The Arbiter March 1st, 2016 Issue

March 1, 2016 Vol. 28 Issue 23

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o f

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Meet the presidential candidates of 2016

Photos courtesy of Google, Design by Nancy Flecha/THE ARBITER

In d epe nd e nt

Justin Kirkham

editor@stumedia. boisestate.edu

Inside: Boise state dance marathon facebook / courtesy

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

MANAGING EDITOR Patty Bowen

managingeditor@ stumedia.boisestate.edu

NEWS EDITOR

Patrick Adcock news@ stumedia.boisestate.edu

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR August McKernan news@ stumedia.boisestate.edu

SPORTS EDITOR

DM Breaks Record p.5

Ali Roberts sports@ stumedia.boisestate.edu

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR Rylan Kobre sports@ stumedia.boisestate.edu

ASSISTANT CULTURE EDITOR Cheyene Austin culture@ stumedia.boisestate.edu

DIGITAL CONTENT MANAGER Jared Lewis digitalcontent@ stumedia.boisestate.edu

COPY EDITORS

DESIGN MANAGER Ted Atwell

GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Nancy Flecha

BUSINESS MANAGER Connor Jones business@ arbiteronline.com

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.

Dance with the pirates p. 12

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Rugby season starts strong p. 19

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Weekly events March 1st

March 2nd

March 3rd

March 4th

March 5th

Economics of the Undead

The Pirates of Penzance

6:30 PM

7:30 PM

Jordan Ballroom

Danny Peterson Theatre

Men’s Basketball vs. Nevada

7:00 PM Taco Bell Arena

Student Recital

AJ Salazar and Mitch Mikuchonis 7:30 PM Morrison Center Recital Hall

Service Saturday 11:00 AM Student Union Dining Area

March 6th

March 7th

Submit Your Events! editor@stumedia.boisestate.edu

TREEFORT PREVIEW CONCERT HOSTED BY THE

UNIVERSITY PULSE March 10th, SUB Patio at 4:30pm

FREE

FEATURING: Lakoda Telescopes as Time Machines Kathleen Williams Discounted student tickets for the Treefort Main Stage available. For more information on the festival visit www.treefortmusicfest.com

3/1/2016

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NEWS

Boise State researchers study Parkinson’s disease Asst. News Editor

Researchers at Boise State may have unlocked the key to developing more effective treatments for Parkinson’s disease.

“Understanding the basic biology of these neurons will hopefully lead us to better treatments for Parkinson’s disease,” said Brad Morrison, Department of Biological Sciences assistant professor.

“Currently none of the treatments address the underlying neurodegeneration. They only address symptomatic features of the disease.”

Morrison’s research group in the Department of Biological Sciences recently published a paper which suggests the possibility of regrowth of dopaminergic neurons in adult mammals.

He hypothesized cells could regenerate in adults but were somehow being blocked in Parkinson’s disease.

Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system. It’s characterized by movement disorders such as stiffness of the body, slowing of movement and trembling of limbs.

In advanced stages it can progress to dementia and eventually death.

The disease’s main symptoms are caused by a massive loss of dopamine-secreting cells, called dopaminergic neurons, in the substantia nigra, a structure in the midbrain.

Taking a new approach, Morrison developed a system to genetically trace the lineage of dopaminergic neurons from stem cells.

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“I developed a new model in which we could directly address neurogenesis (the growth and development of nervous tissue) in adult mice,” Morrison said. “We used a genetic method that gets around a lot of the technical limitations of the other methods.”

He removed the gene from stem cells using DNA technology. After six months, he saw that removal of the gene affected mature dopaminergic neurons.

“We looked for whether that gene was in these mature neurons and it wasn’t in a number of them,” Morrison said. “That led us to believe these neurons are being replenished by stem cells in the adult brain. That was really exciting.”

This discovery overturned several decades of dogma suggesting these neurons are static. It offers valuable insight into the biology of these specific neurons.

It also offers potential avenues for preventing neuronal loss.

Morrison said these endogenous stem cells could be used to treat the disease.

Theoretically, they could be harvested, grown in a lab and transported into individuals suffering from Parkinson’s disease.

Boise State students were key in the development of this research.

Morrison co-authored the paper with three undergraduate students—Joshua Albright, Iva Stojkovska, Connor Brown—and one graduate student, Abir Rahman.

“It’s very unusual for undergraduates to be first au-

thors on publications,” Morrison said. “I’ve been very lucky to have some outstanding students come through my lab and Boise State has a plethora of very talented students, so I’ve really benefited from that.”

The students mainly helped count neurons, which is no small task. Each of the 46 mouse brains had approximately 4,200 dopaminergic neurons in one hemisphere, which all had to be counted.

Biomolecular Sciences Ph.D program graduate student Abir Rahman has been interested in neurogenesis for a long time.

“The implications do not stop with just therapy,” Rahman said. “Understanding how new neurons are born is a fundamental question that mankind has been trying to explore from the very beginning of molecular biology. This adds to that body of information.”

Lead researcher Brad Morrison smiles in front of an image of

labeled dopaminergic neurons. His

lab treated these neurons in a dye in order to count them. The loss

of these neurons are responsible for many of the motor disorder features of

Parkinson’s disease.

Brad morrison / courtesy

August McKernan

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NEWS

Dance Marathon breaks record, exceeds goal Staff Writer

After holding their fourth Dance Marathon, Boise State now holds the record for highest funds raised west of Colorado, previously held by Seattle University.

Dance Marathon, a 17hour long event to help benefit the local St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital, kicked off as participants checked in at the Boise State recreation center at 2 p.m. Friday, Feb. 26. The night consisted of hosting the local champion families (a handful of patients chosen

by St. Lukes), donating to the cause, prize giveaways and

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lots and lots of dancing.

Junior psychology major and Internal Director of Dance Marathon, Alexandria Packard, shared her personal reasons for participating.

“I nanny a girl back home.

Her name’s Greta. She was diagnosed with cancer when she was two,” Packard said.

“She’s the reason I do Dance Marathon. She is the biggest fighter I’ve ever met.”

Packard said she wants to help make sure all kids have opportunities to do everyday things many people take for granted. “(Dance Marathon) seems a lot about money because we do so much pushing for

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Samantha Harting

I nanny a girl back home. Her name’s Greta.

She was diagnosed with cancer when she was two. She’s the reason I do Dance Marathon.

She is the biggest fighter I’ve ever met.

fundraising. But it’s not about that,” Packard said. “It’s about giving (the children) birthdays and it’s about giving them life experiences and opportunities we’ve had as students they don’t get.”

A very special part about this event is Boise’s champion families also attend part of the festivities. Various champions showcased their special

—Alexandria Packard

talents, such as the clogging troupe, Ground Control. The Runaway Hamsters, a band comprised of champion triplets and their older sister, also gave a special performance.

Packard’s fellow executive team member, junior finance major and External Director of Dance Marathon, Nick Staub, was also moved by the event.

“For me, I am very much a people-oriented person. I feel really good when other people feel really good,” Staub said. “Seeing how Dance Marathon affects college campuses and seeing how Boise State Dance Marathon affects the Boise State campus and the Boise community—that’s what makes it worth it for me.”

Around 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 27, students migrated to Albertson’s Stadium for the grand reveal of total funds raised. As the rain poured down on the tired dancers, cheers erupted across the blue when everyone saw the total was $114,425, about

$34,000 over their goal of $80,000.

Sophomore health sciences major, Macey Burgess, was amazed at the reveal.

“I can’t even put it into words,” she said. “I’m still trying to hold back the tears.”

During the event it was announced Drea Burton will be the executive director for next year’s dance marathon. Next year’s goal total has not yet been announced, but if the pattern holds true, Boise State will yet again go above and beyond their expectations.

“I’ve grown a lot in these past few years doing Dance Marathon. It just changes you as a person,” said Packard.

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NEWS

Economists disagree on effects of Sanders’ plan News Editor

BERNIE SANDERS FACEBOOK / COURTESY

One of the biggest concerns with Presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders is the effect of his economic plan, but economist Gerald Friedman at the University of Massachusetts Amherst thinks it could be his greatest strength.

In Friedman’s analysis of Sanders’ economic plan he predicted a rise in GDP, median income, 26 million new jobs by 2026 and the lowest unemployment rate in U.S. history at 3.8 percent.

For Friedman, his interest started after he provided the Wall Street Journal with an estimate of how much Sanders’ single-payer medical program would cost. He then decided to look further into Sanders’ economic plan.

According to Friedman, no one has done a comprehensive study of the plan.

Instead, only individual parts of the plan have been evaluated.

Friedman said Sanders moving his economic plan away from trickle down economics is a step in the right direction.

“We’ve tried (trickle down economics), we’ve experimented by cut-

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ting taxes on the rich and it doesn’t increase GDP or work ethic,” Friedman said.

Friedman believes Sanders’ economic plan would lead to a similar economic situation experienced during the Eisenhow and Kennedy presidencies.

“The poverty number, the economic growth rate, the unemployment, the productivity growth, those numbers are all similar to what we had in the 1960s,” Friedman said. “A period where we were building the interstate highways, investing in infrastructure, expanding public universities—public

“

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Patrick Adcock

He’s trying to prepare a document that makes a case. It’s a combination of good economics and bad economics, of good assumptions and bad assumptions,

universities used to basically be free. Sanders is only talking about going back to the way it was in the 60s.”

The reason Friedman believes the poverty rate would be so much lower under Sanders is because of his Medicaid and minimum wage policies. Sanders plans to raise minimum benefits up to the poverty line as well as significantly

—Don Holley

raise minimum wage.

“The only people who would be left in poverty are people who are not eligible for social security and aren’t working,” Friedman said.

“It’s really the targeting of the Social Security benefits that gets the poverty rate down from 10 percent to six percent.”

While Friedman believes Sanders’ economic plan would put the American economy in great shape, few economists agree.

“He’s trying to prepare a document that makes a case. It’s a combination of good economics and bad economics, of good assumptions and bad assumptions,” said Don Holley, professor in the economics department.

Holley doesn’t believe Friedman has done his due diligence while looking at Sanders’ economic plan, specifically in terms

of the proposed free state universities.

“If you’re going to make tuition free in all these public institutions, think of how many people are going to transfer out of private schools so they can get free tuition,” Holley said. “And think about how many students are going to say ‘Well if it’s free, I’ll go to school too.’”

Aside from some issues of bad economics, Holley said the other issue with Sander’s economic plan is the reality of politics.

According to Holley, there is a zero percent chance all of Sanders’ proposed plans would make it through congress despite their popularity amongst voters.

Holley isn’t the only one who has criticised Friedman’s analysis.

“As much as we wish it were so, no credible economic research supports economic impacts of these magnitudes. Making such promises runs against our party’s best traditions of evidence-based policy making and undermines our reputation as the party of responsible arithmetic. These claims undermine the credibility of the progressive economic agenda and make it that much more difficult to challenge the unrealistic claims made by Republican candidates,” wrote four former chairs of Council of Economic Advisers.

Friedman continues to defend his analysis and stated the growth rates he envision are within the norm, espe-

cially for recovery periods but will be doing another analysis with more sensativity to the criticism he has revieved.

The Washington Post reported Friedman was now backing Hillary Clinton in the election; however, in an email Friedman said “I do not know who I will vote for; I am undecided. I donate to Hilary, and have also donated to Bernie. I like them both for different things. I like the Hillary who said in Beijing, “women’s rights are human rights”.

I think she is tough and will be an effective President. I like Bernie’s economic and health care policies.”

“That’s it, it’s just an intellectual activity for me. I have an interest in American politics and good government in the United States,” Friedman said. “I’m interested in working out if these ideas that I generally support actually work or how they could work.”

Friedman said he has no connection to the Sanders campaign and he only advised them on the cost of single payer medical care on the House floor.

According to Friedman, our economic climate has been poor since 2000 and this is causing unrest among voters.

“There’s a whole part of America that’s in revolt.

That revolt is leading them to Trump, Cruz a little bit, and on the younger side Bernie Sanders,” Friedman said. “Economic issues are really central in this election.”

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NEWS

Board of Education approves new Ph.D. program Jonathan Reff Staff Writer

The Idaho State Board of Education unanimously approved to add an ecology, evolution and behavior Ph.D. program at Boise State on Feb. 18.

This new interdisciplinary program will be placed within the Department of Biological Sciences.

“This newest doctoral program will significantly increase Idaho’s reputation as a leader in the field of ecological research and education, while also providing increased opportunities for cross-institutional collaboration,” President Bob Kustra said in a press release.

According to Provost Martin Schimpf, there were several factors which acted positively for the program’s approval.

The program was passed due to increased funding from the National Science Foundation, as well as the department’s top performances in academic areas.

The Proposal

Its approval was delayed due to the University of Idaho’s objection the program would be too competitive, according to Vice Provost for Academic Planning Jim Munger.

“This (was) the most comprehensive proposal perhaps we’ve ever created,” Munger said.

Munger and Schimpf were required to show the proposal to provosts from the University of Idaho and Idaho State University. After a second viewing, the University of Idaho ab-

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stained from voting.

Munger said, “they no longer saw it as beneficial to object.”

EPSCoR

The proposal also moved forward because of the National Science Foundation’s Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, also known as EPSCoR. Schimpf said, “The mission of that program is to make universities across a given state more competitive for external funding.”

With each state EPSCoR works with, a science or engineering research theme is applied in order to generate new ideas for new programs.

In the current EPSCoR funding cycle, Idaho’s theme is called Managing Idaho’s Landscape and Ecosystem services.

“Idaho has been one of the most successful states in that program,” Schimpf said. “We have shown substantial success through the funding of the NSF.”

Department Success

The new program was also approved due to the success of the department it would be placed under.

Schimpf said the board required the university to rank its programs from one to five in areas of relevance, productivity, quality and efficiency.

The Department of Biological Sciences held top ranks compared to other departments. This had a major impact with the board’s approval of the program.

According to Schimpf, the department gave out

130 bachelors degrees in the last year and 42 masters degrees in the last three years.

“The department’s actually the largest producer in the state for STEM graduates in any one program,” Schimpf added.

Due to these primary reasons, supply and demand played heavily into achieving the proposal by the board. As more students enrolled in majors taught by the department, the need for additional degrees of higher education rose.

Data ranging from the number of undergraduate student enrollment to the number of graduate students earning their degrees from each field of the department was placed into the proposal.

partment curricula will be changed, the instructors will compile shared concepts to promote higher levels of learning, they will create new teaching techniques in labs and lectures while additional graduate students and teaching assistants will instruct new courses.

The program is scheduled to be open for enrollment in Fall 2017.

Benefits for Undergraduates

In response to concerns about Boise State’s undergraduate students’ costs compared to the costs of the doctoral program, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Tony Roark clarified it would not be at the expense of the undergraduate students, but rather the opposite in terms of research, funding and the worth of their degrees over time.

“One way in which it will benefit (undergraduate students) is the faculty and the department have developed and planned this program by incorporating, redesigning and reforming their undergraduate programs to be an integral part of it,” Roark said.

Roark added that the de-

Boise State biologist Merlin White searches for water bugs in the Boise River (Photo courtesy Boise State)

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New School Year New Look

arbiteronline.com

opinion

Rape kit processing bill should be passed Patty Bowen Managing Editor

Standing at the podium of a tan room surrounded by Boise citizens and members of the Idaho Legislature, Melissa Wintrow, director of the Residential College Program in Housing and Residence Life, introduced House Bill 528 on February 25. “(HB 528) creates a minimal standard for rape kit survivors testing in our state and provides a reasonable time for that processing,” Wintrow said.

The introduction of this bill coincides with a national outcry to improve the processing time of rape kits, forensic exams performed after a sexual assault to collect DNA evidence from a victim’s body, clothes and personal belongings.

Supporting this bill ensures evidence in rape kits is accurately processed.

This will result in the identification of more perpetrators of sexual assault.

“Rape is a crime where all too often the only one who pays the price is the victim,” said Jennifer Landhunis, director of social change at Idaho Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence. “While there has been a lot of concern over the levels of false reports on the level of sexual assault, both the FBI and the United States Department of Justice estimate that level is eight percent—no higher than any other crime.”

According to Landhunis, someone in the U.S. is raped every two minutes. Out of those victims, only 30 percent report their rape to law

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enforcement.

Sexual assault is still a worry for Boise State students.

According to the 2014 Security and Fire Safety Report, six rapes took place on campus this year.

According to the Sexual Assault Response Services of Southern Maine, one out of every four female college students will be the victim of sexual assault during their college education, but less than five percent of those victims will report the crime to the police.

Ensuring all rape kits collected are processed in a timely manner will create a safer nation by increasing the number of serial rapists who are convicted because of DNA collected in rape kits.

Landhunis explained the process of getting a sexual assault forensic exam takes an abundance of strength and can often be traumatic.

HB 528 provides victims with updates about the processing of their rape kit, ensuring follow-up actions are taking place regarding their assault.

“This legislation sends a message to survivors that their voice matters, that we are going to take this serious and (rapists) will be held accountable if convicted and it demonstrates that commitment to survivors,” Wintrow said.

According to Wintrow, making sure rape kits are processed in a timely manner will help other victims feel more comfortable coming forward in the future.

The timeline created by HB 528 gives law enforcement 30 days to get kit results to Idaho State Police,

and then Idaho State Police will have 90 days to process kits into their database.

“If we don’t want to get into a situation where we have a large backlog and where people are criticizing our state, we have to have the resources to support law enforcement and victims and make sure that is happening,” Wintrow said.

According to Director of University Health Services Dr. Vincent Serio, Health Services is often the first place students go after a sexual assault.

Although Health Services can treat their immediate physical injuries and provide them with a psychiatrist to help them work through the psychological trauma of the event, Health Services does not have the facilities to perform a sexual assault forensic exam because of the delicacy of the procedure.

“When its a forensic kit, it’s basically criminal evidence and that evidence needs to be treated accordingly including very specific procedure of how it is collected,” Serio said.

Serio explained St. Alphonsus, St. Lukes, Family Advocacy Center and Education Services are all places in the valley where students can get a sexual assault forensic exam done.

HB 528 passed the legislative committee on February 25 and will be moved to a vote. To ensure its success, students should write in and show their support.

“I encourage you to look past the cardboard box,” Landhunis said. “Each kit in actuality represents a victim who endured a crime that nobody deserves to endure.”

A sexual assualt evicdnece collection kit, otherwise known as rape kit, left out for Idaho Legislature attendees to view. (Photo by Patty Bowen/ The Arbiter).

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Feature

Patrick Adcock August McKerna News Editor

Bernie Sanders The 74-year-old Senator from Vermont and self proclaimed democratic socialist, Bernie Sanders, has accomplished an incredible feat of crowdfunding $96.3 million for his campaign. Much like Clinton, Sanders is in favor of a path towards citizenship, in favor of more gun control laws, believes climate change requires human intervention and is pro-choice. Sanders, however, is in favor of what is known as a single-payer, where a single agency organizes health care through private caregivers. He is also against the death penalty. Sanders’ biggest platform is his war against the one percent. His campaign largely focuses on the issue of wealth inequality. His greatest support continues to come from young voters. In the Iowa caucus, Sanders received 86 percent of Democrats between 17 and 24, 81 percent between 25 and 29 and 65 percent of those between 30 to 39. Sanders’ greatest criticism comes from being unrealistic with his economic plan and being a single issue candidate.

Asst. News Editor

In Idaho, you can register to vote in two way Clerk up to 25 days before any election. This m registration form is postmarked 25 days before registration. You must bring photo identificati precinct to your polling place.

You can find your precinct and polling location Primary elections come first during the preside rows the field of candidates before the general ele The Republican Party will host their Republic ticipate, you must be a registered Republican. To you can fill out the Idaho Political Party Affiliation clerk’s office.

The Democratic Party will host their caucuses cus is a meeting of party members to select candi Once the Republican and Democratic ca take place Nov. 8.

Hillary Clinton In terms of a resume, it’s hard to imagine a better candidate than Hillary Clinton. She received a law degree from Yale, served as the First Lady, was a U.S. Senator, and former Secretary of State. Clinton has spoken about expanding and investing in education, providing paths towards citizenship for immigrants, strict regulation on gun control, action against climate change and continues to advocate and endorse the Affordable Care Act. Clinton is also strongly pro-choice and in favor of the death penalty. Perhaps her greatest criticism comes from her changing stance on issues, so much so the #WhichHillary was a trending topic on Twitter last week. Her opponent Bernie Sanders has scrutinized her involvement with SuperPacs and accepting speaking fees from Goldman Sacs in an effort to get big money out of politics.

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Donal

Businessman and TV personality Dona with his abrasive personality. After gradua a degree in economics, Trump joined th rently valued at $4 billion, according to F tion, calling for the deportation of undoc the U.S. Mexican border, he claims Mexi represents the conservative values of oppo climate change, plans to appeal the Patie taxes and is in favor of the death penalty. ence and his presence on stage as a bully.

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Feature

an

ys. Idaho residents can register with their County may be accomplished in person or by mail if your e any election.Idaho also allows for Election Day ion and a document with a valid address in your

n by going online to idahovotes.gov. ential election process. This is an election which narection. can Presidential Primary March 8. In order to paro affiliate as a Republican or change your affiliation, n Declaration Form and mail it to your local county

March 22. This differs from a primary in that a cauidates, rather than a traditional voting system. andidate is selected, the general election will

ld Trump

ald Trump has taken the 2016 election by storm ating from the Wharton School of Finance with he family business of real estate. Trump is curForbes. Trump takes a hard stance on immigracumented individuals and a wall, to be built on ico will pay for. The conservative businessman osing gun restrictions, is skeptical of man-made ent Protection and Affordable Care Act, lower Trump’s greatest criticism is his lack of experi-

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Marco Rubio After graduating from the University of Florida, Marco Rubio earned his law degree from the University of Miami. Rubio served in the West Miami City Commission, the Florida House of Representatives and is currently a U.S. Senator for Florida. Rubio is in favor of a path towards citizenship for undocumented individuals, opposes gun control laws, doubts man-made climate change, plans to appeal the Affordable Care Act, and believes there are no acceptable circumstances for abortion. Rubio also plans to reduce taxes and is in support of the death penalty. The greatest criticism of Rubio is his youth as he is the youngest cadidate at the age of 44.

Ted Cruz Republican Senator Ted Cruz graduated with an undergraduate degree from Princeton University and went on to Harvard School of Law. Cruz worked as an attorney and advisor on George W. Bush’s campaign in 2000. He was then elected into the Senate in 2012 to represent Texas with the support of the Tea Party movement. Cruz stands for traditional conservative values. He is against legalizing undocumented immigrants, opposes gun control, doubts climate change is caused by humans, only wants to allow Christian refugees from Syria, opposes the Affordable Care Act and believes abortions should be illegal without exception. Cruz also supports a flat tax rate and is for the death penalty.

Cruz’s biggest criticism is that he is widely disliked within politics. “The Atlantic” went as far as to called him the most hated man in Washington.

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Culture

‘The Pirates of Penzance’ comic opera captivates audiences Cheyene Austin Asst. Culture Editor

After Frederic’s nurse mishears orders to apprentice him as a ship’s pilot, she instead apprentices him to a band of pirates.

He serves 21 years, before discovering he is supposed to remain indentured for 21 birthdays.

Since Frederic was born on Feb. 29 in a leap year, this results in a significantly longer amount of time.

Bound by a sense of duty, Frederic remains with the pirates, consoled by the fact that his love, Mabel, agreed to wait for him.

Those who went on

this journey with Frederic during the weekend performance of Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic opera “The Pirates of Penzance” at Boise State found the plot lively and humorous, and the visual elements striking.

“I loved it. The production team and actors gave it their all for this performance,” said junior communication major David Edward Sanchez.

Every spring semester the theatre arts and music departments present a musical. According to

management assistant and advising coordinator for the Theatre Arts Department Margaret LeMay, “The Pirates of Penzance” was chosen for its upbeat music, comical satire and the variety of roles it offers students.

Assistant stage manager and freshman theatre arts major Emma Meislahn expressed joy at her participation in the production.

“I’ve enjoyed the cast very much. Everyone is very civil and kind, and there isn’t any drama backstage.

The show itself was sort of a collective process where everybody got to give some input into its creation,” Meislahn said.

Audience members consistently pointed to the visuals of the musical as some of the most captivating elements of the production.

“My favorite part of the production was the costume detail—from the pirate king’s sparkly boot buckle to the general’s daughter’s colorful sailorinspired costumes. I would definitely watch the show again,” Sanchez said.

Meislahn echoed his sentiments, saying her favorite parts of the musical were the costumes and set.

“Everything is so bright and beautiful,” Meislahn said. “It’s definitely the prettiest show I’ve ever worked on.”

Preparation for the production began in the fall, when designers started discussing

costumes, set, lighting and sound.

“The cast and instrumentalists have been in rehearsals since Jan. 5,” LeMay said. “The production team has been meeting weekly since the beginning of Spring 2016 to hammer out all the details of the production, including props, technical issues with the set, lighting, sound, music and overall working to make all the different parts of production meld together.”

Additional performances of “The Pirates of Penzance” will be March 2-5 at 7:30 p.m. and March 6 at 2 p.m.

Darrin Pufall, director of “Pirates of Penzance,” poses with Samuel, the puppet parrot. (Photo courtesy of Margaret Lemay)

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Culture

Boise State celebrates International Mother Language Day Zoey Nguyen Staff Writer

Boise State University is a diverse campus where cultural celebrations happen from time to time.

This month students celebrated International Mother Language Day on Feb. 21 in the Jordan Ballroom.

The event was filled with entertainment, music and songs that reflected the various cultures of the students in expressive ways.

Although the event was joyful in its nature, the origin of the celebration is

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tragic.

According to a presentation at the event, when Bangladesh was part of Pakistan, it was called East Pakistan, while current Pakistan was known as West Pakistan.

West Pakistan held the political power and believed the entire country should speak Urdu, even though almost half of the country spoke Bengali— Bangla.

The people of East Pakistan protested, including students from a few universities, who were later shot and killed on Feb. 21,

1952.

In 2000, the U.N. made the day into a celebration of languages.

Marta Noren, a senior English major, was highly involved with planning the event this year, as well as last year.

“The International Mother Language Day is a chance to celebrate the languages of the world, and that is why I wanted to do it. I love languages, and I love my mother language a lot,” she said. “Norwegian means a lot to me, and even though not that many people speak it, it is

the language I spoke when I grew up. It is definitely the language closest to my heart, and I think native languages are something to be proud of.”

The event planning involved many students from Bangladesh, for whom the event carried a deeper meaning.

Md Shah Alam, a Boise State alumni, thinks people should be thankful for being able to express themselves in their native tongue, as they didn’t have to fight for it.

“I felt really good, knowing that people love their

own culture and also how they respect others’ cultures as well,” he said. “I think a language reflects their identity, their root of their culture.”

He said language is a big part of one’s culture, since it is a means to express themselves like no other.

“You can make up a similar meaning, but you might not be able to mean the same thing you want to tell,” he said.

Abir Rahman, a graduate student majoring in biomolecular sciences, performed a song at the event.

“I always feel proud to

uphold my culture in this country. People see and hear my people through me, so I try to be the best representative I can be,” Rahman said.

Although he has lived in Saudi Arabia and the US, he considers Bangladesh his home.

“In the end, Bangla, the language that my mother taught me, remains mine by birthright,” Rahman said. “It is my mother tongue, in the end, that allows me to call myself a Bangladeshi, and sing the songs that I learned from my father.”

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Culture Women’s Spirit Drum Circle allows women to share, interact safely Jeff Jackson Staff Writer

When junior interdisciplinary studies major Susan Fullmer decided to start the Boise State Women’s Spirit Drum Circle, she was sitting in a class watching a TEDtalk on vulnerability.

The talk made her think about how many students feel insignificant in the grand scheme of things.

“I wanted to create a way for students to connect,” Fullmer said.

The Boise State Women’s Spirit Drum Circle is a drum circle for women only, allowing females to engage with each other through music and free expression.

Fullmer has been drumming for more than 20 years and decided to create the group because she believes something very powerful happens when women come together.

“It’s community that helps us feel connected,” Fullmer said. “We do grounding, clearing and guided meditation.”

According to Fullmer, while there is plenty of drumming and noise, the circle isn’t just about music.

“We come together and drum from our gut or our heart for expression,” Fullmer said. “Drumming is just part of it.”

Fullmer described drumming as a universal language.

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“There’s something about drumming that draws us as human beings,” Fullmer said.

Mac Storey, psycology major, has been drumming with Fullmer for a year and a half.

Storey described the circle as a place where all women can come together as a group and share, regardless of age, race or social status.

“Sometimes I don’t even drum. I’ll just listen, and we go until no one is drumming anymore,” Storey said. “It’s a place where you can build yourself up, as well as others. It’s good to know you’re not alone.”

According to Fullmer, the circle is also about connecting on a spiritual level, and letting women tell their stories.

“Also you can listen,” Fullmer said. “I think sometimes we lose the beauty of listening.”

During the club’s meetings, members pass around a talking stick. Whoever has the stick shares about their day or life.

According to Storey, this method ensures the talking “isn’t rushed or limited.”

Those who might be interested in joining don’t have to own a drum, or even know how to drum.

Many of the drums are lent to the group by a music therapist at St. Alphonsus Hospital. There are all sizes, shapes and styles.

“I encourage women to try a different drum every

time and see what speaks to them,” Fullmer said.

If possible, she suggests women seek out drums of their heritage.

“A few members have their own drum, but for the most part the drums are provided,” Storey said.

“There’s a huge variety.”

Fullmer created the drum circle with the hope it would provide a time and a place that feels safe for women.

“There are never two sessions that sound the same—anything can come out. It’s almost like a dance in a way,” Fullmer said.

One of the circle’s newer members, Maria Ayala, described the circle as a place all women should check out at least once.

“I’ve done tremendous amounts of healing,” Ayala said.

Neither strict attendance nor ability is required to become a member.

“This should be about (women’s) natural flow of life,” Fullmer said. “It’s a sweet addition, not an obligation.”

The drum circle presently has 25 members and is welcoming new female and female-identifying individuals.

Meetings are held the second Saturday of every month in the Student Union Building.

A monthly meeting reminder is sent out a week before with specific information about place and parking.

Regular drum circle attendee Maria Ayala draws her experience at the Boise State Women’s Spirit Drum Circle. (Drawing courtesy of Maria Ayala)

3/1/2016

Culture

Student produces and hosts television show ‘B Limitless’ Cheyene Austin Asst. Culture Editor

Junior communication major Brittany Lock has a passion for people. She enjoys encouraging and inspiring others to succeed. This passion, she said, is what drove her to create “B Limitless”—a television show she believes will help change the way people view her generation.

Lock produces and hosts the show herself, which includes tasks such as coordinating show scheduling and developing show content. But she also works alongside fellow students, such as junior communication major Chase Duckworth, who assists with post-production editing to create the final product. The show will air on BTV Cable One channel 60, University Television Productions, YouTube and Facebook.

“The show is completely run by students,” Lock said. “The people filming, directing—everything is done by students with the oversight of our instructor, Nathan Snyder.”

Lock and Snyder began discussing the idea one month

ago, and from there production started quickly.

“Students who work on the show get another opportunity to produce a long form live edit studio show,” Snyder said. “‘B Limitless’ is an opportunity to feature some of the amazing students we have on campus. I think lots of students and faculty will be interested to watch and learn about these students.”

For the first episode, Lock interviewed Miss Idaho, Sierra Sandison, who also won People’s Choice at Miss America. A photo of Sandison wearing her insulin pump during a pageant went viral, and since then she has become a spokesperson for Type 1 diabetes, written a book and started her own business.

Lock asked relevant questions, such as how she manages to juggle such a busy schedule and what advice she can give to students.

Through featuring successful people like Sandison, Lock hopes ‘B Limitless’ will be a force for change in the community, especially toward those who doubt the work ethic of the younger generation. “(I want to) shed light on the fact our generation has

been labeled entitled by other generations. They say we’re lazy or we’re not achieving as much, and they’re really worried about the future direction our generation is going to lead the world into,” Lock said. “Basically, this is my way of saying, ‘No, that’s not true.’”

She believes students are an interesting representative group everyone can relate to due to their ability to balance school, work and relationships, while often still finding time to volunteer in the community.

“I really want to get more people involved in the things going on around us or involved in pursuing their passions, especially in terms of the betterment of our community,” Lock said.

She encouraged students who are interested in being featured on ‘B Limitless’ or who wish to nominate another student to contact her.

“I am also hoping to expand the show to a ‘Community Edition’ and a ‘Faculty Edition,’” Lock said. “Right now I just interview students about their limitlessness, but I will want to also highlight the other great individuals on our campus.”

Brittany Lock interviews Miss Idaho Sierra Sandison on her first episode of ‘B Limitless.’ Students interested in the show can contact lock at blimitlessboisestate@gmail.com. (Courtesy Brittany Lock)

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Volleyball

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Basketball

Sports & Rec

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Sports & rec

Intramurals in full swing

Rylan Kobre

Asst. Sports & Rec Editor

Don’t look now, but the Boise State 5-on-5 men’s basketball league is in full force, and the competition is some of the best in school history.

Men’s basketball will play their final home game of the season on Wednesday against the University of Nevada, and while most of the players will be locked in to get a win, trying to help themselves for seeding in the Mountain West tournament, much of the staff will be thinking about how to get a win in their semifinal intramural game.

Assistant coaches for men’s basketball Isaac Wil-

liams (Defensive Player of the Year at Eastern Oregon University, 1998), John Rillie (three-point specialist from Gonzaga University, 1995) and Jeremy Harden (Pima Community College, 2010) play for the intramural team Here We Go, and after their quarterfinal win Sunday night, the team’s semi-final game time conflicts with the Men’s basketball game against Nevada.

Here We Go will take on Premature Shooters to get to the championship in the men’s blue league, the most competitive of leagues. The winner between the two will square off against the winner of Sigma Chi. co-rec league

The 5-on-5 co-rec league is in the quarterfinals and the 16-team league is paced by the Grant House Ballers, one of two undefeated teams heading into the

playoffs.

The other team, Belieb it or not was upset in the first round by a final of 47-37 to Sunday Night Fever.

Womens 5-on-5 league The women’s 5-on-5 will wrap up its season with the championship on Wednesday night. Women’s Club will face off with Rimshot for the title. Both teams come off wins of more than 40 points.

Rimshot will come into the game as underdogs.

The last two times the teams played, Women’s Club came away with with a 48-26 win and a 34-26 win.

The final will be played at 9 p.m.

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Student media is holding a focus group to get your opinion!

Join us for free food and drink on March 11th at 1:00 PM to input your thoughts and opinion.

volleyball

Volleyball has two brackets, the blue co-rec and the orange co-rec leagues.

In the co-rec blue league, where the games are in the quarterfinal stage, Netflix and Kill leads the way at 7-0. In the co-rec orange league, the number one seed Dream Team looks to win their semifinal game against All about that Ace. To see who is playing where checkout the brackets on page 16.

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marketing@stumedia.boisestate.edu to RSVP.

3/1/2016

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Sports & Rec

Wrestling responds well in championships Melissa Lambert Staff Writer

The last week for Boise State wrestling has been filled with accolades for past and present Boise State wrestlers. pac-12 all-century team

Former Boise State wrestlers Kirk White and Ben Cherrington were named to the Pac-12 All-Century team. Both won national championships in their tenures at Boise State. The All-century team consists of 28 of the most talented wrestlers from universities all around the country.

“After reading through the list of others that made the team, it is truly a great honor, and well-deserved for these former Broncos,” said Boise State head coach Greg Randall.

In 2007, White was inducted into the Boise State Athletic Hall of Fame for his performance in the 165-pound weight class his sophomore year, where he took home a national title.

“There were many great and deserving wrestlers who were not selected, some of whom I had the pleasure to coach during my tenure at Boise State,” said White.

Much of the Pac-12 AllCentury, wrestling roster consisted of participants with more than one national title to their name, and many of whom were also named All-Americans.

Cherrington qualified for NCAA Tournaments all four years of his collegiate wrestling career.

“To be placed on a list with all the names that

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made this team is a true honor,” said Cherrington. broncos in play

2016 pac-12

After the Broncos struggled in Corvallis, Oregon the previous week—losing to Oregon State for their 7th straight team loss in a row—they bounced back at the Pac-12 Wrestling Championships in Tempe, Arizona. Boise State sophomore Geordan Martinez and redshirt senior Chris Castillo won titles in their respective weight classes and earned themselves trips to the NCAA championships.

“Castillo saved the day for me,” Randall said. “It would have been a long day if he didn’t qualify, but after three years of trying he finally got it done. That kind of helped heal the wounds from the day.”

The win gives Martinez his second Pac-12 title in his two years at Boise State, and gives Castillo his first ever championship as a Bronco.

Castillo’s one point win at the 157-pound weight class came after a six-overtime battle with Arizona State’s Oliver Pierce “I’m excited,” Castillo said. “I haven’t smiled this much in a very long time.

I had confidence in myself throughout this tournament, and those one-point matches are the ones that make the difference. That’s what it came down too.”

Martinez 3-1 in the 149-pound weight class over Arizona State’s Matt Kraus was a rematch of last seasons 141-pound weight

class championship. The 17th straight win for the sophomore has him feeling good entering the NCAA championships.

“I feel like a different wrestler this year,” Martinez said. “I feel way more mentally prepared, and I had a way better Pac-12 tournament this year than last year. I feel like I’m definitely in a better place.”

Randal continues the praise of his sophomore phenom but also knows he wants more.

“And Geo, he did what he had to do to keep the streak alive. He still has a chance to win four conference titles, but now he has to focus on getting ready for the big one—the NCAA tournament,” Randall said.

Boise State Boise State University mens wrestling competing in 2014 (Devin Ferrell/The Arbiter)

3/1/2016

Sports & rec

Boise State rugby halfway through spring season Ali Roberts

Sports & Rec Editor

The Boise State rugby team is set to take on the final stretch of their spring season with a current record of 2-1-2.

With the beginning of this new season, the team— comprised of a large number of freshmen— has been performing and bonding as this season progressed.

According to coach Matt Genetti the team is progressing ahead of schedule, but at times, the team’s inexperience shows.

“It’s not just youth, it’s bringing in new guys, and at

times that might have lead to a tie or a two point loss, but we competed in every game and in every game we’ve gotten better,” said Genetti.

Other members of the team mirror this statement, as well as the team bonding, as the season has passed.

“There’s a lot of progress.

It’s a newer group from last year, so surprisingly, we are better,” said sophomore undeclared major, Nico Demus. “The team is a lot more organized and we are really good at applying what we learn every week. It’s actually impressive for a new squad.”

With rugby being one of

the fastest growing sports in the United States, it’s no surprise the team had a larger number of incoming freshmen join the team this year.

“From recruitment, even though they are all new, they are all experienced. Just the fact that the school is offering that is bringing more attention to the rugby scene in Idaho,” said Demus. “It’s helped a lot and I’ve seen a dramatic difference between this year and last year.”

Along with the rise in popularity, the team has its sights on rigby being recgnoized on campus as some of the larger sports.

Freshman kinesiology

major Zack Stolz said, “It’s a great game all around.

There are aspects of it different from football and other sports that are unique to just rugby that I think people will recognize as the years go by. And I think and hope that it gets as big as other varsity sports.”

The team hopes to finish in the top of the division and hopefully win a few matches in the play-offs.

“We want to be better than we were the game before,” said Genetti. “Our goal is to progress in every game. It should be our best game of the season when we play our final match.”

Boise State men’s rugby team begins the lineout in their game on Feb. 27 (Photo Abe Copeland/The Arbiter)

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bucking around

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Equilibrium 2.0 Saturdays from 5-8pm Practical living, news, and society. What's going on in the world? What can we expect? How should we live? Where can one get a good burrito in town? How to raise cats to not be jerks? All of these questions and more will be answered weekly! Hosted by Dave McKerracher and Ben Duran.

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3/1/2016