12/6/16 Arbiter Online

Vol. 29 Issue 15

December 6, 2016 ST U D E NT

V O I CE

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B O I SE

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CYCLING TO SUCCESS Boise State receives gold designation as a Bicycle Friendly University

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PHOTO BY TAYLOR LIPPMAN, DESIGN BY NANCY FLECHA / THE ARBITER

IN D EPE ND E NT

WEEKLY EVENTS Winter Garden aGlow at Idaho Botanical Gardens Tuesday, December 6

Idaho Botanical Gardens, 2355 Old Penitentiary Road 6:00 - 8:45 PM, $8, $4 for Garden members If you’re looking for a winter activity, this might be worth checking out. The lights are very colorful, and there’s hot cocoa for sale! If you go on the weekend, it costs $10, or $6 if you’re a Garden member.

Biomolecular Science Lecture with Kirsten Sadler Edepli, Ph.D. Wednesday, December 7

Multi-Purpose Classroom Building, Room 106, 3:00 - 4:00 PM, FREE Kirsten Sadler Edepli, Ph.D of New York University Abu Dhabi will be presenting on the topic “All Stressed Out: How ER Stress and Environmental Toxins Cause Liver Disease.” This is a part of the Biomolecular Science seminar series.

Pop-up Neuroscience Discussion Series with Steven Romero, Ph. D. Thursday, December 8

College of Innovation and Design, 2nd Floor of Albertsons Library, 12:30 - 1:45 PM, FREE One of a series of three discussions, this seminar will cover “How the Brain Can Change.”

The others will occur on Tuesday, Dec. 13 at 12:30 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. and Wednesday, Dec. 14 at 12:30 to 1:45 p.m., and will cover “Left Brain-Right Brain” and “Exercise, Mindfulness and the Brain” respectively.

An evening with Joel Salatin: Can we feed the world?

Saturday, December 10

Student Union Building, Jordan Ballroom D, 5:30 - 7:30 PM, FREE As part of an event sponsored by Boise State Sustainability Club and Equilibrium and The Boise Co-op, Idaho Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Peaceful Belly Farm, McIntyre Pastures and Control Sentries of Idaho, Joel Salatin will be speaking about sustainable farming. Tickets are free but must be reserved, and the link can be found on the Facebook event page.

Bronco Wrestling vs. Utah Valley Saturday, December 10

Bronco Gym, 7:00 PM, FREE w/Student ID, $6 otherwise Been hoping to watch some Bronco wrestling? They will be competing at home on Dec. 10, so make sure to check it out unless you want to wait until late January when they are back home.

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

EVENTS

INSIDE: 12/06/16

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

NEWS REPORTER

Natasha Williams

JARED LEWIS / THE ARBITER

natashawilliams@u.boisestate.edu

CULTURE EDITOR

Brandon Rasmussen

culture@stumedia.boisestate.edu

CULTURE REPORTER Elise Adams

eliseadams@u.boisestate.edu

Idaho Foodback fills up on funding with Empty Bowls : pg. 6

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

GRAPHIC DESIGNER ALEC FOEGE / THE ARBITER

PATTY BOWEN / THE AERBTIER

Nancy Flecha

Women’s Volleyball competes in NCAA Tournamentpg. 18

Contact Us:

BCT teaches viewers how to survive in the dark pg. 13

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

International-themed student housing expected Fall 2017 Samantha Harting News Editor News@stumedia.Boisestate.edu After receiving input from senior electrical engineering major Tashi Sherpa, Boise State is working on implementing international-themed student housing to better integrate new students to campus.

Providing housing options to create a welcoming environmentfor all students has been important to Housing and Residence Life at Boise State, according to Assistant Director for Residential Education Vince Applegate. Though many details are still being determined, the new themed housing options are intended to be available, at least as a pilot program, in Fall 2017. These options would allow students with similar interests to attend programs together, and bond over specific topics in a community atmosphere.

Sherpa proposed the idea of an international-themed student housing option after coming to the U.S. from Nepal five years ago, and feeling nervous while integrating into American culture. Sherpa’s personal experience led him to want to help other new students feel welcome.

“I don’t want anyone else, any new international students, to go through those situations that I went through—not being able to talk, not feeling good about my English,” Sherpa said.

Through this new outlet, Sherpa said it will be easier for students to connect and

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learn from one another.

Though it’s hard to make the initial connection with American students, Sherpa said it is also important for international students to feel comfortable initiating conversations.

“I don’t want to put the international students on a pedestal and be like, ‘OK, we’re going to do everything for you.’ That’s not what I want. I want them to experience the culture, the real American culture,” Sherpa said.

Sherpa’s goal is for all students to feel welcome and be able to learn from one another.

“When students sign up for a study abroad program, they are preparing to go to different countries— like Korea, China, everywhere—we have international students from those countries here,” Sherpa said.

“When they are new, everyone is nervous, but if they know this is a place where they want to learn from me and I want to learn from them, it’s a win-win.”

The current plan for the international-themed housing option would not be limited by a student’s residence on campus, or a student’s major. Applegate said sometimes international students are sponsored and their sponsors may not pay for them to live in certain areas on campus—which are more expensive—so allowing students to live in various parts of campus will be a benefit.

“In terms of housing across the country, living learning communities—

LLCs—and themed housing have always been about a specific community in a hall,” said Associate Director of Residence Life, Christina Schwiderski. “The idea of creating a community where students could live anywhere, but come together programmatically is something new.”

Applegate explained the plan is not to create the typical “global village”—as seen on other campuses—because they generally house all international students together, which isolates them. “(International students) move here not because they want to hang out with only other international students, but they want to get to know American students and experience American culture,” Applegate said.

With the internationalthemed student housing option, the types of programs and activities will be driven by the student members, according to Applegate. Students who opt into a themed housing option will pay $30 per semester as a student programming fee to support group activities.

“We have one of the strongest Living Learning Communities in the nation, but we are trying to offer something for people who maybe aren’t ready to jump into that,” Applegate said.

With so many students interested in joining LLCs, themed housing is intended to be an opportunity to provide more options for students, according to Schwiderski. Other themes are also expected to be offered next fall, but will be set in specific

locations, such as “Women and Leadership,” “Bronco Fit”—which will expand from an LLC—and “Performing and Visual Arts.”

Though some themebased housing will be location specific, people won’t be turned away if they would like to join yet live somewhere else, Applegate said.

“The big picture I’m hoping to see is that people can see more diversity and understand it better coming from a different perspective,” Sherpa said. “Even though we are people from different countries—or different backgrounds—we can come along as Broncos and have that spirit. I love the feeling when I go to a football game; I forget that I’m Nepali.”

Senior electrical engineering major, Tashi Sherpa, explained his thoughts behind propsoing internationalthemed student housing. Photo by Samantha Harting / The Arbiter.

Esther Simplot Park opens to join Boise’s Ribbon of Jewels

Chloe Nolan News Editor News@stumedia.Boisestate.edu

Esther Simplot Park hosted its grand opening to the public on Wednesday, Nov. 2.

The park sits on Whitewater Park Boulevard next to the Boise River. Nearly half of its 55-acres are covered in water.

Esther Simplot Park is different from the other Ribbon of Jewels parks, which include Boise parks Julia Davis—which sits close to Boise State campus— Kathryn Albertson and Ann Morrison. Esther Simplot is unique in its water amenities.

“It is a 55-acre park, but 23 acres of the park are water. It also has a unique feature that connects one of the two ponds from pond one to Quinn’s pond, which is another city owned pond,” said Doug Halloway, Boise City’s Parks and Recreation director.

Multiple beach areas have been created on the banks of these ponds. The community can paddleboard, fish, use the playground and enjoy the beaches for recreation, free of charge Fishing at the park has been very popular since its opening.

“It is a very, very attractive location for fishing where you can get Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill and Trout—we anticipate that continuing,” Halloway said.

Along with fishing and other park amenities, the park is also dog friendly.

From Nov. 1 until the end of March, the community is welcome to bring their dogs off-

#Notsilentbecause starts conversation about consent

Senior electrical engineering major, Tashi Sherpa, explained his thoughts behind propsoing internationalthemed student housing. Photo by Abe Copeland / The Arbiter.

leash to the park.

“All our water fountains in the park also have dog water fountains. So, when you’re getting a drink, your pooch can also get a drink of water while you’re enjoying the park,” Halloway said.

The park hopes its off-leash dog policy will help keep the geese away during the cold months, according to Halloway.

“The best remedy we have for geese that keeps them moving is when we have dog off leash areas, the vegetation can start taking ahold,” Halloway said. “We really needed to get the geese moving away from the grass. It has been great and has worked almost perfectly.”

Allowing the community to bring dogs to Boise city parks can bring in a wide variety of people to the parks. It can also be a good place for students on campus with dogs to go.

“When parks like the new Esther Simplot Park allow dogs to be there, it is a lot more attractive,” said Juliette Guiliacci, a junior biology and pre-medicine major.

“I can’t wait to take my dog there so he has a place to run

around off his leash.”

Though there had been delays and rumors on when the park would open, with the help of donations from Esther Simplot herself, and the J.R. Simplot Family Foundation, the park was able to make its opening in a timely fashion.

The park started construction roughly 18 months ago, but encountered a problem, according to Halloway.

“A former gravel pit from the 1970’s was dug up during construction,” Halloway said.

“There was a large amount of debris dumped into the gravel pit. There was concrete, asphalt, rebar and metals.”

Junior media production major Olivia Smock said, “I used to live by the park when they were still doing construction and I drove by it everyday.

I saw the pit when they were in the process of digging and heard so many different reasons about why (construction was delayed) that it’s great to know what actually was going on.”

The soil they dug into was contaminated, and although it was not hazardous, it had a low level of contamination that

required immediate attention.

“The Department of Environmental Quality required that the soil all be extracted, cleaned and stored on site, then hauled off to a landfill site where it would be disposed of properly,” Halloway said.

Due to this setback, the construction had to be postponed until all materials were removed from the soil.

“No construction could occur for about a three-month period of time,” Halloway said. “Once the materials were cleaned up, the contractors began working seven days a week, from dawn to dusk, to try to get as much of the lost time made back up.”

The park was able to make its opening in a decent time.

“It’s awesome to see the park open and running now,” Smock said. “I can’t wait to go over there and see it.”

Esther Simplot Park is open for anyone to come and enjoy the natural amenities it has to offer. There are many reasons for students to visit the park inluding paddleboarding, walking or photography.

Sienna George (left) and Jade Donnelly (right) created the #notsilentbecause initiative to teach Boise State students about consent and being an active bystander. Courtesy Sienna George

Patty Bowen Editor-in-Chief Editor@stumedia.boisestate.edu Boise State students Sienna George and Jade Donnelly began a campaign whose video—filmed and edited by Boise State student Alex Merlino—and hashtag has taken over Facebook in likes and shares.

“We were kind of just talking about own our experiences with sexual assault, but then we were also talking about how many of our friends have experience with it, and we decided we need to do something about it,” George said. “We didn’t want to be silent.” #Notsilentbecause is a initiative Donnelly and George are starting to teach about consent and combat sexual assault in the Boise State community.

Starting in Spring 2017, Donnelly and George will be partnering with the Gender Equity Center, Health Services, the Dean of Students office and Residence and Housing to launch mandatory training for all first year students. The training will teach students “how to be an active bystander, teaching the active definition of consent and what it looks like, those are really active steps we can to do to make students better allies.”

“With #notsilentbecause we really wanted to give students the direct skills they needed to be able to combat sexual assault on their campus,” George said.

George said that although the initiative doesn’t have its own Facebook, students can keep up with its progression on either George or Donnelly’s Facebook.

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NEWS Empty Bowls helps Idaho Food- New dining facility in Honors bank through local artwork College will open Fall 2017 Elizabeth Findley Staff Writer News@stumedia.boisestate.edu

Participants in the Empty Bowls fundraiser had thousands of bowls to choose from, all for a good cause.

Photo courtesy of the Idaho Foodbank.

Natasha Williams News Reporter NatasaWilliams@u.boisestate.edu Though many people were shopping on Black Friday, the Idaho Foodbank was hard at work holding its annual Empty Bowls fundraiser.

During the fundraiser, the Idaho Foodbank collects handmade bowls from artisans all over Boise, including some crafted by students in the Boise State Art Department. The goal of the fundraiser is to raise money for the Idaho Foodbank to provide aid to hungry families during the cold winter months.

According to art metals professor, Anika Smulovitz, the Art Department is always looking for ways to give back to the community.

“This is an activity we do annually and have done for many years now,” Smulovitz said.

“We believe in the importance of giving back to the community and this is one way we can do that.”

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Participants were able to purchase their favorite bowls for $10, and fill them with soup donated by local Boise restaurants. With more than 3,000 bowls, attendees were able to choose from a large selection of artwork.

In previous years, the Idaho Foodbank has raised more than $30,000 through the Empty Bowls fundraiser. By the end of the event this year, the bowls had nearly sold out.

The Foodbank hasn’t released the total amount of money raised this year, but the goal is to help as many Idaho families as possible.

According to Mike Sharp, the media relations official for the Idaho Foodbank, the goal was to try and measure up to the past few years.

“Our goal this year was to raise $30,000 in this one day event, in order to serve 2.5 million meals to people in need in the Boise area,” Sharp said.

Junior art metals major Kimberly Brandel—who created one of the bowls for

the event—said metals are a unique medium to work with and she’s glad to use this skill to help people.

Turning a sheet of aluminum into a work of art is no easy task, according to Brandel. The metal is first heated with a torch, then brought to a “sink,”—a shallow depression in a large log—where it is hammered until it forms the shape of a bowl. From there, details are added with hammers and tools of varying sizes.

“I stayed after class one day and took one of the aluminum blanks, and I started hammering at it,” Brandel said. “It’s a fabulous thing for students to give back and to donate some of their time, because it raises awareness among students about people who are much less fortunate than perhaps they are.”

For more information on getting involved with Empty Bowls, or donating to the Idaho Foodbank, visit idahofoodbank.org.

A new dining hall will be built on the first floor of the new Honors College and First-Year Residence Hall, set to open Fall 2017.

“Students have been asking for better quality food, so in the new dining hall they are pushing for items such as more organic food and grainfed meat,” said Nicole Nimmons, executive director of Campus Services.

The new dining hall will include a patio and fireplace

which, according to Nimmons, will create an ambiance that sets the new din-

“W

e want students to be able to get an option like a salmon salad that they can’t get at the other locations.

”

-Nicole Nimmons, executive director of Campus Services

ing hall apart from the Boise River Café (BRC). Unlike the BRC, meal selections will not be buffet style; students will be allowed two or three items. Nimmons said

the café will potentially have a homestyle section, a soup and salad section, a grill and a Mongolian section.

“We want students to be able to get an option like a salmon salad that they can’t get at the other locations,” Nimmons said.

To pay for the new dining hall, the University is making some changes to the meal plans, said Nimmons. Rates for meal plans will be slightly raised, but, according to Nimmons, more meals will be added to the meal plans.

This way, students will get more meals for their money.

Meal sharing policy proposes of unused meals ‘Adsdsdsd the Words’ refusesrecycling to compromise on human rights

Elizabeth Findley Staff Writer News@stumedia.boisestate.edu Meal sharing plans have appeared at different universities across the country, including Columbia University and New York University, to help with food insecurity. Meal sharing plans allow students to give unused meal swipes to underprivileged students.

Boise State is considering adding a similar policy in the next year.

Lauren Oe, Associate Dean of Students, proposed

this new policy. She has been working with Nicole Nimmons, executive director of Campus Services and Rebecca Kopp, president of ASBSU. “The goal of this program is to tackle an ongoing issue that students face.

Being food insecure can cause poor learning in the classroom, thoughts of being ashamed, lack of interest in extracurricular activities, etc. This program will allow students to have a few meal swipes on their Student ID card, where no one would know if they are on the program,” Kopp

“W

e want to make sure (the distribution of unused meal swipes) is done discreetly so students aren’t aware of who is using donated meals versus paid meals.

”

-Nicole Nimmons, executive director of Campus Services said.

Students frequently don’t use all the meal swipes they were allocated over the semester. These meal swipes are not eligible for rollover.

According to Nimmons, this policy could allow students to donate those meal

swipes to students who need them. “(Whether or not the policy is implemented) really depends on how the negotiations go with Aramark,” Nimmons said.

“We have to figure out how many meals could actually

be donated.”

When the price of the meal plans are calculated, the university factors in missing meals. If a meal plan has 19 meals, the university assumes four or five will be missed.

According to Kopp, if this policy gets approved, students will either be able to choose how many meals they want to donate, or they can opt into the program at the beginning of the semester. If students opt in, all their unused meals will be donated at the end of the week.

“We want to make sure

(the distribution of unused meal swipes) is done discreetly so students aren’t aware of who is using donated meals versus paid meals,” Nimmons said.

The policy is still in the provisionary period, and more decisions and work need to be done before anything will be implemented.

“We want to build a program that all the students buy into,” Nimmons said.

“It has to be something people are interested in. So far, we’ve gotten good feedback.”

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OPINION

Letter to the editor: Electoral College compromise united America by protecting small states

Raúl Labrador Idaho Congressman AndyRidgeway@u.boisestate.edu Some Americans are so disappointed by the result of the election that they call for abolition of a 229-year-old institution that has kept our nation

strong and united, the Electoral College.

How can it be, they ask, that Secretary Clinton received 2 million more popular votes than President-elect Trump, but lose in the Electoral College 306-232?

The answer is at the core of our great experiment in selfgovernance. The Framers intended to protect small states, like Idaho, designing a system that dilutes direct democracy in favor of a stable constitutional republic. The result has been the most successful system of government in the history of the planet.

One of the final compromises of the Constitutional

Convention in 1787 was the Electoral College. For most of the Convention, the debate was chiefly between those who advocated state legislatures choosing the president and those who wanted Congress to do the job.

Eventually, Pennsylvania Delegate James Wilson suggested that the people elect the president. That idea prompted a deal striking a balance between population and the states. Each state, regardless of population, would get two senators and two electors in the Electoral College, with additional electoral votes based on population reflecting seats in the U.S. House.

The Founders expressly intended to give the states a say in electing the president. That is precisely why 100 of the 538 members of the Electoral College are apportioned to states equally.

Knitting together the original 13 states demanded respect of state sovereignty. Otherwise, the three large states of Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Virginia would dominate the 10 small states and our great experiment might well have failed.

In the 2016 election, Clinton received 64.8 million popular votes, Trump 62.5 million.

But her margin in the popular vote came from a single state

(California) where she bested Trump by 4 million votes, 8.3 million to 4.3 million!

Without the Electoral College, California would have singlehandedly swung the election, thwarting the wishes of its sister states. Trump’s electoral victory was broad, carrying 30 states to Clinton’s 20 states and D.C. Idaho has four electors.

Taken together, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska and North and South Dakota have 21 electoral votes. Were the popular vote to decide the matter, these states would truly be irrelevant “flyovers” ignored by candidates spending virtually all their time on vote-rich

WA 12 MT 3

OR 7

ID 4

NV 6 CA 55

WY 3

UT 6

AZ 11

NANCY FLECHA / THE ARBITER

ND 3 SD 3

CO 9

WI 10 IA 6

KS 6 OK 7

NM 5

TX 38

HI 4

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MN 10

NE 5

AK 3

VT 3

IL 20

MO 10

AR 6

LA 8

OH 18 KY 8

AL 9

PA 20 WV 5

VA 13 NC 15

TN 11 MS 6

ME 3 MA 11

NY 29

MI 16 IN 11

NH 4

GA 16

SC 9

NJ DE 14 3 MD 10 DC 3

RI CT 4 7

*The number of electoral college delegates each state is allotted in the 2016 presi-

FL 29

dential election, according to 270 to Win’s website.

California, Florida, Texas, New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Ohio.

I heard a great analogy about the Electoral College. Football games are not won by how many yards you run or how many first downs you make but how many touchdowns you score. As you can imagine, a team’s strategy for winning the game would be different if the rules changed to count the yards and first downs instead of the touchdowns.

Similarly, the strategy would change for campaigns if the result was based on the popular vote and not the Electoral College. Unfortunately, that strategy would include ignoring states like Idaho and paying all the attention to states like California. That would have dire consequences beyond campaigns, as big states would dominate policymaking to the detriment of Idaho and other small states.

The Electoral College ensures candidates listen to both Idaho farmers and Hollywood moguls. It is part of a constitutional fabric protecting minority rights. These include a bicameral Congress, the Bill of Rights, and a constitutional amendment process requiring ratification by three-quarters of the states. This outcome affirms the genius of the Framers, who established a system of federalism that makes America a great and diverse republic.

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e fea tu r

Boise State pedals its way to a gold designation as a Bike Friendly University

Chloe Nolan Staff Writer Editor@stumedia.boisestate.edu On Wednesday, Nov. 30, Boise State was awarded with a gold designated Bicycle Friendly University campuses, making it one of 18 in the nation. The gold designation was given to Boise State by The League of American Bicyclists who, after an intense process of reviewing applications, decided Boise State had qualified to receive a gold designation.

Boise State won the designation in part due to improvements in bike parking, the contraflow bike lane on Cesar Chavez, multiple air-fill stations and the increase in free bicycle-education classes.

Boise State plans to focus on building more bike facilities and making sure bike rules on campus are enforced in the hopes of becoming a platinum designated campus.

Getting the designation Designations are given out every four years; during that time, campuses can reapply to maintain or improve their status.

The Bicycle Friendly University program has four award rankings and an honorable mention. Stephen Ritter, Bicycle Infrastructure Supervisor at Boise State, said, “(Boise State) had applied in 2011 and

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got silver.”

The lowest designation offered is an honorable mention.

It then escalates from bronze, to silver, to gold and peaks at platinum. Boise State was first ranked as a bronze in 2010 and then as a silver in 2011, keeping that status until reapplying for the gold in 2013.

The League of American Bicyclists judges campuses through “The Five Es”: engineering, education, encouragement, enforcement and evaluation.

In their application, Boise State put an emphasis on education and encouragement.

According to Steve Taylor, from the League of American Bicyclists, Boise State did well in these two categories because of The Cycle Learning Center (CLC).

“The Cycle Learning Center is a great example that many universities could learn from,” Taylor said. “Boise State is able to make a more bicycle friendly community which is great.”

According to Taylor, one of the key factors that led up to Boise State getting the designation was the free bike classes that the CLC offers students.

If a student receives a ticket, they are able to take the free class to learn about bike safety and have their ticket price reduced at the same time, according to Ritter.

How to keep improving using The 5 E’s

According to Christine Boyles, the Transportation Coordinator at Boise State, Boise State is planning on working on several improvements that fall under the categories of enforcement and engineering.

“It’s not so much that they’ve missed one of the areas, it’s just that they’re doing a really amazing job in all the areas, and there is that final higher tier to achieve still,” Taylor said. “They are not so much weaknesses, but strengths that could be even stronger.”

Ritters stated that to improve in engineering, Boise State is looking into building or adding on bike necessities such as new bike barns and shelters. He also said to improve upon enforcement, Boise State will be more adamant about involving the Boise Police Department to help enforce the bike laws already in place on campus.

Ritter also said there are some ideas in play to improve connectivity and education so more people can use bicycles as transportation.

“We need to promote more of the classes we already have.

Mostly students just don’t know about it,” Ritter said.

“And we’ve also got a couple places we would like to improve connectivity between the North and South as well as expanding bike parking coverage.”

Reaching Platinum In Boise State’s application, they focused on how they had improved areas that had previously been problems. Now, Boise State wants to focus their improvements on helping them achieve platinum, the highest designation the The League of American Bicyclists offers.

“We’re going to go after it.

We’re going to work to get platinum,” Boyles said.

In order for Boise State to receive the platinum award, they plan to use their partnerships and continue improving the areas they know they need to.

One partnership Boise State has is with the Ada County Highway District (ACHD) who plan to help implement more bike lanes.

“Recognizing that Boise State has a large number of pedestrians and that biking is the easiest way to get from point A to point B, especially with the lack of parking.” said Brooke Green, Senior Transportation Planner for the ACHD. “Bikeways are part of our roadways to bikeways masterplan.

Through communication, partnership and planning with Boise State, we evaluate what will be the easiest way to get from point A to point B.” As Boise State moves forward with its Campus Master Plan, the ACHD will continue to partner with Boise State to put in bike lanes next to its

roads as a part of its Roadways to Bikeways Bicycle Master Plan.

“Part of the (Campus Master Plan) update was to implement bikeways on W University Dr., but we haven’t received a formal request so all of our participation has been as a participatory role as Boise State pursues enhancement of its university,” said Green.

According to Boyles, one of the roadblocks Boise State has and will encounter while trying to obtain a platinum designation will be a lack of funding.

“COMPASS (community planning association of southwest Idaho) has been great in getting us grants,” said Boyles.

“But it is all a matter or paying for it.”

COMPASS recently awarded Boise State with a $28,000 grant to improve bicycle facilities which will help fund the requirements Boise State needs to meet to receive a Platinum designation.

Boise State and the city According to Gabe Finkelstein, CLC coordinator, there were a lot of people who participated outside of the application process that helped Boise State receive the designation.

“It’s not just the Cycle Learning Center, it’s a piece of a much bigger puzzle,” Finkelstein said.

According to Ritter and Fin-

kelstein of the CLC, without the contribution of the entire city and Boise State community, the gold designation would have been difficult to even apply for.

Boyles was one of the few people who actually sat down to fill out the application for this round of applying. Boyles said “We applied at a point where we knew we were golden,” and now that Boise State has met that recognition, “we have to maintain their level of service standards.”

Moving forward, Boyles hopes to connect Boise State to the rest of Boise using better bike lanes.

“We hope they start thinking about asking us when to put in stuff as well as considering the overall transportation of campus,” Boyles said. “We have to connect Boise State to the overall system.”

Part of this will be connecting Boise State to the rest of the city so students can more easily come from areas around the community.

“This award was really earned by the entire campus” said Boyles. “It was our great relationships with all these partners who helped us get our gold status. If it wasn’t for the partnerships, we wouldn’t be here.”

Pg 11 PHOTOS BY JARED LEWIS / THE ARBITER

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CULTURE

“Aki, do you believe in monsters?”

Boise Contemporary Theater restages “A Nighttime Survival Guide” Holding the phone to his ear, Verne, an 11-yearold who lives Arco, Idaho, peers out his bedroom window at the setting sun. On the other side of the phone call, Aki, an 11-year-old who lives in rural Japan, pauses while she hears Verne jump onto his bed, avoiding its edges.

“Thing is, I’m really, really, really sort of scared of the dark,” Verne mutters.

He pauses. “Aki, do you believe in monsters?”

Aki and Verne are the two main characters of “A Nighttime Survival Guide”, a play put on by Boise Contemporary Theater running from Nov. 30 to Dec. 17. The play focuses on the friendship that forms between Aki, played

by Carie Kawa, and Verne, played by the play’s coauthor Dwayne Blackaller, while both of them deal with the absence of their fathers.

“It’s a play about fathers—a father and a daughter in Japan and a father and a son in Arco.

Even though the fathers aren’t present in the play, the relationships are really important to the story,” said Matthew Cameron Clark, director and coauthor.

As the story progresses, monsters begin to show up in Verne’s house—all of which relate back to a note left by his father before he left to fight fires in the for-

ests surrounding Northern Idaho.

Aki helps Verne research and fight off the monsters while their friendship grows. Despite the global distance, the two preteens connect using letters, phone calls and Skype calls—depicted through a screen-free laptop and tablet. Walking up the arching stage connecting their bedrooms—a depiction of “It’s a play about fathers. Even though the fathers aren’t present in the play, the relationships are really important to the story” -Matthew Cameron Clark,

director & co-author of “A Nighttime Survivial Guide”

the miles across the Earth’s circular surface that separate them—the two characters form close bonds despite the distance apart.

The monsters—each from Japanese folklore— are expertly represented with the Roald Dahl sketch-esque puppet creations of Boise Contemporary Theater Scenic and Puppet Designer Michael Baltzell. They moved expertly on the stage with the help of Clark’s liberal, and brilliant, use of silhouettes, the stagehands dressed in black who aid the movement of characters and objects on stage.

“A Nighttime Survival Guide” was written after the Fukushima disaster, an energy accident in Fukushima in March of 2011.

The Tohoku earthquake caused three nuclear meltdowns and the release of radioactive material.

“I don’t think the scale of that disaster is really understood over here—the loss of life, the landscape changing and the elimination of a part of that country as a livable place,” Clark said. “The scale of that disaster is far beyond anything our country and culture could deal with.”

According to Clark, “A Nighttime Survival Guide” came together in part because Clark and Blackaller wanted to create something that their two sons could relate to and would spark their own interests.

“The primary reason we wrote the play was because it was a play that we wanted to see and were interested in,” Clark said. “We had never collaborated before in that way, just the two of us. We realized that the story idea we were working with had real potential with a younger audience.”

“A Nighttime Survival Guide” premiered in 2013 at the Boise Contemporary Theater. Clark and Blackaller began writing the play in 2012; in order to afford production of the play, they started a Kickstarter.

“The Kickstarter ended up being a great way to get a lot of community investment. Not just financially, but emotional investment in the project,” Clark said.

“We don’t do those crowd funding things anymore, but we did for a couple of plays. It was a great way to reach new people.”

According to Clark, the 2013 run of “A Nighttime Survival Guide” is the highest attended produc-

tion Boise Contemporary Theater has put on.

“We have never done a restaging of a show, but because it was so popular, we decided to do it a second time,” said Adam Park, president of the Boise Contemporary Theater Board of Trustees.

Several aspects of the

play were modified for the restaging, including puppets, costume designs, lighting and set. According to Clark, “about 15 percent of the play” was rewritten with “little tweaks scattered throughout.”

Students who are interested in attending the play can buy tickets at the

Boise Contemporary Theater’s website. Discounts are available to Boise State students.

Showtimes: Wednesdays to Fridays at 8 p.m. and Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. from Nov. 30 to Dec. 17

PHOTOS BY PATTY BOWEN / THE ARBITER

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

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CULTURE

Book Review: “Arms from the Sea”

Rich Shapero’s oceanic novel swims in the shallows Brandon Rasmussen Culture Editor Culture@stumedia.boisestate.edu

“Arms from the Sea” follows the dream-like journey of Lyle, a young, reclusive rock climber and sculptor, who sets off the novel trapped in an ironically by-thenumbers dystopian future.

Citizens spend their lives addicted to “Pleasures,” granted to them by their government with neural implants.

After defacing a public monument in political defiance, Lyle is given a front row seat to the sudden and swift destruction of everything he knows, as a monstrous wave of water destroys the entire city.

The rest of the novel is spent bouncing back and forth between Lyle’s past and a strange

new “Heaven,” a vast oceanic realm in which Lyle learns of the Polyp, a powerful god who sent the wave to destroy his world. Lyle encounters him, and together they enter a psychedelic, sexually-charged exploration of the responsibility inherent to being a creator.

Our thoughts One of the first things students may notice about “Arms from the Sea” is the words themselves. Though the novel feels substantial when held, the font size and spacing of the words inside allow the book to be read within a good afternoon of persistent effort.

The same sentiment could be applied to the book’s content as well.

Shapero does his best to fill every page with decorative language, so much so that one can almost hear the pages of a thesaurus turning nearly every time the author turns a phrase.

That’s not to say Shapero doesn’t have an impressive command of the English language or that flowery language is inherently bad. But throughout the novel, his vocabulary is seldom put to good use. The long descriptions and abstract language often feel as if they’re being used as a substitute for quality storytelling.

For a book that focuses heavily on an exploration of its central character, the novel allows the protagonist a very little amount of depth.

Lyle spends most of his time either in a drunken stupor of euphoria or a vague state of

TAYLOR LIPPMAN/ THE ARBITER

It was a clear day a few weeks ago when a handful of young solicitors showed up to Boise State campus, towing as many copies of “Arms from the Sea” as they could carry.

Students passing through the quad that day were enthusiastically asked if they wanted a free copy. Soon, the colorful book was in the hands of students all over campus, and the benefactors slipped quietly away, back to wherever it is they came from.

This book is the latest in self-published author Rich Shapero’s line of novels, which, according to his website, he gives away for free on campuses all over the country every few years, along with a few other creations.

“I want people to see what I’ve done,” Shapero writes on his website. “I have no commercial motive. I’m like a street musician playing for whoever might have the interest to stop and listen.”

Though the novel now sits on bookshelves of students all over our City of Trees, whether most of said students have considered reading it is another thing entirely.

We at The Arbiter decided to give it a go on their behalf.

Synopsis

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defiance. His inner journey lacks a much-needed sharpness.

The currents of the story literally carry him from place to place, leaving little room for agency. This wouldn’t be a big deal if the words and deeds directed at him were more impactful or thematically relevant, but much of Lyle’s interactions with the seductive lord of the deep are regrettably shallow.

That said, the Polyp can be quite forward, which occasionally marked Lyle’s interactions with him as beacons of intrigue throughout the reading experience.

Conclusion Despite featuring a constant contrast between the vibrant ocean and the dry, dystopian desert, Shapero’s latest venture lacks a crucial feeling of life. The novel has many pieces that could lead to an interesting experience—mysterious creatures, a suppressive regime and even some sort of pirate ship—but it leaves behind personality, energy and a sense of humor.

So, at least for this reviewer, “Arms from the Sea”’s lack of humanity is enough to say this book can be left on the shelf without too much loss.

But hey, the cover art is nice.

Boise’s poetry scene is slammin’ Literature students discuss dauntBig Tree Arts holds poetry events throughout Treasure Valley ing literature with “Infinite Jest” Brandon Rasmussen Culture Editor Culture@stumedia.boisestate.edu

Kate Lange (left) and Ben Duran (right) listen intently during 2015’s Poetry Slam Delux.

Photo Courtesty of the Big Tree Arts Facebook page

Elise Adams Culture Reporter EliseAdams@u.boisestate.edu What happens in the poetry scene, behind closed doors?

Do they wear berets? Do they chain-smoke and paint their nails black? Are poets people, or some kind of introspective and amorphous life form?

Students may find answers to these pressing questions by attending one of the many poetry slams hosted by Big Tree Arts, which are free and open to the public.

There are three slams that happen at different locations in the Treasure Valley: the Slam of Steel takes place at the High Note Cafe on 5th St. every fourth Monday of the month; the Poetry Slam Delux: Empire Edition happens at Woodland Empire on Front St. every third Thursday; the Storytime Slam is hosted at the Silverstone Library in Meridian every second Wednesday.

Ben Duran, Boise State alumnus and host of the Storytime Slam, first became involved with Big Tree Arts by

regularly attending slams.

“Eventually I was noticed for my consistency, and I guess people liked my writing,” Duran said. “After a while, Big Tree Arts started inviting me to board meetings and giving me responsibilities. I’m still a performer before everything else, though.”

Those who participate in slams will attest to the fact that shouting one’s innermost thoughts at a crowd of people is nothing short of cathartic, but that’s not all it has to offer.

“It’s a fantastic creative experience for all skill levels, and a great way to meet people,” Duran said. “It’s also a fun hangout or date option for those looking to impress that cute person they like. More than anything, though, it’s an invaluable space for people to discover their inner voices, and to gain confidence as members of the community.”

Kate Lange, an English major with an emphasis on secondary education, is the host of the Slam of Steel, and finds it an enriching experience.

“Hosting definitely teaches you how to communicate in ways that give people space to

share their work, and is great for building general speaking skills. It also gives a nice lay of the artistic community— coming in contact with so many different writers and styles.”

All three slams have open sign-ups, which typically begin half an hour before the reading starts. Judges are volunteers who are supplied with a marker and white board and instructed to grade poems on a ten-point scale. Those looking to read should bring two poems, as slams happen in two rounds before a winner is declared.

“Students, like anyone else, can sign up at any of our slams,” said Duran. “They can also follow Big Tree Arts on Facebook for updates on events, featured poets and other cool opportunities.”

The next slam is the Storytime slam at the Silverstone Library in Meridian, beginning at 8 p.m. with sign-ups at 7:30 p.m. As for why students should attend, Lange offers one important perk: “You get to say ‘fuck’ in a library.”

Throughout their college experience, Boise State students have no shortage of intimidating books they are required to read. Newcomers especially grapple with how to successfully approach daunting literature.

One particular senior captstone class has decided to put on a discussion event to help students with just that.

“The event is about big books, period,” said Tara Penry, professor of the English 498 capstone class putting on the discussion. “What’s the point of them? Why don’t we finish them? What got us through?”

According to Penry, the capstone students will attempt to answer these questions by analyzing the themes and structure of “Infinite Jest,” late author David Foster Wallace’s notoriously lengthy and complicated novel.

Senior Laurel Hinds, a member of the class, noted Wallace’s novel works well as a crucible for reading lengthy and complicated literature, as it is chal-

David Foster Wallace’s “Infinite Jest” has made its reputation as a juggernaut of a novel, with 1079 pages of complex and controversial narrative.

Photo courtesy of the “Infinite Jest” Facebook page

lenging not only in length, but also in subject matter.

“It’s nonlinear. It’s the topics the book deals with that add to how difficult it is. There’s suicide, incest, drug addiction and all these things that are not necessarily the most pleasant to read,” Hinds said.

Both Hinds and Penry added the disturbing themes in Wallace’s book, although unpleasant, are an integral part of Wallace’s mission while writing “Infinite Jest.” According to Penry, one of the book’s central themes revolves around addiction to media and pleasure.

“The novel is structured to be hard,” Penry said. “It needs to be hard, so we don’t binge-

read it. If the book is pushing against addiction to media and pleasure, the book better not be an addictive pleasure.”

Despite the daunting nature of “Infinite Jest,” Penry and Hinds emphasized their desire for the event be an introduction to complicated literature for those who wouldn’t otherwise approach it.

“We want it to be open and accessible,” Hinds said.

“Whether you’ve read the book or not, you will be able to be involved in the discussion.”

The discussion will take place on Friday, Dec. 9 from 10:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m in the Liberal Arts building, room 208A.

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Interested students can apply on Handshake!

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SPORTS & REc

Boise State is Headed to The Motel 6 Cactus Bowl Riston Ramirez Sports & Rec Reporter RistonRamirez@u.boisestate.edu

JARED LEWIS / THE ARBTIER

The Broncos’ regular season came to an end on Friday, Nov. 25, after losing to Air Force 27 to 20. The loss marked their second of the season. On Sunday, Dec. 4, it was announced that the Broncos will be playing Baylor on Dec. 27 in the Motel 6 Cactus Bowl.

This will be Boise State’s third matchup against a Power Five school this season. Baylor was 6-6 in the regular season and is looking to finish their season with a win, much like the Broncos. This will be the first time Boise State will meet a team from the Big 12 since playing Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl.

Baylor started their season strong, at 6-0 until they lost six straight games to finish the season at 6-6.

Boise State started their season strong as well, until falling to Wyoming in week seven, and once again in week 12 against Air Force. The Broncos finished with a 10-2 record. Coach Bryan Harsin tweeted Sunday Dec. 4 “We are excited to be playing and representing Boise State in the Cactus Bowl!

GO BRONCOS!” In the past three seasons, Boise State’s head coach Bryan Harsin is 5-1 against Power Five Conference schools.

According to the Idaho Press Tribune, the Cactus Bowl normally hosts

Pg 16

a Pac-12 team and a Big 12 team. This year however, the Pac-12 does not have enough bowl-eligible teams.

Before the season started, Boise State was favored in multiple preseason polls and by several college football analysts to represent the one Group of Five team in a New Year’s Six bowl game. Their chance for that began to slip after losing to Wyoming, and then really took a dive after their loss against Air Force.

Now, with the bowl games set, it will be undefeated, No. 12 ranked Western Michigan to represent the Group of Five in the Cotton Bowl against Wisconsin.

As for the playoffs, the College Football Playoff selection committee announced the matchups on Sunday at noon, eastern time.

According to the College Football Playoff rankings, No. 1 Alabama will face No. 4 Washington in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on Dec. 31, and No. 2 Clemson will take on No. 3 Ohio State in the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl, also on Dec. 31.

The National Championship will be held in Tampa, Florida on Monday, Jan. 9, 2017.

Current Broncos striving in the NFL Evan Werner Sports & Rec Editor Sports@stumedia.boisestate.edu In a season where the Broncos celebrated 30 years on The Blue, former Boise State football players are putting on a show of their own in the NFL. Jay Ajayi Led by familiar names in Boise State football history, Jay Ajayi has had a breakout year in his second season with the Miami Dolphins.

To date, Ajayi has 847-yards rushing and seven touchdowns after becoming the starting running back when Arian Foster went down with an injury. Ajayi is one of only four running backs in NFL history to have two consecutive 200-yard rushing games.

“For us to have done backto-back 200-yard games is a credit to the hard work we have put in, the O-line, receivers, everyone including myself,” said Ajayi to NBC Sports.

Demarcus Lawrence Demarcus Lawrence, defensive end for the Dallas Cowboys, was suspended for PED violations for the first four games, but Lawrence has made offenses aware of his presence now that he is back on the field.

Lawrence has 11 tackles and one sack on the season, but the Cowboys sit at the top of the NFL with the best record at 11-1.

“I learned my priorities,” Lawrence said to the Dallas Cowboys Media. “You know what you’ve got to do,

and you know you’ve got to let everybody know. I just didn’t follow through with that. I know what to put first from now on.”

Tyrone Crawford Another Boise State alumnus, Tyrone Crawford, plays on the opposite end of the Cowboys’ defensive line and has 23 tackles and 3.5 sacks on the season.

Olrando Scandrick The Cowboys host many Boise State Broncos on their defense as they also have defensive back Orlando Scandrick, who currently has 33 tackles and two sacks this season.

“We like Boise guys,” Head Coach of the Dallas Cowboys Jason Garrett said to ESPN. “We always take a hard look at where the player has played, what kind of program (it is) and what that program is all about. They do a great job up there. It’s a very competitive program. The players that come out of there compete; they play hard.”

George Iloka Safety George Iloka, of the Cincinnati Bengals, received a $30 million contract at the beginning of the season and has added 48 tackles and two interceptions to his resume since signing this season.

“My approach doesn’t change. I just gotta make a more conscious effort to do everything right, all the little things right, because I think that’s what’s expected of me by offering me the contract. That’s what I feel

they expect of me, personally,” Iloka said to Cincinnati Media.

Jamar Taylor Cornerback Jamar Taylor was traded to the Cleveland Browns early this offseason and has recorded 40 tackles and two interceptions on the season.

“I just worry about myself. I just keep my head down and keep hammering at the nail,” said Taylor to Cleveland news.

Matt Paradis The Denver Broncos have been very successful on defense this year, but the success they have seen has come from their offensive line and Center Matt Paradis.

Paradis was ranked the number one center in the NFL by Pro Football Focus in week one of the regular season.

“One of the most monstrous performances we have seen from a center, Paradis had a perfect game in pass protection for Denver against a tough Carolina front, and was also dominant in the run game,” said Pro Football Focus.

Boise State alumni look to continue influencing the NFL with their play and leadership throughout the season.

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SPORTS & REc Nick Duncan announced as 2017 Allstate Boise State Women’s Volleyball competes in first NCAA Tournament NABC Good Works Team nominee Riston Ramirez Sports & Rec Reporter RistonRamirez@u.boisestate.edu It was an impressive season for Women’s Volleyball at Boise State. The team appeared in the NCAA bracket for the first time in school history.

The team finished the regular season strong, with their last loss having come two months ago on Oct. 1 against Nevada.

Up until Dec. 3 Boise State was doing just one thing: winning. The team entered the NCAA tournament on a 14game win streak, which was tied for eighth in the nation.

In the first round, Boise State swept 20th ranked Western Kentucky, 3-0, who had entered the game with the longest win streak in the NCAA with 21 straight.

Boise State also entered the tournament with the second best amount of wins, 25, in team history, only behind the 1981 team, who won 28 games.

After sweeping Western Kentucky in the first round on Friday Dec. 2, Boise State played 9th ranked Stanford on Saturday, Dec. 3. Here Boise State’s impressive run, and season, came to an end. Boise State fell in three sets to Stanford, who put up a dominant force. According to Doug Link from Boise State Athletics, after the loss Coach Garus said “Stanford just didn’t give us much room to breathe they played just great tonight.”

Despite ending the season in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, it was a year of firsts for the women’s volleyball team.

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Boise State Forward Nick Duncan was nominated for the 2017 Allstate NABC Good Wokrs Team.

Photo By Alec Foege / The Arbiter

Evan Werner Sports & Rec Editor Sports@stumedia.boisestate.edu

The Women’s Volleyball team entered the NCAA Tournament after a 14 game win streak.

Photo By Alec Foege / The Arbiter

The Broncos made the NCAA tournament for the first time, won their first NCAA match, advanced to the second round and won their first Mountain West championship. Boise State also won its first match against a nationally ranked opponent, then-ranked 17th Santa Clara on Sept. 16 and then went on to beat 20thranked Western Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament. The team finished with 26 wins and seven losses, the second most amount of wins in school his-

tory.

Doug Link also wrote that after the match senior Maddy O’Donnell said “I’m sad it’s over, but it was a lot of fun and we broke history together, so we will always have that.”

According to Bronco Sports, only one player will be leaving the squad while 13 will be returning, including five starters and the libero.

On Wednesday, Nov. 30, Boise State Forward Nick Duncan was announced as a nominee for the 2017 Allstate NABC Good Works Team.

According to the NABC, National Association of Basketball Coaches, the Allstate NABC Good Works Teams is composed of 5 college basketball student-athletes who have made outstanding contributions in the areas of volunteerism and civic involvement, as determined by separate voting panels composed of former coaches, student-athletes and media.

Duncan has shown extraordinary efforts of leadership and compassion on and off the court as a Bronco, most recently leading the team’s adoption of Lucas and Noah Aldrich

and bringing them to practice, games and social events as honorary members of the team.

Lucas suffers from lissencephaly, a rare brain malformation.

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, lissencephaly causes the brain to lack the normal folds and wrinkles in its cerebral cortex.

“He can’t walk, he can’t talk, but he’s the happiest little guy you can ever imagine and he just loves being around people,” said mom Alissa Aldrich to Today News.

On July 12, 2014, Noah finished a triathlon with his brother by his side.

Since Duncan has gotten close with the Aldrich brothers, he has brought the team to a number of Lucas and Noah’s triathlon events.

“The positive impact that student-athletes are making on college campuses and communities around the world can sometimes go unnoticed,” said

Thomas Clarkson, president of the west territory for Allstate Insurance Company and a member of the 2017 NABC and WBCA Good Works Teams selection panels.

According to NABC, Members of the Allstate NABC Good Works Team will be invited by Allstate, an official corporate partner of the NCAA, to the 2017 NABC Convention and 2017 NCAA Men’s Final Four in Phoenix, where they will participate in a community service project benefitting the city. Members of the Allstate WBCA Good Works Team will be recognized during the 2017 WBCA Convention and at the 2017 NCAA Women’s Final Four in Dallas, and will also participate in a volunteer project in the local community.

Since 2013, Allstate has partnered with NABC to represent outstanding leadership on and off the court for college athletes.

Bucking around Sudoku:

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.

Your weekly playlist: Here's a list of our staffs favorite albums of 2016...Enjoy!

Rylan: Views- Drake Day Breaks- Norah Jones

COURTESY BRAINBASHERS

Adrian: Yes Lawd!- NxWorries Awaken My Love- Childish Gambino Hannah: Signs of Light- The Head and the Heart 22, A Million- Bon Iver Michael: 99.9%- Kaytranada We got it from here...thank you for your serviceA Tribe Called Quest

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