october 20, 2014 Vol. 27 Issue 19
I n d e p e n de nt
The Arbiter
St ude nt
V o Ice
o f
Bo ISe
@arbiteronline
Stat e
SI n c e
1933
@arbiteronline
arbiteronline.com
3 hours ago
What’s all the Yak about?
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Use of anonymous app Yik Yak on the rise, p. 6
p. 10
p. 5 ASBSU: the next generation
221
Silent but deadly: Silent film Faust is killer
p. 11
221
Make your late fall recreating more intense
221
IN THIS
Emily Pehrson
editor@ arbiteronline.com
MANAGING EDITOR Katie Meikle
managingeditor@ arbiteronline.com
NEWS EDITOR
Alx Stickel news@ arbiteronline.com
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR Eryn-Shay Johnson & Sean Bunce news@ arbiteronline.com
SPORTS EDITOR
Nate Lowery sports@ arbiteronline.com
9 justin kirkham/THE ARBITER
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
ISSUE
Nerdettes take Comic Con by STorm
11 leslie boston-hyde/THE ARBITER
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR Brandon Walton sports@ arbiteronline.com
CULTURE EDITOR Justin Kirkham arts@ arbiteronline.com
ASSISTANT CULTURE EDITOR Patty Bowen arts@ arbiteronline.com
SPerbeck: A sPurt of Excellence
PHOTO EDITOR
Tyler Paget photo@ arbiteronline.com
design manager Jovi Ramirez
GRAPHIC DESIGNERS
Christian Spencer Ted Atwell Jared Lewis
BUSINESS MANAGER MacArthur Minor business@ arbiteronline.com
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COPY EDITORS
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Campus Shuttles get a makeover
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NEWS
Boise State provides suicide prevention resources Alx Stickel News Editor
According to suicide.org, suicide is the second leading cause of death among Idaho college students, second only to accidental death. The primary cause of college student suicide is untreated depression. John Reusser, director of Idaho Suicide Prevention Hotline, said there are a variety of reasons why more students don’t seek help. One one of the most prevalent is the stigma of mental health and seeking help. To combat this stigma and provide education about suicide, Shannon Decker cofounded The Speedy Foundation in memory of her
cousin Jeret “Speedy” Peterson who completed suicide. According to Decker and Reusser, the stigma comes from Idaho’s culture of individual independence and belief in not needing help. Reusser and Decker said one reason college students attempt suicide is because warning signs either aren’t recognized or are not commonly associated with suicide contemplation. Students who are withdrawn, tired all the time and not eating normally could be swamped with homework and stressed about classes. Alternatively, these students could be considering ending their life. Reusser said while there is not always a sure way of tell-
ing if a person is contemplating suicide, warning signs include any drastic changes in the person’s daily habits. Not sleeping, eating or socializing normally could be warning signs. Suicide Prevention Action Network of Idaho reports Idaho had the 11th highest suicide rate in the nation in 2011 (the most recent data available.) This is a 5 percent decrease from 2010 reports, when Idaho was sixth in the nation. Reusser said Boise State has done a good job implementing suicide training for RAs, having suicide prevention hotline information in the dorms and providing care and counseling support for students suffering from
mental illnesses that could lead to suicide. Decker provided the mnemonic device ALGEE for remembering recommended steps in preventing a friend, family member or fellow student from attempting suicide: “A” = Assess risk of suicidal harm. High-risk situations include if someone has talked about suicide and has access to weapons which could aid their suicide attempt. “L” = Listen non-judgmentally. Reusser said telling someone they have no reason to be sad because things are going well for them is one of the most inappropriate responses to someone saying they are considering suicide. Decker said a better re-
course is to have a “real conversation with the person and ask if they are OK.” “G” = Give reassurance and information. Decker said assure the person you are there to help and ask if you can call the suicide prevention hotline with them. “E” = Encourage appropriate professional help. Decker recommends offering to go with the person if they are ready to receive professional help. “E” = Encourage self-help. Decker said this means following up with them and making sure they are still taking care of themselves. If a student is considering suicide, Idaho Suicide Prevention Hotline is 1-800273-8255. More informa-
tion can also be found on Boise State’s Health Services website.
Student Resources
Idaho Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255 Boise State Counseling Services: 208-426-1459 Additional information can be found at: www.suicide.org
Leslie Boston-Hyde Staff Writer
Students will soon see a splash of color on all of the campus shuttles. The Department of Transportation and Parking Services’ shuttle program is working with a vinyl car wrapping company out of Garden City to wrap the shuttles in blue or orange vinyl covering. According to Nicole Nimmons, executive director of Transportation and Parking Services, it’s not just about school spirit. “We recently brought the operation fully into our department,” Nimmons said. “We want to make sure that
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they’re branded appropriately.” Wrap design includes the Boise State “B”, a website link for students to track the shuttle’s whereabouts live and a blue or orange background to match corresponding routes. The blue route loops campus while the orange route travels to downtown and Yanke Research Park. Until recently, the project experienced delays. “Ideally, this would have been great to have this all done this summer,” Nimmons said. Now, Transportation and Parking Services is tentatively looking towards the first week of November as
its completion date. “We want to produce a quality product for our students, and this is what it takes. It just takes a little more time,” Nimmons said. The project totaled a little over $20,000. For Nimmons, every cent is worth the benefit. “Can (students) save 10 minutes of walking so that they can get somewhere else and maybe study?” Nimmons said. “Riding around the shuttles does provide students the extra time to (read) an extra chapter or cram before (class). Those can’t be measured (by money).” For Mateo Echeverria, senior in construction
management, the shuttle wraps will be beneficial and not just decorative. “I think it’s better than the plain white (shuttles),” Echeverria said. “It’ll be helpful. Sometimes I wonder, ‘Where’s this going?’ I’m wondering what route (the shuttle) actually is.” Echeverria uses the campus shuttle every day to commute to work and then classes afterwards. Shuttle driver Lenny Sosa sees approximately 60 to 150 students every day. According to Sosa, ridership depends on weather. “General rule, if it’s winter time, blustering cold and freezing, my shuttle
leslie boston-hyde/THE ARBITER
Boise State wraps up shuttle service
An Orange shuttle goes downtown. will be packed. If it’s really nice, blue skies, a lot of students bicycle, skateboard or walk,” Sosa said. Sosa has not seen an increase in ridership since the release of the first blue shuttle in early October. “There’s been (positive) comments from riders,” Sosa said. “I think it shows
the campus spirit, too.” Nimmons hopes the wraps will help students realize that the shuttles are a service provided to them. She hopes that the shuttles will be more recognizable and breed a sense of community. “We want people to be proud of it,” Nimmons said.
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NEWS
Ten Before Tenure encourages more growth Sean Bunce
Asst. News Editor
If Socrates were alive today, he wouldn’t get tenure. This is largely because he polluted the minds of his students with ideas and had a tendency to shake things up. At Boise State, students don’t really have the Socrates problem. Sometimes, however, they get a tenure-track professor who takes a safer approach to teaching, which helps them secure tenure but negatively impacts the overall experience for students. “There are certainly people
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who get very comfortable teaching in a particular way, and for most of their careers that’s the way they teach,” said Susan Shadle, director of the Center for Teaching and Learning. For this reason, the Ten Before Tenure program was created. Initiated in 2007, the program was designed to not only help faculty reach tenure, but also help them develop a learning mentality. Out of the 40 faculty members which are new to the tenure-track this semester, Shadle guesses there are approximately 30 who have
signed up. This isn’t a required course, but she feels it’s something professors should want to take. “I would like every faculty member to see their life as a teacher as a journey in which they’re constantly growing and learning and getting better at it,” Shadle said. To her, the reason teachers may want to keep the same teaching style is because the strategy they use is effective for students. It may also be because they’re in the process to get tenure. “Faculty are going to try new things. They’re going to explore new ideas and that
could be different ways of teaching,” she said. “There are others who are concerned that if they try something new it won’t go well or go well at first. So there may be some teachers who are more conservative in their teaching until they have tenure because they’re afraid of what might happen on their course evaluations. But that’s not everybody.” Kortnie Bellery, freshman accounting major, feels that regardless of teaching strategy teachers should be passionate about what they do and bring that same excitement to the classroom, espe-
cially at a college level. “I’ve really been able to connect with the energetic teachers more, the ones that actually care about my education and are passionate about what they do— compared to (some of) the professors I’ve had, that are lacking enthusiasm and are not as interested in the experience of the students,” Bellery said. Shadle believes most faculty pay attention to student evaluations, and if their approach is not effective, they gradually make changes until it is. “I think this is valuable for
any lesson in life,” said a professor who asked to remain nameless. “If you get a number of people telling you the same thing, then you should say, ‘maybe I’m doing something wrong’.”
Additional Info More information on the Ten Before Tenure program can be found at: http://ctl. boisestate.edu/programs/tenbefore/.
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NEWS
Alina Gilmore Staff Writer
This spring, ASBSU will implement a leadership program to help students get involved in the community and leadership roles. “We’ve been wanting to get first-year students involved, just kind of letting them know what we do because it is hard for us to make sure students know what we do,” said Lauren Albright, vice president of ASBSU. The program is an eightweek class and will count for one credit. There will only be 20 students allowed to enroll in the course this year. This will make it so students have a more involved experience, while also allowing them to bond with a mentor. Only freshmen students are allowed to take this course and will likely need a permission number to
enroll. Right now, it is still in the developing phase and isn’t completely set in stone until ASBSU finds an intern. So far, three people have applied for this position. According to Bryan Vlok, ASBSU president, this is because the intern must be either working towards a minor in leadership or already have it. The intern will lead and direct the students with the curriculum given by ASBSU, Damoni Wright, the assistant director of the Student Involvement and Leadership Center, and Albright. The intern will be the teacher of the class and the mentors will be advisors helping the students. ASBSU hopes to have 10 mentors to help teach the class. Those 10 people will be executives from ASBSU and members from their funding board.
The intern will also come up with the lessons and activities for each class, making it so the students who are attending this class get real experience. This class will meet twice a week. According to Albright, the first day of the week the intern will run the class as a group. The second day of the week, mentors will go over life experiences and how topics discussed first day relate to students’ lives now. They will also talk about what they can do to make better leadership decisions. “If they think they have any interest in being a leader in any organization on campus (or) off campus, I think it will shape into a class they will want to take in order for them to learn,” Albright said. According to Vlok if students are interested in widening their experiences
tyler paget/THE ARBITER
ASBSU implements new leadership program
The Get-involved center is located in the Sub. to something they haven’t done before then this is the class for them. One type of experience students might get is the Dominance, Influence, Steadiness and Conscientiousness test. The DiSC test is mainly used to assess
Engineering students build their own instruments Sean Bunce
Asst. News Editor
In June of this year, mechanical engineering undergraduate Sam Barker traveled to the University of Birmingham in England to complete work on a collaborative project using magnetic shape-memory alloys used to run a pump no larger than a tube of chap-stick. This pump is the first to use MSM alloys and can produce sub-micro liter
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amounts of drugs to the brain at any specified location. What’s most impressive is the instruments designed to test these alloys have been built throughout the years by the same students who use them. “A lot of the stuff we do is either not done anywhere else or done by so few labs around the world that no one builds commercial equipment for this stuff,” Barker said. Sitting on the shelf in one
of their labs is an earlier device used for compressing samples of the MSM alloy, which is held up by two wooden coat hangers. “You use what you can get your hands on. That was, from an engineering stand point, beautiful,” Barker said. “It totally serves a purpose. It works very well, it’s aesthetically pleasing and as far as I know he stole a couple coat hangers from a hotel. It was cost-free.” Peter Müllner, who came
to Boise State in 2004, believes this is one of the reasons why students come to work in his magnetic materials laboratory. “We constantly build and improve our instruments. I think what we are proud of is that these instruments are pretty unique,” Müllner said. Müllner points at an instrument, which is noticeably tilted on its side and has a long test tube running through the center. “If you look at this fur-
people so that they know how to improve their productivity, teamwork and communication. “Whatever you put into your experiences is what you are going to get out… If you are passionate about something, tell somebody
or voice your opinion,” Vlok said. Registration for students will begin in November. The specific date won’t be set until an intern is found. For more information email ASBSU at asbsu@ boisestate.edu.
sean bunce/THE ARBITER
STudents built a metallic liquid pump. nace, that was not intended to be a single crystal growth furnace,” he said. “This is something some of the students are a little afraid about, buying a furnace which is expensive and drilling a hole into it.” For Barker, the experience he has working in this lab doesn’t compare to
anything else. “These are really good learning experiences–to make due with what you can get your hands on or not reinvent the wheel. “Spend your intellectual capital in coming up with the important pieces and just use what you got. It’s fun. It really is,” he said.
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feature
Boise State joins the herd
Boise State joins the herd Tony Cacioppo Staff Writer
Eryn Johnson Asst. News Editor
Katie Meikle
Managing Editor
Money, booze, Boise River Cafe ice cream, missed connections, classroom complaints and Thirsty Thursday: welcome to Yik Yak. College students have been plugged into social media since its invention. At any given time on campus, a Boise State student is updating a status, sending a tweet or posting a picture on Instagram. And now, they’re yakking. From “I think my English 102 professor ate too much paste as a kid” to “For the love of god, fix the ice cream machine,”
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Yik Yak allows students to share their thoughts, feelings, concerns and all other things relevant to the Boise State community while remaining anonymous. The app takes the form of a virtual bulletin board, allowing community members within a 1.5 mile radius to view one another’s posts and up-vote or down-vote the content if they choose. Fellow yakkers can view the newest and the hottest yaks based on the popularity of the post in their feed. The anonymous herd continues to grow as more students download the app and share it with friends. “My friends talk about it all the time,” said Brenden Tierney, freshman computer science major. “It’s always fun to read off of
someone’s phone and see the things people post.” Students are using the app constantly on campus. “I check it more in lecture classes I would say because you’re not writing all the time,” said Skylar Luna, undecided freshman. “You have a chance to check it more often than you do in smaller classes when you’re writing and doing work.” Luna is new to the herd but she’s not entirely sure she likes what she sees. “I don’t even think half the stuff is true that people post on there,” Luna said. “There are definitely some out-there statements that people post on there. People just post stuff to get a rise out of other people.”
The fate of the Boise State herd remains
Unknown
With great power comes great responsibility. While some degree of accountability is inherent in a Facebook post, the same cannot be said for an anonymous yak. The content students have been posting on Yik Yak is raising eyebrows and concern around campus. “I bet some students love (the app) because this gives them that opportunity—this really truly free speech to say whatever they want about whatever they want,” said ASBSU president Bryan Vlok. “As I begin to continue to read some of the posts on there, the app gets worse and worse.” Various forms of bullying, sexual references and vulgar content are daily
features on Boise State’s Yik Yak feed. In fact, some of the content has gotten so bad that Vlok met with Chris Wuthrich, dean of students, to discuss what should be done about it. The verdict? Wait. “Maybe it’ll be one of those apps that will just die out, but that hasn’t seemed to be the case just yet,” Vlok said. The use of Yik Yak has previously led to incidents of cyberbullying at many high schools across the country. In response, the owners of Yik Yak instigated a system of geo-fencing, prohibiting the use of the app in geographic areas too close to most middle and high schools in the U.S. After all, Yik Yak was originally designed for a mature, college audience.
Unfortunately, those two things do not always coincide. Cofounder of Yik Yak Brooks Buffington acknowledged that there is a potential for misuse from a small group of users. However, Yik Yak monitors conversations and posts and blocks or bans users that post negative and harmful information. “We recognize that with any social app or network, there is the likelihood for misuse from a small group of users, so we have put specific algorithms in place to prevent this from happening,” Buffington said in an email. These are just some of the measures in place to preserve a positive yakking experience. According to Buffington, the technology behind Yik
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feature
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in sight. “Yik Yak will only get bigger from here,” Parrish said. “The amount of attention it’s drawing will only increase people’s desire to use it.”
A new phenomenon: the thrill of full disclosure Since the average college student whips out his or her phone 11 times on average everyday while sitting in class, according to a 2013 University of Nebraska study, it is no surprise that the concept of a live, anonymous feed of what other students are thinking on a momentto-moment basis is an appealing one to college students. Granted, college students have been venting their thoughts and emo-
tions on social media for years. According to Buffington anonymity is a particularly appealing concept to social media users and college students specifically because it levels the playing field. Yik Yak posts trends based entirely on what is said, not who is saying it. This empowers social me-
“
dia users to a new level of full disclosure void of individual judgment. “Anonymity appeals to people because they are judged based on their content, not their profile or other identifying characteristics,” said Buffington. “By eliminating identifiable characteristics, Yik Yak is breaking down barriers that other social plat-
Anonymity appeals to people because they are judged based on their content, not their profile or other identifying characteristics.
“
yakking communities tend to self-police in many ways to inspire positive campus connections. connections. Yik Yak reserves the right to terminate accounts and delete submissions of users who abuse their anonymous privileges to discuss illegal activities, use racially or ethnically offensive language, harass others in any way or otherwise violate the Yik Yak terms of service. The content posted on the app is still largely uncensored—for better and for worse. While universities in Chicago, New Mexico and Vermont have banned Yik Yak, the fate of the Boise State herd is not as yet determined. Regardless, according to Casy Parrish, freshman pre-med major, there doesn’t seem to be an end
—Brooks Buffington
design by: Ted atwell/THE ARBITER
forms erect.” Boise State psychology professor Mary Pritchard suggested that the need for full disclosure among traditional-aged college students is all about seeking self-identification and peer approval. “For many college students, developmentally speaking in terms of their identity and the core of who they think they are, there’s a lot of change that happens in the college student years,” Pritchard said. “There’s a need to really define a sense of self and to figure out who you are.” The need to self-identify can spurn the compulsion to publicize thoughts, feelings and other details of one’s private life. “It’s really an identity crisis and the advent of social media has allowed
people to process their identity crises on an international level, basically, so anyone can chime in, not just their friends who are with them in that college environment,” Pritchard said. According to Buffington, the idea of sharing private thoughts and feelings creates a feeling of belonging in the campus community. “What we see at Yik Yak isn’t so much the sharing of secrets or confessions but the sharing of those common campus experiences, campus news or funny observations. The anonymous aspect of Yik Yak really comes second to the local nature of Yik Yak; college students find Yik Yak appealing because they get local content that they can’t find anywhere else,” Buffington said.
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COLLEGE MINISTRY function
Culture
Patty Bowen
Asst. Culture Editor
The sounds of Power Rangers screaming echoes in the background as a man dressed as Gandalf the Grey meanders through a hallway decorated with “Pokemon” plushies and replicas of The Master Sword. This might sound like a horrifyingly strange dream but it was actually just one of the sights that fans experienced this weekend while attending Tree City Comic Con. The sci-fi, pop art, horror, anime, animation, fantasy and fandom convention premiered Oct. 17 and 18 at Expo Idaho. Despite rumors of monetary collapse and false celebrity advertisement, the convention turned out well according to frequent cosplayer and convention attendee Caroline Jensen. “I was wary about it because the hype was kind of weird but it’s really great,”
Jensen said. “It was a lot better than I feared, and I hope it will be better with the years to come.” Jensen was not alone in her support of the convention. According to Kevin Hanson, founder of Tree City Comic Con, the convention got a good number of attendees and is planning on continuing into another year. “We have had so much of a great response from everybody, our plan is to have another show,” Hanson said. “We learned some things, we’ll adjust some things for the next show but the plan is right now to have another [Tree City Comic Con] probably next October.” According to Hanson attendance at Tree City Comic Con was at three or four thousand people over the weekend but Hanson hopes that next year will bring even more. This includes possibly adding another day onto the already two-day convention
to give attendees with weekday jobs or classes more time to experience the events. “I think it’s hard with high schools in session to try to do two days [of convention] when people are at work [for one of those days],” Hanson said. Hanson also plans to tone down the number of celebrities from the 28 big names this year that included Verne Troyer, John Rhys-Davies, George Lazenby and Nicholas Brendon, who was arrested the night before the convention. “I think we have too many celebrities for a first show, so we’ll probably tighten that up a bit and just try to focus or 10 or 12 bigger names.” This pool of celebrities was a big drawing point for many fans who attend including Jensen. “I didn’t believe at first that John Rhys-Davies and Nichelle Nichols would be here,” Jensen said. “I said if
justin kirkham/THE ARBITER
Tree City Comic Con thrives in debut year
The Princesses of Ooo infiltrate Comic Con. having all-age panels and keeping the artist alley, the area where local and hobby artists could buy a space to sell their stuff, in the entrance of the convention center. “We really wanted to showcase the local artists,” Hanson said. “Seeing the families and having the little kids dress up with the par-
ents, you can see some older couples who are not dressed up just walking around and trying to take it all in. We’re just trying to make it a whole family experience.” To stay updated on Tree City Comic Con information for next year, check on the Tree City Comic Con website.
Female nerds strive to prove place in geek culture
about and it lets you learn more about your character,” Brosas said. “It’s cool to share that love for a character with someone.” Doering explained that this love for characters is what should drive the nerd community as a whole. It should not pull people apart because one person might not feel another is up to their standards of nerdiness or depth of comic knowledge. “Now that being a geek or nerd is popular, people think that others are busting into their territory,” Doering said. “Instead it should be an opportunity to welcome other people into the community.”
Justin Kirkham Culture Editor
Sci-fi spaceships, laser guns, robed wizards, forged metal blades, comic books and super suits are often directly attributed to boy and male geek culture. Aligning their impressions with stereotypes, those that view geek culture see it as the realm of men. In reality, this nerd culture is inhabited by more women than most would think. As explored in a Tree City
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Comic Con panel on Being a Girl in a Nerd World, geekdom has always been unisexual and those that don’t see it as such might not understand it fully. Girls can like “Star Wars,” “Lord of the Rings” and “Batman,” too. “When people used to see me at cons, they would always ask me where my boyfriend was, thinking he dragged me along,” said avid geek blogger and podcaster Tracy Doering who goes by the title of Hot Nerd Girl. “I didn’t have one.”
Doering, a die-hard “Star Trek” fan since childhood, runs her own website entitled hotnerdgirl.com where she writes about her geek endeavors and experiences. She gets a lot of flak for the name but prefers people get to know her before judging her for the handle she pins to her blog and social media. “People doubt that you’re a real nerd if you’re a girl,” Doering said. “They just have to scroll down one paragraph on my page to see that is the case.”
they were, ‘I am going to eat my hat.’ I saw some pictures and here they are, so I have a hat at home waiting to be eaten. I will be true to my word.” The convention also focused on being more family -and local artist-oriented than other sci-fi anime conventions in the valley by
Doering found that people often quiz her about what they think she should know in order to be an official nerd instead of embracing the fact that she is interested in the same sort of material in the first place. “I mean, I wore my Starfleet uniform in my senior picture,” she said. Cosplayer Joanie Brosas grew up with “Star Trek” and video games as well, much of it with her cousins as a girl. She dresses up as a variety of characters including “Tomb
Raider’s” Lara Croft and a woodland elf. As a cosplayer, Brosas receives her fair amount of criticism. People leave comments on her Facebook page, telling her that she is just out to show off her body and garner the attention of men instead of delving into and embodying the characters that she loves. Instead of letting these comments deter her, Brosas instead tries to connect with those making judgement. “It gives you more to talk
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Culture Faust leaves audience speechless at Idaho Horror Film Festival Patty Bowen
Asst. Culture Editor
Popular movies today often utilize booming music and sound effects that coax the ears and mind into believing it is a part of the visual experience. But before sound recording was possible, movies had to make do without sound effects. This is the case for the 1926 silent film “Faust”. Despite the technical difficulties that kicked the film off, “Faust” played gorgeously on the Egyptian Theatre’s screen, Oct 18. The silent film was part of the Idaho Horror Film Festival’s second-day line up and includ-
ed an original score from Sean Dahlman, a student at College of Idaho, who has performed for several other silent film showings in the valley. Although the score was repetitive and lacked the eloquence that is necessary for “Faust”’s intricate amalgam of emotions and representations of human nature, the film was still extremely enjoyable to watch. “Faust” was released almost a century ago in 1926. Assistant professor Ryan Cannon feels that silent films have a gorgeously unique technique to their special effects that students can enjoy. “Even by today’s stan-
dards, it’s pretty amazing to watch the stunt work of Buster Keaton, or the physicality and narrative fluidity of Charlie Chaplin, or the virtuosity of the German expressionist filmmakers, or the bold editing technique and visual intensity of the early Soviet filmmakers,” Cannon said. Although not by choice, the slightly out of focus, strongly contrasted style of filming seen in “Faust” creates a beautiful simplicity that could not to achieved any other way. Each object seems importantly placed and the viewer is able to relax their eyes and simply enjoy the intricacies of the story.
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“If there’s one thing the silent era filmmakers knew how to do, it was tell a visual story, unfettered by ‘narration’. Our modern films are often encumbered with a need to explain, to provide backstory, to narrate what is happening with words, dialogue, voice over,” Cannon said. Cannon feels that, in a way, silent film directors and script-writers were more advanced at using imagery throughout their films instead of relying heavily on words. “Silent filmmakers understood that theirs was a visual medium and the best of them knew how to tell sto-
ries through images alone,” Cannon said. “It’s nice to revisit the era when filmmakers were doing more than just making movies, they were creating this new language we call cinema,” Other than the roughly 10 slides with single sentences written on the screen explaining a character’s feelings, “Faust” relies completely on the expressive action of its characters. The hero of the story, Faust, leaves his righteous ways and makes a pact with a devil in order to save humanity from the plague, only to be set astray by the pleasures of youth. Only after the death of his true love does he find that life without
tragedy must be lived in the name of God. The film encompasses many religious undertones, containing a traditionally depicted struggle between good and evil. x
Additional Info
For more information on the films shown at the Idaho Horror Film Festival, visit www.idahohorrorfilmfestival. org.
Zomance film lacks quality Justin Kirkham Culture Editor
When director Pasquale Murena joked that it took three hours to put “chip & bernie’s Zomance” together, one could have assumed that he was being completely serious. The first annual Idaho Horror Film Festival debuted in Boise this weekend, from Oct. 16-19, showing horror shorts and feature length films over its three-day span. These films were hosted at the Flicks and the Egyptian Theatre for the festival attendees. “chip & bernie’s Zomance” kicked off the festival as the first of 44 films Thursday evening. At first glance, the title seems to indicate a zombie romance, in which the normal horrific gore or slapstick humor
associated with zombie films is replaced by a romantic comedy. In actuality, the term “zomance” refers to a zombie bromance in the midst of a mockreality show, and it all goes downhill from there. “Chip and Bernie are actually characters from our children’s Christmas special,” Murena said. “We wanted to widen their appeal to an adult audience.” Unfortunately, Murena failed to allow more mature personalities to surface for these characters. Their slapstick humor was overpowering, altogether silencing any sort of depth to the characters. Murena did mention that this film was “just for fun.” He is selling DVD copies without any margin for profit. This is probably for
the best as the film seems like a rough draft. With shoddy graphics, zombie heads reminiscent of hairstyling Barbie heads and a side character poking fun at both homosexuality and mental disability, the film stands in need of intensive cutting and reorganization. “Zomance” could be salvaged, though. It sports a few bits of awkward and sarcastic humor, which drive the piece toward a glimmer of appeal. “We want people to join in and become a part of the festival,” said Idaho Horror Film Festival director Molly Deckart. “And we want to keep it going for next year.” Deckart’s hopes may have some potential to come to fruition, but this premiere zombie bromance failed to send that message.
10/20/2014
Sports & rec
Idaho offers a wide range of camping options Culture Editor
Winter is coming, and the ideal days for camping are growing thin. Idaho houses some of the most coveted areas of outdoor recreation. For those interested in spending time in the state’s prime camping sites only have a few weeks left to makes plans before the starry nights turn into evenings devoted to maintaining body heat. Whether one is an extreme outdoorsman with endless experience and a thirst for exhilaration or a convenience-focused camper looking for a fun time, Boise’s surrounding camping areas have something to offer to everyone.
Ponderosa State Park provides comforts
and convenience
For those looking for a quick and simple escape into Idaho’s wilderness, Ponderosa, by McCall, is the place to go. The park is open yearround, but sports warm weather attractions with its placement near the touristheavy town. It is the ideal place for a more lax camping experience accented by homebody amenities. The park offers regular campsites for those with tents in tow and specialized cabin sites for new campers or those less inclined toward sleeping on the ground with canvas walls. Each site is within easy walking distance to bathrooms, showers and an amphitheater with periodic shows. The sites are also in a series of bike paths for cycling enthusiasts. The most convenient side
of Ponderosa is its easy access to McCall. Less prepared campers or those setting out for a more leisurely and family-or-friend-centered approach can run into town for groceries, Gem State souvenirs or ice cream.
Oreana sports stone structures and adventure
On the other side of the spectrum, those looking for a more intensive escape into nature with a detachment from society can make their way to Oreana, just south of Murphy. Those who follow the rundown roads and dirt paths southeast will find a collection of cliffs, sandstone structures and worn caves. The Oreana desert area is very much the opposite of Ponderosa. There are no
Tyler kirkham/THE ARBITER
Justin Kirkham
Idaho has several great places to camp. groomed campsites, public bathrooms or convenience stores just down the road. Campers have to four-wheel drive in with all the necessary items for their trip,
pitch their tents and cook in the middle of nowhere. Without comforts, Oreana is an adventure. There are endless rock formations and caves to explore, outcrops
Nate Lowery Sports Editor
During his recruitment, current wide receiver Thomas Sperbeck was listed by most recruiting services as an athlete, a player that could play multiple positions at the collegiate level. Sperbeck proved that athleticism in a 37-27 win over Fresno State Saturday night at Albertsons Stadium. “We have seen some really good things and we see a guy emerging,” head coach Bryan Harsin said. A quarterback, safety and kick returner during his days
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at Jesuit High School in Carmichael, California, Sperbeck, the son of former Sacramento State head coach Marshall Sperbeck, arrived at Boise State the summer of 2013 listed as a safety. As practices started, however, Sperbeck was quickly moved to wide receiver by Chris Petersen and his staff, much to the delight of Sperbeck. “I like offense a lot more,” Sperbeck said. “I would have played either or but I’m happy they put me in at receiver.” Against the Bulldogs Sperbeck was able to show
his versatility and return to his roots as a quarterback. “Sperbeck was our backup quarterback essentially,” Harsin said. Sperbeck saw three looks during the game as an eligible passer on trick plays— completing two passes for 38 yards and a touchdown and breaking off a 6-yard run. His touchdown pass to quarterback Grant Hedrick put Boise State up 34-27 with 9:11 remaining in the game, and capped a 17 play, 75-yard drive that chewed up 7:46. “We’ve been practicing
that (play) all week,” Sperbeck said. “It felt like that whole side of defense came after me so I just dumped it off to Grant.” Hedrick was equally impressed with Sperbeck’s passing ability. “I’m going to have to go ask Thomas for some tips,” Hedrick said. “That was a perfect throw. He made it easy for me.” Sperbeck’s role has increased in the absence of Matt Miller who will miss the remainder of the season with a left leg injury. Sperbeck, however, is not out to fill Miller’s shoes.
leslie boston-hyde/THE ARBITER
Sperbeck emerges in win over Fresno
to climb under and hidden rooms with sand to throw at friends. It’s a complete lockout from society with nothing but cliff expanses and blue skies to look at.
Sperbeck breaks out in win. “I’m just trying to help the team as best as I can,” Sperbeck said. “That’s what coach Harsin kind of harped on. Me stepping up but other players as well. (Miller) said do the best (I) can and
step up as a leader.” Sperbeck will have a chance to prove he’s more than a one-hit wonder this coming week when the Broncos take on rival BYU at Albertsons Stadium.
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Sports & Rec Brandon Walton
Asst. Sports & Rec Editor
Boise State junior cornerback Donte Deayon has had quite the season thus far. The second-team All Mountain West player is tied with fellow junior safety Darian Thompson for the most interceptions on the team this season. “Donte is a guy when you talk football, he just gets it,” head coach Bryan Harsin said. “He is very smart and has a gift for understanding football.” What’s even more impressive is Deayon has been the leader of the secondary, despite only finishing two full games. While Deayon has been hampered with injuries this season, he hasn’t let it affect
his play and has come back each and every time for the Broncos. “It’s nice to be healthy the whole game and be out there with them,” Deayon said. Friday night’s game against Fresno State was no exception. In the contest, Deayon registered his first sack of the season. “That was nice,” Deayon said. “It felt good coming up there and making the stop.” But that wasn’t all, Deayon got his fourth pick of the season in the Bronco’s 37-27 victory over Fresno State. “It was fitting that Donte gets a turnover at the end of the game to seal it for us,” Harsin said. With the win the Broncos were able to reclaim the Milk Jug, the annual trophy given
to the winner of this annual rivalry game. “We didn’t have the Milk Jug for a while and we let it slip last year,” Deayon said. “So we wanted to bounce back the right way and we felt like we owed it to everyone that came before us.” With Deayon’s help this season, the Boise State defense has been one of the best highlights of the season so far and a big reason why the Broncos are 5-2. Despite all the individual accolades he has received over the past few seasons, Deayon is just focused on the team and is doing everything he can to continue the success they have had this season. “We feed off of the energy of each other,” Deayon said. “We want to be a dom-
leslie boston-hyde/THE ARBITER
Donte Deayon is pretty much a big deal for Broncos
Deayon #5 celebrates with fans. inant defense from start to finish.” Deayon will look to continue his tremendous season
when the Broncos host BYU on Friday Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. “He knows everyone’s position and what they are
doing,” sophomore linebacker Tanner Vallejo said. “You can see he is just a play maker.”
Brandon Walton
Asst. Sports & Rec Editor
Andy Bettles is arguably one of the best tennis players to ever come through Boise State. “He has a legacy that is going to last a long time here,” head coach Greg Patton said. “He established a standard of excellence and is an unbelievable ambassador for Boise State. He is class all the way through.” Bettles finished his Boise State career with an astounding record of 106-42 in singles and 83-36 in doubles. In addition, Bettles led the Broncos to three straight Mountain West champion-
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ships and helped get the Broncos as high as 15th in the country for men’s tennis. Bettles is currently competing in the International Tennis Federation, which is the stepping stone for getting into the pro circuit with competitors like Roger Federer or Andy Murray. “The tour is going well for me,” Bettles said. “I am enjoying traveling around Europe playing tournaments, taking in new cultures and playing some tennis as well.” In the ITF, Bettles has a 3-10 record in singles and a 6-7 record in doubles. While not the record he was hoping for, Patton knows that Bettles has time
on his side. “The thing that he has on his side is youth,” Patton said. “He has got incredible drive and wants to be a pro.” Bettles came to Boise State from Somerset, England when he was just 16. “The way that we got him was he was a really good friend of another player we had in, Scott Shields,” Patton said. “When he was here he was telling me about his best friend Andy who was one of the best players in the U.K.” After his freshman year, Patton knew he had a star in the making and the rest is history. “It was a relationship made in heaven,” Patton said.
Patton definitely misses his star player from last season’s team and knows he was a once in a lifetime type of player. “I have to clone him,” Patton said. “Or shave his head and put a mustache on him and bring him back.” Bettles will continue playing for the ITF for the rest of the year and is hoping it will pay off in a big way. “My ultimate goals in the sport are to play Wimbledon and represent Great Britain in the Davis Cup,” Bettles said. Even though Bettles is gone from Boise State, he will never forget his time as a Bronco.
cody finney/THE ARBITER
Bettles taking his game to the next level
Bettles has gone pro. “My time at Boise State was an amazing journey with so many memorable moments spread across my fours years,” Bettles said. “Playing for Boise was a
special experience; we had an incredible bond and work ethic as a team that enabled us to be so successful and reach as high as 15th in the country last year.”
10/20/2014
FREE FOR CLUBS AND ORGANIZATIONS TO ADVERTISE YOUR EVENT
BOISE STATE WOMEN’S SOFTBALL
COLLEGE MINISTRY function every thursday night starting at 7pm Contact info - www.foundationcm.org
rivalry game vs U of I OCTOBER 26th, 9-11 AM Location: FORT BOISE Shalom to all Israelites, jews, messianics, & christians on campus!
CLUB MEETS every friday for
Erev Shabbat dinner RUSH AKPsi
SEEKING MEMBERS & OFFICERS
6:00-9:00 P.M.
located on belmont street in the biblical studies center 1025
SUB FIELD
INTRAMURAL
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