Vol. 29 Issue 11
October 25, 2016 IN D EPE ND E NT
ST U D E NT
V O I CE
O F
B O I SE
STAT E
S I N C E
1 9 3 3
SPEECH CODES:
The Arbiter
@arbiteronline
@arbiteronline radio
arbiteronline.com
TED ATWELL / THE ARBITER
CENSORSHIP OR SAFETY P.10
WEEKLY EVENTS Dissertation Defense - Matthew May Thursday, October 27
Student Union Building Hatch A, 9:30 AM, FREE Interested in political science? Thinking about pursuing a graduate degree? Eager to be a supportive community member? If you answered yes to any of these, perhaps you should come watch Matthew May’s dissertation defense entitled “Closed Primary, Exposed Preferences: Idaho’s Primary System and the Bureaucratic Dilemma.” Prior to the defense, there will be coffee and conversation.
Inspire ME Seminar - Robert Amaro Friday, October 28
Micron Engineering Center Room 106, 12:00 PM, FREE Teaching Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines Robert Amaro will be speaking on “Hydrogen as a Clean Energy Carrier: Removing Barriers to Large-Scale Hydrogen Distribution.” This event is part of the weekly College of Engineering Inspire ME lecture series.
Stranger Things Vinyl Listening Party Friday, October 28
The Record Exchange, 9:00 AM - 9:00 PM What do Stranger Things, Costumes, Waffles and Dungeons and Dragons have in common? They are coming together in party-form at the Record Exchange. The Stranger Things soundtrack will be released on vinyl and played for all to enjoy while participating in a Stranger Things costume party, eating waffles and/or playing D&D. More information can be found on the Facebook event page.
Halloween “Spook-Tacular” Concert Sunday, October 30
Morrison Center Main Hall, 7:30 PM, FREE w/student ID, $7 otherwise The Boise State Symphony Orchestra will be performing a Halloween concert. If you haven’t seen these talented folks play yet, here is a chance!
Campfire Stories - Halloween Style! Monday, October 31
Modern Hotel and Bar, 8:00 - 10:00 PM, FREE Lacking Halloween plans? Dress in your costume to score brownie points and drink specials at the Modern Hotel and Bar while you listen to some spooky Campfire Stories. Be ready to hear Alan Heathcock, a screenplay reading from Ryan Cannon's short Halloween-set film "The Hanging Man” and micro-fiction from contest winners. This is the final Campfire Stories event of the season.
SEND EVENTS TO DARBYEBELING@BOISESTATE.EDU. DESIGN BY NANCY FLECHA
EVENTS
INSIDE: 10/25/16
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Patty Bowen
editor@stumedia.boisestate.edu
OPINION EDITOR Andy Ridgeway
andyridgeway@u.boisestate.edu
NEWS EDITOR
Samantha Harting
news@stumedia.boisestate.edu
BRANDON RASMUSSEN / THE ARBITER
NEWS REPORTER
In Treble with secondary instruments: pg. 13
Natasha Williams
natashawilliams@u.boisestate.edu
CULTURE EDITOR
Brandon Rasmussen
culture@stumedia.boisestate.edu
CULTURE REPORTER Elise Adams
eliseadams@u.boisestate.edu
SPORTS EDITOR Evan Werner
sports@stumedia.boisestate.edu
SPORTS REPORTER Riston Ramirez
ristonramirez@u.boisestate.edu
DIGITAL CONTENT MANAGER Jared Lewis
digitalcontent@stumedia.boisestate.edu
COPY EDITORS Darby Ebeling Tori Ward
DESIGN MANAGER AFRO-BLACK STUDENT ALLIANCE / COURTESY
Ted Atwell
GRAPHIC DESIGNER DEVIN FERRELL / THE ARBITER
Nancy Flecha
Letter from Afro-Black Student Alliance VP : pg. 9
Contact Us:
Diving into success : pg. 17
A r b i t e r o n l i n e . c o m 1 9 1 0 U n i v e r s i t y D r. B o i s e , I D 8 3 7 2 5 P h o n e : 2 0 8 . 4 2 6 . 6 3 0 0
Distributed Tuesdays during the academic school year. The Arbiter is the official independent student newspaper of Boise State University and a designated public forum, where student editors make all content decisions and bear responsibility for those decisions. The Arbiter’s budget consists of fees paid by the student body and advertising sales. The first copy is free. Additional copies can be purchased for $1 a piece at The Arbiter offices.
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NEWS Campus wide survey collecting data on gender-based violence After more than a year in development, Boise State emailed out a campus wide survey on Oct. 17 to collect data on students’ perceptions of the campus climate and attitudes on gender-based violence. Due to the lack of previous research done on the topic, Title IX Committee members thought it would be valuable to conduct this survey in order to better serve students’ needs. The data collected will be analyzed in order to better inform programs and processes on campus in regard to genderbased violence. Lori Hausegger, the principal investigator and political science department chair, said the data collected will create a tool to measure changes on campus. “One of the things they want to find out is how to actually address what students experience is—how to better design processes so they actually address
what the experience is—and how to have a measure to see whether things are working. So, you’ve got a baseline now, you can get a measure here to see whether or not things in place, or things put into place in response to this, actually have an effect,” Hausegger said. The survey covers different aspects of gender-based violence, as well as attitudes toward consent. “This survey is designed to help us better understand how students are defining certain actions,” said Interim Title IX Coordinator Alicia Estey. “Then, based on the information we gather, we’ll be able to focus our programming and figure out where we need to do more education and provide more resources.” Estey and Hausegger explained how people can view the annual security reports, but many sexual assaults are underreported. Gathering information from this survey is intended to help students who face these issues, along with providing programming for
LOVE IS RESPECT .ORG Pg 4
“
I would highly encourage students to take this (survey), because I think these things would benefit everybody. A low response rate is not going to help us with where we want to go with this.” -Lori Hausegger, principal investigator and political science department chair prevention. used that as a starting point. “One of the things every- Then we looked at our campus body wants to do is to come up and decided what we felt the with things that will better ad- most relevant issues were.” dress that—and will help and According to Estey, MIT’s support folks—but until you survey was long, which posknow where the issues are, you sibly deterred people from don’t know how to do it well,” completing it. The review proHausegger said. cess for Boise State’s version inEstey said many people were cluded a lot of people to make involved in the creation of this sure it was well vetted and thorsurvey. Annie Kerrick, former ough. Title IX Coordinator, spearEstey said several survivors headed the survey efforts with of sexual violence reviewed the help from Title IX Committee survey and provided feedback members, Adrianne Bang, the before it was finalized in an director of the Gender Equity Center and many other students and faculty. “We started with a survey that was developed by MIT, in partnership with a number of other institutions,” Estey said. “We took that survey and we
effort to ensure the language used was sensitive to survivors. “We’re not trying to solve a problem, we’re trying to gather information so we can make informed decisions about programming,” Estey said. Hausegger hopes students will complete the survey, in order to collect data to create informed processes which are based on facts as reported by students. “It’s voluntary and anonymous, but I’m certainly hoping we get a very high response rate. I think students really need to think seriously about this,” Hausegger said. Sophomore communication major Amy Windmiller said she feels Boise State is a safe place for all students, and doesn’t think there are issues
with gender-based violence on campus. Though Windmiller had not heard of the new survey, she said—in general —if surveys are brief, offer incentives and are offered via email, she is more likely to complete them. “If it was important to me and could benefit something I’m interested in—or if it had to do with the school and stuff that mattered—I’d be more likely to do it,” Windmiller said. Students are highly encouraged to complete the survey before its close on Nov. 7. “I would highly encourage students to take this (survey), because I think these things would benefit everybody. A low response rate is not going to help us with where we want to go with this,” Hausegger said. If students have any questions, they can contact Alicia Estey at 208-426-1258 or by email at aliciaestey@boisestate. edu.
58% 57% don’t know how to help someone experiencing it
of college students say it is difficult to identify dating abuse
*Statistics courtesy of lovematters.org
NANCY FLECHA / THE ARBITER
Samantha Harting News Editor
the Boise State Department of Public Safety are still looking for the cuprits or culprit.
Update on Afro-Black Student Alliance float Patty Bowen Editor-in-Chief The investigation of the vandalism of the Afro-Black Student Alliance’s float is ongoing as the Boise Police Department and Boise State University Department of Public Safety continue to look into the details of the incident. Last week the float was found vandalized on Saturday, Oct. 15 in the Brady Garage after members of the Afro-Black Student Alliance left it there overnight with the rest of the homecoming floats. According to John Keplan, executive director of the Boise State Department of Public Safety, the Department of Public Service is considering race an important part of the conversation revolving around the floats’ vandalism. Keplan said no details about the case moving forward can
be discussed. The vandalism, if considered a hate crime like Vice President of the Afro-Black Student Alliance Sierra Williams reported it as, would be the first hate crime committed on campus this year, according to the 2015 Annual Security and Fire Safety Report. Keplan said hate crimes are rare on campus. According to 2015 Annual Security and Fire Safety Report, only one hate crime has been committed on campus from 2013 to 2015. Williams stated the vandalism was the most direct and severe negative reaction the Afro-Black Student Alliance had gotten while participating in events on campus. She said the club had shied away from doing anything too big in fear of a reaction like the one that took place last Saturday. “For the first time, we want-
ed to do something, because we were always assisting or coordinating with events but never doing something for the club, by the club,” Williams said. “We’ve gotten more support and people are standing with us, saying they appreciate what we’re doing, whether they are students of color or not.” While the investigation pends, Williams urged students to use the situation as a platform to start conversations about race on campus. “Even though we have a small percentage, that doesn’t mean we’re absent,” Williams said. “We need to provide students with a space to talk about this and especially in a way that’s more informal, like how you’re going to be hearing about it through the lense of a student who actually identifies as African American or African.”
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AFRO-BLACK STUDENT ALLIANCE / COURTESY
The Afro-Black Student Alliance’s homecoming float was vandalized on Oct. 15. BPC and
NEWS SUB Starbucks’ construction plan encountering roadblocks In August, Boise State’s Dining Services announced they would be introducing a new Starbucks in the Student Union Building in January of 2017. The current plan is for the new Starbucks to replace the transit waiting center, the ping pong room, The Zone and the small study space next to the information desk. The Zone will replace Moxie Java and become a technology bar for students to use. Due to some financial and logistical obstacles, the January deadline will be extended. The combination of unexpected costs and a stronger focus on creating a study area have caused the construction to begin later than expected, according to the Executive Director of Campus Services Nicole Nimmons. “Originally we had allocated $600,000 for the whole project, but that was only based on the estimation of just having the Moxie Java area,” Nimmons said. Brent Delong, director of the Student Union Building, played a large role in designing the architectural aspects of the new Starbucks. “To do the space right, I think we are going to see increased costs from the original budget,” Delong said. “Either way you’re going to spend a lot of money, so let’s do it right.”
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The new Starbucks, to be located in the SUB, will not meet its January 2017 deadline.
Funding for a second Starbucks does not come directly from Boise State’s budget, according to Nimmons. Boise State has a contract with Aramark, who allocates the funds for projects such as these. “The interesting part about this project is the money is coming from our Aramark contract we recently signed,” Nimmons said. “It’s not Boise State money, so it doesn’t have to go through public works.” However, there are still many phases the idea must go through before construction begins. According to Delong, it is currently at the end of the design and development phase. Once the design is officially approved, it will
move into the schematic phase and then construction. “We’re in a public building, so there are a lot of stamps of approval,” Delong said. Junior pre-med major Devynn Sharpe is presently an employee at Moxie Java. “There are pros and cons. We get first dibs on working at the new Starbucks,” Sharpe said. “For me, it’s kind of cool having the choice of both Starbucks and Moxie Java. Ultimately though, I think Starbucks is more popular.” The idea of replacing Moxie Java and adding a second Starbucks on campus is something both Nimmons and Delong
believe will enhance the SUB. “I’ve toured a lot of colleges recently, probably ten in the last year. Arizona State University has five or six Starbucks,” Nimmons said. “The big thing was, even though it was hot, it was still made to be this comfy area. I want to bring that here.” Although Moxie Java will be replaced by another business that serves coffee, an entirely new seating arrangement will also be added. This will give students a larger place to study, according to both Delong and Nimmons. “Moxie Java is an engine, but we wanted to not just create something that makes coffee, but a space that gives you that coffee
shop feel, moving away from having a transactional coffee service,” Delong said. While the new Starbucks will be replacing Moxie Java services, it will not be taking the place of The Zone. “Technology is the center of our life, so why not make it the center of the Student Union?” Nimmons said. This new location of The Zone would include plenty of printers, chargers and a checkout station for laptops, according to Nimmons. An important aspect of this project that has also drawn out the construction process is the desire to incorporate small bits of Boise State’s culture into
TAYLOR LIPPMAN / THE ARBITER
Taylor Munson Staff Writer
the Starbucks brand. “Starbucks wants to reflect what their brand is, and we as an institution want to ensure that our needs are met and that we are best representing Boise State,” Delong said. According to Nimmons, one way the technology bar will incorporate Boise State’s culture is through the music department’s history. “Our spin is that we will have Boise State items in the Starbucks. We are working with the music department to have some old travel cases they had for musical instruments in the 1970s,” Nimmons said. Despite the bumps the project is running into, both Delong and Nimmons feel confident in the timing and success of a new Starbucks. “I think the timing is really strong—look at the Honor’s College and FirstYear housing complex going in across the street,” Delong said. The exact date of construction has not been determined yet—and will be determined once the design has been officially approved—but it will likely begin in the next couple months. “The goal is to get some construction done during Thanksgiving and Christmas break,” Nimmons said. “For me, students are number one. The sooner we get Starbucks in there, the more money we can make for reinvestments.”
Voluntary student health insurance policy on is open ‘Adsdsdsd the Words’ refuses to compromise human rights for enrollment Patty Bowen Editor-in-Chief
As of Monday, Oct. 24, students can sign-up for Voluntary Student Health Insurance Plan (V-SHIP) for the Spring 2017 semester. V-SHIP is a voluntary plan giving uninsured Boise State students access to waived co-pay and deductible costs at University Health Services, and basic coverage at other medical treatment centers. Students who sign-up for V-SHIP will receive coverage beginning on
Jan. 1, 2017. V-SHIP was first offered this semester; currently roughly 140 students are signed up. According to Tara Brooks, director of Business Operations at University Health Services, V-SHIP coverage costs $252.64 per month. “The voluntary student health insurance plan offers additional benefits to those who are on the plan when they receive care at Health Services,” Brooks said. “When care is received at Health Services, the V-SHIP waives the co-pay and deductible cost. This helps decrease
“
Health insurance can be confusing and tricky to understand; not all students are Idaho residents so they experienced some additional challenges with finding coverage. ” - Tara Brooks, director of Business Operations at University Health Services any out of pocket costs students have to pay when they receive care at Health Services.” V-SHIP was created from a collaboration with Ascension and University Health Services. In Fall 2015, Boise State stopped requiring students who didn’t have health insurance to
sign up for a mandatory student health insurance plan and stopped offering SHIP to students entirely. “I believe the idea behind removing (SHIP) was the emergence of the Affordable Care Act which provided the ability for students to remain on a parent’s insurance
NANCY FLECHA / THE ARBITER
To enroll in voluntary SHIP or find more information, students can go to 4studentshealth.com/boisestate
until age 26, and formed state or federal health insurance marketplaces,” Brooks said. “With these two changes, I believe the thought was students could find health insurance coverage through alternative means.” According to Brooks, of the 2,500 students who were left without SHIP in Fall 2015, many found it difficult to find health insurance to fulfill their required coverage at Boise State. Danny Firestone, Ascension Benefits and Insurance Solutions, said that because Idaho was one of the states in 2015 that didn’t expand Medicare, there was a gap in the amount paid for health insurance by low-income earners. “Someone making $10,000 a year would have to pay more money than someone making $12,000 a year,” Firestone said. “So instead of having the student health insurance plan for $200 a month, now everyone had to buy a $500 or $600 deductible and a lot of people went uninsured.” Brooks said more students than anticipated couldn’t afford the health insurance plans offered on the market; students were likely to sign-up for insurance plans that were “catastrophic—high deductible plans, which provided little to no coverage.” “Health insurance can
be confusing and tricky to understand; not all students are Idaho residents so they experienced some additional challenges with finding coverage. Many students didn’t make enough money annually to qualify for the tax subsidies through the Affordable Care Act that helps lower the monthly premium amount,” Brooks said. “They were paying top dollar for plans—many of which didn’t have the same coverage that SHIP did, and didn’t provide the additional benefits that SHIP had regarding no-copay or deductible costs if the care was received at Health Services on campus.” According to Brooks, this semester, 140 students were signed up for V-SHIP. Brooks is currently working on creating more avenues for students to get involved with the process of creating student health insurance plans at Boise State. “To better understand the needs of students regarding healthcare services and health insurance, Health Services is putting together a Student Health Advisory Council,” said Brooks. “We are forming this group during the fall semester, so any students who are interested in being involved can contact me to discuss more. We hope to get a good cross section of the student population so we can really understand the needs of all students.”
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OPINION The NCAA exploits college athletes College sports are regulated by the National College Athletics Association (NCAA), a non-profit organization that is supposed to protect the integrity of college sports by promoting the welfare of college athletes. Unfortunately, by defining players as “studentathletes,” the NCAA creates a pretext for the economic exploitation of college students. Pulitzer Prize winning historian Taylor Bunch argues that “the term student-athlete was deliberately ambiguous. That they were high-performance athletes meant they could be forgiven for not meeting the academic standards of their peers; that they were students meant they did not have to be compensated, ever.” In other words, the NCAA has created a zone of legal ambiguity that allows it to exploit college athletes for profit. There’s no disputing the fact that college sports are a bigmoney business. The NCAA nearly topped $1 billion in revenue in 2014, according to USA Today. While the NCAA is technically classified as a charitable non-profit organization, the current financial model reflects what Billy Hawkins, professor in the Sport Management and Policy program at the University of Georgia, calls “a profit-driven motive, where images, careers, and money are at stake when teams do not win games.” In a multi-milliondollar industry dominated by corporate media outlets and athletic apparel companies, the well-being of students often takes a backseat to the pursuit
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of profit. Hawkins explains that the “NCAA will legislate rules to give the illusion that academics are a priority, however, the fundamental principle of generating revenue prevails.” The NCAA relies on the “student-athlete” label to deny players their slice of that revenue. The problem with the regulatory framework of the NCAA is that it operates under a false work/play binary that refuses to acknowledge the physical expenditures of athletes as manual labor. Student-athletes aren’t compensated for the services they provide, despite the fact that they devote anywhere between 40-60 hours a week to their training and are often asked to put their bodies on the line. Taylor Branch maintains that corporations and universities enrich “themselves on the backs of uncompensated young men, whose status as ‘student-athletes’ deprives them of the right to due process guaranteed by the Constitution.” In any other industry, this would be considered economic exploitation. It shouldn’t matter whether it happens in a factory or on a basketball court—when someone is asked to perform a difficult feat of physical labor, that person should be compensated for both their time and the strain they’re putting on their bodies. Our society acknowledges that the labor of college football and basketball players is incredibly valuable. We openly admit that there are very few people who can do what Kris Dunn and Ben Simmons do. At the end of the day, there is a high demand for this performance of physical labor and a relatively low supply of people
talented enough to perform it. It makes no sense to assert that labor is not labor if it takes place in an educational setting, since we don’t seem to have a problem compensating teachers or university administrators. Likewise, it’s hard to argue that you can’t pay people to play a game when professional athletes receive billions of dollars a year for playing the exact same games that college athletes play. Education is the NCAA’s standard alibi whenever the organization is accused of exploiting college athletes for profit. Many people argue that tuition is adequate compensation for the physical labor that studentathletes preform. Unfortunately, the NCAA’s pursuit of profit often gets in the way. According to Billy Hawkins, when “winning equates to economic gains and increased job opportunity, lucrative endorsements, and TV contracts for head coaches. A premium is placed on enhancing the athletic abilities of athletes in sacrifice of their academic pursuit.” The profit-driven nature of college athletics creates a culture of intense pressure, where student-athletes are expected to sacrifice the quality of their education in order to live up to expectations of coaches and administrators. The NCAA, far from promoting education, is actually eroding academic integrity. Cheating and grade inflation are often implicitly sanctioned by big-name universities and the NCAA is notorious for looking the other way when it comes to instances of academic misconduct. A 2014 CNN investigation found “public universities across the country where many students in
the basketball and football programs could read only up to an eighth-grade level.” According to CNN reporter Sara Ganim, student-athletes at the University of North Carolina “were given grades for classes they didn’t attend, and where they did nothing more than turn in a single paper.” If the NCAA was really concerned with the well-being of student-athletes, they’d spare no expense to ensure those athletes received the education they were promised when they were recruited to play intercollegiate sports. To maintain the integrity of the college athletics, the current regulatory framework of the NCAA must be abandoned. The profit-driven nature of the NCAA creates financial incentives to take advantage of student-athletes and cheat them out of the education they were promised. Universities have a moral obligation to protect student-athletes from this kind of mistreatment. It’s time to replace the NCAA with a regulatory framework that puts the physical, mental and economic needs of student-athletes ahead of the self-interested corporations and marketing executives who seek only to exploit them.
Student athletes are not fairly compensated for their labor.
TAYLOR LIPPMAN / THE ARBITER
Andy Ridgeway Opinion Editor
To combat racial issues we must acknowledge them
Controversy brews in both parties as the election day countdown begins
The fight for equality has never been easy and at the rate we are going, it does not look like it is going to get easier. The destruction of my club’s float dedicated to the Black Lives Matter movement and the numerous individuals who were victims of police brutality, was an act of cowardice. These actions not only affected our club, but those who also stand in solidarity with our organization and what it represents. It is unfortunate that such negative actions occurred. However, this only motivates us to continue sharing and spreading a positive message as we continue to combat this negativity. The Afro-Black Student Alliance, also known as ABSA, provides students, regardless of color, with the opportunity to discuss race relations. As our mission statement explains, the purpose of ABSA is to empower and promote higher education among students of diverse backgrounds. Additionally, it serves as an educational opportunity to learn more about African and African American culture. We believe that having a space on campus that allows students of all backgrounds to discuss this comfortably is absolutely necessary. It is only a step in the right direction in our journey towards achieving equality. While we understand that the individuals who committed these acts are not representative of all Idahoans and stu-
Students show support of the Afro-Black Student Alliance on Thursday, Oct. 20 at the Boise State vs. BYU game
dents who attend Boise State, the same logic applies to that of the Black Lives Matter Movement (BLM). The extreme and ignorant actions of a few should not define the actions or intentions of all. It is for this reason we feel it is crucial to have discussions about issues like this. However, we cannot have meaningful conversations about racial issues without acknowledging it when we see it. Discussions about race can be difficult, especially for those who have never been in an environment where diversity is prominent. This difficulty does not justify that these conversations should not be had at all though. This contributes to the overall taboo surrounding race
that ABSA aims to alleviate for the benefit of all students. It is incredibly common for students of color to experience awkward and uncomfortable situations both in and out of the classroom when it comes to conversations regarding race. This is especially intensified at a school where they are not largely represented. According to Boise State’s Student Enrollment Data, African American students represent 1.6 percent of the university’s student body. This underrepresentation should not be mistaken for absence. It further motivates the need to create environments that encourage discussions on racial issues. No matter how big or small
the percentage is, there is a definite necessity for campus organizations that support diversity and inclusion. Not having these organizations, would only make it more difficult for students of color to express themselves, which creates an environment that essentially silences them. Discussions about race should not be limited to the classroom. They need to go beyond the walls of a sociology or university foundations course. In a place of higher education, this is incredibly important since we are all here to learn. In the classroom, we are able to identify and label issues, but that is only scratching the surface. The presence of student
organizations that promote diversity and inclusion serves as an opportunity for all students to learn more about underrepresented populations, through a more informal social interaction. They offer a unique perspective to the conversations about race that exceeds the more objective approach taken in the classroom. While the classroom is absolutely necessary in its own right, the formality of the classroom setting produces a subtle, yet impactful, effect that also contributes to the challenges surrounding conversations held about race. Student organizations like ABSA balance this out by welcoming students to learn about African and African-American
cultures through the lens of a student who identifies as such. The vandalization of my club’s float was rooted in negativity. It illustrates an attempt to silence ABSA motivated by the lack of knowledge in regards to BLM. Lack of knowledge in a university setting that provides opportunities to learn about a variety of cultural backgrounds is a poor excuse. The longer we wait to have discussions about racial issues, the more we silence those who continue to be affected by it. Despite underrepresentation, these voices deserve to be heard and ABSA will continue to ensure that they will be.
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SIERRA WILLIAMS / COURTESY
Sierra Williams Guest Opinion Vice President of the Afro-Black Student Alliance
e fea tu r
SPEECH CODES IN BOISE STATE STUDENT CODE OF CONDUCT LIMITS WHAT STUDENTS
YES
80 Partially 17 No 3
Do you feel like your free speech rights are protected on campus?
CAN SAY ON CAMPUS
40
ONCE OR TWICE Never 38 Several Times 21 Always 1
Did you ever feel on campus that you were in a group or environment that was unwelcoming to other opinions?
45
ONCE OR TWICE
While on campus, have you ever kept your opinion secret on campus because you were afraid of the negative consequences if you stated them?
YES
81 24 QUAD CLASS 18 SUB 9
What parts of campus do you think are most welcoming of free speech?
*From a survey of 100 anonymous Boise State students performed by Arbiter staff
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Somewhat 1 No 17
Do you feel it’s safe to hold unpopular views on campus?
Jacob Palmer Staff Writer Tearing down, stomping on and shredding written opinions is not necessarily recommended in a free society, but that is precisely what students at Colorado State University did in a rally earlier this month. Students wrote their opinions on a “free speech wall,” but because some students found the wall to have messages they deemed to be offensive, they tried to destroy it instead. Not all students or staff resort to these extremes; some try to block offensive messages through policy. Boise State students have petitioned campus leaders to restrict controversial messages on campus, placing Boise State at the center of a nationwide debate. Boise State and a lot of other universities employ speech codes—written policies defining words or speech that is allowed on campus. Supporters of these policies argue they are necessary to create a safe education environment and prevent hate speech. Detractors argue they shelter students from viewpoints that infringe on basic human rights. The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) is one of the civil rights groups that takes issue with campus speech codes. Part of FIRE’s activities involves researching a university’s policies and speech codes, and placing them in categories, the main ones being green, yellow, and red. “A red light rating means that the school has at least one policy that clearly and
substantially restricts free speech. A yellow light rating either means that school has policies that restrict speech, but to a lesser degree, or that has vague policies that could too easily be used to punish speech. A green light rating, means that the school’s written policies do not restrict free speech,” said Samantha Harris, director of Policy Research for FIRE. Boise State has a red rating. Free Speech With Limitations Boise State’s speech policies don’t allow speech that can “degrade or ridicule” another person or group. Boise State considers just one violation of its codes to be grounds for punishment and also states that comments said online can be monitored. Many people associate this with blocking offensive speech. Because of this, some students, such as biology freshman Daniel Hopla, argue speech shouldn’t be protected if it’s hurting others. “I think that free speech is kind of a privilege more than a right. When people are hurting each other it doesn’t give them the right to speak freely. Bullying others is wrong and shouldn’t be considered something that we can do,” said Hopla. Adriane Bang, the director of the Gender Equity Center at Boise State, said having a diverse viewpoints is needed and important on a university campus, but not so for speech that is offensive or hateful. “We’re a college campus and so there are always going to be expressions of diverse viewpoints, and I think that’s
actually important. I think there’s a difference between hate speech and differing viewpoints. Thinking about hate speech specifically, that’s something there are laws and campus policies around.” said Bang. Bang then described the effects of content labeled as hate speech and the need to respond to it. “Folks feel not welcome, not able to participate in the classroom and to be on campus. Even though one might minimize it and call it just words it actually has an impact on someone’s ability to feel safe in a particular space. If there is indeed hate speech going on it’s important to have a response, at an admin-
“
looked at in context; it can’t be looked at from a 10,000 foot level,” said Wuthrich. The question is whether offensive or hateful speech is protected under the First Amendment. Dr. Rick Moore, professor in the Communication Department, said the 1942 Supreme Court case Chaplinsky vs. New Hampshire defined offensive speech and hate speech as being protected under the First Amendment. “One of the more important Supreme Court cases is a case in New Hampshire that involved an individual who, in a confrontation used what the courts described as “fighting words.” The court said there’s a pretty clear distinction, where
If college becomes an echo chamber because people don’t want to hear views that upset or offend them, then they lose that opportunity to strengthen and sharpen their argument and to become more effective advocates for their own views,” -Samantha Harris istrative or police level,” said Bang. Diving Into the Speech Codes Chris Wuthrich, Boise State Dean of Students said that while insults and general speech might be protected, each situation needs to be looked at locally on an individual basis. “If I’m saying something that’s general in nature, then that’s probably protected. If I say, ‘Hey Chris Wuthrich, you’re XYZ and you should die,’ that may not be free speech depending on how or where the message was delivered. So everything has to be
someone is using words that are clearly intended suggest a threat,” said Moore. Moore explained that because of this ruling, U.S. courts have divided speech not as offensive versus nonoffensive, but as ideas versus action. When you’re expressing ideas, they might be uncomfortable to the person hearing the ideas; in fact the ideas might be threatening in the sense that it might call into question something the person holds very dear, maybe even a part of the person’s sense of identity, but at the same time they are simply ideas,” said Moore Under this definition,
Moore said, offensive speech towards another individual is still protected, as long as there isn’t a physical threat inherent in those words--a call to action. Even if the words might be classified as “hate speech,” the ability to censor that speech isn’t present if the speech is merely offensive but not physically threatening. “The courts have had difficulty defining hate speech. When the state (broadly defined, that could be city, county, state, federal) tries to regulate expression, the court is always cautious if the state regulates expression based on content. Certainly when we start talking the idea of hate speech, we are regulating the content of expression.” said Moore. Hate speech regulation, by its very nature, states Moore, is regulation that divides speech up based on content and ideas. “Normally the way people refine the idea of regulating hate speech is they say “here are some examples of hate speech.” The minute you do that, you’re drawing content lines around something and saying this content is not allowed. What the courts have consistently said is that if it’s simply a matter of offense, the state is acting inappropriately to regulate that speech because it finds it offensive.” said Moore. These rules have caused a wave of opposition from their students and civil rights groups. In addition to FIRE, speech codes have also been criticized by the well-known American Civil Liberties Union, or ACLU.
Right One student who expressed disapproval of speech codes was Franklin Fox, a senior communications major. “I’m against it. I think people should be able to say how they feel, regardless if it’s going to offend someone else. I don’t think it’s up to the university to play referee on things we can and cannot say. That would go, in my opinion, against the 1st Amendment,” said Fox. Another student, Jennifer Branagan, a freshman kinesiology major, also pointed out that free speech goes both ways, giving people who dislike offensive speech the very right to express their disapproval. “I would say, if people want to express their opinions and their values, then I think they should have a right to do so. If something really offends you, you can also have the right to disagree with them.” said Branagan Samantha Harris from FIRE expressed the organization’s problems with speech codes in general. She stated that the mission of a college is to be a marketplace of ideas and a place where students should be able to debate freely without fear of punishment from the college. “If college becomes an echo chamber because people don’t want to hear views that upset or offend them, then they lose that opportunity to strengthen and sharpen their argument and to become more effective advocates for their own views,” said Harris
Free Speech as a Human
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Bucking around
PRODUCER SPOTLIGHT
Each of the nine blocks has to contain all the numbers 1-9 within its squares. Each number can only appear once in a row, column or box.
COURTESY BRAINBASHERS
Tune in to “Versus with Karl Davis” every Tuesday and Thursday to hear music battle against each other.
Sudoku:
HISTORY IS…
traveling to Pompeii to study ancient artifacts Learn more at history.boisestate.edu
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CULTURE
Music education students “Take a Risk” in annual recital At Boise State, being a music major can be a rewarding but tough experience. Lessons, rehearsals, concerts and hours of practice chip away at the day, not leaving much time for relaxation. “Students spend so much time in our department working really hard,” said Maddy Dugdale, a senior music education major and student president of the National Association for Musical Education (NAfME) at Boise State. “We spend time analyzing music and getting ready to teach it, so we don’t get a lot of opportunity to put on an event just for fun.” On Saturday, Oct. 29, NAfME hopes to change this with “Take a Risk,” an annual music recital at the Morrison Center, designed to entertain both the audience and the performers. During the recital, music students will perform with an instrument or style that is not their primary focus of study. For example, Dugdale, who is a flutist, will be swapping instruments with Blake Lyman, a trombone player. According to Director of Music Education Lori Conlon, in addition to creating fun, the recital presents an opportunity for music education students to practice skills they will need in their field. “Music education students are going to be faced with situations a lot like this,” Conlon said. “If you want to be successful, you’re going to have to get over your fear of playing in front of people, even if it’s not your main instrument.” Dugdale agreed, saying
“It’s a really good opportunity for students to put themselves out there, and not have to worry about it. It’s just supposed to be fun.” This year’s recital will be Halloween themed, meaning performers and audience members are encouraged to dress up and participate in the costume contest judged by the various musical facul-
ty in attendance. Prizes will be awarded. After the performances, NAfME invites all attendees to a live streaming of the Boise State vs. University of Wyoming football game, where refreshments will be served while they last. Students can attend the event free of charge.
“
It’s a great opportunity for students to put themselves out there, and not have to worry about it. It’s just supposed to be fun. ” -Maddy Dugdale
“Where do I even put my hands?” Sophomore music education major Madison Booth and Freshman cello performance major Ava Camilo swap instruments for a few moments and try to make a sound.
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BRANDON RASMUSSEN / THE ARBITER
Brandon Rasmussen Culture Editor
CULTURE Elise Adams Culture Reporter Character assassination, protest art and divided families; the 2016 presidential election may go down in history as one of the most volatile we’ve ever faced. For young Boise State students looking to cast their first vote for president of the United States, it can be daunting how politically polarized our nation has become—the stakes appear to be impossibly high in this election. As we grow closer to election day, it seems that a polite political discussion becomes more difficult to have without
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mutating into a full-blown argument. If this sounds familiar, fear not; Friday, Oct. 28 at 8:45 a.m. in the Simplot Ballroom, the Center for Idaho History and Politics is presenting a lecture by Professor Cornell Clayton of Washington State University, titled “American Rage: Division and Anger in U.S. Politics.” This lecture is one Professor Clayton has been giving around the country for the last two years. The lecture covers the “incivility crisis” in our political climate today, put into context with other periods of incivility and division in America’s political history.
According to Clayton, periods like this occur during turning points in our country’s democracy; critical elections, typically associated with rising social movements. “During the 1890s it was about working class immigrants, and giving them the right to vote,” Clayton said. “During the 1960s it was about the full inclusion of women and minorities in American public life. These periods also signal changes in our partisan structure.” This change is apparent particularly in reference to the student body. “I think this election really perpetuates the us vs. them mentality,” said Darby McBride,
sophomore at Boise State. “Everyone is expected to choose a side, and those who don’t are seen as endangering the country.” Clayton urges students to attend the lecture “if they want to understand why our politics seem so nasty today.” According to a study by the University of Chicago, 70 percent of Americans feel “frustrated” about the current election, while 55 percent feel “totally helpless.” “I think once students understand the history of our democracy, and what’s driving the incivility today, they’ll be much more hopeful,” said Clayton.
For more information call (208) 345-7433 or visit boise.greenbike.com
TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY / COURTESY
American Rage: a lecture on political incivility
Brandon Rasmussen
Culture Editor
JARED LEWIS / THE ARBITER
Sunlight filtered by grey clouds filled the small office space as Boise State Professor Katherine Landau-Wright planted herself at her desk to check her email on Sept. 12. There, sitting in her inbox, was a long awaited email. She opened it and began to scan the openning paragraph “We are pleased to tell you that your submission has been judged and will receive the Association of Literary Educators and Researchers (ALER) Dissertation Award. Congratulations!” it read. Landau-Wright’s dissertation was written in 2015, as a result of research she conducted during her doctorate studies at Texas A&M University. She graduated in August. “Essentially, I was a student until like 7 minutes ago,” Landau-Wright said. The now award-winning dissertation deals with the relationship between literacy skills and young students’ development of scientific thinking. According to Landau-Wright, an increased emphasis on learning to articulate scientific findings rather than the research
methods themselves generated a substantial amount of success in the classroom. “We’ve created a situation where students get to college, take a few biology classes, get scared off and leave the program,” Landau-Wright said. “We don’t prepare them to think like scientists.” Landau-Wright conducted her study in a large public junior high school in Texas over the course of 10 weeks. After developing new curriculum focusing on scientific writing, junior high students were assigned to the new argumentbased system. According to Cathy McGeehan, co-chair on the Board of Research for ALER, LandauWright’s findings have the potential to change the way educators approach teaching science. “It really emphasized the whole common core initiative in literacy,” said McGeehan. “We could increase the success rate of students in STEM programs.” Both Landau-Wright and McGeehan noted the dissertation also has broader implications about the possibility of making STEM programs more accessible.
“A lot of colleges of engineering and colleges of science are discussing this idea of recruiting more underrepresented minorities, such as women and racial minorities,” said LandauWright. “But that’s all just talk if we’re not actually doing the things to make them prepared.” The study found students struggling to break into science fields especially benefitted from this new writing emphasis. By shifting the focus to scientific argument, students found scientific subjects to be more approachable, according to Landau-Wright. “All students showed improvement, but the ones who showed the most growth were the English language learners and ones who had the lowest initial skills— those who needed the most help,” said Landau-Wright. “Kids can do it. We’ve built this narrow space for them to demonstrate their learning. If we just give them enough credit, or the opportunity to do it, they will surprise us.” Landau-Wright has been invited to the ALER conference in early November, where she can accept the award and have the opportunity to present her findings to the educational community.
Brand New is stopping in Boise on their breakup tour Elise Adams Culture Reporter Much to the excitement of fans, post-hardcore group Brand New is coming to the Revolution Concert House Friday, Oct. 28 at 7:30 p.m. Touring with them are pop punk bands The Front Bottoms and Modern Baseball. This show, for many in attendance, will be an emotional one; after 16 years together, Brand New has announced their breakup, and this tour will be their last. In a statement released by the band in late Sept., they announced their muchawaited 2016 album would not be completed. The music they’d produced for the album wasn’t up to the standard set by their third studio album, “The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me,” which saw overwhelmingly positive
reviews after its release in 2006. In place of songs from their new album, such as the single titled “I Am a Nightmare,” the band decided to play “The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me” in its entirety during every stop on their tour. Some songs from this album to listen to before the show are “Sowing Season,” “Jesus,” and “Degausser.” The Front Bottoms, a group local to New Jersey, are a hit among those who enjoy the folk punk genre. Lead vocalist and lyricist Brian Sella, in the band’s early years, spent time between tours working at a grocery store; the music he writes reflects an honest perspective, and is undeniably relatable. Their 2013 album “Talon of the Hawk” earned favorable reception, earning a 9/10 from Under the Gun Re-
view. Their shows are known for being fun and positive, which should give some reprieve from everyone crying during Brand New’s set. Songs to listen to before the show include “The Beers,” “Maps,” and “Looking Like You Just Woke Up.” Modern Baseball is a group that’s recently become something of a household name in Boise. Formed by high school friends from Maryland, their second album titled “You’re Gonna Miss it All” reached #97 on the Billboard 200. After playing at El Korrah Shrine over the summer, Idahoans are excited to see them play again, especially opening for this amazing show. Some songs to listen to beforehand are “Your Graduation” and “Apartment.”
After 16 years together, Brand New band members are going their separate ways.
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BRAND NEW FACEBOOK / COURTESY
Professor explores role of literacy skills in scientific learning
SPORTS & REc Evan Werner Sports & Rec Editor Coach Bryan Harsin described the game perfectly when he said that he “felt like it was Boise vs. Boise tonight.” Boise State had five turnovers on Thursday night consisting of three fumbles and two interceptions — both of which were taken back for touchdowns. Three of the five turnovers occurred in the first half. Since 2004, FBS teams that are minus-5 in the turnover category are 9-231. Boise State (7-0), won their 23rd straight nonconference home game. The Broncos also missed two field goals in the first half—one being blocked— and received two personal foul penalties in the red zone. “The personal fouls are the most disappointing thing to me. That just doesn’t fly. That is not what this program and this team talks about. Moving forward that will be addressed and I don’t anticipate having stupid penalties that hurt our team because its not about you it’s about the team, and when you have a personal foul, it says personal, and that effects the team,” said Coach Harsin. The Broncos looked undisciplined throughout the game, which Coach Harsin said they will go back and deal with. Boise State took a quick lead in the game jumping out to a 14-3 start in the first quarter after scoring on a long touchdown to
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No. 13 Boise State (7-0) looks to conitune winning agianst Wyoming next week
Jeremy McNichols on the first drive. With two fumbles and a pick-six in the first half, the Broncos didn’t do themselves any favors with the score 21-17 going into halftime. Coming out of halftime Coach Harsin had one thing to say to his team after listing off the errors made in the first half. “Alright, you ready to go fight?”
The Broncos came out in the second half and didn’t look much better throwing another pick-six and giving up another fumble. The highlights from Boise State’s victory included McNichols and Thomas Sperbeck on offense as well as the outstanding defensive play. Sperbeck got to celebrate his birthday during the game, by breaking the Boise State all-time career re-
ceiving yards record previously held by Titus Young, with 3,139 yards. Sperbeck needs 53 receptions to catch all-time leader Matt Miller. The defense played outstanding throughout the entire game only giving up 13 points, even being on the field for a majority of the game. Of course the game came down to a Hail Mary, as it did last year in which BYU
scored beating the Broncos as time expired. David Moa blocked an essential field goal with 15 seconds left on the clock to force the Hail Mary on the following downs. “They snapped the ball, we got a great push up the middle, and the ball hit me right in the hand,” Moa said. The Broncos were able to bat down the Hail Mary and win the game 28-27 in
an exciting finisher. “Today the fans really gave us an advantage. On the third down—the money down—they were there with us,” Moa said Coach Harsin also credited the fans for the success of the team on Thursday. “There was something a little extra that came from Bronco Nation tonight,” Harsin said.
JARED LEWIS / THE ARBITER
Boise State beats BYU despite five turnovers
Boise State Swimming & Diving wins Chick-Fil-A invitational Evan Werner Sports & Rec Editor
The Chick-Fil-A invitational was on Friday, Oct. 7 and Saturday, Oct. 8 at Fresno State. Boise State competed against five other schools at the invitational including: Fresno State, CSU Bakersfield, Nevada, San Diego State and San Jose State. Boise State won eight events on the first day, followed by two events and a pair of relay wins on Saturday to finish up the weekend. The first relay on Saturday, included Allyson Kleinsorgen, Laura Williams, Brittany Aoyama and Katelyn Martin capturing the 400 medley relay with a time of 3:46.25, beating runner-up San Diego State by 3.38 seconds. The Bronco “B” team, Abbey Sorensen, Robin Pinger, Monica Bottelber-
ghe and Felicity Cann took fifth in 3:53.39. Aoyama posted three wins Saturday with Chard notching two, with Aoyama taking the 100 free in 50.19 and Chard winning the 1,650 free in 17:00.56. Emily Mathis (2:21.36), Williams (2:22.39) and Pinger (2:23.90) took spots four through six, respectively, in the 200 breast while Cann topped the Broncos with a 12thplace finish in the 200 fly at 2:09.45. “The whole goal of this weekend was to see where we’re at, and the girls did a good job staying focused for three sessions; each swimmer swam anywhere from three to seven times so it was about getting used to individual schedules. Our swimmers gave us a lot to evaluate this weekend,” said Head Coach Jeremy Kipp. The Broncos rolled
through their competition winning 12 events at the meet and sweeping all five relays. Boise State topped the leaderboard with 1,002 points, followed by San Diego State (825.5), Nevada (664), Fresno State (517.5), San Jose State (465) and CSU Bakersfield (281). “The next six weeks now is about ramping up the training for the big invitational in November. This weekend was a good jumping off point for us,” said Kipp. Boise State’s swimming and diving team will be competing on Nov. 17 through 19, with the swimmers traveling to Mansfield, Texas, for the Texas A&M Invitational and the divers heading to Flagstaff, Arizona, for the Lumberjack Invitational.
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The Boise State Swimming & Diving Team competed against five other schools on Friday, Oct. 7 and Saturday, Oct. 8.
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WE BELIEVE in the home team.
SPORTS & REc
Men’s basketball has scrimmage before season begins Before the Homecoming football game on Oct. 15, Coach Leon Rice and the Boise State men’s basketball team held their annual Blue vs. Orange scrimmage at Bronco Gymnasium. This is the fourth straight year that the team allowed fans to watch this preseason scrimmage. There are many new faces on the Boise State men’s basketball team this year. “It’s crazy, it’s gone so quick. When I first came in, we had all of those great leaders, Derrick being Mountain West Player of the Year, Webb III being all-conference, it’s crazy to see how fast it’s gone. At the same time, I’m grateful to have been on a team with all of those guys and learn off of them and all of their habits. It’s crazy not to play with them, but I just need to learn off of them. It’s my year to be that person,” said senior forward Nick Duncan. For the scrimmage, the Broncos were broken into two teams, the Blue team and the Orange team. The Blue team consisted of Malek Harwell, Justinian Jessup, Alex Hobbs, David Wacker, Nick Duncan, Chandler Hutchison and Marcus Dickinson. The Orange team consisted of Zach Haney, James Reid, Paris Austin Cameron Oluyitan, Robin Jorch, Derrick Alston and Matt Grooms. The regulation game time
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was twelve minutes, broken into two six minute periods. After the first period, the Blue team was leading 15-6 behind freshman guard Jessup’s five points. Jessup led all players in scoring during the first period. The Blue team won the scrimmage 28-13 at the end of regulation time, while Wacker led all scorers with 11 points. There was a four-minute third period added after regulation time and the teams were rearranged. The Orange team then consisted of Grooms, Haney, Hutchison, Reid, Hobbs, Alston and Wacker and the Blue team consisted of Oluyitan, Austin, Duncan, Jorch, Harwell, Jessup and Dickinson. The Orange team beat the Blue team 7-3 in the final third period. Boise State was picked in the Mountain West Men’s Basketball Preseason Poll to finish fifth. “I think because of that Costa Rica trip and those 10 extra practices, at least we have stuff in. We’re not good at it yet, really. I like the progress our big guys have made. We’re moving the ball pretty well, it’s just the same stuff we have this time of year every year. (They) need to understand shot selection; (they) need to understand their roles. We’ll get that as we start going forward,” Rice said. The Broncos’ first intercollegiate game of the season is an exhibition game against Lewis-Clark State at Taco Bell Arena on Friday, Oct. 28.
“
I’m grateful to have been on a team with all of those guys and learn off of them and all of their habits. It’s crazy not to play with them, but I just need to learn off of them. . ” -Senior Forward Nick Duncan.
Boise State men’s basketball looks to start the season strong on Friday, Oct. 28.
JARED LEWIS / THE ARBITER
Evan Werner Sports & Rec Editor
Bucking around
Halloween Mad Lib With Halloween coming soon, it’s time to figure out some ____________ plans. Grab some (adjective)
seasonal __________ and think about your options. Should you __________________ at a party, (present-tense verb)
(food)
_____________ at a corn maze or ____________ at home while binge watching “Stranger
(present-tense verb)
(present-tense verb)
Things” on Netflix. If you decide to dress up, will you be a ____________, a ________ (animal)
(food)
or a character from ____________________. Maybe you’ll just hot glue some ___________ on (favorite movie or TV show)
(plural noun)
your ________ and call it good. As long as you _____________ all night long, it will be a (body part)
____________ night!
(present-tense verb)
(adjective)
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PHOTO © JOHN WEBSTER
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