Vol. 29 Issue 4
September 6, 2016 IN D EPE ND E NT
ST U D E NT
V O I CE
O F
B O I SE
STAT E
S I N C E
1 9 3 3
Wider Persist grant enters third year at Boise State
The Arbiter
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PPHOTO BY PATTY BOWEN, DESIGN BY TED ATWELL / THE ARBITER
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WEEKLY EVENTS Drop-In Writing Workshop at The Cabin Tuesday, September 6
The Cabin, 6:30PM - 8:00PM, FREE If you’re interested in writing and want to bounce your ideas off other supportive writers, a free workshop might be something worth attending. If you cannot make it this Tuesday, keep in mind that this event occurs on the first Tuesday of every month.
Patriotic Choices Symposium on Civility Thursday, September 8
SUB Jordan Ballroom, 9:00AM - 4:30PM, FREE This Symposium, produced by the Center for Idaho History and Politics, is one of many Patriotic Choices events that will be held this semester. This time around, be a part of discussions about civility in political discourse, which will include Kirby Goidel speaking about Donald Trump and Brian Calfano speaking about the media. Students can win prises for attending these events throughout the semester.
Electron Beam Instrumentation Seminar with Dr. Nick Bulloss Friday, September 9
Boise State Women’s Soccer vs Idaho Sunday, September 11
Boas Soccer Complex, 1:00PM, FREE w/ Student ID otherwise $6 Itchin’ for some Bronco sports? Check out what’s sure to be an action-packed women’s soccer game against pseudo-rival Idaho Vandals.
Del Parkinson Piano Recital Sunday, September 11
4:00PM - 5:00PM Morrison Center Recital Hall Room C-200, FREE w/ Student ID otherwise $7 Boise State faculty member Del Parkinson will be performing a piano program that incorporates spoken story with musical narrative. If you enjoy timeless piano classics or want to hear a beautiful story, it might do you well to attend this recital.
SEND EVENTS TO DARBYEBELING@BOISESTATE.EDU. DESIGN BY NANCY FLECHA
ENG Room 110, 10:30AM - 11:20AM, FREE The first of a weekly series, Friday’s seminar will feature Boise State Professor Nick Bulloss explaining the details of Electron Beam equipment that has been newly installed on campus. If you’re interested in understanding the features and applications of these pieces of equipment, don’t miss this presentation!
INSIDE: 9/6/16
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
DEVIN FERRELL / THE ARBITER
NEWS REPORTER
30th anniversary of the blue : pg. 18
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
PHOTO COURTESY OF CAMERON MITCHELL & JORDAN RIESTERER
Jared Lewis digitalcontent@ stumedia.boisestate.edu
COPY EDITORS Darby Ebeling Tori Ward
DESIGN MANAGER TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY / COURTESY
Ted Atwell
Bogus Basin offers special student deals: pg. 16
Contact Us:
new waffle joint downtown: pg. 14
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 Mayor Bieter explores Boise values, future of the City of Trees Patty Bowen Editor-in-Chief Samantha Harting News Editor
CITY OF BOISE FACEBOOK PAGE / COURTESY
Keeping up with the year’s developments in Boise is challenging in a city of over 200,000 people. Mayor David Bieter presented the State of the City address on Thursday, Sept. 1 at the Egyptian Theatre to acknowledge and summarize Boise’s accomplishments from 2015 to 2016. During the speech, Bieter discussed projects the City of Boise is working on, its plans for the future and the values making it a great place to live. “There are several Boise qualities I want to highlight today,” Bieter said. “We are a welcoming city, we value education, we encourage
homegrown business, we love the outdoors and we are a city of culture.” Bieter explained the creation of the Boise culture has been the creation of a “shared story.” To capture the lives of the citizens who have been a part of this process, the City of Boise will be launching a new initiative called “I am Boise.” Bieter said Boise State plays a huge part in this. “There’s really an effort to reach out and let you know that we believe deeply everyone’s part of the story of Boise and I don’t know that’s there’s a better, more important piece than Boise State,” Bieter said. In addition to the university’s role, Bieter went on to describe how Boise has received national recognition for refugee resettle-
ment. “One thing I’ve learned that many of the most loyal and authentic Boiseans weren’t born here—or even in the U.S.—but their desire to understand and be a part of this place is as enthusiastic as anyone you can find,” Bieter said. Among the audience was Boise native, Brian Cronin, Senior Vice President of Idaho Operations for Strategies 360—a marketing and public relations company. Cronin commented on Bieter’s discussion of refugees. “(The part about) being a welcoming city and talking about people from all over the world, that come here and settle here, and find this
to be a special place—that really moved me,” Cronin said. “That’s also what makes this one of the most beautiful cities in the country.” Bieter also mentioned the successful partnership between St. Luke’s, St. Alphonsus and Ada County which will result in the premiere Housing First facility to provide permanent supportive housing to those in need. It’s construction will begin next year after the building proposals are approved. Bieter also mentioned the progress being made at various outdoor areas, like the Esther Simplot Park and the city’s investment in the Boise Pre-K project in order to better prepare students for kindergarten. “Over the last year, we served 60 students at Hawthorne and Whitney Elementary Schools,” Bieter
said. “In the program’s firstyear, Idaho Reading Indicator shows that pre-reading skills among the children in the Boise Pre-K project were between 22 and 30 percent higher, depending on the school, than those without.” The improvement of younger students’s education was paired with the announcement that College of Western Idaho will be “launching a bond effort” in November, which will include its expansion in downtown Boise. “That’s the essence of what it means to be Boiseans— we are willing to commit ourselves now so that future generations can enjoy the benefits,” Bieter said. Throughout the address, Bieter also highlighted some of the Idaho residents who have been making impacts all of their own, such as Olym-
pian Kristin Armstrong and Marine veteran Sergeant Charlie Linville. Linville, while working to defuse bombs in Afghanistan, lost his leg below the knee when an explosive was discharged. This accident did not slow down Linville, who later became the first combat amputee to reach the top of Mt. Everest. According to Bieter, Linville received the Key to the City of Boise at the event for being someone who “perfectly exemplifies what it means to be a Boisean.” “You are surrounded by amazing people, and you don’t always even know it,” Cronin said. “There’s always new things to discover.”
During his speech, Major Bieter expressed pride in the accomplishments of Boise.
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Idaho fires continue to affect Treasure Valley residents Natasha Williams News Reporter This summer was a hot and dry one all over the Gem State, and as a result fire season this year was explosive. Two major fires this season-the Pioneer Fire and the Table Rock fire-broke out in the hottest parts of the summer. A cold front moving in across Idaho will help firefighters battle the blaze, bringing temperatures down to the mid-seventies, according to the National Weather Service. Even so, all the way in September, students continue to feel the effects of those fires. A red flag warning still remains in place in much of Western Idaho.
This red flag warning covers much of the Stanley, Idaho City and Lowman areas and is largely a result of the Pioneer fire. Meteorologists don’t expect it to stop burning until we get snowfall in those mountain areas. “Cooler temperatures and rain are needed for that to happen,” said meteorologist Scott Dorval. “Typically that does not happen until much later in September but our forecast for the beginning of September shows cool temps in the 70s for Boise, and even cooler in the central mountains with a chance of rain—so that could start the clearing process a bit early.” Table Rock, a popular hiking trail for Boiseans,
burned several acres of land and caused the trail to be closed down for a few days. It also caused heavy smoke to settle into the valley. Although most students weren’t affected severely by the smoke, there
was an increase in hospital visitors during the time the fire was burning. “The hospital saw a big increase of people coming into the emergency room, but those are people who have respiratory illnesses.” said Associate Professor
and Director of Clinical Education for the Department of Respiratory Care, Jeff Anderson. The cooler temperatures moving into Idaho this week are expected to stick around, according to the National Weather Service.
As the air cools down, it is expected to make rehab efforts on the fire-charred land a little easier.
The Arbiter is always accepting new volunteer staff writers to its editorial cube. Interested students should email
editor@stumedia.boisestate.edu
to find out about volunteer positions currently open.
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NEWS Faculty conversations: foundational changes in the making ‘Adsdsdsd the Words’ refuses to compromise on humanBieter rights John updates students on the changes being made in the UF 100 courses
BOISE STATE UNIVERSITY / COURTESY
The Arbiter sat down with Acting Director of the University Foundation Program, John Bieter, to speak about the direction of the University Foundations program which will be up for review this year.
It was recently suggested that the UF 100 classes would be repurposed to focus on career preparedness instead of broad topic exploration. Could you comment on this? What we’ve been asked to do is review the program, identify the strengths and challenges of the current configuration and then propose next steps, propose the areas that make sense for improvements in the foundational studies. We know that the foundation studies program will be here. (Bob Kustra) has always been behind it. I think he has renewed interest in seeing its success. It’s too early to determine the direction that it is going to go. What are some of the strengths and weakness of the University Foundations 100 classes your department
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is facing currently? From the interviews The Arbiter did last year, there is currently a low campus opinion of the UF 100 classes. There are a couple of things we’ve found in the general education classes—we want to call them core curriculums— are commonly not the highest rated courses on campus. You’re coming to school to be a creative writing major. That’s what you aspire to, that’s how you want to spend your time. Someone asks you to take a core class in math or natural sciences, and it doesn’t feel like it’s what you’re interested in doing. One of the greatest challenges and assets of this course is when you have interdisciplinary team taught courses. For me the greatest teaching experience I’ve had to join together with another faculty member who asks questions
from a different lense and that we get to work with students in an integrated way. What I mean by that is he tends to ask ‘how’ questions. I tend to ask ‘why’ questions. And yet for our students, not matter what field you are going into, you will be asked ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions. Life doesn’t come at us in neat individual blocks—here’s math for an hour, here’s science for an hour—it’s a construct we use in college to try and target particular areas. But there’s something very rich that can happen when you have a very integrated course that parallels more the way we live life. I think the greatest asset that Foundation Studies has is this integration of sciences and the humanities. Now sometimes our greatest asset is our greatest liability. The second challenge is for most incoming students this is a different construct than what they’re used to. It’s a real challenge to say, at least if I’m taking Chemistry or if I’m taking Math and it’s this required course, I at least have an idea of what this is. It’s a challenge for students because they haven’t had any experiences with integrated learning--this sort of cross disciplinary learning and so it is going to feel pretty foreign to them. Because UF 100 is targeting a particular kind of skills, it may be a challenge for them. I’m going to be a music major, this course doesn’t feel directly connected to me.
You’re trying to provide them with critical thinking skills and a slew of interdisciplinary understanding. Exactly, but targeted at two other university learning outcomes that we know everyone is going to need regardless of your field and that is oral communication and working in teams. What has happened is employers here in the valley and around the nation will say ‘no matter what this is what we need to constantly do,’ and so we practice, target and work to develop those. One of the things I’ve heard professors say is that they don’t feel prepared to create a universal curriculum because they come from specific disciplines so how are you streamlining University Foundations 100 so students always get the same experience in classes? We know students aren’t going to get the same experiences in classes. In other words, no two learners learn the same way, and no two courses are going to happen in the same way, but I think that what you’re looking for is can we have consistency while we don’t have uniformity and that’s the way I would define it. What is consistent is targeting these skills that we know students are going to have to have. We can live in a world that
can be especially utilitarian. I’m coming to college for a particular reason and this is the outcome that I want and it’s a fixed mindset on what education can be. Part of that makes absolute sense. The challenge of that is that doesn’t match the reality of the work world we’re entering where people change jobs so quickly. The turn over in fields is happening very quickly so then the more broadly I can conceive of the skills that I am bringing to the workforce, the better prepared I am to meet the reality of the multiple positions I have in my professional life. If you look at the studies the career center puts out, the reality is (students) will be working in multiple positions. The best way to prepare that are these skills that can be adapted in a lot of different ways. There are students going through and checking boxes to finish their degree and there are students that are learners—one that is curious, taking control of their education, taking advantage of all the opportunities that the university provides. One tends to be a little more reactive--I’m just doing the things that are expected of me. The other is when a student becomes more active--more assertively going after their education. And that’s the other language that we’re introducing. We’re trying to open up students to this broader understanding of their education.
This seems counter to the movement we’re seeing at the university, for instance, with the creation of Bridge to Career and majors that are sustainable for getting jobs in the job market. My question is, when you guys are creating this curriculum, how are you going to balance the idea that being an inherent learner is the opposite of giving students the skills to get a job? The university needs to offer a menu of options that provide for students the education that they most need. I see these as complementary pieces, not competitive. When you enter into writing, there are 100-level and 200-level base pieces that you need. Once you advance, there may be particular skills—technical writing for example— that might be a different kind of style—a Bridge to Career kind of workshop course seminar. Every employee in the valley that we’ve talked to talks about these broad skills. We need problem solvers, we need people who can communicate well in an oral and written fashion, and we need folks that can work well in teams.
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OPINION
Adjunct faculty are overpaid
Faculty rakes in thousands while underfunded football program continues to struggle
Last semester, the university decided to award its adjunct faculty a 3 percent raise. This raise came two years after the Boise Weekly published a story about reforms to Boise State’s credit-hour system that cut average revenue for adjunct faculty by 25 percent. In short, it was a pyrrhic victory—like when the bank forecloses on your home, but lets you keep the welcome mat. At first glance, it probably seems like Boise State is taking with one hand and giving with the other; deceptively scaling back adjunct earning-potential while simultaneously appearing to play the part of the magnanimous employer. That said, it’s important to give the university’s administration the benefit of the doubt. After all, it’s not like they stand to gain from the creation of a low-income academic underclass that performs labor for the university, but isn’t entitled to employment benefits or representation in the Faculty Senate. Moreover, I think I speak for everyone when I say I’m tired of teachers complaining about the size of their paychecks. Was there ever a profession so defined by avarice and greed? These days, most adjunct faculty don’t even care about education; they only take up teaching so they can afford to soup up their Toyota Avalons and wear nothing but the finest Old Navy apparel The problem is not that adjunct faculty are underpaid—if
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Adjunct faculty selfishly put their own standard of living ahead of the well-being of students.
anything, they’re overpaid! Adjunct faculty earn between $980 and $1,019 per credit hour. Adjuncts teaching high enrollment classes—over 70 students—receive additional payments of between $50 and $150 per credit hour. This means adjunct professors— who are allowed to teach up to 11 credit hours—are capable of earning between $2,940 and $12,859 a semester. The people complaining that adjuncts are underpaid clearly haven’t stopped to consider how easy it is to live like a king on $13,000 a semester. Just think of how much food, water, gasoline and electricity a person could purchase with that kind of money! Why, $13,000 is enough to pay for a year’s worth of in-state tuition at Boise State! It’s enough to go on a tour of Europe, purchase a fairly decent used car, or rent a two-
bedroom apartment in a nice part of town. A person with $13,000 could even afford one semester of childcare through Boise State’s absurdly overpriced Children’s Center! Of course, many adjuncts don’t teach 11 credits or make anywhere close to $13,000 a
federal poverty level is a surefire way to encourage innovative problem-solving here at Boise State. Adjuncts shouldn’t be asking for more money; they should be making their own raincoats out of used bicycle tires and collecting tin cans to subsidize their income.
TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY / COURTESY
Andy Ridgeway Opinion Editor
low-priority items like health insurance and early childhood education, the university wouldn’t need to give them a 3 percent raise. It’s bad enough we don’t charge adjunct faculty to check books out from the library! How many more handouts are they going to demand from us before they’re finally “Imagine how many footballs President Kustra satisfied? could buy if Boise State started paying adjuncts in Frankly, it’s a little shameful company scrip. Or just stopped paying them altothat teachers on this campus gether, in favor of a “Hunger Games” style arrange- can afford to stuff their faces ment, where adjunct faculty assemble in Albertsons with ramen noodles and inStadium at the end of every semester to fight to the stant mashed potatoes while death for a single tenure-track position.” the university’s administrators semester and, even if they did, Adjuncts will never learn and Division 1 football coaches they would never be able to fiscal responsibility if they be- are forced to scrape by on hunafford all of these things at the come financially dependent dreds of thousands of dollars same time. Adjuncts have to on their employer—nothing per year. choose: food or electricity? fosters the American spirit of Imagine how many footTransportation or childcare? entrepreneurialism like the re- balls President Kustra could Luckily, these difficult deci- alization that you can’t afford buy if Boise State started paysions are the stuff fiscal dreams rent! ing adjuncts in company scrip. are made of. If necessity is the If adjunct faculty learned Or just stopped paying them mother of invention, forcing to budget better and stopped altogether, in favor of a “Hunadjunct faculty to flirt with the wasting money on frivolous, ger Games” style arrangement,
where adjunct faculty assemble in Albertsons Stadium at the end of every semester to fight to the death for a single tenuretrack position. If adjunct professors are struggling to make ends meet, it’s because they made the reckless decision to blow all of their money on a college education. It’s not the university’s fault that the market value of a college degree isn’t what it used to be. The university offers a bridge to career; nobody said it would be a well-paying career with benefits. Offering passionate and qualified instructors a living wage sounds great and all, but you know what Boise State really needs? A brand new football stadium! This would be a win-win for everyone, because the university could convert Albertsons Stadium into a shanty-town for adjunct professors who can’t afford a place to live. Just think of how much time they’ll be able to shave off of their morning commute! Constructing a new shantytown won’t be easy, but it’s certainly better than paying adjuncts a living wage. It’s a slippery slope: if the university offers adjunct faculty too much money, they’ll start to think of themselves as employees and educators, instead of debt-laden, underemployed and highly expendable menial labor. They’ll succumb to the avarice that characterizes the teaching profession and start making outrageous demands like paid sick leave, or even health insurance!
Friday Forum upholds the spirit of the liberal education Sam Wonacott Planning Committee Member for Friday Forum
What is the point of a liberal education? Talk to some people and you may come to the conclusion that there isn’t one. The liberal education, they say, was appropriate for a different time, but in today’s economy what students need is skills, skills, skills—skills in math and science and engineering and so forth. This is the new economy, and subjects like literature and philosophy and even political science need not apply. Surprisingly, a lot of people in higher education hold this opinion, and that’s why higher
education, now more than ever, appears focused more the vocational side of things than producing thoughtful students fluent in an array of subjects, including the putatively less “relevant” ones. Nevertheless, the spirit of the liberal education remains defiant and alive in certain corners of Boise State University, including, especially, at Friday Forum. What is Friday Forum, you ask? Friday Forum is a student-led discussion group sponsored by the Honors College but open to anyone and everyone who loves learning. The purpose is to offer a venue where curious students can discuss and debate the
pressing topics of the day and cultivate the ability to think critically. Andrew Delbanco, who teaches English and comparative literature at Columbia University and who writes frequently on higher education, once wrote that “we might say that the most important thing one can acquire in college is a well-functioning bullshit meter.” Or, as Martha Nussbuam, who teaches philosophy and law at the University of Chicago, wrote in her book “Not for Profit: Why Democracy needs the Humanities,” “Another problem with people who fail to examine themselves is that they often prove all too easily influenced.”
Job skills are great, but nobody wants to live in a country of featherbrained drones. If you find yourself craving respectful yet stimulating discussion, do join us. Throughout the years, Forum has covered everything from the role of civility in politics to making cities more affordable. We’ve argued over altruism and our obligations to the less fortunate. We’ve examined the rise of China, the role of student media, and the merits (or lack thereof) of capitalism and globalization. In short, we cover it all, and we hope to see you this semester!
Time: Every Friday from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00p.m. Where: Driscoll Hall This weeks topic: Principle and courtesy in American Politics: Is there room for both?
The first Friday Forum of the semester kicks off on September 9th, and will center around politics and civility. Bruce Newcomb, Idaho’s longest-serving speaker of the House of Representatives, will introduce the forum. For more information join the Friday Forum Facebook page or email samwonacott@ boisestate.edu
"All Things Woo Woo," Sundays from 5-7 p.m. Your Sunday homework sessions just got better...join Susan Fullmer for her meditation based show, only on universitypulse.com.
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*ACKNOWLEDGMENT: This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. (DUE- 1347830) WIDER PERSIST. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
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Over the past decade, Boise State has hit several milestones, including achieving 10 percent STEM graduation rates and its classification as a doctoral research institution by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. The WIDER PERSIST Grant—awarded to Boise State’s Center for Teaching and Learning in 2013—has been in tandem with the changing culture providing Boise State with a backdrop for these successes has been. “This grant is really about shifting insitutional culture so that changes in faculty teaching practices can be sustained over time, and if you look at the literature broadly about changing culture broadly, that isn’t something you just do,” said Susan E. Shadle, director of The Center for Teaching and Learning. Now in its third year, the WIDER PERSIST Grant—a $2,163,660 grant allotted by the National Science Foundation to improve teaching styles in STEM classes—is set to end in August of 2017. The grant continues to provide The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL)—a campus department devoted to classroom development—with the funds to improve teaching styles. According to Britnee Earl,
and, now, I’m going to stop and give students something to really chew on for a couple minutes,” Shadle said. “It gives students a chance to practice with the material. So depending on what type of thinking the instructor wants students to do, it gives them the chance to do so.” The human attention span can only actively engage with new material for between 15 to 18 minutes, Shadle said. This makes tools like think, pair, share vital for students to cement concepts in their minds. Another method Shadle mentioned is team-based learning where students rely on their peers to explore the concepts discussed in lecture. To implement team-based learning, faculty generally have to “redesign the whole course,” whereas “thinking, pair, share can be incorporated into any class.” Both of these teaching methods get students thinking about course material instead of simply memorizing it. The CTL’s 2016 annual assessment showed a decrease in students taking very descriptive notes in STEM classes. Earl explained this as an example of how WIDER PERSIST is helping classrooms become more student focused. “You might look at that and think ‘students aren’t taking notes, that’s not a good thing,’ but an alternative perspective might be that they’re not taking notes because they are engaged in active learning instead of a lecture,” Earl said. According to Shadle and Earl, the implementation of these teaching methods
in classrooms has helped with classroom retention in several of the STEM majors. One example of this is the shift from 80 percent pass rate to 90 percent pass rate in Computer Science 121. “What some faculty have done in Computer Science 121 is they’ve cut the fail/drop/ withdraw rate in half,” Shadle said. “And more students who had passed, chose to continue.” Although Shadle plans to try and renew the WIDER PERSIST grant, Earl explained the CTL will be spending the grant’s last year working to collect data about pedagogy in classrooms. “Sometimes faculty are using these practices and they just don’t realize it has a name,” Earl said. “So if we ask faculty if they are using any of these evidence based practices, they might have responded
‘no,’ because they didn’t know what it was.” These classroom observations allow the CTL to not only collect data about teaching style in classrooms, but they also encourage faculty to share their teaching methods with other faculty. “One of the things that is working is faculty members gaining awareness of these approaches and how they work, but also them being able to collaborate with other faculty,” Earl said. “Just getting faculty to talk to each other about teaching and collaborate with each other has been very positive.” To create the collaboration
of faculty and the utilization of classroom tools, the CTL hosts a week long course in the summer called the Course Design Institute. During the week, faculty are taught about different ways to improve their teaching styles and promote alternative learning methods in the classroom. “Broadly, what the data is showing is faculty are using more active learning in their classrooms,” Shadle said. “Shifting away from classrooms that are fully lecture, and more towards active engagement.” The funding for the Course Design Institute is provided by the Provost Office. It and the WIDER PERSIST grant are two pieces of the puzzles that have helped improved our classrooms. “We would never say WIDER PERSIST is solely responsible for the improvements made in teaching and learning through the grant activities,” Earl said. “It is our effort to provide support for faculty, but they’re the ones who actually make the changes.”
PHOTOS BY PATTY BOWEN / THE ARBITER
Patty Bowen Editor-in-Chief
project manager at the CTL, the WIDER PERSIST grant encourages faculty to engage with students through handson learning methods and move away from lecture styles that don’t foster critical thinking. “It’s about being able to allow the students to work with the content in a different way,” Earl said. “A lot of faculty will say ‘I learned physics by doing physics’ or ‘I learned biology by doing biology.’ What they mean by that is they didn’t learn the concept until they were in the in an environment where they were able to apply the concepts.” Departing from traditional lecture styles is part of the WIDER PERSIST’s goal to make classrooms student centered. In fact, according to the 2016 annual assessment survey, there has been an increase in student centered teaching since 2013. “In general, student centered teaching is focused on what student are learning more than on what the teacher is delivering,” Shadle said. “In that traditional lecture scenario, it’s very teacher focused—focused on what the teacher is doing and focused on the content. In the student centered classroom, there is a shift, and the professor’s role is both as content expert and paying attention to whether or not students are getting it.” According to Shadle, one of the ways professors can foster more student centered learning is by using learning styles like “think, pair, share.” When using think, pair, share, faculty will encourage students to turn to a partner and discuss parts of a lecture. “The idea is I might have been talking for ten minutes
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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
THE
1
ARBITER
COURTESY BRAINBASHERS
appear once in a row, column or box.
MINUTE ~BY STUDENT MEDIA
GOT A MINUTE?
Catch weekly news videos on
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CULTURE
PATRIOTIC CHOICES series aims to create political EVENT SERIES This courage and civil discourse
Thursday, Sept. 8 Civility Matters: A Symposium 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM Wednesday, Sept. 14 Film Series, The Hunting Ground 5:30 PM - 8:00 PM Wednesday, Sept. 21 Film Series, Chisholm ‘72 6:00 PM - 9:00PM
Thursday, Sept. 22 Constitution Day Lecture by William Voegeli
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM Friday, Sept. 23 Politics and Policy Brown Bag Lecture with William Voegeli
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Monday, Sept. 26 Debate Watch Event First Presidential Debate
7:00 PM - 8:45 PM
DESIGN BY NANCY FLECHA / THE ARBITER
Wednesday, Sept. 7 Film Series, Lincoln (2012) 6:00 PM - 9:30 PM
Tuesday, Sept. 27 Campus Read Distinguished Lectu Lecture David Brooks
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
“Patriotic Choices” wants student voices Lecture series creates space for confronting political discourse
Brandon Rasmussen Culture Editor Political discourse can be a tricky subject, particularly on college campuses. This semester, the Center for Idaho History and Politics hopes to address this with “Patriotic Choices,” a series of lectures, talks and film viewings all with a political edge. According to Dr. Jill Gill, Boise State history professor and co-director of CIHP, these events are aiming to create a space where students can explore how to confront these topics while still maintaining civility in discussion. “We’re looking for events that are civically-minded and social justice-minded,” said Gill. “We want them to help us talk through our differences and solve problems.”
This idea was first thought of by President Bob Kustra, who then recruited Gill and political science professor Justin Vaughn to use the election as a backdrop to discuss civility in political discussion. While Gill and Vaughn have set up many of their own events, such as the various film viewings, they began to recruit other events that were lined up in the Fall that also fell under the umbrella of their overall objective. On of these adopted events was the “Address and Book Signing with Roxane Gay”, which was organized and put on by the Gender Equity Center on Aug. 31. This week, “Patriotic Choices” will continue with its own events with the viewing
and discussion of the movie “Lincoln” on Wednesday, Sept. 7, and the flagship event “Civility Matters: A Symposium” which will take place throughout the day on Thursday, Sept. 8. “Our mission is to include teachable moments and meaty dialogue around the theme of political discourse,” said Gill. “We’ll be exploring what that means, what it looks like and maybe getting into disagreements about it. But it’s really about asking how we can work together for the common good.” While many of the faculty involved are passionate about this concept, the real goal of the events is to engage students. Heather Campbell, senior political science major and vice president of the Political Science
Club, is one of the students who have already become involved. She was asked to help pitch the series to the student assembly. “This sort of Program definitely reflects our club’s initiative and purpose,” said Campbell. “We aim to inform students about the world of politics and engage in intellectual discussion about what is going on around us.” Students and faculty will continue to be a resource throughout the series by involving student organizations such as the Political Science Club and bringing more Boise State events under the “Patriotic Choices” umbrella. Though the series currently lasts mostly until the end of the inauguration season in January, Gill and
Vaughn hope to carry it into the Spring. “We’re involving students in the process as much as we can to take advantage of their expertise and academic prowess,” said Gill. “It’s a true community discussion with an academic edge to it. As long as the funding and the will to participate lasts, we’ll be there.” To incentivize students to be there, the CIHP has come up with a way for students to earn prizes just for attending. Those who join the “Patriotic Choices” OrgSync page will be added to a sort of attendance sheet which students can be checked off on as they show up to the various events. Once they reach a certain checkpoint, they can earn prizes such as gift cards and movie tickets.
The ultimate prize will be given to one student—an opportunity to sit down with President Kustra. “This is about politics,” said Gill. “If you have ideas to share with the president, this would be an opportunity to do that.” Though they hope prizes will help to motivate students attend, these events were designed with confidence that students and faculty have passion for political discourse and that will bring people to the events. “You don’t have to be a political scientist or a politician to be involved in politics,” said Campbell. “You just need to want to be involved and open yourself to new ideas.”
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CULTURE
Waffle Me Up
Boise’s newest breakfast joint is dishing up waffles and more Elise Adams Culture Reporter
JARED LEWIS / THE ARBITER
ELLEN FOGG / THE ARBITER
Waffle Me Up is a waffle restaurant serving up more than just breakfast. From humble beginnings at the Nampa Farmer’s Market to a food truck operating out of the Boise Farmer’s Market, the business recently opened the doors of their first storefront location on Capitol Blvd. The menu boasts artisanal liège waffles made from scratch daily, using 90% locally sourced ingredients from nearby farmers. In the dough are imported Belgian sugar pearls, which give the waffles a sweet, crunchy exterior. The most popular item on the menu, according to owner Hector Garcia, is the BOB Deluxe: melted havarti cheese, a market egg fried in coconut oil, bacon, fresh basil and real maple syrup served over a warm waffle, with a few slices of strawberry on the side, topped with housemade strawberry sauce. Everything is deliberately and artfully arranged on the plate, because as Garcia puts it, “people eat with their eyes first. I want people to be completely happy when they eat my waffles.” Those in need of a gluten free option need only wait--the owners expect to put out a GF waffle in the next
thirty days or so. Also in the works is a recipe for a vegan waffle, for those seeking a plant-based alternative. Garcia is in collaboration with other chefs to make these options a reality. Garcia began his business with what he calls a “peanut cart philosophy,” meaning he started small, learned the ropes, and through blood, sweat and tears, worked his way up to a brick and mortar location. He started out in the restaurant business at 20-years-old, and even now, he’s in the kitchen every morning, laboring to realize his vision of a wholly relaxing and satisfying experience for his customers. His bright personality lends to the positive environment of his restaurant, and he prides himself in teaching his two children entrepreneurship and selfreliance by letting them work alongside him. “The flavor of the waffle is really good,” said customer Austin Huffman. “You can tell that the fruit is fresh, and they keep it simple with the menu.” Any students looking for a decadent breakfast this semester are encouraged to take Waffle Me Up for a spin; in a show of support, Garcia is giving customers wearing Bronco gear $1 off their waffle.
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Local music ensemble celebrates 100 years of national parks Jacob Palmer Staff Writer
JACOB PALMER / THE ARBITER
A mixture of live chamber music and electronic synthesizers formed calm, serene melodies set to match the beauty and grandeur of the wall projections showing sweeping U.S. landscapes. Stringed instruments, a keyboard and a clarinet were all used to match a variety of different locations and moods. This performance was a celebration of the 100th anniversary of America’s National Parks, taking place in Ming Studios on Friday, Sept. 2 and Saturday, Sept. 3. The event started with a speech from Christina Rusnak, a composer from Portland, Oregon and the coordinator of the event.
“We were looking at how to celebrate the national parks via new music,” Rusnak said. “So I worked with about fifty composers from four or five states, and several ensembles to present new music from living composers about our national parks. This series includes two exciting programs presented by 208 Ensemble and a program of commissioned works by Third Angle in Portland.” Performing the music was the local music group 208 Ensemble, founded by Jake Saunders, a Boise State graduate. “I finished my masters at Boise State and I was thinking back through my experiences on what was the most valuable thing I had done,” Saunders said. “I remembered that I played in a music ensemble at University of Michigan; it was a very fun and profound
experience. I’m always looking around the community to see what we don’t have here in Boise, and it occurred to me that an instrumental ensemble hadn’t been founded yet.” The celebration of National Parks was received well by Boise residents who are geographically close to many historic places controlled by the Park Service, including the Oregon and California trail, Nez Perce historical park, the Hagerman Fossil Bed and the famous Yellowstone Park in addition to many others. National parks have also provided Boise State with a source of leisure for its students. “Growing up, every few years my entire family on my Dad’s side would go to Yellowstone. Still to this day I enjoy going and seeing all the geysers and wildlife,” said Kasey Rich-
ardson, junior media production major. Richardson has been to Yellowstone Park throughout his life and still enjoys visiting. “Culture is the expression of our national values and National Parks are part of those values,” Rusnak said, “When we’re in national parks, we become our best selves. We discover ourselves. We discover what we’re made of and what our character is. What I think is very important is that new music can act as advocate for the things we value, whether it’s social justice, whether it’s human rights, whether it’s national parks, and especially for the places that we value.”
The Little Prince offers cultural commentary Elise Adams Culture Reporter
ANTOINE DE SAIN - EXUPERY / COURTESY
Based on the 1943 novella by French Aristocrat Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince is a Netflix original film that presents a critical narrative for our time. Bleak images of grayscale, identically-shaped houses and perfectly symmetrical hedges offer an insight into the nature of our society: assimilate, or be cut down to size. The film adds a unique perspective to the original book, picking up the story years after it first took place. The Aviator, voiced by Jeff Bridges, finds himself a black sheep in old age. He befriends a young girl, who in her personal life is being crushed by the well-intentioned but still unrealistic expectations of her mother. In an attempt at inspiration, the Aviator shares with her his drawings-pages that make up the internationally cherished story about a little boy from Asteroid B612. College is a time for learning and maturing, and while these things are scary, the main point of the film is clear and inspirational: growing up isn’t the problem. Rather, the problem is forgetting what it’s like to be a child - to be innocent, curious and full of hope.
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SPORTS & REc
Bounced from the Big 12
Boise State is no longer a contender for the Big 12 Riston Ramirez Sports & Rec Reporter
For a few short weeks, Boise State and its fans held on to hope as the Big 12 silently discussed the possibility of expanding to 12 or 14 teams. As the weeks went on it became more likely that the Big 12 would only take two teams if any at all. More than 20 teams met with the Big 12 in hopes of becoming a member of the conference. Boise State was dropped from the conversation along with Arkansas State, East Carolina, New Mexico, Northern Illinois, San Diego State and University of Nevada Las Vegas. The Big 12’s list now consists of 12 teams including Air Force, Brigham Young University, University of Central Florida, Cincinnati, Colorado State, University of Conneticut, Houston, Rice,
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South Florida, Southern Methodist University, Temple and Tulane. Bob Kustra says, “We will always explore the opportunities to put our university and our students in the best position for success. In this case, we believe we provided the necessary information for the beginning stages of the process, but the conversations didn’t get far enough to spark a deep analysis on what the partnership could have meant to either Boise State or the Big 12. We remain confident that our membership in the Mountain West Conference provides tremendous opportunities for our student athletes in all sports. We wish the best to the Big 12 as they move forward.” As for now, Boise State will continue to remain in the Mountain West Conference. The Broncos first home game will be on Saturday, Sep .10 against Washington State University.
Riston Ramirez Sports & Rec Reporter Bogus Basin is in the works of finalizing a student discounted season pass for the 2016/2017 winter season. Bogus Basin, near the end of every season, sells a discounted season pass for the next years season. As of September, adult season passes have increased to $399 and will rise once more to $499 on Saturday, Oct. 1. In February these passes could be purchased for $299. According to Susan Sand, director of community & customer relations at Bogus Basin, the resort is “still finalizing details for the pass with Boise State’s marketing team.” Sand said will be unveiled in the next few weeks. “As a student who thoroughly enjoys snowboarding especially at a place as convenient as Bogus, I strongly support the idea of discounted season passes for students. Sometimes it’s hard for students to get the funds for recreational activities, but at a mountain like Bogus, I think the discounted season pass not only generates revenue from a specific demographic, but also creates a connection between Boise State and Bogus Basin itself,” said sophomore business major Adam Mazor. Bogus Basin will be open for full operation around mid-November all the way through mid-April.
Boise State student Jordan Riesterer skiis the slopes of Bogus Basin
PHOTO COURTESY OF CAMERON MITCHELL & JORDAN RIESTERER
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Bogus Basin offers student passes
TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY / COURTESY
Former Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore out for season with broken leg
Kellen Moore looked to strive for greatness, but now will look to rahab to get ready for his return.
Evan Werner Sports & Rec Editor As his NFL career starting to take form, former Boise State Bronco Kellen Moore broke his leg early in training camp with the Dallas Cowboys. Moore was the starting quarterback for the Boise State Broncos from 20082011. In his redshirt freshman year in 2008, Moore led the Broncos to an undefeated regular season. During his time as a Bronco Kellen Moore won many awards including, 3-time WAC champion, 2-time WAC Offensive Player of the
Year, WAC Freshman of the Year, 2-time First-team AllAmerican and 2-time Firstteam All-WAC. By the end of his Boise State career, Moore had become the first ever FBS quarterback to win 50 career games, finishing with a final record of 50-3. In his junior year, Moore also finished fourth in the balloting for the 2010 Heisman Trophy. After being an undrafted free-agent, Moore was signed by the Detroit Lions in 2012. Playing behind Matthew Stafford for three years. Moore was then cut in 2015, later signing with the Dallas
Cowboys and making the team as the backup quarterback. On Dec. 19, 2015 Moore got his first career regular season playing time against the New York Jets, with Tony Romo fracturing his collarbone. Unfortunately, his play time was not very successful throwing three interceptions in his first game. Kellen played the final two games of the season against the Buffalo Bills and Washington Redskins. After playing three games, and starting two, Moore’s statistics were average. Moore has thrown for 779
yards, four touchdowns and six interceptions; giving him a quarterback rating of 71.0. Heading into the 201617 NFL season, Moore was poised to be the backup quarterback to Tony Romo. During training camp on Aug. 2, 2016 Moore suffered a fractured fibula on his right leg. “Your heart hurts for him because he just works really hard,” tight end and Cowboys teammate Jason Witten said. “He’s constantly taking notes. He’s studying. He’s communicating. And at that position I’ve seen it with Tony for a long time as we came in you never know
when your (opportunity) is going to happen. He’ll continue to fight. That’s what he is, that’s who he’s been his whole life. He’ll bounce back, I’m sure.” Moore’s injury left a huge gap in the depth chart allowing fourth-round rookie Dak Prescott to become the backup to Tony Romo. Prescott’s numbers have been spectacular through his first three pre-season games with a 78 percent completion rate, five touchdowns, zero picks, and a 137.8 passer rating. During the second preseason game starter Tony Romo was injured on the
third play of the game against the Seattle Seahawks with a compression fracture of the L1 vertebra. Early signs looked to show Romo was okay, stating after the game that that was the biggest hit his back has taken since his last surgery and he is glad to see it hold up, obviously this was not the case leaving Romo out anywhere from six to ten weeks. Now the Cowboys are in a position where Dak Prescott is their starting quarterback for week one and fans have to wonder whether Moore would have had the same success if not injured.
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SPORTS & REc
Boise State Fans having fun on The Blue, a historic piece of Boise State Tradition.
Evan Werner Sports & Rec Editor Since it’s installation in 1986, The Blue has beenaBoiseStatetraditionforthelast30years. Outside of painted end zones, Boise State is theonlyschooltohaveanon-greenplayingturf indivision1collegefootball. After 16 years of playing on green astro-turf, Athletic Director Gene Bleymaier decided that if the school was going to pay $750,000 to renovatethefield,theycouldmaketheturfadifferentcolorinordertogainnationalnotorietyas aschool. HavingtheturfinstalledwhileintheBigSky Conference, Boise State presented The Blue to the world with a 74-0 win over Division II HumboldtState. Although the NCAA has created a policy prohibiting stadiums from having non-green playing fields, Boise State is excluded from the
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ruleandgrandfatheredinbecausethefieldwas bluebeforetherulewassetinplace. Since being originally installed in 1986, the “Smurf Turf” has be changed five times, upgradingtheturfwhennewturfisavailable. TheBluehasbeensocaptivatingsincebeing introduced,in2011theNFLmadethe“Boise Rule” not allowing any team to making a nongreenplayingfield. In 2011 the Mountain West Conference banBoiseStatefromwearingblueuniformson TheBlue,butthatrulewaslaterrevokedwhen Boise State decided to stay in the Mountain Westandnotleavetheconference. In October 2014, Boise State’s blue field topped USA Today’s Fan Index list of top 10 bestfieldsincollegefootball. Boise State Athletics decided to honor The Blueforits30thanniversary,byhavingfansvote fortheirfavoriteBoiseStatefootballplayerswho haveplayedonTheBlueandmakeanAll-Blue Team.
The voting featured one position per week allowing fans to vote on a selection of players thathavemadehistoryforBoiseStatefootball. The team will be announced at the first home game against Washington State, with the players that make the All-Blue Team being honoredatthegame. According to Broncosports website, “the All-Blue Team will consist of 30 individuals, with 28 members of the team being selected through fan ballot from June 1 to Aug. 2. The position breakdown of the team through the June1toAug.2votingperiodwillbeasfollows: Quarterback(2),RunningBack(2),WideReceiver (3), Tight End (1), Offensive Line (5), Defensive Line (5), Linebacker (3), Defensive Back(4),Kicker(1),Punter(1),Returner(1).” The All-Blue Team is plentiful of Boise State All-Stars featuring over 20 players to have played intheNFL.
DEVIN FERRELL / THE ARBITER
Broncos celebrate 30 years on The Blue
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