9-13 Arbiter Online

Vol. 29 Issue 5

September 13, 2016 IN D EPE ND E NT

ST U D E NT

V O I CE

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Give a hoot, don’t pollute New research done at Boise State proves noise pollution is negatively affecting hunting patterns of owls.

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PHOTO COURTESY OF NEIL PAPROKI & ASHLEY SENSEN

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WEEKLY EVENTS Sam Coskey Math Seminar Tuesday, Sept. 13 at 3:00 p.m. to 3:50 p.m.

Math Building Room 124, FREE Mathematics professor Sam Coskey will present on “classifying automorphisms of countable trees.” He will discuss questions related to a master’s thesis by Kyle Beserra, so if you are interested in mathematics, this event will be inspiring as well as informative.

Ralph Lorenz Physics Lecture - Saturn’s Titan Wednesday, Sept. 14 at 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Simplot/Micron Building Room 116, FREE Ever wonder about the similarities between Earth and Titan, Saturn’s moon?

Of course you did! Learn all you’ve ever wanted to know from Ralph Lorenz, Johns Hopkins professor, as he delves into his talk called “Sailing the Seas of Titan, Saturn’s Earth-Like Moon”.

Bronco Volleyball vs. Portland State Thursday, Sept. 15 at 7:30 p.m.

Bronco Gym, FREE with Student ID otherwise $6 This will be Bronco Volleyball’s first home game of the season. They are having a good season so far, so it should be a great game!

Jeff Weiss Inspire ME Bioengineering Seminar Friday, Sept. 16 at 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.

MEC Room 106, FREE University of Utah bioengineer Jess Weiss will be presenting on his research involving human joints. If you are interested in mechanical or biomedical engineering, or if you are just plain interested in joint injury, don’t miss this presentation.

Old Boise Oktoberfest

Saturday, Sept. 17 at 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Old Boise - 6th & Idaho, $17 It’s that time of year! Old Boise will be full of dancing German food and Bier! If you’re looking for a party, this will be a large one.

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

EVENTS

INSIDE: 9/13/16

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Patty Bowen

editor@stumedia. boisestate.edu

OPINION EDITOR Andy Ridgeway

andyridgeway@u.boises tate.edu

NEWS EDITOR

Samantha Harting news@ stumedia.boisestate.edu

PATTY BOWEN / THE ARBITER

NEWS REPORTER

Pipeline in burial ground sparks rally : pg. 15

Natasha Williams natashawilliams@u.bois estate.edu

CULTURE EDITOR

Brandon Rasmussen culture@ stumedia.boisestate.edu

CULTURE REPORTER Elise Adams

eliseadams@u.boisestate.edu

SPORTS EDITOR

Evan Werner sports@ stumedia.boisestate.edu

SPORTS REPORTER

Riston Ramirez ristonramirez@u.boises tate.edu

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

COPY EDITORS Darby Ebeling Tori Ward

DESIGN MANAGER ABE COPELAND / THE ARBITER

BRANDON RASMUSSEN / THE ARBITER

Ted Atwell

Boise State Beats washington state 31-28: pg.17

Contact Us:

Temporary museum comes to life:pg. 13

A r b i t e r o n l i n e . c o m 1 9 1 0 U n i v e r s i t y D r. B o i s e , I D 8 3 7 2 5 P h o n e : 2 0 8 . 4 2 6 . 6 3 0 0

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

Gender neutral restrooms now available on campus Natasha Williams News Reporter

On Friday, Aug. 19, Boise State made three gender neutral restrooms available to students on campus. The restrooms are located on the second floor of the Student Union Building.

Boise State decided to add the restrooms, after an executive order from the Obama Administration on June 29. The order directed public schools to accommodate students based on their gender identity, or risk losing federal funding.

There were already family restrooms on campus, but they did not serve the same purpose as the new restrooms.

The Boise State Pride Alliance supported the decision, and said the order is a long time coming.

“It’s really validating to finally see staff stepping up and saying we have a bathroom anyone can use. It is non-exclusionary,” said Boise State Pride Alliance President Heidi Owens. “The gender neutral bathroom isn’t just for trans people, they’re for anyone.”

This policy change sparked discussion about LGBT rights between students and parents alike all over the nation. Mary Johnson, whose name has been changed to protect her anonymity, is a transgender student at Boise State who said although the executive order is a step in the right direction, it could make the students that use the restroom a target.

“Some of these people really, really hate us, and it’s really easy to underestimate that when you’re not experiencing it,” Johnson said. “I’m in an interesting spot because in some

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places where they’ve had restrooms set aside for transgender use, the people who hate us use that to figure out who we are. I do what is called passing, so they think I’m just a regular girl—which in many ways I am—but not in every way unfortunately. I personally worry about them because it will tell them something about me they didn’t already know.”

The gender neutral restrooms are not marked traditionally as male or female. They are specifically labeled as gender neutral so they can be easily identified. The Gender Equity Center at Boise State hopes the gender neutral restrooms will reduce the violence and harassment transgender people face.

“Folks in these communities regularly experience harassment and violence in spaces that are unnecessarily gendered, especially restrooms.

Folks in these communities are, in fact, who are most at risk for danger in a restroom,” said Gender Equity Center Director Adriane Bang. “Changing how we mark and use spaces like this allows folks to more freely use the restroom, something we all need to do. Changes like these are important to increase the safety and well-being of our campus members.”

The argument over LGBT rights is nothing new to Idaho.

Gay marriage was legalized here last year after two lesbian couples took the state to the Supreme Court and won.

Members of the LGBT community explained how the pattern of equal rights is repeated through history.

“This is a battle that has already been fought. You look back at the 1950s and how black people had to fight for the

right to use the same bathroom as white people,” said Owens.

“It’s not something that is going to destroy your world to accept that trans people are people, too. Just the way that black people are people too, and gay people are people too.

Just moving hatred backwards one step doesn’t change the fact that it’s still wrong.”

Although no legal change was made as a result of the executive order, it does pressure schools into following the decision, according to a press release from the White House.

The United States Attorney General said the harassment students have had to deal with for so long in schools is unacceptable.

“There is no room in our schools for discrimination of any kind, including discrimination against transgender students on the basis of their sex,” said Attorney General Loretta Lynch in a statement following the executive order.

The argument over gender neutral restrooms doesn’t only concern transgender students, but other genders as well. The Gender Equity Center explained it’s important for all genders to have a safe place to use the restroom.

“Using the restroom doesn’t need to be a gendered experience, and removing this barrier increases safety for our students who identify as agender (no gender), genderqueer and transgender,” said Bang.

“In addition to facing violence or harassment at the hands of others, folks who don’t feel safe in gendered restrooms end up ‘holding it’ for extended periods of times until they can make it a single user restroom or get to the safety of their own home. Such behaviors impact a person’s ability to focus and has numerous, seri-

ous health impacts.”

For more information about gender neutral bathroom options, students can go to the Gender Equity Center’s website.

Your home on campus after campus

Alumni and Friends Center provides space for cultivation of community-alumni relationship

What’s that new building on the east end of campus, across from Albertsons Stadium?

The brick structure, formally designated the Alumni and Friends Center, will act as a locus for fundraising efforts and relationship-building between the University, alumni, and community members when it opens to the public on Saturday, Oct. 15.

“Our alumni are our most loyal advocates,” said Laura Simic, Vice President of University Advancement, which

coordinates and oversees gifts to the University. “They know us best. They’re our most loyal volunteers, our most loyal supporters. They hire our students, they provide internships. And they’re donors.

They are giving back — to scholarships, to buildings, to research funds for professors.”

The decline in state funding for education was a big reason Allen and Dixie Dykman, the principal donors to the Alumni and Friends Center, started working on this project more than ten years ago. Allen is the only person who has served in a trifecta of university support

positions: Chairman of the Bronco Athletic Association, President of the Alumni Association, and Chairman of the Foundation Board.

“When I went to school the state paid 80 percent of the cost of going to school,” said Dykman, who graduated from Boise State in 1974. “Today we have big student loans. At one time the state felt more responsible to educate the citizens in the state of Idaho than they do at this point.”

He emphasized that today public universities can’t be successful without private donations.

The Dykmans visited alumni centers across the country and found that traditional alumni centers focus on creating a home for alumni--a convivial place graduates can gather to reminisce and celebrate their time on campus. The Alumni and Friends Center, however, will fulfill a dual role of both serving as a home for alumni and creating relationships for fundraising.

“We needed a facility where we can raise additional funds to support scholarships and the future of Boise State. Normal alumni centers are not set up to do that,” Dykman said.

The second, third, and fourth stories of the Center will house Boise State’s externally facing organizations, including Alumni Relations, University Advancement, the Boise State University Foundation, Communications and Marketing, and Trademark and Licensing.

The first floor is being billed as a public space and contains a spacious ballroom, artwork by past and current art faculty, a conference room, and a living room for relaxing and learning more about the history of the university. A sizable parking lot will allow for plenty of tailgating on game days, and Neil said people have already reserved spots for the season.

The 44,000 square-foot building came with a $14.5 million dollar price tag.

Simic said, “That was a private piece of land that was owned by the Alumni Association. It

is still a private piece of land.

At this point it’s not university land, and the building is funded by donor gifts and is being built privately by the Foundation and the Alumni Association. So it’s not like it was taking student fee money or university money.”

She notes, however, that once the building’s finances have been paid off, the building will be given to the University. The university will also pay to operate the building—electricity, maintenance, heating and cooling.

Raising the money to build the Alumni and Friends Center entailed a lengthy process of persuading donors to donate, a university official said.

“There are a lot of nonprofit projects around the valley we compete with for dollars,” said Jennifer Neil, the Executive Director of Gift Planning for University Advancement. “Most of our alumni stay here after they graduate, so of course we’re going to go after our alumni.

But, while those alumni are philanthropic, they’re giving to other places as well.”

Allen Dykman’s work building relationships with his fellow alumni resulted in the project receiving enough funding to get off the ground.

Neil said, “One of the ways Allen went about fundraising—and this is about the work we do—is the relationship building. He’s built a lot of relationships.”

One of the fundraising

campaigns gave donors an opportunity to spend $1,000 to have their names engraved on a brick. The bricks were then placed in the courtyard on the east side of the building.

“We ran a brick campaign and sold 300 bricks. That’s $300,000 dollars,” Neil said.

The Alumni and Friends Center may be marketed directly at alumni and community members, but Neil says students shouldn’t feel intimidated to come by and take a look around. After all, students will one day graduate and discover that they have transitioned from being students to being alumni.

“For students, the Alumni and Friends Center is a symbol that, in fact, your relationship with the university doesn’t end when you pick up your diploma,” Simic said.

The Alumni and Friends Center officially opens Friday, Oct. 15, coinciding with Homecoming. The Homecoming parade will finish at the Center, and a ribbon-cutting ceremony will commence an open house with guided tours.

“We’ve got this beautiful College of Business and Economics building on the west side of campus,” said Simic. “The other end of campus kind of needed that bookend.”

The Alumni and Friends Center will be open to the public on Saturday, Oct. 15.

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ELLEN FOGG / THE ARBITER

Samuel Wonacott Staff Writer

NEWS

Towers will be housing students for last year Natasha Williams News Reporter

student class, a huge amount of beds to fill. Towers Resident Advisor, Kylee Webster, said this move is a new start.

“It doesn’t feel like the end. I know that since they’re opening the new dorm it’s not really the end of something but the beginning of something else that Boise State gets to add and make a difference in a different way for housing,” Webster said.

“It feels new in a way.”

Boise State experienced a 20 percent increase for freshman living on campus, totaling 2,500 students overall, according to the Housing and Residence Life Front Desk.

Over 400 more first year students than last year moved in on Friday, Aug. 19. With the increased interest in oncampus living, overcrowding the wait lists in many of the residence halls. Webster said the shuffling of old and new residence halls has both pros

and cons.

“It will be beneficial in the way that more people are going to be over on this side of the campus, so think that community aspect of it, but there’s

still University Square over on that side of campus. It kind of spreads people out at the same time,” said Webster.

Sophomore and upper division interest in living on cam-

pus is on the increase from last year as well up to 17 percent.

JARED LEWIS / THE ARBITER

After almost 50 years providing housing for students on campus, 2016 will be the last year Barnes Towers Hall will be available for residents.

Boise State confirmed rumors that Towers will be shut down in the wake of the new Honors College and First-Year Residence Hall in Fall 2017.

Towers is one of the cheaper living options on campus for first year students since it was built in 1970. Towers will potentially become an academic department and administrative offices. Director of Housing and Residence Life, Dean Kennedy, said the decision is the most convenient one for students and faculty.

“For our first year students (Towers) is the farthest one from the Student Union Building and the new dining com-

mons that is going to be in the new honors college and first year residence hall,” said Director of Housing and Residence Life, Dean Kennedy. “Given the location, because it’s right next to the fine arts building, and the amount of rooms in the building it would make sense to convert those to some level of offices.”

The driving force behind the choice to convert Towers into office space was a deal between Boise State and the company building the new residence hall.

According to Kennedy, the contact between EdR—an owner, developer and manager of nationwide collegiate housing—stated the 300 beds currently in Towers will need to be removed to make way for the 650 beds in the Honors dorms.

Those 650 beds accounts for about one third of the first year

Barnes Towers Halls will be repurposed after this school year

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Recycling bins to be changed to increase use ‘Adsdsdsd the Words’ refuses to compromise on human rights

Grace Norton Staff Writer

New recycling bins will soon be added in the Student Union Building and the library in order to continue Boise State’s environmental efforts.

There are currently three separate recycling bins labeled paper, plastic/aluminum and waste with shapes to identify what is to be put in them. The tops will be changed in order to reduce confusion.

ASBSU Vice President Jade Donnelly has been collaborating with Student Union Director Brent De-

long and Student Union Associate Director Elise Alford to make campus recycling more efficient. Delong has been working with the manufacturers to come up with a system that will not require shapes on the recycling bin tops, to make them more effective.

Students, such as sophomore nursing major Hallie Turner, have experienced issues with properly disposing recycle items due to the bins shaped tops.

“It almost makes me want to just throw it in the trash,” Turner said.

The difference in throwing items into the trash rather

than recycling them has a very large impact on our environment, according to Donnelly.

“We’re the biggest college in Idaho and if we’re not being environmentally responsible, I think that sets a precedent for the rest of the schools. Our campus is a huge entity in our community, and if we’re not recycling and caring about it, a lot of other people won’t,” Donnelly said. “Boise State leads in a lot of ways in our community—and in our state— and if we’re not caring about it, I don’t think anyone else will. Because we’re such a big entity, we make a huge

impact.”

According to National Geographic, an average American discards fourfifths of a ton of trash per year, which will add up on a campus of over 20,000 students. Delong mentioned how the change of toppers will also increase the amount of stations for recycling we have.

“The idea would be repurposing trash cans to make new stations,” Delong said.

According to Delong this will triple the amount of cans by having each one be individual.

“To be a responsible campus we have to go green, and

we have to work on sustainability—students are huge about recycling and sustainability. It’s a vision across the nation,” Donnelly said. “We need to be more responsible, we need to care about the environment and the students are actually interested in that. Making it easier just helps—it’s the goal.”

Donnelly has a vision to make an impact on the Boise State campus and to lead the community in helping the environment.

Junior communication major Kylie Fryar said she has not been one to recycle very often.

“Given the facts, I feel like

I should take responsibility and join in the movement,” Fryar said. “I had no idea how much difference it would make to recycle on campus.”

Students such as Fryar have helped draw attention for environmental improvements.

“We just saw an issue with something and it’s something that’s fixable if you know who to talk to. If students care about it, we care about it,” Donnelly said.

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OPINION

COLIN KAEPERNICK

BY NOT ST

DO YOU APPROVE OR DISAPPROVE OF COLIN KAEPERNICK’S DECISION TO PROTEST RACISM BY REMAINING SEATED DURING THE PLAYING OF THE NATIONAL ANTHEM?

23%

WHITE PEOPLE

69% 72%

BLACK PEOPLE

INDEPENDENTS

DEMOCRATS

TOTAL

Evan Werner Sports Editor

DISAPPROVE

APPROVE

REPUBLICANS

SPEAK OUT AGAINST INJU

19% 9% 85% 28% 59% 54% 34% 32% 57% *Information sourced from Tribune News Service

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From Muhammad Ali to Jackie Robinson, athletes have voiced their opinions on decisions made by this country.

In 1967, Ali stood up against the U.S. draft, refusing to be sent overseas. He was arrested for his actions.

Jackie Robinson on the other hand fought for African American rights in Baseball, becoming the first AfricanAmerican to play in Major League Baseball.

On Friday, Aug. 26 during a week three preseason game against the Green Bay Packers, Kaepernick decided not to stand for the national anthem.

“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” Kaepernick told NFL Media in an exclusive interview after the game. “To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way.

There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”

Kaepernick’s decision to bring light to racial oppression was the right thing to do. Other athletes in his position should use their money, authority and cultural influence to push fans into thinking about the injustices in our society.

He is 100 percent correct that there needs to be change to those oppressed in this country and not enough has been done. Until something is done we should all stand by Kaepernick.

Some - such as Tami Lahren internet and television host - believe that, because of the money Kaepernick makes, he is not in the right to talk about oppression and injustice to minorities in this country.

The amount of money someone earns should not determine whether they have the right to talk about critical political issues such as racial injustice. If anything, this monetary leverage puts athletes in a position to push for changes.

According to an Adweek/Harris Poll, the NFL is watched by two-thirds of American adults watch weekly. This national stage allows for Kaepernick to have media coverage of his views and opinions. People need to know about what is going on because there are still people believe that racial injustice and inequality isn’t happening in the U.S. For example, according to the Bureau of Justice statis-

tics, white Americans use illegal drugs more than black Americans, but black Americans are arrested for drug possession more than three times as often as whites.

Kaepernick is specifically talking about police brutality to African-Americans as well as inequality between races in the U.S. Anybody that thinks Kaepernick not standing for the anthem means he hates America and disrespects people that fought and lost their lives for this country is not thinking about the issue correctly. Kaepernick is holding America to a higher standard, stating America is great because of the reasons of freedom, but unfortunately it is not being given equally to everyone.

Kaepernick said about the current state of the U.S., “You have Hillary who has called black teens or black kids ‘super predators.’ You have Donald Trump who’s openly racist. We have a presidential candidate who has deleted emails and done things illegally and is a presidential candidate. That doesn’t make sense to me, because if that was any other person you’d be in prison. So, what is this country really standing for?”

The purpose of Kaepernick’s cause is not being shown clearly because he is being misrepresented as anti-American who hates the military.

People that cannot look past kneeling during the anthem, and see what the reasons are behind his cause, are part of the problem Kaepernick is trying to deal with.

Kaepernick was not the only athlete to kneel for the anthem in the week four preseason game.

Teammate Eric Reid knelt right next to Kaepernick as the anthem played through the stadium in San Diego on the Chargers “Salute to the Military” night.

While the stadium booed at their decision, Reid explained their reasoning for kneeling after the game Reid discussed that he is kneeling for the same reasons as Kaepernick, saying there are too many issues to pick one particularly, but the flooding in Louisiana has hit close to home for him. Attending school at Louisiana State University and he feels it is part of his job to stand up for others in this country.

“I talked to Kaepernick today before the game. We were wondering if there was a way to bring up these issues. People said it was disrespectful for him to sit down, so he decided we should take a knee instead of sitting.

That came off as more respectful to the country, to the anthem, to the military. And I agree with that,” Reid said in an interview with reporters after the fourth preseason game.

K TAKES A STAND, TANDING

USTICES IN AMERICA

felt about the situation at hand.

“It was a little nod to Kaepernick and everything that he’s standing for right now,” said Rapinoe. “I think it’s actually pretty disgusting the way he was treated and the way a lot of the media has covered it and made it about something that it absolutely isn’t. We need to have a more thoughtful, two-sided conversation about racial issues in this country.”

Rapinoe also said, “Being a gay American, I know what it means to look at the flag and not have it protect all of your liberties. It was something small that I could do and something that I plan to keep doing in the future and hopefully spark some meaningful conversation around it. It’s important to have white people stand in support of people of color on this. We don’t need to be the leading voice, of course, but standing in support of them is something that’s really powerful.”

Rapinoe shows how not only is there racial problems within our society, but other problems as well such as gay rights equality.

Kaepernick has clearly gained the attention of many, sparking debates, as well as gaining a spike in twitter followers rising 35,394 percent over the last two weeks because of a tweet by ESPN reporter Darren Rovell.

Kaepernick is delivering a message from those without a voice. There are major problems within our country and these issues need to be addressed or nothing will ever be done.

Other athletes such as LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul and Dwayne Wade have taken the national stage to address these issues as well, speaking at the night of the ESPYS, an award ceremony to honor athletes every year through the American Broadcast Television.

Maybe Kaepernick heard something James said toward the end of the groups speech, “It’s time to look in the mirror and ask ourselves, ‘What are we doing to create change?’ Let’s use this moment as a call to action for all athletes to educate ourselves. We all have to do better.”

Unlike the NFL, the NBA does not allow its players the choice whether to stand or sit during the national anthem.

If the government does not want to step into place and try to make our country a more equal place for all, others with social influence must state their opinions on a national level in order to create discussion between people.

Kaepernick is attempting to bring light to a national issue, racial inequality, that needs to be addressed on the national stage he is given once a week.

Not only should athletes stand up for what they believe in, but others with public domain and influence should voice their opinions as well.

When instances are brought to light it creates dialogue, a step in the right direction.

Colin Kaepernick is first of many athletes to kneel during the national anthem in protes of racial injustice.

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DESIGN BY NANCY FLECHA, PHOTOS COURTESY OF TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY

“It shows Kaepernick hears the people that were hurt by him sitting, but he still believes in the cause he wants to bring awareness to,” said Reid. “So he changed his physical position from sitting down to taking a knee to still show respect to the anthem and the military while supporting his cause.”

Kaepernick understands people do not like that he was disrespecting the flag even though that was not his intention. It is as much his right to stand up for his cause as it is for people to bash him for it.

Kaepernick not only was shown standing and applauding the military members and veterans during the San Diego Chargers celebration, but has also said he will donate the first million dollars of his paycheck to charities that focus on racial issues, as well as the proceeds of his jersey sales, which are currently first in the NFL. People continue to say he is not doing anything about the these issues and sitting for the national anthem is causing more harm than good, other than donating money and bringing these issues to light, I don’t know what anyone expects from one football player to do.

Since the initial start of the movement in the week three preseason game, many other athletes across multiple sports have either backed or disagreed with what Kaepernick is doing.

Rodney Harrison, former NFL Safety, said, “I’ll tell you this, I’m a black man and Colin Kaepernick, he’s not black. He cannot understand what I face and what other black men and black people face on an every single (day) basis.”

Harrison later retracted his statement after finding out Kaepernick is half African American.

That’s flat out wrong.

Your race should not determine whether you are allowed to speak out on critical issues, such as racial inequality in this nation, especially if he is in favor of helping.

Jeremy Lane of the Seattle Seahawks sat for the national anthem during his week four preseason game, following Kaepernick’s lead, as well as Brandon Marshall of the Denver Broncos who knelt during the season opener of the NFL season.

I applaud these athletes, it is definitely hardest to be the leader in Kaepernick’s situation, but it is just as hard if not harder to be the next few people to follow his lead.

Megan Rapinoe, a midfielder for team USA Women’s Soccer, knelt during the national anthem of one her club games and was very critical when talking about how she

e fea tu r

Boise State researchers study Idaho Brandon Rasmussen Culture Editor Through the years, Boise State has sought to make a name for itself as a research university. As new programs have been added, more students, such as Tate Mason, interpretive center director at the Peregrine Fund, have come to bring their own research ideas relating to the things they care about.

After coming to Boise State as a graduate student in 2011, Mason worked with Boise State professor Jesse Barber to find the link between Northern Saw-Whet Owl behavior and a certain kind of human interference: noise pollution. The completed study report was published in the scientific journal “Biological Conservation” in July, 2016. The study found the owls’ natural hunting behavior was negatively impaired by noise.

According to Barber, noise pollution— also known as “anthroprogenic noise— is rather underappreciated as a source of pollution. Noise pollution is created by doing the things humans do every day, like having air conditioners and driving to work.

According to Mason and Barber, Vehicles and transportation in particular project a large amount of noise into animal habitats.

The Experiment Mason and Barber set up their experiment in the Lucky Peak area, where they were able to observe a sizeable amount of Saw-Whet Owls hunt in their natural habitat. Mason stayed out in the elements for multiple seasons, observing a staggering number of birds.

“It’s a reasonably common owl,” said Mason. “Over the course of the two seasons that I did my work, I believe I caught over 1,000 Saw-Whet owls.”

Once the birds were temporarily cap-

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tured and considered for testing, they were placed inside a dark environment, prompting them to catch prey— mice provided by the observing humans— through hearing alone.

From there, Mason and Barber organized the owls’ behavior into four categories: prey detection, strike, capture and overall success. The researchers recorded the effectiveness of the owls while introducing a recording of noise produced from a gas compressor station. According to Mason, this focus on predator-prey interaction was key to understanding how the owls were being affected.

“The whole thing can be couched under predator-prey interaction,” said Mason.

“There’s a whole lot going on there that is under the surface that people don’t know about.”

As the researchers collected their data, it became apparent the louder the sound became, the lower the success rate was for the owls.

“The odds of an owl detecting a mouse during an experimental trial decreased by 11 percent for each decibel increase in noise and, likewise, the odds of a strike decreased by 5 percent for each decibel increase in noise,” the researchers wrote in their report.

Why the Northern Saw-Whet Owl? To understand why noise had such a profound impact on the owls, it’s important to understand some owls fall into the category of “auditory specialists.” In other words, they use their hearing abilities as their primary tool to catch prey. The SawWhet owl falls under this distinction in a special way.

“The Saw-Whet owl has the highest degree of ear asymmetry out of any owl in the world, so its ears are offset,” said Mason.

owls to understand noise pollution

The Consequences Since the effects of our noise on this species of owl is now documented, the new question is what long-term impact this will have on auditory specialists such as the Saw-Whet. For Mason and Barber, this question can be answered in a number of ways.

As stated earlier, Saw-Whet owls are in a sufficient position for the time being.

However, the noise that affects their hunting is getting louder all the time.

According to Barber, humans are traveling around more every year, which means another plane, car or train crossing these ecosystems that thrive on quiet. This escalation of noise would possibly continue to further impair the hunting ability of animals like the Saw-Whet.

“Humans have a tendency to make changes without considering the consequences of those changes,’ said Mason.

“Often times it ends up being bad for the balance that’s out there in nature. So, if we fundamentally change that balance, there will be winners and losers. And I postulate that owls, in the case of the noisy environ-

ment, are going to be the losers.”

Anthroprogenic noise could put this “losing” into effect in another way besides just basic hunting success According to Barber, it would be conceivable that some auditory-specialized animals will avoid a human structure if the noise coming from it affects their ability to catch prey.

“We suggest that acoustically specialized owls might be absent from otherwise suitable habitat or suffer reduced condition if they remain,” the report said.

So not only will owls not be able to hunt as effectively, but their range in which to catch prey could be substantially diminished, according to Barber.

“We are actually creating a wash of noise across the world,” said Mason. “We don’t understand how the noise is changing— it’s almost like a whole acoustic ecosystem is going to be extinct before we’ve even begun to understand it.”

What Can We Do? As members of the Boise community, Boise State students who wish to do something can start by simply being aware of noise pollution as an issue.

“Listen to your town,” Mason said, “How loud is it? It’s really loud. By opening your window and listening, you will hear the problem. But we’ve become so desensitized to it that it’s easy to just ignore.”

Once the problem is understood, the good news is, according to both Mason and Barber, noise pollution is comparatively easier to manage compared to other pollution types.

“Engineering is amazing these days,” said Mason. “More sound-concious structures could be built if there’s a reason to do it, and if people care.”

PHOTOS BY NEIL PAPROKI & ASHLEY SENSEN, DESIGN BY NANCY FLECHA

According to the researcher, this gives the owl a boost in its hearing abilities by being able to pinpoint exactly where a sound is coming from. Auditory specialists like the Northern Saw-Whet have evolved over time to have this distinction.

Also a factor in picking the Saw-Whet was just how common it is. As mentioned earlier, this particular owl is abundant in Idaho.

“When you’re going to study something, it’s good to study something that you have a fair amount of. You need to get some major data points if you’re going to get results, especially in a short amount of time,” said Mason. “This species in particular is not going anywhere any time soon.”

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Bucking around

Sudoku:

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

COURTESY BRAINBASHERS

appear once in a row, column or box.

buckit. available soon on the app store and google play

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF HAWKINS_MCGILL & TRENDFORGETTERCOLLECTIVE

# e connected

#

#BOISESTATE

CULTURE

BRANDON RASMUSSEN / THE ARBITER

Boise Museum offers temporary exhibit and prepares for annual event

This checkers board is one of the many exhibits encouraging interaction available in the museum.

Brandon Rasmussen Culture Editor The Idaho State Historical Museum has been a been a staple in Boise for quite some time. Partially thanks to its location right next to Julia Davis Park, Boise State students have often been found perusing the various exhibits, either for a class project or just for fun.

Now, as the museum gears up for its annual event, “Museum Comes to Life,” the staff faces a unique situation, as the ISHM building is currently closed for renovations.

Since the building closed in Aug. 2014, many students and community members have been under the impression that they will have to wait to attend the museum until Dec. 2017, when it is scheduled to reopen.

However, a small portion of the museum’s exhibits have been transferred to a smaller location on Broadway Avenue, which

reopened this summer.

The New Location Although student traffic has been slower since the main museum’s closing, families and visitors to Boise have kept the new location fairly lively.

“We’ve been really pleased with the number of people that we’ve had coming through,” said Kim Taylor, museum store manager and “Museum Comes to Life” event coordinator.

Perhaps the most familiar of the exhibits is Deja Moo, the two-headed calf, whose exhibit sits prominently in the entrance room. From there, visitors can continue straight ahead into two interconnected rooms that hold the bulk of the remaining exhibits. A mix of recycled and newly-created information panels fill the walls.

“In choosing the exhibits, major focus was simplification,” said Taylor. “Due to staff

and time restraints, we didn’t want to reinvent a lot of new things for this temporary space.

So we were able to repurpose a lot of the exhibitry we had used previously.”

Because of the building’s size, a dozen people or so is all it takes to make the place jam-packed. The same goes for the exhibits, which were were selected to be moved over by Fred Fritchman, exhibit designer and Boise State graduate.

“It was actually a little more straightforward than you might think,” said Fritchman. “What I did was try to bring over as many of our hands-on interactive exhibits as I could.”

Fritchman’s intention certainly shows, as a large majority of the exhibits are interactive in some way. A checkers board, ready-to-ride saddles and a bear pelt with a caption reading “please touch” are all on display.

“We wanted it to stay fun and engaging,” said Taylor.

“Though smaller, people can bring their family or friends here and have a unique experience. So having those interactive exhibits was a top priority.”

“Museum Comes to Life” Idaho State Historical Museum’s event is put on every year in the hopes of giving the residents of Boise an entertaining way to interact with history. All kinds of performers, reenactors and craftspeople set up shop around the museum.

“The idea is to make history fun, exciting and engaging to everyone,” said Taylor. “Everyone who comes should find something of interest to do or to see.”

With the absence of a building nearby to host the event, “Museum Comes to Life” this year will be held entirely outside in Julia Davis Park. In years past, the event was made up of both indoor and outdoor at-

tractions. According to Taylor, this new challenge has opened up opportunities as well.

“Having things more spread out gives it a bigger energy,” said Taylor. “Most of the groups have participated in years past, but they’ve been in the Pioneer Village on the concrete slab. Now, they’re up on the bandshell stage, which provides much more visibility for them. This way, we can better showcase Boise talent and diversity.”

The groups participating are quite diverse, even if they all are related to history in some way.

Groups like the Idaho Civil War Volunteers and the Society for Creative Anachronism will set up camp, making the park look like a collision of different historical periods. The variety will be further accentuated with stagecoaches and vintage cars parked nearby for viewing.

For Fritchman, this focus on making community members

feel absorbed during the event will foreshadow how the museum hopes visitors will feel in the new exhibits when the building is finished.

“The experience will perhaps be more immersive than it was before,” said Fritchman.

“People will feel more like they’re actually in specific parts of Idaho.”

In the meantime, the museum is glad to offer its temporary location for viewing, as well as try to make the upcoming “Museum Comes to Life” event as exciting as it can be.

“It’s a way for us to stay in contact and keep our presence within the community,” said Taylor. “Almost as a way of giving back.”

“Museum Comes to Life” will be on Saturday, Sept. 24 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. All are invited to attend free of charge.

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CULTURE

Elise Adams Culture Reporter “7 Days in Syria,” directed

by Robert Rippberger, is a film documenting one week spent by Newsweek Middle East Editor Janine di Giovanni in the midst of shellings, bombings and kidnappings at the front lines of the Syrian civil war.

In 2015, Syria was named the most dangerous country in the world for journalists.

According to the Doha Centre for Media Freedom, 110 journalists have been killed during the Syrian conflict, and as many as 470,000 people have died in total.

The film was recently screened as part of a fundraising event held by the Agency for New Americans, a local nonprofit organization working to help settle refugees in Boise by offering resources such as English language education, and employment training and placement.

The film itself served as a stark reality check for the

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community members in attendance—it begins with a young girl singing on the street right as a mortar goes off, nearly killing her. Also sobering and informative was the Q&A session held after the screening, wherein several Syrian refugee families answered questions from the audience.

When asked what they were looking forward to after arriving in the U.S., one father simply stated he was looking forward to knowing his daughters are safe.

“The film reminds me of what happened in my country of Afghanistan when I was a refugee sixteen years ago,” said Yasmin Aguilar.

She now works with the Agency for New Americans, assisting in refugee resettlement efforts.

According to Julie Bayard, an AmeriCorps volunteer manager, around 110 Syrian refugees have arrived in Boise in the last four to six months.

Hyde Park Street Fair aims to support community Grace Norton Staff Writer Hyde Park Street Fair (HPSF) is an annual festival in the North End of Boise at Camel’s Back Park taking place on Friday, Sept. 16 to Sunday, Sept. 18, and is free to attend.

The festival is host to lots of food, music and vendors. It also focuses on community engagement.

This festival is a fundraiser for the North End Neighborhood Association, a nonprofit founded in 1976.

“We have grant programs within our organization and regular recipients are five neighborhood schools,” said Mike Balts, board member of NENA. For example, the schools are given $1000 they can use for projects that students want to do.

“We have a fine grant of $500 made available to residents for any

project that might benefit the North End. Last year, it funded the Snow Block slightly north of Washington school,” said Balts. The grant went to a neighbor initiated program, painting the alley and building vertical gardens for community space.

According to Balts, NENA also received donations from other neighbors, such as nurseries.

NENA enjoys showcasing this as a model program and project that the neighborhood did, encouraging other neighbors if they wanted to do the same thing.

As for the event itself, he music at the fair includes anything from belly dancing to Irish groups on the Community Stage. The Main Stage includes a genre for almost anyone. Jim Teeter, event coordinator for HPSF and self-proclaimed “Head Hippie” explained how the entertainment is chosen.

“For many,

many years, a lot of these festivals would bring outside entertainment and we made it a policy to bring only Idaho entertainers from the North End out and they all have to play their own music,” said Teeter.

This creates an opportunity for local bands to get some recognition given that during the weekend, some 40,000 people will hear them.

The vendors range from anything from dog toys, to jewelry, to house products and festival dresses. These vendors are chosen similarly to how the music is chosen.

“The first priority is anyone in the North End and then anyone in the Treasure Valley, then to Idaho vendors,” said Teeter.

He went on to explain how HPSF also brings in a few commercial businesses from Portland, Seattle and

Montana while leaving room for non-profit vendors.

Caitlin Recla, sophomore social work major, has been going to the festival since she was in junior high.

“I live for Hyde Park Street Fair,” said Recla. “My favorite part of it is the hand-made jewelry and art. It’s where I get my jewelry supply and I love the music and the atmosphere.”

For Reclia, this neighborhood gathering is meant for everyone.

“I love it how people just go for it and give it 100 percent. There’s no judgement there, everyone is just living their life,” Recla said.

Students who want a full list of the festival’s events can visit the North End Boise website.

TORI WARD / THE ARBITER

TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY / COURTESY

“7 Days in Syria” sheds light on a modern day civil war

Water is our life #NoDAPL

Federal Government halts building of North Dakota pipeline through sacred territory Speaking through the microphone placed on the wooden podium’s temporary set up on the steps of Boise’s Capitol Building, Tai Simpson began a call and response with the crowd of 50 people watching her from the street.

“Respect our water. Water is our life,” she and the crowd shouted in rhythms back and forth.

This call and response was part of the the No Dakota Access rally that took place Friday, Sept. 9 at 10 a.m. The rally was one of many nationwide leading to the federal government asking Texas-based pipeline builder, Energy Transfer, to “voluntarily pause” their plans to run an oil pipeline through native american “sacred territory” in North

Dakota.

“It’s threatening land and (the pipeline) desecrates land where (the Standing Rock Sioux people’s) elders have been buried,” said Simpson, a representative from Idle No More Idaho and the former Intertribal Native Council leader at Boise State. “No one wants to see their elder’s remains being pulled up for the sake of oil and development.

(Digging up bodies) is a huge sacrilegious event for Native American people.”

The federal government’s decision was made minutes after a lawsuit filed by Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in July was overturned. If successful, the lawsuit would have stopped

the building of the $3.8 billion, four-state pipeline across the 40-mile stretch of sacred burial grounds.

According to a report in Newshour, the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation was never consulted about the path of the pipeline which, if put in place, would destroy sacred burial grounds and the Missouri River, their only water supply.

“Water is life which is the cornerstone of why this should matter to everybody,” Simpson said. “We are essentially made of water so it is an issue that affects everybody. As a whole country we have this unnecessary dependency on oil. It comes at the expense of our environment.”

Energy Transfer has failed to respond to several media requests

by The Arbiter

and refused to comment for other news sources including ABC News and Newsweekly.

In their most recent press release, sent out January 25, they stated, when finished the pipeline would transport “ 570,000 b a r r e l s per day of domestically produced light sweet crude oil,” and would “ employ up to 4,000 construction workers per state.”

According to the Energy Transfer website, the 30inch diameter pipeline was set to run for 1,172-miles from North Dakota to Patoka, Illinois.

Lianna Trembath, rally attendee and member of the Native American Coalition of Boise (NACB), explained that, because the Missouri River runs on the outside of several states, its contamination would affect everyone, not just members of the Na-

tive American community.

“It’s not just reservations, it’s residential, agricultural,” Trembeth said. “And if it leaks, that’s our big worry.

How is it going to affect our land and our animals, the food we eat?”

Simpson and several other speakers emphasized the importance of keeping water clear of oil in agricultural states like Idaho.

Although Simpson is a member of the Nez Perce tribe in Idaho, she said there is an intertribal connection between the people of the Standing Rock Sioux because of the actions of Sitting Bull, a tribal leader of the Lakota tribe, one of the seven Sioux tribes.

“During the Nez Perce War, Sitting Bull had already made it to Canada to fight the cavalry on behalf of the Nez Perce tribe as we were fleeing up to Canada,”

Simpson said. “What mattered was Sitting Bull and his people stood for the Nez Perce people and now I feel the obligation, generations later, to stand for his people.”

Students who are interested in getting involved can join the BSU Intertribal Native Council’s Facebook or attend the Native American Awareness Week hosted in April annually. “(Students) should talk to people who are involved and ask them a little bit more about why they choose to do it,” said Aria Trembeth, rally attendee and member of NACOB. “The best way to have it impact your life is (recognize the) impact (it has on) your life, and to get involved and start talking to people.”

PATTY BOWEN / THE ARBITER

Patty Bowen Editor-in-Chief

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DEVIN FERRELL / THE ARBITER

SPORTS & REc

Students practice the art of combining the use of body and mind through yoga.

Fitness classes available for students at the Rec Riston Ramirez Sports & Rec Reporter Going to class can often seem repetitive and boring. Students can get stuck in a schedule that repeats itself over and over again.

Campus Recreation hopes to provide an alternative to this monotony.

With over 40 classes a week to choose from, Campus Recreation, known by students simply as the Rec, offers students “class

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time” away from class. Rec classes range from yoga to lifting weights.

Mark Torres, a fitness graduate assistant working for the Rec said classes give students a chance to learn good form for lifting, work out in a great environment and meet new people.

The Rec at Boise State offers Premium Fitness classes which have a fee, as well as regular classes with no fee. Premium classes include TRX, a workout

involving utilizing body weight and Marks Madness, which is strength training and functional movements lead by Torres. Premium Yoga is offered as well and provides an in depth and personalized look into yoga. For students who are looking to test out these premium classes, the Rec offers a one time pass for $5. An unlimited pass costs $75 and allows students to attend any or all of the pre-

mium classes. If students feel this isn’t the best fit for them, there is a pass for $40 which allows students to attend 10 classes.

“The most attended classes would be cycle classes, yoga, lift, and abs and glutes,” Torres said.

As long as students know the start times of classes, they can just show up. This is the same with premium classes, as long as students have the pass.

According to Torres,

there are over 10 instructors who range from “students, alumni, and local people in the community.”

If students are interested in becoming an instructor, they must become certified in the program they hope to instruct.

“I found myself interested in the practice of yoga in my first year at BSU, but felt that my development alone was initially restricting” transfer student Jesse Goodwin said.

“When I found that there were classes at the REC I was unsure of what style and pace to expect.”

Hesitant at first, Goodwin decided to give it a try.

“I attended several sessions with various instructors. I came to realize that to have a surrounding enviornment of people practicing the art of body and mind unity together was most enlightening” said Goodwin.

Boise State vs. Washington State Game Recap Boise State won a close game against Washington State at Albertsons Stadium on Sept. 10, while hosting the fourth largest attendance in stadium history with 36,163 people.

The Broncos came out quick, Tyler Horton on the first defensive drive took back an interception for 85-yards to put the Broncos up 7-0.

Boise State led at the end of the first quarter 14-0.

In the second quarter, Washington State attempted a field goal, but Sam McCaskill was able to block the kick, giving the Broncos the ball. Toward the end of the first half Brett Rypien threw a costly interception and Washington State turned it into a touchdown with 42 seconds left in the half. After a nice catch by Cedrick Wilson, Boise State was able to kick a field goal and go into the half leading 17-7.

With eight minutes and 20 seconds left in the third quarter, Rypien threw a great deep ball to Thomas Sperbeck for a 49-yard touchdown to put the Broncos up 24-7.

On the next defensive drive Boise State came up with a great 4th down stop, but was not able to do much with the ball being forced to punt. With 55 seconds left in the third quarter Washington State scored on a huge 50-yard pass to bring the game closer heading into the final quarter of play, 24-14.

The Broncos came right back on the next

drive with a Jermey McNichols touchdown from 7-yards out. Unfortunately, Boise State was not able to stop Washington State on 4th down again with them scoring on a 13-yard touchdown.

After punting the ball back to Washington State, the Broncos came up with another 4th down stop with five minutes and 20 seconds left in the game.

After a clutch stop Boise State made the odd choice to throw the ball and Rypien threw his second interception of the game. That turnover led to a 33-yard touchdown for Washington State to break the game to 3.

Again with 53 seconds left the Broncos decided to throw the ball, not converting for the first down, giving the Cougars the ball back.

Boise State should have never put themselves in this situation. McNichols turned it on in the second half and could have just run the clock down another minute or so, ending the game.

With not much time left Washington State threw up a hail mary which was batted down giving the Broncos, their first win at home 31-28. “It was uncharacteristic of me the throw those interceptions... but we got the win and we are 2-0,� said Rypien.

Boise State has a bye week coming up followed by a trip to go play Oregon State, another Pac-12 team.

If Boise State wants to make a run to be a top10 team in the nation, they will have to be more careful when playing close games that can be put away.

Boise State: 31 Washington State: 28 Pg 17

ABE COPELAND / THE ARBITER

Evan Werner Sports & Rec Editor

SPORTS & REc

Intramural Season is kicking off at Boise State Riston Ramirez Sports & Rec Reporter

JARED LEWIS / THE ARBITER

Boise State isn’t just starting a new academic school year. The Broncos are also in the middle of the first registration period for intramural sports.

Boise State offers

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flag football, sand volleyball, innertube water polo, tennis, ping pong, bowling, indoor, volleyball and 3-on-3 basketball.

The football, sand volleyball and innertube water polo registration is already closed, but the rest of the sports are still open for registration.

Coming from a small town in Colorado, Brandon Ohr is now leading intramurals at Boise State.

Ohr is a graduate assistatnt and is currently pursuing a masters degree in athletic

leadership.

“Flag football and basketball as far as numbers of teams go” have the biggest turn out, said Ohr. Indoor soccer is also one of the bigger intramural leagues at Boise State, but is limited because league play happens at the CavenWilliams Sports Complex, an indoor Boise State facility with many other users.

Currently, only flag football, volleyball and indoor soccer offer men’s, women’s, and co-ed leagues.

The other leagues offer either men’s or women’s leagues, or are just co-ed.

Ohr said the, would like to add more women’s leagues, but there seems to be a lack of interest. This is apparent in the flag football leagues.

The National IntramuralRecreational Sports Association has recognized this and offers the different scoring for women than men in co-ed leagues. Ohr said this is an effort to get

more women to sign up.

Being a certified official in multiple sports, Ohr encourages students to apply to be officials. Intramural officials are able to play in leagues as well. Ohr said students that officiate grow a new respect for officials, because they are in their same shoes.

“I applied to be an intramural ref, because I love sports and feel like with reffing I get to be around them more often then not” first year student Kyle Kirby said.

Kirby said he is looking forward to working in an enviornment where he can see teams compete.

Towards the end of the season, Kirby said he may have the oppurtunity to travel “to go to the regional intramural championship and ref some of the games.”

For students interested in signing up for intramurals, students should visit the Campus Recreation website.

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