4/4/17 Arbiter Online

Vol. 29 Issue 29

April 4, 2017 ST U D E NT

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WEEKLY CALENDAR Biomolecular Seminar Series: Heather Burkin Wednesday, April 5

Multipurpose Building Room 106, 3: 00 PM, FREE University of Nevada, Reno’s Heather Burkin will present on “Myometrial Signaling in the Regulation of Uterine Contractility and Preterm Labor”.

LGBT in the US, Demographics, Stigma and Social Change Lecture Wednesday, April 5

ILC Room 118, 4:30 PM, FREE Mills College Department of Government Professor Andrew Flores will present on "LGBT in the United States: Demographics, Stigma, and Social Change" as the 2017 keynote lecture for the Boise State Gender Studies Department.

Spring 2017 BFA Exhibition: Opening Reception Friday, April 7

Boise State Visual Arts Center, 6:00 - 8:00 PM, FREE This show will feature art by visual art, art education and illustration students. It will run until April 24. Opening night includes free refreshments, gallery admission and parking, and Candice Rood will perform her “Encumbrance” piece.

Artist Talk: Uli Westphal Friday, April 7

MING Studios, 420 6th St., 7:00 - 8:30 PM, FREE German artist Uli Westphal will be in Boise discussing his art and experiences. According to the Facebook event page, “Westphal’s interests lie in the misconceptions and ideologies that manipulate our perspectives on nature and consumption.”

MFA Reading Series: Allison Cobb Friday, April 7

Bergquist Lounge, SUB, 7:30 PM, FREE Poet Allison Cobb, author of “As We All Died,” will be reading her poetry as part of Boise State’s MFA Reading Series.

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

EVENTS

INSIDE: 4/4/17

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Patty Bowen

editor@stumedia.boisestate.edu

OPINION EDITOR Sierra Williams

sierrawilliams659@u.boisestate. edu

INVESTIGATIVE/ENTERPRISE REPORTER Jacob Palmer

jacobpalmer@u.boisestate.edu

NEWS EDITOR

BROOKE SUTTON / COURTESY

Samantha Harting

Football springs into new season : pg. 17

news@stumedia.boisestate.edu

NEWS REPORTER Taylor Munson

taylormunson@u.boisestate.edu

CULTURE EDITOR

Brandon Rasmussen

culture@stumedia.boisestate.edu

CULTURE REPORTER Michael Paquin

michaelpaquin@u.boisestate. edu

SPORTS EDITOR Evan Werner

sports@stumedia.boisestate.edu

SPORTS REPORTER Rylan Kobre

rylankobre@u.boisestate.edu

DIGITAL CONTENT MANAGER Jared Lewis

digitalcontent@stumedia.boisestate.edu

TAYLOR LIPPMAN / THE ARBITER

MERIDIAN CANINE RESCUE FACEBOOK / COURTESY

COPY EDITORS

Nevertheless, she persisted to empower women through tattoo : pg. 6

Contact Us:

Shelter opening is off the leash : pg. 15

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Darby Ebeling Maxwell Peterson

DESIGN MANAGER Ted Atwell

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Nancy Flecha

Distributed Tuesdays during the academic school year. The Arbiter is the official independent student newspaper of Boise State University and a designated public forum, where student editors make all content decisions and bear responsibility for those decisions. The Arbiter’s budget consists of fees paid by the student body and advertising sales.

The first copy is free. Additional copies can be purchased for $1 a piece at The Arbiter offices.

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NEWS Talkin’ Broncos sweeps the sweepstakes in unprecedented win

Boise State Speech and Debate Team places first in national competition for fourth consecutive time Samantha Harting News Editor

News@stumedia.boisestate.edu

The Boise State Talkin’ Broncos Speech and Debate Team placed first at the Pi Kappa Delta Biennial National Championship for the fourth consecutive time, while also placing first in both the speech and debate categories in an unprecedented type of win.

The tournament was held at Boise State on March 21 through March 25, hosting 72 teams from 40 different states. With 30 members— the largest the team has ever been—the competitors gave a total of 360 speech performances and participated in 300 rounds of debate in four days. After preparing over the last two years, the team was able to handle the 14hour days of competition.

“It’s just a lot of commitment, grit and willingness to put everything into what they’re doing,” said Forensics Director and Talkin’ Broncos’ Coach Manda Hicks.

Some of the schools the Talkin’ Broncos competed against specialize in either speech or debate, unlike Boise State, which has a comprehensive program with both. This aspect makes the categorical wins that much more impressive, according to Hicks.

The tournament is analogous to the Olympics, in that a team’s victory is based off of a culmination of points from various events, Hicks said. The team’s individual performances, as well as debate team wins, added up to the biggest victory the team could have imagined.

Talkin’ Broncos President,

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senior communication major Luke Yeates, placed highly in seven different events, while also receiving an AllAmerican Award. Only 10 of these awards are given out every two years and do not add to the team’s point total at the tournament—they are just announced at the ceremony.

“The fact that we did so well is a testament to our coaching staff and to the kind of work ethic and community they’ve built around this,” Yeates said.

Students have to be nominated in order to apply for the All-American Award.

It is based off of numerous factors such as the student’s grades, achievements within speech and debate competitions, community involvement and overall who they are as a person.

Junior social work major, Mackenzie Moss, as well as senior political science major Catherine Float, also received the All-American Award, which means Boise State received three of the 10 total awards in the nation.

Moss placed first in extemporaneous speaking out of 188 total people in the event, as well as placing highly in other events. She said the team has offered her a sense of community, as well as an outlet to have a voice.

Yeates agreed the team has changed his life by the opportunities it provides. “(Speech and Debate teams) will find people that don’t have a voice that deserve it, and they can help you find it,” Yeates said. “You take it, you make that voice your own and you leave a fundamentally different person than when you started— especially if you commit to

what it is the team is helping you do.”

After working tirelessly leading up to nationals, the team will now be working on community service projects as they finish out the semester, according to Hicks.

“The pressure on the students—no matter what you do, no matter how you try and make people feel like they’re free to just do their best and that’s enough—is really, really hard,” Hicks said. “I could see when they found out they won, because there was this gigantic release of emotion and exhaustion and relief. It’s a relief for me (to win), because I ask so much of them, and I always want it to be worth it.”

The Boise State Talkin’ Broncos hold their plaques after the awards ceremony on Saturday, March 25 where they placed first in all categories. (Photo courtesy of Aubrey Kinney).

Boise State Football Coach Bryan Harsin stopped by to give the Talkin’ Broncos a team hammer to congratulate them on their accomplisments at the Pi Kappa Delta Biennial National Championship. (Photo coutesy of Boise State Photographic Services).

2016-2017 academic year sees $5 million loss from non-resident students; most are international Taylormunson@u.boisestate.edu

Boise State experienced a $5 million revenue loss during the 2016 to 2017 academic year due to a total decrease of 232 full fee paying nonresident students—a majority of which are international students—according to Ken Kline, the assistant vice president of the Office of Budget and Planning.

From Fall 2015 to Fall 2016, the number of students from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait went from 562 to 430, according to Jim Anderson, the associate vice president of Enrollment Services. Students from these two countries make up a majority of the full fee paying international students. All of these students are sponsored by their respective country’s government.

The reasons for this decrease in international student enrollment—primarily from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait—include the changing geopolitical climate, adjustments to the government sponsored programs, certain academic policies at Boise State and the overall culture of campus.

“This is new. We can broaden where we recruit international students from, so it’s not just dependent on one or two countries for so many students,” Kline said. “There’s a risk (in only recruiting from two countries), which is why you don’t do it.”

According to Kline, the projected loss of non-resident students for the 2017 to 2018 academic year is 140 students, which would result in

A potential solution

ENROLLMENT NUMBERS OF SAUDI AND KUWAITI STUDENTS The enrollment caps are not expressly written, but are estimated to be around 250 students for students from Kuwait for an institution of our size. We do not have an official enrollment cap estimate for students from Saudi Arabia

Kuwaiti

134 205

75

311 239

Saudi Arabian

264 309 286 251 191 2012 an $8 million loss in revenue over two years.

Reasons for the loss According to Anderson, the combination of the economies in the Middle East, changes made to the government sponsored programs and Boise State’s higher standards for international students all fed into this decrease.

“Geopolitical (climates) and economies are hard things to guess and outsmart,” Anderson said. “We knew that some of the climate in the world was changing.

We were forecasting that international students were going to decrease.”

Sophomore finance major

Ali Almutairi—who is one of the government sponsored students from Kuwait—believed there may be other factors contributing to this drastic decline in international students.

“The reason why (less students are attending), is because they don’t feel like they belong to Boise State, they don’t have that feeling,” Almutairi said. “I don’t think Boise State cares anymore about international students, so that is one of the reasons why people transfer who have the ability.”

According to Almutairi, students from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have an easier time transferring because they are sponsored by their government. Other interna-

2013

2014

2015

tional students do not have the same freedom.

“There’s no money and no support for international students here. They focus on other things than us,” Almutairi said.

A couple of specific issues Almutairi brought up were the relocation of the International Student Services offices, and the lack of a place for Muslims to worship.

“I tried multiple times to make a meeting with multiple departments for international students and the challenges they face,” Almutairi said.

“Some departments came to this meeting and helped us, but some of them refused.

International students should be treated just like any other student.”

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COURTESY OF BOISE STATE UNIVERSITY OFFICE OF BUDGET AND PLANNING, DESIGN BY NANCY FLECHA/ THE ARBITER

Taylor Muson News Reporter

Wala Alzawad is a senior pre-med and human biology major from Saudi Arabia.

She has loved living in Boise because of the size and the people, but shares similar concerns as Almutairi.

“Here it’s kind of difficult for students who come from different cultures and countries to feel like they are going to stay here on campus,” Alzawad said. “There are a lot of problems. I’m the president of the Saudi Club and I face a lot of problems—especially in reserving rooms for prayer.”

Both Alzawad and Almutairi believe these problems have led to students not feeling comfortable on campus and wanting to transfer.

Gonzalo Bruce is the new assistant provost for global education who has been tasked with overseeing the new Center for Global Education.

This center was created about a year ago to consolidate all of the international student services and study abroad opportunities under one roof.

“Our goal is to double the size of our international student population in the next five years— but hopefully in the long range—we would like to get to where 10 percent of the population are international students, so there will be more of a global environment on the campus,” Bruce said.

According to Bruce, this new center will also be working to address the retention rate of students to ensure international students are having a good experience throughout their time at Boise State.

“The things that are in our control—that we need to look at—are system based.

How can we report that international students are having a good experience here at Boise State, and what else can we do to make Boise State increasingly more friendly?”

Bruce said.

Both Alzawad and Almutairi are hopeful that international students will become more of a priority at Boise State in the future.

“Boise State doesn’t realize the value of international students yet and how diversity can affect the reputation of the university,” Almutairi said.

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NEWS Pre-Law society outlines internships available for Boise Students Ximena Bustillo Staff Writer

News@stumedia.boisestate.edu

While many students are beginning to plan their summer vacations, others are currently on the hunt for an internship to help launch their careers and boost their resumes. In order to provide a sense of guidance Boise State’s Pre-Law Society held an informational meeting on Wednesday, March 29 to present different internship options available to students.

Wendy Jaquet, interior coor-

dinator for the Department of Public Policy and Administration, spoke with a student who said he aspired to one day become a city manager. According to Jaquet, he had set his bar extremely high with this goal.

“I called the city manager in Twin Falls, my student drove out, and became his first intern,” said Jaquet.

He was then one of 60 finalists for a fellowship and has now been accepted for a position as a two-year fellow city manager in South Dakota.

Various organizations such

as the Idaho Republican Party, Ada County Juvenile Court, Idaho State Legislature and The Office of the Governor presented their opportunities for summer and fall internships. Students—regardless of their major—were able to ask questions and receive applications to the different organizations.

“There needs to be more opportunities for students to be involved in the community.

Some schools only offer opportunities for students they think may be interested—it’s not

public knowledge,” said President of the Boise State Pre-Law Society Madison Grady. “We want to help connect students to our community, find ways to pursue their interests out of the classroom and let students who may not be informed of internships know it is an option.”

Internships play a key part in any student’s education, particularly for those who want to go into public policy, law or administration.

“These kinds of jobs allow for networking, apprenticeship and gives a look at a diversity of

jobs,” Jaquet said.

Justin Doi, junior political science major, has just finished his first internship at the Idaho State Legislature.

“This internship allowed me to see that representatives do care about their constituents.

State politics can seem frustrating. It’s important to be aware of the processes that exist in Idaho,” Doi said.

Representatives from each organization outlined the different job descriptions they had available. This included administration and networking

with executive agencies under the Office of the Governor, working directly with kids in the juvenile court system and analyzing data for a political party. According to the representatives, there is always a task for everyone that fits their previous experience and major.

“It’s never too soon to start interning,” Jacquet said. “It’s important for students to leave their current positions and network further than they thought that they ever could.”

Erykane Art tattoo event raises money for WCA through “Nevertheless, She Persisted” Danya Ramirez Staff Writer

News@stumedia.boisestate.edu

Erykane Art—a tattoo shop located on Vista Avenue—hosted a Nevertheless, She Persisted tattoo event this Saturday, April 1 to raise money for the Women’s and Children’s Alliance (WCA).

They offered 100 different $50 tattoo designs along with partnering business products including Nevertheless She Persisted candles from Lit and Co. Candles, a Sibbz Nevertheless, She Persisted longboard, vouchers to European Wax Center and more.

“Nevertheless, She Persisted” was a phrase that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell used to justify silencing Senator Elizabeth Warren on Feb. 7, while she was reading a letter to protest the nomination of Jeff Sessions for U.S. Attorney General. Since then, women from all around the U.S. have taken ownership

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of the phrase and turned it to a motto to empower women.

Many clothing and merchandise brands have used the phrase, including companies and platforms like Reebok, Etsy and Teespring.

“I’ve always wanted to do something that helps people find strength and move on with any hardships they were going through,” said Eryka Jensen, Erykane Art owner and tattoo artist. “This one was a really powerful message for me personally, so I wanted to be behind it.”

Half of every $50 tattoo and voucher purchase was donated to the WCA as well as money from raffle tickets.

According Jensen, the event raised $3,800 for the Women’s and Children’s Alliance and was better attended than she expected.

“The message of strength is really powerful, and we are all here for each other,” Jensen said. “It’s important to me that we were able to help people

through tattoos.”

Janay Moran, a cosmetology student at Paul Mitchell, saw the phrase as a push for equality.

“Especially being a woman of color, I feel like you do really have to push to get equality,” Moran said. “Women of color still aren’t as represented as white women are, so we’re really pushing to make sure that we are known—we’re here, pay attention to us, we aren’t going to stop,” Moran said Danielle Dyer, a cosmetology student at Paul Mitchell, chose to get her first tattoo at this event.

“I’m a pretty hardcore feminist, so this feels like a good option for me,” Dyer said.

Madina Khodjanyazova, a Boise State sophomore graphic design major, wanted a tattoo because she appreciated the message of the event.

“The phrase means to me never giving up even though you are going through a lot of hardships in your life,” Khod-

Participants in the Nevertheless, She Persisted tattoo event had 100 different $50 designs to choose from on Saturday, April 1. (Photo by Taylor Lippman / The Arbiter).

janyazova said. “This school year in particular, I was having trouble keeping on track.

I’ve had a lot of points where I wanted to give up, but I decided to persist instead.”

Pictures and videos from the event can be found on the She Persisted: A Boise

Tattoo Event Facebook page, and more information about the tattoo shop can be found at the Erykane Art Facebook page.

“We are kind of a different tattoo shop; a lot of people think tattoo shops can be scary and intimidating,” Jensen said.

“We are in this to help people and give people a positive experience. I want people to know if they ever need a tattoo, we are happy to give them a friendly safe space to get tattooed, and they are always welcome at our shop.”

Jordan Erb Staff Writer

news@stumedia.boisestate.edu

Once a week for the past year, Luke Yeates has gone to the Idaho State Correctional Center (ISCC) to volunteer at the prison and help inmates.

Yeates, a senior communication major, developed a program at the ISCC in which he teaches inmates the transformative power of speech and debate. Known as the Prison Debate Initiative, the program is dedi-

within debate, and created the Prison Debate Initiative, he hoped that inmates might find the same revival.

The program spans 12 weeks and teaches inmates about theory and framework, holds discussions about current events and renews their ability to self-advocate, according to Yeates.

Participants are taught to argue their case, and, as with any debate event, create rebuttals to their opponent’s points. Yeates said the program helps teach the inmates how to debate, by

“

“I like the focus to be on the inmates and what they’ve accomplished. That the program exists is cool— and I’m very lucky to be a part of it—but they’re the ones doing the work. ”

—Luke Yeates, senior communication major

cated to helping an underrepresented group of people find their way again. He spoke about the Initiative on Wednesday, March 29, at the Ethos Symposium held at Boise State.

“Debate is unique in its ability to create voices,” Yeates said. “There are a lot of people who walk through life constantly feeling silent.”

Yeates himself underwent periods of feeling silenced, describing himself as listless in his early college years.

This turned around when he was introduced to debate.

As Yeates found new life

teaching them how to properly argue and defend their statements against criticism.

The development of self-advocacy carries the inmates through their 12week program, which leads to a culminating debate event. Inmates are encouraged to invite friends and family to watch and see how they have improved in their capacity to articulate their positions.

A powerful event, Yeates was once approached afterwards by a parent who said, “I feel like I have my son back again,” a comment

Yeates heard from his own mother after he found debate.

“The spark had been returned to me,” Yeates said.

That spark is what keeps him coming back to prison each week to meet with the inmates. And each week that Yeates shows up, the participants improve. Willing to learn and take the program seriously, the inmates show enthusiasm that is often not expected from prisoners. “(Inmates) are more active and engaged than students are in some classes I have taken at Boise State,” Yeates said. “It’s a constant fount of wanting to understand.”

Yeates even encourages others to begin volunteering at local prisons, as they hold a group of people that often go forgotten when it comes to philanthropy.

Anessa Palnikov, junior English major, speaks to the importance of engaging with underrepresented populations. An attendee at the Ethos Symposium, Palnikov was intrigued by the idea of serving inmates.

“Prison is a heavily unheard population. It’s not a community that I have personally familiarized myself with, but I know it is a community that lacks in all sorts of attention,” Palnikov said.

Palnikov—who is affiliated with a religious organization that helps with refugees, families and children in need—would consider prisons as a viable philanthropy to add to her current community outreach. “(Yeates) has really assessed what the greatest

ETHOS PROJECT FACEBOOK PAGE / COURTESY

Student uses Ethos Symposium to voice partnership with Idaho prison

need is within the community and has reached out. It goes for a lot of us to say that we haven’t done that, but it’s something we should consider doing,” Palnikov said.

Though Yeates is proud of his accomplishments within the prison community, he

stressed the importance of honoring his participants over himself. According to Yeates, the hard work and dedication the inmates have displayed fills his heart with pride and joy.

“I like the focus to be on the inmates and what

they’ve accomplished. That the program exists is cool— and I’m very lucky to be a part of it—but they’re the ones doing the work,” Yeates said. “When you graduate, you thank your professor, but you’re the one who gets the diploma.”

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OPINION Identity politics, a rose by any other name will probably offend people who like things the way things are.

Maxwell Peterson Copy Editor SierraWilliams659@u. boisestate.edu If you were still confused on the matter, we are not all created equal. Whatever Thomas Jefferson meant, I think he may have got it twisted. If he meant to argue that, at birth, we are all the same, he definitely got it twisted. Humans are born without sight, with skin like a bullseye or without limbs every day. If he meant we all have the same possibility for greatness… well, wrong again.

We are born unequal. Due to this fact, it is the responsibility of an ethical politician to try to rectify the inequalities of nature through political might.

Still some seek to revolt against the notion which have been coined ‘identity politics’, citing that it creates a new standard through which inequality is proliferated.

Let’s get right down to the nitty gritty.

Everyone has a unique amalgam of identity that makes them who they are. A mixture of ethnicity, hobbies, food preferences, religion, politics, diseases and sexual identity make us who we are. Consider the following example: There is a woman. She is a Mexican florist who does not benefit from the advantageous skill of understanding and speaking English. There’s a lack of privilege there.

Another woman. She is a trilingual college professor who was born male. Simply put, she doesn’t get the same advantages as a lot of women.

The first woman is a great

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florist and an eloquent speaker of Spanish, but she has a tough go. The transgender, trilingual professor? She’s got a tough go too. Maybe someday these women meet, they commiserate and they say “It’s not right that we have to suffer like this when others don’t.” They band together to make a difference and, in the process, call out some people for not understanding what they’re doing because those people may be white, straight or cisgender.

Along comes a politician who, whether or not they suffer from any of these lacks of privilege, agrees with the idea that it is society’s responsibilities to right this inequalities. So they decide to incorporate special proficiencies in their platform to help these constituencies.

Inevitably, somebody feels left out. They look at the politician seeking to help someone else.

They get on their Facebooks and vent their rage that minorities have created a clique without them.

Here’s where the confusion seems to lie. The women from the example don’t go home to their separate beds and lay down and think “Well I’ll be darned. That lady understands what it’s like to be me completely.” And if they do, they’re wrong.

I’m gay. I’ve been called a faggot and followed to my car by three drunk men. My best friend as a kid called me a gaywad before I knew what it was to be gay. A man threatened to drag me outside of Goldy’s Corner and teach me what it was to be a man. I’ve experienced a lot of things I wouldn’t have if I were straight.

I have never, however, been called a racial slur. And I don’t understand what it feels like to be insulted on account of my race. I would never say that I belong to a larger group that all falls into the same label as nonwhite, non-straight or non-binary, because it’s not that kind of club. However I do know what it feels like to be singled out, to be ‘othered’.

Our overlapping cultures are made from ingroups and outgroups.

If my friend needed an interpreter of Japanese, I would hope she called someone who spoke japanese and not me.

Because I don’t speak Japanese.

It’s as simple as that. Maybe you’re left out of a conversation because you don’t understand, because your life up to this

“We will never be a nation that can

be fully united based on our identities.”

Stay with me. Don’t get bent out of shape about identity politics for two reasons. It’s an extreme oversimplification. I’m not just gay, I’m an outdoorsman, I’m a poet, I’m a feminist and I want to solve homelessness. No one candidate could every appeal to my every wish.

Secondly, identity politics is unavoidable. If you think every president in the history of everything hasn’t used identity politics, you’re wrong. If you appeal to farmers, you’re appealing to a facet of their identity. Poor, homeless, black, non-binary, disabled, veterans, non-English speakers, deaf and avid canoers. These are all identities. When I say “Inter” you say “Sectional!”

If you’re made to feel singled out because of your whiteness or your straightness or your penis, don’t expect it to feel good.

It’s never going to feel good. Being left out isn’t awesome, but it’s part of being an individual.

point has not prepared you to be a part of this conversation or to understand. That doesn’t mean you are worthless or that you will never understand, but it is the reality of being an individual with a multifaceted, intersectional identity.

We will never be a nation that can be fully united based on our identities. Politicians who are unwilling to cater to identity politics are like veterinarians who will only treat

gerbils.

All these calls for snowflakes to simmer down echo against the giant idol that straight, white society has erected in the midst of our cities. The god says that people are finally equal. It says that the days of injustice are over. It creates an atmosphere in which if you’re not over the injustices of the past you are the one clinging to a dusty yesterday. To those, I say I would agree if it were a thing of the past. If near 30 percent of LGBT youth did not experience sexual and dating violence, according to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), I might agree. If the second leading cause of death in 15 to 24-year-old LGBT youth was cancer and not suicide, according to the CDC, I might agree.

If more than eight years had elapsed since the passage of the Matthew Shepard act, I might agree. If it had been more than 7 years since Don’t Ask Don’t Tell was repealed, I might agree. If we lived in a nation where my people could not be fired, weren’t denied services, didn’t have their blood donations denied and didn’t have to

April 15th, 2017

worry about the permanence of their marriage certificates, I might agree. If, despite only being 2 percent of the population, black Americans didn’t make up 15 percent of deaths at the hands of police men and women according to Jon Swaine’s article in the Guardian, and 40 percent of inmates in America according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons,I might agree.

If it hadn’t been last week that Youtube had adjusted their restricted mode to not filter out age-appropriate LGBT material, I might say that we’ve come to a place where I can accept the fact that we all have the same hard row to hoe.

But probably not.

Despite these realities, there will always be factions of our society who feel that minority groups are throwing a tantrum by asking for politicians to cater to their requests, and probably always will.

But when a politician reaches out to me specifically and tells me they have my interests at heart, that’s not ‘identity politics’. That’s a politician executing the fundamentals of their position.

JULIA DAVIS PARK Officially licensed

Identity politics: bigotry in a shiny new package One ideology is single handedly tearing us apart

Jacob Palmer Investigative/Enterprise Reporter JacobPalmer@u.boisestate.edu

Right now in America there is a political movement that is dividing the nation bitterly. The movement isn’t related to a certain president who spends his early mornings tweeting outrageous things from the White House restroom. It’s identity politics; a movement far larger and more dangerous because it claims to unite people, yet in reality divides them.

How it works Identity politics strategically groups voters into blocks based on their race, gender, sexual orientation, etc. Then, based on the history and perceived needs of that group, politicians (and the public) decide how they should treat these groups differently.

This movement has been adopted by many on the left who take every opportunity to either self identify with an ethnicity or sexual orientation, or give special attention to those groups to appear tolerant. At first it seems like a wonderful idea. After all, there have been injustices in our nation’s history, and problems of bigotry should be solved. However, using identity politics doesn’t solve problems. It makes them worse.

How it divides Trying to appear tolerant because you mention the names of many different identities

doesn’t unite people, it divides them.

If you try this strategy, be prepared to list every possible group people self identify as or be labeled a bigot.

Take for instance the LGBT movement, or the LGBTQ movement, or the LGBTQA movement, or the LGBTQAAIP movement, or if you want to be super inclusive, LGBTQAAIP2SAA. But perhaps even that isn’t inclusive enough according to Wesleyan University, who labeled one of their student houses as the LGBTTQQFAGPBDSM friendly.

Now you might be asking yourself, “If some groups are left out, why not just bring every group into the movement?”

The answer to that reveals the biggest problem with identity politics. Its extremely distorted view of “privilege.”

How it separates “Privilege,” relates to the idea of how well one group has been treated by society. Groups that have been in power or have had a majority in society—Caucasians, men, heterosexuals, etc.—are seen as having been born with more material and social benefits than those who are seen as oppressed—racial, religious and sexual minorities.

Now it’s absolutely true that some groups are better off than others, and abhorrent past events such as slavery, segregation and harassment have been a cause. And society should have some sort of assistance for all people who have been born with little. But the conversation shouldn’t be centered on problems in the past; instead it

should be focused on solutions in the present; and identity politics is a horrible solution.

It states if one group was persecuted in the past, then ALL current members of that group must also be persecuted in the present. Conversely, if a group was privileged in the past, then ALL current members of that group are privileged now.

This leads to a worldview where in every scenario, minorities are the victims and majorities are oppressors; where anyone someone disagrees with is automatically labeled as racist, sexist or homophobic.

Are there restrictions on blood donations for homosexuals? It MUST be because the CDC hates gays and not because statistics show some homosexuals and bisexuals are most at risk for carrying bloodtransmitted diseases. Someone wants greater border security?

They MUST hate Hispanics. They couldn’t possibly be concerned about economic or civil issues. YouTube installs a controversial new ad policy? It must not be because advertisers complained some of their ads were being displayed on terrorist propaganda videos, so YouTube overreacted and implemented a restricted mode pulling ads from ALL controversial topics such as LGBT videos AND some conservative political channels. Let’s just say that despite numerous proLGBT campaigns, YouTube MUST be homophobic.

order to try to “balance out” fairness. This is sadly a mainstream view to some. Ask Sally Brown, head of the Idaho Democratic Party. In a speech she gave to the DNC regarding race, she actually stated it was her job to silence white people.

“My job is to shut other white people down when they want to interrupt, when they want to say ‘Oh no, I’m not prejudiced. I’m accepting.’ My job is to make sure they get they have privilege,” Brown said.

This logic is sadly being played out at places such as Walter Reed Middle School

in North Hollywood. According to ABC News, because of a diversity quota set by the local school district, schools more minorities get more funding, and because the student body at Walter Reed is too white, their school is now facing a budget crunch.

Bigotry doesn’t solve bigotry Advocates of Identity Politics will try to defend these policies by listing discrimination that’s happened in the past, and how identity politics, while not perfect, is needed to solve past

bigotry. This explanation is a textbook “either-or” fallacy.

Identity Politics isn’t the only solution to past problems. It doesn’t make people equal, it uses race, gender and sexual identity to some up, and others down.

It’s terrifying to see people like Sally Brown make a major political party applaud the idea of censoring people based on, the same can be said of straight men, or any other group they view as “privileged.” The answer to discrimination in the past is not more discrimination today.

How it scilences It gets worse when people will actively try to censor those who they deem “privileged” in

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FEATURE

CITY OF BOISE FINA FOR CIRCULATOR

Council deciding between l

Patty Bowen Editor-in-Chief

Editor@stumedia.boisestate.edu

Freshman radiology major Madison Koster and freshman human resources management major Sheridan Walund, who both live in Towers Hall, sit comfortably on the metal, green benches outside of the Student Union Building; while waiting for the University Shuttle, the sun warms their faces and the wind playing with their hair.

“We take (the University Shuttle) sometimes after classes,” said Koster. “It’s easier than walking across campus.”

Other than the short trips across campus, neither Koster nor Walund use the public transportation in Boise. The attitudes these students, and future students, hold regarding public transportation might change with the installation of a circulator—a public transportation route that makes a circle—in Downtown Boise.

If approved by Boise City Council, the circulator would make a ‘T’ shape in the heart of Downtown Boise, running on W. Idaho Street and W. Main Street from St. Luke’s Medical Center to 15th St., and down to Boise State on S. Capital and 9th Street.

“The idea is that someone could come to downtown, park their car once—park it in a parking garage— and leave it for the day and do whatever they need to do,” said Mike Journee, communications director for the City of Boise.

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Alternative Analysis The City of Boise finished its Alternative Analysis—a study started in 2011 researching ways the City could improve its public transportation—after holding its last focus group on March 14 in the lobby of City Hall.

According to Journee, the City Council’s decision will be made in the next six to eight weeks.The Council will be deciding the mode of transportation and planning methods to gain funding for the project, Journee said.

Both buses or a streetcar are viable modes that the Council could pick between. The group of 18 individuals that collected information for the Alternatives Analysis—the Alternatives Analysis Steering Committee—would like to pursue a rail-based system if it would be possible to raise enough funds, said Journee, however, there is still “question as to whether or not that is possible.”

According to the City of Boise website, construction of a light-rail based system would cost roughly $111 million, compared to the $23 million it would cost to construct the circulator as a system of buses.

According to Journee, Boise Mayor Dave Beiter is in favor of the railbased system as well because of the economic impact predicted to sprout from its construction.

“The mayor wants a permanent system because it would have that impact,” Journee said. “It would be

a sign to the entire we’re serious abou going to be somet the downtown for it is going to be a p what our downtow The Alternatives ed the economic ac result due to the of a rail-based sy between $75 milli lion—which Journ significantly more the $0 to $235 m from the impleme ber circulator.

Koster approve Committee’s decis rail-based system.

“I think buses Koster. “I would rat rail than a bus. You time on a bus to m more people end u

Planning the cit

Amanda Ashley, sor in the School o couldn’t comment would “make mor circulator; howeve that bus systems ties to “feel out” th making them perm “(Putting in a rub lator) is a really goo lead to light rail la “But you have to t that light rail is u more regional wa necessarily just wan downtown, especia

ALIZES PROPOSAL IN DOWNTOWN

light rail and bus system

ed the Steering sion to pursue a

are dirty,” said ather get on a light u have a lot more make it dirty and up riding the bus.”

ity

y, assistant Profesof Public Service, t on which mode re sense” for the er, she explained allow communiheir routes before manent. bber-based circuod step that might ater,” said Ashley. take into account usually used in a ay. You wouldn’t nt to put light rail ally since we have

such a dense downtown area.”

Ashley said she would prefer to see more emphasis placed on public transportation connecting the downtown area with parts of West Boise or Garden City because it would “give a sign to developers that the City is interested in assigning more resources to those areas.”

“What (the city has now) is great if you’re thinking about hopping off in the downtown area to the University,” Ashley said. “But if you’re thinking about where you’re interested in the development going to, it’s going to require you to expand a bit broader of a footprint.”

Daren Fluke, the comprehensive planning manager for the City of Boise and a member of the Steering Committee, said the “biggest need” in Boise’s public transit right now is the downtown area, because of its density.

Fluke mentioned that in order to cut down on costs, the City of Boise could design the circulator system to look like a light rail. Even that, he states, would not lend it to the same economic growth of a light rail because the route wouldn’t necessarily have the permanence of a light rail.

After construction on the Broadway Bridge was completed earlier this year, Boise State was able to motify the Orange Route of the Bronco Shuttles to circle up through Broadway making it a circulator. According to Christine Boyles, transportation coordinator for the Department of Public Safety, in February 26,330 people used the Bronco Shuttles, and 14,000 rode

the Orange Route.

Fluke said numbers that indicate the need for a circulator for the city.

Other areas of growth Fluke said the circulator is part of a larger plan to improve the public transportation in Ada County.

According to Ryan Head, planning supervisor for the Ada County Highway District (ACHD), another aspect of this plan is the work ACHD is doing, in conjunction with the City of Boise, to widen State Street to seven lanes and add a High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane on State Street from Glenwood to 27th Street.

According to Head, projections predicted that State Street would need to be expanded to nine lanes.

Head said this would help combat the congestion in those areas and encourage commuters to take public transit.

“Working with the public, we identified an alternative transit usage to try to address that congestion,” Head said. “We can’t build a nine-lane street on State Street. It would really have a strong impact on the community and all the roads adjacent to it and this was the corridor suggested for that.”

The construction of the HOV lane is projected to take place over the next two years, according to Head, and will begin with the widening of various intersections across State Street.

PHOTOS BY PATTY BOWEN, DESIGN BY NANCY FLECHA / THE ARBITER

e community that ut this. That this is thing that defines r generations, and permanent part of wn becomes.” s Analysis predictctivity that would implementation ystem would be ion to $305 milnee cited as being e impactful than million predicted entation of a rub-

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Theatre Arts Department production of “The Flicks” builds witty dialogue and naturalism into projections of something bigger

Evan Werner Sports & Rec Editor

Sports@stumedia.boisestate.edu

Akincana “AK” Webb, Kelly Barker and Earl Moore rehearse a scene in Act I of Anne Baker’s play “The Flicks.” (Photo by Patty Bowen / The Arbiter).

Patty Bowen Editor-in-Chief

Editor@stumedia.boisestate.edu

Meandering through the empty rows of movie theater seats while collecting popcorn and other specimens forfeited to the floor, Avery—played

by Akincana “AK” Webb— pauses after his fellow employee, Sam—played by Earl Moore—comments on the status on the praisable nature of the film “Avatar.”

“I repeat: I don’t think it’s possible for me to engage in like a rational debate with you about it,” Webb said while sweeping. “It’s like if I said: I love killing babies. Let me try to convince you why killing babies is fun and you should enjoy killing babies.”

Webb and Moore are both actors in the Theatre Arts

Department’s production of Anne Baker’s 2013 play “The Flicks”. The play will be performed in the Danny Peterson Theater from April 6 to April 15 with showings on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., and matinee showings on Sundays at 2 p.m.

Highly reviewed by several publications including The New York Times and winner of the 2014 Pulitzer for Drama, “The Flicks” centers around the hilarious and messy interactions of three employees— Sam, Avery and Rose, played

by Kelly Barker—who work at a small movie palace.

“You wouldn’t think there would be much at stake at a minimum wage, shitty job when these (characters) don’t know each other and there is nothing obviously at stake for these people,” said Matt Balt-

zell, actor playing Dreaming Man/Skylar. “But what I love about the script is that it still is high tension, there still is a lot going on for these losers spinning their wheels, who don’t really have anything in their lives.”

The witty banter and trueto-life dialogue creates a naturalistic atmosphere, according to Director Michael Baltzell, who said that Baker’s “great sense of natural space and dialogue” becomes apparent in the frequent scenes of “sweeping the theater and engaging in conversations.”

The naturalism is also apparent in the set’s design—a theater full of chairs facing the audience which is “self reflecting,” according to Baltzell.

“The naturalism goes back to: we’re looking at each other,” Baltzell said. “So when

we’re sitting here we’re looking out at ourselves—it is a mirror—so with that sort of conversation that doesn’t feel manipulated, you can look and see yourself. You can probably see yourself in every single one of the characters.”

Barker explained that the pauses—indicative of the naturalistic speech patterns are therefore common in everyone’s dialogue—”keep you on the edge of your seat.”

She noted that each reference Baker sprinkled into the script “has a purpose.”

Tickets are free for students and faculty at the Morrison Center Box office if collected before 1 p.m. on the day of the production. Tickets for students or faculty can be purchased at the doors for $5 or $15 for general admission.

The future is here.

Virtual reality allows you to experience the unthinkable from the comfort of your couch.

Using the PSVR as my primary virtual reality experience, I can attest that it is technology unlike anything we have seen.

The experiences that are currently available for the PSVR, a virtual reality headset designed for the PS4, are a strong demonstration of the capabilities this technology has.

If playing “Resident Evil 7” wasn’t scary enough, being a zombie thriller, I stepped into in an immersive experience where I felt as though I was actually being hunted as I tried to find my way out of a haunted

mansion.

Next, I strapped on my seat belt and drove a race car at 150 mph on the streets of Australia, in “Driverclub VR.” I got behind the wheel of almost any custom made car I could think of and raced against others.

I was the Batman. I stepped behind the mask as Batman and solved crime as the Dark Knight in “Batman Arkham VR.” The choice of purchase comes down to the user; with a $399.99 price tag, gamers will have to weigh the pros and cons of buying such an expensive accessory. Do you want to buy the PSVR or pay rent that month?

You may think it’s an easy choice, but clearly from the choice I made, I love Top Ramen and a sun roof. Who needs real money when your can be rich in virtual reality?

WANTED TO BUY FACEBOOK PAGE / COURTESY

Watching “The Flicks” at the theater

CULTURE Virtual Reality: the future of gaming

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CULTURE Gene Harris Jazz Festival returns to Downtown Boise for its 20th year

Junior health sciences major Alexander Hicks plays the soprano saxophone with Boise State’s big band at the 2016 Gene Harris Jazz Festival. (Photo courtesy of the Gene Harris Jazz Festival Facebook Page).

Brandon Rasmussen Culture Editor Culture@stumedia.boisestate.edu

Once a year, the SUB is filled with the unmistakeable sound of jazz. The building is flooded with young students in formal attire, carrying their instrument cases as they travel in packs from event to event to learn more about their musical craft.

Starting Wednesday, April 5, The 20th Annual Gene Harris Festival will return once again, but this time on a larger scale.

The festival will expand to include multiple venues downtown and at the Morrison Center. The Boise community as a whole is invited to attend.

According to Alex Noppe, a professor in the Department of Music and the festival’s organizer, this change is more of a return to form than a revolution. “(The festival) used to have a big club night event downtown,” Noppe said. “The festival ran into some financial problems about a decade ago, and the club night went away.

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Since then, we’ve been working to keep it stabilized.”

Noppe went on to explain this year’s festival will be including four venues in downtown Boise: the Egyptian Theatre, JUMP, Bar Gernika and the Simplot Performing Arts Academy. These venues will host the many professional jazz artists coming to perform this year, including Curtis Stigers, Todd Strait and jazz vocalist group Just 4 Kicks.

“This is the biggest lineup we’ve had since about 2008 or 2009. We’re trying to do something big this year,” Noppe said.

“It’s almost like a much smaller and focused jazz version of Treefort.”

The expansion will allow Boise State to accommodate more students to participate from all around the Northwest. Noppe added the festival is expecting 1,500 students to attend from Oregon, Washington and throughout Idaho.

The Gene Harris Festival will also expand by absorbing Boise State’s Vocal Jazz Festival,

“This is the biggest lineup we’ve had since

about 208 or 2009. We’re trying to do something big this year.”

—Alex Noppe, director of jazz studies

which usually takes place every year in February. According to Professor Quinn Van Paepeghem, the director of Boise State’s Vocal Jazz Ensemble, this will be a welcome change.

“We thought the festival should be more diverse,” Van Paepeghem said. “Believe it or not, there are people in Boise who have never heard of a vocal jazz group, even though it’s been in the Valley since the late 60s. Think about the masters—people like Ella Fitzgerald, Carmen McRae and Sarah Vaughan were vocalists on the cutting edge of the genre.”

Though this expansion will allow Boise State to engage the community on a larger scale, Noppe and Van Paepeghem emphasized the festival’s core

purpose is to encourage and educate young jazz musicians, whether they be in middle school, high school or college.

According to Noppe, this component was critically important to Gene Harris, a prolific jazz pianist who made Boise his home in the late 1970s.

“Gene was not a formal teacher or educator, but he was interested in mentoring younger players. Musicians like Curtis Stigers learned by playing and spending time with him,” Noppe said. “He was really good at just letting people play with him. He would hold amateur jam sessions downtown and people would just come up to play with Gene Harris.”

Van Paepeghem affirmed from past experience the in-

fluence of having an expert to practice with.

“I was one of those fortunate folks that got to play with Gene when I was in college,” Paepeghem said. “I was scared to death, but it was a huge part of my jazz education. I’ve always felt vocalists need the jazz experience as well.”

According to Noppe, these community collaborations not only fostered a new generation of Boise musicians, but also revitalized Harris’ career. Then, in the late 1990s, a coalition of local business, Boise State and Former Governor Phil Batt—who Noppe noted was a clarinet player himself—approached Harris with the intent of creating the festival.

Harris only lived for its first two iterations.

“They convinced (Harris) to put his name on the festival, but the deal was the profits would fund a scholarship for jazz students. We still have students on Gene Harris scholarships to this day.”

One of these students is pre-

dental health sciences major and saxophone player Alexander Hicks, who was pleasantly surprised by being offered the scholarship when he arrived at Boise State.

“Jazz has always been something I can look forward to,” Hicks said. He explained the scholarship and the jazz ensemble have played a significant role in his college experience and his growth as a student.

“You can’t move a performance date like it’s an extension on a paper. Having that challenge and a director who expects a lot from us allows me to hold myself to a higher standard as well, both academically and musically.”

Students interested in attending one the of many performances can view the full schedule and purchase tickets at the Gene Harris Jazz Festival’s website. The Kick-Off Concert will be taking place on Wednesday, April 5 at 7:30 p.m. at the SPEC.

Film disappoints while raising larger questions Michael Paquin Culture Reporter

Culture@stumedia.boisestate.edu

On Friday, March 31, Boise State screened the 2015 film “Suffragette” at the Special Events Center in the Student Union Building.

Based on my grading metric that seems to change with each review, I’d give “Suffragette” a 4/10. Director Sarah Gavron operates with such a heavy hand that at points

turn-of-the century mugshot.

It’s hard to explain. For this reason alone, you may have to watch “Suffragette.”

While “Suffragette” may have failed as a whole, this failure can’t be related to its artistic design. The dirty claustrophobic streets of London and the massive laundering complex that the protagonist, Carey Mulligan, worked at felt appropriately Dickensian, even almost two decades into the 20th

“This movie is one of those rare cinematic

examples where the circumstances surrounding it are more interesting than the innocuous film itself.”

in the film, it sails past “tearjerker” and moves into the uneasy realm of “tears at gunpoint.” If, at any juncture you’re watching “Suffragette” and you’re unsure how you should be feeling right now, fret not—Sarah Gavron will quickly let you know. I’m hard pressed to think of a moment in the film that wasn’t drenched in the movie’s score—a forgettable one, by the way, which called to mind anxiety more than it did oppression.

No moment or dialogue exchange felt false, so I can’t fault the cast for any of their performances, and the set and costumes were totally passable. As a brief aside, it’s incredible how natural Helena Bohnam Carter looks in a

century. No, the shortcomings of the film, that is, what made it feel Lifetime-esque, lie squarely on the shoulders of its creative control.

This movie is one of those rare cinematic examples where the circumstances surrounding it are more interesting than the innocuous film itself.

As the film was launched, Meryl Streep used its momentum to begin a conversation about the disparity among the paychecks of male and female actors in Hollywood. While I don’t doubt for a second Streep’s allegation, her connection to “Suffragette” may have not been the best jumping-off point to start that discussion, in spite of the obvious relevance. In

fact, it may have done the effort harm.

Though I’m sure that Streep collected one of the largest paychecks due to her acting prowess and her legendary reputation in cinema, Streep’s appearance in “Suffragette” can best be categorized as brief. It was more of a cameo than a supporting role, actually. I didn’t have my stopwatch on me, but I would put her dialogue time at right around two minutes, in one scene, in spite of appearing on the theatrical release poster.

Now just to avoid an angry letter from either of my readers—Hi mom!—I’m not saying Streep’s argument doesn’t hold water; it simply wasn’t tactful to use the release of this movie, which required exactly one very lucrative day of work from Streep.

But the flipside male-half of the argument is even more problematic. According to screenwriter Abi Morgan, there was trouble finding male actors because the roles weren’t “meaty enough”— read: emasculating. This is, in and of itself, funny. In the 21st Century it seems incredibly easy for men to find themselves sexually threatened.

Let’s not forget that the mancave is the ultimate “protosafe space.” Evidently, some actors, such as the immortal Brendan Gleason, could find the sheer willpower to play a supporting role to *gasp* a woman in a movie about *double gasp* women. As the feckless “Suffragette” seems to want to say, the more things change—well you know the rest.

Zoey Nguyen Staff Writer

Culture@stumedia.boisestate.edu

The Meridian Canine Rescue, formerly known as the Meridian Valley Humane Society, is not only changing their name, but also their venue. The grand opening—which will take place on Saturday, April 8—will showcase the Rescue’s new location in Meridian, which provides better housing, play, exercise and meeting spaces for the dogs.

The grand opening was organized and planned by students in a Management 410 class, taught by Donald McNatt, as a part of their class assignments.

“Upon meeting with the Executive Director Jessica Ewing she wanted to conduct some type of an event to kick off their

move to the new location,” said Scott Sailor, a business and human resources major senior.

“So my teammates and I decided to put on a grand opening for them.”

All of the teammates also had personal reasons for choosing the project specifically.

“I was born and raised in Meridian, and so I’m thankful for what (the Meridian Canine Rescue is) doing for the community,” said Hailey Christensen, junior general business and human resources major.

“I was personally drawn to this project because I’m a dog lover.

I have a rescue dog of my own, and so I was happy to help out the Meridian shelter.”

According to the student organizers, donation jars will be set up throughout the venue where people can support the

various projects designed to improve the quality of care for the dogs.

“I worked as part of a team to organize the grand opening, and was specifically responsible for getting a photographer,” Christensen said. “Megan Shirley will be donating her time and talent for the event and document the day. I will also be putting together a small video of the event, as well as creating some different posters for the event.”

Additionally, there will be a silent auction of goods and services. And, of course, dog adoptions will be going on during the event for attendees who are looking for a pet. Food and drinks will also be provided.

MERIDIAN CANINE RESCUE FACEBOOK / COURTESY

Review: Suffragette

Boise State students organize the grand opening of The Meridian Canine Rescue

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SPORTS & REc Lady Broncos compete in Women’s NCAA Basketball Tournament Cameron Gray Staff Writer

Sports@stumedia.boisestate.edu

ALEC FOEGE / THE ARBITER

For the second time in three years, the Boise State Women’s Basketball team won the Mountain West and headed to the NCAA Tournament.

After pulling off a stunning upset over one-seed Colorado State in the semi-final on Wednesday, March 29, the Boise State Women’s Basketball team defeated seven-seed Fresno State in the conference championship game on Friday afternoon.

Led by tournament MVP Brooke Pahukoa, 17 points and six rebounds, and junior forward Shalen Shaw, 12 points and nine rebounds, the Broncos defeated the Fresno State Bulldogs in convincing fashion, 66-53.

This is Boise State’s second NCAA tournament appearance in 3 years. They reached the tournament back in 2015 as a fifteen-seed, before quickly losing to the University of Tennessee in the first round, 72-61.

This is also Pahukoa’s second Mountin West Tournament MVP, as she was awarded the same honor back in 2015 when the Broncos’ won their first Mountain West championship.

Despite winning a second MVP award, the actual award means very little to Pahukoa in comparison to the team goals.

“It is very humbling to be MVP for the second time, the first one I believed should have gone to Yaiza Rodriguez hands down,” said Pahukoa.

“Being MVP means little to me compared to winning a

Pg 16

championship with my team”.

The Broncos’ hit a hot a streak towards the end of their season, entering the postseason on a seven-game win streak.

After winning three conference tournament games against the likes of New Mexico, Colorado State and Fresno State in route to their conference championship, they will be riding a ten-game win streak into the NCAA tournament next week.

Head coach Gordy Presnell attributed the team’s consistency to their “never give up” attitude.

to keep going. I think our senior (Brooke Pahukoa) best put it when she said. “We are all just playing for another game with the girls that we love,’” said Toth. “Not only are we teammates, but we are all great friends, which lends to genuine happiness when we are out on the court. It doesn’t matter who is scoring the points, it’s about the team moving forward.”

Pahukoa feels extremely grateful to be headed back to the big dance with this group of girls.

“Heading dancing at the NCAA’s with this special

“It’s an amazing feeling. We started out with this goal and now that it’s here, we just want to keep going. I think our senior (Brooke Pahukoa) best put it when she said. ‘We are all just playing for another game with the girls that we love.’”

—Freshman Forward Emerald Toth

“We’ve just had some competitive people that believe in the system and believe in the university,” Presnell said to ESPN following the victory.

“And we’re not going to put up a white flag for anybody. And like I said, we had the rough bracket. If you think about it.

New Mexico is a terrific program. And Colorado State is the No. 1 seed. And we just kept plugging away.”

Freshman forward Emerald Toth feels honored to be headed to the NCAA tournament during her freshman season.

“It’s an amazing feeling. We started out with this goal and now that it’s here, we just want

group of girls means the world to me. We had such a great experience two years ago at Tennessee,” said Pahukoa.

“We are looking forward to Selection Monday and finding and where we go; it’s about the chance to travel and play with one another one more time.

I feel lucky to be one of 64 teams still practicing and getting the chance to represent their University.

The Broncos would unfortunately go on to lose against three-seeded UCLA in a 8356 loss at Pauley Pavilion on March 18.

Boise State Football starts spring ball in preparation for next season Tyler Deitrick Staff Writer

Boise State resumes spring practices with question marks all over the field and a bad taste in their mouth from their rough finish to 2016. Due to injuries, graduation and a couple players entering the NFL Draft early, the Broncos will only have a handful of starters from the Cactus Bowl available for spring ball.

In 2016, Boise State did not make the Mountain West title game for the third time in the past four seasons.

“If you don’t finish the right way, the only thing you want to do is start preparing to get back,” said Boise State coach Bryan Harsin.

Last season, Boise State lost at Air Force in the last game of the regular season when they could not score a game-tying touchdown in the final minutes. This ended up keeping the Broncos out of the Mountain West title game.

The Broncos then went on to lose to Baylor 31-12 in the Cactus Bowl.

Heading into the offseason, Boise State lost leading rusher Jeremy McNichols, leading receiver Thomas Sperbeck, three offensive linemen and five starters on defense from the 2016 team.

Now with spring ball here, Boise State has many key players for this year’s team injured and not participating. However, this spring has been a chance for many young players to impress the coaching staff and move up on the depth chart.

BROOKE SUTTON / THE ARBITER

Sports@stumedia.boisestate.edu

“We’re in a situation now where this is good for our team. These guys are maximizing their reps and all of them are taking it that way too. Every chance they get they are trying to maximize whatever reps they are getting,” Harsin said.

The Broncos have lost starters at wide receiver, running back, offensive line, defensive line, linebacker and the secondary, which means Harsin will be actively looking for young players to step up.

“Obviously, a lot of production at wide receiver will be lost. Our running back position and not having Alexander (Mattison) out there, you’re going to put a little more on some of the other guys, and then our linebacker position.”

The Broncos will hold their annual spring ball scrimmage on April 8, which is open for fans.

With a lot of questions heading into the 2017 season, Harsin and his coaching staff are preparing the Bron-

cos for what could be a year with a team made of a majority of young players.

Boise State held its annual Pro Day Thursday— March 30—on campus. Pro Day consists of measurements and testing—vertical leap, bench press, and broad jump—in the football weight room. Then the players move to the Caven-Williams Sports Complex for on-field testing—40- yard dash, shuttle runs and position drills.

16 Broncos competed this

year with coaches and scouts from 26 NFL teams on hand, as well as several former and current Boise State players and coaches.

Thomas Sperbeck, Boise State’s all-time leader with 3,601 receiving yards and fourth all-time with 224 receptions, had 80 catches for 1,272 yards and nine touchdowns this past season.

“I think especially today I kind of surprised some people with my times. Some guys don’t think I have the athletic ability, but I think I

do, and I’m pretty football smart, so I have that going for me,” said Sperbeck, according to a video the Idaho Statesman posted after the Pro Day. McNichols, Sperbeck and Tanner Vallejo have the best chances to get drafted in the NFL Draft this upcoming month due to their collegiate performances.

The first round of the NFL Draft is April 27. The second and third rounds will take place on April 28. Rounds 4-7 will be April 29.

Pg 17

SPORTS & REc New downtown stadium, could be an option for Boise State Baseball, Soccer

Sadi Henderson finishes 14th at NCAA Championship Addison Dehaven Staff Writer

Sports@stumedia.boisestate.edu

Rylan Kobre Sports & Rec Reporter

Sports@stumedia.boisestate.edu

St. Luke’s Health Systems has agreed to sell 11 acres in Downtown Boise on Americana Boulevard and Shoreline drive that will be the home of a brand new, $41 million stadium for the Boise Hawks and a professional soccer team.

The fine print of the deal has not been finalized, but the deal is currently a “non-binding letter of intent,” St. Luke’s spokeswoman Anita Kissee told the Idaho Statesman.

Greenstone Properties, a real estate firm based in Atlanta, has bought the land and ground breaking is expected to begin in summer of 2018.

The stadium could be used for Boise State athletics, and the signing has many believing the university could be getting closer to adding a baseball team.

“For Boise State Baseball this would be an important role in getting a Division I team. A good facility will be able to draw more talent

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to Boise,” said Scott Lyness, a three year player for Boise State’s current Club Baseball team.

When Boise State Athletic Director Curt Apsey was hired back in the summer of 2015, Apsey had high hopes of adding a baseball team. But after looking at cost, the idea didn’t seem viable in the near future.

A month ago, on Idaho Sports Talk with Caves & Prater, Apsey said the stadium would make them at least take a look at what a baseball program would cost now because when they were previously looking at adding a baseball team, they were planning for one without having a stadium.

Now, the downtown stadium could be an option and the Boise State Club team has laid the groundwork for success with back to back appearances in the Regional Tournament, showing baseball can succeed in the Treasure Valley.

In 2017, the Broncos bring a younger roster and are 4-5-1. The tie though, came to University of Or-

egon, the No. 5 team in the nation.

“We have a good chance of making it back and making some noise in the tournament,” Lyness said. “We demonstrate being a classy organization when we travel and when we host teams.

We know we are representing Boise State and we want to make sure we are doing the school justice by our performances.”

The club baseball team already has a relationship with the Boise Hawks, they play all of their home games at the Hawks ballpark, Memorial Stadium.

But the facility is a tad outated despite recent upgrades over the last few years.

The stadium opened in 1989 and is located in Garden City, Idaho.

The new complex would also make way for a professional soccer team and could also be the home of the Boise State women’s soccer team. Women’s lacrosse at Boise State could also be an option to utilize the facility.

Sadi Henderson finished 14th in the 800 meters at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field National Championships on Feb. 24 in College Station, Texas.

Henderson, a junior psychology major, finished seventh in the second heat in a time of 2:07.4. This gives Henderson her first AllAmerican Honor.

“My race this weekend was a wake up call for me; at this level there is a lot more to racing than just being physically fit,” said Henderson.

“Everyone at the line with me was very fit and very talented and I got beat because I didn’t have the experience racing at these championship races against this level of athletes.”

The NCAA Indoor Championships conclude the indoor season for the Broncos.

The men’s and women’s teams return to action at the end of March with split squads going to both the Stanford Invitational and San Francisco Distance Carnival.

Looking ahead to outdoors, Henderson said she is looking to compete in more high-level meets.

“I look forward to competing in meets with very good competition where I can

hone my racing tactics that I will need in future championship races,” Henderson said.

The Broncos home meet for the outdoor season will be on April 28 and 29 at Dona Larson Park where they will host the Border Clash meet.

Later in the season, the Broncos will travel to Logan, Utah to compete in the Mountain West Conference Track and Field Championships on May 10 to 13.

The NCAA Outdoor Championships will be held in Eugene, Oregon for the fourth straight year June 6 and 7 where the Boise State Athletics will finish their year in sports.

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