost of college, things like that,” said Brown. “Now is the time to vote to enact change.” The new NAU students she had talked to and registered had all been overjoyed at the prospect of casting their vote Brown stated. “Everyone has been supportive and excited to register to vote for the first time,” Brown said. “They’re excited to make their voices heard.” Brown, Jackson and the other NextGen workers plan to continue their voter registration efforts over Welcome Weekend and all the way until November. They don’t plan on stopping even if they meet their goal of 12,000 voters registered.
AUG. 30, 2018 – SEPT. 5, 2018 | THE LUMBERJACK 5
NEWS
Photo courtesy of Paul Deasy
Photo courtesy of Regina Salas
Photo courtesy of Alex Martinez
Hopeful candidates discuss local issues Owen Sexton
I
n last week’s issue, city council candidates discussed their thoughts on the current city council, and now this week The Lumberjack takes a look at the biggest issues the candidates think Flagstaff faces in the future. Paul Deasy As for the issues still facing Flagstaff, the biggest in Paul Deasy’s eyes is the town’s development — mainly the studenthousing developments going up, like Hub Flagstaff and The Standard. While he supports NAU’s growth, he feels the university should focus on building more on-campus housing for students. “We need more on-campus housing. It’s not just better for the public and the town, it’s better for the students and the university,” said Deasy. “On-campus housing is related to retention rates.” In his opinion, the biggest issue he wants City Council to address does not revolve around Flagstaff’s development, but protection from natural disasters. “Our city faces certain natural disaster risks that are not being addressed,” Deasy said. “We’re surrounded by forests that were supposed to be thinned years ago that when combined with climate change means every year, we are gambling by not thinning the forests around town to protect us from wildfires. We know in the past decade it’s been burning down entire towns.” Wildfires are not the only natural disaster threat he seeks to address as he hopes to divert the Rio de Flag if elected. “It’s a hundred-million-dollar project, which is why our councils for the past two decades have not done it when we know it is a serious risk to the city,” Deasy said. “It will flood all of downtown, put north campus [NAU] underwater, put Sunnyside
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underwater, basically 20 percent of our town will be underwater if we have a serious flood.” He feels this is one of the biggest issues facing the city that nobody is talking about simply because of the cost. Deasy looks at it as a choice of having to pay the $100 million to divert the river or paying potentially hundreds of millions — or even billions — of dollars in property damages following a catastrophic flood. Regina Salas The biggest challenge Regina Salas wants to address in the next two years if elected is revising Flagstaff’s Regional Plan. “It’s high time we reviewed the regional plan,” said Salas. “See what’s been working, what hasn’t been working and what needs to be modified.” “Within the past couple of years, there have been issues with the implementation of the regional plan, from housing to more recently the Greater Buffalo Park.” She also wants to focus on economic vitality. For Salas, this means small business retention, a field in which she currently works in as she runs her own small business consultant company in Flagstaff. “For me, though, economic development is also workforce development, which starts from education,” Salas said. “Flagstaff has the highest educated workforce, but also the most underemployed.” She also hopes to attract more tech industry jobs. She says many of her clients are Flagstaff residents who do information technology work for people around the world. There is potential, she believes, for a tech boom in Flagstaff if the right connections are made. A registered independent, the small business owner hopes her experience in politics in the past will help her shape policy on the council.
“I have experience in many different levels of government, from the Philippines to here,” Salas said. “I’ve worked for the [Coconino] County, for Parks and Recreation for seven years, and then for the Chamber of Commerce for two years before running my own business now for two-and-a-half years.” Alex Martinez Affordable housing is also forefront in Alex Martinez’s mind. With the lack of careers in Flagstaff, he sees it as nearly impossible for many in Flagstaff to buy a home. If elected, he too wants to focus on the economic development of the city. “Economic development would solve a lot of issues we currently face,” said Martinez. “But we don’t just need job creation.” “Jobs can be minimum wage and not have benefits. We need career providers like W.L. Gore. Everybody who I know that works for them is very happy.” Martinez believes a strong economy is needed to foster growth in other regions and thinks he can do a better job allocating resources if on the council. “I would like to see more open space in the city, it will generate more revenue for the city to be able to purchase other vacant properties when the market goes down,” Martinez said. “What you have to remember is you have to buy low and sell high, and some of these folks haven’t figured that out yet.” The growth of NAU is also a goal of his, and he hopes to encourage the university to take more of a research direction while simultaneously promoting economic growth. “NAU is doing a good job, they have a biomedical program working with people who have Parkinson’s Disease or other issues walking, outfitting them with mechanical skeletons to the exterior of their bodies to help them walk,” Martinez said. “What do programs like that have? The potential for industry growth, you
NEWS
Photo courtesy of Adam Shimoni
can build those things here.” He brought up one of UA’s many research projects which have resulted in numerous opportunities not only for the UA, but Tucson as well. “The lunar and planetary laboratory at the UA was run by Dr. Peter Smith,” Martinez said. “He’s a kid I grew up with and those are his toys that were bouncing around on mars. Why can’t we be doing that here?” Adam Shimoni Like the other candidates, Adam Shimoni also takes issue with the fact that there are not many good career options for NAU graduates who wish to stay in Flagstaff. While he agrees affordable housing is an issue, he hopes that bringing infrastructure and creating career opportunities will help solve that issue. Shimoni also thinks that waste management is an issue that needs to be dealt with as well. “Maybe it’s not the largest issue but we need to start thinking big picture in terms of our waste management [landfill], which is almost full,” said Shimoni. “That’s 40 acres that we either need to replace or we need to figure out alternative solutions that are more progressive, take that waste and create energy from it or repurpose it, compost it, however we can deal with it so we don’t have to purchase another 40 acres.” If elected, he also hopes to foster better communication between the government and the citizens. He particularly wants to get younger voters more politically active. One plan of his if elected is to start posting online recaps of council meetings to summarize what was discussed during the long meetings. “Something I’m planning to do is at the end of meetings do a recap live video on Facebook with the mayor, City Council members, whoever is relevant to the subject, saying ‘here’s what we talked about,’” Shimoni said. Shimoni wants his fellow millennials to step up and be more involved with local politics as well. He feels as though most people only pay attention to national news and not enough attention is paid to what is going on locally.
Photo courtesy of Austin Aslan
Austin Aslan The largest issue facing Flagstaff, Austin Aslan feels, concerns the town’s relationship with NAU and it is centered around the growth currently going on. He wants both the city and the university to grow but also to ensure it is done in a way that’s beneficial for both. In his view, residents of Flagstaff are not being prioritized. “Flagstaff faces accelerating threats to its DNA. Thanks to rising housing costs, the greed of outside developers, NAU’s top-down directive to expand and a lack of forward thinking, locals are feeling abandoned,” said Aslan. “From police officers to firefighters, from teachers to hospitality staff — our workforce is struggling to live within city limits.” If Aslan gets elected, he hopes to focus City Council’s attention back toward the community and away from special interests. “Change is always inevitable and often positive, but who should dictate the shape and speed of Flagstaff’s growth?” Aslan said. “Big Phoenix developers? Arizona Board of Regents? Or residents? I want voters to imagine a council that puts the will of local residents before special interests and greed.” It’s not just a lack of focus, but a lack of communication as well by NAU, Aslan said. “Few city residents understand the pressures that are placed on the university to expand for survival as a result of the state’s abysmal funding of education,” Aslan said. “At the same time, the university has disregarded longtime citizen concerns as it has pushed into historic neighborhoods and clogged our city streets unnecessarily with lackluster traffic and car-use policies.” The impact on public safety from this growth is a huge concern for him as well. He believes the university should do more in terms of police and firefighting work in Flagstaff as NAU’s growth brings more students into town every year. If elected, Aslan will seek to get his message across to those in charge. “The university has an obligation to help keep Flagstaff safe and thriving,” Aslan said. “Flagstaff City Council, as a
Photo courtesy of Dennis Lavin
representative of the citizens, must bring this message loud and clear to the Arizona Board of Regents.” Dennis Lavin Dennis Lavin sees not just one issue he wants to tackle, but many facing Flagstaff in the future, including jobs, public safety, housing, infrastructure and traffic. Whatever the issue may be, Lavin plans to seek a solution by collaborating not only with others in the council, but other government, educational, community and business partners, though he won’t forget about citizen input either. “In addition, listening to what our residents have to say about quality of life issues,” said Lavin. Collaboration is a good solution to most issues in his eyes, as he believes it can help foster better ideas. Of all the experience from his professional career, Lavin’s collaborative experience is what he values the most. “As a certified public accountant [now retired], I have collaborated with Boards of Directors by providing a strong tone at the top attitude,” Lavin said. “My experience with corporate governance and dealing with organizational matters is a skill set that I can provide the council.” When it comes to NAU’s recent growth, although he has no immediate issues with it, is still a concern for him when looking at the future. He sees other potential hazards for the university in the future he feels others do not see, including the possibility of students not even attending the actual campus and taking all classes online. “If students decide to telecommute, or what happens when, due to economic conditions in their countries, the level of our international student enrollment trails off?” Lavin said. When it comes to the university today, Lavin welcomes all new students and wants student voters to know they do have a voice. “This question reminds me of John F. Kennedy’s famous quote, as to what folks can do for their country,” Lavin said. “So welcome to Flagstaff and NAU. Please get involved with our community. We need your energy.”
AUG. 30, 2018 – SEPT. 5, 2018 | THE LUMBERJACK 7
OPINION-EDITORIAL
Mediocre ‘Milk and Honey’ Ariel Cianfarano
I
Foreplay, for sure
t’s 2018. Why are we still skipping foreplay? I’ve heard complaints many times before, how men often opt-out of the oh-so-necessary foreplay. This is wrong and honestly unsafe for so many reasons. Just because they skip it in the movies, doesn’t mean you can skip it in real life. I mean, you can, but you really shouldn’t. Think of foreplay as the warm-up. You’re not going to run a 5K without warming up and stretching first, right? I would hope not. In straight couples, foreplay is especially important in terms of safety for the woman. It is about more than just arousal. During the acts of foreplay, multiple things happen PEGGY PACKER to a woman’s body that makes sex not just OP-ED EDITOR more enjoyable, but physically possible without pain. When a woman becomes aroused, there is an increase of blood flow to the vaginal walls, causing fluid to pass through. This is usually the main source of the lubrication needed to have sexual intercourse. Apart from that, acts of foreplay cause the vagina to stretch, making sex more comfortable for the woman. If there is not enough lubrication or stretch, the aftermath can be very painful on the female side. Sex is usually better when one of the parties isn’t in immense, involuntary pain. Aside from the health and safety benefits, foreplay is also very important for women to experience an orgasm. While foreplay is enjoyable for men, it is not necessary for them to reach orgasm. For women, however, the buildup in arousal is almost always necessary to reach what is so often referred to as “the big O.” Foreplay is not just important for straight couples, though. Foreplay is important in any sexual encounter. While lesbian couples often don’t fall short in the area of foreplay, it is still necessary for both parties to have a good experience. The reason many lesbian women don’t struggle with foreplay is because, aside from other methods of penetration, foreplay is the basis of lesbian sex. Male, gay couples also need to engage in foreplay for similar reasons as straight couples. Diving straight into sex with another man could cause a lot of pain for the other person. So no matter who you like, skipping foreplay is never the right option for you. And, quite frankly, foreplay is imperative for the overall enjoyment of sex. It is not supposed to feel like a job. It’s supposed to be fun. If you know what to do and why it is important, the foreplay in your sexual relationships may improve, and, in turn, so will your sex life. Get educated, get dedicated and stop skipping foreplay.
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I
will be the first to admit that I didn’t know anything about poetry a year ago. But then, I took a class — yes, a class. And I fell in love. I was introduced to Lucille Clifton, Tennyson, Wordsworth and Edna St. Vincent Millay — all iconic and great poets. We even read poetry from poets who weren’t popular, and I learned that really anyone who loves words and tries hard enough can be a poet. There’s a quote by Plato that says, “At the touch of a lover, everyone becomes a poet.” “Milk and Honey” author Rupi Kaur, must have connected to Plato’s quote because the self-proclaimed poetry book is full of angsty, brokenhearted and mediocre poems. “Milk and Honey” was published in 2014, and it quickly became a mainstream poetry book that a young, mostly teenage audience was reading. It even included simple illustrations with some of the poems to somehow make the experience more fulfilling. One of the signs of good poetry is that there can be a million meanings in one line. Most of the fun is had sitting and thinking about all the different directions the poem can lead you. The use of specific words can change a poem’s meaning completely into something you’ve never even thought to notice. “Milk and Honey” fails at this. The poems in the collection are very simple, and the meaning of each poem is not earned. The poem’s are so simple and about a broad, vague emotion, that the reader is handed a cookiecutter meaning that is supposed to be thought-provoking, but is actually super cliche. What is the reader gaining from reading the collection of poems? The poems hit serious topics, but only on the surface. I want Rupi Kaur to dig deeper than just the initial feeling. There is no reward for reading any of the poetry in that book. I didn’t learn anything new. I didn’t realize there was an adequate description for an emotion that I feel all the time. One of the things that I really enjoyed about Tennyson’s
“Memoriam” is that it went through all the stages of emotions when someone deals with death. It’s not just about being sad, it’s more than that. It’s feeling sad but remembering the good memories and trying to accept that they are not there anymore. The pain leaps off the page. It isn’t just handed to you in order to be sad. Poetry is really the language of the world, but “Milk and Honey” hides behind romanticism. It romanticizes the feeling of heartbrokenness and the unknown of becoming an adult. Not only this, but pressing enter five times after a couple of words doesn not make it poetry. Line breaks, punctuation and literary devices all play a significant role in a poem’s structure and meaning. When a line ends, without any real reason why, it loses its poetic power. It goes from the line having the potential to be spectacular to being less than superb and boring. And coming from a book that is so popular, and has really good ratings, one would think it would have at least some compelling elements. Along those lines, it just goes to show the power of social media and the internet. People started to read “Milk and Honey” because other people were reading and raving about it. Everything on social media is full of bias, and no one can actually make up their mind. It has to be a good poetry book because everyone says it is, right?
Illustration By Katie Dobrydney
AUG. 30, 2018 – SEPT. 5, 2018 | THE LUMBERJACK 9
OPINION-EDITORIAL
Ending colorism in the black community Peggy Packer
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acism is more than just black and white. Colorism is the discrimination against someone with a dark skin tone, most often within the same racial group. In my own experience, colorism is far too common in the black community. Society tends to favor African Americans who have lighter skin, for no other reason than the fact that they appear somehow “less black.” Why do you think we rarely see dark-skinned men and women in movies and TV shows, let alone playing lead roles? Why do you think so many of the people who claim they are attracted to African Americans
seem to only like the lighter ones? It is not because they are smarter, or more attractive or better in any way for that matter. It is because they are light skinned and deemed more acceptable by society. The world has been brainwashed into falsely believing that lighter is better. “Yeah, they’re black, but they’re not really black.” Except ... we are. The saddest thing about colorism is the fact that colored people are the biggest perpetrators. We fail every time that we choose to ignore colorism. I am guilty of this myself. I am a lightskinned, mixed-race black
woman. Up until a little over a year ago, I ignored the fact that colorism existed. I ignored the many times people used “light skin” or “mixed” as a compliment toward me. Ignored the times people would compare me to darker girls. I completely failed to understand how this fetishizing of light-skinned black people would affect the self-esteem of those darker than me. Just because we think it doesn’t affect us — when in reality it really benefits us — doesn’t mean that we can just ignore it. Ignoring colorism means that you are OK with being a fetish, with letting people talk down on dark-skinned people in order to lift you up. Being a light-skinned black person who ignores colorism is selfish and wrong. How can we claim to be against racism but perpetrate a different form of it within our own community? It is important for us to all understand our worth and know that we are more than jusr a shade of brown. We have to stop letting people feed us this messed up idea that you aren’t valuable unless you’re light. We have to push the entire black community to stop embracing colorism. We have to end the rhetoric that light skinned is better, and that “dark” means “ugly.”
Illustration By Colton Starley
Ready for well-deserved representation Maria Angulo
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or the last few years, social media has become a place where conversations about proper representation in the media have really taken off. People go to Twitter, Instagram or Facebook to express their feelings about how movies and TV shows are representing different people. Whitewashing is not acceptable anymore and even though it may be expected, the audience now takes to the internet to express their feelings. One popular example is “Ghost in the Shell.” A movie where the lead is originally supposed to be Asian but instead producers decided to cast Scarlett Johansson. This movie bombed at the box office, and the critics were not kind either. It showed executives that if they want their movies to succeed, they have to have the correct representation of minorities. Because of the backlash, studios are finally starting to deliver. In 2018, two of the most successful movies have put minorities in the forefront: “Black Panther” and “Crazy Rich Asians.” A record number of people came out to see the first black Marvel superhero movie, which included an almost all-black cast. “Black Panther” became a huge success domestically, but it also proved to other studios that they could be successful overseas. “Black Panther” crossed the 1 billion mark while “Crazy Rich Asians” exceeded expectations by making 25 million dollars on its opening weekend. Studios try to use the excuse that people of color as lead roles does not sell, but these are prime examples that it does.
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We are also seeing an improvement of representation in the theater. Netflix released a now-popular romantic comedy called “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before,” with an AsianAmerican woman playing the lead role. “Set It Up” is another rom-com with an Asian woman as a main character. The sad truth is movies with minorities in the lead only get one chance. If they fail, it’s very possible for those actors to not get a second opportunity, unlike movies with white actors, who continue getting leads even when they are in movies that flop. Some movies that have minorities play smaller roles as supporting characters claim they have proper representation. But having media representation does not mean you fit characters of different races in just to have them serve as a stereotype. Asians are more than just smart or sidekicks and Latinx are more than maids and criminals, but society has fallen into showcasing these stereotypes instead of embracing what the whole culture is. As a Latina myself, I want to see a movie or a show where Latinx people are shown being successful, they have
struggles and they are immigrants, but that’s not their whole story. But it’s not only representation of race people are demanding. It is also representation of sexual orientation. Going back to Scarlett Johansson, she was also in another controversy this summer when it was announced that she would be playing a transgender character. But after major backlash, she decided not to do the film. Movies and TV are some of our main sources of entertainment and it would be nice if the people in them could portray how the world actually is. We will finally reach equality of representation when an all-Asian, black or Latinx cast does not seem out of the norm. So let’s keep moving in the right direction. Even though media is finally improving, there is still a long way to go. Illustration By Katie Dobrydney
COMIC SPOT
AUG. 30, 2018 – SEPT. 5, 2018 | THE LUMBERJACK 11
FEATURES
Welcome to NA
Top Left: Ripe performs to an energetic NAU crowd at the Welcome Week concert Aug. 25 at South Quad. B Aug. 25 at South Quad. Center: Freshmen Anson Naumann (left) and Christian Washington (right) enjoy R Josh Shpak (left) and Jon Becker (right) of Ripe exchange a smile during their set at the Welcome Week con crowd at the Welcome Week concert Aug. 25 at South Quad. Michael Patacsil| The Lumberjack
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FEATURES
AU, let’s rock it
Bottom Left: Ripe vocalist Robbie Wulfsohn points to the sky as he sings at the Welcome Week concert Ripe in red, white and blue facepaint at the Welcome Week concert Aug. 25 at South Quad. Top Right: ncert Aug. 25 at South Quad. Botton Right: Adam Hoffman of The Shadowboxers points a finger to the
AUG. 30, 2018 – SEPT. 5, 2018 | THE LUMBERJACK 13
FEATURES
In with the new: NAU welcomes two new deans MaryAnn Witt
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very year around this time, the NAU campus slowly comes to life with the start of a new school year. Last-minute groundskeeping tasks are completed, the dorms are freshened up and all that is left is for the students to arrive. The beginning of the year brings much excitement and many new changes. This year, one of the big changes is the introduction of two new deans. Diane Stearns, who has previously served in two adminstrative positions at NAU, will be leaping into a new position as the interim dean of the College of Engineering, Informatics and Applied Sciences. Previous to this assignment, Stearns served as the associate vice president for research at NAU. Before that position she was a faculty member in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. In January of this year, NAU President Rita Cheng approached Stearns asking her to lead a task force to listen to people on campus and take their input on adding a college at NAU involving engineering and other related fields. “Based on the positive response and wise advice we received from stakeholders, [Cheng] asked that I continue the process with an Implementation Task Force in March,” said Stearns. “After engagement of the faculty senate and many academic and administrative offices on campus, she decided that we would ask the Arizona Board of Regents for approval of a new college of Engineering, Informatics, and Applied Sciences in May.” The new college was approved and not long after, Stearns agreed to spearhead the launch of the new college as the interim dean. Stearn said that Cheng’s reasoning for asking her to lead the initial task force from the beginning was the broad campus network she had built over her time in Flagstaff. “My position as AVPR required me to work with faculty and department leadership across all the academic colleges, and I also worked with several administrative offices across campus,” Stearns said. Moving forward, Stearns hopes to increase enrollment in the existing programs that will fall under the new college, including Civil Engineering, Construction Management and many more as well as introduce new programs starting with Bioengineering and Advanced Materials. In addition to Stearns, the new dean of the Honors College, Kevin Gustafson, is getting
Logo Courtesy of NAU
settled in and ready for the coming school year to commence. Gustafson is originally from Bellingham, Washington, a place he said is similar to Flagstaff in many ways. Gustafson went to undergraduate school as a first-generation college student. He majored in English at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington and then earned his doctorate in English with a focus on medieval studies from the University of Virginia. After that, Gustafson taught at Southern Methodist University but then took a position at the University of Texas at Arlington as associate chair of English for graduate study, then associate dean of the
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Honors College, and finally Interim Dean of the Honors College. With his experience in the collegiate Honors Program at UTA, taking on the position of dean of the Honors College at NAU is something Gustafson believes he is well equipped for. “NAU conducted a national search, and I was contacted by a firm and asked if I would be interested in applying for the position. It was an obviously very attractive opportunity, so I went through a first-round interview by Skype, then a second round here on campus,” said Gustafson. “I was very impressed by the search committee, the campus, and the members of the NAU
community I met during my visit.” While Gustafson has plenty of experience in a similar position, the journey of taking over NAU’s honors program is one he is taking with care. He said that he is eager to hear what input the current faculty of the program have to give him. “I have been on campus for just over two weeks, so I am still very much in a listening mode,” Gustafson said. “I have found the staff and faculty of the college to be, without exception, both thoughtful and deeply committed to their work, so right now I am learning about all the good things already in place.” Having a new dean is not the only change the NAU Honors Program is undergoing this fall. When students arrived back on campus, they were greeted by a new building off University Drive. This is the new honors college dorm. The dorm will be the home of all the freshmen honors students as well as any older honors students that choose to live on campus. It is within close proximity to the old honors building, but will house approximately 270 more students and will also be the home to 90 honors classes offered to students in the program. “The building is a great opportunity in so many ways,” Gustafson said. “The new Honors [College] residence hall and classrooms will most obviously build upon an already strong sense of community in the college, both for those students living here and for those taking the more than 90 Honors classes scheduled in the building this fall.” Senior exercise science major Haley Kimble has been in the honors program since her freshman year. Since then, she has benefitted from the unique classes offered in the program and has enjoyed her time learning about more than just exercise science. Much like many other first-year student, back in 2015 Kimble lived in honors housing on campus. “I lived in Ernest Calderon my first year, which was the honors dorm at the time, and I loved it,” said Kimble. “I loved being so close with the other people in my program and having access to the honors writing center and the honors faculty. I’m sure the new dorm will bring the incoming honors students closer together and make them feel more like a group.” The new honors dorm will begin to house people and host classes this semester. The two new administrators are just a few of the many changes on NAU’s campus this fall.
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CULTURE
Getting drunk on sustainability Kaitlyn Sampson & Kelsey Spigelmire
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t the intersection of Birch Avenue and Beaver Street downtown lies one of Flagstaff’s several quirky breweries, Dark Sky Brewing Company. Taking a step inside will guarantee breathing in the smell of fermented sugar being separated from over 200 pounds of barley in large silver cans throughout the brewery. Nick Irvine, owner of Dark Sky Brewery and self-proclaimed “yeast sensei,” took a leap of faith when he opened his own brewery. Up until that point, he had been home brewing on his own for about four years while he taught biology. “The science of it intrigued me,” said Irvine. “I taught about fermentation in my biology classes anyway, so it was relatable and made me want to pursue a different passion.” Brewing beer requires patience and resources. Ingredients such as hops, yeast, water, barley and grains are used in the process and can create environmental issues. Between the amount of water being used to brew beer and the extra ingredients sometimes wasted in the process, brewing can take a toll on the environment. Many breweries in Flagstaff pride themselves on being sustainable during their brewing process in order to reduce their carbon footprint. Two other popular breweries, Beaver Street Brewery and Lumberyard Brewing Company, are owned and run by a local family trio. Owners Evan and Winnie Hanseth, along with their daughter Kelly, are following the same sustainable efforts Dark Sky has pioneered in their brewing process. After 16 years, the family wanted to expand their brewing business and restored one of the last standing buildings from Flagstaff’s lumber era. Out of the rubble came the Lumberyard Brewing Company located on South San Francisco Street. “It created a whole historic piece of Flagstaff,” said Kelly Hanseth. “It’s part of downtown.” As for Lumberyard’s beer ingredients, their increase in demand for barley, wheat and hops for their beer is too substantial to demand from local farms. Winnie and Kelly Hanseth said their wheat is from Colorado, which is as local as they can get in terms of how much they need. Their hops come from the Pacific Northwest. According to the City of Flagstaff website, the water used in Lumberyard’s brewing process is sourced directly from Flagstaff because of the water’s high quality which “comes from Upper Lake Mary, springs in the Inner Basin of the San Francisco Peaks and groundwater, which is pumped from the Lake Mary and Woody Mountain well fields, the Inner Basin wells and local ‘incity’ wells.” While a majority of ingredients come from outside vendors, breweries try to give back to the Flagstaff community in other ways. As part of the breweries sustainability, they reuse the yeast as much as possible, with the average being five rounds of brewing before it is discarded. Steven Hendricks is the head brewer at the Beaver Street location and has been brewing for 19 years. After perfecting
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Nick Irvine cleans wheat out of a boiler March 2. Kelsey Spigelmire| The Lumberjack
his recipe, Hendricks took a pint to the owner of Beaver Street Brewery with a proposition to work as a brewer. Hendricks was then able to exchange his hobby for a career. “Now I brew for a living and eat for fun,” said Hendricks. Similar to Lumberyard, Beaver Street prides itself on reusing as many of the ingredients in the brewing process as possible and recycling what is left over, mainly the grains used in making beer. “After I harvest yeast there’s always more yeast left over because it reproduces and makes more and more,” Hendricks said. “We’ll send that down the drain and that goes to the city waste and they actually like having that yeast show up because it helps with their environmental enzymes and what they’re doing. It becomes food for their science project.” However, these brewers have a unique way of recycling and giving back to the community when it comes to spent grains. At Dark Sky, the farmer they donate to also happens to be their repairman around the brewery, fixing everything from loose chairs to broken down fermenter tanks. Farmer and repairman Tim McGaughey has been working with Irvine since the opening of Dark Sky and began raising
animals on his land in Parks, Arizona around the same time. “They eat a lot, and that’s all I feed them besides table scraps because they’ll eat anything,” said McGaughey. Barrels of spent grains lay just outside of the pigs reach waiting to be dispersed. Spent grains can are mixed in with the mud that the pigs are often found bathing in. The spent grain that does not go to farmers is instead disposed at landfills, which assists in the decomposition of the trash because of the leftover sugars that are able to break it down. Spent grain is basically a win-win-win for farmers, livestock and landfills. While Beaver Street wants to keep their brewing process as environmentally friendly as possible, they also want to keep their beers consistent and allow those who have been coming in for a cold one to be reminded of the old days with a simple sip. “You can always come back and say ‘that’s just how I remembered it,’” Hendricks said. “We bring back memories from 20 years ago. This place is a staple and it’ll always be here.”
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CULTURE
Uranium mines affecting Native lives Alyssa Tavison & Alyson Orr
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cool breeze picks up the dry sand from the earth that was once mined for its most useful resource — uranium. The mines that once harvested this useful mineral are now abandoned, but the impacts of this radioactive commodity have lived in the soil, water and lives of people living on the Native American reservations nearby. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, there are over 500 abandoned uranium mines on the Navajo Nation alone. The Navajo Nation is a sovereign nation and a Native American territory comprised of the area around three points of the Four Corners in Arizona, Utah and New Mexico. Here, uranium mining is still very much an issue. Approximately 40 percent of people on the reservations do not have running water and need to tap their own wells. These wells are unregulated, which means they do not get tested to see if radiation levels are safe to drink by people or livestock. Because radiation is undetectable except by testing, people are mistaking unsafe water for clean water. Mines were opened and began drilling across the Four Corners region between Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona. In Arizona, these mines were created almost exclusively on Native American land. Mining companies offered jobs to people on these reservations hauling uranium ore and extracting natural uranium. The effects of uranium mining on the planet as well as the individuals working close with the radioactive material were realized to be negative and lasting. Uranium mining impacts the planet negatively through surface and ground-water supplies by tainting the supply and causes those who drink the water to possibly develop nephrotoxic diseases, which are diseases related to the kidney, liver and intestines. Another common effect of radium exposure is cancer. The lack of ownership from the responsible party is leading to orphan mines, which are mines that cannot be connected to the company that left it open. There are currently funds towards the cleaning of orphan mines including the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) of 1980. This act intended to provide a fund to clean up uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous-waste sites. Tommy Rock, an earth science and environmental sustainability doctoral student at NAU, is Navajo. Rock has devoted much of his academic career to studying the effects of uranium mining in the Southwest. “A lot of those companies that are responsible, they got away, so they can’t find those companies anymore,” said Rock. “A lot of these mines, they’re called orphan mines because there’s no responsible party, the company’s
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Illustration By Katie Dobrydney
obsolete nowadays.” Sanders is a town in the Navajo Nation located in eastern Arizona on Route 66. This town is home to 630 people, a small community in a cluster of homes in the middle of the desert. Until recently, Sanders was just another town to a relatively small amount of Native American families. This was until 2015 when a project testing unregulated wells along the Puerco River brought back some shocking results. According to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences website, it was during this project that a community member asked Rock to test the public water supply. The results showed that the drinking water in Sanders had uranium levels at 43 parts per billion, far greater than the EPA limit of 30 parts per billion. Upon further research by Rock, studies had shown the uranium level exceeding the EPA limit as early as 2003. Rock and other researchers shared their findings at community meetings in the area and the residents stopped using the contaminated water. Shortly after, the school district shut off their water supply and began hauling water from outside the community. Although the community was taking action to protect themselves, it was not until April, 2016 that residents saw efforts toward fixing the problem. According to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences website, Windsong was the company responsible for Sanders’s water, but the license was not renewed and the wells providing the public with water have since been replaced. Rock said uranium mining is not just a way of the past and although he would like it to be, many forces are working against him and his team. “With the new administration coming along they’re talking about new uranium mining. There’s one that’s been happening over in Canyon Mine that’s an issue at the moment,” Rock said. “There is an active uranium mill there where a lot of the ore is currently being transported to now.” It may seem that the worst is behind the Navajo Nation. With new technology along with funds to clean up mines and more information to inform the public, there is only one way up from here. However, researchers and conservationists would disagree. Scientists [verify] working in the Grand Canyon area to determine the extent of the effects of uranium on wildlife and water sources say they lack information on how much damage the radioactive element is doing to the Colorado river.
CULTURE
Album review: ‘Slime Language’ Sebastian A. Moore
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n Aug. 16 Jeffery Lamar Williams, better known by his stage name Young Thug, celebrated his twenty-seventh birthday. At midnight Aug. 17, Young Thug amplified his celebration by releasing his anticipated nineteenth mixtape titled “Slime Language.” The Atlanta-born rapper has beenpart of the music industry since 2011 when he released his first mixtape “I Came From Nothing.” Since 2011, Young Thug has become a fashion icon, signed to multiple labels and collaborated with a number of various artists. 300 Entertainment, Atlantic Records and 1017 Records are the record labels Young Thug has signed with, but he is also the owner of his own label, YSL Records, which is a label operated under 300 Entertainment. According to Apple Music, “Slime Language” was released under YSL Records and 300 Entertainment. The cover art for “Slime Language” depicts hands spelling “Young Stoner Life” in American Sign Language. The album is comprised of 15 songs, spanning a total of 51 minutes. Young Thug features multiple artists, most of whom are signed under Young Thug’s YSL Records label. The features include Karlae, Duke, HiDoraah, Tracy T, Gunna, Lil Baby, Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Keed, Jacquees, Trap Boy Freddy, Strick, Dolly and Nechie. “Tsunami” and “Gain Clout” are the only two songs that do not include features. According to XXL Magazine, the producers credited on “Slime Language” are Wheezy, Keyyz, Woodpecker, Smoke, K Bangerz, SinGrinch, Psymun, Charlie Handsome, Mattazik, Kacey Khaliel, DY, Bobby Raps, Cicero On Da Beat, Super, Billboard Hitmakers and Turbo. All songs were mixed by Alex Tumay and mastered by Joe LaPorta. A standout song on “Slime Language” is “Slimed In” featuring Nechie. Producer Turbo delivers a somber trap beat while Young Thug raps one verse and Nechie delivers the chorus and two verses. [Chorus: Nechie] What’s your kind then, yeah my slimes in All these diamonds, f--- you thought? (f--- you thought?) Wipe your nose clean, f--- your whole team We don’t spare a thing, knock ‘em off [Verse 2: Young Thug] I’m in Balmain, it didn’t cost a thing I’m not 2 Chainz, I got forty (I got forty) I bust your brain, since we speakin’ of brain
Photo courtesy of Young Thug via Instagram
Make your hoe give me brain, then get lost (then get lost) I paint her face, you can call me cozy F--- a Rick Flair, I got 70 Rollies In the chorus and verse, both rappers rap about their wealth and jewelry. Young Thug brags about having 70 Rolex watches and free Balmain clothing. Young Thug titled another track after the fashionable, high-class watch company
Audemars Piguet. The track titled “Audemar” features Tracy T. and is produced by Keyyz. [Chorus: Young Thug] The gang came back with racks, I’m ridin’ ‘round town with a Gat (slime) I’ll beat a n---- face with a bat (face with a bat), pink slip, paper tag (yeah) I bought me the new Hellcat (what?), I’m blowin’ in a new Hellcat (yeah) I walk in the club, Hellcat (yeah), 85 racks,
Hellcat [Verse 2: Tracy T] My money long like the ’73 Caddy Bring in that work we gon’ weigh it and bag it Don’t come with it shawty, might shoot ‘til it’s jammin’ Like most of the lyrics in his album, Young Thug raps about his expensive lifestyle of foreign cars and lavish jewelry. On the track “Tsunami,” Young Thug raps alone over a beat produced by Wheezy and Keyyz. [Verse 1: Young Thug] I perfected this rhymin’ Nothin’ but foreigns I’m ridin’ in Finally rich and it’s showin’, and I’m letting’ it I’ve been goin’ near the sun lately Everything that I’m in, yeah, it came, yeah I got 26 Cuban Doll chains, yea N---- takin’ this shit down Sunset Young Thug’s rhyming and music is what brought him fame and money. He shows off his money, cars and jewelry mainly on his Snapchat and Instagram accounts. Young Thug stated earlier this year in an interview with The Fader that he was not going to release any new music in 2018. According to an interview, his decision was inspired by a his deaf brother. While Young Thug did not fulfil his promise of not releasing new music, the mixtape shows signs of tribute to the deaf brother of Young Thug. However, this isn’t the first time Young Thug released music when he said he wouldn’t. Earlier this year on April 13, Young Thug released a three-song EP titled “Hear No Evil” featuring Nicki Minaj, Lil Uzi Vert and 21 Savage. According to Fox News, Young Thug held a listening and birthday party at a Dave & Busters in Hollywood Aug. 16, where he was arrested for weapons possession and held on $35,000 bail. He met his bail and was released the following morning. Overall, Young Thug’s “Slime Language” was a great project. He was able to highlight many rappers signed to his record label and deliver fans new hit music to listen to. Young Thug has his own unique style of music that incorporates catchy beats and lyrics to make the listener revisit his tracks multiple times. Evident through his latest project, Young Thug is showing no signs of slowing down and will continue to take the music industry by storm. All lyrics provided by Genius and Apple Music.
AUG. 30, 2018 – SEPT. 5, 2018 | THE LUMBERJACK 19
SPORTS
Photos courtesy of NAU Athletics
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SPORTS
Ballin’ in the Bahamas Kade Gilliss
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orthern Arizona University men’s basketball team recently arrived from their successful trip to the Bahamas that resulted in a perfect 3-0 record during their exhibition. It was also, notably, the team’s first in-game action of the year. The Lumberjacks bring in a starting lineup that will potentially consist of two transfer students, a freshman and just two returners. Half of the roster put on an NAU uniform for the first time, but through their play, it didn’t seem like it. In their past three games, the Lumberjacks dominated the point differential with +79, including a 110-64 rout of Star Sports Basketball. Early success on the court may be attributed to an apparent off-the-court brotherhood that developed on the five-day trip. “The bond that the guys have, they truly feel like a family,” said head coach Jack Murphy. “You saw guys get up to do karaoke the last night. There’s just no way that would have happened two weeks ago, let alone a year ago.” Last season, the Lumberjacks struggled finding cohesiveness among themselves and plummeted to the bottom of the Big Sky Conference with a 5-27 overall record. The offense seemed lost, leading to frequent turnovers, poor shot choices and the worst scoring production within the conference. In three exhibition games on foreign land, this year’s squad looks more like a team than at any point throughout the 2017-2018 season. “I think it’s good for the team, being able to get together this early,” said transfer sophomore forward Jonathan 'Bernie' Andre. “Everyone is much closer. We meshed together both on and off the court. I think this is going to be a different NAU basketball year.” Whether it was playing sand volleyball at the beach, belting out songs during karaoke or scoring baskets with ease, they did it as a team. The quadrennial opportunity has so far proven effective heading into the season. "We're one of the closest [teams] since I've been here," said senior forward Isaiah Thomas. "I feel like we all have the same goal to win games, and we want to prove everybody wrong." Andre became a late-arrival standout for the Lumberjacks early on, averaging a doubledouble in his three games, piling 16 points and 12.7 rebounds per game.
Photo courtesy of NAU Athletics
“I had a really good three games,” Andre said. “But I was just proud of our team, not just my performance. I played like that because I wanted to go out there and play for my brothers.” Fellow junior transfer guards Ted McCree and Davon Bolton broke the double-digit barrier in their opening night. Alongside Andre, the trio led NAU in their 23-point victory over IBA Elite. Freshman guard Cameron Shelton paved the way with a team-high 21-points to send off NAU with its final and third-straight victory. These international trips are provided to college basketball programs once every four years and is seen as impactful for team development, bonding and success. A familiar story came prior to the 2014-2015 basketball season, when NAU first visited the Bahamas and came away with a
2-0 record. That season turned out to be NAU’s most successful in school history, finishing with a pair of program-records with 23 wins and four playoff victories. The Lumberjacks also finished runner-up in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament. That team did, however, return four of their top-five scorers from the previous season and finished with a respectable 15 victories the year prior. Even so, coach Murphy noticed valuable traits from the current team in contrast to the 2014 unit. “Just in terms of basketball X’s and O’s, I feel like this trip went better than in 2014,” Murphy said. “This year’s group went out there hungry, and the games mattered, the outcomes
mattered, the possessions mattered. That was great to see as a coach.” Looking past the recent string of victories abroad, coach Murphy is aware of the perceived expectations for his hodgepodge team heading forward. “I’m sure a lot of people are going to pick us last, next to last, bottom of the league. That’s fine,” Murphy said. “We expect a lot from ourselves, I know that the guys expect a lot. Our ultimate goal is to finish atop the Big Sky Conference.” With an impactful core of newcomers and a tight-knit roster, the Lumberjacks hope to regain relevance and surprise those within the conference.
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SPORTS
The recurring question
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olks, I can see it coming. Every year as we approach college football season, the angst-ridden and seemingly unanswerable question comes to the surface: Should college athletes get paid to play? Well, how does the compensation student athletes receive in scholarships compare? What are the potential consequences of student athletes being compensated? Four-year colleges in the United States currently cost students a total average of $56,000 per year for public schools and $104,000 for private schools. Currently, male student athletes receive an average of $57,080 in scholarships over four years, while females receive an average of $60,648. MATTHEW You see, there are “profit sports,” and JARECKI then there are sports that benefit from HOST OF “THE JERK” profit sports. According to the 2015 NCAA ON KJACK Division I Intercollegiate Athletics Programs Report, the majority of colleges only profit from football and men’s basketball. The report also mentions that in most cases, sports outside of football and men’s basketball actually lose money annually and are subsidized by profit sports and their university. Now, what are the potential consequences of student athletes being compensated based on the value they bring to their school? The consequences are massive. In the 2012 Power Five Conference, each football conference champion profited over $10 million dollars. Profits have only grown since then. With that said, if the players who contributed to those profits were paid, the money would be split based on player-value, much like the NFL or the NBA. Nevertheless, if profits were allocated to players rather than be fed back into a school’s athletic program, it would only benefit football and men’s basketball players, while athletes of the vast majority of other sports would be offered no compensation at all. That includes scholarship money. In fact, without football and men’s basketball financially supporting other sports, it is fair to question whether it would make sense for colleges to have other sports programs at all. So, do the benefits of compensating student athletes based on the value they bring to their schools outweigh the consequences? I think they do. I’m a capitalist. I believe that if something carries enough value to exist, it should exist, and those who contribute should be compensated accordingly. I believe that if paying a minority of student athletes means the majority of other sports being marginalized, then that is simply a natural consequence. I believe that if there is a demand, there will be a supply, not vice versa. If an athletic program is costing significantly more money than it is making, why should it exist at all? Let alone, garner football and men’s basketball profits for its benefit? Is it fair to deny football and men’s basketball players rightful compensation so in-the-red programs can enjoy the benefits? Not in my world.
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Photo Illustration by Michael Patacsil and Shannon Swain
Batting cages make their way to campus Molly Smith
T
his fall semester, NAU will be opening two recently installed batting cages to students and faculty. The cages are located on campus in the NAU Fieldhouse. Each cage has a different setting. One, a slow pitch softball machine, which simulates the signature lob, and the other a straight-lined fastball. Users need to bring their JacksCard ID to rent equipment and use the cages. Helmets and bats can also be rented out with ID. However, before taking a few practice swings, it is required that students fill out a waiver, which can be found online or at the Fieldhouse front desk. Once the waiver is completed, it can take up to 24 hours to be processed. This past year, Campus Services and the Student Union have been working hard to bring this new amenity to life and ready for use. Although the initial obstacle when building the facility was securing the cage to the concrete building, faculty was able to find a resolution: a prefabricated and retractable cage. This helped in more ways than one, allowing a speedy arrangement ready for the new school year. “We wanted to introduce something that our campus hasn’t already offered,” said Student Union and Activity Programming Director Megan Proctor. “The idea of the cages was taken very well, which is why we are able to implement them quickly.” As of 1981, there was no longer a collegiate baseball or softball team, which has left an absence of America’s pastime at
NAU’s mountain campus. “When I heard about the batting cages, I was excited to have something on campus that isn’t common at other schools,” said freshman early childhood education major Jolie Baldama. NAU club baseball plans on taking full advantage of the facility, with dates already scheduled for team practices. The club softball team also has plans of their own to utilize the new facilities. “I think it will create a new experience with our players ... We can practice more efficiently during the winter and take our team to the next level,” said club softball president Mikayla Kea in an email. Staff have yet to determine open and closing hours for the cages. As of right now, the hours will mirror those of the Fieldhouse: 7:00 a.m. to midnight Monday through Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Saturday and 9:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Sunday. The Fieldhouse has been a large part of NAU’s campus since 1965. It has been the main house for recreational facilities, locker rooms and offices. As the campus grew, individual facilities for each sport were constructed. Now, the fieldhouse is recognized for Welcome Week gatherings, haunted houses and now the new batting cages. Because this building is still very busy, the batting cages lift and retract out of the way, allowing complete access for other activities and events. All students are able to visit and test out this new attraction starting Wednesday, Aug. 29.
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