The Lumberjack -- March 24, 2022

Northern Arizona University’s student voice since 1914 Vol. 113 Issue 9 | March 24, 2022 — March 30, 2022

NAU football holds a snow day Pro Day

Left: Linebacker Tristan Vance rushes with the ball after catching a pass for Pro Day in the Student-Athlete High Performance Center, March. 10. Middle: Defensive lineman Carson Taylor competes in the vertical jump test. Right: NAU alum quarterback Case Cookus throws passes to tight ends and defensive backs. Brian Burke | NAU Athletics EVAN MCNELIA

throughout the weight room as scouts set up for the day. The prospects’ friends and families lined the back AU held its Pro Day on March 10 — getting wall, watching as they prepared for their NFL tryout. the opportunity to host NFL scouts in the NAU coaches, staff and current players began filling lead up to the draft for the first time since the room as the workout drew to a close and the 2019 due to COVID-19. NAU had nine players performing athletes grew restless. participate. Players had their official measurements Chaz Davis, NAU director of Football and tests recorded by NFL personnel.

Operations and Player Personnel, explained prior to The group of players participating included all the Pro Day that most, if not all, NFL teams already three 2021 graduate specialists: Kicker Luis Aguilar, had scouts in Flagstaff during the fall. Pro Day was punter and holder DJ Arnson, and long snapper designed to get official uniform results in specific Justin Hathoot. tests to be sent across the league and compared to all NAU also had four defensive players attend: prospects in this year’s draft. Massive scout attendance Defensive lineman Lionell Wiggins, defensive end/ was not expected, and come Pro Day there were just outside linebacker Carson Taylor, linebacker Tristen two — both from the Arizona Cardinals.

Vance and defensive back Brenndan Johnson.

Official results were not disclosed by scouts, Offensively, two NAU tight ends took part: but some tests were announced immediately Matthew Kempton, who left a year of eligibility following a player’s run-through, allowing a brief on the table in his sixth year at NAU, and 2019 chance to record some results. departure Ceejhay French-Love, who was injured Prospects first had their measurements taken, early into his stint with NAU after transferring including their height, weight and wingspan. Next from ASU. Both had the benefit of former NAU was the bench press. quarterback and recent USFL draft pick Case Cookus Kempton started on the bench, setting the in attendance to throw on the field. tone with 21 reps, a mark just three tight ends at The Pro Day began in the new Student-Athlete the NFL Scouting Combine surpassed. Taylor ­— High Performance Center — participants warmed up who had an overall stand-out day — put up 19 reps.

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Wiggins had 17. Vance set the high mark for the day with 22 reps, a mark that would have tied fourth amongst linebackers at the Combine.

Next, the group moved to the vertical jump in the center of the weight room. The scouts started by stretching each player’s arm above their head along the vertical machine to see their true complete reach.

They then set the machine to the appropriate height to test each player’s vertical. Official results were difficult to see or verify as there were no numbers on the tester nor were results stated out loud.

The group of onlookers crowded around the vertical test but left plenty of space for the prospect to give their best performance. Every jump began with silence and ended with applause as each player hit the floor. Players jumped three times, hitting the measuring bars to the side and attempting to clear the remaining marks with each jump. Visually, Taylor and Johnson were the two most impressive performers in the vertical jump. Johnson made the vertical look easy with how effortlessly he was able to get up; Taylor, for his size, seemed to nearly explode out of the building.

Continue reading on PAGE 18

President José Luis Cruz Rivera visits with The Lumberjack Ed Board for Q & A THE LUMBERJACK EDITORIAL BOARD

the broader climate action plan group shortly thereafter towards the end of the fall semester, which includes over resident José Luis Cruz Rivera 100 faculty, students and staff, who met with The Lumberjack’s Edipresented to me a plan that would call torial Board March 22 to answer on NAU making a strong statement questions for the student body. In the around carbon neutrality, for example. process of creating a new masterplan, At that meeting, what I asked Cruz Rivera addressed questions about of the group was to go back, and try to NAU’s future plans for improving put into that plan some milestones. So campus. Cruz Rivera additionally spoke if we’re saying we’re going to be carbon on his success the past year serving as neutral by 2030, what does that mean NAU’s 17th President. over the next, two years, four years, six years? What are specific things that My question is about Green Jacks. I we can do that will get us to meet was actually at their climate strike a that goal? And what are the budget couple weeks back and they said they implications of that? presented you with a climate action So we are all going into this plan but never heard back from you eyes wide open, that we have a on it. Have you seen the plan? If so, commitment, and we have a path there. what is your response and how will I’m waiting for that report back then NAU act? we can make a broader response not only to the Green Jacks, but to the JLCR: Well, let me say that I very campus, the university community, the much enjoyed and was very impressed city and the state as to where we stand. by the presentation that I received What I said to both groups from the Green Jacks. I also met with

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was that I was always reticent to make broad statements about by the year 2030 we’re going to be carbon neutral, if I and the university didn’t have a good understanding of what this takes.

So that’s what we’re waiting for in order to make that formal commitment or response.

a year officially into the job. We have been able to launch a strategic roadmap process that will be completed soon, and will really capture the aspirations of the university across several areas. We have been able to secure some one time funding that will allow us to accelerate progress in all of those areas we have agreed are important to us.

How do you feel overall about your I could go on a long list of past year as NAU president? individual achievements, everything from athletics, to academics, to the I feel very good about the past General Studies Program (a new NAU year. As I’ve said, in many forums, the workplace policy), our volunteer generosity, the warmth, the willingness community service policy, you name it. to drive action that this university has We’ve been able to do a lot together. communicated to me and my team over I’m very excited about the the last year or so, has been inspiring. second year because we have always said We’ve been able to do a lot in a very that this first year was about setting a short time. strong foundation and I think that we Usually, when you have are accomplishing that. presidential transitions at universities of this size and history, a 122-year legacy, Continue reading on PAGE 4 it takes several years to get a sense of where everybody wants to go. I will say that we’re in good shape less than

FROM THE EDITOR

I

can recall the first day I entered the Media Innovation Center, full of ambition but mostly anxious. I had just changed my major to journalism, and I was ready to hit the ground running.

I have many people to thank for my progress since beginning with The Lumberjack. My journey began just last semester as a writer for the Culture section. Katelyn and Haylee — the section editors at the time (and currently) — were so welcoming and supportive of me as a new writer. Their ability to encourage me when I was a beginning writer, who was incredibly insecure and reluctant of her writing abilities, is a large part of how I made it to where I am now.

Not only did they teach me to be confident in myself, but they gave me the framework for how I run my section as an editor now. They taught me that being an editor isn’t just about editing, but also encouraging your teammates and providing a supportive environment for them.

I would also like to thank David, our adviser, for pushing me to pursue roles that I never believed myself capable of fulfilling. David has taught me valuable lessons about journalism, but he has primarily taught me that I am just as HANNAH capable as I believe myself to be. My fluid progress with The Lumberjack, and journalism, can definitely be attributed ELSMORE to his compassion and encouragement. When I didn’t believe in myself (which is more often than not), David did.

I would also like to thank every other Lumberjack staff member who has helped me in any way this semester.

FEATURES When I began as the Features section editor, I was unprepared and confused — very confused. I can’t name a staff EDITOR member who didn’t help me at one point this semester, whether it was with rewording ideas or assistance with page design. Everyone on staff is so hardworking and helpful, and I cannot thank them enough. I truly believe that all of the Lumberjack staff is going to go very far in life.

Wow, this was very cliche. I won’t apologize. I am feeling very sentimental. I am forever grateful for the laughs, the tears and the growth that my first year with The Lumberjack thus far has given me.

ONLINE AT JACKCENTRAL.ORG School of Communication announces 2022 Eunson Award winners MARK FABERY

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he journalism degree program within the School of Communication will honor its 2022 Eunson Award winners at a ceremony 7 p.m.

Thursday, March 31.

In the past, the Eunson Award ceremony has allowed students and faculty to come together to celebrate the recipients of the Eunson Alumni Achievement Award and the Eunson Distinguished Lecturer Award, which recognizes those who have proven themselves in their journalistic careers. The awards were created in celebration of the late Robert R. Eunson, which honors his career as a correspondent during World War II where he committed to showing the world the truths of the war.

NAU alumnus Bill Bradley will be honored with the Distinguished Eunson Journalist Award. Bradley came to the Las Vegas Review-Journal in September 2015 from NFL Media where part of his foray into digital journalism he created four websites, including one that used student journalists to cover a Division I college. Bradley has previously worked as the sports editor of the Sacramento Bee and the Nashville Tennessean for five years each. Before that he was deputy sports editor at The Arizona Republic.

Historian and journalist Bob Boze Bell is the 2022 Distinguished Lecturer Award recipient. He has written books on the life and times of old West legends — Billy the Kid, Doc Holliday, Wyatt Earp, Wild Bill Hickok. In 2014, he published “The 66 Kid,” a memoir of growing up on Route 66 in Kingman, Arizona.

The ceremony honoring Bradley and Bell will take place in the Communication building, room 119.

Phone: (928) 523-4921 Fax: (928) 523-9313 Lumberjack@nau.edu P.O. Box 6000 Flagstaff, AZ 86011 VOL. 113 ISSUE 9

EDITORIAL STAFF

EXECUTIVE BOARD MacKenzie Brower, Editor-in-Chief Camille Sipple, Managing Editor Kylie Soto, Copy Editor Lauren Gomez, Director of Print Design Lydia Nelson, Director of Marketing Emily Gerdes, Director of Digital Content and Social Media David Harpster, Faculty Adviser

Mark Fabery, News Editor Daisy Johnston, Assistant News Editor Josh Ostby, Online News Editor William Combs III, Senior Reporter Marley Green, Op-Ed Editor Jessie McCann, Assistant Op-Ed Editor Hannah Elsmore, Features Editor John Chaffeur, Assistant Features Editor Katelyn Rodriguez, Culture Editor Haylee Sorensen, Assistant Culture Editor Brenden Martin, Sports Editor Will Hopkins, Assistant Sports Editor Lian Mueno, Assistant Director of Print

VISUALS Brian Burke, Director of Photography Megan Ford-Fyffe, Assitant Director of Photography Jonah Graham, Senior Photographer Madison Easton, Senior Photographer Brittani Poeppel, Director of Illustration Shawn Patti, Director of Multimedia

FACULTY ADVISERS David Harpster, Faculty Adviser Rory Faust, Sports Adviser

CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS In Volume 113, Issue 8 of The Lumberjack, a story titled “The first in-person career fair since the start of the pandemic” published with an incorrect name.

Jose Diaz Aquino is the program director for Career Development.

The Lumberjack is committed to factual correctness and accuracy. If you find an error in our publication, please email MacKenzie Brower at msb389@nau. edu.

MARCH 24 — MARCH 31

EVENTS CALENDAR MARCH Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday 2

1

Thursday

Friday 4

3

5

Women’s Basketball NAU vs Idaho 6 p.m.

Walkup Skydome NAU Senior Day

6

7

Women’s Big Sky Basketball Tournament begins (3/7 - 3/11)

Men’s Tennis NAU vs Eastern Washington 10 a.m.

Aquatic Tennis Center 13

14

SPRING BREAK

8

9

Men’s Tennis NAU vs Illinois State 6:30 p.m.

Las Vegas, Nevada Fertita Tennis Complex 15

10

Men’s Big Sky Basketball Tournament begins (3/9 -3/12)

16

17

SPRING BREAK

SPRING BREAK

11

ASNAU Elections

Saturday

Men’s Basketball NAU @ Idaho 3 p.m.

Moscow, Idaho Idaho Central credit Union Arena 12

Women’s championship game 1 p.m.

ESPN+

Men’s championship game 6 p.m.

ESPN+

19

18

SPRING BREAK

SPRING BREAK

St. Patricks Day 20

21

22

23

24

Career Fair Union Pedway 2 - 5 p.m.

27

28

29

Essential workers appreciation breakfast du Bois Center 9 - 11 a.m.

30

Prochnow movie: “Encanto” 8 p.m.

25

Surfaces concert Prochnow Auditorium 8:30 p.m.

26

Prochnow movie: “Encanto” 8 p.m.

31

Women’s History Month Paint n’ Sip IMQ Center 6 - 7:30 p.m.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Scan the code below to folllow us!

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NEWS

President José Luis Cruz Rivera speaks to The Lumberjack editorial board in the MIC. President Cruz Rivera answered questions about his first year as president and the state of the university, March 21. Brian Burke | The Lumberjack Continued from FRONT

education, be better prepared, and know what to do and know that NAU is here for them — that we have We’re hiring a new Chief Diversity Officer (CDO), what it takes to support them to success.

This is not just about race and ethnicity, it correct? Is that going be for next academic year? is very much about social-economic status as well, So we will launch the search in the fall. There’s rural versus urban. One example of how we serve a lot of work that we need to do in order to be able to underserved populations is in our new pilot for construct the position description and ensure that we admissions policy. So if you’re a smart, talented and hardworking high school student in Arizona, and you are successful in attracting a large number of highly meet your high school’s requirements, and you have a qualified candidates.

3.0 GPA or higher, you’re assured admission to NAU. The chief diversity officer position across Now that is just slightly different from what higher ed has taken on many forms in the last decade or so, and there are ways in which you can position it we do now. And the difference is that now we’re so that it will be effective and successful, and ways in saying we want you to graduate with a 3.0, meet your high school requirements and have these additional which it will not.

We want to take the time during the balance of courses. Well, the problem is that there are 18% of high schools in Arizona with 50,000 students in them the spring semester and part of the summer to really that don’t provide those courses. So that’s a way that draft out what that decision is, not only in terms they are underserved if they want to aspire to a college of its responsibilities and the characteristics of the degree. people we would want to recruit, but also on how it They have other options. They could go to a relates for the rest of the university. Because as you all community college or vocational school or a for-profit know, we have responsibilities that would fall under college. But we have a history of serving students for that position that are associated with the recruiting, retaining and developing of highly qualified, mission many years, and we are confident in our ability that even if they don’t have those courses, depending on aligned, diverse faculty and staff. the major they’re going to go in, it may not be a big deal. And if it is, we know it.

How do you define an underserved student You want to be an engineer, you didn’t have population? What does it mean to be an access to that higher-level math course in your school, underserved student in your mind? just because that’s where you went. We’re gonna take care of you during the summer before or during your There are many dimensions to your point. So first year here. So that’s how we serve the underserved. maybe a way of defining [an underserved student] is by contextualizing what it is that we mean by it.

We spoke a little bit last semester about As a country, we tend to give students that need the most the least, as they’re going through their accessibility on campus. Given the heavy snow we’ve had this semester, and classes usually staying K-12 education. We assigned them to schools where in session, I was wondering if you’ve thought about we spend less on instruction, where we have less qualified in-field teachers, where there is less access to making campus more accessible? rigorous coursework. Those students are underserved That’s a great question. That will be a main from the perspective of their potential. They’re theme of our new master plan. So we’re doing a new talented, they are smart, they are hardworking, but master plan for the university and a physical master they can only achieve as far as the support that they plan for buildings, facilities, and grounds and that have, and access to support available. will be front and center.

As we look at our work moving forward in This is always, as you all know, in every Arizona, there’s this space that the university can occupy, which is through our 122-year history here in university, a challenge, and it takes time and funding to get it right. But we’re hoping that with the master Flagstaff on the 20 sites we have across the state. We plan we will have a good blueprint on how to do that. can partner in better ways with the schools, with the community colleges, with the nonprofit organizations And similar to the question on the campus climate plan, I want to make sure that we can say by the year that serve these communities, so that these students X we will achieve Y, and this is how we’re going to get can meet their full potential, aspire to higher

MARCH 24— MARCH 30

there, and how much it’s going to cost. So that when we have those other more difficult conversations around resource allocation, we have this to go back to say we committed to this. And so there may be some pin points in other areas in order for us to advance these priorities.

A lot of students believe that there are not enough gender-neutral bathrooms in the buildings here.

On top of that, there are a few baby changing stations in the NAU buildings. In Sechrist Hall alone, I think over 700 people live there, and there are two gender-neutral bathrooms. Do you see where people are coming from when they say there are not enough bathrooms? And do you think that two is enough?

Of course, my firstborn was born when I was a junior in college. And so I know the importance of access. I have kids that are exploring their gender identities, so I very much know where those concerns are coming from. And these are things that we’ll be addressing among other areas, in our master plan.

How do we use and allocate our space on campus to meet our students’ needs and demands?

So students can expect more gender-neutral bathrooms in the masterplan?

I believe so — the answer is yes. How we go about doing that and rolling it out, will be part of this planning process.

Because COVID-19 guidelines for safety are constantly evolving, how will you ensure that students on all sides of the spectrum — those at risk or those uncomfortable with a quick transition into normality — feel secure and that their needs are still being met?

I was just talking to Kim on the way here that the conversation around COVID-19 mitigation policies is playing out in my own home, with my own family, because we do have immunocompromised family members. And so how do you manage that?

Well, I will say that the way we manage it is by looking at the work and the decision-making process.

By looking at the decision-making process with a strong sense of empathy and understanding for the different lived experiences that people have and how they perceive and experience these policies.

Left & Right: President José Luis Cruz Rivera speaks to The Lumberjack editorial board in the MIC. President Cruz Rivera answered questions about his first year as president and the state of the university, March 21. Brian Burke | The Lumberjack So, as you all may know, from the way we’ve managed the COVID-19 crisis since I’ve been here, it’s been in a very structured and participatory way. I came from New York City where the conditions were different on the ground, but also the constraints on the design space was different as well. For example, New York state-mandated vaccines, and required masking indoors, and there was a passport that you had to show. There were different tools that you had in New York City to address COVID-19 that we have here in Arizona and in many other states across the country.

The way to address the different levels of comfort among our constituents is by making sure that while we may land in policy decisions that are not the preferred ones for everybody, the process is legitimate and there’s integrity in the way that we carry it out.

The process we put in place here has been one where we have been following the science. That has been what has allowed us to do certain things that perhaps we wouldn’t have been able to do, and we have appealed to the culture of care of this university. So that people will feel free to not only wear masks if they are immunocompromised, ask for accommodations, which some have since we removed the requirement for masking classrooms, but also for those that may not be in that situation to still wear a mask and do social distancing, and do what we can to ensure the comfort level of our colleagues is better.

The process we put in place for the spring was a little bit more involved than what we had for the fall because of omicron. Every Wednesday, we had a Public Health Advisory Committee of very distinguished external colleagues that would look at the data, locally, at the state level and globally and make recommendations every Wednesday.

Then on Thursday, our internal steering committee that included students, faculty and staff would review what the experts had said from a public policy perspective, contextualize that to our reality and make recommendations to me.

And then on Friday — not this Friday because we’re on spring break — but every Friday, you were receiving a note that said, this is what we’re gonna do. We’re gonna tighten here, we’re gonna loosen over there. And we got to the point where just before the break, the CDC guidelines came out removing masking requirements as a public health recommendation. The FUSD School District removed the requirements. The following day, the Coconino County offices removed the requirement.

That was Tuesday. On Wednesday, our Public

Health Committee met. On Thursday, our steering committee met so that people would see it before the weekend. We communicated the lifting of the requirement.

We are of course continuing to monitor.

If anything goes in any different direction, we will pivot to more of our pre-omicron mitigation strategies as needed. But for those that may still feel uncomfortable with where we are now, in the management of the pandemic, I would strongly suggest reaching out for accommodations.

Since we lifted the requirement, we’ve had two students who have requested accommodations and I believe two staff have done so. And we are more than willing to do everything we can to help them feel comfortable as they go through their educational journey.

that will allow us to do better by them. There are a few things that we’re doing as we move forward that I think will help with the workloads and acknowledge the good work that our faculty does.

The Student-Athlete High Performance Center had started planning long before you arrived at NAU. How much support did you put into the new facility and how much input did you have on it as it was already under construction?

Let me first off start by saying that it’s a beautiful state-of-the-art, one-of-a-kind facility in the country and we should all be very proud that it’s here at NAU. Frankly, the support I have provided is just oversight support because the project was very much advanced. In fact, I have not actually walked inside of it yet, I will be doing that I think this week or next week, but it’s soon that I’ll be walking the space. There will be a ribbon cutting ceremony soon after that. But the support I have provided is basically making sure that it moves through to completion. It was pretty much cooked by the time I got here.

I have recently spoken to faculty members on campus who, while they offer praise for NAU’s handling of the pandemic, many have had to take on the duties of their colleagues after so many NAU employees were laid off at the start of the pandemic. Are there any plans to begin hiring back for those positions that were lost two years ago and This $40 million facility was partially paid for ease this strain on the current employees? by student athletics fees according to ASNAU, however the full facility is not accessible for all Thank you for that, and first of all, so admiring students if they are not athletes. What are your and appreciative for the work that our faculty and thoughts on non-athlete access to the facility in staff have done during the past two years. Our general? administrators and leaders, they have gone above and beyond to make sure that we can continue to advance I would have to have some conversations with the mission of the university. our athletics department and get more knowledge We are currently searching for about 45 new about the funding. But my understanding is that the full-time faculty members to help to get us back to project was conceived as a center for our hundreds the levels we need to adequately serve our current of student-athletes to be able to advance in their enrollment. We have been losing enrollment for four particular disciplines. The project was also conceived years in a row, even before the pandemic. That has an to give an opportunity to faculty to do research on effect on the way that we hire [faculty] back. high-performance athlete issues. The funding came We’re also trying to be more responsive to the through a large variety of sources that were aligned work that our faculty do. We have a large percentage in order to meet that projected use. So I would of faculty that are non-tenure track faculty, you may have to look at, based on your comment, how well have heard of entities that do not have the same level communicated the purpose and the scope of the of assurances about continued employment, and project was to all the stakeholders that ultimately perhaps did not have the same level of compensation contributed toward it. for the work that they do. These are faculty that primarily teach, and perhaps do not have as high a level of responsibility, research, creative and scholarly Continue reading on JackCentral.org activity.

We are in the process and I’m hoping we’ll be able to establish this semester, if not next semester, a new teaching track. So now we will have our tenure track faculty that do research, service and teach. So

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NEWS

Mayor Deasy gives State of the City Address was taken for information only. graffiti on a blue light phone near March 9 Knoles At 7:02 and p.m.,McConnell a Campus Drives.

Heights staff At 12:20 p.m., an employee reported NAUPD reported responded and took a report. member having constipafinding drugs in the University March 7 tion. NAUPD, FFD and GMT reUnion. NAUPD responded and March 16and the staff member was At 8:56 a.m., a student requested sponded entered the drugs into evidence. A At 12:39 p.m., McConnell Hall assistance outside McKay Village after transported to aFMC. report was taken. employee reported a suicidal student. falling on ice. NAUPD, Flagstaff Fire NAUPD Department (FFD) and Guardian March 10responded and transported At 7:02 p.m., a Campus Heights the6:16 student Medical Transport (GMT) responded. At p.m.,toaFMC. student reported three staff member reported having The student was transported to Flagvehicles stuck in the snow near the constipation. NAUPD, Flagstaff Fire At 2:31 p.m., a Gabaldon staff Medical Center (FMC).

Skydome Practice Fields. Hall NAUPD Department (FFD) and Guardian employee reported an unapproved responded and assistance was providMedical Transport (GMT) responded animal inside the building.

NAUPDto At 12:54 p.m., a RA reported a “Mced.

Facility Services was contacted and the staff member was transported responded and and assistance was on the Connell Hall” sign had been taken. plow the roads put cinders to Flagstaff Medical Center (FMC). provided.

NAUPD responded and later dehill. termined the sign had already been March 10 March found.

At 10:5317p.m., an Allen Hall RA At 6:16 p.m., a student reported At 9:11 a.m., a student requested reported a damaged ceiling tile. a three vehicles stuck in the snow welfare check on an and animal a March 7 NAUPD responded tookinside a report. near the Skydome practice fields. vehicle in the San Francisco Parking At 8:56 a.m., a student requested NAUPD responded and assistance Garage.11NAUPD responded and assistance outside McKay Village after March was provided. Facility Services was the8:29 animal was not found to Suites be in falling on ice. NAUPD, Flagstaff Fire At p.m., a Drury Inn & contacted to plow the roads and put distress.

Department (FFD) and Guardian staff member reported a male cinders on the hill.

Medical Transport (GMT) responded. non-student asking for clothing. OffiMarch 18 The student was transported to Flagcers responded and no criminal activMarch 11 At 4:44 p.m., a Drury Inn & Suites staff Medical Center (FMC). ity was witnessed.

At 8:29 p.m., a Drury Inn & Suites employee reported a non-student staff member reported a male nonassaulting At 12:54 p.m., a RA reported a “McMarch 12 a non-student. NAUPD student asking for clothing. Officers responded anda took a report.

Connell Hall” sign had been taken.

At 12:04 a.m., faculty member reresponded and no criminal activity NAUPD responded and later dequested a welfare check on a previous was witnessed.

March 19 termined the sign had already been student.

NAUPD was unable to conAt 12:16 p.m., Flagstaff found. tact the subject and the Police requesting March 12 Department requested assistance with party was notified.

At 12:04 a.m., a faculty member a funeral escort at Citizens Cemetery.

At 10:27 p.m., a subject reported a requested a welfare check on a NAUPD Reilly Hall resident making suicidal March 13responded and assistance previous student. NAUPD was was11:11 provided. statements. NAUPD responded, loAt a.m., NAUPD reported unable to contact the subject and the cated the student in good health and observing a vehicle violation off camrequesting party was notified.

At 9:48 p.m., anwas Applied provided the student with a public pus.

A citation issuedResearch for driving and Development staff member assist ride to The Guidance Center. without a valid license, no valid regMarch 13 requestedand assistance a lock-out. istration proof ofwith insurance.

The At 11:11 a.m., NAUPD reported NAUPDwas responded assistance March 8 vehicle towed forand a mandatory observing a vehicle violation off was provided.

At 6:03 p.m., NAUPD received mul20-day impound. campus. A citation was issued for tiple fire alarm notifications coming driving without a valid license, March 14 20 from Mountain View Hall. NAUPD March no valid registration and proof of 1:41 p.m., a.m., a Drury & Suites and FFD responded, the area was At 6:58 studentInn reported a susinsurance. The vehicle was towed for a employee reported a non-student in searched and determined the alarm picious person in the area of lot 3C. mandatory 20-day impound. need of medical attention. was caused by a mechanical failure NAUPD responded but noNAUPD, contact FFDmade. and GMT responded and the from a dryer. Fire Life Safety was no- was March 14 non-student was transported to FMC. tified.

At 6:58 p.m., a student reported March 15 a suspicious person in the area of 9:58 p.m., a.m., a Liberal Arts faculty March 9 At 4:26 staff member reportlot 3C. NAUPD responded but no member getting At 12:20 p.m., an employee reported ed graffitirequested on a blueassistance light phone near contact was made. personaland property left inside the 4:44 finding drugs in the University Union. Knoles McConnell DrivesAt building. NAUPD responded and NAUPD responded and entered the March 15 assistance was provided. found drugs into evidence. A report At 4:26 p.m., a staff member reported MARK FABERY

Flagstaff Mayor Paul Deasy gives the State of the City speech on the steps of Flagstaff City Hall, March 21. Brian Burke | The Lumberjack DAISY JOHNSTON

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ayor Paul Deasy held Flagstaff’s first State of the City Address Monday evening on the steps of Flagstaff City Hall. The address, which was delayed due to COVID-19, was originally planned to take place in January.

Deasy began his speech by listing hardships experienced by Flagstaff locals in the past year, from an economic downturn, COVID-19 mutations, wildfires and flooding. Deasy complimented the community for its resilience in facing these challenges head-on.

“When wildfires were raging close to town, our community went and raked needles from yards, cleared debris for our elderly and less abled and helped our neighbors in the highest threatened neighborhoods get ready to go,” Deasy said.

Deasy talked about how Coconino County holds the second highest vaccination rate in Arizona behind Navajo Nation. With over 2,200 hospitalizations and 430 deaths due to COVID-19 in the past year, Deasy said he is grateful for the healthcare professionals who have put their health on the line to serve the greater community.

“Our hearts go out to the family and friends of the lives lost,” Deasy said.

“Through it all, from the very beginning, our community came together for the common good.”

Deasy also said Flagstaff has experienced record-setting tourism and job growth in the past year. At a rate of 3.7% in December, Deasy noted unemployment is the lowest it has been in over 20 years.

In March 2021, UACJ Automotive Whitehall Industries opened a new plant in Flagstaff which generated an estimated 350 jobs. Additionally, Goodwill announced plans to open two new stores. Deasy said we should also recognize local businesses which have stayed in business despite the hardships of the past year.

Despite these gains to the local economy, Deasy emphasized locals are still feeling the impact of inflation in the housing market. According to a report from Housing Solutions of Northern

MARCH 24 — MARCH 30

Arizona, a minimum wage worker would need to work 87 hours a week — a little over two full-time jobs — to afford an average two-bedroom apartment in Flagstaff.

“Prices have increased 13.7% for renting these two bedrooms in the last year alone,” Deasy said. “The housing market continues to worsen, but we as a city continue to take large steps to increase housing in our community and support individuals needing a home.”

To provide locals with accessible housing, Flagstaff City Council has expedited the process to build housing that is affordable with units based on low-income housing tax brackets, Deasy said.

As another attempt to benefit locals, Deasy helped to create the Community Alliance, Response and Engagement (CARE) team. In two weeks the team will begin outreach — responding to 911 calls that do not require police intervention.

Deasy then went on to address inclusivity in the city of Flagstaff for people living with disabilities. Plans to build a new ramp outside the Flagstaff City-Coconino County Public Library, Deasy said, will make access to the library easier for those in wheelchairs.

Most importantly, everyone will be able to use the same ramp he added.

The last project Deasy spoke on was Flagstaff’s efforts to close the digital divide. A lack of high-speed internet in certain areas can create a lack of educational and economic opportunities. To shorten this divide, Deasy said they have been working on a Broadband Masterplan which would widen the scope of fast internet in Flagstaff.

Deasy finished his speech by thanking those who have worked hard over the course of the past year to help the community.

“I want to thank Flagstaff City Council, the work of our city staff, our partners and most importantly all the teamwork through-and-through that has gotten us so much done in so little time,” Deasy said.

NAU graduate announces State Senate bid

NAU graduate Kyle Nitschke stands outside of Old Main. Courtesy of Arizona Students Organization.

Kyle Nitschke announces run for the Arizona Senate 7th Legislative District XAVIER JUAREZ

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AU graduate Kyle Nitschke announced his “clean election campaign” for the Arizona Senate in early March. Nitschke will be running as a Democratic candidate for Arizona’s 7th legislative district, which was recently redistricted.

Nitschke’s campaign has a large focus on investment within education. As the child of an Arizona educator, Nitschke said he’s seen the impact a lack of funding can have on schools.

“I grew up in Arizona public schools, and my mom actually taught in the same elementary school that I went to school at,” Nitschke said. “I’m sure it was around, probably 2007 or 2009, somewhere around the recession, but they were literally running out of paper at the end of the semester. Weeks before the semester ended.”

A driving force for Nitschke’s campaign is focused on dealing with education funding that has been characterized as lackluster — leading to protests in recent years. According to a recent study by Schloraoo. com, Arizona ranks as one of the worst states in the country when it comes to education as a whole — something Nitschke thinks could be changed.

Furthermore, Nitschke said the funding allocated to education in Arizona is small when compared to how much money is given to the Arizona Department of Corrections. In 2019, The state spent over $300 million more on police enforcement than it did on education, to which Nitschke said it is time to reevaluate funding.

“We know that we’re one of the lowest states in the nation for teacher pay, so that’s obviously something to address, but that’s something to address by more funding,” Nitschke said. “We know our schools are in disrepair, and they need major maintenance upgrades. It’s just all about funding and how we invest.”

This, Nitschke said, is why he believes a large

“HE’S WORKING ON ISSUES THAT REALLY MATTER, AND IT’S JUST INSPIRING TO SEE.”

- SHARON EDGAR, CAMPAIGN TREASURER contributor to this problem is the current leadership in Arizona — state leaders who are more interested in tax breaks, cuts for the wealthy and corporations.

An important aspect of Nitschke’s campaign is that he is running a clean elections campaign. Candidates who run clean election campaigns receive their funding entirely from the public, subsequently Nitschke will not accept donations from special interest groups or corporations. Every donation that is received will come from local individuals and be no more than $180.

Nitschke’s campaign treasurer Sharon Edgar said this method of campaigning creates a unique angle.

“Once we reach the maximum [donations], which is a bit over $4,000, I have to return those checks,” Edgar said. “Those donations, I have to make sure that we have a record of who gave them and make sure that they’re in the district. They can’t be coming from, you know, New York.”

Edgar said Nitschke has been working hard to ensure his campaign is getting the necessary funding. To qualify for funding from the Clean Elections Committee, Nitchske was required to raise 200 five-dollar donations. With contributions typically rolling in throughout the entire campaign, Edgar said it becomes incredibly important for the money to be accounted for in a campaign such as Nitschke’s.

In comparison to other campaigns, a clean election campaign shows involvement from the commu-

nity. Edgar said the differences between Nitschke and Senator Wendy Rogers’ campaign strategies are night and day.

While Nitschke has rallied behind the support of locals, Rogers has rallied support across the country and raised a record-breaking $2.5 million in her bid for reelection. Rogers accomplished this by using talking points about the 2020 presidential election, namely how it was stolen and that former President Donald Trump was the rightful winner. Rogers said her campaign has received donations from over 40,000 individuals.

The funding difference between the two is drastic, Edgar said. With less than $15 thousand for his campaign, Nitschke and his campaign understand that they will have to work hard to get elected. Edgar, however, thinks it’s possible.

“I applaud Kyle so much for what he’s doing,” Edgar said. “He’s working on issues that really matter, and it’s just inspiring to see. I really do hope and think that he can do it.”

“WE KNOW OUR SCHOOLS ARE IN DISREPAIR, AND THEY NEED MAJOR MAINTENANCE UPGRADES. IT’S JUST ALL ABOUT FUNDING AND HOW WE INVEST.”

- KYLE NITSCHKE, DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE

PAGE 7

OPINION NFTs need some TLC Stop gatekeeping cryptocurrencies when its similar to purchasing digital art or collecting baseball cards

Disguised dating: It’s not just talk

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here’s something about relationships in your teens and twenties that makes love feel like a scam — all risk, no reward. I can’t count how many times I’ve heard that a friend formed what seems like the start of some beautiful connection, only for it to all come crashing down after a few weeks, months and sometimes years. These partnerships had all the makings of what one would deem a real relationship, just EMILY without a label.

REHLING Yet in their devastation, the brokenhearted one always seems to claim OP-ED WRITER the same thing: “We weren’t even dating.”

Whether that comes from an attempt to brush off the pain or simply to express shock at how much it hurts, the goal is to dismiss the importance of the experience. But the fact of the matter is, you definitely were dating.

If you were going on dates with someone, spending most of your time with them, attending events with them and not seeing anyone else, you were dating. Relationships are defined by the value of the time you spend with a person rather than a word. The other party might not be able to recognize that — and that’s fine for them. That’s usually why they end it.

But to look back on something so incredible and strip it of its meaning — because it was never defined — is a disservice to oneself. It’s difficult to learn anything from that experience if the way you move on is by forgiving and forgetting.

Although they might not have been ready to recognize the reality of the situation, that person cared about you, and you cared about them. Relationships are intense, and breakups are brutal.

The reason why these failed “talking stages,” as they are known within the Generation Z zeitgeist, are so common is still a mystery.

Maybe it’s just a college effect or maybe it’s a consequence of hookup culture, but no one should let it diminish the validity of their feelings or the growth they experienced from a relationship.

Before you get ahead of yourself, no, this is not a call to start referring to your partner as your boyfriend or girlfriend as soon as you see fit, or to look into buying an apartment together after the three-week mark. That would be a pretty serious breach of boundaries when starting something new. But it is a reminder to allow yourself to feel and give yourself the space to move on properly. Nobody can take that away.

ILLUSTRATION BY DIANA ORTEGA

MARCH 24— MARCH 30

MARIA RODRIGUEZ

dioxide in 2020 alone (almost 950 times the carbon emissions of one of the highest rom Pokémon and baseball trading blockchains for minting NFTs), it doesn’t cards to the most recent Squishmallow make sense why people are targeting indie craze, people like to collect things. It artists. makes them feel a sense of enjoyment.

Most arguments regarding NFTs focus There’s a certain pride in owning something, on Ethereum without considering other, especially when it comes to photos or artwork, considerably less energy-consuming which is where non-fungible tokens (NFTs) blockchains as TikTok artist Kait points out in come into play. a video to one of their commenters, providing Art is subjective; it can be considered more environmentally ethical blockchain anything from Leonardo Di Vinci’s “Mona options.

Lisa” to a popular image of a dog, like the In other arguments against NFTs, people infamous doge meme which later turned into claim that the cryptocurrency takes advantage Dogecoin. of people, but in our capitalist economy, NFTs are a cryptocurrency people can use as there’s both good and bad in everything. investments to make money, as mentioned in For example, people that buy cheap products a short SNL rap by Pete Davidson. on Amazon are not meaning to contribute to It is a unique digital cryptocurrency in the high carbon emissions, and therefore shouldn’t form of any image, gif, social media post, be considered bad people. And businesses music or video clip with a proof of ownership that post their products on Amazon simply which cannot be replaced. want to earn a profit and make a living on a Examples of NFT collections include Bored popular site; it’s not a crime.

Ape Yacht Club, valued at nearly $500,000, These people are not the CEO or founder and Crypto Punks at over $23 million in its of Amazon in a position to actually make highest sale. environmental changes to Big Tech. It’s similar People view these artworks and collections to those involved in NFT culture who only as highly valuable. In fact, the most expensive want to use their accessible tools for personal NFT sold to date is The Merge, an image of enjoyment or livelihood. three dimensional white spheres in a black Why does purchasing NFTs need to be background for a collective $91.8 million validated by the standards of college finance spent on the digital marketplace. guys if it makes the buyer happy?

This highly popular NFT garnered the sale Pictures, images, artwork and yes, even of over 300,000 pieces circulated to almost memes carry significance. Otherwise, NFTs 30,000 buyers. wouldn’t exist in the first place.

Small indie artists, and virtually anyone, A collective community of people decide if can upload an item in a minting process to something is valuable to them and, in turn, a blockchain, which then analyzes transfers influences how much it costs. of money between people on a public record Why is there a stigma about selling digital to verify the currency, purchasing and overall art and using it as currency? Artists of any ownership of NFTs. kind should have their work valued.

After the artwork is set for a currency on If one doesn’t understand the need to a virtual market for items like digital coins purchase an NFT, then it might not be for purchased using “real” money, someone them — just as collecting Squishmallows isn’t can then publicly purchase the artwork as a for everyone, but it doesn’t mean they have to collector, investor or appreciator of the work. hate those involved in the process.

Now, the stigma surrounding NFTs isn’t all It’s safe to say that just because an NFT or that surprising for a few reasons. item is digital doesn’t mean it contains less Many people in finance and business like value than something which can be held in to throw jargon around, like “blockchain,” the palm of a hand. People should be able to without explaining anything, as a form of fully enjoy the advances of technology and gatekeeping. cryptocurrencies without judgment.

When people make NFTs seem overly Maybe instead of tearing down artists and complicated, not many would be interested consumers, we can focus on more pressing in learning or appreciating the art and culture matters in the digital consumer industry associated with the non-fungible tokens. like the environmental practices of Amazon Another reason that NFTs get so much founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos. negative attention is the environmental Stop gatekeeping NFTs; they serve a impact associated with minting on high purpose. energy-consuming blockchains like Ethereum.

In a research post on the forum Medium, Memo Akten estimated that Ethereum’s energy consumption in an average transaction of minting an NFT is approximately 142 kilowatts an hour with 83 kilograms of carbon dioxide.

From these estimates, it equates to the energy usage from a manual defrost freezer for over a month with the carbon consumption of around 11 serving size portions of 75 grams of beef.

Compared to business giant Amazon, which produced over 60 metric tons of carbon

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Crypto cons clout chasers JOHN CHAFFEUR

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hile many in the United States struggled to stay afloat during the pandemic, one representation of the digital age was shown to the world on the media’s main stage — non-fungible tokens, or NFTs. It has received extensive amounts of praise as well as strong objections in U.S. pop culture.

NFTs can be anything from tweets to memes.

A “non-fungible token” is an item that is unique and cannot be replaced unless someone screenshots or saves the image. It is a digital representation or a picture that you buy but do not own the rights to. It can be anything from tweets to digital movie scripts.

There is no utility behind NFTs; the buyer does not own the image that they buy, they own the metadata of that image. Metadata is a sequence of numbers that provides a unique set that the consumer owns — a receipt, in a way.

NFTs can serve as a digital art form for people to sell their work, but there is more of an inherent issue behind it.

If I was acting in completely good faith, I would say it is a form of money laundering and environmental waste.

It is also part of a get-richer scheme for the richest of the rich to multiply their wealth.

There are plenty of so-called innovators who have remained persistent in proving the use of NFTs. Gary Vaynerchuk is a 46-year-old multimillionaire investor and social media star.

He is one of the few people who have made an attempt to provide utility for NFTs.

happen no matter what. As a result, the environment will be ravaged, in conjunction with the almighty effects of climate change.

All this is for something that does not provide anything different from our current financial norms.

In addition to the issues that wealth disparities cause, NFTs only increase the wealth gap, while lying to consumers in the process.

The promise that you will get lucky owning it is just as flawed as if you were in Las Vegas for the weekend, lost all of your money and convinced yourself to bet again and again.

Welcome to the Wild West of NFTs — no regulations, protection, refunds, nothing.

It is just the clout that unfortunately comes with bragging about a fictitious token.

It is also very important ILLUSTRATION BY DIANA ORTEGA to understand that although NFTs are widespread in pop His grand idea was to demonstrates the inherent culture, it is not a popular item NFTs and vice versa. The make a restaurant that solely impracticality of NFTs and the main reason for this is a lack of to “own.” There are less than functions around NFTs. This risk involved.

400,000 people in the world security. means consumers would need It’s yet another price markwho own NFTs. There are no governmental the restaurant’s specific NFT, up for the rich monopoly That is about .00005% of regulations in place for which fluctuates in price every characters like Vaynerchuk to the world’s population.

NFTs. This leads to wealthy second, to enter. prey off the hours that you put people laundering their With this small number A form of NFT elitism, if into your 9-to-5. of people who own this money through the tokens, you will.

Although metadata and “product,” it is integral to while people with a middleThe Flyfish Club has its fungible tokens may sound consider who is really pressing class income end up getting entry tokens listed at over confusing, there isn’t actually the messaging on NFTs and scammed out of their money. $5,000 all the way up to anything to gain when you popularizing them. It is the NFTs also have a negative $31,000. These prices sway look at the pure meaning billion-dollar companies and impact on the environment. in actual value due to the behind NFTs. It is just a elites trying to mask their The more NFTs there are, the market forces behind the nonsensical way to flush your exploitation of the working more crypto must be mined cryptocurrency the club uses. money away. class’ check. to maintain the value of the The Flyfish Club uses the Along with its uselessness, People who tout NFTs currency. Crypto mining is one cryptocurrency Ethereum. One there are other more long-term of the biggest energy wasters need to be held accountable Ethereum equates to about effects that create hurdles for for their misinformation, in the world today. $2,900 and, since this market any tangible NFT utility.

One bitcoin transaction uses which only prolongs systemic is unpredictable, the price can NFT owners are more issues. It is not beneficial, over 1,000 kilowatt hours of change swiftly. For example, likely to get scammed than and the propagation for the electricity. That is enough to in October 2021, the price for someone replying to the classic power the typical American accumulation of wealth at the one Ethereum was $4,500 — “Nigerian Prince” email expense of the world needs to home for six weeks. about $2,000 more than what scams in the 2000s. There are end.

Just as cryptocurrency is it is now. a handful of stories of people used to buy NFTs, these This just further getting scammed for their transactions are going to

PAGE 9

FEATURES

Disparities among indigenous health Indigenous Health Track aims to change struggle for proper health care HUNTER LAUNIUS-SOCHA

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our years ago, NAU did not offer culturally informed services and programs to help with health disparities among Indigenous people.

However, a collaboration between the Center for Health Equity Research and the Native American Research Center for Health was recently initiated.

This collaboration has led to the formation of the Indigenous Health Track, a program that allows for a more culturally aware approach to medical services for Indigenous people.

The Indigenous Health Track is for students looking for medical assistance, as well as students looking to apply for jobs within the medical field.

Students graduate from the Indigenous Health Track with the ability to plan, implement and assess public health programs while also considering the cultures of the tribal communities they serve.

Sarah Chatter, a peer mentor at the Office of Indigenous Student Success, said there are many differences between Westernized health and Indigenous health practices.

“Westernized health tends to take a more standardized approach and everything tends to be linear; with Indigenous health everything is interrelated,” Chatter said.

Adam Rindfleisch is the medical director of integrative health at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. Unlike conventional Western medicine, a person is able to get to the root causes of health issues by using methods such as therapy and meditation, Rindfleisch said.

The Indigenous Health Track not only focuses on the physical needs of a person, but also on their mental, emotional and spiritual health.

“Everything is interrelated: Your mind, your body, your spirit, your environment. It’s not just a one and done fix-all approach,” Chatter said. “If one thing changes, everything changes, everything is out of balance and until you find ways to rectify that to be in line, then everything will be out of whack.”

This type of care allows for multiple issues to be improved, but also eliminates most of the stress that comes with looking for a diagnosis and solution.

Many Americans are dissatisfied with their health care and believe there is a lack of communication with doctors. These communication issues lead to further mistrust from minorities. It is common for minorities to receive a lower standard of care than non-minorities.

Due to generational distrust in medical systems, Indigenous community members can suffer from poor health and a lower life expectancy.

Vernandria Livingston, a peer mentor at the Office of Indigenous Student Success, moved to Flagstaff from a reservation in New Mexico.

“I think one of the biggest issues that being here at NAU has taught me is just how sparse or rare mental health accessibility is, virtually nonexistent on the rez [reservation] or back home,” Livingston said.

“It’s better here because we have counseling services, and other resources, but back home we have probably one therapist.”

MARCH 24 —MARCH 30

The Native American population in Flagstaff is about 12 times the national average due to the proximity to multiple Native American reservations.

There are over 5,500 people of Navajo ancestry in Flagstaff. Due to this, more programs are necessary for Indigenous people to receive assistance with their health.

It takes time for these programs to be created and put into practice within the community. Most communities have data sovereignty, meaning that any data conducted on Native American land belongs to the tribe.

However, there have been instances where researchers conducted other experiments without consent. This leads to further mistrust toward health organizations, leading Indigenous communities to be hesitant to work alongside them.

Chatter said the most important part of these types of programs are finding ways to be respectful, and not creating these programs for an individual’s personal gain.

“I think it would be effective for public health workers changing the barriers to not be so heightened, that way Indigenous people get the help that they need to change their health for the better,” Chatter said.

“All the history that have impacted Indigenous

“THE IMPACT OF COLONIZATION AND INDIGENOUS SPIRITUALITY, CULTURAL BELIEFS, THOSE ALL IMPACT INDIGENOUS PEOPLE AND THAT’S SOMETHING THAT WESTERNIZED HEALTH DOESN’T RECOGNIZE.” – SARAH CHATTER, PEER MENTOR

medicine does not always succeed.

Various philosophers have narrowed down what they view as the true issue in Western medicine: The separation of the body and the soul. This is why holistic methods are becoming increasingly popular — people are trying to become whole again.

“The impact of colonization and Indigenous spirituality, cultural beliefs, those all impact Indigenous people and that’s something that Westernized health doesn’t recognize,” Chatter said. “Those are the greatest differences between Indigenous health and regular health.”

The cultural aspect allows everyone involved in the program to truly learn the history and rituals of Indigenous people through hands-on experience.

“We’re not really connected to our roots, so I think this would also be a way that we reconnect to medicinal ceremonies and practices,” Livingston said. “I think we have leaned a little bit on Western medicine. There’s a lot of cultural knowledge out there that we don’t know about that we could definitely bring back in.”

Livingston said that it would also be culturally responsive, especially for the elders. It can be difficult to explain medical terms with a communication barrier.

The disparities among Indigenous people goes beyond requiring health care that respects their culture and traditions. It is important that individuals of all ages are considered with these types of programs so their specific needs can be met.

While every Indigenous individual has a different experience with ILLUSTRATION BY DIANA ORTEGA medical care, the normalization of holistic practices will allow awareness to spread in health care circles. health like unethical research, forced sterilization of “It would probably bring them back to what Indigenous women, boarding schools, loss of lanthey already know too, so I think that’s very impactful guage and culture. Through the Indigenous Health Track, I think people learn about these and they find for those Indigenous people that are already cultural and already traditional, it will normalize what they ways to not only address those atrocities in history, but they do so in a respectful manner that Indigenous already know,” Livingston said. “Just for Indigenous people like me, really connecting.” people still are willing to accept the help that they The basis of the Indigenous Health Track is to need from that standpoint,” Chatter said. spread information about the types of care that will Throughout history, Indigenous groups have be beneficial toward Indigenous people. Individubeen the subjects of inhumane practices, such as the als such as Chatter and Livingston hope the holistic forced sterilization of over 3,000 Native American health methods will allow for people to once again women. connect their body with their spirit.

“It takes awhile for Indigenous communities to rebuild that trust with these higher organizations,” Chatter said. “One thing that we really do need is more Indigenous researchers and Indigenous led organizations to help these communities. Also, just acceptance from Western society [because] it’s such a foreign way of thinking.”

Given increased availability of Indigenous-based programs, a holistic approach to medicine is beginning to become normalized among Western society. This is also due to the issues Americans have seen with modern medicine; this often results in individuals seeking alternative healing methods. There is not one way to practice health care, and Western

Writer bio: “I was born in New Orleans, La.

I joined the Marine Corps at 18 and traveled the world at 20. I was medically retired in 2015. In 2017, I traveled to the Philippines, Thailand and Egypt. I started writing poetry in December 2021.”

Love and death ALDON BATISTE

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ove is the source of all truths And most can agree that love springs from Deep roots

Like a mother with her child, love is close And when we act the opposite of love it seems gross Have you loved someone deeply that you couldn’t let go?

Until that fateful day when death separated both Love is still there regardless of form But for a while our heart feels torn Please heal my heart and renew my soul I’m begging you God I don’t want to grow cold My eyes are now open and death isn’t real When we learn the truth, it will give us chills So, love one another because our time will end And soon we’ll see that death is a friend Our days are numbered, like the hairs on our head Leave no regrets about the time well spent Live. In. Unity.

PAGE 11

FEATURES ILLUSTRATOR SPOTLIGHT

Daisy Castaneda

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rom the fascination of Disney’s classic sketch frames to contemporary artists, art has always been a part of my life. When I grasped a crayon in my hand, I knew then I was always destined to be an artist. Transitioning from traditional art to digital proved a challenge. As days went by and I gained more experience under my belt, I grew confident with every brush stroke. As my time with The Lumberjack nears an end, I want to thank my sister for showing me the ropes; I wouldn’t have the talent to share with the world without you.

MARCH 24 —MARCH 30

PAGE 13

CULTURE

How two student-led gro A dive into the Black Student Union and Athletes for Alliance, two clubs focused on creating change from different sides of the educational spectrum

“House of Sky and Breath” took my breath away

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nfortunately, I do not think I can adequately review this book without including some spoilers, but I will do my very best to avoid any blatant ones.

To be honest, I felt as if “Crescent City: House of Sky and Breath” went a little heavy on world-building even though it is a fantasy novel. However, after reading I realized every bit of the world-building was necessary. It created an intoxicating story with three-dimensional characters I understood and had feelings toward.

Throughout the book, my heart repeatedly dropped to the depths of Hel whenever another EMILY one of Bryce’s best friend Danika’s secrets was GERDES revealed. Imagine having a best friend who knows every one of your deepest secrets only to realize DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL CONTENT you know none of theirs. Bryce is consistently blindsided while dealing with everything else in AND SOCIAL her crazy life and my heart could not stop going MEDIA out to her.

Bryce is one of, if not the most, powerful Vanir within the Eternal City and most likely on Midgard — the planet the book is based on. With this in mind, I am underwhelmed by the lack of recognition Bryce’s power receives. I anticipate as Sarah J. Maas’ series overlap, more of her abilities will be revealed, allowing her to reach her full potential, but for now I am disappointed.

If you know, then you know, but the submarine scene was everything the first book was not. For a while I shipped Bryce with Ithan or another love interest, but the submarine scene had me sold on Bryce and Hunt’s relationship. It captured the unrelenting passion between mates and how perfect Bryce and Hunt are for one another.

The true heroes of this book were all of the relationships and the characters’ dynamics. Maas has an extra special talent for making her readers fall in love with the characters she writes on the page. Captivating readers by having them witness Day and Night fall in love during the dreamscape and waiting for them to reveal their true identities was the work of an artist. Plus, the dilemma of discovering Baxian and Danika were secretly mates created some of the most dramatic and suspenseful chapters I have ever read.

Maas often switched perspectives within a chapter, and I have read some authors who wrote with a similar style, but failed miserably. Keeping the plot fast-paced without confusing the reader is a difficult task. With “House of Sky and Breath” I was able to keep up with the plot, while still theorizing possible storylines.

All of the theories about Hunt’s ancestors — where Fury is originally from or why Rhysand and Ruhn look identical — leave me staring into space in the middle of my political science class. Also, does this mean Ruhn is just a tattooed and pierced version of Rhysand? If so, then my imagery of Ruhn has to be severely altered into a much more chiseled masterpiece.

The character arcs of Ithan, Ruhn, Declan, Flynn and Tharion have melted my heart and all of them have been added to my list of book boyfriends. The future of these individuals, including many other beloved characters, is left open-ended, allowing the fandom to spin their webs of possible theories. I truly appreciate not all the storylines being left on jawdropping cliffhangers — looking at you Bryce.

I am beyond grateful Maas is writing the third “Crescent City” next instead of moving on to another series, but it seems as if the fans will be waiting awhile before getting to read the next chapter of Bryce’s story.

As much as I despise myself for giving another book a high rating, I truly don’t know where this book could have improved, so a 10/10 is what I am giving it!

MARCH 24— MARCH 30

MONTRELL GANTT

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ollege is a time for coming together. Students come together for classes, sporting events, concerts and parties. Student unity is not a new concept on college campuses across the nation and there is no better example than on-campus clubs and organizations.

Not only are NAU’s clubs designed to help bring students closer together and encourage them to stay active on campus, they also help elevate voices students feel have not been heard.

NAU’s Black Student Union (BSU) is one of those organizations.

According to the purpose section of the BSU constitution, the organization was created “to be a guiding and uniting entity for Black students on campus while collaborating with the surrounding community.”

Junior Malik Bossett serves as the treasurer of the BSU — a position he has held since fall 2021. Although he’s new to the position, he’s been a member of the organization since his freshman year. He said the organization exists to provide a safe space for Black students at a university that is considered predominantly white.

Although the organization has Black in its name, it isn’t exclusive to Black students. Non-Black students are encouraged to join; Evan Martin-Castler, the social justice chairman for the BSU is a white man.

“I think it’s important for non-Black students to come to BSU [meetings] because we can strengthen our ties between us and other minority groups,” Bossett said.

Athletes for Social Alliance (ASA) is an organization that, as stated within its name, is geared toward NAU student-athletes. The goal of this organization, however, is to create discussion within the community of student-athletes.

ASA was founded by seniors Nina Radford, Khiarica Rasheed and Miracle Onyemaobi. Radford and Rasheed are both in their final seasons as forwards for the NAU women’s basketball team while Onyemaobi is in her final year as a sprinter for track and field.

“ASA was created to be similar to clubs on campus that give minorities a safe space but specifically for athletes because we know there are a lot of minorities within athletics so sometimes it’s hard to shine a light on them,” Rasheed said.

ASA has hosted events in honor of Hispanic Heritage and Black History Months. In this organization, student athletes are encouraged to create dialogue regarding all backgrounds.

Radford, who is biracial, said that it’s complicated for athletes who are minorities to be themselves and embrace their cultures while attending white institutions. ASA’s goal is to give athletes that outlet.

“I know it sounds kind of corny to say but we’re more than athletes and we give a lot within our sports. With groups like BSU and others, we may not have time to go to those because of our schedules,” Rasheed said. “So we work around the schedules of the athletes.”

Rasheed said her favorite part about co-founding ASA was the genuine motivation behind its creation.

“I’d say knowing the work that we do is personal and comes from the heart has been the most rewarding,” Rasheed said. “It’s not something that we’re just checking off. It’s important to make people feel seen and that’s the work I’ve done when I’m done here [at NAU], purposefully and accidentally. I think that’s the most fulfilling part for me.”

For Radford, hosting these events with Rasheed and Onyemaobi has been a rewarding experience.

“For me, the most rewarding part is that we’re able to do it and hold these events,” Radford said. “A lot of times we’re told no or how difficult it is to get things done, but we’ve persevered regardless and that’s what’s most rewarding.”

This is a time when conversations regarding social issues are happening often. It’s no secret that there was a period in time when institutions were resistant and, in some cases, flat out against any form of student activism. Violence against minorities and movements such as the Black Lives Matter and #MeToo movements have changed this. Organizations like BSU and ASA intend to ensure the conversation never ends.

oups are vowing to create institutional change

Left: Redshirt freshman guard Teionni McDaniel wears a Black Lives Matter shirt in warm-ups against Portland State, Feb. 17. Right: Members of the women’s basketball team kneel during the playing of the national anthem against Portland State, Feb. 17. Brian Burke | The Lumberjack

Members of the women’s basketball team kneel during the playing of the national anthem against Portland State, Feb. 17. Brian Burke | The Lumberjack

PAGE 15

SPORTS MLB looks to move past lockout

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ajor League Baseball (MLB) and its Players Union have finally come to terms and ended the lockout — the second longest work stoppage in league history at 99 days. The players and owners looked to find a new agreement for the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). While this lockout caused some chaos in the league, it was not the first and likely KRISTEN not the last. This was the ninth CHANCELLOR work stoppage for the MLB. The most recent lockout was a @Kristen_SportsJ way for owners to keep players from playing games and prevent a strike, as the current CBA was expiring. In order to avoid the strike, owners closed the doors during the offseason.

The lockout spanned all of December and part of January without any negotiations or discussion between owners and players, causing an unsettling quiet around the league. After arguments and a lack of an agreement, owners began canceling spring training, and eventually regular season games as well.

After spring training was delayed and the regular season almost overshadowed, the players and owners came to an agreement. However, it wasn’t just about the power dynamic.

The fans, franchises, and players are not well represented.

The owners are looking at what they want, rather than what’s best.

If you look at the league as a whole the players are not the most paid athletes. However they do make a good chunk of money, but it is becoming unfair to the fans.

Let’s take a look at Chase Field, home to the Arizona Diamondbacks. If you are aiming to sit decently near the field, you will pay anywhere between $60-200, depending on the opponent. Along with the ticket, you may also have to pay for parking or an Uber. Once you are at the stadium, it is common to purchase beverages and food. This stadium has some high prices for beverages compared to other sports arenas in the state.

With all this added up — along with any souvenirs — you may spend approximately $500 to $800, if not more. Those prices can add up for one game. The crazy thing is, Chase Field is advertised as one of the cheapest stadiums in the league.

Owners and players need to find ways to represent more than themselves in these lockouts before the league plummets due to fan frustrations.

Montana State defeats NAU for Big Sky Championship, 75-64 floor. After halftime, she did return to the bench bearing crutches and a brace over her he No. 2 Montana State Bobcats left leg. are the 2021-22 Big Sky Women’s “Losing Lauren early in the game Basketball Champions, defeating No. was really tough because she’s such a key 4 Northern Arizona by a final score of 75-64. component to our offensive flow and our Despite multiple injuries, including offensive system,” Payne said. a devastating one for senior guard Lauren The Bobcats finished the first half on a Orndoff late in the second quarter, the 6-2 run after being on a 7-0 run leading up to Lumberjacks mustered a 17-0 run across Orndoff’s fall. At that point, it seemed nearly the final two quarters and took the lead late. impossible for the Lumberjacks to get back However, NAU’s shooting difficulties went in a game where they struggled shooting and beyond one player as the Lumberjacks had were without their leading scorer. their worst 3-point shooting game at the “Seeing Lauren down, it kind of worst possible time, going 5-for-29 (17.2%). motivates everyone to not only win for the “The nerves got to us a little bit,” NAU whole team, but to win specifically for her,” head coach Loree Payne said. “I think you can Rodabaugh said. “She’s been on this team for see that in our shooting percentage. Hats off five years. She’s been a huge contributor to the to Montana State. They played a solid game. success of the program. It just gave us extra They disrupted our offense.” motivation to come out and play for her.”

The Lumberjacks got off to a very hot Montana State started to roll early start with all facets of the team firing on all in the second half thanks to a pair of cylinders. A 9-0 run that culminated in a baskets from junior forward Kola Bad Bear corner 3-pointer from sophomore guard and sophomore guard Leia Beattie, who Emily Rodabaugh forced Montana State to was a subtle key piece to Montana State’s call an early 30-second timeout, down 13-6. championship puzzle. After opening the game NAU would not hit another 3-pointer with back-to-back 3-pointers, she had key until the start of the second half with 11 makes in the later stages of the game to bring missed attempts from beyond the arc. her point total to 16 — just one shy of the After the timeout, Montana State head team-high from White and two shy of her coach Tricia Binford rolled out five entirely career-high of 18 she earned on Dec. 4, 2021 different players off the bench to close the gap. against Sacramento State.

Junior point guard Darian White returned to The Lumberjacks responded to their the game along with the rest of the Bobcat rough 3-of-17 shooting clip in the second starters to close out a 7-0 run at the end of quarter with its best stretch of the night by the first quarter with a 3-point play. With making triple the shots from the second four seconds left in the quarter, junior guard quarter to the third quarter on the same Regan Schenck ran the length of the floor amount of shots. and made a buzzer-beating layup to put the Payne talked about her team rallying Lumberjacks up, 15-13. after losing a player like Orndoff, who had Schenck continued to do most of her been on the team since 2017, in the fashion damage in the second quarter, scoring eight of that she went down. her 12 points in the first half while falling just “You just look at the All-Conference a rebound shy of a double-double. honors,” Payne said. “We didn’t have anyone Montana State created some separation on first, second or third [team]. We have a in the second quarter to build off its strong handful of kids who can be on any of those first-quarter finish. The Bobcats outscored the teams on any given night. So I think that’s Lumberjacks 15-6 in the second stretch of 10 something that really speaks to how we’ve been minutes. Montana State was on the brink of able to get a group of very talented players closing the first half decisively when Orndoff to almost sacrifice individual success for the went down after going for an offensive success of the team.” rebound.

This season was the first that NAU Orndoff hit the ground hard and didn’t have a player on any of the three Allneeded assistance to get off the court and, Conference teams since the third team was after a few minutes, went straight for the introduced in the 2016-17 season. locker room. Orndoff did not return to the NAU wasn’t done with injuries.

T

BRENDEN MARTIN

RECENT GAME SCORES: Big Sky Women’s Basketball Tournament - Championship (3/11) NAU 64 - Montana State 75 Big Sky Men’s Basketball Tournament - Quarterfinals (3/9) NAU 75 - Eastern Washington 78 Women’s Golf - Red Rocks Invitational (3/19 - 3/20) NAU 2nd place (+7, 871) Women’s Tennis (3/23) NAU 6 - Idaho State 1

MARCH 24— MARCH 30

Follow The Lumberjack sports reporters for live tweets and game updates!

MIC Sports: @NAU_MICsports Sports Editor: Brenden Martin @BrendenMartin_

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This week’s writers: Kristen Chancellor @Kristen_SportsJ Evan McNelia @evanmcnelia

Freshman forward Fatoumata Jaiteh came up limping in the middle of the third quarter. She was checked out by athletic trainers and was moving her right leg while they looked at her. Thankfully for the Lumberjacks, Jaiteh came back at the end of the quarter to bolster their frontcourt.

The Lumberjacks did crash the boards and dominated the glass. At halftime, NAU had doubledup Montana State in rebounds, 28-14. By the end of the game, NAU out-rebounded Montana State by 18.

Offensive rebounds and second-chance opportunities were abundant for the Lumberjacks.

However, they weren’t able to convert those opportunities into points on the board, as their 17 offensive boards only translated to 14 second-chance points.

On top of the difficulty with rebounds, NAU had an abundance of turnovers, 17 to just nine from Montana State.

NAU found something within itself at the end

“THE NERVES GOT TO US A LITTLE BIT. I THINK YOU CAN SEE THAT IN OUR SHOOTING PERCENTAGE. HATS OFF TO MONTANA STATE. THEY PLAYED A SOLID GAME. THEY DISRUPTED OUR OFFENSE.”

- LOREE PAYNE, NAU HEAD COACH of the third quarter by going on a 7-0 run. Beattie nearly hit a buzzer-beating layup to sever the run, but the shot came off her fingertips just after the buzzer sounded.

Missing these points proved crucial for the start of the final quarter. The Lumberjacks followed that up with a 10-0 run to start the fourth frame to take the lead, 53-51. Rodabaugh, who was riding a hot seven-game double-digit scoring streak at the end of the regular season, broke out with a pair of “3’s” to

bring her total to a team-high of 16.

The lack of consistent shooting still haunted the Lumberjacks. White scored six unanswered points in the middle of the fourth quarter to regain the lead for the Bobcats. Montana State ended the game with four consecutive made shots while NAU missed seven of its last eight.

In 2020, Montana State beat NAU in the semifinals to advance to the Big Sky Championship Game as the No. 1 seed, but the game was canceled due to COVID-19. The team finally got their victory and defeated NAU again.

“We finally got the championship that we always dreamed of,” White said after naming off former Montana State players who were on the 2020 team but have since left.

The Bobcats, winners of the Big Sky women’s title in 2017, stopped the Lumberjacks from winning its first conference title since 2006.

Top: Montana State players celebrate winning the 2022 Big Sky Women’s Basketball Championship over NAU at Idaho Central Arena in Boise, March 11.

Bottom: Montana State players celebrate on the court at Idaho Central Arena in Boise after winning the 2022 Big Sky Women’s Basketball Championship over NAU, March 11.

Brenden Martin | The Lumberjack

PAGE 17

SPORTS

NAU football holds a snow day Pro Day Adverse conditions did not stop football from performing for NFL scouts, notably Carson Taylor who ran a 4.58 second 40-yard dash Continued from FRONT

tinued through the entire on-field workout portion of the Pro Day. However, the heaviest snowfall took place prior to the fieldwork.

EVAN MCNELIA One of the scouts said he had never seen snow hile the snow had not seemed like it would be an active issue through much of on a Pro Day. Despite the snow, most players opted to work the morning, once the drills inside started, the snow did as well; it only picked up as the Pro outside in shorts — some even preferring to run Day got closer to the outside drills. The Skydome was shirtless — showing immense grit against the weather.

Even in a winter jacket and jeans, the weather condiunavailable for the Pro Day fieldwork due to a high tions were less than desirable. school robotics competition.

A large crowd gathered outside for the 40-yard Next, players tested their broad jump on the dash — people lining either side of the lane in order small turf stretch in the back of the weight room. to get a good view of the runners.

Scouts read off the results as they marked a player’s Results were read off of hand timers by a scout jump distance. Kempton recorded an 8’1” jump.

French-Love recorded a 9’3”. Johnson, Wiggins, and and NAU staff as players crossed the 40-yard line.

Vance all registered 9’5”. Taylor led the group with a The scout often accepted the lower or middle time in the range of numbers recorded, but it was not always 9’10”. clear what they were recording.

During the broad jump, the snow had picked All times are in seconds. Kempton ran a 4.92 up and was falling heavily, obscuring the view outand French-Love ran a 4.75; both numbers fall within side the performance center windows. Luckily, as the range recorded by tight ends at this year’s Comthe broad jump wrapped up the weather slowed bine. Hathoot ran his first drill of the day with a just enough for a group of NAU Athletics staff and 5.02. Wiggins clocked near that with a 5.03. Vance athletes to begin clearing a stretch of the field with shovels to create a running lane for the 40-yard dash. ran a 4.62 which was on par with NFL Combine linebackers. Taylor stunned with a blazing 4.58 — The scouts gave players half an hour to warm up for the dash and the crew working outside used the entire placing him with some of the top ends and linebacktime to clear the 40-yard dash stretch. The snow con- ers in this year’s class. Johnson ran the fastest of the group, as expected for a defensive back, clocking a

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4.53.

“Definitely wasn’t expecting a blizzard while running 40s,” Taylor said. “They said it was probably going to hold off until 1 [p.m.] but always be prepared for whatever. It’s Flagstaff, the weather does whatever it wants.”

Players rounded out the timed tests with the 20-yard shuttle, which measures a player’s quickness and change of direction, and the three-cone drill, which is a good test for agility as well as quickness.

Results were not officially read off for either drill, but Taylor continued to impress, receiving intent attention from the scouts along with substantial praise from those who decided to brave the cold.

While the drills were run, the shovel group continued clearing space at different parts of the field to allow players the space to perform.

The tight ends ran routes with Cookus in the first few drills. With just two players running, they moved through the tight end route tree fairly quickly. Cookus did not struggle much with the snow and maintained good control and velocity on his ball despite throwing into the wind with a slightly wet ball. Kempton and French-Love both proved their sure-handed hauling in most, if not every, pass Cookus let loose.

The defense worked out next, starting with a footwork drill using agility bags. They then ran

Tight end Matthew Kempton competes in the 40-yard dash for Pro Day on the practice field outside the Student-Athlete High Performance Center, March 10. Brian Burke | NAU Athletics

MARCH 24— MARCH 30

through a drill that tested their reaction, explosiveness and quickness out of breaks as well as their catching ability, with Cookus throwing again.

“My goal was definitely just to get my name on the map, more than it already is,” Taylor said after defensive drills. “Obviously that starts with having the best Pro Day out of everybody here, the goal was to come in here and have the best numbers in everything I did and I definitely showed that with the numbers I put up.”

The specialists closed out the day, taking on perhaps the toughest job to execute on a football field in adverse weather: Kicking. The ball gets heavier when wet and harder in the cold, which is not an ideal combo when prospects are trying to show their farthest and most consistent kicking abilities.

Aguilar kicked field goals into the wind and drilled nearly every kick he attempted. Arnson punted in conditions that fit winter in the AFC and NFC North or Buffalo and was able to still get some solid bombs off. On his last attempt, he let off a booming kick that caught the crowd’s attention, ending the day.

“I knew that was probably going to be my last punt and I wanted to leave these guys with at least a little bit of a taste of what I’m capable of,” Arnson said.

He said he was also frustrated that he struggled to show his turn-over ball, but acknowledged that the weather did not make the situation easier.

“I thought they did really well,” NAU head coach Chris Ball said. “It sounds like the weight room stuff was really good and that the times were really good, so I was really pleased with the way they performed. You never know what the weather is going to be, we’ve been through a lot of these Pro Days and sometimes it’s a little adverse but I thought they did a great job adapting and performing very well.”

Despite facing unexpected adversity, all players grinded through the day, managing to impress the scouts. Every player showed mental resilience, and did not allow the conditions to take up their frame of mind. It was the first Pro Day at NAU with players from a Chris Ball-coached team. The group set a good precedent going forward for the NAU program and showed the stellar collegiate talent at NAU — talent that embraces and overcomes adversity.

Top: Kicker Luis Aguilar kicks field goals to display his skill for Pro Day on the practice field outside the Student-Athlete High Performance Center, Mar. 10.

Bottom: Defensive back Brenndan Johnson rushes around cones to compete in the three-cone drill for Pro Day on the practice field outside the Student-Athlete High Performance Center, March 10. Brian Burke | NAU Athletics

PAGE 19

MARCH 24— MARCH 30