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Health Services offers nutrition classes for students.
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People with seemingly opposite personalities may function well in a relationship.
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Check out the first installment of the series “Ads and Identity.”
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November 11, 2013 • Issue no. 01 Volume 27
Boise, Idaho
First issue free
Tunnel of Oppression shocks Ashley Stout Staff Writer
The tension in the air was thick enough to be cut with a knife, perhaps by one of the many guides holding fake knives and guns. The screaming was loud and the room dark, but that was the point, to make you feel like you didn’t belong. The Tunnel of Oppression, which is an interactive theatre experience put on by Multicultural Student Services (MSS), opened the minds and hearts of many students to the experience of oppression so many people feel every day. “Oppression is something you can read about and talk about, but until you actually begin to feel it you don’t know what it’s like,” said Ro Parker, an organizer for MSS. The tunnel was made to make you feel uncomfortable, sad, confused and maybe even angry. The struggle of those being oppressed every day
because of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, etc., is very real. No word other than overwhelming can describe the experience you get while going through the tunnel. There was screaming, orders being demanded, confusion, violence and fear being instilled in each and every participant. The 30 minutes spent in the tunnel are life changing. You are forced to walk in the shoes of those who don’t know where they belong, you are confused and disoriented. You are given no instruction, you have no sense of time, you are essentially trapped in this tunnel that is showing you real life events that are oppressing people around you. “Sometimes people don’t realize different groups are facing oppression, and then they also don’t realize that we ourselves participate in some of those oppressions,” Parker said. One scene of oppression simulated an elevator. The doors opened for ev-
Emma Hood/THE ARBITER
Multicultural Student Services’ annual event allowed students to experience oppression firsthand
Students were moved to tears at this year’s Tunnel of Oppression. eryone to get on the elevator and we began to move like cattle, meanwhile we were yelled at to “hurry” and “get closer.” One by one people got off the elevator, some looking normal, and some having disabilities. But with every person who exited the elevator a sigh or a rude comment was made.
Broncos bench shows depth in lopsided win Nate Lowry Staff Writer
Depth was supposed to be one of the biggest strengths for the Boise State men’s basketball team this season. With all five starters from last season’s NCAA tournament appearance squad back, the Broncos were expected to produce the same amount of scoring in head coach Leon Rice’s trey-happy offense. Boise State didn’t meet those expectations—they exceeded them with a roster deeper than everyone imagined. The Broncos had five scorers reach double-digits, and another just miss that mark with nine points a piece in a 116-87
win over UT-Arlington last Friday at Taco Bell Arena. The 116 points the Broncos scored was the second highest scoring output for the Broncos in program history, falling just two points shy of the school record of 118 scored against Portland State in 1975. Rice believes the depth shown in Friday night’s win is what will separate Boise State from other teams in the post season. “The depth is huge. It gets you through it,” Rice said. “That’s the key to winning championships; that’s the key to great teams is that you have to have depth. It’s such a long grind.” What impressed Rice how-
ever, was the Broncos resilience with starting guard Jeff Elorriaga held out of the game. Elorriaga missed three games last season with a concussion and was held out of Friday’s game as a precautionary measure after being hit in the head during practice ea r l i e r in the
Once you made it to the fourth floor, you exited into a hallway lined with people holding signs explaining their reasons for using the elevator. At the end of the tunnel, there was a debriefing for all participants. At this point, participants were allowed to express their emotions, feelings and
thoughts. Sophomore Alissa White said, “I think it’s awesome to look from a bunch of different perspectives that you’re never going to have.” This is the ninth year Boise State has held the Tunnel of Oppression, and it is has become a tradition for MSS to host the event
and encourage discourse regarding oppression. “The tunnel has always been about looking inside yourself and understanding that before you can change anything else, you have to start with yourself, you have to start with looking inside and saying, ‘where do I start?’” Parker said.
week. “The past three years (Elorriaga)been my security blanket,” Rice said. “I didn’t sleep last night because Jeff’s not playing.” After nine straight losses in games, the Broncos have played witho u t
Elorriaga—dating back to his freshman year in 2011—Rice had plenty of justification for a sleepless night. He won’t anymore. Anthony Drimic led the way with career high 34 points and the Broncos had five players score in double-digits while having two players score nine points—including Elorr i ag a’s re-
placement Thomas Bropleh. “There’s a lot of depth. We have a lot of guys,” Bropleh said. “If somebody’s out, the next guy steps in. We’ve played with each other for awhile so that depth is good with the new freshmen Dezmyn (Trent) and Nick (Duncan) coming in so we have a lot of depth like Joe Hanstad.” Trent, a freshman guard from Tacoma, WA, was fourth on the team with 13 points in 20 minutes. He also hauled in five boards. Rice was also pleased with the vast improvements from redshirt sophomore Mikey Thompson. Rice said Thompson gives him another point guard that can run the offense efficiently.
tions, eat alone, or with company. Either way, you have to eat. “It’s just like if you’re at your house, and you either eat alone or you eat with your family,” Mercier said. “Some people just like to eat alone.” Though Mercier says she doesn’t like to eat alone, she would be will-
ing to do it, only if she had something else to occupy her time. “If I had homework, I think I’d be fine,” Mercier said. “But if I was just sitting there by myself, I would feel a little weird.” Haynes agreed and stated, “I don’t really like to do it, but I’ll do it because I have to eat.”
@Dani_Bananii
Life as a college student is always on the go. Breakfast consists of that measly granola bar you managed to grab on your way out the door, trying to make it to your first class on time. Lunch usually comes and goes because you forgot to bring something sustainable to get you through until dinner. Six o’clock in the eve-
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ning hits, and you realize you’re alone. Do you grab a full meal and sit down by yourself while you’re convinced the entire room is staring at you, or do you grab a bag of Chex Mix from the C3 store, head home, and call it a night? Many students struggle with this conflict every day. The choice of eating alone often comes with self-consciousness and pure fear of judgment from fellow diners. The
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Danielle Allsop
If I had homework I think I’d be fine. But if I was just sitting there by myself I would feel a little weird.
News
The Arbiter
—Kenzie Mercier
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Boise River Café feeds hundreds of students, a majority who live on campus, in a buffet all-youcan-eat style of dining. Laney Haynes, a freshman exercise science major, has eaten alone in the BRC before, and doesn’t see any issue in it. “I don’t really think its weird when people do it,” Haynes said. “They have to eat.” Kelsey Tlaynal, a freshman pre-dental major, has made efforts to invite students who typically eat alone over to her table to eat with her and her group of friends. Tlaynal recalled one specific instance she noticed a student who was eating alone.
Arts & Entertainment
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“One girl was sitting by herself and she saw us and came over and sat with us,” Tlaynal said. So why is it that we can eat alone, when no one is watching, yet most prefer not to eat alone in a crowded room? It could be the hundreds of pairs of eyes staring at you while you eat your salad, dripping in ranch. It could be our eating habits aren’t ready for public viewing. Or, it could be that we all have a fear of the potential judgment from peers may impose on you for having the courage to eat alone. Kenzie Mercier, a freshman kinesiology major, believes you have two op-
Feature
Devin Ferrell/THE ARBITER
Students question stigma of eating alone
Some students are comfortable eating alone.
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Sports
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