September 8, 2014 Vol. 27 Issue 7
I n d e p e n de nt
St ude nt
V o ice
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B o is e
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“My fondest memories and greatest accomplishments are the over 1,500 students who passed through the program.
They made it all worth while.� -Brad Arendt
years
After 16 years as director of student media, Brad Arendt leaves Boise State to pursue new opportunities
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BOISE STATE WOMENS RUGBY
IN THIS
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF 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
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ISSUE
Julia davis park: a storied history
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ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR Brandon Walton sports@ arbiteronline.com
CULTURE EDITOR Justin Kirkham arts@ arbiteronline.com
ASSISTANT CULTURE EDITOR Patty Bowen arts@ arbiteronline.com
Catch the highlights from Saturday’s Game
PHOTO EDITOR
Tyler Paget photo@ arbiteronline.com
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COPY EDITORS
sudoku
Brenna Brumfield Briana Cornwall
design manager Jovi Ramirez
GRAPHIC DESIGNERS
Christian Spencer Ted Atwell Jared Lewis
BUSINESS MANAGER MacArthur Minor business@ arbiteronline.com
women in stem fight stereotypes
NL News Director Farzan Faramarzi
Contact Us
arbiteronline.com 1910 University Dr Boise, ID 83725 Phone: 208.426.6300 Fax: 888.388.7554
Page 1 photos courtesy Brad Arendt, Tabitha Bower, Farzan Faramarzi and Tyler Paget Design by Jovi Ramirez
Distributed Mondays & Thursdays 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 apiece at The Arbiter offices.
NEWS
Boise State attempts to support women in STEM News Editor
As a computer science graduate student, Marianna Budnikova has been just one of three women in a class of 30 students. Fields like computer science and engineering have typically seen few women enter the field. Even fewer stay, because sexism is occurring in male-dominated fields. Female students at Boise State are combating this sexism. While out with her girlfriends one night, material science graduate student Nikole Kucza encountered
this sexism first-hand. One of Kucza’s friends was introducing a man to the group. He asked how the women all knew each other. They replied they were engineers. The man didn’t believe them. He responded that they were too pretty to be engineers, that they must be nurses or something. According to a recent NPR article titled “Many Women Leave Engineering, Blame The Work Culture,” over the past two decades 20 percent of engineering graduates have been women, but only 11 percent ac-
tually practice engineering. This means 40 percent of women engineers leave the profession. The common reasons are work place environment and social expectations regarding gender roles. “There’s a social stereotype you can’t be smart and pretty,” Kucza said. “Until that stops at a young age, we’re going to keep silently enforcing gender roles that boys can be smart and curious and girls can be pretty and quiet.” Measures are being taken to combat this culture at Boise State. There
My one reason?
To pay for books and tuition. You only need one reason to donate plasma.
are groups that support women pursuing careers in male-dominated fields, such as computer science and engineering. Budnikova is the president of the Association of Computing Machinery-Women and Kuzca is the president of Society of Women Engineers. These organizations provide encouragement, mentorship and networking opportunities for women in these fields. In addition, Boise State is creating the new Institute for STEM and Diversity Initiatives, which is planned to help women and minorities
“
pursue science, technology, engineering and math careers. Sharon McGuire, vice provost for undergraduate studies, said it’s important to facilitate diversity. McGuire said more perspectives and worldviews cause a multifaceted approach to problem solving. As Kucza mentioned, one of the important steps these women are taking changing the perceptions around women in maledominated fields is to address the issue in younger age groups, starting as early as elementary school.
Kucza said one thing the Society of Women Engineers does is visit schools and help with initiatives that foster interest and exploration of the sciences for both boys and girls. Kucza also mentioned that the Society of Women Engineers is not just open to women. It’s also open to men to be involved in discussions and leveling the playing field. “Diversity is always really nice to have,” Budnikova said. “Having just one perspective on the problem isn’t enough and women can bring that different kind of perspective.”
“
Alx Stickel
Having just one perspective on the problem isn’t enough and women can bring that different kind of perspective. —Marianna Budnikova
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ACM-W women help out on stem day.
09/08/2014
NEWS STUDENT MEDIA FAMILY
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Sean Bunce Asst. News Editor Emily Pehrson Editor-in-Chief Over the past 17 years, no man has accomplished more to progress Student Media at Boise State than Brad Arendt; however, the era of Arendt has ended. Arendt recently left Student Media for an opportunity to work as the chief operating officer of Alliant Merchant Services—though he couldn’t resist taking one last work call in the midst of his farewell party. Starting in 1997 as the student business manager, Arendt never saw a break in his employment at The Arbiter. He was hired the following year as the director, a full-time professional to oversee The Arbiter. In his time as director
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he brought The Arbiter, Pulse Radio and Non-Linear Productions together under the same roof to form Boise State Student Media. Arendt helped protect the rights and freedoms of these departments as independent student organizations. Although Boise State helps fund The Arbiter, it cannot control what is written. Arendt’s focus has always been on supporting students and helping them maintain their identity as an independent entity. “If I decided to start telling students what to do, we would lose the heart and soul of Student Media,” Arendt said. Throughout his time at Student Media, Arendt learned the importance of allowing students a healthy measure of independence.
“Part of the experience is making mistakes,” Arendt said. “That’s a life lesson that you can’t teach; you just have to make those mistakes.” Throughout the years Arendt has supervised countless students and had a lasting impact on many futures. “Brad was one of the top influences in my life during my time at student media,” said Amy Merrill, a former news editor at The Arbiter. “I can say without a doubt I wouldn’t be where I am today without the experiences I had with Student Media, and Brad was instrumental to my success. “I will always be grateful for all the times he set aside whatever he was working on to have in-depth discussions with me about news, politics, integrity and life.”
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PALE IN Feature 6 COMPARISON 09/08/2014
Why Boise State flopped in the 2014 Forbes rankings
Katie Meikle
Managing Editor
In 2013, Forbes Magazine published an article debunking the college ranking system entitled, “College Rankings Aren’t Meaningless; They’re Just Misleading.” According to Steve Cohen, author of the article, the college ranking system misguides students and their parents by focusing on the reputation of a particular college rather than if it is a good match for the student. “The problem is that college reputation has been hijacked by rankings,” Cohen said. “Unfortunately, the data that U.S. News and other media companies are collecting is largely irrelevant.” Ironically, one such media company is Forbes, which publishes an annual compilation of the “top” universities and colleges across the country. In the 2014 Forbes rankings Boise State was 625 out of 650 schools. The College of Idaho, BYU-Idaho, University of Idaho and Idaho State University all ranked higher than Boise State. Check out the next page to see how the different Idaho schools stacked up.
Unpacking the rankings: Why did Boise State flop?
Martin Schimpf, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, claims that the methodology of many ranking systems including Forbes is inherently biased against metropolitan universities like Boise State. “ I t ’s f r ustrat ing
when we see rankings like this,” Schimpf said. “It just in no way reflects who we are. The data that they are
10%
using to rank us at 600-something—it’s just not relevant.”
32.5%
The Forbes methodology is based upon 12 indicators in five categories, as seen in the chart below. “We never do well when they use graduation rates, when they use debt default, student loans and so on and so forth,”
Schimpf said. “We’re a lot about affordability and access.” According to Schimpf, the rankings do not accommodate the fact that students in metropolitan areas typically take longer than four years to graduate.
Breakdown of Forbes’ methodology from “Ranking America’s Top Colleges”
25% 7.5%
25%
POST-GRADUATE SUCCESS STUDENT SATISFACTION STUDENT DEBT ACADEMIC SUCCESS GRADUATION RATE
ted atwell/THE ARBITER
Idaho School Rankings from Forbes Top Colleges 2014
625th 351st
260th
Different strokes for different folks
Not surprisingly, certain rankings and methodologies tend to favor some institutions over others. Boise State paled in the
Forbes rankings, earning only 23.87 total points for its performance in all five categories. In comparison, number-one ranked Williams College earned 93.09 points. Boise State also ranked 65 out of 90 in the west in US News & World Report’s list of regional universities. Conversely, Boise State ranked 15th in Best Colleges in America: The A-List. “(Best Colleges) say we rank schools based on three things: affordability, academic quality, accessibility,” Schimpf said. “We like that because we believe our programs are highquality. There’s no Yales and Harvards (on that list) because they’re not about affordability, accessibility.” The Forbes rankings essentially seek to rank schools in similar areas, however. “We are looking for people who don’t come out of school
with heavy debt. We are all for affordability, and we don’t want kids graduating with debt, so colleges get points for that,” Howard told The Arbiter.
respectively—though both had less than a seven percent acceptance rate for the class of 2018. In essence, most rankings
“It’s frustrating when we see rankings like this. It just in no way reflects who we are. The data that they are using to rank us at 600-something— it’s just not relevant.” —Marty Schimpf According to Howard’s article, “We’re not all that interested in what gets students into college, like our peers who focus heavily on selectivity metrics such as high school class rank, SAT scores and the like.” Forbes ranked Yale and Harvard sixth and seventh
seek to assess schools on one thing: quality. Unfortunately, there is a lack of a definitive and consistent metric for quality. There is no measure available, for example, for the personal reward that the college experience can offer. In the fruit basket of higher
606th
education, the Yales and Harvards are apples, and the Boise States are oranges. The world of college rankings is rampant with contradictions because it is impossible to ascribe a uniform ranking system to the entire diverse spectrum of American higher education institutions.
Repurposing the rankings
According to Schimpf, students and parents need to take other factors into consideration besides reputation in order to determine if a university is the right fit for the student. “I think that the problem with the rankings is that they rank,” Schimpf said. Schimpf stated that rankings are only useful if students and parents can use them to compare universities in specific metrics and then decide what metrics are of value to them.
“Let’s not just rank schools from one to 600—that’s meaningless,” he said. Whether the rankings are meaningless or just misleading, Schimpf emphasized that the college-search process should prioritize finding the best and most affordable college education for the student. But then again, reputation is still important, too. “Ultimately, a degree from Harvard does not guarantee you a job. But it will guarantee you the interview,” Schimpf said. “It’s about teaching the kids the core skills and then having enough reputation to get you the interview.”
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“If you think of a rural school like University of Idaho—a student that goes to a rural institution typically isn’t necessarily having to work to pay the bills,” Schimpf said. “The family has afforded that, so they’re typically there for four years and done.” The Forbes methodology does not make this distinction. “It’s our philosophy that schools should be graduating kids on time and so schools get points for that,” said Caroline Howard, senior online editor for Forbes Magazine and author of “Ranking America’s Top Colleges 2014”.
456th
Culture
Julia Davis transforms from apple orchard Patty Bowen
Asst. Culture Editor
Julia Davis Park is just a hop, skip and a bridge away for most students, especially those living in the dorms. The rich variety of the park offers an accessible escape; it contains everything from the Boise Art Museum to the Zoo. The history of the park is as rich as the opportunities visitors find there. Although the name of the park is that of a woman, our story begins with a hardworking man who dedicated the his land in her name to the city of Boise. Born in 1836, Thomas Davis spent the majority of his childhood in servitude to ranchers Andrew and Harriet Claycomb after the death of his father. “They took care of the livestock, all the farmwork and the fields with the sowing and the harvesting. All that had to be done they learned how to do,” said Mary Margaret Draper, volunteer for Julia Davis Park. When Davis and his younger brother Frank Davis were both over 18 and could legally leave the Claycomb’s farm, they decided to take a chance on fortune by moving out west. With 73 other men, the two brothers began their journey in search of gold with a group of guides that promised to lead them to areas of potential wealth. “Here are groups of people, sometimes a 100 sometimes up to a 1,000 people who moved from place to
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place. They would move on rumor. ‘Oh look they found gold here!’” Draper said. “It was not enough to make it worthwhile.” About halfway through the trip, the guides stranded the men, stating that the path they were currently taking didn’t lead to anything promising, and in order to make it back to civilization unharmed they would have to sell all their expensive equipment back to the guides at a fraction of the original price. Enraged by this, Thomas Davis gathered up all of the groups’ equipment and burned it. Without guides or equipment the group continued on west until they reached what is now Boise. “They set out to take 160 acres each, which is what they were allowed. Land could be had for $1.25 per acre,” Draper said. After settling along the river, Davis turned his land into an apple orchard of 7,000 trees. In 1863 Fort Boise was established, and several years later Thomas Davis met Julia McCrumb, who was raised in Ontario, Canada. McCrumb came to Boise when she was 20 years old to visit a friend of her mother’s. Davis and McCrumb were married in 1871. Julia and Thomas Davis were both considered very important parts of the development of Boise, and were said to be extremely social people shaping their six children into contributing members of the Boise community. Julia died in
September 1907, and several months later Thomas Davis donated 43 acres of land in honor of her memory to the city of Boise. From 1922-1932 the Davis estate donated land to Julia Davis Park four more times. In 1941 Julia Davis Park expanded one last time with the dedication of the Rose Garden, making the park its current area of 89.4 acres. After the birth of the Rose Garden, a bronze sculpture of Julia Davis was commissioned for $2,000 creating the brick plaza in the east of the Rose Garden. The Davis family has decided to renovate the plaza in order to make more room for engraved bricks. “We’re going to have to dig it up because we’ve outgrown it. It will be sandstone on the inside with the family through my generation on the outside… so it will be able to be expanded,” said Diane Davis, greatgranddaughter of Julia and Thomas Davis. “As we redo this brick it will go into the Rose Garden and there will be actual walking paths.” After the renovation which will begin in the upcoming months, bricks will become available for name engravings to the general public.
To take a visual tour or learn more about Julia Davis Park visit JuliaDavisPark.org.
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STUDENT MEDIA
PHOTO BOOTH WE BRING THE
Camera-Lights-Props You just bring
your fabulous self
nicki minaj/twitter
Culture
Nicki Minaj Tweets to over 18 million followers.
Celebrities wield social media magic Justin Kirkham Culture Editor
In a culture in which mainstream radio stations often select their daily playlists from a group of 40 top hits, music enthusiasts have to be extra vigilant in keeping up with their favorite artists and up-and-coming musicians from their favored genres through other musical avenues. Artists have to do everything they can to stay connected with their listeners, keeping them caught up with their new releases and music.
The more direct a route, the more likely the information is to be picked up and remembered. Because social media is such an integral part of individuals’, especially students’, daily lives, artists are resorting to higher interaction with their fans on staple social media platforms, namely Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. There, media savvy fans can get direct access to more personalized images and updates from their favorite artists. Full-time barista and hopeful future Boise State student Korey Combs fol-
lows a multitude of artists on social media, including Nicki Minaj, Kina Grannis and members of Marina & the Diamonds. “I really think students and people our age spend about 99 percent of our time on the Internet,” Combs said, explaining that online platforms are the best place to connect with such an audience. Combs enjoys following artists closely online so that he can get a better understanding of their personalities and conversational banter. He especially enjoys tweets from Minaj because
September events you shouldn’t miss Justin Kirkham Culture Editor
With so many events going on around campus these first weeks of the semester, it’s difficult to keep track of which ones are coming up or even worth working into a busy back-to-school schedule. While students might not be able to attend every Boise State club or administrative event, they can always jot a few prospec-
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tive ones down or tuck them away as potential plans. Check out these five campus events spanning the rest of September, as they’re definitely worth planning on.
Visual Arts Center fall displays
From now to Oct. 23, Boise State’s Visual Arts Center is housing two displays. In room 174 of the Liberal Arts Building, students can find Julie Green’s display, “The Last Supper: 600 Plates
Illustrating Final Meals of U.S. Death Row Inmates.” As the title implies, the display includes 600 ceramic plates with depictions of inmates’ last meal requests. The second display can be found at the Hemingway Center. In room 110, Alexis Pike and Jacinda Russell’s displays, “Faux” and “Claimed : Landscape” will take an in-depth look at what is fake and what is real as well as evoke an identity
Combs follows Minaj for more than her general tweets. The rap artist posts previews of her songs before they release, as well as countdown images to her new singles and releases. This particularly helped the premiere of her “Anaconda” music video, which currently holds over 130 million views. Recently claiming and holding the top space on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with her “Shake it Off ” video, newly categorized pop artist Taylor Swift is still riding the waves from her ABC- and Yahoo-promoted Livestream on Aug. 18. Sporting one of the first worldwide live streams specifically for fans, Swift
announced her new single, album and video, which immediately went viral. She posted clues leading up to this live stream on all of her media platforms. Combs believes that much of these artists’ success comes from their promotion online and close connection with their audiences. He also feels that new artists are more accessible on social media. “With so many other artists on Twitter and Facebook, it becomes sort of an expectation,” Combs said. “It’s easier to find out about them online, and it puts them further out there. The more places they are, the more you see them.”
for western America’s landscape.
Ballroom.
Students itching to fix meals beyond microwaveable dinners will have the opportunity to learn how to cook easy and affordable meals. This week’s lesson will center on easy creations utilizing a microwave and a mug. There will also be free food along with the free lesson, which is a bonus for any college student. This will take place from 6-9 p.m. at the Student Union Hatch
From 8-10 p.m. at Albertsons Stadium, students can enjoy a showing of “22 Jump Street” for free. Students are in charge of their own comfort and can bring their own blankets and pillows to make the viewing more enjoyable on the Blue Turf.
area from 7-9 p.m. with their friends. Prizes will be available for successful participants.
they both “help her career and show she’s a decent person.” “It’s fun to get to know them on a different level other than just their music,” Combs said. “It humanizes them.” According to Twitter Counter’s updated listings, Minaj has the 32nd most followers. Topping those charts are Katy Perry and Justin Bieber, with 56 and 54 million followers respectively. Below them lie Barack Obama and YouTube’s account, while Taylor Swift sits at fifth with over 43 million followers.
Tasty Tuesday – Sept. 9
Movie on the Blue – Sept. 11
Trivia Night – Sep. 17
Students that want to test their knowledge can visit the Student Union dining
Boise Philharmonic’s opening might – Sept. 27
The Boise Philharmonic will open their season at 8 p.m. at the Morrison Center. The evenings selection of music will include “Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1” and other pieces performed by guest artist Anne-Marie McDermott on the piano.
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Devin Ferrell/THE ARBITER
Sports & Rec
leslie boston-hyde/THE ARBITER
Devin Ferrell/THE ARBITER
Miller tied Pettis’s record with a 44-yard TD Catch.
Matt Miller etches his name into the record books Brandon Walton
Asst. Sports & Rec Editor
Move over, Austin Pettis; there is a new sheriff in town. Boise State senior wide receiver Matt Miller became the all-time leader in receptions, eclipsing Pettis’s record of 229 receptions in Boise State’s home win against Colorado State Saturday night. “You don’t expect to do something like this, especially break a record of a close friend,” Miller said. “It’s kind of special in that
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aspect.” While Miller didn’t show too much emotion after etching his name in the history books, his teammates were quick to show their excitement. “Matt is one of the greatest players I have ever seen play the game of football,” junior running back Jay Ajayi said. “He comes in every day ready to work and for him to get that record tonight. I felt almost as happy as he was.” Miller finished the game with eight
catches for 151 yards and a touchdown. “I am very happy for Matt Miller,” head coach Bryan Harsin said. “Anytime you break a record and break the record of a player like Austin Pettis, that’s very significant and I am very proud of him.” Miller will soon become the all-time leader in receiving yards as well. He only needs 241 more receiving yards to break Titus Young’s record. Records, though, are the last thing on Miller’s mind. His only focus
right now is on the team. “Nothing has changed for me,” Miller said. “I am just glad that we were able to get out of here with a win tonight.” Miller has started all four years and has become one of the most prolific playmakers in Boise State history as a result. His humility and dedication to the team though have always stood out more then any numbers ever have. “Matt is an awesome guy,” senior nickel Cory
Bell said. “What makes him so special is he won’t say anything about it and that’s why we all look up to him.” Miller will be vital for the Broncos’ success this season, as he could have one of the best seasons in school history. “He is one of the smartest guys that I have been around when it comes to the game of football,” Harsin said. “Matt is always working on new things and will continue to get better.”
Walton’s Wisdom is a sports column written by the assistant Sports & Rec editor and self-proclaimed sports wizard Brandon Walton. More than anything else our university is known for our blue turf and our football program, so it’s easy to forget about all our other athletic programs we have going in the fall. It’s sad because many of these programs have really taken off as of late and could be in store for their best seasons yet. Coach Jim Thomas has turned the soccer program around in his short time here as last year he led the Broncos to their first 13-win season since 2009. Swimming and diving had one of their best seasons in recent memory last season as the Broncos won the Mountain West championship for the second time and sent six people to nationals. The volleyball team comes into the season with a lot of experience as they only lost two players from last year’s team. Finally, both the men’s and women’s cross-country teams are coming off spectacular seasons. The person to watch is senior Emma Bates. She is coming off a runner up finish at the NCAA National Championships. While we all love watching our beloved Broncos on The Blue please remember we have a lot of other great athletes here at our university. So take the time and go out and support them. Our school is much more than football.
09/08/2014
Sports & rec
Boise State offers MAL program Nate Lowery
Sports & Rec Editor
Sitting in Boise State’s athletic training room, Seth Rede first began to hear rumors of a new master’s program. He felt it would help him reach his dream of working at an athletic performance enhancement center. Now in its second semester, the Master of Athletic Leadership program hopes to help others like Rede improve athletics with a leadership education, founded in practicum. “I feel the MAL program will help me adapt and contribute to any team of professionals that I might be work-
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ing with,” Rede said. The MAL program at Boise State is just the latest of programs focused on improving athletics through leadership education that have been spreading across the United States. According to program director Tyler Johnson, Boise State’s MAL program has a heavy emphasis on direct practicum. Ten of the 32 credits required to graduate from the program are practicumbased. “You spend a lot of time working in the field with a professional,” Johnson said. “It’s a formal program, but it also has some nice oppor-
tunities to get out there and socialize with people who are already coaches.” Johnson feels it is important for a program like this to hold onto some informal nature, because according to research, coaches report they’ve spent more time learning through informal methods, such as talking with other coaches and reading. Johnson was first approached by members of the Athletic Department, wondering if it were possible to have a formal education program for coaches. Johnson’s response was a resounding yes. Boise State’s program is less focused on training coaches
for specific sports, instead being more focused on educating individuals to be leaders in athletics, whether it be in athletic training, athletic administration at the college or high school level, or coaching. Rede takes pleasure in being able to step away from his kinesiology background with his graduate courses in leadership. Rede, along with Johnson, especially enjoy the gateway course into the MAL program, foundations of athletic leadership. The course is taught by Jeremiah Shinn, the director of the Student Involvement and Leadership Center and assis-
tant vice president for Student Life. Shinn has a Ph.D. in educational leadership from Eastern University. “If (my future courses) are anything like the classes I took this past summer with Shinn and Dr. John McClellan then they will all be very rewarding,” Rede said. The MAL program follows a cohort model. All 14 members currently in the program began the program this past summer. They took the majority of their academic coursework to allow them to have professional experience during the school year. “(The MAL program) was immediately appealing due to the unique schedule structure,” Taylor Anguiano a graduate of Chapman University who got a Bachelor
of Science degree in athletic training said. “I struggled to find fall classes that wouldn’t conflict with my volleyball travel schedule.” Johnson feels the interdisciplinary aspect of the program makes it even more appealing to students. Only four faculty members in the Kinesiology Department work with the MAL program. Instead, the program is made of faculty across campus. “We planned the overall program and designed our courses with consultation from one another,” Johnson said. “That’s a really unique feature of this program. Rarely do you have faculty that meet together that often and talk about how their courses can be integrated and mesh together.”
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