March 15, 2016
In d epe nd e nt
photo by taylor lippman, design by nancy flecha
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Vol. 28 Issue 25
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library anxiety Albertsons Library Redesign accomodates fear between the stacks
Inside:
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Justin Kirkham
editor@stumedia. boisestate.edu
MANAGING EDITOR Patty Bowen
managingeditor@ stumedia.boisestate.edu
NEWS EDITOR
Patrick Adcock news@ stumedia.boisestate.edu
CULTURE EDITOR
August McKernan culture@ stumedia.boisestate.edu
SPORTS EDITOR
Ali Roberts sports@ stumedia.boisestate.edu
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR Rylan Kobre sports@ stumedia.boisestate.edu
DIGITAL CONTENT MANAGER Jared Lewis digitalcontent@ stumedia.boisestate.edu
Ted Atwell
GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Nancy Flecha
BUSINESS MANAGER Connor Jones business@ arbiteronline.com
Cruz’s surpriseing win p. 6 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.
Vie for animal rights p. 14
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COPY EDITORS
Gymnastics is undefeated p. 17
Follow us on BroncoMobile, FREE in the App Store & Google Play
HOW Canadian Culture Has transformed ours through music, literature and comedy
John Muir and the religion of nature: a bankrupt legacy?
Boise State vs. Lewis-clark state (Women’s TEnnis)
Tuesday, march 15th 3:00PM Student union building lookout room
Thursday, march 17th 6:00pm student union building simplot ballroom
Friday, March 18th 6:00 - 8:00pm Appleton tennis center
Norm Weinstein of the Canadian Studies Program will deliver a lecture on how major Canadian culture makers, like Margaret Atwood and Leonard Cohen, have shaped American culture.
Like the Lorax, University of Kansas history professor John Muir speaks for the trees. In his lecture, he will be explaining how the preservation of nature is being hindered by racism, a generation of indifference and moral and intellectual bankruptcy.
After a big win last week, the Boise State women's tennis team is about to face off with Lewis-Clark State. The women's tennis team doesn't normally have home matches so this is a great opportunity to get to watch them work their magic. Students can enjoy the warm weather and some great hits.
LIVE ON CAMPUS. STUDENTS WHO LIVE ON CAMPUS ARE MORE LIKELY TO: Get a job in their chosen field Have a higher GPA Graduate within four years
bsuhousing@boisestate.edu (208) 447-1001 Chaffee Hall 1910 University Dr. Boise, Idaho 83725
INCREASE YOUR SUCCESS. 3/15/2016
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tribune content agency , boise state women’s tennis facebook / courtesy
Weekly events
NEWS
Idaho Democratic Caucus will be held March 22 News Editor
With the Idaho Republican primary in the rearview mirror, all eyes are looking forward to the Democratic caucus which is just a week away where Sen. Bernie Sanders could gain delegates vital to his campaign or former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton could extend her lead. The caucus begins Tues., March 22 at 7p.m. “For Idaho, there’s a few things to look at,” said political science professor Steve Utych. The direct answer is I expect Sanders will win, but there’s reasons why.” Utych expects Sanders to take Idaho partially because of pole numbers and partially because of who is allowed to vote in the upcoming caucus. Utych said, according to the latest poles, Sanders and Clinton are tied in terms of the Idaho Democratic party, but the structure of the caucus favors Sanders. Idaho has what is called a semi-open caucus which allows anyone to vote regardless of their party affiliation, as long as they did not vote in the Republican primary. “All Sanders needs is 15 percent turnout of independents and he’s going to win,” Utych said. “Based on the demographics and polling right now, Sanders’ campaign needs to win Idaho. A win in Idaho would be huge for Hillary Clinton.” Since the delegates for the Idaho caucus are divided proportionally, rather than a winner take all scenario, Utych said Sanders will likely take a few more delegates than Clinton in the state. “But winning states matters,”
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Utych said. “Sanders only got a couple more delegates than Clinton from Michigan, but winning Michigan in surprising fashion was a narrative his campaign could take going forward.”
Clinton
According to political science professor Jaclyn Kettler, Hillary Clinton started out her presidential campaign strong. Having run in 2008, she was equipped with donor and voter lists, and a staff who previously ran her campaign. These factors gave Clinton an early lead in the race. “She is in a good spot with her campaign. Probably not in as good of a spot as she thought she’d be this time six months ago, but still pretty good,” Utych said. “Hillary Clinton is leading the Democratic primary. She’s leading in pledged delegates. She’s obviously leading in super delegates as well. She won the states she’s expected to win.” Though Utych doesn’t expect Clinton to win the Idaho caucus, it’s unlikely to set her campaign back much. Kettler said Clinton continues to face scrutiny from previous scandals from her career as a politician. “Something she has a problems with is perception. She’s perceived as cold, uncaring and dishonest,” Utych said. “It doesn’t matter if those are true are not—it’s unlikely those are as true as they’re played out— but because of perception she has to be very careful.” According to Kettler, these types of scandals are something that come with being in politics for so long.
tinued to gain momentum as the race continues. “Sanders has pulled a lot of his support from younger voters, who, unless they’re already entrenched in politics, may not be as involved yet,” Kettler said. “It takes awhile for them to find their candidate.” Getting his message out to voters has taken Sanders some time, as he lacked the notoriety Clinton began with. “Sanders is unlikely to win the nomination, but he’s doing better than his campaign could have ever expected,” Utych said. “I don’t think he entered this race expecting to win. Now he’s thinking ‘maybe there’s a chance’ and he’s obviously interested in that.” Utych said candidates like Sanders—who fall more on the extreme end of the liberalconservative spectrum—often aren’t looking to win, but rather to raise awareness about specific issues. Sanders’ big issue is inequality. Aside from having a lot of ground to make up, Sanders’
campaign is facing another issue because of its support from young voters. “I have seen there’s concern for some caucuses and primaries—if they overlap with spring breaks. He may suffer some if college students aren’t in the right place,” Kettler said. “But clearly, his support isn’t only young people. It wasn’t only young people voting for him in Michigan. He’s getting more diversity and support, and for him, that’s what he needs.”
Role of Superdelegates
“In total, Democrats have about 4,900 delegates. Some of those are earned through winning state primaries or caucuses. Some of those are at-large delegates for the state that then pledge to the winner of the state,” Kettler said. “But the Democrats also have these unpledged party leaders who are referred to as superdelegates. They are free to pledge their support for any candidate, they’re not behold to the outcome of a state primary or caucus.”
According to Bloomberg, Clinton has 465 superdelegates while Sanders has only 25. Those delegates are currently giving Hillary the lead. “I think a lot of the arguments about the superdelegates system is overblown,” Utych said. “Right now a majority of superdelegates support Hillary Clinton. The same thing was true in the early stages of 2008; a lot of superdelegates supported Hillary Clinton.” Utych said if Sanders continues to do well in the primaries he will likely earn the support of those superdelegates as an effort to unify the party. According to Utych, the role of superdelegates is to stop a candidate the party doesn’t like.
“I don’t think Bernie Sanders is that person. Bernie Sanders is very liberal, he votes with the Democrats,” Utych said. “He’s probably more liberal than a lot of Democrats, but Bernie Sanders is not unelectable.” However, Utych said these superdelegates would be taken advantage of in the current climate of the Republican Party. “The Republicans probably wish they had the superdelegate system the Democrats do right now. They have a candidate the party deems unacceptable in Donald Trump,” Utych said. “The superdelegates could stop him. The problem is the Republicans don’t have enough superdelegates to stop him.”
tribune content agency / courtesy
Patrick Adcock
Sanders
Bernie Sanders’ campaign didn’t have the explosive start Clinton’s did. Instead it has con-
3/15/2016
NEWS
Three professors named University Foundation Scholars Jonathan Reff Staff Writer
Three instructors received the 2016 University Foundation Scholar Award last month. Liljana Babinkostova with the department of Mathematics, John Ziker with the department of Anthropology and Lonny Ashworth with the department of Respiratory Therapy were each awarded $3,000 for their ongoing services, research and individual achievements.
Liljana Babinkostova
Department of Mathematics associate professor Liljana Babinkostova works with high school students through Idaho Science and Aerospace Scholars, the Boise State Research Initiative and the National Science Foundation’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates program, “Complexity across Disciplines.” The latter is a multidisciplinary math and science program designed for students to engage in real-life situations, as well as teach students in K-12 education. She is primarily focused on game theory and cryptology studies within her department. Game theory uses a wide variety of mathematical models, used mostly in political science and economics, to describe rational decisionmaking. Babinkostova said it is also linked with cryptology. “(Cryptology) is a science to learn how to achieve confidentiality, how to study ways of encrypting and how to de-
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fend against certain (cyber) attacks,” said Babinkostova. She has been the principal investigator for the NSF program since 2011. “That program would not have been successful (if it wasn’t for the actions of ) several other mentors,” Babinkostova said. She thanked ISAS, the Honors College, the Arts and Humanities Institute, the Provost’s office, multiple departments within the College of Arts and Sciences and countless students at the ceremony. “I’m very honored,” Babinkostova said. “I don’t think it’s just my award.” Babinkostova plans to use her $3,000 to further her academic pursuits.
John Ziker
Since 1992, Department of Anthropology professor John Ziker has worked primarily with the Dolgan and the Nganasan tribes in the Taimyr municipal district of Russia within the Arctic Circle. Ziker’s focus within anthropology is human behavioral ecology—the examination of adaptations within human behavior interactions among other species in a shared environment. According to Ziker, who studied the shared environment between the Dolgan— a mixture of several tribes— and Nganasan—descendants of the original settlers—in a community called Ust-Avam. The Dolgan were moved to the area by the government of the former Soviet Union over the course of 60 years—from the time after the USSR’s
Lonny Ashworth (Left), Liljana Babinkostova (Center), John Ziker (right) receive University Foundation Scholarship Award (Photo by courtesy Boise State Communications)
founding to its collapse. “As a result of collectivization and the establishment of state farms, they were brought into villages together,” Ziker said. “They would migrate over hundreds of kilometers in the tundra and then settled into villages.” Ziker also studied in AriMas, the northernmost forest in the world. “I looked like the Goodyear blimp (due to the layers of clothing),” Ziker said. According to Ziker, the cold was minus 65 degrees Fahrenheit. “It’s really nice to be recognized by my colleagues, chosen by the committee and recognized by the foundation,” Ziker said. He intends to use the $3,000 for his family.
Lonny Ashworth
Lonny Ashworth works with the Department of Respiratory Care and focuses
on adult critical care. He said he gets students to think critically by asking what is going on with the patient, what change is necessary for the patient and what sort of technology they needs. He believes students need to approach challenges with the patient and be able to provide justification with every item on the patient’s list of needs.
1576 W Grove St DOWNTOWN BOISE (208) 331-1212
“Our students have to justify everything that they do,” Ashworth said. “We question students all the time.” He added students have to be able to validate an ambiguous situation in respiratory therapy. “In critical care, there’s very few right and wrong (occurrences),” Ashworth said. “It’s not a black and white field.” Ashworth thinks the rec-
ognition is not just for him, but for the entirety of the Department of Respiratory Care. “This is a very good example of who our department is,” Ashworth said. “Our faculty and staff are extremely student-oriented.” Ashworth, like Babinkostova, intends to use his $3,000 for academic purposes in his department.
CLOTHING JEWELRY TAPESTRIES INCENSE GIFTS
During Treefort Music Festival March 25-27th Fri-Sat & Sun www.eyesoftheworldimportsboise.com
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NEWS
Sexual assault evidence kit bill moves to Senate Patty Bowen Managing Editor
This week, the Idaho Senate will vote on Bill 528, a sexual assault evidence kit bill. This bill will regulate the timeline in which rape kits are processed. The bill was approved by state legislature last Monday, March 7. The bill was created to speed up the DNA testing of rape kits in Idaho and provide tracking system for each, ensuring no rape kits will go untested unless specified by law enforcement agents. Rap kits, or sexual assault evidence kits, collect the DNA of a sex offender, allowing authorities to enter it into a database which can lead to the conviction of said offender. “Even if their DNA is not in the system now, it could be in the future, which could aid in a rape/sexual assault case,” said Laura King, professor in the criminal justice department. “Whereas some states have a statute of limitations on rape cases, Idaho does not, so this is particularly pertinent here.” This bill corresponds with several other rape kit reform bills in states, including California, Kentucky and Ohio. These bills were in response to several articles revealing thousands of untested rape kits in 2014 and 2015 by different cities across the nation. “I think the national problem of rape kit backlogs points to a lack of resources in many locations,” King said. “States with
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larger populations, and consequently, more forensic evidence to test, may be lacking the staff, time and funding needed to analyze all of the evidence.” According to King, these rape kits may not be given priority because it is difficult to prosecute sexual assault cases. It is not uncommon for victims to drop a case entirely if they are shamed by their peers or during their case. King referred to this negative treatment as “the second rape.” According to King, al-
though it is likely this bill will speed up testing, it might not have the desired ripple effect to help victims feel like they can prosecute without receiving this treatment. “Nationally, only about one-third of rapes and sexual assaults are reported to law enforcement,” she said. “Of those that are reported, only a fraction will be prosecuted, and a very small fraction of those will result in conviction and incarceration. A lot of this is due to preconceived notions about sexual assault—commonly referred to as rape myths.”
King said these rape myths can include “blaming the victim, excusing the offender and minimizing the severity of sexual violence.” According to Cynthia Cook, nurse at Family Advocacy Center and Education Services, sexual assault is common is Idaho. At her location, Cook reported 1,590 victims of sexual assault in 2015. Out of those, 1,272 victims chose to have evidence collected while 318 chose to not have evidence collected. “It’s a very extensive process for these victims,” Cook said. “The time of
these exams is typically 2.5 hours. The nurse who administers the exam is there for another four hours to ensure the evidence that has been collected is handled securely.” The process involves a forensic interview, an assessment of the victim’s body which includes an extensive genital evaluation, assessment of injuries and tending to the emotional needs of the victim. Because of the detailed nature of these exams, Cook said the process can often be traumatic for the victim.
According to Matthew Gomette, lab director of the Idaho State Police Services Forensic Labs, surveys were sent out to different members of law enforcement in 2014 concerning the issue of rape kits. “What we found was law enforcement was doing a pretty good job of sending (forensic evidence kits), but they weren’t submitting one specific type of case—that was cases where identity was not an issue,” Gowette said. According to King, most sexual assaults are inflicted by someone the victim is familiar with and rely on “fear, intimidation and coercion” as well as or in place of physical harm. “If they do not meet the stereotypical rape scenario of a stranger jumping out of the bushes and violently attacking the victim, they are very difficult cases to win because so many people hold those preconceived notions about what a “real” rape is,” King said. According to King, although processing these rape kits is extremely important in resolving cases of sexual assault, it is also pertinent the culture surrounding sexual assault is changed to support victims. “The swift processing of rape kits is certainly important, but finding ways to reduce victim blaming, encourage reporting, improve system responses to victims, and educate the public about the reality of sexual violence are much larger, and perhaps more daunting issues that need to be addressed,” King said.
3/15/2016
NEWS
Cruz comes away with surprising win in the Idaho primary News Editor
The results of the Idaho primary last week weren’t just surprising to voters. They were surprising to experts as well. “The results were a huge surprise—that Cruz won and that he won so overwhelmingly,” said political science professor Steve Utych. “I didn’t see that happening.” Going into the primary, the Idaho Politics Weekly poll showed Donald Trump as the clear frontrunner to take the state. The poll showed 30 percent of Idaho voters favoring Trump and 19 percent in favor of Ted Cruz. However, according to Bloomberg, the results of the primary showed Cruz winning the state with 45 percent of the vote—winning 20 delegates, while Trump took 28 percent of the vote, earning only 12 delegates. The poll also showed 16 percent of voters in favor of Marco Rubio, who failed to get any delegates from the state. Utych said the situation was similar to what happened with the Democratic primary results in Michigan, where Hillary Clinton lead in polls going into the primary but lost the state to Bernie Sanders. According to Utych, the results in Idaho are a bit easier to understand than the results in Michigan. “The way to make sense of the results in Idaho comes back to Mitt Rom-
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ney,” Utych said. “The Idaho Politics Weekly poll was taken before Mitt Romney’s speech denouncing Donald Trump, saying the Republican Party needs to vote for whoever is second to Trump in their state.” Utych said Romney’s comments about Trump swayed the results of the primary due to the incredible popularity of Romney in the state. “Romney is someone who is popular—especially among the LDS community—who make up a pretty big portion of not only the state population, but especially the Republican voting population in the state,” Utych said. According to Utych, Romney is so popular in Idaho he won the Idaho primary in 2012 with numbers on par with Utah and his home state, Massachusetts. Romney’s actions show an effort to begin unifying against Trump in the Republican party. “We’re starting to see some strategic behavior from Republicans in trying to stop Donald Trump. One of Rubio’s campaign managers came out and said in Ohio that voters should vote for John Kasic because he can beat Donald Trump,” Utych said. “That kind of strategic behavior from campaigns in order to stop Donald Trump is why Ted Cruz won Idaho.” Utych said this is yet another sign of the Republican Party’s inability to unify under a cohesive set of ideals, something he said the Democratic Party is not dealing with during this election.
tribune content agency / courtesy
Patrick Adcock
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opinion
Letter to the Editor: Manipulated dietary guidelines Worried about money in politics? Here’s the perfect case study Patrick Phillips
Boise State Vegetarian Club
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, released every five years, allegedly “(reflect) the current body of nutrition science” and “helps Americans make healthy food and beverage choices.” The guidelines inform everything from individual food choices to how companies market food products, and what health professionals communicate to the public. However, one sciencebased and health-conscious
bit of advice is glaringly absent from the Dietary Guidelines just released in January: “Eat less meat.” Indeed, the contentious political scene leading up to the Obama administration’s issue of new guidelines has caused officials to backpedal from their initial recommendations issued last February—and many experts are pointing to outside corporate pressure. Statements made deep within the new document reference “strong evidence” eating less meat and processed meat reduces risk for
cardiovascular disease, and “moderate evidence” that a low-meat diet decreases risk for diabetes, obesity, and certain cancers. Yet, there exists no hard line stance on the need to reduce meat consumption in the guidelines. Furthermore, the guidelines are lacking the February 2015 draft’s promising advice to eat less meat for environmental reasons. What’s obvious is the meat industry got its hooks into the formulation of the published guidelines. With farm state allies in Congress and considerable lobbying funds,
organizations like The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and The National Pork Producers Council hold immense political power. Altogether spending over a million dollars lobbying on the issue, these groups and their friends in Congress successfully pressured the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services to leave out the anti-meat language. Many health and food politics experts are crying foul. In particular, they are calling attention to the close rela-
tionship between the meat industry and the USDA, the government agency charged with regulating the food industry. Marion Nestle, a former expert adviser to the USDA and HHS on the Dietary Guidelines, disclosed to Time Magazine in an article published this January she was previously told, “we could never say ‘eat less meat’ because USDA wouldn’t allow it.” Robert Lustig, a pediatric endocrinologist at the University of California, San Francisco, stated in that same
article giving the USDA the responsibility of writing the Dietary Guidelines is like “putting the fox in charge of the hen house.” This situation should be distressing to the American public. Of course, political pressure will play a role in matters in which so much money is at stake, but the ability of the meat industry to influence what is claimed to be a purely scientific and public healthfocused set of recommendations is breathtaking. Perhaps we need to start getting our nutrition advice elsewhere.
Staff Responses: Patty Bowen Managing Editor As a former vegan, I agree with the overall message of Phillips’ letter. It has been proven eating less meat makes sense from both an environmental and nutritional standpoint.
I personally don’t know what the Dietary Guidelines for Americans effects, but I would say the real problem we are facing as a nation is changing the culture around meat. I think it is common knowledge we need to cut down on red meat, and meat in general—with an exception of fish—but I don’t think most Americans and institutions know how to cook without meat. A simple step we could tackle here at Boise State would be to offer more vegetarian options at the C-Store that still have a substancial amount of protein and nutrients. Students would start off their adult lives with healthy examples of how to cut down on meat.
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Justin Kirkham: Editor-In-Chief The Dietary Guidelines for Americans are updated every five years and stand as a, according to health.gov, a resource to “help Americans make healthy food and beverage choices and serve as the foundation for vital nutrition policies and programs
United States.” The meat industry’s—or any industry’s—involvement in the creation of these guidelines should be alarming for any citizen, as health and nutrition should stand uninfluenced by corporate desires. across the
Unfortunately, this is still not the case. Growing up, every child is encouraged to eat a full, balanced meal. Having worked in an elementary school, I’ve seen how these misguided guidelines have skewed the discussion on nutrition. All students are told to eat their protein and that protein is the main, most important part of their meal. This contributes to a culture where children vie for fat-laden steak over the essential vitamins and minerals found in their optional side dishes, salads and fruit.
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Feature
Albertsons Librar y redesign combats library anx Patty Bowen Managing Editor
When Margie Ruppel, associate professor of the College of Education and Foundational Studies Program, first entered her college’s library— a stark difference from the small, white, one story building she had checked books out from in Indiana—she was very overwhelmed. “I grew up in a rural area of Indiana,” said Ruppel. “I didn’t even have experience crossing streets using crosswalks.” Ruppel suffered from a condition called “library anxiety,” a studied phenomenon where students feel a level of fear or discomfort entering large academic libraries for the first time. To help combat Library Anxiety and make students feel more comfortable using the Albertsons Library, Mary Aagard and several other staff members have been working on designing new layout features for the first floor of the library. These layout features include new signage indicating where resources are located, alternative designs for service desks and possibly more modern furniture for the first floor.
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“We’re trying to always think, ‘Well, what’s the best thing for our students,’” said Aagard. “We hope to have signage up by the end of fall, and continue to promote our new chat and text services.”
Library Anxiety
The term “library anxiety” was originally coined in 1986 by Constance Mellon, a professor of library science, who found that between 75 and 85 percent of students “described their initial response to library research in terms of fear.” Freshman gaming, interactive media and mobile technology major Lance LaChapelle experienced library anxiety when he was first presented with an assignment requiring him to visit the Albertsons Library. “The first time (I visited Albertsons Library), it was weird because I’m not used to using a giant library like that,” LaChapelle said. According to Ruppel, library anxiety is most common with students from rural areas and first generation students. “In general, a lack of experience with any library contributes to (library anxiety),” said Ruppel. “Then they’re not familiar with the services that are offered, the resources you can get through the library and when you’re not
familiar with what all a library or an academic library has to offer, nothing in your mind can trigger ‘Oh, I need to ask someone in the library about that!’” Aagard said it is important students recognize despite having access to databases and articles online, libraries still serve a specific purpose in our academic community. “Libraries want to be a place of open intellectual exploration,” Aagard said. “Some people—students—may have never been able to go to the library or maybe their public library was smaller. This may be the first time a student can explore ideas outside of the confines of their home, or parents or what they believe.”
Changes currently underway
According to Aagard, one of the main factors that deters students from utilizing the library as a resource is their desire to keep a level of anonymity while asking questions. “I think there is a fear of judgement,” said Aagard. “People don’t want to reveal that they don’t know where to find something or they don’t know the answer to something, and I think that exists as something with libraries.” In order to accommodate this desire for anonymity, Aagard has been working on remodeling the designs of service desks; and ultimately change how students inter-
act with the library when asking fo the library. “Right now when you walk into walk past the circulation desk and the reference desk,” Aagard said. good thing for students because th greeted, but other times they don’t According to Ruppel, the refere tion desk might be combined into plify the process of getting research “(If combined,) students won’t desk to go to to ask for help,” Rupp be someone there—a lab assistan them.” Aagard said many students wou formal methods to gain their acad search engines or their peers. For this reason, the library has im and chat services with librarians pr the ability to get help without leav or interacting with anyone face-toAccording LaChapelle, allowin asking for help might be hinderin as individuals.
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Feature
xiety
the library you have to d you have to walk past “Sometimes that is a hey want to be seen and t want to be seen.” ence desk and circulao one location to simh help. ’t need to know what pel said. “There will just nt, a librarian—to help
uld rather use more indemic information like
mplemented text, email roviding students with ving their dorm rooms -face. ng students to bypass ng their ability to grow
“It’s good to have to ask for help,” LaChapelle said. “You ‘ve got to get out of your comfort zone and ask.”
Changes to come
Continuing the anonymity trend, the library will put in new signs, making it easier for students to locate different resources in the library. Aagard hopes these signs will encourage students who are afraid to ask for help finding resources to still utilize them. “We hope to get better, wayfinding signage by the end of fall,” Aagard said. “We’re working with another department on campus to help us design and implement that.” Although there have been several studies proving the value of using colors to encourage learning and improve moods, the libraries’ interior designing can’t step out of what it is right now because of Boise State’s recent initiative to keep building within the colors of the university. Both Aagard and Ruppel hope the library will eventually raise enough funds to switch out some of its current furniture. If successful, doing this might cause students to feel like the library doesn’t fall into the representations of libraries in pop culture. “There was a white board in the library—we were asking about four new types of chairs,” Ruppel said.
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“There was also a footstool there and someone had commented on the footstool ‘I would get this footstool because it’s so modern compared to the rest of the library which looks like a 1980s REC room.” Students who would like to contribute to the redesigning of the Albertsons Library can fill out a survey about the libraries layout on their website. Photos by Taylor lippman, design by ted atwell / the arbiter
or help when entering
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Culture
Subject of Campus Read speaks about texting and driving
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tribune content agency / courtesy
I took two lives in an accident that was 100 percent preventable.
Jane Oring Staff Writer
Last Thursday evening, students and faculty were quiet and attentive while listening to Reggie Shaw recount his experience with texting while driving. Shaw is the subject of the current campus read, “A Deadly Wandering” by Matt Richtel, and is featured in AT&T’s “It Can Wait”
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campaign. According to the campaign’s website, 75 percent of teen drivers admit texting while driving is common among friends, and almost 4 in 10 people use social media while driving. Shaw was soft-spoken and sorrowful as he spoke about how his distracted driving caused the death of two people. The crash hap-
pened over ten years ago, but Shaw lives with the regret every day. “I can’t go back,” Shaw said. “I can’t change it.” In 2006, Shaw commuted from Tremonton, Utah to Logan, Utah for his painting job. During this drive, he would regularly text friends and family. One morning, he was driving through dan-
gerous weather while texting his girlfriend. A man driving a truck and trailer with thousands of pounds of horseshoe equipment behind him saw Shaw cross the yellow divider multiple times. Two rocket scientists were on their way to work and about to pass Shaw from the opposite direction. Shaw
clipped their car, causing it to lose control. The impact left the scientists’ car completely totalled. The crash was a wake-up call for Shaw. Texting while driving had become such a ordinary task he didn’t realize he was texting during the time of the crash. “No message or phone call is worth a life,” Shaw said. Richtel explains in his book how cell phones take advantage of our focus by disrupting “top-down” attention and engaging “bottom-up” attention. Top-down attention allows people to focus when performing tasks like driving. Bottomup attention focuses on stimuli, like the ringtone of a phone. Driving a car demands attentive focus but when a phone rings, attention shifts automatically. Without much conscious thought, talking on the phone or texting while driving can consume a driver’s attention. During his lecture, Shaw said although the
—Reggie Shaw
crash was an accident, it was caused by an action that was intentional. He admitted to making the decision to text and drive, and stressed how he never thought the death of two people would come of it. “I took two lives in an accident that was 100 percent preventable,” Shaw said. The impact of the crash and other accounts of texting while driving can be seen in a short video produced by AT&T. The video depicts how Shaw established a friendly relationship with a family member of one of the victims, who was willing to forgive him. AT&T also started the It Can Wait campaign. The campaign encourages people to pledge to not use their phone while driving. Over 7 million have made the pledge so far. According to the “It Can Wait” campaign website, 82 percent of drivers who stopped using the phone while driving feel good about themselves. “Look at me and say ‘I do not want to be that guy,’” Shaw said.
3/15/2016
Culture
Boise State professors create ‘The Cool Teacher Show’
Chris Haskell and Barbara Schroeder most recent installment of “The Cool Teacher Show” explores the future of standardized testing. (Photo courtesy of “The Cool Teacher Show” Facebook page)
Jeff Jackson Staff Writer
“The Cool Teacher Show,” a video webseries featured on Facebook and YouTube, started filming last August in a studio in the Education Building. About 40 episodes of the show are available online, featuring Boise State Educational Technology professors Chris Haskell and Barbara Schroeder. The show is a web series that disseminates research, introduces technological tools, offers strategies and promotes teacher culture.
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It produces around three, seven to 10 minute-long episodes a week. “It runs the spectrum from kind of hardcore stuff to really whimsical types of things,” Haskell said. The show featured students who have been through Boise State’s educational technology masters programs. Haskell said he is excited about combining teachers, students and the teaching field with a YouTube content-creator vibe. “The show is for former students, current students and teachers alike,”
Haskell said. Haskell said Boise State always looks for ways to provide meaningful content to the community. “We don’t have a good way to reach out to graduates and undergraduates, other than mass media. ‘The Cool Teacher Show’ is a good way to do that,” Haskell said. “I think it’s fun being one of the few voices out there that continues to (depict) teaching as a great lifestyle.” “The Cool Teacher Show” strives to produce fun and meaningful content. Haskell said the show
is about publishing ideas and encouraging interaction to create something successful within the community. “Universities are kind of like battleships. They’re really powerful. You’re not going to take them down, but they don’t turn very fast,” Haskell said. “When we see that we need to change direction as a University, it takes forever, but if you have a little skiff like ‘The Cool Teacher Show,’ you can launch that and create a change in direction pretty quick.” The show is presented
mainly on Facebook and YouTube where people can view, share and comment. “YouTubers are the biggest segment of media producers anywhere in the world, eclipsing every studio in the world combined,” Haskell said. He explained with online culture, a certain number of followers or subscribers isn’t required to be successful. “You can have a hundred dedicated viewers and be, by your own definition, a success on YouTube,” Haskell said. “‘The Cool Teacher Show’ gets thou-
sands of hits. I’m happy about that.” Haskell said one episode will often get thousands of hits, with teachers from around the world talking back and forth. Each show is different. Topics have ranged from strategies to keep children safe on the internet, using hashtags and the dating patterns of students. “We’re going to talk about things that are specific to career and industry,” Haskell said. ” We’ll talk about news and topical things, but we’re also going to just have fun.”
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Culture
Boise Animal Rights Initiative furthers alternative lifestyles
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BARI is a club that is informational for a lot of people who don’t know what is going on and who don’t really recognize the advantages of a full vegan or vegetarian lifestyle.
Angel Abaya Staff Writer
Boise Animal Rights Initiative, or BARI, informs students about human-animal interaction and creates an open space for discussion, with topics ranging from vegetarianism to animal rights outreach. Boise State recognized BARI as an official school club this semester. Founder Patrick Phillips, a senior double majoring in German and business, started the club to educate studdents on topics pertaining to animals and our relationship to them. This club currently lacks a following, but continues to gain more buzz with each meeting. “What we have done and what we plan to do are two very different things,” Phillips said. The club handed out hundreds of fliers on campus, and hung up posters all over campus of different celebrities and their views on animal rights. They also hosted a payper-view event where they paid people a dollar to watch a 4-minute video on vegetarianism and factory farming. BARI formed affiliations with other vegan and animal rights groups in the Treasure Valley, and
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—Lucas Swope
received much of their support from these groups when they jumpstarted the club. They have also contributed to the global movement Meatless Monday, which works toward raising awareness about vegetarianism by getting people to sign a pledge to not eat meat on Mondays. Thus far, nearly a hundred people from Boise State have signed the pledge. Along with this group, new vegan options on campus recently began sprouting up. “Mai Thai’s got some good options and Moxie Java just started a vegan muffin, so that’s pretty cool,” Phillips said. “The BRC actually does a couple vegan things.” Phillips tried contacting the dining director of the Boise River Cafe multiple times, asking her to meet with him in order to talk about expanding the vegan options at the buffet. Aramark, Boise State’s food provider, offers extended vegan food options, which other schools have implemented. “If we push Aramark hard enough, they’ll do it,” Phillips said. “They’ve already done it, and they know how to do it. It’s built into their supply chain.”
BARI members (left to right) Patrick Phillips, Ben Duran and Rachel Atcheson hand out informational flyers on celebrities and their views on animal rights in the Boise State Quad. (Photo courtesy of BARI Facebook page)
Phillips plans on hosting vegan bake sales in the future in order to raise awareness and funds. Proceeds will go toward hosting more movie nights, and, further down the line, hosting guest speakers. In the meantime, their meetings primarily serve as a platform to inform people on topics such as animal
agriculture and animal-free diets. “BARI is a club that is informational for a lot of people who don’t know what is going on and who don’t really recognize the advantages of a full vegan or vegetarian lifestyle,” said sophomore international business major Lucas Swope. “One thing that
drew me into the club was learning about how much water and land use you can save by not consuming animal products”. Though this club supports vegan and vegetarian diets, members of the club or attendees of meetings do not have to be vegan or vegetarian. “We’re not here to con-
vert anybody,” said senior political science major Ben Duran. “We’re just here to provide the informational tools to facilitate some sort of change.” BARI meets in the Student Union Building twice a month, and is open to anyone willing to talk about animal rights, regardless of diet and lifestyle.
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Sports & Rec
Boise State swim team looks to NCAA championships Ali Roberts
Sports & Rec Editor
with a new coach. “I feel like it’s been a pretty good season this year. We’ve had a different training style, so I feel like it has transitioned well into the water, and I’m happy with where I am so far,” said Aoyama. “I’m really looking forward to it. I think I’ve been getting stronger this year and I’m excited to see how my strength and training have transitioned for NCAA this season.” In the scope of the rest of the nation, Boise State’s swimming program is still considered fairly young. To have swimmers competing at a national level comparable to the largest swimming programs in the nation is a feat in itself. “To end this year having Sam and Brittany and Emma score would be really big, and having them become All-American,” said Kipp. “We would like to be considered one of those programs outside of the Big-5 conference—as one of those teams where people look at us and can go, ‘those girls can really swim. They don’t have a great facility, they don’t have a huge tradition but it’s pretty special.’” abe copeland / the arbiter
The welcoming combination of warm Atlanta air and cold pool water awaits the Boise State swim team in their final meet of the season—the NCAA Championships. The team will travel to Georgia to compete March 16-19 against the largest and strongest swimming teams in the country. So far this season the team has taken second place at the Mountain West Championships, and has a record of 7-1 in the regular season. “I think we’re set up nicely. If you go just as it’s seeded, we come out about twentieth place, but a lot is going to happen once they are in their seeds, so it set us up well. It gave the girls a lot of confidence. I think they had a lot of pride. The national championships are a lot about pride,” said head coach Jeremy Kipp. “We don’t have a team that’s going to win it; we can’t win it. So, when you check that off, you don’t have to worry about that so you want to go and be relevant, and that’s what this is all about.”
The team finished second in the Mountain West in their first year with a new coach and broke several records— a move in the right direction for the Broncos. “I’m absolutely happy. We have one more meet, and we want to go be relevant at NCAA, and I think that will kind of round out the happiness,” said Kipp. “The overall performance of the women—with the relays being as dominant as they were, the A cuts in the relays—we knew we had some studs in the team. We set some lofty goals at the beginning of the year, and to set a lofty goal and obtain it is worth something.” This year for NCAA the Broncos have three swimmers attending the meet: senior San Wicks, junior Brittany Aoyama and sophomore Emma Chard. “(I want to) just to go there for my first time to see how the atmosphere is, and how much faster I can go,” said Chard. Two of the swimmers attending are working within a new training style, and are excited to see how their training will pay off at the end of their first season
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Sports & rec
Gymnastics ‘Dream Team’ holds undefeated season The “dream team” that is the Boise State gymnastics team heads into their final meets of the season with the hopes of being undefeated. This season, the team has two remaining meets ahead of them—MRGC Championships and NCAA Regionals. Depending on the results of these meets the team will look to nationals as well. “It’s amazing; its definite benefit is bringing out more fans because gymnastics is a complicated sport and a lot of people don’t understand it. But that word undefeated has really kept us rolling,” said senior exercise science major Molly McFarland. what the scores mean
For the Broncos, and in gymnastics in general, having a perfect undefeated season isn’t enough for the team to be placed first in the nation. The way gymnastics in the United States is ranked is by scores. The traditional way the scores are taken within college competition is the home team will begin on the vault, then continue to the uneven bars, balance beam and finally the floor. From five scores out of a possible ten points per event within four events, a perfect score for any team would be 200. Currently, Boise State’s highest score is a 197.325, and the team’s average score sits at a 196.408, according to the NCAA gymnastics results. Even though Boise State has yet to take a loss in competition, these scores place the team in fifteenth place within the nation. “(As a coach) you always hope in this sport that things will go smoothly, but it’s just one of those sports where everything is so technical that one little thing can throw everything
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off, especially with the bars or the beam, So for them to just be steady and calm is wonderful,” co-head coach Tina Bird said. being undefeated
This season the Boise State gymnasts faced some of the biggest competitors in the nation—two of which are in the Big-10—and the Broncos were up against Ohio State and Michigan State,who, before losing to the Broncos, were another undefeated team. “They have historically been very good gymnastics teams, and it’s nice too that the public understands who the Big-10 is and that it’s a big deal for us to beat them. So it’s fun,” said Bird. Holding the undefeated title has also boosted team moral heading into the largest meets at the end of their season. “I think that we’ve had a really good, consistent, season. We’re just doing what we normally do. Like we say, it’s just another day in the office, but every meet as we keep going gets more special,” said McFarland. “We have conference and regionals, and are hoping to qualify for nationals for the first time ever. We are just really excited and staying motivated, but keeping our level the same and just doing what we know how to do.” senior night
Before the Broncos ride off to their final meets of the season, the team and the community had their annual honoring of the seniors with Senior Night at the Southern Utah and San Jose State meet.
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“Senior night is bittersweet. These seniors are really special to me and I’m going to miss them a lot, but I get through it because we aren’t done yet,” said Bird. “We say goodbye in front of the public, but we still have a couple more meets after that. It keeps my emotions in check.” Senior night gives a chance to showcase the seniors that have been involved with the sport since their first days of college. “I’m super excited. My whole family is going to be here and we get to walk out with them, and just to have it be a night recognizing all four of us and how we’ve been together for four years—celebrating being out there with our team and our sisters,” said McFarland. the future
With senior night finished and the end of the season looming, the gymnastics team is looking forward to maintaining this momentum into next season—in their recruiting and motivation for the returning members of the team. “Once you have a dream team like this it kind of sets the precedent for future gymnasts coming into the program,” said Bird. “It’s really a dream come true for Niel (Resnick) and I, because the kids coming in are going to know this is how we do it. This is the discipline and the level of commitment I think we are going to have, and continue to have more people who are one hundred percent on board with what we are doing.”
Once you have a dream team like this it kind of sets the precedent for the future gymnasts coming into the program.
abe copeland / the arbiter
Sports & Rec Editor
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Ali Roberts
—Tina Bird
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Sports & Rec
Boise State Rec. Center sees highs and lows in 2016 Rylan Kobre
Asst. Sports & Rec Editor
With spring break a week away, the Boise State Recreation Center is gearing up for the final six weeks of the 2016 spring semester. For students, members of the community and employees who utilize the services of one of the most popular fitness venues in Boise, there have been some positives and negatives in 2016.
No Rec Center for some
What the Center offers
Letting students know everything the center has to offer, is another focus for Rec center employees. “A lot of people don’t know what we offer,” Judd said. “Sometimes they don’t know we have classes, we have a pool or even full-time students get in for free.” A climbing wall, full-sized pool, raquet ball courts, indoor track and a variety of classes are just a few of the many activities students can use at the Rec. The Outdoor Programs is also another branch of the Rec that students can take advantage of. The Outdoor Programs, otherwise known as the OP, can give students everything from snowboard rentals to use at Bogus Basin all the way to holding a variety of trips throughout the year, such as their Oregon bike trip over Spring Break.
Classes
Classes are one of the main areas students do not realize the Rec Center offers. “I would highly recommend coming in to one of our free activity classes. The instructors are willing to help anyone from beginner to advanced—bring a friend,” Thomsen said. These classes run Monday through Saturday and are free to members of the Rec. The classes include yoga, zumba, power abs and cycling.
Some classes can be crowded due to popularity, while others, such as 6:10 a.m. morning yoga can be small in size—a great way to get started for beginners. A full schedule of classes can be found on the Boise State Rec Center’s website.
Bringing a friend
Both Thomsen and Judd agreed having a partner at the Rec Center can make a big difference in participation. Whatever activity one may engage in at the Rec Center, it is always better to have a friend along the way to help ease the pain of a tough workout, or get over the fear of trying something new. While it is easier to get motivated when a person has a partner, it is also a great way to see results faster. When working out with someone else, that person will be pushed harder and will see faster progress than if they were to workout alone. For those students looking for a person to join them at the Rec, Thomsen and Judd both said using social media platforms is a good idea. If that doesn’t work, student can ask for the assistance of staff members. “They can always ask staff to help spot, and then if they become friends they can workout together,” Thomsen said. “Our staff would be more than willing to help step in and spot someone.”
rec center facebook / courtesy
Every year Boise State students pay a “student fee amount.” Part of those fees includes entrance to the Rec Center. “We’re always trying to get more students in here,” said Boise State Facilities and Operation Coordinator Shandi Thomsen. “There’s a lot of full-time students that don’t use the Rec center and they’re paying for it.” The number of students who do not enter the Rec Center at all is so large that, Thomsen said, one of the biggest challenges of her job is to just get students inside the building. For some students it may be because they would rather play video games, while others may just prefer different ways to exercise. One of the recurrent excuses for students staying away is a lack of knowledge regarding how to use equipment on the facilities bottom floor.
“People don’t go down to our bottom floor sometimes because they are nervous,” said former intramural referee and current facilities manager Ashley Judd. “They don’t necessarily know what they are doing and they don’t want to be embarrassed.” The nervousness of students comes from the feeling they may be judged by others, but Judd believes that shouldn’t be a deterrent. “Honestly, the people that they think are going to be judging them don’t really care. They’re not watching you,” Judd said. Both Thomsen and Judd believe it could be reassuring for students to come between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and noon. This time frame is when the least amount of students are using the center. In all of February an average of just under 50 people per day swiped throught the Rec center between the hours of 8-9 a.m. Another option for students interested in learning how to use equipment, but not wanting to learn on their own, is setting up a meeting with fitness graduate assistant Mark Torres. Torres will walk students through the proper way to use equipment without obtaining an injury, in an equipment orientation meeting.
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Sports & rec
Softball gains confidence before weather becomes a factor
Asst. Sports & Rec Editor
Right when things seemed to be heading in the right direction for Boise State women’s softball, the sometimes unpredictable Boise weather had other plans. The Broncos were riding a two-game winning streak as they headed into Sunday’s doubleheader, a series finale with the University of Montana. But, after a heavy rainfall Saturday night and more rain in the forecast for Sunday, Dona Larsen Park appeared to be unplayable. The cancellation came at
the worst possible time for the Broncos. Earlier in the week, Boise State lost the first of two games between Idaho State to start off the SpringHill Suites Classic—a round -robin that includes Boise State, Idaho State and the University of Montana. The 11-0 loss was not pretty, but the second game finished with a 6-4 Bronco win. Kayla Clausen’s three for three day with four RBI’s led the Broncos to a win as the senior outfielder from Irvine continued to stay hot. Clausen is hitting .322 and is one of only two players to play in all 23 games
this season. After the win against Idaho State, just the fifth of the season, the Broncos came back Saturday and got another win against University of Montana. This time it was sophomore Mackenzie Sullivan who helped lead the way for the win. Sullivan hit a two-run walkoff home run to give Boise State the 6-5 win. It was her second home run of the 2016 campaign and a much needed one. Montana scored two runs to take a 5-4 lead in the top of the sixth inning. In the bottom of the seventh, Boise State came to the plate
and got a leadoff walk from senior, Teauna Hughes. Clausen would lay down a sacrifice bunt to move her over, but instead of a base hit to knock Hughes in and tie the game, Sullivan decided to end the game with her home run. The win gives Boise State their sixth of the season. The two consecutive wins will build confidence for a Bronco team that flies to Texas at the end of the week. They will square off with Texas Tech and Georgia Southern in the Jeannine McHaney Memorial Classic. Texas Tech is 10-15 while Georgia Southern is 14-8.
womens softball / courtesy
Rylan Kobre
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bucking around
Heard something amusing on campus? We want to hear about it!
Email “Caught on Campus� submissions to samfortner@u.boisestate.edu
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