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“CONVERGE” event brings assortment of art to Boise community.
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Danielle Davidson shares her photos from studying abroad in Seoul, South Korea.
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Boise State basketball tips off new season.
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October 28, 2013 • Issue no. 19 Volume 26
Boise, Idaho
First issue free
Lock and key Photo: devin ferrell / ryan thorne / THE ARBITER
Preventing bike theft with U-lock design
Katie Meikle Staff Writer
According to the 2013 Boise State Crime Log, 47 bikes have been stolen so far this year on campus. Last year, the Boise Police Department reported a dramatic increase in city-wide bike thefts. According to Rick Rogers, a civilian employee at the Boise Police Department, the beginning of the fall semester corresponds to a high number of bike thefts reported on campus. Newcomers to campus, including freshmen and transfer students, are often unaware of the extent of the bike theft problem and what they can do to prevent it. “A bike with a U-lock on it is the least likely to get stolen,” Rogers said. Rogers said registering bicycles with the police department is a good form of added protection as well, because it ties the bike to the owner. “Unless your bike is registered, there’s no way to get a recovered bike back to you,” Rogers said.
Bike theft is a highly prevalent form of property crime on college campuses across the country, according to the National Bike Registry. Rogers said bike thieves are known to steal anywhere, anytime, and any day of the week. Bike theft patterns and focus areas are difficult to determine. “We look at this issue all the time because it is our biggest problem. Where can we put our time and energy? If it was just the dorm areas, we’d focus there. If it was just the classroom areas, we’d focus there. But it’s not, it’s all over,” Rogers said. Rogers said there is also not a distinctive trend in the types of bikes that are frequently stolen. New and old, cheap and expensive models are all targeted by bike thieves. The only clear trend in bike thefts relates to the type of lock on the bike, if the bike is locked at all. U-locks help prevent bike theft because they are more heavy duty than a standard cable lock. “Heavier, solid steel locks, like Ulocks, link into a plated steel locking mechanism,” said Kyle Lewis, a ju-
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nior studying graphic design and marketing who works at the Cycle Learning Center on Campus. According to Lewis, this makes it difficult for a bike thief to cut through a U-lock as easily or inconspicuously as a cable lock. “It would take 20 minutes to saw through a U-lock with a hacksaw,” Lewis said, “On the other hand, an experienced bike thief can probably cut through a cable lock in under two minutes with bolt cutters or a pair of pliers.” The Cycle Learning Center sells U-locks for about $25. A U-lock at most bike shops in the city runs about $30, according to Lewis, making the Cycle Learning Center one of the most economic options for students in terms of buying the equipment needed to protect their bikes from theft. Boise law enforcment encourages bike registration citywide. Students who register their bicycles with the Boise Police Department by Nov 15 will be entered in a drawing with the chance to win a new Ulock for their bike.
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We look at this issue all the time because it is our biggest problem. Where can we put our time and energy? If it was just the dorm areas, we’d focus there. If it was just the classroom areas, we’d focus there. But it’s not, it’s all over. —Rick Rogers
page Design Christian Spencer/THE ARBITER
The Crux hosted EMA for undergrad reading Ashley Stout Staff Writer
The Crux is home to some of Boise’s most unique events, not to mention one of the best atmospheres. This past Wednesday, Oct 23 the Crux paired up with Boise State’s English Major’s Association (EMA) to host an undergraduate mixed genre reading. A collection of poems and fiction stories were read from several Boise
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State students. “We are giving people a chance to get their work out there, you know when you write it feels really different to read it aloud, sometimes its good for your writing to work through it,” said Lacey Rowland, the event coordinator for the mixed reading. This event was put on by the EMA to promote student writing, learning and to share ideas. Eight Boise State stu-
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dents gathered the courage to make their way on stage to share their diverse work. It ranged from poems in the form of love letters, to fiction stories about murder. The work presented by these students was outstanding. In the past the EMA has hosted this event at Solid downtown and with every year growing bigger and bigger they soon hope to extend the event time and also possibly include professor’s work into the
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event. This year’s turn out had standing room only, helping to create the cozy atmosphere readings are known for. Friends, family, and faculty showed their support for the students presenting by showing up to the reading. Britney Leavitt a junior English major said, “It’s cool to hear other students work who are around the same age and all of the different styles”. The EMA typically
holds this particular event a couple of times a year, with the next reading being on Feb 21. Any and all undergraduate’s are encouraged to share their work through this event. “This event is definitely open to more than just English majors,” said Rowland. To sign up email pieces to: bsuema@gmail.com. Submissions typically are 5-8 minutes in length and can be poetry, fiction, or creative non-fiction.
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Sports
Along with the mixed genre readings, the EMA also does The Moveable Feast, which is a gathering of students held in a literature professor’s home, with free food. Each semester a professor, depending on who it is, chooses a book for students to read and discuss. Last semester students read “Time’s Arrow” by Martin Amis. “For English majors the best place to go is the EMA Facebook page for events, also through OrgSync”, said Rowland. More events like this will be coming from the EMA throughout the rest of the academic year.
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