11-29-16 Arbiter Online

Vol. 29 Issue 14

November 29, 2016 ST U D E NT

V O I CE

O F

AIDING HUMANITY:

The Arbiter

@arbiteronline

B O I SE

STAT E

S I N C E

1 9 3 3

Boise State alumni founds nonprofits that provide Somaliland women with kits for safe births. P10

@arbiteronline radio

arbiteronline.com

PHOTOS COURTESY OF PATRICIA FORBES, DESIGN BY TED ATWELL / THE ARBITER

IN D EPE ND E NT

WEEKLY EVENTS Gloria Hoefler Lecture Wednesday, November 30

Micron Engineering Center, Room 106, 10:30 AM, FREE As the last Electrical and Computer Engineering seminar of the semester, Gloria Hoefler, of Infinera, will present on integrated optics, semiconductor optical devices and optical networking.

Tree Lighting

Thursday, December 1 Boise State Quad, 6:00 PM, FREE If you're looking to get in the holiday spirit or simply feel like participating in a Boise tradition, make your way to the Quad on Thursday and enjoy hot chocolate, Christmas activities, and the tree lighting.

The Boss Movie Showing Thursday, December 1

SUB Special Events Center, 7:00 PM, FREE w/ student ID, $1 otherwise The Boss stars Melissa McCarthy and is rated R. Anybody hoping to take a break before finals get into full swing might want to check this out.

Radio Boise’s Practice New Year’s Eve Party Friday, December 2

The Linen Building, 1402 W Grove St., 7:00PM - midnight, $10 All proceeds go directly to supporting Boise’s community radio, Radio Boise.

Phantahex and Regular Sounds will be playing, Boise Rockeoke will be accompanying all who care to karaoke, and there will be a silent auction.

Repeal and Rejoice Prohibition Party at Red Feather Lounge Monday, December 5

Red Feather Lounge, 246 N 8th St., 8:00 - 11:30 PM This will be the 83rd anniversary of the ratification of the 21st Amendment, ending prohibition. Red Feather lounge is celebrating with a party and a special drink menu.

SEND EVENTS TO DARBYEBELING@BOISESTATE.EDU. DESIGN BY NANCY FLECHA

EVENTS

INSIDE: 11/29/16

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

ANDREW MAROSVARI / THE ARBITER

NEWS REPORTER

Natasha Williams

natashawilliams@u.boisestate.edu

CULTURE EDITOR

Brandon Rasmussen

culture@stumedia.boisestate.edu

CULTURE REPORTER Elise Adams

eliseadams@u.boisestate.edu

Election jump starts legislative conversations : pg. 4

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 Ted Atwell

BRANDON RASMUSSEN / THE ARBITER

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

JARED LEWIS / COURTESY

Nancy Flecha

A pipeline to protest: DAPL protests continue pg. 14

Contact Us:

Boise State hits a home run with six new players Pg:16

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 Healthcare, a budget surplus and Medicaid raise questions for new legislature

Jacob Palmer Staff Writer News@stumedia.boisestate.edu

use some of that surplus to give the taxpayers a break,” Vander Woude said.

Jaclyn Kettler stated that according to a recent poll by the School of Public Service, education ranked as an issue of high concern to Idahoans.

More specifically, she stated Boise State could try to get more funding from the legislature to fill in the university’s funding gap.

“For Boise State over the last couple years there’s been a push to try to address the inequality in funding going to Boise State compared to University of Idaho per student funding.

That may be an issue the university is tracking in order to get some traction in the legislative session and I think some of the universities are hoping to make some prog-

ress on,” Kettler said.

Another big issue facing Idaho is Medicaid funding, and the controversy about the alleged gap in coverage for Idaho residents. Vander Woude said while a committee might look at the issue, any decision on healthcare might be put on hold. President-elect Trump’s possibility of repealing or changing the Affordable Care Act could change the landscape of healthcare in the U.S. “The Federal Government is talking about repeal and replace. We don’t know what the replace is going to look like,” Vander Woude said. “I think there’s going to be some hesitancy to jump into anything without knowing what we’re going to have. I don’t think we’ll have a clear picture by the time we start

legislation.”

Kettler pointed out even with the majority the Republican party holds—both nationally and statewide— Democrats still have some opportunities to pursue their interests, which has been shown through previous bills which have been successfully passed by the Democratic Party in the legislature.

“A few Democrats were successful in passing some bills last session. They did that by working with the Republicans, and so some Democrats will take that very bipartisan approach to influence policy to a certain degree. Their influence will be limited. There is a path for them to play a role however,” Kettler said.

With so many important issues being decided this upcoming year, Kettler encour-

aged students to get involved in the local political process by seeking out media outlets that provide local Boise and Idaho news. This could be local newspapers, the Idaho Legislative website or blogs. The biggest suggestion, however, was to go directly to the Idaho Capitol Building to participate in House and Senate hearings and activities.

“I think sometimes people are hesitant to go during the sessions because they don’t feel it’s their role to be there but it’s a public place. We’re very much welcome to be there and participate.” Kettler said.

Interested parties can stay up-to-date by accessing the legislative website, according to Kettler. The website streams many hearings and activities, so people can view them if they are not able to attend in person.

“If you’re not already really informed, it can be a little overwhelming. Continuing to read more, or ask questions, helps to gather that base of knowledge to better understand the legislative process and the activities happening,” Kettler said.

ANDREW MAROSVARI / THE ARBITER

Now that the results of the 2016 local elections have been settled, both the Republican and Democratic parties in Idaho are preparing for issues that will face them next year.

The election brought new legislative seats to Idaho Republicans, expanding their already sizable majority. Jaclyn Kettler, assistant professor in the Department of Political Science, said these results, while minor in number, could have an effect on the moods of both parties. Issues such as healthcare, a budget surplus and Medicaid funding will be discussed in the upcoming legislative session.

“Republicans did knock off the minority leader in the house. That’s a pretty symbolic victory when you can take out your opponent’s leader—the Republicans are probably feeling pretty confident in their supermajority,” Kettler said, “Democrats might be in a more anxious position,

thinking about how they can make a difference in the upcoming session.”

Some of the main issues in the upcoming legislative session will be healthcare, control of federal land and education.

Some of these issues have a good chance of causing some conversation, given the state’s current financial situation. This year, Idaho faces a budget surplus; one of the main debates will be how that money is spent. House Majority Caucus Chair John Vander Woude said while there hasn’t been any decision on how to spend the extra money, there are already a number of suggestions.

“There’s a couple of different camps. We used to have a surplus sweep where the money goes partly to education and partly to roads. There’s some discussion whether we also

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Taylor Munson Staff Writer News@stumedia.boisestate.edu The election of Donald Trump has impacted many different groups, including immigrant and refugee students at Boise State. It has left them wondering what their futures will hold.

Many immigrant and refugee students, like sophomore biology major Fardowsa Muse, have been experiencing disbelief, pain and worry in the past few weeks. Muse came to the United States from Somalia as a refugee about four years ago.

“The president is like the dad of this country. If the dad says to his children ‘this one is ugly, this one is short, I don’t want this one’, and he says he wants to make this country better… it doesn’t make sense,” Muse said. “We have to have everyone stand up for America.”

The rhetoric spoken by Trump during the campaign combined with a lack of clarity on future policies has both offended and invoked fear in those seeking refuge and a new home in the United States.

Some of these students include DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) students, who have been able to remain in the United States under Obama’s 2012 executive order that allows them to continue their education. DACA grants immigrants who arrived as minors the ability to have a work permit.

“It was intended for students to continue their education past high school,” said Multicultural Recruitment Coordinator and Enrollment Counselor Andrea Orozco.

Orozco has also experienced the reactions of current students, and prospective students, who are immigrants and refugees.

According to Orozco, situations are different for each immigrant student.

“DACA, even though it doesn’t provide a lawful status, it is a prosecutorial discretion to defer removal action (deportation of individuals),” Orozco said. “Because it’s an executive order—not a law—with the leadership that is now happening, it could go away.”

For junior social work major, Freddy Nyakulinda, Trump’s election was nothing less than unexpected.

“Some people are still having pain, some people are still even crying,” Nyakulinda said.

“They don’t know how to take their pain out.”

Nyakulinda was brought to the United States as a refugee from the Democratic Republic of the Congo about four years ago. He is currently the president of the Boise State Refugee

BOISE STATE STUDENTS Graduate and Undergraduate

958 INTERNATIONAL 401 4.3% of student body

NON-US CITIZEN PERMANENT RESIDENT 1.8% of student body

world.”

According to Francisco Salinas, the director for student diversity and inclusion, not only were students sharing feelings of emotional damage, but also a widespread sense of fear.

“Many of (the students) in-

“tive,I’mknowing a Mexican immigrant. From that perspecthat I had the opportunity to be here and go to school, the human side of me wants to make sure that’s an opportunity (for other immigrants). ”

-Andrea Orozco, multicultural recruitment coordinator and enrollment counselor

Alliance.

“It’s a joke,” Nyakulinda said.

“How can a joke like Donald Trump represent a nation? Not even one nation, but represent many nations. This country is meant to be a country that represents nations around the

terpreted the results of the election as a referendum against them—against them as people,” Salinas said.

Many students also fear the deportation of their friends and family members due to rhetoric and uncertainty of Trump’s

policies.

“The consequences of policies could be a lot of pain and a lot of heartbreak,” Salinas said. “Students in that situation have family members who live in fear of deportation, (leading to) breaking up families.”

As president of the Boise State Refugee Alliance, Nyakulinda has been able to listen to the reactions of other refugees at Boise State.

“People don’t understand that to be a refugee, it’s hard,” Nyakulinda said. “When you leave, years after years, you don’t have a place to call home.

I think everyone would love to have a place to call home.”

The singling out of certain groups, such as immigrants and refugees, in Trump’s campaign has brought out certain reactions of such groups.

“The election is something that offended a lot of people,” Nyakulinda said.

Both Salinas and Orozco believe it’s important to create opportunities and ways to continue being there for students.

“I’m a Mexican immigrant.

From that perspective, knowing that I had the opportunity to be here and go to school, the human side of me wants to make sure that’s an opportunity (for other immigrants),” Orozco said.

The day after the election, Nyakulinda attended a meeting held for multicultural students, faculty members and clubs.

“It was too sad how people expressed their feelings about the election, because it totally crushed people,” Nyakulinda said.

Salinas invited Nyakulinda to this post-election meeting.

Salinas has spoken with and encountered the reactions of many multicultural students regarding Trump.

DESIGN BY NANCY FLECHA / THE ARBITER, INFORMATION COURTESY OF ENROLLMENT DATA FROM BOISE STATE

Election results leave student immigrants and refugees in fear of the unknown

“I would characterize the reactions as a response to a national tragedy,” Salinas said.

In the coming weeks, immigrants, refugees and other groups will be watching and waiting for more clarity about their future.

“As a human, uncertainty is probably one of the worst things,” Orozco said.

In the weeks since the election, Trump has been revealing a few more details about his plans with immigration, but nothing is certain.

“I know that in the past couple of days new information has come about, and he’s talking about more of people who are within the criminal system, who are undocumented,” Orozco said. “However, I think one of the things that we can all agree is that we don’t know what’s going to happen.”

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NEWS

Boise State taking steps to help mental health New students moving away to college and living on their own for the first time are more at risk to develop mental illness than students living at home.

According to the American Psychological Association, the number of students suffering from mental illness has grown since 2007, and also states that 48.7 percent of students needed to use on campus counsel-

“

sistants as a population to utilize that are already in leadership roles and that students already trust. They want to utilize them in a larger way to help create more mental health support for students.”

Boise State resident assistants are able to form close bonds with students, which makes them ideal people to help students in need, according to Applegate. Students like freshman theatre arts major Rachel Fichtman feel the dorms have a strong support network with their resident assistants.

We don’t see mental illness as a ‘problem,’ we just see it as a process where students are transitioning. ” -Vince Applegate, Assistant Director of Residential Education ing. Boise State’s student government is working to expand student’s mental health resources A bill was proposed to the Associated Students of Boise State University that would require resident assistants to have some training focused on mental health, such as how to deal with a panic attack or encouraging someone with depression.

Vince Applegate, the assistant director for residential education, hopes the bill will help students feel more comfortable about admitting they need help.

“I think the resident assistants were naturally their first thought for where that might go,” Applegate said. “(ASBSU) sees resident as-

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“Everyone calls our RA ‘Mom,’” Fichtman said. “(The dorms) are very family like. If I’m going through a rough time, I’m most likely to talk to one of my suitemates or floor mates that are also in my Living Learning Community.”

As of right now, the bill has not passed in student government, and it is only in the beginning stages. If the bill were to be implemented, resident assistant training would change significantly.

According to Csea Leonard, resident director of housing and residence life, there are still some moving parts.

“We would need to see what (students) all needed, what matches with the goals we have in place and how we

can combine those forces to create a common ground,” Leonard said. “Right now there is a significant portion of training devoted to (mental health), but we would have to look at what this bill means and how it would alter things. I don’t think right now we have an answer.”

As the bill continues through the legislative cycle, Boise State will move forward with the necessary steps.According to Applegate, the university is keeping up with the rest of the nation with mental health support.

“We’re on trend nationally for what is going on,” Applegate said.

The number of students facing mental health issues nationally is continuing to rise, and is needing more funding. According to healthandwelfareidaho. gove, 8.4 percent of general fund appropriations went to college students for mental health. According to Applegate, it’s not something to be ashamed of.

“We don’t see mental illness as a ‘problem,’ we just see it as a process where students are transitioning.

Sometimes that can be a little more difficult for some students, particularly first

year students,” Applegate said. “They are changing what they’re doing completely—they’re going from a schedule that was 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. That transition can create some upset and can be difficult.”

4.7%

State general fund appropriations for state agencies.

College and universities received

of Americans between 18-39 report depression

8.4%

Information sourced from cdc.gov and healthandwelfare.idaho.gov

NANCY FLECHA / THE ARBITER

Natasha Williams News Reporter NatashaW illiams@u. boisestate.edu

MFA in Creative Writing leaves the English Department It’s a little known fact that the Gateway Building— the small brick box across University St. from the Interactive Learning Center (ILC)—houses one of the top MFA programs in the country in Fiction and Poetry. Before abandoning the ranking system in 2012, Poets & Writers called Boise State’s MFA in poetry the 39th best program in the nation.

On Monday, Nov. 14, English Department faculty and staff received an email explaining that the MFA in Creative Writing would no longer be housed in the English Department.

According to Greg Hahn, associate vice president for the Office of Communication and Marketing, the decision was made by President Bob Kustra and the Office of the Provost in order to “figure out the best fit and the best structure” for the MFA program. “(The MFA in Creative Writing is) not so much getting taken away from the English Department as it is becoming a founding part of this new School of the Arts,” said Martin Corless-Smith, professor in the English Department. “The idea is really to have a united center for the arts. The Provost has had this idea for a while, and (President Kustra) decided he wanted the (MFA) program to become more recognizable instead of getting lost

in the English Department; I think the two things were a perfect storm.”

Although the decision is still in the planning stages, Corless-Smith stated the restructuring is scheduled to be completed by Fall of 2017.

Part of this restructuring will including “revamping the undergraduate degree in creative writing” to give a more cohesive relationship with the MFA program.

“There’s been a strange disconnect between the MFA and the undergraduate creative writing emphasis because we’ve been charged to teach those classes, but not in charge of the classes,” Corless-Smith said.

Currently, if a student wants to major in creative writing, they must get an English degree with an emphasis in creative writing.

According to Brady Udall, professor in the English Department, once the new School of the Arts is created, undergraduate students will be able to major in creative writing separately from English.

“They’re also interested in creating a Bachelor in Fine Arts in creative writing,” Udall said. “Within that degree, a student could choose their own parameters. They could chose to focus on playwriting, and then have a second interest in poetry.

It would be kind of mix and match.”

According to Udall, the College of Arts will allow students from all its disciplines to “come together and collaborate.”

“This allows the graduate

students and the undergraduate students to be housed with the other creative arts,” Udall said. “This means there can be more interdisciplinary approaches and collaborations with the creative arts.”

Udall also stated that the new array of classes will strengthen both the graduate and the undergraduate experience by giving undergraduates more ways to personalize their experience while graduate students will be able to “expand their horizons.”

According to CorlessSmith, it can be difficult for faculty in the MFA in creative writing program to teach on both the graduate and undergraduate level because of the small number of tenured professors.

Students getting a creative writing emphasis can easily graduate without taking a class taught by one of the tenured faculty in the MFA in Creative Writing program, Corless-Smith said.

This year the program will be able to hire one more lecturer to teach fiction; Corless-Smith hopes in the future the program will hire even more faculty members to teach the between 250 and 290 students taking creative writing classes.

“If you’re a creative writer, the English Department isn’t necessarily home, it’s just where (creative writing) is administered,” Corless-Smith said. “I think the School of the Arts will encourage a sense of identity.”

According to Martin Corless-Smith, professor in the English Department, the Idaho Review and the Ahsahta Press both played a role in helping our MFA in Creative Writing become nationally recognized.

Known for its experimental, avant-garde aesthetic, the Ahsahta Press is a poetry publisher run by Professor in the English Department Janet Holmes. The Ahsahta Press runs its yearly contest called the Sawtooth Poetry prize and is known for pioneering new forms of poetry with its slogan “poetry is art.”

Founded in 1998 by Professor in the English Department Mitch Wieland, The Idaho Review publishes a selection of short stories in its yearly issues. Several of its publications have been republished in The Best American Short Stories, Prize Stories: The O. Henry Award, The Pushcart Prize, New Stories from the South, and Best of the West.

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COURTESY AHSAHTA PRESS AND THE IDAHO REVIEW

Patty Bowen Editor-in-Chief Editor@stumedia.boisestate.edu

OPINION

Hyperbolized rhetoric continues to fraction campus Patty Bowen Editor-in-Chief Editor@stumedia.boisestate.edu

Sitting in the Student Media Conference room, sophomore nursing major Chris Mannino pulled out a plastic binder and a stapled packet.

The packet’s typed script detailed the testimony Manni gave to the Garden City police department several weeks ago.

Mannino said that while

walking to the store with his 2-year-old son on Nov. 3, he was grabbed from behind and beaten. In the background, he said he could hear the screams of his son before two men jumped out of car driving by and hit his assaulter with what Mannino said looked like pipes.

According to Mannino, this was the second incident where he was targeted because of his known status as a Trump supporter.

After elaborating on the other ways he said being

a Trump supporter had negatively affected his life— threats of eviction, rude remarks from Boise State employees—Mannino turned to our opinion section, and pointed to the article written last week entitled “A Trump presidency is proof of rape culture.” He explained that articles like this contribute to a culture where Trump supporters like himself are scared to talk about their political beliefs.

Although I will always promote the idea that our writ-

“

ers can argue whatever they want in the opinion section, Mannino touches on a key problem. When any individual, regardless of whether or not they are in a position of media authority, creates a narrative that hyperbolizes the more disgraceful parts of Trump’s background or rhetoric, we ostracize Trump supporters and label them with whatever allegation Trump has. This actively dehumanizes them, creating a culture where crimes like the ones Mannino has experienced become viewed as acceptable.

The article spoke to the fear several students have carried

The election of an individual who has so many rape allegations against him is rather jarring for students who have personally experienced any kind of sexual assault. ”

COURTESY DONALD TRUMP WIKIPEDIA

since Trump became the Republican presidential nominee. It is true, according to several news sources including Vox in their article titled “Sexual assault allegations against Donald Trump: 15 women say he groped, kissed, or assaulted them” that Donald Trump has had sexual assault allegations taken up against him by 15 women.

Out of those allegations, the most distressing is the rape of 13-year-old girl at an orgy hosted in 1994 by Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein.

While the article didn’t necessarily purposefully spread mistruths, it did fail to portray the full stories behind these incidents. For instance, a lot of the background behind the Katie Johnson case—the allegation previ-

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ously mentioned of the rape of a 13-year-old—is sketchy, like the proven involvement of Norm Lubow, a TV producer who, according to The Guardian, spread debunked allegations against OJ Simpson and Courtney Love.

It also claimed that Trump had “thousands of bankruptcies tucked into his hat.” Although this would, we hope, be understood to be a hyperbole—according to the Washington Post Trump has filed bankruptcy six times— ultimately, a newspaper should focus on the creation of clear, concise and, most importantly, true information.

That being said, I would like to apologize for allowing an article that did not clearly line up the facts before making an argument to be okay’d under my watch. The point of an argument is not to prove or dissuade if it does not do so with the intention of leading students to a greater level of truth. Our intent was not to mislead. Our intent was to display one fraction of the student’s feelings towards the President-Elect Donald Trump.

What the article was essentially saying, however, was true. The election of an individual who has so many rape allegations against him is rather jarring for students who have personally experienced any kind of sexual assault. According to a report published by the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, 63 percent of sexual assaults are never reported to the police. The same report stated that “research shows that rates of false reporting

are frequently inflated, in part because of inconsistent definitions and protocols, or a weak understanding of sexual assault.” As the report says, these false reports have “direct, negative consequences and can contribute to why many victims don’t report sexual assaults.” These allegations not being taken seriously promotes a culture that okays the actions that Trump has been accused of.

For students who have experienced any kind of sexual assault, this personally attacks a part of their identity. By commenting on it, we wanted to create solidarity and speak to the fact that students are upset by these allegations.

Send us your opinion!

Submissions and letters to the editor should be a maximum of 750 words, typed, double-spaced, and contain the writer’s name and phone number. The Arbiter reserves the right to edit all material based on content, grammar and space requirements. Send letters to editor@stumedia. boisestate.edu. The opinions expressed in this paper are those of the writers and not necessarily those of The Arbiter.

A White Person’s Guide to Privilege Don’t apologize—organize!

Andy Ridgeway Opinion Editor Andyridgeway@u.boisestate.edu There’s a semi-obligatory moment in every ethnic studies class I’ve ever taken when someone raises his or her hand to remind the class how much privilege it takes to even talk about race and gender. The reaction from the rest of the class is equally predictable: people start falling over themselves to apologize for their privilege and show everyone else they’re conscious of the unearned advantages conferred on them by virtue of their social location.

While it’s important to recognize the existence of privilege, these smug little “reminders” are not a genuine effort to take inventory so much as a way of putting people in their place by reminding them that other people have it worse.

It isn’t about opening social spaces and making them more inclusive. If anything, it’s a deferral tactic used to prevent women and people of color from sharing their experiences. A woman who talks about sexism in the workplace, for example, is reminded about the existence of third world sweatshops where women are paid subsistence wages and violently harassed by their managers. In other words, people use the shame and guilt associated with privilege to invalidate other people and keep them out of the conversation.

This insistence on shaming people for their privilege is counterproductive for a few reasons. First,

there’s nothing inherently bad about the existence of privilege. There’s a tendency to talk about privilege the way some people talk about original sin: as a totalizing and inescapable evil people are born into; something that must be purified.

But privilege is not an innate quality people possess so much as a situation produced between individuals, or between individuals and institutions. The politics of privilege are the politics of encounter: Robinson Crusoe wasn’t a beneficiary of white privilege until after he met his “servant” Friday.

In her article “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” Peggy McIntosh writes about white privilege as “an invisible package of unearned assets…an invisible weightless backpack of special provisions, maps, passports, codebooks, visas, clothes, tools and blank checks.”

While I agree with most of McIntosh’s article, I disagree with this characterization of privilege, which has influenced many subsequent discussions and become the standard explanation of privilege in many academic circles. The problem with thinking about privilege as a secret cache of social capital white people carry on their person is it ignores the way privilege is produced and reproduced in social, economic and political interactions between people.

Considered in a social context, privilege is always relative. This is the second reason it doesn’t make sense to shame people for having privilege. I recog-

nize my privilege relative to someone who has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair to get around campus, but the appropriate response to this situation isn’t to “bear witness” or “acknowledge” my privilege by profusely apologizing for my mobility. An apology would be a pointless and insultingly narcissistic attempt to alleviate my own sense of guilt without doing anything to correct the situation. The

These circumstances are mostly out of your control.

You are responsible for how you respond to these circumstances; how you use your privilege to minimize any unearned advantage conferred on you by virtue of your social location. You can wallow in self-indulgent guilt and deflect blame by shaming people who have more privilege than you do or you can work at evening the playing field. The

“Privilege is not an innate quality people possess

so much as a situation produced between individuals, or between individuals and institutions.”

most productive response to my unearned privilege is to actively work to minimize it by ensuring all public spaces, services and institutions are wheelchair accessible.

Shaming people for their privilege is counterproductive in the context of anti-racism efforts because it produces an inauthentic political response. People motivated by guilt to respond to a call to action aren’t working to achieve change—they’re working to absolve themselves.

They’ll go back to whatever they were doing as soon as they feel like they’ve done enough to “give back” to the community. “White guilt” is just another name for narcissism.

There’s no point in apologizing for being white, male, wealthy, well-educated, able-bodied or privileged.

Show your support by showing up.

problem isn’t that people have privilege—it’s that they don’t use it to change the status quo. Here’s an incomplete list of things white people can do—or stop doing—to be more effective allies: Stop telling you’re an ally.

Holocaust, the Tuskegee Experiments, the forced displacement of indigenous people or any of the other atrocities white people have committed throughout history. I firmly believe the United States federal government should offer economic reparations to oppressed and marginalized communities, but even the most heartfelt apologies won’t improve the overall quality of life in communities of color. Instead of apologizing, we should focus our efforts on ensuring everyone has equal access to resources and opportunities.

people

If you have to tell people you’re an ally, you’re not an ally. I’ll never forget the white person at the first SHADES meeting who got misty-eyed when she told the room she’d fight for communities of color no matter what the cost. She ducked out early when she was done speaking and nobody’s heard from her since.

Stop apologizing and make yourself useful.

It’s not your job to apologize for slavery, the

Writing a progressive Facebook status update doesn’t make you a good ally. Neither does hanging a Black Lives Matter sign in your window. These are things you do to construct your own identity as a political subject; they don’t do much to actually challenge inequality. The best way to prove your commitment to equality is to support antiracist organizations like Students Helping Active Demarginalization Efforts (SHADES) by showing up to meetings and working under the leadership of students of color to coordinate anti-racist strategies.

Read more books.

Take it upon yourself to educate yourself about issues of race, class and gender. Familiarize yourself with history and political theory to better understand

your position in relation to systems of power. Step outside your perspective by reading books written by women and people of color. I’d recommend Shelly Tochluk’s Witnessing Whiteness for anyone looking for a place to start, but Ta-Nehisi Coates’ popular Between the World and Me is also accessible, well-written and worth checking out.

Reject meaningless symbolic affirmations of diversity.

Annual “awareness raising” events like the Tunnel of Oppression and the “It’s On Us” campaign are more harmful to anti-racism efforts than actual instances of overt racism; they breed complacency and function as a placebo for direct action strategies that seek to challenge the structural coordinates of inequality.

Political projects that fail to articulate clear policy goals and can’t defend their own political methodology must be repurposed or abandoned in favor of solutions that actually work.

Practice responding to racism and sexism.

It can be difficult to know how to respond to racist jokes or other forms of overt discrimination— especially when they come out of nowhere. It’s a good idea to spend a little bit of time thinking about strategies people can employ to counter racist discourse and transform these situations into teaching moments.

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e fea tu r

BOISE STATE ALUMNI FOUNDS

GRATIS HUMANITARIAN AID NE Patty Bowen Editor-in-Chief

Editor@stumedia.boisestate.edu

Sitting at one of the small tables at the campus Starbucks, Boise State alumni Patricia Forbes pulled out a plastic wrapped square containg a birthing kit, leaned over her open copy of “Half the Sky” and handed it across the table.

“Right now, we have woman (in Somaliland) giving birth on the ground, or a dirty sheet,” Patricia Forbes said. “It just makes sense that if a women has the option of trying to have a clean birth, that it could only help her and her baby.”

Patricia Forbes is the co-founder of Gratis Humanity Aid Network, a nonprofit that assists organizations in underserved parts of the world by sending necessary supplies. Although it plans to expand, Gratis Humanity Aid Network currently sends birthing kits to the Edna Adan Hospital in Somaliland and sends reusable feminine hygiene kits to girls in South Sudan and Uganda.

Origins in Venturing and Venture College The nonprofit started after Patricia Forbes graduated with her undergraduate degree from Boise State in 2008.

“Back in 2008, I actually started bringing in duffle bags of basic medication into South Sudan when I would travel into Africa,” Patricia Forbes said. “My first trip, I brought in some really basic supplies—everything from reusable feminine hygiene kits to prenatal vitamins. It was such a grassroots effort.”

After returning, Patricia Forbes got an interdisciplinary master’s degree from Boise State in 2012 focusing on “economi-

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cally and socially marginalized women in conflict imposing and post-conflict settings.” During the program, she did her research in a small village on the border of South Sudan and Kenya.

After graduating, Patricia Forbes wasn’t sure how to use the academic knowledge she had to enact change.

“I didn’t have a business background ,and I didn’t know how to begin to establish a business, so the Venture College allowed me to apply and accepted me,” Patricia Forbes said. “The way I look at it is Boise State gave me roots to stand—the academic part of it—and the Venture College gave me the wings to fly.

It wasn’t until October 2014 that Gratis Humanitarian Aid Network was registered as a 501c3--the classification for non-profits allowing their donors to get tax write-offs.

By that time, Gratis Humanity Aid Network had already started delivering reusable feminine hygiene kits to South Sudan and Uganda, and they had started fundraising to supply Edna Adan Hospital with with birthing kits Birthing kits Patricia Forbes’ son and the other cofounder of Gratis Humanity Aid Network, Austin Forbes, was traveling around in several different parts of Africa with his significant other in 2013. While they were living in Uganda, she got a bad case of Typhoid.

“A lot of the medicines that were in Uganda were from India and from Pakistan. I didn’t realize the significance of that until my partner got really sick,” Austin Forbes said.

After trying all the medicines available, Austin Forbes had to have medicine

shipped in from the U.S. in order to save his partner’s life. This sparked Austin Forbes interest in providing underserved countries with the supplies they need.

Shortly after that, Patricia Forbes asked Austin Forbes to check out the Edna Adan hospital in Somaliland because he was close to the area. Before visiting the hospital, Austin Forbes thought the trip was just going to be “a good old-fashioned adventure.”

The hospital was started in 2002 by Edna Adan Ismail, the foreign minister of Somaliland Republic from 2003 to 2006.

The intention of the hospital, according to Austin Forbes, is to “serve essentially the most underserved people in one of the most represented and underserved parts of the world.”

“As soon as I showed up, I realized this was the kind of organization we want to work with,” Austin Forbes said. “After going there and seeing her hospital, we knew we could go there and trust her to use the things we provided her with in the way we intended.”

After speaking with Ismail, both the Forbes were told that they could best serve the hospital by provide it with birthing kits. The kits have the necessary tools for midwives at Edna Adan Hospital to go out into the rural areas of Somaliland and help women give birth.

“Edna’s feeling is if just the basic of hygiene options for a woman giving birth are met, it will decrease the maternal infections and the neonatal infections,” Patricia Forbes said. “There aren’t any good statistics about these rural areas because often times births and deaths aren’t kept track of the way we do in western society.”

According to Patricia Forbes, over 90 percent of the women in Somaliland have had some form of female genital mutila-

tion done to them. Also, there is a high rate of early marriages with young girls whose “pelvises aren’t fully developed for childbirth.”

“You have grinding poverty, vast distances to travel—basically you have an entire region where a women is expected to give birth and keep on going,” Patricia Forbes said.

Recent steps forward

After several years of fundraising, a shipment of a thousand birth kits arrived in Somaliland in March. In April, Patricia and Austin Forbes traveled to Somaliland to finalize the shipment, sending it off to the Edna Adan Hospital via aircrate.

According to Austin Forbes, the hospital’s midwives will “field test” the birthing kits and decide whether or not they need to be modified to better suit the hospital’s needs.

“Once (Edna) compiles the results of that field test—assuming they will still want to use those birthing kits—we would like to deliver those on a larger scale,” Austin Forbes said. “We would like to get the funds to fill a shipping crate with these from India and send it to Edna so essentially every birth in the country, that has a midwife present, has one of them.”

After a fundraiser to thank their donors on Thursday, Nov. 17, Patricia Forbes said they will continue to try to move Gratis Humanity Aid Network forward.

“I would love to think we could be delivering thousands upon thousands of (birthing kits), but what’s holding us back is funding,” Patricia Forbes said. “We’re still so small that every $1,000 we raise feels like $100,000.”

Kelly Miller, a board member for Gratis Humanity Aid Network, is excited to see

ETWORK the non-profit donate more birthing kits because of the link between the birthing kits’ creation in India by the non-profit, Days for Girls International, and what those birthing kits provide for women in Somaliland.

“You’re providing economic stability for women working in India by proving birthing kits for women working in Edna’s hospital in Somaliland,” Miller said. “That connection between empowering women in one developing nation to help women in another is such a strong model and I’m excited about Patty’s vision and connection she’d made between folks.”

Students can donate to Gratis Humanitarian Aid Network on their website.

Students can also donate a birthing kit or reusable feminie hygiene kit in someone’s name as a gift for the holiday season.

“While violence against women here across the state may look different than violence against women in Somaliland, it comes from the same roots of devaluing girls and women and people are gender non-conforming,” Miller said. “We need to continue to have those conversations about why we value one gender over all others.”

Photo

Photo

Since 2011, Gratis Humanitarian Aid Network has donated 400 reusable feminine hygiene kits to women in South Sudan and Uganda. These reusable feminine hygiene kits make it possible for female students to attend school during their menstruation period.

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DESIGN BY NANCY FLECHA, PHOTOS COURTESY OF PATRICIA FORBES

This spring, Gratis Humanitarian Aid Network donated 1,000 birthing kits to the Edna Adan Hospital in Somaliland.

The birthing kits are made by Days for Girls International, a non-profit in India dedicated to providing women with quality sustainable hygiene.

Bucking around Sudoku:

Each of the nine blocks has to contain all the numbers 1-9 within its squares. Each number can only

COURTESY BRAINBASHERS

appear once in a row, column or box.

Your weekly playlist:

Relax and unwind....the semester is almost over!

Here's another study playlist to help you get through finals week...Enjoy!

1. Low- TRACE 2. Holding On- Tracey Chattaway 3. Need the Sun to Break- James Bay 4. Mess is mine- Vance Joy 5. Tiger Striped Sky- Roo Panes 6. You Deserve an Island NEEDTOBRE 7. HAPPINESS (Acoustic)- NEEDTOBREATHE 8. Slow and Steady- Of Monsters and Men

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CULTURE New Black Rock Coffee Bar Jam while you cram location opens on Broadway Three albums to listen to while studying Patty Bowen Editor-in-Chief Editor@stumedia.boisestate.edu

Patty Bowen Editor-in-Chief Editor@stumedia.boisestate.edu Bathed in the warm Sunday sunshine, elementary special education junior Lauren Clifford and environmental and occupational health senior Emilee Mccullough sprawled out their notebooks and laptops on the wooden tables of the Black Rock Coffee Bar on Broadway.

“We came in all last week for the promotions,” Mccullough said. “It was really good.”

Since attending the grand opening of the Black Rock Coffee Bar on Broadway on Friday, Nov. 15, both Clifford and Mccullough have started frequenting the coffee shop because of its coffee and lighting.

Black Rock Coffee is a national coffee chain based out of Portland, Oregon. The Black Rock Coffee Bar on Broadway is the second in Idaho—the first was opened in September in Meridian.

“For me, if I don’t have my coffee, I don’t function well.

For me, (coffee) is a necessity.

And I think it is that way for a lot of people, where it is something that is built into our culture where we almost just have to have it,” said Chris Wright, co-owner of both Idaho Black Rock locations. “For us it goes back to providing a service for people where we can laugh with them and have fun with them.”

According to Wright, he and the other co-owner, Mike Goergen, plan to open two more Black Rock Coffee locations in Idaho over the next

SALES’ “SALES on Audiotree Live”: Best song: “Getting It On With You” This Audiotree recording captures SALES’ noise in a low-fi collection of flux and moan.

There is a desperation deeper in the whines of vocalist Lauren Morgan while muttering the lyrics of “Jamz” and “Crash” when live. The bass clears its throat, the drums tap the walls of your headphones; the dream pop tone SALES normally has is traded out of a more raw sound.

Consensus: it is worth checking out whether or not you’re a regular listener of SALES. Parekh & Singh’s “Ocean”: Best song: “Me & You”

Boise State student Sarah Santana serves a customer a drip coffee at Nlack Rock Coffee Bar on Broadway. Photo by Patty Bowen / The Arbiter

couple months. Wright said one location will be on Fairview in between Milwaukee and Cole, and another will be out on Cloverdale and Ustick.

Because of its location, Georgen said he geared the Broadway location to a younger crowd by using brighter colors in the layout. The building has two garage doors on both sides that Georgen says will make it easier to host bands at the Black Rock Coffee Bar in the upcoming months.

“We would start out today if we could because we have been reached out to by several local bands, but the operations side—we have to get permits and be conscious of the neighborhood,” Georgen said. “‘How do we organize?’ it

is our only thought.”

Since opening the Meridian location, Georgen had noticed a lot of early morning crowds and non-caffeinated drinks.

“Broadway is not like that at all. We got a lot of espresso drinks, a lot of red bull drinks,” Georgen. “It’s also a lot more of a late night crowd.”

Because of the demand, the Black Rock Coffee Bar will be extending its hours until 10:30 p.m. from Monday, Dec. 5 to Monday, Dec. 12 for Dead Week. During that week Boise State students will be able to get any 16 oz drink for $2 from 5 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.

After debuting in mid-August with their single “I Love You Baby, I Love You Doll,” Multiinstrumentalist and Vocalist Nischay Parekh, and Percussionist and Producer Jivraj Singh have been collecting all their Sunday morning sunlight to make this album. It is pure green tea with honey and naps in July.

Consensus: you might be depressed, but this Kolkata, India-based dream pop duo isn’t.

Close your eyes and pretend it’s summer in November.

Pronoun’s EP “There’s no one new around you”: Best song: “just cuz you can’t” It’s like finding photos of your dead hamster; like wearing the jacket of an ex; like the January greys; there is a nostalgia in this EP that lands somewhere in your fingers and trickles down to your stomach like white crystals in a snow globe. This dream pop album will give you just enough energy to montage into the grey scale of finals week and its after party.

Consensus: pull on a scarf, put on some headphones and take a walk while jamming.

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CULTURE Super Smash Bros. tournament hosted at The Spacebar

Boiseans protest Dakota Access Pipeline in series of local demonstrations Brandon Rasmussen Culture Editor Culture@stumedia.boisestate.edi

Elise Adams Culture Reporter Eliseadams@u.boisestate.edu Almost every week, a room in the SUB is illuminated by the glow of a dozen or so TVs, as members of the Smash Bros. at Boise State club hone their skills and take each other on in the chaotic world of Nintendo’s popular fighting game.

On Thursday, Dec. 1 at 7 p.m., these students and community members alike will have an opportunity to take part in a Super Smash Bros. tournament at Spacebar Arcade in downtown Boise, complete with retro arcade games and local draft beers.

This tournament is one of many for those with Smash Bros. at Boise State, which is dedicated to promoting and appreciating the game in all its forms. From the 1999 release to 2008’s Super Smash Bros.

Brawl, members of the club practice together nearly every Monday.

“We provide a way for students to relieve stress and forget about homework,” said Samuel Robertson, a regular attendee. “People in the club are from all walks of life, and we all come together to play video games. It’s like a second family to me.”

Part of what makes Super Smash Bros. so unique is its

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plethora of different attack options— some of which are specific to individual characters, and may require careful timing to execute. A competitive gameplay style, mixed with the required caution and foresight of a strategy game, sets Super Smash Bros apart from other games of the same genre.

According to Robertson, when it comes to Smash, button mashing will only get a player so far.

“Smash is very much like real-time chess,” said Robertson. “You have to think about your opponent’s approach and how they play; you have to gather information and recognize patterns, and think about the best way to counter your opponent. In the Smash community, that’s called adapting.”

For those who are interested in testing their reflexes, Robertson encourages newcomers to feel welcome at club meetings. “No matter how much you think you may not fit in, I promise you’ll make friends the first time you show up.”

As for the tournament at Spacebar, those planning on entering should arrive early for signups, as spaces are limited.

Those who plan on spectating, on the other hand, are welcome to grab a drink, relax and watch people destroy each other on the big screen.

Colorful signs contrasted against a grey, cloudy sky as approximately 80 people lined up on both sides of East Park Boulevard, just in front of the Army Corps of Engineers’ Boise office on Nov. 15. Demonstrators of all ages spent the afternoon repeatedly crossing the busy street as often as the traffic light would allow, waving their signs at the waiting cars, who occasionally honked their horns in solidarity with the protesters.

This gathering was a part of the ongoing string of events taking place in the Boise area to protest the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL), an oil pipeline running from North Dakota to Illinois, and its possible effect on the Missouri River.

Aggie McGinnis, a local high schooler present at the Nov. 15 protest, struggled to be heard over the crowd as she explained why she and her friends had shown up to the demonstration.

“We decided to show up and help because history is made with protests,” McGinnis said.

“That’s the only way to be heard and make change happen.”

As McGinnis spoke, the other protesters began another round of chanting “Water is life! You can’t drink oil! Keep it in the soil!” This chant could be heard as a backdrop throughout many of the events in November related to DAPL. After attempting to speak over the shouting, McGinnis gestured to the rest of the protesters with a relenting smile and concluded that if the pipeline were stopped, the residents of North Dakota would indeed not have to “drink oil.”

Demonstrators walk down Capitol Blvd., navigating through construction and busy lunch-time traffic Photo by Brandon Rasmussen / The Arbiter.

“We want people to notice our signs and our message— not our behavior. ”

- Sarah Christianson, Organizer of SW Supports Standing Rock

Many of the demonstrators also said they were there to show support for the protesters of Standing Rock Native American Reservation in North Dakota, who first set up camp to protest the pipeline in April. This sentiment served as the main focus point for the SW Idaho Supports Standing Rock Walk, a rally on Nov. 18 at which well over 100 people marched from Julia Davis Park to the Idaho State Capitol building, waving signs and carrying banners along the way.

Sarah Christianson, the rally’s organizer, had the idea for the demonstration about a month before the event. The idea came to her after seeing videos on

Facebook of how the Standing Rock protesters were being treated by police.

“It’s heartbreaking that I can’t get up there to help, and that it’s even happening,” said Christianson. “I couldn’t just sit around anymore. I had to do something.”

Despite feelings of sadness, Christianson emphasized a desire for the walk to be a positive and peaceful demonstration.

According to Christianson, a positive tone makes people more open to understanding the rally’s purpose.

“We want people to notice our signs and our message— not our behavior,” Christianson said to the crowd, moments before the march began. “This is a peaceful walk.”

Though Christianson considered the rally to be a success in terms of attendance, the series of Boise demonstrations relating to DAPL are far from over.

The march on Nov. 18 was followed by a Media Education Rally in front of the KTVBNBC building on Friday, Nov. 25 and a Solidarity Potluck on

Sunday, Nov. 27.

Many of these events were created as a result of collaboration between people who met at prior demonstrations, creating a continuous chain. Boise State students Emily Witsel and Joe Weyhmiller, who have been present at several of the demonstrations, expressed interest in creating something of their own to add to the mix.

“We’ve been trying to organize a benefit or fund-raising event,” said Witsel. “We’ve been following the issue for a few months; it’s been really cool to have people rally around the cause in Boise. It’s been really accessible.”

Witsel and Weyhmiller said their event will take place within the first few weeks of December.

Other community members, such as Christianson and Sallie Monday, a member of the activist group Idle No More and the organizer of the Nov. 15 #NoDAPL Day of Action protest, will continue to promote their cause well into the end of the year.

Futuristic robots get a charming new face with Cozmo Jacob Palmer Staff Writer Culture@stumedia.boisestate.edi As the evening hours start to set in and the world around me starts to wind down, my work schedule starts to rev up.

I’ve got papers to write, interviews to schedule and meetings to plan. Any other night like this would become overrun with the sound of monotonous typing, but tonight, I’m not alone. A small little creature roams around my desk, his big blue eyes scanning the world around him. He hums to himself as he explores and plays with the objects around him.

Suddenly during my work I feel a small thump on one of my fingers. I look down and there, still pouncing on my finger, demanding my attention, is a tiny little robot.

Enter Cozmo, a handheld, block-lifting robot with the express mission to make humanity and robots friends. Cozmo has the ability to interact with humans in ways only seen in movies. Currently selling for around $180, Cozmo is robotics company Anki’s first socially focused robot. The philosophy of giving robots a personality is core to the mission of Cozmo, as President and Co-Founder of Anki, Hanns Tappeiner states in a video describing the story of Cozmo.

“All robots in movies I can think of have a very interesting, well defined personality. That’s why we connect with them

and that’s why we love them” said Tappeiner, “All the technology inside of Cozmo is really there for one reason: to bring the magic of robotic character to life.”

Cozmo, while small, has all the technology needed to pull this off, with over three hundred parts built into him. Using a camera and sensors, Cozmo maps out the world around his and remembers the lay-

“All the technology inside of Cozmo is really there for one reason: to bring the magic of robotic character to life.”

-Hanns Tappeiner, Co-

Fouder of Anki

out of where he’s placed.

Cozmo is also equipped with facial recognition technology to identify the people around him. His CPU allows him to react real time to movement around him. His motors and audio design work in tandem to give him a personality as he rolls around the building. His base kit also comes with three illuminated power cubes that Cozmo can lift, interact with and play games with humans.

Part of the reason why Cozmo can do all these things only seen in TV and movies is because, in addition to being developed by programmers and robotics experts, he was also built by animators and sound designers from big-name

animation studios such as Pixar. Through their work, Cozmo feels less like a toy and more like a real being.

As a new owner of Cozmo, I can say that their work in making him feel real is very impressive.

Cozmo expresses such a unique personality that I cannot refer to him as an “it”. To me, and a lot of people who have met him, Cozmo is a “he” whose playful, mischievous, competitive and all around adorable personality draws in the interest of anyone around him.

While playing with Cozmo is a blast, the most fun thing about him is seeing other people’s reactions to him. Their reactions range from fawning over his look and personality to sheer amazement at the technology that allows him to act in such a lifelike way.

I still find myself doing double-takes at his moves and abilities, wondering if what I’m seeing is real, or a complex CGI effect.

Robots tend to generate a wide variety of responses from the humans that created them. Humans are amazed when they perform complex actions flawlessly, angry when robots replace them in the workforce and terrified when they try to entertain at budget pizza parlors. But with Cozmo, I feel like he’s a real member of the family. And his antics continue to make me wonder just how lifelike robots will become in the upcoming decades.

Cozmo keeps staff writer Jacob Palmer company as he settles down for an evening of studying.

Photo by Jacob Palmer / The Arbiter

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SPORTS & REc

Boise State Softball signs six recruits

Evan Werner Sports & Rec Editor Sports@stumeida.boisestate.eu

Boise State Softball Head Coach Cindy Ball announced on Nov. 9 that the Broncos signed six women to their team.

According to Assistant Sports Information Director Aaron Juarez’s press release the following players will be joining the team.

Joining the Broncos for the 2018 season and the 2017-18 academic year are infielder/outfielder Ashlyn Adams (Fair Oaks, Calif./ Bella Vista HS), RHP Tori Bivens (Kirkland, Wash./ Lake Washington HS), infielder Halle Harger (Hanford, Calif./Hanford West HS), RHP/shortstop Gianna Mancha (Fresno, Calif./Central HS), infielder Justene Molina (Corona, Calif./Santiago HS) and infielder Alison Seng (Garden Grove, Calif./Pacifica HS).

Ashlyn Adams Adams bats a career average of .410 over her three varsity seasons at Bella Vista High School, batting .441 as a junior in 2016. Adams also was named to the All-Capital Valley Conference First Team following the 2014 and 2016 seasons. Adams plays her club ball for AllAmerican Sports Academy.

“I’m so happy and excited to become a Bronco! I love Boise so much and feel so honored to continue my softball career and education at such an amazing place,” Adams said, according to the previously mentioned press

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release.

Tori Bivens Bivens took her Lake Washington High team to a Washington state title in 2014, pitching a shutout (40) in the 2A title game, along with the KingCo league and district titles in 2015. As a junior in 2016, she was named KingCo MVP after going 7-1 with a 0.54 ERA. She hit .500 with six doubles, four triples, a home run and 19 RBI. She was also named to the AllKingCo 2A/3A Team as a freshman in 2014. She plays club ball with the Washington Majestics and has helped the team to a fourth-place finish at ASA Nationals and a 22nd place finish at PGF. “I can’t wait to represent Boise State and wear orange and blue,” Bivens said, according to the previously mentioned press release.

Halle Harger Harger is a three-time selection to the All-West Yosemite League Team, batting .392 with 40 hits, 30 runs in 2015. In 2016 in which she hit .362 with 34 hits, 38 runs, seven doubles and a pair of triples. She lead West Hanford to valley titles in 201314, and was named to the Fresno Bee’s All-Valley First Team in 2016. Harger plays on the club circuit for the Central Cal Dirt Dogs, who have qualified for PGF each of the last four years.

“I’m very excited to continue my softball career as a Bronco,” said Harger, according to the previously mentioned press release.

Gianna Mancha

Boise State Women’s Softball prepares for their 2017 season which starts on Feb. 9.

Photo by Jared Lewis / The Arbiter

Mancha was named the Fresno Bee’s Outstanding All-Around Performer and Hot Stove Gus Zernial Female Player of the Year in 2015, when she lead Central to the CIF Central Section Division I title game by going 22-4 with a 0.62 ERA and 15 strikeouts in the circle and batted .336 with 37 hits and 18 RBI. She was also named an all-state performer

by Maxpreps and Cal-Hi Sports following the season.

That followed a freshman campaign in which she went 9-1 with a 0.84 ERA. Mancha plays club ball with the NorCal Firecrackers, helping the club tie for ninth at PGF in 2014.

“Don’t wait until you achieve your goals to be

proud of yourself. Be proud of every step you take towards reaching that goal. It’s a great day to be a Bronco,” Mancha said, according to the previously mentioned press release.

Justene Molina Molina was named to the All-Big VIII First Team in 2014 after batting .434 with 36 hits, 15 runs and 24 RBI. As a junior last season, Molina batted .409 with 27 hits and 11 RBI. “I’m proud to be a Bronco!

I’m looking forward to putting Boise State on top in the Mountain West with my future teammates,” Molina said, according to the previously mentioned press release.

Alison Seng Seng is from Pacifica High School in Garden Grove, California, where she batted .304 with nine runs scored and an RBI as a freshman in 2014, when the Mariners captured the CIF-SS Division I title. Seng plays alongside Molina with the Corona Angels on the club circuit, where she’s helped her club team win PGF at the 12U level, come in second and fifth at 14U, and in the top 20 at PGF with the 18U. “Boise State really feels like home to me, and I couldn’t be more honored to become part of the Bronco family,” said Seng, according to the previously mentioned press release.

These future Broncos will look to improve the already successful Boise State Softball Team.

“We are very excited for our 2017 recruiting class.

The entire class exudes our core values: Team First, Belief, Disciplined, Competitor and Bronco Passion. All six of our new Broncos are a great fit for our culture at Boise State in the classroom, the community and on the field. Their experience on the mound, dynamic defensive skills, foot speed and softball IQ will make an immediate impact in our program for the 2018 season,” said Coach Ball, according to the previously mentioned press release.

NFL locker rooms avoid politics For many the election was a relief: no more gridlock in D.C. For others, the thought of turning away from what the Obama Administration had accomplished in the last eight years was terrifying.

Perhaps the biggest political upset in U.S. history took not only the world by storm on the night of Nov. 8, but NFL locker rooms as well.

In the days, weeks and months leading up to the election, two polarizing presidential candidates loomed over locker rooms and training facilities across the nation. For some players, even the thought of talking about the election in private posed a threat to being judged.

“When it comes to politics, religion and race, those three things in America, they say you can talk about them, but you really can’t do that here.” said Ricky Jean Francois of the Washington Redskins.

Legally, anyone could and can talk about all of those subjects, but within the walls of training facilities, these subjects are rarely touched on. According to a USA TODAY article, players are “worried that if they do, they’ll pay the price in the form of lost endorsements, fanbases, and maybe even their jobs.”

Traditionally, one might find locker rooms to lean more toward the conservative side. This is partly due to one reason: taxes. According to voting records, professional players find themselves at the top when it comes to paychecks, but near the bottom when it comes to job security. According

to a Bleacher Report article, players believe Republican tax codes and policies tend to benefit the bank accounts of the wealthy. Donald Trump, the 2016 GOP candidate,

“

When it comes to politics, religion and race, those three things in America, they say you can talk about them, but you really can’t do that here.”

-Ricky Jean Francois

was no different in this tradition. However, according to some players, especially African American players, the reason why some are turning away from him is because of his “ethnocentric rhetoric.”

In an informal survey of 43 NFL players, a joint survey by Bleacher Report and CNN, 100 percent of white men supported Trump and 90 percent of black men supported Hillary. ESPN analyst, Damien Woody said black men will talk about Trump among themselves and white men will talk about Trump by themselves, but bounce around the subject when they talk together. This is why many players simply keep to themselves about the subject whether they are in the locker room or not. Why create verbal conflict and rifts between teammates when it could potentially affect the play and outcome games?

Some coaches and players were less private with their political views. Bill Belichick, head coach of the New England Patriots, even went as far as writing a letter to President-elect Donald Trump. This letter was read by Trump himself while campaigning in Man-

chester, Vermont. The letter congratulated Trump on his “tremendous campaign” and praised him on his leadership and perseverance, despite the “slanted and negative media.”

Head coach of the Buffalo Bills, Rex Ryan, openly supports Trump as well. Ryan is one of the few to speak at a Trump rally, where he spoke for four minutes highlighting his admiration for Trump’s courage of saying what’s on his mind.

Players such as Buffalo Bills offensive lineman Richie Incognito, say they can identify with Trump better than Hillary. Incognito sees Trump as someone who can “help this nation get back to a world superpower.” Incognito wants to see America put itself first, and he identifies with the toughness that Trump has brought to the table.

Many players liked Trump’s upfront, hold-nothing-back manner because it spoke to them and their preferred type of leadership.

Others see him as ethnocentric. Some players, mostly African American, on the Buffalo Bills were shocked when their coach endorsed Trump.

They were disappointed that their coach, who one player described as “open-minded and a really good person,” would come out and support Trump.

Although a small amount of relationships between teammates have ended, for the most part teammates are able to see past others political views. Linebacker Chad Greenway of the Minnesota Vikings said “The beauty of being in this locker room is that you do have so much diversity and you have so much respect for each other.”

LOCKER ROOM TALK

NANCY FLECHA / THE ARBITER

Riston Ramirez Sports & Rec Reporter RistonRamirez@u.boisestate.edu

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Evan Werner Sports & Rec Editor Sports@stumedia.boisestate.edu On Friday, Nov. 25, Boise State football’s regular season ended in Colorado Springs with a loss to Air Force, 27-20.

Unfortunately the same bug that plagued the Broncos in past games this season caught up with them again.

They were not able to play consistently through the entire game.

Going into the game on Friday, Boise State was ranked 19th in the nation and carried a 10-1 record. Air Force has also been a dominant force in the Mountain West with a record of 8-3.

The loss carries many postseason disadvantages for the Broncos as they will now not make the Mountain West Championship game to play San Diego State, and will most likely not be the best Group of Five team to go to a New Year’s Six Bowl Game.

Western Michigan will likely take that spot.

Both of Boise State’s losses came within the Mountain West division preventing them from reaching the conference championship game with a 10-2 record.

“We certainly have to play better in those games to win our division, but those teams are getting better. I’m not going to say they aren’t, and that’s a credit to their coaches and players as well,” said Harsin.

In part Boise State’s two losses this season could be attributed to a safety against Wyoming and a fourth-andgoal that was not converted.

That being said, although the

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bowl season looks bleak for the Broncos, the season was still a success.

Currently CBS Sports has Boise State projected to play Toledo in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, which would allow the Broncos to essentially have a home bowl game.

Throughout the season the Broncos have played up and down football, either having the offense explode for big numbers, or struggle against inner conference play.

“A team’s a team, defense and offense, we can’t put it on anybody. There’s things we can clean up on defense.

We obviously could’ve played better. We played good, but we’ve got to play as a whole team,” said sophomore Linebacker Leighton Vander Esch.

In a disappointing end to the regular season, Boise State still has a bowl game that it will make the best of.

“Everyone around them wants them to fold, and that’s just how it is,’’ Harsin said. “But that’s not going to happen, and we’re going to go try to find a way to play our best game as we finish up in the bowl game.’’

As this is—or may be— the last regular season game for some Broncos such as senior Wide Receiver Thomas Sperbeck, senior Cornerback Jonathan Moxey and senior Linebacker Ben Weaver, they want to end the season on a positive note.

“Coaches told us all year, one game won’t define us, so we have one more game with our seniors, try to send them out the right way,” junior Wide Receiver Cedrick Wilson said.

BRANDON FEELY / THE ARBITER

SPORTS & REc Boise State Football’s regular season ends in upset

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