The Lumberjack -- October 8, 2020

THE LUMBER JACK OCT. 8, 2020 – OCT. 14, 2020

QUARANTINE CULTURE A SPECIAL ISSUE

Online at JackCentral.org

From the Editor

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OVID-19 has continued to alter the lives of people since its onset early this year and nearly everyone can agree that they just want this all to be over with. The pandemic has been severely interrupting peoples’ lives—be it losing a loved one or missing out on a celebration like graduation. This week, I plan on celebrating my 21st birthday in my PJs and fuzzy socks, and while that’s not all that bad, I’m sure many are aware that social distancing, after a while, can really take a toll on one’s morale.

So, take this letter as a reminder to do something kind for yourself— something that helps combat the loneliness. For me, scrolling through TikTok for hours before falling asleep and purchasing more plants than my tiny apartment has room for is what helps. While spending too much time on social media and going over budget to buy plants are traditionally activities that I’d beat myself up over, I’ve decided that this isn’t the time to be hard on myself. Rather, this is the time I think we should be nurturing ourselves, even if it means breaking your diet for some Pillsbury Halloween cookies or taking the afternoon off from homework just to relax. Doing what you want to do doesn’t have to feel wrong, ASH especially now, because maybe that’s just what you need.

LOHMANN At the beginning of quarantine, I saw COVID-19 as an opportunity to make great strides in my personal and professional goals. Many have likely approached FEATURES EDITOR this unsavory situation with the same positive mindset and succeeded—which is amazing. However, come August, I burnt out quick and instead of trying to convince myself that the pandemic brought about a great opportunity for me to succeed, my mindset shifted, and I could only fixate on the opportunities COVID-19 had taken away from me. Though now, I’m realizing something important: Being attentive to our needs is how we’ll get through these— yes, it’s cheesy—unprecedented times.

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

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Thank you for reading.

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

THE LUMBERJACK VOL. 110 ISSUE 9 Editor-in-Chief Brady Wheeler

Managing Editor Scout Ehrler

Copy Chief Nathan Manni

Faculty Adviser David Harpster

Print Chief Jacob Meyer

Director of Digital Content Sabrina Profitt

Media Innovation Center Editorial Board Director of Social Media Maddie Cohen

Op-Ed Editor Ryan Dixon

Asst. Culture Editor Katelyn Rodriguez

Director of Illustration Aleah Green

News Editor Trevor Skeen

Asst. Op-Ed Editor Kyler Edsitty

Sports Editor David Church

Asst. Dir. of Illustration Blake Fernandez

Asst. News Editor Camille Sipple

Features Editor Ash Lohmann

Asst. Sports Editor Cameron Richardson

Director of Photography Michael Patacsil

Online News Editor Alliya Dulaney

Asst. Features Editor Olivia Charlson

Sports Adviser Rory Faust

Asst. Dir. of Photography Mackenzie Brower

Senior Reporter Mark Fabery

Culture Editor Nayomi Garcia

Senior Photographer Brian Burke

Director of Multimedia Shawn Patti

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On the cover Illustration By Blake Fernandez

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

PoliceBeat Sept. 28 At 1:07 p.m., staff at Roseberry Apartments reported a group of transient people making threats, and one nonstudent was booked into Coconino County Detention Facility (CCDF) for assault, threatening and possession of narcotics.

At 6:16 p.m., staff at Sechrist Hall reported the odor of marijuana. Officers determined the smell was sage, and Housing & Residence Life will handle the matter further.

At 11:39 p.m., a fire extinguisher at Reilly Hall was improperly deployed, activating the fire alarm. FFD At 7:43 p.m., staff at responded and concluded that Reilly Hall reported the there had not been a fire. odor of marijuana. NAUPD responded and one student Oct. 1 was criminally deferred for At 8:03 a.m., while possession of marijuana and patrolling lot 3, an officer drug paraphernalia, while found a student who appeared another was longform charged to be camping. The subject was for possession of narcotics. criminally deferred.

Sept. 29 At 11:29 a.m., two students at SkyView walked in to late-report an assault.

NAUPD responded, cited and released one student for hindering prosecution to the second degree.

At 8:17 a.m., staff at Drury Inn & Suites reported a suitcase outside the building.

The item was left in place until the owner returned.

Oct. 2 At 8:23 a.m., a nurse at an off-campus urgent care facility At 10:37 p.m., an reported a student was bitten unidentified subject reported by a dog. An officer took a that a nonstudent fell from report. their wheelchair and could not get up. NAUPD, Flagstaff At 2:32 p.m., staff at lot Fire Department (FFD) and 3 reported a subject laying Guardian Medical Transport down under a tree. NAUPD, (GMT) responded, but FFD and GMT responded, the subject refused medical identified the nonstudent and transport. warned them of trespassing.

The subject had a cut on their Sept. 30 face, refused medical transport At 12:41 a.m., a student at and left campus.

Hilltop Townhomes reported being threatened by another At 11:49 p.m., staff student. NAUPD responded, at Reilly Hall reported an and the alleged party was intoxicated subject outside the deferred for minor in possession building. NAUPD responded, of alcohol, marijuana and drug cited and released the student paraphernalia. The victim did for minor in consumption not wish to pursue litigation of alcohol and provided regarding these threats. transportation to Flagstaff Medical Center (FMC).

Compiled by Trevor Skeen Oct. 3 At 1:31 a.m., an anonymous resident at Hilltop Townhomes reported a loud party. NAUPD responded and asked the attendees to quiet down. They complied.

At 3:21 p.m., an officer at the intersection of South Beaver Street and East Butler Avenue reported a suspicious person, and one nonstudent was booked into CCDF for failure to identify themself and obstructing a public thoroughfare.

At 5:47 p.m., staff at Ernest Calderón Learning Community received a supervisory alarm. NAUPD responded, searched the area and found that the alarm was possibly caused by vaping.

Oct. 4 At 12:31 a.m., a student at Hilltop Townhomes called to request assistance for an intoxicated student. NAUPD, FFD and GMT responded, and the subject was transported to FMC by ambulance.

At 9:41 a.m., an officer at lot 13A reported being out with two subjects, and one nonstudent was booked into CCDF for trespassing.

At 12:23 p.m., a student reported a noninjury accident at the intersection of West University Avenue and Runke Drive. NAUPD responded and one student was cited for failure to control a motor vehicle and avoid an accident.

Coconino County COVID-19 Dashboard data

Community transmission Case rate Positivity percentage Cumulative cases

Moderate 178.6 per 100,000 pop.

7% 4,302

Flagstaff Medical Center COVID-19 Resources

In-house COVID-19 patients Hospital capacity Critical care capacity

Positive: 6 | Pending: 13 171/300 32/55

NAU Student Cases

Current on- and off-campus cases

127

University presidents discuss COVID-19, testing and future tREVOR sKEEN

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rizona Board of Regents (ABOR) chair Larry Penley expressed his support for President Rita Cheng and NAU’s work during the COVID-19 pandemic. These remarks came during ABOR’s three-day meeting, which concluded Oct. 2 and featured presentations from a variety of students and administrators around Arizona’s public universities.

“This has not been an easy task for any of us, but making sure NAU is available, open and providing a technologically driven, safe and healthy environment has been very important,” Penley said to Cheng. “You and your team have done a great job of making that happen.”

The majority of Cheng’s comments focused on the university’s health and safety precautions amid COVID-19, including the rapid testing surge from Aug. 10 to 30. According to her slideshow, 3,016 students, faculty, staff and Flagstaff community members took tests, which were distributed at the University Union Fieldhouse between these dates.

An infographic from Cheng’s presentation showed the peak of NAU’s infections between Sept. 14 and 19, when 2,988 tests were conducted and 277 were returned as positive. These figures demonstrate a positivity rate of 9.3%, which was well above the World Health Organization’s recommended average of 5%. In contrast, the university confirmed another 91 positives following 1,575 tests between Sept. 28 and 30, lowering the positivity rate to 5.8%.

Read more online at jackcentral.org

OCTOBER 8, 2020 – OCTOBER 14, 2020 | THE LUMBERJACK

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NEWS

Flagstaff leading Coconino County in COVID-19 cases Mark Fabery

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s NAU crosses the halfway mark of the fall semester, questions still loom over the accuracy of COVID-19 case numbers on campus.

By the time of publication Oct. 8, Coconino County recorded 4,259 cases since the pandemic started, according to the county’s data dashboard. Throughout the month of September, cases in Coconino County have grown by 80%, or 829 cases.

The county’s weekly positivity rate was dropping at an average of 19% from the week of July 11 until the week of Sept. 7, according to the Arizona Daily Sun. The county then reported 74, 150, 304 and 259 weekly positives in September respectively, for a total of 787 positive cases in that month alone.

Dr. John Mougin, chief quality officer for Northern Arizona Healthcare, said Flagstaff Medical Center (FMC) hospitalized roughly 12% of Coconino County’s overall COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic.

“Currently, we have treated 471 patients since the pandemic started and we are now seeing eight patients for treatment of the virus,” Mougin said. “Additionally, when it comes to hospitalized patients, we have seen a majority of our patients from the 40 to 59 median age range.”

Flagstaff has been the largest contributor to the influx of COVID-19 cases in Coconino County throughout September, the Arizona Daily Sun reported.

Mougin agreed that FMC has seen a steady stream of Flagstaff residents with COVID-19 symptoms throughout the summer months and into the beginning of fall. Additionally, he said when the pandemic began, the hospital mostly saw patients from surrounding tribal communities, but that soon changed as more patients from the local area came in and presented symptoms.

Dr. Marie Peoples, deputy Coconino County manager and county emergency operations center commander, said over the month of September, Coconino County started to see an increase in infections similar to the height of the pandemic during summer months.

“Throughout September, we have seen the rate per 100,000 creeping back up to where we saw it around late May and the early part of June,” Peoples said. “We are monitoring this increase very closely. The city of Flagstaff has seen a considerable decline in mid-June and we are now seeing quite an uptick in cases in

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Fort Tuthill County Park was transformed into a drive-thru COVID-19 testing center for local residents, Oct. 1. Madison Easton | The Lumberjack

September, as we have seen 114 cases in the week ending Sept. 12 with 108 of those 114 coming from Flagstaff.”

Additionally, Peoples said the rise in cases also led to an increase in the rate per 100,000 cases, which local health officials had not seen since the beginning of the pandemic and around late May. “Our incidence rate, which is really important, was before 80 [cases] per 100,000, but we are now seeing 123.6 cases per 100,000 on the week ending Sept. 19 versus 40 cases per 100,000 on the week ending Sept. 5,” Peoples said. “We are concerned with the increases, and the most important thing that any of us can do is wearing a mask or face covering and hand washing.”

Peoples said that Coconino County is currently at a moderate level of community transmission, which demonstrates a rate between 10 and 100 cases per 100,000 people.

Moreover, according to recent data published by Coconino County Health and

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Human Services (CCHHS), COVID-19 cases in Flagstaff have steadily increased in one particular ZIP code — 86001 — since the beginning of September.

This ZIP code, according to UnitedStatesZipCodes.org, encompasses the outer boundaries of the NAU campus, which has its own ZIP code of 86011. However, it is currently unclear if the reopening of NAU for hybrid instruction is solely responsible for the sudden increase in COVID-19 cases in Flagstaff, especially because the rise in cases associated with the 86001 ZIP code that surrounds campus.

Peoples said there can be confusion when it comes to NAU students reporting positive cases because many students live off campus, giving them a different ZIP code than NAU’s. In turn, these different living situations can make it difficult to report statistics to NAU. “Individuals are counted based on the ZIP code that they give,” Peoples said. “However, NAU is working with students to make sure that they are recording their NAU ZIP code, which

if they are on campus, is a specific ZIP code.

However, many NAU students do not live on campus and so their ZIP code will be recorded according to where they live.”

Similarly, Peoples said students have the ability to use different addresses — even those out of state — while living in Flagstaff. This can potentially lead to a missed case for that week’s report.

“Anybody is able to use an address to register for testing or when they are filling out the forms, and that is what the disease investigators do a really good job at,” Peoples said. “For instance, if I have an out-of-state address, but it has landed here, the investigators will work with the students and learn that they are currently living in Flagstaff. There is a lot of work to find out where the positive individual is living and when we gather that information, we update the cases

by ZIP code.”

She added the recent rise in positive cases is somewhat connected to NAU students returning to Flagstaff for the fall semester.

Additionally, NAU partnered with CCHHS through an intergovernmental agreement to allow the university and county health department to share important information regarding COVID-19.

“The current spike that we are seeing is somewhat related to students returning to campus,” Peoples said. “NAU has been partnering with the county and we have entered into an [agreement], so we can share information back and forth. They have also hired seven staff members that will be assigned to the health district for case investigations ... and all coronavirus responses.”

The university recently implemented mitigation testing, which randomly selects approximately 2,500 students, faculty and staff each week to be tested. Moreover, 8,500 tests were administered since Sept. 2, and as of Sept.

25, President Cheng announced via email that NAU is managing 226 positive cases on and off campus.

Around much of the state, businesses are beginning to reopen indoor dining as the Arizona Department of Health Services announced all 15 counties around the state met the benchmarks for safely reopening businesses, such as indoor gyms, fitness centers and movie theaters, according to the department’s website.

However, it is unknown how reopening these facilities will affect the number of positive cases in the county.

NEWS

Problems with partying during the pandemic Tess Spinker

W

ith additional COVID-19 cases confirmed on campus in recent weeks, many are concerned college students refuse to surrender parties and large gatherings.

In order to reduce the number of cases and decrease risk, the pandemic obligated colleges to minimize gatherings of five or more people, according to Campus Health Services (CHS).

Students should decrease exposure by avoiding close contact, never sharing personal items and staying away from confined spaces, all of which can be common elements of college parties.

The lack of obedience toward COVID-19 regulations can be filed as incident reports, which are available through NAU’s Office of the Dean of Students. This infrastructure allows students to highlight the nature of COVID-19 violations and the people who are exposed, according to the office’s website,.

Faith Nagel, a medical assistant at Northern Arizona Dermatology Center, said there are not as many regulations nor punishments governing the student body as there may seem.

“I have heard of like 15 parties in the past month with well over 20 people, either indoors or out in the wilderness,” Nagel said. “I don’t believe any have been reported nor do I know anyone in trouble for these parties.”

Despite ongoing emails distributed by NAU Student Affairs, along with the enforcement of suspensions, NAUPD and Flagstaff Police Department have not responded to these claims.

Four sororities and fraternities at ASU were put on temporary suspension in late September while being investiagted for possible COVID-19 violations, according to The Arizona Republic.

Investigations of large gatherings, which were exposed on social media, continue with 162 cases currently confirmed by ASU. “I don’t believe we should be going to parties at all,” Nagel said. “Even though we could be asymptomatic, we can still spread the virus to our families and homes.”

While some believe that partying poses an extreme risk of getting sick, others believe these safety precautions are taking away their rights as college students.

Junior Amanda Rambert said instead of enforcing campuswide requirements, students should be able to assess risk themselves.

“I go to parties, and I think people should during this time,” Rambert said. “I think it’s hypocritical that people are allowed to go to restaurants, movies, bars and any other social events where you eventually have to remove your mask to eat or socialize.”

Rambert explained that usually, the parties she attends have a mixture of people with or without masks. After going to parties, Rambert added she gets tested for the virus consistently.

“I completely understand that certain individuals pose a higher risk of the virus, and I think it is wise of them to refrain from attending parties or large social gatherings to [protect themselves],” Rambert said.

According to a study conducted by Marcos Altable, a private practitioner of neurology, people are more likely to be in an unpleasant, anxious state after a period of social isolation because humans often thrive while interacting. Brains need the ability to communicate, Altable stated, or else the body can be at higher risk of coronary heart disease, strokes and other conditions.

Drinks at various levels of completion are left on a table in downtown Flagstaff during Tequila Sunrise, Oct. 27, 2018.

Michael Patacsil | The Lumberjack

The brain does not stop developing until adults are in their mid-20s, and at this age, young people feel “invincible,” said Forrest Talley, a clinical psychologist who formerly worked at University of California, Davis, in an interview with Business Insider. Rebelling against social norms and restrictions may even create a newfound sense of independence within this group.

Research from Altable’s study found social connectedness relates to staying healthy, just like hunger and thirst are also “unpleasant states.” However, he also said these discomforts must be endured to avoid the long-term effects of COVID-19.

Freshman Michael McAnerney said he is glad to finally be at college, although he wishes he could get the traditional college life.

“My college experience has been a mix of expected versus unexpected, [and] with no orientation and starting classes online, it was a weird transition from high school to college,” McAnerney said. “Making friends was hard at first, and except for my roommate, I hardly met people because Zoom classrooms are no replacement for in person.”

As a freshman, McAnerney found himself with more free time than expected, and even though he is not a huge partier, he still missed sharing interactions with his friends.

“If it had been a normal year, I would have given it some thought, because I am not against parties — but this year it is just too risky,” McAnerney said. “Eventually I would love to go to parties, but at the end of the day, I didn’t come here to party. I came here to learn.”

Beer is poured into red cups before the commencement of a drinking game at a house party in Flagstaff, Dec. 12, 2018.

Michael Patacsil | The Lumberjack

OCTOBER 8, 2020 – OCTOBER 14, 2020 | THE LUMBERJACK

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NEWS

TikTok creates community during isolation Mary Goldmeer

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ocial media has always been an important part of connection, but when the COVID-19 pandemic began, usage skyrocketed.

TikTok, a popular app owned by ByteDance, gained an immense following and allowed consumers to connect with others around the globe, with downloads increasing by 18% between March 16 and 22.

According to the Business of Apps, which provides data and user analytics regarding mobile apps, TikTok’s monthly estimated user rate was around 800 million people, from ages 16 to 24, with 49 million downloads during 2019 in the United States alone.

Tik Tok allows users to create short videos, anywhere from one to 60 seconds long, which can tell stories, express fashion, discuss makeup, promote businesses, make jokes and cover many other topics. TikTok then allows users to choose a song or sound to play in the background of the video, come up with a caption and finally post their creation.

The massive amount of downloads within the U.S. drew the eye of politicians and the federal government due to a potential threat to national security regarding the Chinese government’s involvement with the app. On Aug. 6, President Donald Trump passed an executive order blocking downloads of TikTok and a separate messaging app, WeChat, effective Sept. 20. On Aug. 14, Trump stated there would be a complete ban in the U.S. if the app’s parent company, ByteDance, did not sell TikTok to a U.S. company by Nov. 14.

This order was met with outrage from TikTok users in the U.S. who built a following and were regarded as influencers. Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines an influencer — in a marketing sense — as an individual who is able to generate interest in something simply by posting about it on social media. However, influencers were not necessarily concerned for

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long.

On Sept. 27, U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols blocked the second executive order. ByteDance consequently reached a joint deal with Oracle, a multinational computer technology corporation, and Walmart to appease the executive order.

However, the deal is still awaiting further neogotiation and approval from both sides.

According to Business Insider, the app’s change in ownership may prove to be an issue with consumers later, but for now, they are glad to still have access to the app.

Individuals across the world were cut off from physical interactions with friends and loved ones as social restrictions were implemented, so they turned to the internet in order to regain some sense of normality.

TikTok Newsroom claimed fun dances, photoshoots and calls for adventure have people looking to meet virtual friends, get out of the house and stay social safely.

“[TikTok] … builds a sense of community and allows people to come together during these socially distanced times,” – gABRIELLE nEVERS NAU has been active on TikTok as well. NAU Athletics, numerous True Blue ambassadors, the NAU Catholic Jacks and certain dorms have their own accounts. Miscellaneous NAU students also post videos of activities around campus, updates, move-in and more. Sophomore Gabrielle Nevers said she uses TikTok to connect with her friends. “[TikTok] … builds a sense of community and allows people to come together during these socially distanced times,” Nevers said.

Nevers has been a user since

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photo Illustration By michael patacsil

March, and said she personally witnessed the app’s content adjusting and changing as aspects of COVID-19 become cultural norms.

Freshman Teresa Rodriguez said she also started using the app in March. Rodriguez said she typically utilizes the platform to watch videos discussing politics, self-care, beauty trends and cooking.

“I feel like the app is more distinct from other social media outlets because of the format,” Rodriguez said. “The videos have clearer messages and more diverse content.”

Both Nevers and Rodriguez said they use TikTok to communicate with friends they made in person. However, they added that meeting people online is an easy and common method to form connections, especially because it allows for immediate interactions.

Often, users never get a break from communicating and when they do, it can be an anxiety-inducing experience. According to the Child Mind Institute, people, typically adolescents, can quickly succumb to lowered self-esteem and selfconfidence.

These debilitating feelings only add to the anxiety and depression that may come with isolating amid the pandemic. The endless addiction of pursuing interactions and needing relationships is associated with a three-to-five-hour jump in daily screen time, according to the National Headache Foundation.

This screen time boost, dip in self-esteem and stress over the pandemic are taking a toll on society.

A study published in July by the Elsevier Public Health Emergency Collection found a combination of

depression and anxiety distributed throughout their volunteers.

Over 80% of the study’s subjects, who were frequently exposed to social media, reported high levels of mental illness or instability. Although exposure to online platforming and technology have not been proven to cause mental illnesses, they do correlate enough for experts to raise concerns.

Both the TikTok Newsroom and the Child Mind Institute agree that TikTok, in comparison with other social media platforms, does a good job of balancing viewers’ desires to sit motionless for hours, while also pushing them to participate in their interests. The videos promote personal growth and activity, which can be a stepping stone to recover from the side effects of isolation.

COMIC SPOT

Illustration By Christian Ayala OCTOBER 8, 2020 – OCTOBER 14, 2020 | THE LUMBERJACK

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OPINION-EDITORIAL

NAU housing situation leaves students stressed Hayley bostian

Counting down in a long-distance relationship

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ong-distance relationships are not easy. My partner and I have been communicating somewhat virtually for over half of our entire romance. When we had to separate, we knew it was going to be different, and our relationship may not survive. However, not only did we make it through the tough times, we grew together immensely and formed a unique bond.

COVID-19 has forced many people into long-distance relationships with partners, families and friends. The distance can make normal interactions more difficult, but it can also make a virtuous bond.

Being separated from a person can strengthen the relationship. In a virtual relationship, interpersonal communication tactics we rely on to create HAYLEE EMCH intimacy, like touch, are not available.

Communicating solely over virtual or WRITER written platforms forces the connection to rely heavily on the verbal.

Talking to each other is an art that I feel has practically been lost in today’s generation. Both verbal and nonverbal forms of communication are vital for a successful relationship.

Strengthening these skills while apart makes the time together more beneficial.

With the numerous platforms offered by technology, longdistance communication is easier than ever. Distance and a lack of in-person communication does not mean the end is near.

Being farther away also allows room for creativity in the relationship. My partner and I are always finding new ways to bond remotely. We have made collaborative Spotify playlists, had Netflix parties and have even electronically sent each other one penny back and forth for one of our dates.

Being creative forces partners to put in more effort while also making more memories.

The struggles a person experiences with long-distance relationships will not last forever. The feeling you get when you see your loved one in person is overpowering. My mom laughs whenever my boyfriend comes home because I go back to the mindset of a teenager on her first date. I get butterflies, I buy a new outfit and I will not sleep on the nights leading up to the big day we reunite.

I would recommend reducing ambiguity. The unknown of when a couple can reunite creates anxiety and more loneliness.

Having something to look forward to generates excitement.

Counting down the days until seeing each other is much more bearable than an unknown timetable.

Participating in a long-distance relationship is a hard time for many, but it’s important to keep in mind the reasons why the relationship is worth fighting for. It will be worth it when we get to see each other again and celebrate with a we-did-it hug.

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ith school back in session amid the pandemic, universities such as the University of Delaware, among a long list of others, have already had to shut down in-person instruction. Some students decided not to come back to campus at all, yet, students are still participating in in-person classes and Zoom classes, which are inconvenient.

On Sept. 16, the residents of Campus Heights were emailed and told they would be required to move out between Sept. 25 and 27 to accommodate isolation housing. Students were given new room assignments along with a rent reduction and a $300 refund. There were also moving companies provided for no additional cost, as well as four moving boxes per student.

Although the university did provide some form of compensation for this incredibly sudden and stressful situation, it doesn’t dismiss the fact that many were unprepared for this to happen and were thrown into a less-than-ideal situation due to the school’s lack of planning.

As someone who lived in a Campus Heights apartment with two other roommates, I was also surprised by all of this information and was assigned a new room in McDonald Hall, which has a similar layout to Campus Heights.

However, the big difference that caused my roommates to choose to cancel their housing altogether was the policy that we will be placed with random roommates in one bedroom for three people.

This is a drastic change in privacy and comfort that no one signed up for when choosing their housing this year. But the options were slim: either move into McDonald Hall or go home.

Needless to say, it appears NAU planned this school year poorly. Inconvenient and disruptive housing changes, along with still hosting in-person classes, which all but welcomes an inevitable spike in cases, indicates the university’s lack of care and foresight.

As of Sept. 25, NAU is managing 226 cases, according to the university’s COVID-19 website. Although NAU has significantly less cases than other schools like UA, which had 2,000 cases since August, the university continues to put students in stressful situations such as suddenly having to move from their planned housing.

According to the Navajo-Hopi Observer, a better example

of mitigating the spread is UA’s decision to call a shelter-in-place order for two weeks, which urged students “on campus and in certain nearby geographical areas to only go out for essentials, medical appointments or classes that are conducted in-person.”

Although UA is considering opening another quarantine building, it explored other options that took students’ convenience and safety into concern first, like sheltering in place, according to the Navajo-Hopi Observer.

The lack of consideration for NAU students is disappointing and the isolation housing decision has put many students in a confusing and stressful situation. Students have to decide if they want to stick with the offered change in housing or move elsewhere, all while managing their studies.

Many students are not from Flagstaff or do not have a car to leave campus if they live elsewhere.

Therefore, the assumption from the university that students can simply go home if they choose to cancel their housing either does not take students’ different backgrounds into consideration, or is blatantly apathetic.

It is understandable that difficult decisions need to be made for the sake of everyone’s health, rather than the convenience of a few. However, this decision was placed in front of students with little notice.

If not exploring other options to slow the spread of COVID-19, the least NAU could have done is let students know at the start of the semester that the university considered changing student housing and warn students to prepare for the scenario Illustration By shelsey braswell they now find themselves in.

This was a situation with many flaws that could have been avoided had the students been given more time to prepare housing contingency plans.

Even though this pandemic has dealt the whole world many obstacles, NAU needs to consider how these decisions will affect students. With no guarantee of an accessible vaccine soon, and the prediction of one being available in April 2021 according to Dr. Anthony Fauci, there is still the rest of the academic year ahead of us. NAU needs to be considerate of the students paying to study on their campus and be communicative prior to future changes that will drastically affect their student population.

OPINION-EDITORIAL

Living with an autoimmune disease is terrifying emily gerdes

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he last day I lived as a normal college student was March 13. My day consisted of coming home on the train, getting Starbucks, going to the grocery store, eating at a restaurant and hugging my grandparents. Today it is hard to imagine how I could go about these simple tasks without severely risking my health.

Two years ago, I was diagnosed with the autoimmune disease rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

There is no cure. Nothing I did brought on this disease, and nothing could have prevented it.

Still, I am forced to live the rest of my life with the pain and consequences of the disease.

Other autoimmune diseases include multiple sclerosis, celiac disease, Hashimoto’s disease, Crohn’s disease, diabetes and lupus, some of which are caused by the body attacking its own tissue and cells. Autoimmune diseases do not weaken the immune system, but the immunosuppressant drugs that are given to fight them do. According to Healthline, a mental and physical health information website, “... the immune system attacks the body’s own tissue.

Because immunosuppressant drugs weaken the immune system, they suppress this reaction.”

For many, a large part of college is making friends, having fun, exploring who you are and living your life to the fullest. COVID-19 has slightly changed that, but most students are still able to maintain some form of normalcy. I cannot.

With treatment, RA does not inhibit my day-to-day life or my ability to be a college student. When COVID-19 began to spread around the nation and NAU went online for the remaining semester, my autoimmune disease became the central focus of my life.

Since then, I have not left my house unless necessary. All shoes are kept outside the house.

I immediately shower when returning home.

Everything we eat or drink is wiped or sprayed with a disinfectant. I do not eat at restaurants, and all interactions with family or friends take place outside, six feet apart, with masks.

The families of immunocompromised people and those who live with us are also forced to live as if they are at high risk and take extra precautions.

As the nation and the world are lifting restrictions with rising cases, I still cannot participate. My friends are back at college, living in apartments together. They go to restaurants for birthdays, sit at coffee shops, go to the mall and live their college life with little concern.

To put it simply, it sucks. I am forced to choose between my health and my social life.

In the end, I know I have to choose my health — and it is what I have been choosing — but it is hard. Campus clubs and extracurriculars are meeting virtually, but still host activities outdoors. I watch them via Instagram Live while sitting on my couch.

Overwhelming anxiety and fear accompanies this constant state of missing out. Fear of getting COVID-19 and having to come off my medications, resulting in so much pain. The fear of not knowing what will happen if I catch the virus is omnipresent. The fear of knowing that COVID-19 symptoms look similar to rheumatoid arthritis, which includes fatigue, muscle aches and swelling, lingers in my mind.

To give perspective, I contracted a cold last year. Not the flu, but a simple runny nose and a sore throat.

This sickness depleted my already-low energy due to arthritis. I was out of commission for two and a half weeks because of a runny nose. I had never been that sick before, and I could not even imagine how my body would react to a virus that has attacked and ravaged people who do not have a compromised immune system.

Watching my university open up for inperson classes and normal operation terrifies me.

There are many more cases than when schools closed last spring and there is still no vaccine.

These cases are rising and create more of a threat to me and others. I am the one who is missing out on football games, concerts, guest speakers and hanging out with friends because my school prioritized reopening over the health of their students.

I feel unimportant. I feel I am not cared for or listened to. But I am not the only one who is suffering. In 2012, the Hospital for Special Surgery reported more than 50 million U.S.

citizens live with an autoimmune disease.

There are immunocompromised college students all across the nation. People with autoimmune disease are at risk, but so are those who are HIV positive, have cancer or have undergone organ transplants. The immunocompromised are often overlooked, but now hundreds of college students across the nation are having to pick between their social life and their health.

The most helpful thing for me and others that are immunocompromised is the next time you go out, think about us. We appear to be healthy and in a normal world, we would be living our lives just like you. Be aware of who you are spending time around and if they are being safe as well, and finally, always remember to follow your county’s health guidelines.

Illustration By rainee favela

OCTOBER 8, 2020 – OCTOBER 14, 2020 | THE LUMBERJACK

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FEATURES

Flagstaff Farmers Market bac

Joey Wright

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lagstaff Farmers Market used to be a bustling Sunday morning event where people could shop for food, clothes, antiques, plants and just about anything else. With new regulations due to COVID-19, the nature of the market has changed drastically, and vendors and consumers find themselves adapting to the new circumstances.

The market used to take place right outside Flagstaff City Hall, but now it utilizes the parking lot at Flagstaff High School to conduct business. The change was needed because it is private property, said manager Meg Kabotie-Adakai. She said city hall did not want the market to take place on city property for liability reasons pertaining to the ongoing pandemic.

Kabotie-Adakai said another change is the maximum capacity of the market. Currently only 50 people are allowed inside at a time. This number considers the vendors, consumers and workers, which means the foot traffic at the market has decreased significantly. Sue Berliner, owner of B Naked Chocolates, said the reduced number of people is hard on business.

“When it really hit hard was in the spring, which is our busiest time of the year, and we were all just crushed,” Berliner said. “It’s the time that we’re expecting to do really well to bank for the summer.

Spring and fall are our busy times, and the numbers in the spring were terrible.”

Although some markets in Arizona stayed open for spring and early summer, the Flagstaff market didn’t open up until the middle of Left and top right: Shoppers and vendors gather at July.

Kabotie-Adakai said from May to July, the market solely operated Flagstaff High School for the weekly farmers market, as an online store with curbside pickup. The curbside delivery option Oct. 4. The market has been affected by the COVID-19 remains available for people who don’t feel comfortable shopping at pandemic and reduced in size. the market.

Benjamin Akers | The Lumberjack

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Market vendor Amelia Blake explained the process of the online store. She said each week, vendors would tell the market operators what they were planning to sell, and those items would be available for purchase Monday through Thursday. After that, the vendors would be notified of what items were sold through the website and would drop the items off to the market so customers could then use the drive-thru option to pick up the items they purchased.

For some business owners, the online model actually worked in their favor. Los Muertos Salsa owner Anthony Perez said despite what’s going on, this has been his best year in sales yet.

“When the pandemic started, we started doing delivery and it took off,” Perez said. “This has been our best year so far. You have to adjust to whatever’s going on around. I think having delivery options available definitely helped us get through it. I definitely feel blessed to be able to still do this through everything.”

Perez said his company was doing around 160 to 170 deliveries a day at their peak. However, not all businesses have been as fortunate.

For Berliner, the transition to online sales has been a slower process.

“I don’t have as much assistance,” Berliner said. “I do most of it myself now. I used to have more people working for me, but we don’t have as many markets, so I’m trying to ramp up the online stuff. It’s a slow process. For me, I’m actually building out an auto-ship program for a subscription-based product.”

Other businesses, like Lily of the Field, a local business that sells many different kinds of plants, have opted to let the Flagstaff Farmers Market handle their online sales through the market’s website.

Blake said she started the business with her husband in February, right before the pandemic hit. Although it might not have been what they expected, Blake said she is optimistic about the future of the company.

“It’s definitely been different than what we originally expected it

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ck to business as not-so-usual

to be,” Blake said. “But luckily, so many people are gardening with the pandemic that it really helped with our vegetable sales in the spring. It has been more challenging, for sure, to be starting a business this year.”

Besides starting new businesses and keeping preexisting businesses afloat, another challenge for vendors is that the market only allows food items to be sold if new regulations are followed. Kabotie-Adakai said certain items were deemed nonessential by the city of Flagstaff, and these items also cannot be sold through the market’s online store.

This regulation keeps many vendors from selling their products at a place where they used to. Kabotie-Adakai said the market used to have about 75 vendors, and right now only about 20 to 30 vendors are allowed to be there.

Memi Perkins is a vendor that relied on selling crafts as an extra source of income, although her main product is grassfed sheep meat. She said many vendors sell crafts, jewelry and other items on the side to help offset all of the costs that come with selling at farmers markets, and right now they aren’t able to do that.

“Flagstaff particularly has been very harsh in its stance on essential services, but it doesn’t play that across the board,” Perkins said. “They did it with farmers markets, but they didn’t do it with Walmart. You can still buy toys at Walmart, you can still buy arts and crafts and bedding and whatever, and those are not essential if you’re talking about food.”

Perkins said not allowing artisans to sell their work at the farmers market takes money away from the local community.

She said people now have to buy from large corporations, which is ultimately hurting the local economy.

“I feel like the municipality specifically loses sight of

who they should be protecting,” Perkins said. “If their main objective is protecting the general public with a set of criteria, then that criteria should apply evenly between all of the different industries and all of the different levels of point of sales. The only people that they’re really hurting are small, independent businesses.”

Kabotie-Adakai said the City of Flagstaff determined these regulations when they issued a permit for the Flagstaff Farmers Market. Although these rules negatively impact some vendors, the market has also put other standards in place that are beneficial to some community members.

Kabotie-Adakai said Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards, formerly food stamps, have always been an acceptable form of payment at the Flagstaff Farmers Market. People can use EBT cards to buy tokens, and the rewards system Double Up Food Bucks can be used to purchase produce and other unprepared food items. She also said in the past, the limit on Double Up Food Bucks was $20, but currently, people can buy as many tokens and Food Bucks as they want with no limits.

Despite all of the changes, the Flagstaff Farmers Market continues to see more visitors. According to the market’s website, it is open online Monday through Thursday and in person at Flagstaff High School every Sunday from 9 a.m. to noon. Vendors Summer White, an NAU graduate and Flagstaff resident, manages the look forward to seeing people come out to table for Roots Micro Farm at the Flagstaff Farmers Market, Oct. 4. support local businesses.

White said the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in less customers than in previous years. Benjamin Akers | The Lumberjack

OCTOBER 8, 2020 – OCTOBER 14, 2020 | THE LUMBERJACK

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FEATURES

COVID-19 curriculum makes an impact at NAU Nancy Flores

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s the fall 2020 semester continues at NAU, the effects of switching to hybrid learning are becoming clear to students, faculty and staff. This semester, classes switched from having desks and whiteboards to beds and screens.

In March 2020, colleges all over the country shut down for the remainder of the academic year as COVID-19 cases in the United States rose. This caused a pause in classes while educators looked for the best methods to continue to teach students nationwide.

With millions of students forced to learn from home, Zoom gained popularity throughout quarantine. According to CBS, Zoom’s daily users in the U.S. increased by 10 million from Dec. 2019 to March 2020 due to educators beginning to look at Zoom as an alternative to traditional learning. Therefore, Zoom became the standard learning platform for the fall 2020 semester.

English professor Nicole Walker explained that Zoom offered exactly what educators needed in an unusual time, providing professors with the resources necessary to continue classes online.

“I’m actually really glad we have Zoom, let’s put it that way,” Walker said. “Without Zoom, I don’t know what we’d be doing.”

Walker said Zoom has been great in her classroom, but also mentioned the challenges and learning curves of applying the platform to her regular classes. A constant theme with Zoom learning has been the inability to make connections right away.

“I hate it when my students don’t turn on their cameras,” Walker said. “I think that’s the worst part is that you can’t really make people do that.”

Walker is not the only faculty member facing this struggle. Gioia Woods, humanities professor and NAU Faculty Senate president, said she and many of her fellow faculty members have seen the difficulty of making connections with students this semester. Connections have become harder to make, but not impossible. It simply has taken more time to get a relationship with their students, she said.

With COVID-19 changing the learning environment, it has also impacted the lessons

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taught in the classroom.

Along with philosophy professor Julie Piering, Woods created three classes that revolve around Albert Camus’ “The Plague.” Published in 1947, “The Plague” is a fictional account that takes place in the early ’40s in Oran, Algeria, according to Goodreads. The novel follows the citizens of the city as it is closed off to the world due to an epidemic.

NAU professors like Woods are not the only ones who have found “The Plague” inspiring during these times. According to the British political and cultural magazine, New Statesman, “The Plague” has become a sensation as sales have gone up globally throughout 2020. Copies of the novel have seen a spike in popularity since January and many countries are even issuing

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reprints of the novel.

Woods said she picked “The Plague” as the central novel for these courses because of what she felt while reading the novel. She said she thought her students would feel the same way.

“It was a visceral feeling I had when I was rereading it in April, when I was in lockdown,” Woods said. “I mean, I had a gut reaction. I felt like Camus was writing about my situation in 2020 in Flagstaff, and he was writing about the 1940s in the North African Mediterranean.”

With the ongoing pandemic, Walker said faculty and herself have been striving to make sure that peoples’ stories are told. In her class entitled Writing the Pandemic, ENG 399, her students are writing stories about how this

Illustration By Aleah Green

pandemic has influenced or impacted their years.

Stories are what keep the community together, Walker explained. She said she hopes to add her students’ stories to her website. She explained that the purpose of the site is to allow people to share their COVID-19 experiences and learn from one another.

Walker said her course allows students to be a part of history by having them write their own stories about what they are and have been experiencing over the last few months. The course also allows students to learn about others’ stories, as Walker explained they will also have to interview someone else and merge their stories together. From there, students will either be published on the website or contribute to Cline Library’s historical archives, Walker said.

Similarly, Woods said while her students have already made many connections between “The Plague” and the real world, the discussions go even further because this course has also brought light to the metaphorical plagues in society. She said the students have begun to find connections between the novel and topics such as the death of Geroge Floyd, wearing masks and race and gender politics. Woods explained the topics have also been met with controversy, as teaching a course that revolves around “The Plague” during such harsh times can be a lot for students to handle.

Woods said she understands courses that focus on pandemic issues may bring up controversies in the classroom that can make anyone uncomfortable, but said she thinks it is time for conversations to be had.

“The university needs opportunities for civil discourse,” Wood said. “Now more than ever, me and my fellow professors work really hard to make sure that all views are engaged.”

While COVID-19 continues to impact the lives of millions in the country, educators like Woods and Walker are taking advantage and making sure their students feel engaged and understood. Courses focused on studying the pandemic from a historical and literary lens can allow one to not feel so alone in a time where loneliness may seem inescapable.

CULTURE

No beats were missed in ‘Savage Mode II’

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héyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, better known as rapper 21 Savage, released his third album titled “Savage Mode II” produced by Metro Boomin, a sequel to his RIAA-certified gold “Savage Mode” LP, released in 2016.

You know what I find to be the most soothing sound in the world? Not a baseball popping in a catcher’s glove, although that is enjoyable. No, it happens to be Morgan Freeman’s voice. Well, it is needless to say that it was a pleasant surprise to hear his voice narrating the album, along with 21 Savage’s initial Instagram post promoting it.

Since “Savage Mode,” he released two studio albums, “Issa Album” and “I Am > I Was,” and a joint album with Metro Boomin and Migos’ Offset, SEBASTIAN “Without Warning,” before teaming up with Metro MOORE again for “Savage Mode II.” SENIOR REPORTER This album wasn’t what I was expecting. A 21 Savage album coming out in October is nothing new.

I just assumed the tone and mood of the album would be on par with his previous works, such as “Savage Mode” and “Without Warning,” in some ways taking on a spooky persona to match the Halloween spirit. Instead, the tone was a mix of “Issa Album” and “Savage Mode,” sounding both sorrowful and ominous.

Aside from Freeman, 21 Savage tapped Drake on “Mr. Right Now,” Young Thug on “Rich N**** S***” and Young Nudy on “Snitches & Rats,” totaling three features on the 15-song, 44-minute album.

My personal favorite song on the album was “No Opp Left Behind.” It’s a classic 21 Savage song. He flows his raps well over a melancholic Metro beat, and he ends it with wise words from Freeman.

“Screamin’, ‘No opp left behind,’ n****, we gon’ kill ‘em all / Ain’t no cap in my rap, ain’t no flaw / You could tell it when I rap, ain’t no cut, this s*** raw / Cut him off if he talkin’ to the law / I’m with Draco ‘cause he quiet ‘til he hit you in the jaw,” 21 Savage spits.

Another personal favorite of mine was “RIP Luv,” that beat specifically reminding me of his song “ball w/o you.” Ironically, this song also dealt with love and heartbreak, as 21 Savage expresses his commitment to his love interest. Unlike the other songs, “RIP Luv” is a dramatic shift from fast-paced raps to a more calm, poetic tone.

“Got my first taste of love and I thank you (Thank you) / Savage, never let another woman taint you (21) / Fallen victim to my feelings, something I can’t do (Never) / Get revenge on every b****, even if it ain’t you (On God),” he raps.

Maybe it was wrong to expect the same 21 Savage that first burst onto the scene with “Savage Mode.” As a fan, his progression as an artist has been visible through the projects he has released prior to “Savage Mode II.” Continue reading on jackcentral.org

A disposable surgical mask is left on the pedway between Raymond and McDonald Hall, Oct. 2.

Brian Burke| The Lumberjack

The pandemic’s affect on the planet cole stewart

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he climate has seen improvement in months during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Business Insider, flights around the world have dropped by the most significant rate many have ever seen.

Flagstaff resident Daniel Salazar, who is passionate about wildlife and the planet, said he has seen many changes in the environment since the pandemic began.

“I think the pandemic has helped benefit the planet because a lot of commercial flights and trucking around the world has been shut down,” Salazar said. “At the same time, I don’t know how much it is really helping because of how bad cases are right now.”

Salazar also said he hasn’t seen a change in human culture since March because everyone is still out and about. People are continuing to shop and many people are not wearing masks, Salazar emphasized.

Senior climate change activist Haley Sweet said she has seen some positive impacts on the planet, like a decrease in air pollution levels since travel has slowed down. A decrease of 26% was seen at the pandemic’s peak.

“People need to be more considerate of others and the environment because the pandemic has shown the human race that anything can change in an instant,” Sweet said. “We need to encourage less industrialized activities and more natural, self-made activities.”

Megan Smith, a Flagstaff native studying engineering science with an emphasis in environmental engineering at Loyola University in Chicago, said she has seen differences in pollution.

Smith said with every new sanitation standard, there is a drawback. Masks have a positive impact, but the increased use of disposable masks is adding to an increase

in plastic waste, she said.

“With the pandemic, some restaurants turned to the internet by placing their menus online to be accessed with a QR code, but other restaurants turned to disposable menus and cutlery, which adds to the plastic crisis,” Smith said.

She said she feels these new standards, while good for the health of humans, can be bad for the environment. The increase in waste from single-use masks add to the plastic pollution crisis, as does the plastic cutlery restaurants have started using, Smith said.

Restaurants have become a huge contributor to waste due to new mandates requiring gloves and masks, Smith said. She worked in the restaurant industry for two years prior to the pandemic, experiencing the impacts of waste a restaurant produces firsthand, she said.

“I think, after the pandemic and post-recession, we need to develop better global policies and respond to health crises,” Smith said. “Although this often comes down to bureaucracy and apparently the belief in science, the lack of federal response and support for health care workers definitely needs to be reformed. We also need a new global policy for climate change. The pandemic showed a decrease in CO2 levels, which in turn indicated the negative effects of humans on the environment.”

She said the pandemic was an eye-opening experience for some individuals regarding human impacts on the environment. The best thing people can do is stay informed and demand change from representatives, Smith said.

Despite the impacts of COVID-19, the pandemic has highlighted environmental issues. Even during a pandemic, there are still ways society can work together to improve human impacts on the planet.

OCTOBER 8, 2020 – OCTOBER 14, 2020 | THE LUMBERJACK

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CULTURE

Face masks: The new fashion of 2020 Jorja Heinkel

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ace masks are the biggest fashion trend of 2020. The pandemic changed the way United States citizens live their lives, how essential workers go to their jobs and how students keep up with their studies. Yet, in the middle of all the fear and turmoil of 2020, COVID-19 has demonstrated the resilience of the U.S. In a feat of adaptability, masks have become an opportunity of expression, a fashion statement and a staple for every outfit.

As masks become hot merchandise in nearly every storefront across the U.S., local Flagstaff business owners are responding to the call.

The downtown shop Rainbow’s End has added creative, fashionable masks to its shelves. Owner Miranda Sweet started carrying double-plied, fashionable masks as soon as COVID-19 became a national health concern.

“I found local designers pretty early on to help me with it,” Sweet said. “People are coming in looking for something a little different. As long as they are safe, keeping up with trends will help people want to wear them. Masks are basically a fashion statement now.”

Sweet’s shop is full of trendy and colorful clothing, jewelry and now, masks. The wall behind the counter is decorated with an abundance of colorful face coverings. Some of the options available include a white mask with bright yellow lemons, a black mask with white skulls and a burgundy mask with white feathers.

She also offers orange, green and purple masks, and a multipatterned mask that reads “Girl Power.”

Many students on campus and in Flagstaff can be seen wearing the free NAU mask — a nondescript navy blue mask with the NAU logo in the top left corner. These masks that identify students with the NAU community have become very common throughout the university, but they are not the only masks decorating the faces of students.

Among the bright colors and fashionable patterns of the hottest new clothing item, the occasional political mask can be spotted. Masks that read “VOTE” in large bright letters have appeared around campus. Masks that express identity, such as LGBTQ+ pride masks and masks that support the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement have become examples of advocacy through fashion.

An article on Pride.com highlights LGBTQ+ face masks, which features the “Gaypin’ Hanky.” The article describes the Gaypin’ Hankies as “a ‘fresh twist’ on the hanky code, a retro system from cruising culture in which queer people would wear different colors of handkerchiefs or bandanas to indicate their sexual preferences.”

The hankies come in about 10 colors, ranging from black and light pink to hunter green.

Similarly, the BLM Facebook page encouraged advocacy and safety in a post advertising the new masks.

Whether it be BLM, LGBTQ+ pride or NAU community masks or the colorful designs from local Flagstaff shops, NAU students use protective gear to represent individuality.

Vice Mayor Adam Shimoni, a judge of the Flagstaff Arts

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Photo Illustration by Shannon Swain | The Lumberjack

Council’s Please Stay, Play Distance & Mask Responsibly Art Contest, said self-expression during the pandemic is critical to mental health and well-being.

“We should always be expressing ourselves creatively, regardless of what we’re going through in life,” Shimoni said.

“We should never oppress our own inner artist and inner self. The more you can empower your inner self, the better off you’re going to be as an individual.”

The winners of the contest created art featuring face masks and reflecting the precautions and precedents during the time of COVID-19.

Kathy Bryant, retired board member of the Flagstaff Arts Council and judge of the contest, said the art contest was intended to increase awareness about public health and teach about compassion. “[The contest] is inspired by the pandemic, the whole idea of wearing a mask, respect for others and compassion,” Bryant said.

Bryant said she sees the competition as an opportunity to comfort people and promote patience, hope and empathy to encourage safety and creativity. She also said she thinks it’s absurd that wearing a mask has been politicized because it’s a public

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health issue.

Bryant encouraged students to maintain their creativity and to never let COVID-19 stifle individuality.

“The most important thing I can tell students is: don’t be cynical,” Bryant said. “Students are the most positive and hopeful people around — optimistic and enthusiastic — that’s what you want to see in everybody, but especially young people.”

Shimoni asked students to maintain their creativity and keep Flagstaff’s diverse community in mind as COVID-19 cases rise in Flagstaff. He said the community has people who are vulnerable to COVID-19, and if the wrong people get the virus, it could become a life-or-death situation.

“Keep the vulnerable populations in mind, keep the tribal communities to our north in mind, and keep the larger community in mind,” Shimoni said. “What happens to NAU, happens to Flagstaff.”

Face masks can be political, expressive, fashionable and fun.

Most importantly, they are protective measures to promote the health of the community. From the colorful masks in Rainbow’s End to the BLM advocacy face coverings, masks are keeping Flagstaff lively in more ways than one.

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First-generation scholars fighting against the pandemic Sophia Salazar

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new school year is always different, but this year brings challenges for many students. NAU has created classroom layouts that enforce social distancing. Hand sanitizer dispensers and social distancing markers are spread throughout campus to keep students safe. Students are experiencing an alternative college experience with the adjustments NAU made.

One recent change is the implementation of NAUFlex, which began at the start of the semester and allows students to alternate between in-person classes and attending online. With an ongoing pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines and online classes, students can feel overwhelmed.

COVID-19 has affected college students all around the world, especially first-generation students. According to NAU’s first-generation resources website, almost 46% of NAU students identify as first-gen students.

First-gen freshman Kaili Robertson said COVID-19 has affected her college experience both socially and academically.

“I don’t do well with online classes, so I’m struggling right now,” Robertson said in an email interview. “I feel secluded because I can’t see or meet anyone, but I understand why.”

A study conducted by Austin Peay State University assistant professor George M. Froggé and Kathryn H. Woods, associate professor in the Department of Leadership and Organizational Administration, found that first-gen students are in favor of faceto-face classes over online lessons.

In this study, only 14% of first-gen students preferred their learning format to be online, in contrast to 19% of second-gen students in favor of online learning.

The disadvantages of online classes are little to no face-to-face interaction and low quality internet lectures. A report provided by the Student Experience in the Research University (SERU) Consortium, at the University of California, Berkeley, stated its survey results proposed that first-gen students lacked necessary equipment to complete online courses. Online learning requires consistent Wi-Fi connection, a working device and a quiet area to learn.

Students in need of equipment for their classes can head over to Cline Library. The library provides a free technology lending service for current NAU and Coconino Community College students. The library also offers individual study rooms and Zoom cubicles, which students must reserve in advance.

NAU freshman Tanner Alcaraz said a concern of his is completing online classes. On top of that, Alcaraz said he has found it harder to meet people in the middle of a pandemic.

“I was already nervous about coming into college as a firstgen student, but with the pandemic, it’s been pretty tough with not being able to meet as many people as I would like,” Alcaraz said in an email interview.

Alcaraz said lack of human connection due to COVID-19 has affected his experience. He said because of the virus he has felt lonely, and the lack of socialization can strain one’s mental health.

According to the SERU Consortium study, first-gen university students experience higher rates of depression and

“I was already nervous about coming into as a first-gen student, but with the pandemic, it’s been pretty tough with not being able to meet as many people as I would like” – freshman tanner alcaraz stress than their peers.

The research survey’s findings suggest that 44% of first-gen students screened positive for generalized anxiety disorder, while only 38% of continuing generation students are reported to have generalized anxiety out of 28,198 undergraduate students.

NAU has on-campus resources, including counseling services. The university also created virtual events to keep students informed, some of which are geared toward first-gen students.Virtual events like the First-Generation Programs workshop series help students develop their academic and career development skills.

The university hosts online events for students looking for something fun to do. These events include a Virtual Cooking Demo and Virtual PAWS Your Stress. NAU has created these online occasions to keep students social and active on campus.

First-gen students not only face social and academic complexities this semester, but financial struggles as well. They were found to be nearly twice as likely to be concerned about paying for their first semester in college, according to the SERU study.

NAU freshman Makayla Grandpre said it has been harder to find in-person resources due to the ongoing pandemic.

“My parents didn’t complete college,” Grandpre said. “I didn’t know where to start or what to do. My biggest concern is finances and lack of in-person resources.”

First-gen students struggle with more financial hardships than students who are part of a continuing generation. In the SERU survey, first-gen students were more likely to experience loss of income from family members, unexpected increases in living expenses and technology and loss of wages from on- and off-campus employment.

NAU has resources for first-gen students who may be facing difficulties during this time.

Illustration By christian ayala

OCTOBER 8, 2020 – OCTOBER 14, 2020 | THE LUMBERJACK

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SPORTS

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Quarantine diaries of a sports fan

or a sports fan like myself, there’s a need for competition and a desire to watch some of the very best athletes the world has to offer.

Ever since I was young, sports were my outlet. Some of my greatest memories as a kid were when my mom would take me to a baseball game, or when I got to watch football with my dad Sunday mornings.

Fast forward to 2020, and the sports world was frozen in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

March 11 was the proverbial day the sports world stood still, as the NBA announced it would be halting the season.

This was the first domino to fall for sports in the United States.

The very next day, the MLB stopped DAVID all spring training games and suspended CHURCH the start of its season. The NHL stopped SPORTS EDITOR its season as well, and while the NFL was in the offseason during this time, COVID-19 still found a way to impact it by forcing the 2020 NFL Draft to be moved to a virtual setting.

Now, as a sports fan, these were dark days for me. During quarantine, I couldn’t do anything, I wasn’t able to see my friends, I wasn’t able to enjoy my normal summer activities, and while sports were halted, I couldn’t even find joy in watching my favorite athletes and teams play.

While there were no new games to watch, I actually took a break from the constant updates of sports news. I attempted to become more grounded. Taking a step back from sports allowed me to find other hobbies and activities.

I found my love for reading once again, I got to play with my dogs more often and I was able to hang out with my dad a lot more. To me, these things were a sign that I needed to unplug from the online world and appreciate the little things in life.

The pausing of live competitions taught me that sports can still be a big part of my life, but it does not have to be the only thing in my life. I am still as big of a sports fanatic as there is, but I also know there is a time to put the phone down, turn ESPN off and actually enjoy life and the people around me.

Now that the quarantine period has somewhat ended, all major professional sports organizations are back. However, the things I learned about myself during quarantine are still prominent in my life now.

I still will enjoy a baseball game every now and then. The Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat NBA Finals matchup is must-see TV, and football on Sundays remains tradition.

However, even though it was rough in the beginning, I am appreciative of that time spent.

I get to enjoy sports once again, but more importantly, I now know when to take a timeout.

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NAU alumnus Obang Odol clears a 2.05-meter high jump at Mountain T’s Invitational in the Walkup Skydome, Feb 2, 2019.

John Chaides | The Lumberjack

NAU Track & Field Relighting the spark from last season Jacob terrill

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ast year, NAU Track & Field was in a position to make history for the Lumberjacks, as the No. 2 ranked men’s team was on its way to potentially compete for the team’s first national championship. However, it was halted as COVID-19 struck the United States and all sporting events were canceled for the remainder of the school year.

Back in March, the NCAA released a statement that read, “This decision is based on the evolving COVID-19 public health threat, our ability to ensure the events do not contribute to spread of the pandemic, and the impracticality of hosting such events at

any time during this academic year given ongoing decisions by other entities.”

For many players, an early end to the season was disappointing news. A lot of them knew of the situation through social media before the announcement from their coaches.

From then on, athletes had to change their mindset from a season mentality to a future-focused one. But for seniors, the hardest transition was the reality of an ended collegiate career.

For jumps and multis assistant coach Matthew Harmeyer, it was harder to break it to the seniors.

“Obviously, with the seniors, it was a more difficult situation and conversation because they’re graduating and they don’t get

SPORTS their outdoor season,” Harmeyer said. “The conversation with the seniors really lasted throughout summer.”

There are some seniors returning as graduate students, though. These include Paige Inman, Mikayla Malaspina, Cade Burks, Luis Grijalva, Ryan Lanley and Aldo Marquez.

A notable nonreturner is Tyler Day, who was named the indoor 2020 Divison I National Men’s Track Athlete of the Year by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

The program stalled and went into slight chaos because neither the athletes nor the coaches had ever dealt with a situation like this before, junior Jenna Figueroa said. But within a few weeks, the situation was handled and the coaches and players figured out what to do.

During quarantine, athletes got to spend some time with their families and for the coaches and their spouses, it gave them some time to relax. For Figueroa, it was also a time to pick up coloring and listen to music.

When it came time to return to workouts, it was hard for some of the athletes to stay motivated. Some of their motivation comes from the competition teammates bring in practice.

“The biggest change [for practice] was when everything happened, we couldn’t see each other, we couldn’t practice together,” Figueroa said. “Everything was basically on your own, which made it even harder. It’s a team sport, and you have to push each other.”

For coaches, keeping athletes in the know requires communication during the offseason. Harmeyer said he created a group chat with his team in order to keep up to date. In addition, a big aspect to success in the offseason for Harmeyer was the culture he helped build within the group.

This also comes from athletes like Figueroa who have been through the program and know the expectations.

Harmeyer said Figueroa has become a leader and been able to help build up the younger athletes and show them the ropes.

Harmeyer takes the role of mentor for his players and allows them to become the leaders within the group. He helps them and guides them through life and development.

Just like most sports, the track and field team had to adjust practices, including taking temperatures before and after.

“My crew is wearing their masks to a certain level where their heart rate is elevated,” Harmeyer said, “The wording [we use] is ‘to your comfortability, you can either keep your mask on or take it off,’ and immediately after a cool-down session, masks are back on.”

Even with no positive cases, the coaches still try to reiterate that the virus is still here and athletes still need to take precautions.

The season is coming up in spring. However, there is no scheduled first meet right now, according to the NAU Athletics website.

Figueroa said practices lately have been going well and they are not being slowed down.

“We are definitely ready to go,” Figueroa said, “I’m excited and ready to pick up where we left off and win another conference title and see the boys make it to nationals Top: Sprinters leap over hurdles at the NAU Tune Up, Feb. 21 at Walkup Skydome. Bottom: Junior Jenna Figeuroa competes in the again.” women’s long jump, Jan. 31. Michael Patacsil and Brian Burke| The Lumberjack

OCTOBER 8, 2020 – OCTOBER 14, 2020 | THE LUMBERJACK

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