The Arbiter Vol. 32 Issue 11

October 29, 2019

Vol. 32 Issue 11

IN D EP EN D E NT

MA INTA I

ST U D E NT

V O I CE

NIN

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B O I SE

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GB OI S E STATE

How the Facilities, Operations and Maintenance crews use teamwork to keep a clean and functional campus NEWS

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Local elections occur in off-years to avoid state and national election conflict, but are they effective?

VISIT US ONLINE:

OPINION

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Damaging, modern-day censorship comes in the form of banning books, limiting important dialogue arbiteronline.com

CULTURE

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Shane Darwent’s exhibit, “Plaza Park,” blends several art mediums to spark creative inspiration @arbiteronline

SPORTS & REC

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Boise State’s student section, the Corral, seeks to bring fans to the forefront of sports game excitement

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@boisestatearbiter

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Editor-In-Chief Logan Potter editor@stumedia.boisestate.edu Online Editor Emma Freitas onlineeditor@stumedia.boisestate.edu News Editor Celina Van Hyning news@stumedia.boisestate.edu News Reporter Taylor Rico-Pekerol news@stumedia.boisestate.edu Culture Editor Will Meyer culture@stumedia.boisestate.edu Culture Reporter Michelle Johnson culture@stumedia.boisestate.edu Sports Editor Delaney Brassil sports@stumedia.boisestate.edu Sports Reporter Autum Robertson sports@stumedia.boisestate.edu Copy Editor Megan Mary Social Media Coordinator Trisha Kangas Digital Content Manager Taylor Humby digitalcontent@stumedia.boisestate.edu Digital Content Producer Mackenzie Hudson Graphic Design Manager Maddie Ceglecki design@stumedia.boisestate.edu Graphic Designer Kacie Fromhart Illustrator Wyatt Wurtenberger Distributed Tuesdays during the academic school year The Arbiter is the official independent student newspaper of Boise State University, where student editors make all content decisions and bear responsibility for those decisions. The Arbiter’s budget consists of fees paid by the student body and advertising sales. The first copy is free.

Additional copies can be purchased for $1 a piece at The Arbiter offices.

As Boise State football nears the end of its season at home, Boise State’s student section, the Corral, is readying for basketball season.

Mackenzie Hudson | The Arbiter

ON THE COVER:

Fall, winter, spring and summer, the depar tment of Facilities, Operations and Maintenance works to build strong internal teams. As a result, the depar tment maintains a clean and functional campus for the Boise State communit y - and those who visit it.

Cover design by Wyatt Wurtenberger

HOW TO REACH US: CONTACT US: editor@stumedia.boisestate.edu 208.426.6302 PHYSICAL LOCATION: Located on first floor of Lincoln Avenue Garage Suites

MISSION:

As a student-run organization, we produce accurate and hyper-local information through non-par tisan and socially responsible media.

MAILING ADDRESS: Student Media MS 1340 1910 W Universit y Dr. Boise, ID 83725 -1340

Fun place to work, flex schedules, discounted meals & free t-shirts

$9.00 or more per hour Cooks & Carhops

(Carhops can earn tips) Starting pay based on experience To Apply 2145 S. Broadway: Text APPLY5023 to 876-642 851 N. Orchard St: Text APPLY4687 to 876-642

EVENTS

SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS

ARTS ENTREPRENEURSHIP WORKSHOP MORRISON CENTER RECITAL HALL

OCTOBER 30-31 This two-day workshop is hosted by the founders of “Be Spoken,” an organization focused on mentorship of women within the classical, contemporary and jazz industries.

DIA DE LOS MUERTOS CELEBRATION

IDAHO STATE MUSEUM

VOLLEYBALL Boise State traveled to San Diego State on Thursday, Oct. 24 and came away with a 3-2 win. The offense was powered by several players, led by Jessica Donahue (14 kills), Lauren Ohlinger (13 kills) and Kiley Lewis (12 kills). The Broncos maintained their momentum and went on to sweep Fresno State 3-0 on Saturday, Oct. 26. The 3-0 victory marked the 300th career win for head coach Shawn Garus. The team now sits at 14-7 overall and 6-4 in conference play.

NOVEMBER 2, 10 AM

Hosted by the Idaho State Museum, this event will feature food and beverages, face painting and two screenings of Disney Pixar’s Coco.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL VS. CONCORDIA

EXTRAMILE ARENA NOVEMBER 2, 4 PM

Cheer on the women’s basketball team in their first game of the season against Concordia University (Ore.). The Broncos have played Concordia twice before.

WOMEN’S SOCCER On Friday, Oct. 25, the Boise State soccer team had their four-game winning streak snapped by Mountain West opponent Colorado College. The Tigers scored in the 81st minute, moving them to 9-6 overall and 4-5 in the conference. But on Sunday, Oct. 27, the Broncos turned it around to defeat Air Force 3-2. If the Broncos defeat Utah State on Nov. 1, they are guaranteed at least a share of the Mountain West regular season title.

FALL BIKE SALE CYCLE LEARNING CENTER NOVEMBER 4-15 The Cycle Learning Center is hosting a Thanksgiving sale. Customers can receive 10% off bike purchases as well as 20% biking accessories and $10.00 off all tune-up services.

WOMEN’S TENNIS The Broncos wrapped up their fall season at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Mountain Region Championships on Oct. 23-27. Boise State was represented by Lilian Poling, Joana Baptista, Ana Conde Vendrell, Mae McCutcheone, Emily Strande and Vanessa Timm. After Baptista and Poling advanced to the second round, they lost in a tie-breaker to Colorado State. The rest of the Broncos went on to play in singles consolation matches, and McCutcheone emerged victorious against Northern Colorado 7-5, 6-7, 1-0 (10-8).

NEWS

OCTOBER 29, 2019 | ARBITERONLINE.COM

ADA COUNTY VOTING PROCEDURES CAN BE COSTLY AND COMPLEX Idaho counties conduct off-year municipal elections to avoid conflicting elections

Ashley Clark | Staff Writer | news@stumedia.boisestate.edu

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n Nov. 5, the city of Boise will hold general elections for mayor and three city council seats. The mayoral election occurs every four years, while city council elections take place every two years. Despite the even amount of years per term, municipal elections in Idaho are conducted on odd-numbered years to avoid conflicting local elections with federal and state elections.

“Off-year” elections have often been considered an inefficient use of time and public funds, yet the practice is still common in many places across the United States, including some of the most populated cities like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Houston.

Boise has always conducted this municipal election on odd years since the establishment of its mayoral position in 1866.

However, some believe that Ada County and the city of Boise could financially benefit from transitioning into even-year local elections.

A case study conducted by The Greenlining Institute, a public policy, research and advocacy non-profit organization, suggests cities that conduct off-cycle elections spend anywhere from five to 31 times the amount of money per vote than cities who utilize even-year voting in accordance with state elections.

Deputy Secretary of State Chad Houck explained there are other variables to consider when looking at the true costs and benefits of these election procedures.

“A singular election, with all of the related local taxing districts, would create so many ballot faces it would make it extremely difficult for volunteer poll workers to ensure accuracy in getting the right ballot to the right person,” Houck wrote in an email.

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Because of the overlapping layout of Ada County precincts, ballots vary between each citizen, depending on the location of their residence.

“For a primary, we have had up to 750 unique ballot styles in Ada County,” said Ada County clerk Phil McGrane. “If we were to combine municipal elections, that number would continue to go up.”

According to McGrane, ballots make up a majority of the city’s budget for an election.

“I’m going to guess it’ll be about $300,000 or $400,000 to conduct the [upcoming city] election,” McGrane said.

However, the upfront price does not always paint the full picture. McGrane explained that problems during the election may cause unexpected costs later on. A ballot mistake in a previous Ada County election lead to a redo that ended up costing the county nearly $880,000, according to McGrane.

McGrane believes that if Ada County were to conduct even-year elections in accordance with federal and state elections, it would only create a higher probability for mistakes.

“The integrity of the process starts to errode,” McGrane said. “It gets more costly, as well as complicated and more risky in terms of error.”

McGrane says there is also the issue of ballot fatigue. When local and federal elections are combined, this usually results in several pages of ballot questions. In turn, this creates a higher risk for voter “roll-off,” a phenomena that occurs when voters lose interest and fail to complete their entire ballot.

“People care about the President, but then [we] end up with all of these blank pages,” McGrane said.

In addition to ballot roll-off, Charles Hunt, assistant professor of political science at Boise State, believes that voter interest and information plays a very im-

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Local officials fear conducting even-year elections could lead to more mistakes.

Kacie Fromhart | The Arbiter portant role, as well.

“Voters tend to have much more information and interest in higher profile races, particularly federal races and particularly the presidential race,” Hunt said.

Hunt explained that the attention garnered from bigger races could create the opportunity for endorsements and joint appearances between local candidates and national figures. This would give the public the chance to better understand their municipal electorates.

Federal joint elections reach a broader audience, whereas municipal elections tend to appeal primarily to one demographic.

“Voters turning out just for these [municipal] elections tend to be whiter, more affluent, older voters,” Hunt said. “Because this information isn’t as [prevalent] in the media, you get lower turnout, but the voters tend to skew that way demographically. So that becomes a concern in terms of representation.”

NEWS

COMPARING RISKS AND BENEFITS ASSOCIATED WITH RECEIVING FLU SHOT

Students consider pros and cons of getting an annual shot after hearing myths about the effects Diego Barragan | Staff Writer | news@stumedia.boisestate.edu

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very October marks the beginning of flu season, meaning it is the time of year for people to receive their influenza vaccination, more commonly known as the flu shot.

Influenza is a viral infection that affects respiratory function and is manifested by a number of symptoms including fever, chills, cough, fatigue and muscle aches.

Scott Pauley, press officer for the Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) wrote in an email that although virtually all people are susceptible to contracting influenza, the most vulnerable population is children less than six months old.

“Every season, flu causes millions of illnesses, and hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations,” Pauley wrote in a statement.

Symptoms of influenza can vary from mild to severe with each person and the CDC recommends taking preventative action to minimize the likelihood of contracting the influenza virus.

“The flu can be especially dangerous for pregnant women, children, elderly and people with certain long-term health

conditions such as diabetes or asthma,” Pauley wrote. “Everyone over the age of six months should get an influenza vaccine by the end of October.”

By receiving a small dose of the influenza virus from the vaccine, the immune system develops antibodies to fight off the virus. Should someone be exposed to the influenza virus in the future, the body’s immune system will have the antibodies necessary to attack the foreign invader.

According to the CDC, there are many public misconceptions regarding the efficacy of the vaccine. According to Pauley, people often decline the vaccine believing they will contract the flu, and state they have never had the vaccine in past years or gotten sick.

“People ask if it’s possible to get the flu from the vaccine, and the answer is no,” Pauley wrote. “Flu vaccines are made in two ways: either with inactivated viruses, meaning they have been killed [and are] no longer infectious, or just taking a gene from the live virus to create an immune response without causing an actual infection.”

The CDC recommends everyone over the age of two receive the annual flu shot.

Pauley explained that, like most medications that come with potential side effects, the flu vaccine may have minimal side effects. Frequently, however, the effects wear off within one to two days.

“Some of the potential minor side effects can include soreness or redness at the injection site, headache, muscle aches,” Pauley wrote. “But definitely seek medical attention if you show signs of an allergic reaction such as wheezing, hives or difficulty breathing.”

According to Pauley, over 80% of flu vaccines are made using egg-based production technology.

“Candidate vaccine viruses are injected into fertilized hen’s eggs and incubated for several days, allowing the virus to replicate,” Pauley wrote. “Therefore, people who have a severe egg allergy should be cautious when receiving the vaccine.”

It is recommended by the CDC to administer the vaccine in a medical setting where patients can be monitored for adverse reactions and respond promptly should one occur.

Taylor Humby | The Arbiter

Although the CDC does not require employees of the healthcare industry to receive the flu vaccine, it is the policy in many healthcare facilities. Alex Wilson, a sophomore kinesiology major, works in a healthcare facility in which he is at higher risk of contracting the flu or spreading it.

“My work offers flu shots every season for free since it is required of all employees who perform direct patient care,” Wilson said. “I would have gotten it regardless since I’ve gotten it every year and never had a reaction to it.”

Wilson said that employees at his healthcare facility are able to decline the flu vaccine if they wish. However, if the employees opt out, they would have to wear a hospital mask while on shift for the duration of the flu season, which ends in May, according to the CDC. “I think people often refuse to get it because they think putting a virus in their body will cause more harm than good,” Wilson said. “But they don’t realize it’s a dead strain and it’s not likely they’d contract the flu from it.”

A study was conducted by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) regarding the 2019-2020 flu season among several Americans, in which participants were asked if they planned to obtain the flu vaccine. The poll concluded that 4 out of 10 people are not planning on obtaining the flu vaccine.

“Most of the people who decline the influenza vaccine are concerned with the efficiency and the potential side effects associated with it,” said Caroline Pearson, senior vice president for NORC. With the objective of minimizing the likelihood of an epidemic, it would be ideal if the majority of the population was vaccinated.

“The goal is to develop herd immunity to significantly decrease the spread of illness. Unfortunately, more than half of the population remains unvaccinated,” Pearson said.

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NEWS

BOISE CITY COUNCIL PASSES RESOLUTION TO CONDEMN WHITE SUPREMACY

The city of Boise has adopted a new ordinance in collaboration with Idaho organization Marcos Guadarrama | Staff Writer | news@stumedia.boisestate.edu

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he Boise city council voted unanimously on a resolution to condemn white supremacy on Sept. 24. The decision was made after a push from United Vision for Idaho, an organization dedicated to advancing social, economic and environmental justice at the local, state and national levels.

The resolution, which condemns and denounces bias and hate in all forms, commits to ensure that civil and human rights are extended to all individuals in the city of Boise and affirms Boise’s commitment to peace, respect, inclusivity and equity for all.

“We wrote and worked with the City of Boise to propose an ordinance denouncing white nationalism and white supremacy,” said Adrienne Evans, executive director of United Vision for Idaho. “The ordinance was unique in centering Native and Japanese internment as well as the systemic and continuing discrimination facing Black

and Latinx populations through institutions and policing.”

The ordinance includes a provision for the city to expand and deepen their training for all city employees.

The organization has a long history of working with elected officials to advance policies that are critical for Idahoans.

“It was important to us that the ordinance begin with the state’s capital city,” Evans said. “We have always been met with respect and openness by the mayor’s office and we spent months working to ensure that the language of the ordinance met the needs of all parties.”

United Vision for Idaho was pleased with the way the city council and mayor handled the language and passing of the ordinance. They plan to continue working with other cities across the state to pass ordinances denouncing white nationalism and white supremacy.

City council president Lauren McLean felt the ordinance was necessary for the city of Boise to adopt.

“I believe it was important to pass this resolution to make clear that our residents oppose hate in all forms, recognize injustices of the past and strive to be a more welcoming and inclusive community,” McLean wrote in an email. “The actionable effort would create change and a city-wide way to act on the words and values expressed in the ordinance.”

Students at Boise State University felt the ordinance was a good step in combating white nationalism. Victoria Mayer, president of Boise State College Republicans, said she supports the city council’s decision.

“MLK said, ‘Judge a man not by the color of his skin, but by the content of his character,’” Mayer said. “I support racism being condemned, as racism is not tolerated by myself or any College Republican at

Boise State.”

Ben Adams, a senior studying political science, believes that while the resolution does not carry strict consequences, it still shows the importance of introducing this type of language to the Boise community.

“A resolution is not binding, but it does show Boise’s efforts of treating people like people and not superficial descriptions,” Adams said.

Adams explained the ordinance is a sign that Boise is not only accepting of diversity but that the city is ready to continue growing.

“With the way Boise is growing we’re becoming a more diverse demographic, especially in the urban areas,” Adams said.

“And it’s a good base, and a good sign that the city of Boise is prepared to grow.”

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Spring 2020 internship opportunities include: • Talent Acquisition at Saint Alphonsus • Digital Marketing at the Grove Hotel • University Wish Ambassador at Make-A-Wish

See all 140+ opportunities at boisestate.edu/career/work-u Applications due November 10th

NEWS

COST AND COMMUTE CAN DETERMINE STUDENT HOUSING CHOICES Numerous housing options give students more choice in a growing housing market Bridger Cowan | Staff Writer | news@stumedia.boisestate.edu

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he unprecedented growth in the Treasure Valley has resulted in an especially potent issue for both local and out-ofstate students seeking living spaces for an affordable price. With rent prices continually rising, many students have numerous options when making the decision to live on-or-off campus.

Many students at Boise State appreciate the idea of living on campus and making the most out of their college experience with others in the residence halls. Delaney Beale, a sophomore history major, is among those who prefer this type of college living.

“It’s really nice to just live with people you’re friends with,” Beale said. “I live with two of my best friends and so that’s been an absolute blast.”

Beale, a Boise native, began her freshman year living at home, but quickly realized she wanted more out of the place she lived.

“I decided that I wanted to have a little bit more of an actual college experience, because I lived at home last year,” Beale said. “I still got some of the college experience but, considering I lived with my parents, it was a little bit harder to get that super good dynamic with people who lived around me or make friends that way. So this year, I just decided I want to try it out, see what it’s all about.”

However, on-campus dorm living can have its drawbacks, according to Beale.

“It kind of sucks living with other people,” Beale said. “I’m an only child, so I’ve always had my own room and when I lived at home, it was very much my own kind of deal. So living with other people is a little bit hard to adapt to.”

The high demand for on-campus residency makes acquiring a dorm or apartment lease very challenging.

“We’ve seen significant year-over-year growth in application intake,” wrote Luke Jones, director of Housing and Residence Life, in an email. “The largest intake of applications is for fall of each year.”

According to statistics provided by Jones, there were over 2,300 first-year student applications alone for the year of 2018, and 2,600 for 2019 so far. Struggles such as this overflow and increasing rent prices can cause many students such as Connor Franklin, a freshman studying business and psychology, to make the decision to live at home.

“I looked into a couple places on campus, but the prices were super high,” Franklin said. “It just didn’t work with my budget.”

Franklin claimed that besides financial ease, being independent at his home in Meridian is the greatest benefit of an off-campus lifestyle. However, Franklin went on to show that every rose has its thorn.

“I have to deal with all the rush hour traffic to Boise, so I have to leave an hour and 15 minutes before my first class,” Franklin said. “Without traffic, it’s normally like 25-30 minutes.”

Having a stable, safe place to live is crucial to a student’s success. There are upsides and downsides to both, and like most choices in life, it is up to the individual to decide what is best for themselves.

“I would recommend for students to live on campus for at least, like, one year or two years, just to get that actual college experience,” Beale said. “It’s hard to act like you’re at a big university if you’re not living on campus, so I always recommend it.”

Boise State students are not required to live on campus during their first year, giving them more options in the growing city.

Kacie Fromhart | The Arbiter

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OPINION OCTOBER 29, 2019 | ARBITERONLINE.COM

BANNED BOOKS IS 21ST CENTURY CENSORSHIP

The practice of banning books disproportionately targets certain topics and threatens to limit dialogue Stephanie Gull | Staff Writer | opinion@stumedia.boisestate.edu

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s Americans, we often pat ourselves on the backs for our progress towards becoming an educated and socially accepting society. Yet age-old demons lurk behind closed doors, and they reveal themselves in the form of modern-day censorship.

While we might not be gathering our pitchforks and torches to stand around a literal bonfire of burning books, the comparable act of banning books is still a prevalent issue in the 21st century.

The topic of banned books is not unheard of to many students, but most do not spend time talking about it. Banned Books Week in September is devoted to bringing attention to the issue, but not everyone realizes the prevalence of modern book banning and its shocking implications.

Largely occurring in public libraries, school libraries and schools around the nation, before a book can be banned, one must challenge it. Most of the reasons given for challenging a book are due to the content being seen as sexual, violent, profane or dangerous.

A 2018 survey by the American Library Association (ALA) showed that 531 books were banned that year. Of those cases, 32% were initiated by parents, 33% were initiated by patrons and the remaining 35% were initiated by board administration members, librarians, teachers, political or religious groups, elected officials and students.

The ALA is one of the biggest advocates against book censorship, and believes in the freedom of ideas and access to information.

The ALA posts the top 10 most challenged books around the country annually, along with the reasons for their challenges, although they point out that an alarming 82 to 97% of book challenges go unreported.

Surprisingly, American classics like “To Kill A Mockingbird,” “Huckleberry Finn”

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and “Of Mice and Men” perennially find their way onto this list. “Harry Potter” was also challenged in its early years due to claims of satanism.

However, on the 2018 list, it was hard to ignore that seven out of the 11 books posted were banned due to LGBTQIA+ content.

Lauren Truong, who is part of the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) based in New York City, discussed this phenomenon via email last week.

“In recent years, there has been an increase in challenges to books that tell stories of LGBTQ characters and books that tell stories of people of color,” Truong said.

“Those who challenge books believe they are protecting youth from ‘inappropriate’ material. While I can understand where they’re coming from, book banning, in the long run, does more harm than good.”

While we can accept the caveat that there are specific materials deemed unsuitable for certain age groups, in most cases this is an unreasonable assertion. There are much larger problems at the root of this debate, and fear seems to be the biggest source.

Cheryl Oestreicher, Albertsons Library’s Head of Special Collections and Archives, emphasized the theory that sometimes people are simply so terri-

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fied of having an honest conversation that they would rather erase the ideas from the conversation entirely.

“It’s the fear that people are going to learn something that they shouldn’t,” Oestreicher said. “The fear that children will be exposed to ideas and taught to think differently.”

She explained that it all boils down to communication, or rather, the lack thereof. Authors do not purposefully write books to get them banned. They write about serious top-

ics that are important to discuss.

“I think it’s good that authors write about controversial subjects, because books may be the only way some people can learn about the world, if they’re not in an environment where they get healthy information,” Oestreicher said.

The big takeaway Truong stressed was the fact that censorship affects all of us, especially because the majority of censorship cases, when it comes to banning or restricting books, go unreported.

Perhaps in an ideal world, censorship would not exist. But since it does, perhaps it should be valued as a cultural compass that draws attention to important matters that many do not feel is acceptable to talk about, and begins a conversation.

The practice of banning or challenging books is far more prevalent today than students might realize.

Wyatt Wurtenberger | The Arbiter

OPINION

BOISE STATE FACULTY NEEDS MANDATORY INCLUSIVITY TRAINING

Faculty members are key to increasing empathy for minority students Will Meyer | Culture Editor | culture@stumedia.boisestate.edu

Inclusivity training for faculty and staff will help create a well-rounded classroom environment that caters to everyone.

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iversity and inclusivity have been a strong point of conversation on Boise State’s campus this semester. With programs such as Black Graduation and Rainbow Graduation coming under fire, campus members have been forced to ask why events such as these are important.

These programs are designed to ensure that students who identify with groups traditionally oppressed by university systems are recognized and allowed to celebrate one another’s achievements, despite the exclusion they may have felt throughout their college experience.

Many have not experienced the marginalization these students have and, consequently, do not understand the importance of inclusion efforts at a university.

Just as we must ask whether these lawmakers understand the experiences of marginalized students — and whether they are even putting in the effort to under-

stand — we must also ask if the leaders on our own campus have been asked to understand those experiences.

It is clear that, for many students and student organizations, inclusivity is a high priority on campus. However, campus environments must be altered to decentralize focus from just the most privileged students in the class to a broader focus that deliberately includes students of all identities and backgrounds.

Though this may sound easy enough, marginalized students are continually delegitimized in Boise State’s classrooms.

One such way that students are often marginalized is through microaggressions, one of the most misunderstood forms of prejudice.

For example, when a faculty member says something like “Americans are all a part of the same ethnicity,” or “There is no homoeroticism in this text,” in a text where homoeroticism is evident, students may

feel powerless to contradict the professor’s authority, particularly if they do not feel that those statements were made with an intention to directly exclude class members.

When hearing such statements, a student who identifies within a marginalized ethnic group, a person who identifies as LGBTQIA+ or a student that identifies with both will feel that their world view is not validated by the institution, because ultimately, faculty members represent Boise State’s values.

As of today, the only training on inclusivity provided to faculty or staff, the BUILD certificate program, is paid with a small stipend and is typically scheduled during the school week. Though the fairly new program should not be demonized for lacking the funding or the support to make it mandatory, it is also important to recognize that students will continue to feel ostracized and unwelcome on Boise State’s campus until a change is made.

Maddie Ceglecki | The Arbiter Boise State is responsible for ensuring that all of its representatives understand that there are numerous students on our campus who do not come from the same background as them. Environments and situations have to be knowledgeably crafted to accommodate all students, to ensure their success alongside their more privileged peers.

“You can see people drowning in the river and immediately start trying to save them, but sooner or later someone is going to have to hike upriver and see what’s making them fall in,” said Tai Simpson, former president of the Intertribal Native Council at Boise State.

HAVE A COMMENT OR REBUTTAL? EMAIL US AT: OPINION@STUMEDIA.BOISESTATE.EDU

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Maintaining Boise State

Taylor Rico-Pekerol | News Reporter news@stumedia .boisestate.edu

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mployees from the three departments of Facilities, Operations and Maintenance — custodial, landscaping and maintenance — will gather around tables in November to go on a date. The “date,” or rather an introductory event for the employees, comes in the form of speed networking.

“You have about 45 seconds to debrief about yourselves,” said Barbara Beagles, director of Facilities, Operations and Maintenance. “And then we’re moving on.”

In just under a minute, the staff will be acquainted with each other and their new positions. The event exists so, when the need arises, they can come together as a united front for the sake of the Boise State community and the campus’s outward appearance — an environment easily taken for granted by the thousands who step foot on its grounds.

In addition to the speed networking, 14 other events will be held throughout the year for the department to create a cohesive community of employees. By having a well-coordinated workforce, the department can ensure that students can cross campus even in Snowmageddon, have

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toilet paper when nature calls and access to the second floor — without having to take the stairs.

Working as a team

Each department in Facilities, Operations and Maintenance differs in descriptions and duties, but they work together to ensure Boise State’s campus is both visually appealing and high-functioning.

Perhaps the most crucial ingredient to the department’s recipe for success is their teams. When new hires are added onto a team, the system employees have in place can be disrupted. Once Beagles became the director of Facilities, Operations and Maintenance, she focused on unifying her past employees with her new hires.

“In a crisis, these teams have to work together and they have to be able to communicate [for] when we have a major snow event,” Beagles said. “It isn’t just on Gabe’s shoulders to clear campus. Nope. I mean, this is all hands on deck.”

The landscape services manager, Gabriel Bishop, works closely with the campus operations team to make sure the campus standards are uniform.

With 180 acres of land to care for, Bishop has to have a supportive team to

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assist him. Three forepeople, workers that supervise three to four employees, aid Bishop in creating a team that maintains a specified section of campus.

Landscaping staff members work yearround, all four seasons, rain or shine.

During winter, their busiest season, workers wake up before daylight to clear pathways, then work all day to keep paths unobstructed for students.

“We’re in charge of everything: parking lots, sidewalks, everything. And that’s a pretty massive operation to try to coordinate that,” Bishop said. “As far as making sure that people can get safely from where they park their car to where they’re going somewhere on campus, a lot of [it is] coming in at two and three in the morning.”

As the seasons change, their duties evolve into maintaining irrigation and planting greenery that is indicative of the environment in Boise. The teams also focus on uniformity and setting a campus standard so when the campus has visitors, they know they have stepped onto Boise State property.

As a state school, Boise State has financial constraints, special

policies and procedures to follow that pose challenges within creating a campus standard and consistency.

“Everybody is strapped with financial constraints and kind of a crumbling infrastructure, but everyone that most of the people that I work with, at heart, are so passionate that they’re able to move past that and kind of come up with creative solutions to problems,” Bishop said. “And I think that everyone has this vision of where Boise State needs to go. So, I do really appreciate that about this campus.”

Although Facilities, Operations and Maintenance conducts a lot of the work on campus, Housing and Residence Custodial is a separate department with similar goals. Candice Greene is a custodial foreperson for Housing and Residence Life, supervising

F E AT U R E 18 part-time students and two full-time position employees. Although Greene’s workload seems heavy now, it is nothing compared to when she juggled her full-time position and full-time schooling.

Greene’s personal understanding of having a full schedule has fueled her empathy with her employees, trying to support them whenever she can.

“I lived on campus, since I worked there and went to school there. As soon as I got up, I got on to campus, went to class, stayed between to study, went to work, went home to study then do it all over again,” Greene said. “That’s all it was from 2010 to 2014.”

Greene has had to change her schedule to work with new hires and be available to her staff, filling in when needed — often a result of understaffing.

“I do training, interviewing, hiring, I fill in when people are out to help clean, you know, we’re short staffed sometimes so I help clean,” Greene said. “And I’ve been working on a training manual because we really don’t have one in place.”

Coming into the position last year, Greene taught her new staff cleaning techniques and encourages them to pursue educational opportunities while working at the department as she did.

Breaking down budgets and responsibilities

Every department — landscape, custodial and maintenance — has its own yearly budget. According to the Facilities, Operations and Maintenance finance manager, Sharla Davison, the budget for landscaping is $450,000, custodial is $860,000 and maintenance is $3 million, not including labor costs.

The clarity of budgeting allows for staff to be able to better work together and understand the mission of their department. According to Emilio Amaro, landscape coordinator, there were two management changes between the years of 2010 and 2017 in the landscaping department and the conditions were

not yet where they needed to be.

“The upper management, they started understanding that if you have a beautiful campus, you are going to get better enrollment [and] better retention,” Amaro said.

“At the end, you will be in a better position.”

The amount allotted for landscaping covers irrigation work, mobile equipment and tools, mowing, flowers, bark, trash and recycling, containers and outdoor benches, according to Beagles. In the maintenance department, there are roughly eight more divisions that are underneath it.

A handful of the tasks conducted by the maintenance team are replacing filters, boiler maintenance, keys and locks, plumbing, vehicles, lighting, elevators, fire alarm systems, roofs and sidewalks.

“When you get out and you look at other campuses and compare, it’s like, ‘Man, we’re doing a really good job.’ And our team is the reason why we’re doing a really good job,” Beagles said. “When it comes to this maintenance team, you will not find better technicians anywhere in the valley.”

service as far as EHS to campus,” Beagles said. “So I turned that around. I hired some amazing people and we did some really great things in EHS to really focus on the right things like student safety and employee safety.”

Just as Beagles made waves in her work with the EHS, Amaro and some of his coworkers made their way up the ladder to talk with the staff in upper management of Facilities, Operations and Maintenance on increasing wages, training and receiving protective equipment. As these improvements were made, the university began to look clean and safe.

“If you want to be a university of excellence, you need to look like excellence,” Amaro said.

“So, if you see the university, buildings, landscaping with no trash in excellent condition, the people, students and everybody will say this is an excellent campus.”

Creating campus change

One of the big tasks Beagles wanted to take on as director was to organize and create a focus on visibility and safety within the department. By creating a form of transparency in the budgeting of their department with what Beagles calls a roadmap for funds, each department knows what they have to cover that year’s expenses.

During her position at the EHS department, Beagles aided in hiring new staff that would improve their work flow and make the possibilities to create change for campus easier. Before her transition to director of her present department three and a half years ago, the EHS had bumps in the road that needed to be fixed.

“When I came along nine years ago, that [EHS] department did not have necessarily the best repore with campus. For whatever reason, previous administration just did not make the right connections and did not provide the right OCTOBER 29, 2019

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SHANE DARWENT HELPS STUDENTS REALIZE THEIR ARTISTIC POTENTIAL

‘Plaza Park’ inspires with a blend of sculpture, photography and painting Taylor Humby | Digital Content Manager | digitalcontent@stumedia.boisestate.edu

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ith the grand opening of the Center for Visual Arts earlier this month came the first of many art exhibitions able to utilize these new creative spaces. “Plaza Park,” an exhibition created by artist Shane Darwent, blends large-scale architectural sculpture, photography and painting as a way to respond to and explore the suburban-built American landscape.

Stemming from the idea of hyper-generic names given to strip malls and subdivisions, the exhibition’s title “Plaza Park” comments on the place names given to overnight, pop-up shopping centers in order to create a sense of history overnight. “‘Plaza Park’ is this kind of peacemaking with the built environment that I have always had a hard time connecting with, and is a chance to serve, re-engage with and imagine new possibilities for,” Darwent said.

“Through actually understanding the physical processes that shape those landscapes, I hoped to create a space that’s curious enough for people who normally just move through those spaces as part of their daily routine, to kind of trip them up in that process and slow down the read. I wanted to create and find the magic within the mundane.”

By creating work that comments on the history of sculpture, photography and painting, Darwent explores the connections through places that any art student would have engaged with in a number of ways growing up. By doing this, he hopes to inspire new ideas around students’ discussions of art.

“I think what’s fun about the process for me is I’ve realized over the years that art can sort of take every path imaginable,” Darwent said. “It’s about trying to find these poignant, canonized, worthwhile references, but just in spaces that we move through on a daily

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motors, big awnings and fluorescent lights, as a student, it’s great to see and sparks other ideas from what he is doing.”

Kelly is excited for the diverse artists he will be exposed to through the new spaces on campus that encourage unique exhibitions.

“I think it’s important to just have a venue where you’re exposed to different artists and different ideas in general,” Kelly said. “This exhibit in particular involves big and ambitious sculpture, and Shane is bringing interesting, innovative ideas that I don’t think we have seen a lot of at Boise State, which is so valuable.”

Aside from Darwent’s work being a great fit for the new space, gallery director Kirsten Furlong echoes Kelly in his comments on the exhibition expanding the physical nature of what students’ work can be and the material aspects it can inhabit.

“I wanted something that would really showcase what we could do in this space that was different than what we could do on our old spaces,” Furlong said.

When deciding what artist to feature coinciding with the opening of this new space on campus, Furlong resonated with Darwent’s work due to the scale and interdisciplinary aspects of his art.

“Everyone will see something in this work that they recognize,” Furlong said.

“Anyone who is walking around in the United States of America, or who has driven up Fairview or down Chinden, will see Shane Darwent stands in front of one of the “Plaza Park”sculptures, intended to spark inspiration. things in this work that they can identify

Taylor Humby | The Arbiter with. Even if they haven’t ever given it thought that it could be something that ing the ideas of what is possible within art. basis. So I think in that sense, expanding the had anything to do with art.”

“Seeing something like this just shows lens, that we see sculpture occupying or the Darwent’s exhibition, located in the the possibility of what you can do in platforms that a photograph can take, and Kay Hardy and Gregory Kaslo Gallery at sculpture and what you can do with the broadening the possibilities for what artists the Center of Visual Arts, will be open different visual language that most of us think they can do.” through Dec. 17. encounter,” Kelly said. “With Shane creMaster of Fine Arts student Devin Kelly resonates with Darwent’s message of expand- ating art incorporating rotisserie chicken

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C U LT U R E

LINGUIST SPEAKS ON THE IMPORTANCE OF LANGUAGE PRESERVATION

Daryl Baldwin works to maintain and recover the culture of the Miami tribe Will Meyer | Culture Editor | culture@stumedia.boisestate.edu

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hough language is something we use every day, many Americans do not have to think about where their language came from, why they use it or what it would be like to be incapable of communicating with people around you. The common use of English throughout the United States has come at the expense of erasure of many Native American languages spoken before European colonizers arrived on American soil.

Daryl Baldwin, a member of the Miami tribe, has worked for over 30 years at revitalizing his tribal language of Myaamia after its last native speakers died around the middle of the 20th century. Baldwin recently gave a lecture at Boise State.

“When I was young and fresh out of school, the rhetoric at the time and still is, unfortunately, to some degree, was this constant message of death and dying languages,” Baldwin said.

There are indeed extinct languages that have vanished along with their cultures.

However, many Native American languages have a significant group of people who are interested in relearning their heritage language in order to preserve the culture that they often struggle to stay in touch with, through the filter of a colonial language such as English, according to Baldwin.

“Yes, it’s not going to be the same as the past, but it’s going to be a language, and a language is going to play a significant role in the ongoing perpetuation of the tribal nation. Embedded within that language is the most efficient and effective way to transmit culture,” Baldwin explained.

Baldwin said that having to revitalize language and culture is an instrumental element in the healing process of people who were forcefully assimilated to European culture on their own homelands.

“This is an intergenerational process. It takes a long time before you can really start to see the fruits of the labor, or the investment we made 20 years ago,” Baldwin said.

Daryl Baldwin seeks to revitalize his tribal language of Myaamia.

Children’s exposure and connection to their culture has been linked to greater curiosity and engagement with the world around them, according to studies done by teams Baldwin is involved in.

“If [children] enter a learning environment where their language and culture is valued and supported, they perform better academically,” Baldwin said. “It strengthens their notions of identity, they become more secure of themselves, and they become more engaged at the tribal level.”

Baldwin also referenced the Miami tribe’s work with Miami University in Oklahoma where, after implementing language and culture classes on campus, Miami-affiliated students’ graduation rates shifted from 40% in 2003 to nearly 90% today.

Baldwin’s visit was particularly exciting for Dr. Tim Thornes, who teaches linguistics at Boise State. Thornes helped bring Baldwin to campus, and explained that he seemed a very relevant speaker given that the United Nations named 2019 the International Year of Indigenous Languages. “[Baldwin has] been well-known in language revitalization circles for quite a

Photo courtesy of Brenna Leonard

while because of his family’s efforts starting 30 years ago, almost, to introduce the language in their home,” Thornes said.

Thornes, who studies Northern Paiute, a Native American language spoken in an area encompassing Boise Valley and southward to Reno, Nev., said that Native Americans often relate speaking their native language to a practice of sovereignty, and consider it to be an important way for many people to connect with their ancestors.

“I’ve read studies from Canada that looked at suicide rates,” Thornes said.

“They found that suicide rates were reduced to regional norms from six times the regional norms in communities that had active language and cultural preservation and revitalization programs.”

Thornes reiterated that, ultimately, preserving and revitalizing languages can have real and measurable impacts on communities that have wavered in connection to their traditions due to colonization.

President of the Linguistics Society of Boise State Brenna Leonard believes the importance of this issue attracts the interest of many majors.

Leonard, a fifth-year computer science major, noted that linguistics and programming are often intertwined.

“Getting to hear Daryl talk about his work with revitalization was heavily tied in with language documentation,” Leonard said. “There’s a lot of opportunities for computational linguistics to make a splash in the field of language documentation and revitalization. From a personal perspective that was like ‘Woah, that’s pretty cool.

That’s something I could maybe see myself helping with.’”

Both Leonard and Thornes said they were happy that Baldwin took the time to visit Boise State to spread the word about his work, which is often misunderstood by people who have not experienced the cultural erasure that tribes like the Miami have.

Though every language and culture is dramatically different, the work of people like Baldwin may inspire others to pick up the torch and begin an investigation into cultures that otherwise may have continued to lay dormant.

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STUDENTS COMMEMORATE DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS

Exhibits celebrate the holiday and educate other students on diverse cultural practices Ben Harris | Staff Writer | culture@stumedia.boisestate.edu

Displays of celebrations for Dia de los Muertos are typically set up in the Student Union Building.

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en years ago, Boise State’s Multicultural Traditions Club set their sights on celebrating Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. Since that initial celebration, students and faculty have come together every year by building ofrendas, or altars, to honor their ancestors.

While Day of the Dead is widely observed across Latin American cultures, not all families celebrate in the same way.

Fonda Portales, the university art curator, had the opportunity to host altar-building workshops prior to the festivities. Through these workshops, attendees had the opportunity to learn how to honor their ancestors in their own personal way.

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“Some things are traditional, some things are much more personal and it will depend on where that family is from and what their family practices have been,” Portales said. “It’s a good reminder that not all Latin Americans are the same.

We’re not a monolith and there’s different cultural expression.”

Through spending time with the people of the past in both honoring and remembering them, recognizing the cycle of life and death can become easier to process. According to Portales, Día de los Muertos is in contrast with how death is usually presented.

“We grew up in this Anglo world where death is either avoided or colloquialized or prevented against,” Portales said. “Day of

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Taylor Humby | The Arbiter

the Dead fully acknowledges that we are all going to die. We’re all going to be ancestors. In mourning and in the reality of life, we lose people.”

Through celebrations at Boise State, students not only have the opportunity to practice their own family traditions, but to discover the cultural traditions of others, as well. Francisco Salinas, director of Student Diversity and Inclusion, believes that festivities like Day of the Dead bring together the diverse cultures that make up the university.

“It’s a celebration of culture,” Salinas said.

“We have many different cultures that come to Boise State University and we want all the folks from different places to feel as though

their culture is respected and valued.”

One thing that often serves as a disrespect to a cultural festivity like Day of the Dead is how it is misconstrued with the practices of Halloween. While ghouls, ghosts and goblins are a fun way to celebrate the fall season, it is important to make sure that the holidays do not intertwine.

Ro Parker, Multicultural Student Services coordinator, finds the celebrations of Día de los Muertos on campus to be an excellent educational opportunity for students that are not aware of the cultural importance of the holiday.

“I think it’s important that those students see parts of their culture validated on our campus,” Parker said. “It’s also is a really good way to educate folks about what the tradition is, and to distinguish it between Halloween because it happens around the same time.”

In order to bring together students in an effort to respectfully celebrate Día de los Muertos, the Student Diversity Center is hosting workshops all week, along with building altars in the Student Union Building. From Portales’ point of view, the best way to celebrate a cultural festivity is to understand the meaning behind it.

“The goal to avoiding imitation is to recognize that these holidays are always centered around people,” Portales said. “I think if you’re trying to imitate something without really understanding its true intention, that’s where appropriation happens.”

One of the best ways to avoid cultural appropriation when celebrating Día de los Muertos is to become immersed in diverse perspectives. According to Salinas, being at a university like Boise State provides an educational experience not just through classrooms and textbooks, but through other students as well.

“That’s part of the benefit of coming to a place like a university where there’s so many diverse people,” Salinas said. “We get to learn from each other.”

C U LT U R E

FRANK CHURCH INSTITUTE REMAINS A CAMPUS STAPLE

The Boise State community discusses the importance of the institute and annual conference over the years Michelle Johnson | Culture Reporter | culture@stumedia.boisestate.edu

The Frank Church Institute brings a number of thought-provoking discussions surrounding public policy and democracy to Boise State. Photos courtesy of Chase Johnson

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en. Frank Church left a legacy of engagement with ideas on all fronts of political life. The Frank Church Institute at Boise State strives to keep that legacy alive by holding annual conferences and providing resources and scholarships for students.

Garry Wenske is the executive director for the institute, having spent some of his career in Washington D.C. working for members of Congress, including Senator Church. When Wenske moved back to Boise, he was asked to take on his current role and help create the institute.

“This institution really goes back to the early 1980s when Senator Frank Church, who was chairman of the foreign relations committee, donated all of his public papers to Boise State University after he left office,” Wenske said. “All of the papers are in the library under the Frank Church collection and anyone can look at them. A lot of people go over there to research the issues he worked on either environmental issues, intelligence

committee or foreign relations committee.”

Chase Johnson has been a research associate for the institute for the past three years. Being a Frank Church scholar while he attended Boise State, Johnson believes students have much to gain by getting involved, including a larger connection to the world.

“For students who are interested in things going on around the world or the U.S. role in that, we’re kind of the one-stop shop here at Boise State,” Johnson said. “Foreign policy in Boise, Idaho isn’t something that is an intuitive connection, but I like working to show students and fellow Idahoans that we are fairly connected to the world and that what Idaho does matters.”

Along with being a hub for students interested in global studies, the institute hosts the Frank Church conference every year. The conference covers a different topic every year, this year, the 36th conference discussed “Democracy in an Age of Anxiety: Russian Intrusion, Chinese Confrontation, Populist Disruption.”

“I understand that it’s not the first choice for students on how to spend their time outside of class,” Johnson said. “But what I hope the conference does is get people thinking about how these big ideas affect their everyday lives. We have these breakout sessions and we use them as smaller, more human-connected events where our audience can engage with these experts.”

The School of Public Service offers Frank Church scholarships to students involved. This year, they were able to raise enough to send two students to live in Washington D.C. for the semester while interning on Capitol Hill.

Jackson Blackwell, a junior majoring in political science and economics, is currently interning in D.C. on one of the scholarships.

“I am interning with the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee under the chairmanship of Senator Lisa Murkowski,” Blackwell said. “I’m grateful to the Frank Church Institute and the School of Public Service for providing the

opportunity for Boise State students to intern and study in D.C. This opportunity has helped me understand what I want to do after college and provided me with perspective that will be valuable for the rest of my life,” Blackwell said in an email.

The Institute hopes to leave a mark on both students and others that come to campus for the annual conference. Johnson explained how the conferences are more than just people talking at the audience, it strives to get people thinking about policies, not just locally, but globally as well.

“The real legacy of this conference is that those who go to it, at least for a few days afterwards, they’re gonna think about ‘What am I doing in my day-to-day life to engage with democracy?’” Johnson said. “Engage with good media, to think critically about what’s going on around the world, like these are big macro ideas, but I think the more people think about it and actualize it in their day-to-day lives, the better the world is going to be.”

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SPORTS & REC OCTOBER 29, 2019 | ARBITERONLINE.COM

TO HECKLE, UNSETTLE AND DAUNT: THE DUTIES OF THE THUNDEROUS CORRAL Boise State game day energy is brought to you by the powerful student section Mackenzie Hudson | Digital Content Producer | digitalcontent@stumedia.boisestate.edu

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ounded in 2010, Boise State University’s student section, the Corral, started out small before growing into the thunderous fan haven it is today. The club’s mission is to provide an enthusiastic and electric environment for students to support Boise State athletics.

With the intention of raising school pride within the student body, members of the club strive to maximize the student experience for those attending sports games on campus.

The Corral attends a variety of events, including football, women’s soccer, men’s and women’s basketball and women’s volleyball. While it may seem like an ordinary club, the Corral believes the impact they have on the players goes further than what is seen on the surface.

As of Oct. 12, 2019, Boise State’s football team leads the nation in opponent forced false starts since 2018 with 38. The Corral tends to “bring the noise,” which can intimidate visiting teams, according to senior president of the Corral, Connor Martin.

Martin knows the kind of effect the student section has on the athletes and coaches at sporting events.

“I’ve heard from athletes and coaches that, if the student section is there and they’re loud and cheering [the team] on, they’re making an environment that’s tough to play in [for the opposing team],” Martin said. “That makes them play better and want to win more.”

Both coaches and athletes have expressed their gratitude and appreciation for the Corral and the hard work they put into the games. Leon Rice, the men’s basketball head coach, expressed to Martin that the team is more successful when the student section’s presence is there.

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overall more intimidated by Boise State as a whole. [We] can make or break a game.”

From a distance, it may seem like an easy task to be part of the Corral. However, that is not the case here. Each week, members of the student section get together to discuss their plans for the upcoming games and discuss what they can do differently from the last event. But along with their successful reputation, the Corral has had their fair share of downfalls and hardships.

Over the years, the Corral has struggled with consistency and changes in leadership. Sophomore Chandler Thornton, the Corral’s social media coordinator, has been working to create a better way to network the club and bring more students in.

“We are an organization where we want people’s voices to be heard,” Thornton said. “We have five leaders and five of the cabinet; we still want to hear from the 20,000 plus student body… By getting more student involvement, more engagement and establishing that leadership as an organization, finding the balance between The Corral has contributed to record-breaking home attendance numbers at Boise the two will allow us to grow on campus State football games. and grow with each student.”

Mackenzie Hudson | The Arbiter According to the current leaders, the group has struggled with motivational and consisten“I’ve heard from Leon Rice saying the stands. cy issues in the past. With a more dedicated ‘Hey, you need to get the student section Brad Walden, senior vice president of group, they have tripled in size since 2017 and pumping. They play a lot better when [the the Corral, leads the intimidating chants are the loudest they have ever been.

Corral] is there’,” Martin said. “And all for the student section. Walden ensures the The Corral gives students the opportutheir players go, ‘Yo, you need to get the energy is always over-the-top and gets into nity to shoot half-court shots at basketball student section popping this year… We’ve the opposing players’ heads. While this is games, receive free t-shirts, be seen on got some big games coming.’” important, the student section goes beESPN, travel to away games and potenAlong with Rice’s spoken compliments, yond just heckling at the opposing teams tially heckle officials in the spirit of the head football coach Bryan Harsin and memand cheering on their fellow students. game.

For enthusiastic, spirited Boise State bers of the football team have shown their ap“Not only do we bring more money students, the club brings fans closest to preciation by stopping by some of the Corral’s into [the athletics] just by people seeing what they love the most: sports. weekly meetings with pizza to thank them for us on TV, but we’re also bringing a level In the words of Martin, the Corral lives by all they have done and continue to do. of energy that wouldn’t exist without us to their motto: “Come early, be loud, stay late.”

The positive energy for the Corral goes that game,” Walden said. “It gets into the beyond the coaches’ appreciation and into

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defense’s head and the other team is just

SPORTS & REC

BOISE STATE WATER POLO LOOKS TO MAKE FIRST NATIONAL TOURNAMENT

Broncos continue to make drastic improvements Paul Gourley | Staff Writer | sports@stumedia.boisestate.edu

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he Boise State water polo club has not participated in a conference until this season. With a 5-3 record on the season, the Broncos have a good shot at making the Men’s National Collegiate Club Championship tournament for the first time in club history.

In 2016, the Boise State water polo club had a total of eight members on its team. Today, that number of participants has more than tripled to 28 players on the current roster; seven of the 28 players on the team are female.

Senior finance major Jared Hall remembers what it was like to hardly have enough players to complete a team. Hall is one of only two members going into their fourth season with the team, and he recognizes the progressive action that has taken place over the past few seasons.

“In years past, we were more focused on gaining experience with being in the water,” Hall said. “Now we’re in a new league with good teams. If we win our next tournament, we can even go to nationals in Pennsylvania, which we’ve never done before. There’s been more of a ‘we need to win’ aspect now. I think our club president Eli has done a good job in instilling that mindset in others.”

Much of the Broncos’ turnaround is a result of the president and team captain Eli Foli’s mindset. Foli also serves as the team’s head coach. A season ago, the Broncos had a reputation of being a laid back club.

While Foli wants nothing more than for his team to enjoy their experience, he recognizes that a change has to be made.

“We are currently in a transition. We’re not laid back to the point where if you’ve never played, you are going to be on the travel squad,” Foli said. “Going forward I see it being laid back, but still having a competitive team where you show up to practice to have a good time, but you work hard while you’re there.”

Before each tournament, Foli decides

which players will travel with the team.

Typically, 21 of the 28 players make the traveling roster. Foli uses his own method for deciding who to send.

“I base the travel roster off of attendance, attitude and, at the end of the day, skill,” Foli said.

Despite what may seem like a cutthroat environment, members of the team have been friendly to newcomers.

“What I like about this team is that guys are very welcoming,” said freshman Jaden Wong. “There’s other teams where I’ve gotten a cold shoulder from others until I prove myself. This team is very welcoming.

It’s been really easy to just jump in.”

The team competes in the Collegiate Water Polo Associate Northwest Division.

Other schools competing in the conference include Western Washington University, University of Washington, Oregon State University and a newly acquainted rival, the University of Oregon.

After going 1-3 to start the season, the Broncos have turned things around and are riding a four-game winning streak.

The team hopes to keep their momentum going into their division championship which will determine whether or not they make it to the Men’s National Collegiate Club Championship. The division championship will be determined on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 2-3, as Washington hosts the six-team, nine-game event at Rogers High School in Pullayup, Wash.

“We all really want to go to Nationals to put Boise State water polo on the map,” Hall said. “We played Oregon State in our last tournament who had been undefeated for three seasons, and we beat them. We want other schools to respect us and see us as competition.”

The Broncos’ four-game winning streak will not likely go unnoticed.

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WOMEN’S BASKETBALL INSATIABLE AFTER RECORD-BREAKING SEASON Strong schedule and new players set the Broncos up for success Delaney Brassil | Sports Editor | sports@stumedia.boisestate.edu

The Broncos are returning 10 players for the upcoming season and aim to claim their fourth-straight Mountain West title.

Mackenzie Hudson | The Arbiter

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one will soon forget the end-of-season heartbreak that unfolded in the first round of the 2019 NCAA Tournament for the Boise State women’s basketball team.

The record-breaking 28-4 Mountain West champions were in the Big Dance for the third-straight year with a chip on their shoulder after being handed a 13 seed.

They took to the national stage on the home court of Pac-12 powerhouse Oregon State, and a memorable battle ensued.

With 17 seconds of regulation play remaining, the Broncos led the Beavers 66-62, and it looked as though they were going to overcome a barrier they had never broken through: winning an NCAA tournament game.

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In the nerve-wracking nine seconds that followed, the Broncos were faced with a desperate scramble for the win. The Beavers hit a layup to bring the score within two. A Bronco turnover followed by a foul led to two Oregon State free throws. In a last-ditch effort to break the tie, senior Marta Hermida shot a buzzer-beating jumper that missed, and the game dove into overtime.

But the OT opportunity proved not to be enough, and the Broncos never regained their lead. Oregon State came away with the 80-75 win and later reached the Sweet Sixteen.

Now, with the past behind them, the Broncos are looking to make an even more impressive return to the top. The team has intensified their season with a challenging

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non-conference schedule, and will be led by a strong group of returners.

“There’s definitely bits and pieces from every team that you’re like, ‘Oh, that was a really good piece of this team,’ but this team definitely brings it all together,” said senior guard Braydey Hodgins. “I’m super excited that I get this team for my last year.”

10 players are returning for the Broncos, featuring eligibility for redshirt freshman Maggie Freeman and Oregon transfer Mallory McGwire. McGwire, a 6’5” center who spent last year on the bench due to NCAA eligibility rules, is expected to bring a high degree of experience to the court, along with some much-needed height in the post position.

“I’ve never sat out all season to watch how a team plays, so I think sitting out also helped me learn how this team kind of learns and plays together. It also helps with my confidence when I have coaches who are always super encouraging,” McGwire said. “I haven’t played in over 550 days. That’s insane to me, since I’ve never taken a month off, let alone a full year and a half. So I am so excited and I cannot wait to get on the court.”

McGwire played every game in her two seasons at Oregon, helping the Ducks to back-to-back NCAA Tournament Elite Eight appearances. She averaged 6.1 points and 3.8 rebounds per game while shooting 52.2 percent in the field, and raked in 66 blocks.

“I’m pretty much in love with her. She can do everything,” said senior guard Riley Lupfer. “She’ll catch it one-handed and go up with that one hand. She can come out and shoot a three; she’s a great three-point shooter. But then she makes you guard her at the 15-foot line. She’s scary. Like if she plays how she can play every day, she could easily be 25 [points] a night.”

With McGwire in their arsenal, the Broncos have a strong combination of experience on the court. Leading the team into their 2019 season are returning starters Hodgins, Lupfer, A’Shanti Coleman and Jayde Christopher. The seniors claim the top spots on the team for almost every

2018-19 statistic.

“Our love for the game is kind of how we lead, and just competitiveness, making sure everyone’s doing their best all the time in practice,” Lupfer said. “We lead by example, I feel like. We expect a lot out of these girls and I think we hold them accountable for that, but they’re also good at holding us accountable.”

For the first time ever, the Broncos will be participating in the Preseason Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT), opening against Portland State on Nov. 8 at ExtraMile Arena. If victorious, Boise State will face the winner of Missouri State vs Texas A&M Corpus-Christi. If they lose, the Broncos will play in a consolation bracket, as each team is guaranteed three games in the tournament.

12 teams participating in WNIT reached the 2018-19 postseason and five, including the Broncos, reached the 2019 NCAA Tournament. Also featured in the Broncos’ non-conference slate are Washington State, Louisville, Utah Valley, TCU, BYU and Pepperdine, all of which reached the postseason last year.

The competitive schedule will potentially help the Broncos in the long run in the way of RPI, a key statistic in determining NCAA Tournament rankings. A team’s RPI is based on a combination of their record and strength of schedule. Last year, Boise State had an RPI of 39.

The Broncos are also garnering the confidence of the media. Graham Hays of ESPN released his preseason mid-major rankings for women’s college basketball on Oct. 24, in which he placed Boise State at No. 6. “[We’re] getting better and better every day. It’s good to be back...we can feel something special coming,” Lupfer said.

The Broncos will hit the court on Saturday, Nov. 2 at 4 p.m. at ExtraMile arena for an exhibition game against Concordia. The much-anticipated season will officially begin on Tuesday, Nov. 5 at 5:30 p.m. when Boise State hosts Lewis-Clark State College.

OUR BEST GUESS The Arbiter aligns your stars.

SCORPIO:

Communication is falling short for you. You have ideas about what you want at this juncture in your life. Don’t let yourself become overwhelmed with this process.

Work on being clear, concise, and confident when having important conversations.

SAGITTARIUS NOV 22 - DEC 22

Venus is just making itself known to you, but it won’t stick around for long, so take advantage of feeling the love right now. If you are single, have confidence that putting yourself out there will yield positive results. If you are in a relationship, take time to go on a special date with your partner.

CAPRICORN

DEC 22 - JAN 20

OC

TO

BE

R

23

The moon is telling you to focus back on yourself this week. You like to be the boss of your goals and you take pride in having a logical, strategic approach to achieving them. If you feel like you have fallen away from this, it is time to invigorate your ambitious side once more.

- NO

VEMBER 21

TRISHA KANGAS

SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR TRISHAKANGAS@BOISESTATE.EDU

AQUARIUS

JAN 20 - FEB 17 You are feeling a lull in your creative side this week, which is unusual for you. If it is because you have been overworked, try and focus on a project that you want to do just for yourself. Get outside the box to refill your innovation meter.

PISCES

FEB 18 - MARCH 20

The details and finer things seem to be slipping through the cracks for you this week, Pisces. Try and pay attention to how all of the inner workings of your life are essential and move together in order to push your life forward.

ARIES

MARCH 20 - APR 20

What you need right now is are some blankets, a good movie or book and a fireplace. That is to say, some peace and quiet and some personal time.

Take advantage of this cool, fall weather outside and try and find some calming activities.

TAURUS

APR 20 - MAY 21

Try and focus on things outside of yourself, Taurus.

There are people out there who need your help.

Friends, family, co-workers, or classmates - whatever the case, take some of your effort to tap into your humanitarian side and work with others.

GEMINI

MAY 21 - JUN 21

You might be feeling a bit overwhelmed in the way of love at the moment; your love life isn’t feeling completely balanced. Take time now to reflect on your wants and needs. Center yourself first and then think about making some romantic decisions.

CANCER

JUN 21 - JULY 23 Reflect on your perception of people and the world around you, Cancer. Sometimes our mind’s eye can become foggy with assumptions and miscommunication. As a result, it’s easy to jump to conclusions which aren’t always the most helpful.

LEO

JUL 23 - AUG 23

Something big is going to shake your foundation.

Now is a time for you to rise up and show a true Leo’s strength. You will grow from this revelation, but only if you are willing to accept what is in front of you and adapt to a new set of circumstances.

VIRGO

AUG 23 - SEPT 23

You are feeling very grounded in your sense of self and belief systems, so lean into that. Try not to let anything throw you off balance, because you what is most important to you in your life.

You may be dealing with people or ideas that are attempting to challenge that right now.

LIBRA

SEPT 23 - OCT 22 Inspiring energy will carry you through all of your aspirations if you stay focused on realistic objectives. You dream big, but you may find yourself being discouraged by lofty goals when you want to see immediate results.

Š JOHN WEBSTER

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