The Lumberjack - Issue 11, Volume 98

Page 1

NorthernArizonaNews.com

INSIDE

Opinion: ASNAU, p 10 Sports: Tennis, p 20 A&E: Badjacks Dance Club, p 23

Issue 11, VOL 98 April 7 - April 13, 2011

State of ASNAU

PART II

SINCE 1914

Life: Take Back the Night, p 15

Government looking toward future, reform BY KEVIN BERTRAM & GARY SUNDT

Elections bring in new student representatives

T

TOP LEFT: Map of NAU with confirmed tunnels, and the buildings they connect to, highlighted in red. (Photo courtesy Capital Assets and Services) BOTTOM LEFT: A view from inside the tunnels. (Photo by Andrew Conte) RIGHT: Students walk by the tunnel entrances on a daily basis. (Photo by Laura Phillips)

BY ROBERT BOUMIS

Every day, thousands of students walk down the pedway east of the University Union, not thinking twice when they step on the dark, metal rectangular panel built into the sidewalk near the windows of the Hot Spot. There are more like it, all across north campus, and all of these panels are hatches that serve as entry points to the same place: the tunnels of NAU. According to NAU’s Capital Assets department website, there are more than seven miles of underground maintenance tunnels running below NAU. These tunnels form an unseen network under campus, connecting buildings to vital supplies like electricity, water and heat. In many parts of campus, heat from these tunnels melts snow, creating the heated sidewalks around campus. The tunnels run

Hidden tunnels beneath NAU give birth to campus legends, present dangers below walkways, feed into basements, and connect many apparently unrelated structures. But these conduits are also dangerous places, with serious physical and legal hazards for students who would explore them. The tunnels are known to a large number of students, though details are often lacking in the popular descriptions. Kayla West, a freshman exercise science and psychology major, described the tunnels as enigmatic. “I have not heard much about the tunnels, except that students aren’t allowed to go into them,” West said. “Other than that, they are a complete mystery to me.” In the absence of hard facts, urban legends circulate regarding the tunnels. Filip Dziadek, a sophomore electrical engineering major said he had heard — and discounted — several rumors regarding the tunnels.

“I know it’s not true, but I’ve heard that the tunnels were used to transport mental patients between buildings when NAU was a mental institution — which it never was,” Dziadek said. “I’ve heard this from orientation leaders and gullible freshmen before they found out it’s just a myth.” A few students have explored the tunnels. One anonymous student, who was verified to have entered the tunnels,was willing to describe the inside of the tunnels. “It’s just a maintenance tunnel, so it’s just the pipes — the normal stuff you’d find running under streets and stuff like water pipes, heating pipes, stuff like that,” the anonymous student said. “There’s lights in some places, like directly under buildings and such, but not really anywhere else.” see TUNNELS page 6

his past Friday, ASNAU held its annual elections allowing students to select their new representatives — three executives and 12 senators. With 54.4 percent of the vote, Blaise Caudill defeated challengers Andrew Sarracino and Kathleen Short to become the new president of ASNAU. Formerly an Arizona Students Association (ASA) representative for NAU, Caudill said one of his primary goals was to bring student government and their constituency closer than ever. “I want to see students feeling like ASNAU is really representing them — to really increase the strength between students and ASNAU,” Caudill said. “I really make sure students feel their voice heard through ASNAU.” President Chase Hunt said Caudill will be a great leader for the organization. “Blaise has been an integral part of ASNAU this year, and I know he will continue NAU traditions while doing his best to cater to the needs of the student body,” Hunt said. “Blaise has represented the student body extremely well this year on the [ASA] Board of Directors, fought against the budget cuts and will be a great fit in the position of student body president.” One of the new senators is Kevin Fosburgh, who garnered the fifth most votes out of all the senatorial candidates. Fosburgh — who ran on a ticket with a fellow newcomer to the senate, Ryan Lee — said their platform consisted of student involvement, transparency and fiscal responsibility. “These are the three things that students are most fired up about — that’s why we decided to run on them,” Fosburgh said. “Plus, they fit our personal governmental philosophies of conservatism.”

ASNAU looks to put past semester behind them As some of the “23” initiatives got off to a slow start, and others — such as the Ke$ha and Dirt Nasty concert — became see ASNAU page 6

Complete ASNAU election results from last Friday

page 6

Go to NorthernArizonaNews.com for daily updates, multimedia packages, extra content and stories before the issue hits the stands.


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