The Arbiter Vol. 32 Issue 25

March 10, 2020

Vol. 32 Issue 25

I N D EPEN DE NT

TH

S T UDE NT

V O I CE

O F

B O I SE

STAT E

S I N C E

1 9 3 3

E R Y T OAD I L TO SUSTAINABI

BOISE STATE’S EFFORTS TO MITIGATE CLIMATE CHANGE IN A GROWING GLOBAL CRISIS NEWS

04

While there are no confirmed cases of coronavirus in Idaho, officials are still asking the public to take precaution

VISIT US ONLINE:

OPINION

08

Before taking a service trip this spring break, consider the negative effects of “voluntourism” arbiteronline.com

CULTURE

12

New podcast “Beyond the Blue” intends to form deeper connections with Boise State student stories @arbiteronline

SPORTS & REC

16

Women’s basketball claimed their fourth-straight Mountain West tournament title on March 4

@arbiteronline

@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 Opinion Editor Blake Hunter opinion@stumedia.boisestate.edu Copy Editor Megan Mary Social Media Coordinator Trisha Kangas Digital Content Manager Mackenzie Hudson digitalcontent@stumedia.boisestate.edu Digital Content Producer Chandler Thornton 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.

From March 5 - 8, Boise State club lacrosse played their last home series of the season.

ON THE COVER:

Mackenzie Hudson | The Arbiter

A s global climate change worsens, youth worldwide are advocating for change. At Boise State, this has led to environmental research, developments for a more sustainable campus and a new council that intends to draw the communit y together to collaborate.

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

New plasma donors receive up to $400 in a month!

Biomat USA 4017 W. Overland Rd. Boise (208) 338-8417

EVENTS SUSTAINABILITY LECTURE

RIVERFRONT HALL RM 101 MARCH 13, 12 - 1:30 PM

As a part of the City of Boise’s lecture series, speakers Randi Walkins and Peter McCullough will discuss opportunities of how to shift public focus from recycling and, rather, start asking “How do we move away from recycling and towards less waste?”

CREATIVE WRITING MFA 20TH ANNIVERSARY HEMINGWAY WESTERN STUDIES CENTER

UPCOMING SPORTS SWIMMING AND DIVING AWAY

NCAA ZONE E DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS

MARCH 9 - 11

CSCAA NATIONAL INVITATIONAL

MARCH 12 - 14

SOFTBALL

MARCH 13, 7:30 - 9 PM The MFA Program in Creative Writing is celebrating its 20th anniversary by hosting a public reading featuring Malia Collins, one of Boise State’s first MFA program graduates. The event is free and no ticket is required.

THE NEW GEOPOLITICS DISCUSSION FARNSWORTH ROOM MARCH 16, 12 - 1 PM

This discussion will examine the international relations between the United States and China, discussing current trends and politics with Bruce Jones, director of International Order and Strategy at the Brookings Institute.

JAZZ ORCHESTRA CONCERT

SPECIAL EVENTS CENTER

HOME

VS FRESNO STATE

MARCH 13 - 15

GYMNA STICS HOME

VS ARIZONA

MARCH 13, 7 PM

BA SEBALL

MARCH 16, 7:30 - 9 PM

Boise State faculty, staff, students and any children are invited to this event for free, admission for adults is $7 and $5 for seniors. All proceeds from the concert are used to fund Boise State Music Scholarships.

AWAY

AT UTAH VALLEY MARCH 13 - 15

NEWS

MARCH 10, 2020 | ARBITERONLINE.COM

IDAHO CORONAVIRUS LATEST: PRIORITIZING PREPAREDNESS

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention called the outbreak of coronavirus “inevitable” Celina Van Hyning | News Editor | news@stumedia.boisestate.edu

T

he Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned the public on Feb. 28 that the spread of the novel coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, is “inevitable.”

Following the warning from the CDC, officials are reminding the public to take the recommended precautionary measures to ensure readiness in case of an outbreak, like frequent hand-washing and disinfecting.

COVID-19 is an outbreak of a respiratory disease that was first detected in China in Dec. 2019. A coronavirus is a large family of viruses that can spread between people, animals and other living organisms, according to the CDC. According to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare (DHW), there are currently no confirmed cases of coronavirus in the state of Idaho. Niki Forbing-Orr, manager of communications and media relations for the Idaho DHW, said the state will be updating the DHW website regularly to keep Idahoans informed of the situation.

“We have tested [41] people [and] we still have no cases in Idaho, so things are plugging along.”

Niki Forbing-Orr, manager of communications and media relations for the Idaho DHW “We have tested [41] people [and] we still have no cases in Idaho, so things are plugging along,” Forbing-Orr said. “As far as we know, no schools or businesses have

4

MARCH 10, 2020

|

Idaho officials are urging the public to take all necessary precautions to prevent the spread.

Kacie Fromhart | The Arbiter shut down [with the exception of ] several schools in Northern Idaho that have closed for cleaning.”

According to the state’s website, 41 people have been monitored by public health officials. Of that number, 31 are no longer being monitored, meaning 10 are still under examination. 41 people in Idaho have been

ARBITERONLINE.COM

tested for the virus, including three Oregon residents that were staying in Idaho.

Because there are no confirmed cases in Idaho, Gov. Brad Little has taken to the public and told them to remain calm. He assured Idahoans that the state is closely monitoring the situation, and is prepared to combat the virus should it spread to Idaho.

“While the individual risk for coronavirus in Idaho is still low, the situation is rapidly evolving and we do expect confirmed cases in Idaho at some point,” Governor Little said during a press conference on March 4. “Idaho is prepared, and we all must do our part to prevent the spread of coronavirus by washing your hands frequently, staying home if you are sick and avoiding others who are sick.”

Gov. Little and the Idaho legislature approved a $2 million emergency fund advance for coronavirus response on March 6. Boise Mayor Lauren McLean and acting chief of the Boise Fire Department Romeo Gervais also announced the creation of a coronavirus task force to prepare the state for a potential outbreak.

On March 4, Boise State announced that four students from South Korea will take part in 14-day self-isolation in order to ensure potential contamination will not spread. Officials said the students’ tests came back negative and they are showing no signs or symptoms of the virus.

Greg Hahn, the vice president for Boise State Communication and Marketing, wants to assure students that the university is closely monitoring the situation and will be taking all necessary precautions to ensure the virus does not affect students.

“Because COVID-19 is a new strain of the coronavirus, it is difficult to project the trajectory and scope of the outbreak,” Hahn wrote in a press release. “Like those at other institutions, Boise State leaders are preparing for multiple possibilities in the event the outbreak escalates locally and federal and state health authorities call for further action, including restricting group events, further suspending travel, moving more classes to an online format and expanding telecommuting.”

NEWS

NEW BILL PROHIBITS CHANGING GENDER ON BIRTH CERTIFICATE

A bill preventing transgender individuals from changing their gender on their birth certificate passes in the Idaho House Ashley Clark | Staff Writer | news@stumedia.boisestate.edu

State workers could face lawsuits for not assisting the individual changing their birth certificate.

A

bill that would prohibit transgender people from changing their gender marker on their birth certificate to match their gender identity was passed 53-16-1 by the Idaho House of Representatives on Feb. 27.

However, following a 2018 lawsuit against the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare by two transgender women, the U.S. District Court ruled the state must provide an obtainable avenue for transgender people to change their birth certificate. Because of this, the bill, also known as HB 509, is technically unconstitutional and violates the federal court ruling, according to Ritchie Eppink, legal

director for ACLU of Idaho.

“It sure does seem that the legislature is just blatantly flaunting this federal court order which has made a decision about what the state of Idaho must do,” Eppink said. “That goes way beyond just irresponsibility. The legislature is clearly expressing its disdain for the constitution by even considering a bill like this.”

According to Eppink, state workers would be forced to choose between following the state mandate or abiding by the federal ruling, which could result in legal consequences.

“If the bill were enacted, then state officials that work on birth certificates could

Kacie Fromhart | The Arbiter

be held in contempt of court for violating that court order,” Eppink said.

In addition to the funds already spent on the House proceedings to pass the bill, HB 509 could pose some major costs to the state if it passes in the Senate.

“We know for certain that we would immediately have a lawsuit,” said Idaho Rep. Lauren Necochea. “Idaho has already gone to court to defend this type of legislation and lost. So it’s going to cost [what] could be a million dollars of taxpayer dollars.”

HB 509 would not only cause financial stress on taxpayers and the state but would also be a big loss for the transgender community in Idaho, according to

Tanisha Jae Newton, campaign organizer for ACLU Idaho.

“This bill was initially scary because it puts trans people in even more harm than they currently are in day-to-day society,” Newton said.

Newton explained it can be extremely difficult for transgender individuals to pass through regular identification processes like showing a driver’s license during a traffic stop, applying for employment or going through TSA before boarding a plane.

“It would be hard to travel or go through security, for example, if I were to go through and it says male on my driver’s license, but I look more feminine or femme presenting to the person who is looking,” Newton said.

According to Newton, this discrepancy between government ID and self-identification could lead to harassment, denial of services or violence towards transgender people attempting to use their state-issued identification documents.

HB 509 is among a few bills introduced in this state legislative session that are transgender-related. HB 465 and HB 500 were also recently presented and have received major backlash from the community.

“It is incomprehensible to me that we have seen so many legislative attacks on such a vulnerable community,” Rep. Necochea said. “I think there is some misunderstanding of gender - that it is a black and white issue. But we need to be understanding and have compassion for when people are going through something even if we are unfamiliar with it.”

HB 465, a bill that would ban gender reassignment surgery and gender-affirming care for minors, was turned down in late February 2020. HB 500, a bill that would ban transgender students from playing sports, passed in the House 5217-1 and awaits a vote from the Senate.

MARCH 10, 2020

|

ARBITERONLINE.COM

5

MEET THE 2020 ASBSU CANDIDATES VOTING FOR STUDENTS WILL BEGIN ON MARCH 17 AND END MARCH 18

TAYLOR RICO-PEKEROL | NEWS REPORTER | NEWS@STUMEDIA.BOISESTATE.EDU

T

he Associated Students of Boise State University (ASBSU) are hosting debates for candidates running for elected positions. The debates are on Tuesday, March 10 and the voting begins on March 17 at midnight and ends at 11:59 p.m. on March 18 via a link sent to students.

President and Vice President Astrid Wilde and Ann Snelgrove Wilde and Snelgrove’s first plan within their platform is to create a stronger connection between students and ASBSU if elected. They believe that student government should be representative of students and elected by students alone.

“Putting all of our personal preferences for what we think ASBSU should do, whatever our personal agendas are, I think that’s infinitely less important than making sure that the student body actually has a voice in student government,” Wilde said.

Another priority of the pair is to make ASBSU more accessible to the student body by keeping people informed of meetings and making it clear that students are allowed to show up, according to Snelgrove.

“From the outside, I don’t know anything about ASBSU and I think that’s a problem,” Snelgrove said. “As a student, I should know when things are. I should know what’s happening; there should be easy [accessibility].”

Carolina Zamudio and Shyanne Massie Zamudio, the current secretary of student organizational affairs, and Massie’s platform centers around three core ideals: transfer students, diversity and inclusion and basic needs, such as mental health.

“Because this is my first year at Boise State, I think that, as a fresh pair of eyes, I can see there’s a lot of things that we can improve on,” Zamudio said. “And so I think that there’s a lot of needs here that are not met and that’s personally what I’m learning, and which is why we have some of the platforms that we have.”

Massie works with students during orientations as the president of the Residential Housing Association and has heard the ideas and criticisms for the university.

“I am a firm believer that mental health is a basic need of students. It’s just as important as having dinner on the table,” Massie said. “Through my role now [as an assembly member and Residential Housing Association president] I currently serve on the Food Pantry and Insecurity Committee and [I will be] continuing that and continuing breaking the stigma surrounding food insecurity.”

Angel Cantu and Cambree Kanala The three platforms Cantu and Kanala, the current communications officer, are prioritizing are inclusion and diversity, food insecurity and sustainability. Both candidates hope to have students feel comfortable enough to talk to them about what they are experiencing.

“We just want to make all students at Boise State feel a sense of home and belonging at Boise State and feel like they do belong [here],” Kanala said. “I don’t think anyone should be discriminated against for their identity, their beliefs [or] their anything, really.”

Cantu wants to focus on the communication between students and administration, becoming a sort of liaison for student voices and the changes they hope

to implement.

“I think it’s important because a lot of students have great ideas and opinions about what’s going on on-campus,” Cantu said. “And I believe [the] administration wants to hear those concerns, but it’s very hard for them to get kind of the full picture of what students want and what students are experiencing.”

Wyatt Naillon and Kylee Johnson With focus on five pillars — applied learning opportunities, mental health awareness and advocacy, environmental sustainability, communication and visibility and diversity and inclusion — Naillon and Johnson believe in making students feel more welcomed when they step onto campus.

“I understand what it’s like to go to school and not know what your future is gonna look like,” Naillon said. “I really care about the state and I think that BSU has the highest potential to serve the needs of this state. So, I would love to help make the changes that I believe it needs.”

Boise State’s Greek life and veterans are groups that Naillon and Johnson want to prioritize to add additional support through different programming for veterans and diversity in representation within sororities and fraternities by listening to their needs.

“Through my position [as a member of Alpha Chi Omega’s executive board], I kind of got to work with more of Boise State’s programs and administration and staff,” Naillon said. “So, I just saw some things [and] I was like, ‘Wow, I’d love to change these things.’ So I wanted to run for a position where I could impact the Boise State community more widely.”

Vice President of Inclusive Excellence Ryann Banks Running unopposed, Banks is focusing on three platforms including accountability for diversity and inclusion initiatives around campus, sustainable policy and practices and visibility to students that want to be involved with the Inclusive Excellence Student Council (IESC).

“One of my big things is accountability to all diversity [and] inclusion-based reports that Boise State has published,” Banks said.

“We see certain departments or groups within administration following strategic plans, but we don’t see that across the university and that’s an issue. So, I want to do a lot of accountability for student clubs, as well as administration, faculty and staff.”

Banks also seeks to increase student involvement in student government in order to give a platform for additional student voices, as well as the turnout of students for local and state governments.

Secretary of Academic Affairs Halima Hamud Hamud has a focus on transparency and accessibility to create a pathway that is successful for students. With a strong emphasis on involving students in the process of making decisions at the university, Hamud is working on creative ways to be involved with students and student government.

“As a Muslim woman, as a black woman, as a refugee as a child and then as a refugee adult, you learn how to use what you have to be successful [in] that moment [and] that space with what you have,” Hamud said. “And I went through a lot of adversities, but I came [out] strong

[on] the other side. So, I understand, I have empathy and that’s what I bring to the table.”

Leah Pinto Currently enrolled in her first semester at Boise State, Pinto first heard about ASBSU through the involvement fair, where she realized how much she could accomplish on the behalf of students. Pinto believes basic needs should be affordable and available to all students and is an advocate for open educational resources.

“I’m really passionate about student government and, specifically, writing policy; I love writing policy,” Pinto said.

“And I think that when you’re passionate about something, you tend to do a better job because you’re willing to put the time and energy into it. So, I know I’m really confident I will do a good job.”

Astrid Wilde and Ann Snelgrove

Carolina Zamudio and Shyanne Massie

Angel Cantu and Cambree Kanala

Wyatt Naillon and Kylee Johnson

Ryann Banks

Halima Hamud

Leah Pinto

Kayla Magana

Shelby Hickey

Secretary of Student Organizational Affairs Kayla Magana When students get involved on campus, they feel as though they have a place to go and something to care about, according to Magana. Magana’s main goal is to increase students’ awareness about the variety of clubs on campus so they can find a comfortable place to get acquainted with the college experience.

“With funding, I want students to be really comfortable with reaching out to me about funds because I know that can be a nervous process or they might be shy,” Magana said. “I want to be that person that they can go to.”

Shelby Hickey Hickey hopes to make the funding board process as equitable as possible by allowing every club to receive the help and funding they need. She also hopes to increase the student voice on assembly and the executive team by advocating for them.

“I just want to make sure it’s even across the board because, no matter what your passion is, whether it be politics, tribal heritage or even I think there’s an anime club as well,” Hickey said. “Everybody [should] get the opportunity to do what makes them happy, whatever fuels their passion.”

Read more about the candidates running on the ASBSU website.

Mackenzie Hudson and Chandler Thornton | The Arbiter

OPINION MARCH 10, 2020 | ARBITERONLINE.COM

BEFORE A VOLUNTEER TRIP, CONSIDER THE HISTORY OF WHITE SAVIORISM

The harm caused by white savior “voluntourism” trips far outweighs the good intentions Blake Hunter | Opinion Editor | opinion@stumedia.boisestate.edu

A

s the weather warms and college students dream of Cabo, Treefort Music Festival and going home for spring break, some students have the opportunity to go on life-changing philanthropic trips for the week.

These trips, however, happen yearround, as affluent people – mostly white – travel all over the world to “improve” poor communities. Their suitcases filled with chinos and Chacos and their hearts filled with good intentions, these people often cause more harm than good, and pat themselves on the back for sacrificing their time for people who really need it.

This phenomenon is often called “voluntourism” and essentially suggests that those who are going to volunteer in poor communities are actually going for the fun experience and to take advantage of their ability to do so. These trips are particularly destined for majority black countries, like those in sub-Saharan Africa.

The volunteer tourism industry draws as many as 1.6 million people per year, totaling $2 billion annually. Volunteering for a cause can obviously be beneficial, but voluntourism veers into harm when it becomes “poverty porn” on social media and often found in advertisements.

Poverty porn is surprisingly familiar, even if most people have never heard the term. It often includes an African child, or several, in huts with dirt floors and a narrator calling for financial aid.

On volunteer trips, many people insert themselves into the equation and post it to social media, building themselves up as the “white savior” whose experiences building houses and witnessing those with less truly changed their lives.

The white savior complex abounds in media as well as much of philanthropy.

8

MARCH 10, 2020

|

Many famous American books or movies that have received widespread critical and cultural acclaim have been engineered around a white savior narrative, including “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, the novel and the movie “The Help” and the 2018 Academy Award Best Picture winner “Green Book.”

This narrative fits nicely into the 21st century “colorblind” rhetoric that emphasizes being “not racist” over actually studying racism and disrupting it. In each of those examples, the white person maintains their superior cultural position while extending their assistance to black people, often without their asking but always proving to be the best white person in town compared to the “real racists.”

Rather than challenging racism because of new proximity to people of color and their experiences, the white savior complex allows a morale boost while deepening internal racial biases. This comes from seeing people of color as needing saving, not just from unfortunate environmental circumstances or financial instability but from their own inability to save themselves.

Needless to say, the people who are being “saved” often have very little input in what happens to their communities.

Additionally, white savior trips become even more clearly about tourism than service when considering that income inequality exists everywhere. If people truly wanted to help, they would more likely stay in their own communities with people they already know and solve problems they already understand. Instead, they fly to developing nations to build schools or houses without listening to what the people in the community actually want.

College offers an important time to interrogate such urges. At Boise State, many

ARBITERONLINE.COM

Though volunteer trips can sometimes be helpful for communities, they often do more harm than good.

Photo by Cross Cultural Solutions/MCT students come from predominantly white areas, and being at college demonstrates some amount of financial privilege, which means a lot of people on this campus fit the demographic of someone who could go on a philanthropic trip to a poorer nation.

So while you are booking your next vacation, be critical. Tourism, in general, is often exploitative of someone and certainly has negative environmental impacts. But volunteer tourism involves intricate histories of oppression that most people do not consider before boarding their plane.

As writer Chidera Ihejirika explained in an article in Afropunk, a visitor’s personal growth on a trip around the world does not matter as much as finding long-term solutions to help communities that have real needs all over the globe.

“If you find that your social media posts mostly talk about you and how this experience has shaped you, changed you and made you a better person,” Ihejirika wrote.

“I would seriously urge you to do some re-evaluating.”

OPINION

THE NEW CORONAVIRUS IS NO EXCUSE FOR ANTI-ASIAN RACISM Discrimination against Asian people has spiked globally as virus cases have spiked Blake Hunter | Opinion Editor | opinion@stumedia.boisestate.edu

As panic over new coronavirus spreads, so does demand for protection. Photo courtesy of Macau Photo Agency on Unsplash

L

ast week, the price for two bottles of Purell hand sanitizer on Amazon hit $300. Many companies are struggling to meet the demand as well as fight price gouging for things like hand sanitizer, face masks and disinfectant wipes as the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 continues to spread globally.

As of Sunday, March 8, the United States announced its 21st death related to the virus, while worldwide the total number of infections continues to increase; now, the number of cases is over 100,000.

The virus originated in Wuhan, China, and though the number of new cases in mainland China is decreasing, pockets of the new virus are spreading in Italy, South Korea and Iran.

Although some people in Boise are being tested for the new virus, there have been zero cases announced in Idaho. In the United States, paranoia is spreading ahead of the virus; unfortunately, Asian Americans have experienced an increase in hate crimes and discrimination at the same time – and not for the first time.

This new virus is no excuse for anti-Asian racism, and in fact, exposes just how quickly paranoia can be used as an excuse for discrimination.

An article posted by CNN told stories from Asian Americans in multiple cities across America. Many of them included verbal harassment, violent language and derogatory terms.

A recent article in Time shared the personal accounts of multiple East Asian

people in the United Kingdom who were targeted in violent and often public hate crimes because of the coronavirus. In London, Jonathan Mok was attacked by multiple teenagers, who told him “we don’t want your coronavirus in this country.” In a Facebook post with over 67,000 reactions, Jonathan Mok discussed his attack, saying that panic is just another way people validate their racism.

“Racism is not stupidity — racism is hate,” Mok wrote. “Racists constantly find excuses to expound their hatred — and in this current backdrop of the coronavirus, they’ve found yet another excuse.”

Such incidents are not necessarily isolated to violent outbursts on trains or in alleyways, however. A part-time staffer for a state assemblywoman in Brooklyn

posted a notice on Facebook last week that advised people to stay away from Chinese businesses and restaurants, claiming that, because some Chinese Americans traveled to mainland China for new year celebrations, the risk of transmitting the virus was higher around Chinese American people.

“They are returning and some are bringing along the Coronavirus,” the post read.

“Rather be safe than sorry.”

The staffer was fired quickly after the post was made, but the multiple cases of anti-Asian racism credited to fears of the new coronavirus prove that many have similar prejudices.

In an op-ed in the Los Angeles Times, Zhang Ping, the consul general of the People’s Republic of China in Los Angeles, emphasized the need for international cooperative efforts to stop the new virus and denounced the increasing discrimination against Asian people globally.

“The virus is understandably a source of concern, but it should not be exploited as an excuse for xenophobia or advancing a political agenda,” Ping wrote. “At a time when the world is working hard to contain the spread of the coronavirus, we should guard against the spread of political and racist viruses as well.”

As Boise readies for potential cases of the new virus, being careful to avoid transmission of the virus is crucial; being careful, though, does not include being racist.

American stereotypes against people from various Asian nations have led to horrible state and citizen-supported violence time and again, a cycle that must be disrupted.

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

MARCH 10, 2020

|

ARBITERONLINE.COM

9

BOISE STATE’S CLIMATE FUTURE AS CLIMATE CHANGE WORSENS GLOBALLY, BOISE STATE PREPARES FOR THE FUTURE BLAKE HUNTER | OPINION EDITOR | OPINION@STUMEDIA.BOISESTATE.EDU

B

From research to sustainable practices and beyond, Boise State is taking charge of its impact on the environment in more ways than one.

Wyatt Wurtenberger | The Arbiter

10

MARCH 10, 2020

|

ARBITERONLINE.COM

oise State’s campus sustainability department can be found in a dimly lit, double-wide trailer on Euclid Avenue. It is tucked away from the campus’s main thoroughfares, behind tall, freshly minted brick and glass buildings like the Norco and Alumni and Friends buildings.

The thin walls around sustainability coordinator Kat Davis’ office do little to buffer the noise of construction machinery outside. Yet as the global climate crisis gains more attention, Boise State is positioning itself to respond by collaborating across campus and professions to face an increasingly unsteady future.

“I believe to make infrastructure change we first must make culture change to ensure that the changes we make at the programmatic and infrastructure level truly serve the needs of the community,” Davis wrote in an email.

Despite its lack of glamour or the omnipresent neon blue and orange found almost everywhere else on campus, the depart-

ment’s initiatives are just one part of the university’s efforts towards an environmentally responsible campus.

The climate crisis that has escalated in the last 50 years is causing Broncos, from administrators to first-year students, to reconsider their consumption and collaborate to educate the Boise State community on sustainable practices. The greater charge, however, is to contribute research that will help communities around Idaho – and the world – survive.

Sustainable practices for a changing world Increasing environmental concern at Boise State reflects the global climate advocacy that youth around the world are engaging in. Greta Thunberg is just one of many teenage climate activists pushing governments and corporations to counteract climate change.

Morgan Brummund is a senior environmental studies major with minors in sustainability and climate studies, and also chairs the sustainability and government relations committees for ASBSU. For younger generations worldwide, Brummund said, the challenges posed by climate change are daunting and personal.

“When it comes to thinking about climate change, people our age are really going to be the ones on the forefront, fighting and dealing with climate change,” Brummund said. “And so I think that’s why, in general, it is so important to young people.”

Youth climate advocacy has swayed major groups in Idaho. Idaho Power Company has committed to sourcing 100% of their energy from renewable sources by 2045, and the City of Boise approved a plan to reach 100% clean electricity by 2035 as part of an initiative called Boise’s Energy Future. Last semester, ASBSU passed a resolution acknowledging the initiative to show student support.

Randi McDermott, vice president for campus operations, said that even in a

state like Idaho – where Gov. Brad Little recognizing climate change made headlines – prioritizing sustainability is not likely to draw much critical feedback.

“Conservation is really a big deal to just about everybody, regardless of political party affiliation, because we’re such a natural resource state,” McDermott said.

“From an operational standpoint, it’s often less expensive to operate in a sustainable environment and if we have to fall back on that, we can fall back on that.”

The university is moving towards more renewable energy sources, but many students and visitors are conscious of their personal impacts, which has led the sustainability office to educate people about recycling for years. Now, the department is moving to remove plastic recycling from campus altogether because of high levels of contamination in recycling containers.

As the director of environmental health, safety and sustainability, Suzy Arnette works to promote environmentally responsible practices at Boise State. Arnette said that, over the years, there have been obstacles to promoting sustainability on campus, like staffing levels, student interests and communication challenges.

“We also weren’t good at telling our story, and we’re getting better at that,” Arnette said.

Dr. John Gardner is a professor of mechanical and biomedical engineering and director of the Energy Efficiency Research Institute branch of Idaho’s Center for Advanced Energy Studies. Gardner said that one of the most integral groups for Boise State’s sustainability is the facilities, operations and maintenance crews, which includes waste processing.

Additionally, data shows that Boise State’s greenhouse gas emissions have actually decreased in the past decade, partially

because of Boise’s geothermal energy supply and hydroelectric dams in the Pacific Northwest that provide relatively low-carbon electricity, but also because of efforts by people on Boise State’s grounds.

“The facilities folks have been pursuing energy efficiency improvements across campus, and you don’t see those,” Gardner said. “Those tend to be behind the scenes.”

Institutional collaboration and planning In a letter released on Feb. 26, Boise State president Dr. Marlene Tromp detailed plans for a Sustainability Governance Council, one of the university’s first major efforts to consolidate faculty, staff and student decision-making into one group. The council will include three separate subcommittees: academics and research, engagement and planning and operations.

“The time is right to create a structure to ensure the university is establishing goals, tracking progress and maintaining operations, infrastructure and education in a manner that is both environmentally and socially responsible, as well as economically feasible,” Tromp wrote.

The council will report their data to the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), which uses an assessment and rating system to evaluate higher education institutions on five different sets of criteria: innovation and leadership, planning and administration, academics, engagement and operations.

Brummund agreed that the new Sustainability Governance Council offers an opportunity to maximize efforts on campus and using the data derived from the AASHE system will allow the council to make informed decisions for the campus moving forward.

“I think it was just clear to President Tromp and to other university decision-makers that students really are advocating for some sort of

unified plan for the university,” Brummund said.

The Sustainability Governance Council is one of the biggest announcements the university has made regarding the prioritization of sustainability on campus.

However, Gardner said that while the council offers new structure and publicity, the university has been working towards objectives included in the AASHE system for years.

“We’ve had a core, mostly of staff, really dedicated to this. There have been times when it’s risen to the presidential level and it’s doing that again, and that’s great,” Gardner said. “But I don’t think it’s a huge shift.”

Though Boise State is now using a structured program to evaluate its environmental impacts, there has always been collaboration on campus to promote sustainable practices. One of the most important foundations of that work comes from education.

Reaching into the classroom: research and academia Bringing sustainable practices and climate change to light requires classroom education about environmental systems, as well as teaching people how to reduce their waste. As students become more conscious of their environmental footprints, the demand for education increases.

In Dec. 2019, The Arbiter reported on Boise State’s climate studies minor, which began in 2017. This semester, Brummund and one other student will be the first graduates of the program.

After growing up in a small town near Sacramento, California, Brummund moved to Boise State, where she said that the political climate around environmental issues was very different from her home state. She also took the University Foundations course on climate change her first year, and that inspired her to pursue environmental studies.

“My driving force is that sometimes [in] Idaho we could be doing more – we have the opportunity to be doing more,” Brummund said. “At Boise State specifically, we have an opportunity to lead in higher ed when it comes to sustainability initiatives.”

Dr. Jenn Pierce, an associate professor of geosciences, is one of the professors who started the climate studies minor. She researches wildfires, one of Idaho’s biggest climate threats, and is one of at least 40 faculty members doing environmental research at Boise State.

Students coming from California, Oregon, Washington and other states almost always have a higher climate literacy than students coming from public Idaho schools, including their understanding of pollution, the greenhouse gas effect and human environmental impacts, Pierce said, which can create an obstacle for professors.

Because Pierce and other faculty want to continue to grow their departments, she said while faculty and staff are leading research projects, it is crucial for students to be involved and provide feedback.

“Boise State students are inheriting a lot of problems from my generation and the generation before me,” Pierce said. “So we want to know what classes you want taught and learn what you care about.”

Pierce said that it is important to ap-

F E AT U R E

proach climate change holistically, including the lenses of studies like literature and philosophy into environmental science in order to provide solutions that will actually work.

For Davis, that means educating on environmental inequalities that make particular communities more susceptible to the effects of climate change.

“I personally believe that in order for ‘sustainability’ work to be truly sustainable, it must be designed within a system and framework that centers interdisciplinarity, diversity, inclusion and equity at its core,” Davis wrote in an email. “We are working to create a future that is sustainable for all, not just sustainable for some.”

While students are driving Boise State into a more environmentally responsible future with a growing body of research, education about sustainable practices and the new Sustainability Governance Council, everyone involved in these changes remains very aware of their motivation.

“I think we have a long way to go,” Pierce said.

“There are a lot of people working on this at Boise State and there is change happening, but we have a long way to go.”

MARCH 10, 2020

|

ARBITERONLINE.COM

11

C U LT U R E MARCH 10, 2020 | ARBITERONLINE.COM

‘BEYOND THE BLUE’ PODCAST AIMS TO MAKE DEEPER CONNECTION WITH STUDENTS Matt Jones highlights students across campus by giving them a platform to share their stories Michelle Johnson | Culture Reporter | culture@stumedia.boisestate.edu

E

very student at Boise State has a different story to tell, whether personal or academic. The stories that are shared can invoke feelings of determination, resilience and accomplishment. Matt Jones, a Boise State communications specialist, created a new podcast hoping to give students their own voice while creating deeper levels of connections for both the storytellers and the listeners. “Beyond the Blue” aims to let students and alumni from Boise State be heard.

“I wanted to connect with students on a deeper level,” Jones said. “I think having a student-focus podcast was really crucial in building that sort of engagement with students. Students are the largest population and most important demographic here on campus. They make us go. So without building that connection with them, I feel like it’s a missed opportunity for the university.”

“I wanted to connect with students on a deeper level. I think having a student-focus podcast was really crucial in building that sort of engagement with students.”

Matt Jones, Boise State communications specialist The podcast first aired at the end of last year and has currently released two episodes. The first focused on five stu-

12

MARCH 10, 2020

|

“It’s important to hear everyone’s journeys,” Hamud said. “That’s how we learn and that’s how we connect. That’s how we make a better environment, a better campus. So if you never hear those stories, if you never hear those concerns, you just don’t know and you are not aware of different sides.”

Each episode will be unique to the students featured. Jones’ aim for this podcast is solely focused on the students, letting them take the reigns in each episode and truly make it their own.

“I think students are faced with a lot of challenges and the resilience and determination that students show throughout their undergraduate degrees at whatever age they are, is really powerful,” Jones said. “I think that the sense of resilience and the sense of just passion and determination that students show here on campus is really inspiring. And I would love to just help continue to showcase that and tell their stories.”

While the podcast is still in its early stages, Jones has many goals for the coming year. As it is now, the podcast is only available as an audio version. In time, though, Jones wants to push his creative process.

Matt Jones seeks to give students a voice through his new podcast, “Beyond the “Any chance that we can get to be a little Blue.” bit more creative with it and kind of just

Chandler Thornton | The Arbiter push the boundaries of what podcasting is, during their time at [Boise State] and just dent-athletes who are also part of the the better,” Jones said. “I see a huge ceiling how pushing our limits in the classroom Honors College. Isabelle Butler, a junior for this project. It doesn’t just stop here, civil engineering major, was among the five and on the field has been so rewarding.” the more and more episodes that we roll The second episode was recently released out and the more ideas that we showcase, students featured. and featured two student refugees aiming “This podcast episode was focused on I think a visual element to that is going to how being a student-athlete in the Honors to make Boise State their home. Halima be crucial in order to even you know, tell College has shaped who we are; there’s five Hamud, a junior political science major, that story further.” discussed the challenges she has faced, her of us featured in this,” Butler said. “We’re “Beyond the Blue” is free and can be dreams and her goals of becoming a part all in different sports and so we all had streamed through services including Apple of ASBSU. She has used her voice to share different stories. It was cool to hear the Music and Spotify. other student-athletes talk about how hon- her journey and feels it is important to hear others’ personal challenges, as well. ors and athletics has impacted each of us

ARBITERONLINE.COM

C U LT U R E

ART ON CAMPUS ENCOMPASSES CREATIVE CULTURE

Various pieces scattered around campus intend to create campus-wide artistic environment Stephanie Gull | Staff Writer | culture@stumedia.boisestate.edu

Many pieces of art have a special history connected to past Boise State artists.

Stephanie Gull | The Arbiter

E

very single day, thousands of students from all walks of life come to campus to further their education. Yet, as students hustle from classroom to classroom, one campus component may be overlooked, and that is the countless pieces of artwork that are sometimes, quite literally, under their feet.

Fonda Portales, university art curator

and collections manager, discussed how many people expect art to only be in the Center for Visual Arts. However, art is scattered all over campus and can be found in a number of unexpected places students may not know about.

According to Portales, art is important to the everyday experience and the study-focused life of students, so Boise

State strives to make it available.

“We get in the habit of thinking art should be right in front of us,” Portales said. “We don’t think we have to work for it, or we think art should just be directly shown to us.”

However, this is why her favorite art piece on campus is “Fledgling,” made by past faculty sculptor Kober. This piece reminds Portales to look up and outside of her immediate surroundings.

Gwyn Hervochon, librarian and archivist in the Special Collections and Archives unit of the library, said that there is a huge collection of art books, original art pieces and expansive art history housed within the library that many students are unaware of. Hervochon hopes to get students more involved with these materials.

“Students might walk past artwork every day and not really take note of it, or think too much about how it got there or the story behind it, and that happens here all the time,” Hervochon said. “People don’t know Special Collections and Archives is here and that they can come and use it.”

According to Hervochon, there is a reading room students can use that is climate-controlled to preserve materials.

No appointment is necessary, and even if students are not sure of exactly what they are looking for, their staff is eager to help them figure out what that may be.

Even though Hervochon has now been within this unit of the library for six years, she admitted that she still finds new pieces of art housed within the Special Collections and Archives, and the possibilities are endless.

“Once you start digging a little deeper, you find these treasures,” Hervochon said. “There’s so much artwork, and even though we’re not an art museum, there’s a lot to see.”

Sue Latta, a lecturer in the School of Arts, has an interactive art piece titled “Periaktos” displayed in the Student Union Building (SUB), containing three

7-foot tall columns that spin to continuously create a changing mix of images and representations.

“There’s so much artwork, and even though we’re not an art museum, there’s a lot to see.”

Gwyn Hervochon, librarian and archivist According to Latta, the biggest advice she could give to students is to slow down and take a look around.

In both the Brady and Lincoln garages, artwork made by students is displayed in the stairwells, to aid in the functionality of remembering where cars are parked, as well as being aesthetically pleasing.

According to Portales, students are also currently working on a project titled “Creative Routes,” which is the design of new bike paths that will aid riders with navigating traffic, as well as provide artwork right beneath their tires.

“I would love the students to notice, to be in awe, of all the things available to them on campus,” Latta said. “We walk with our heads down and we don’t really notice our surroundings, and we need to put our head up every once in a while.”

MARCH 10, 2020

|

ARBITERONLINE.COM

13

C U LT U R E

CITY GO TALKS SUSTAINABLE COMMUTING FOR BOISE STATE COMMUNITY Four members of the Treasure Valley share experiences with alternative transportation

Amanda Niess | Staff Writer | culture@stumedia.boisestate.edu

Panel members at City Go discussed the importance of sustainable commuting.

Amanda Niess | The Arbiter

D

owntown employees and faculty members of the surrounding Boise area met to discuss their methods of sustainable transportation at an event City Go hosted in the Student Union Building on Feb. 27, and the panel’s message hopes to make a gradual shift toward alternative transportation in Boise.

City Go was founded by five various institutions — including Boise State — as the Transportation Management Association (TMA) for downtown Boise. The organization aims to solve transportation issues and pave the way to mobility for

14

MARCH 10, 2020

|

Boise. Katie Justice, director of City Go, organized this event to educate the Boise State community on the transportation methods that are available to both students and faculty members.

“Our major goal with City Go [is] to reduce the number of single drive-alone vehicles coming into, out of and around downtown Boise,” Justice said. “We help promote all the different services — bus, bike, shuttle, vanpools and carpools — and provide services to make them easier and more convenient for people to use.”

Justice wants to ensure that students

ARBITERONLINE.COM

and faculty on campus have all transportation options available to them, especially with the upcoming expansions Boise State has planned.

“For Boise State, it’s really about providing balance and other choices,” Justice said. “There’s a lot less parking than there are students and so providing different choices really [balances] out the system.”

Panel members Jordan Morales, Lisa Brady, Russ Stoddard and Jamee Zahn discussed their experiences with sustainable commuting.

As the manager of the Department of Computer Science, Morales had to come up with an alternative way to get around when his department moved downtown in 2016; so he turned to the Bronco Shuttle. “[Taking the bus] was out of necessity to get to work but it did take sacrifice,” Morales said.

Brady — another member of the panel — works at the YMCA as the director of the Safe Routes to School, a program that urges students to walk and bike to school to guide them towards healthy ways of life. Brady has been commuting via bicycle since the late 1980s when she moved to Boise and continues to advocate for this method of transportation.

“I started bike commuting because I was tired of being in the car,” Brady said. “I was always jealous of everybody who could walk to school or ride their bike to school.”

Russ Stoddard, the founder of branding agency Oliver Russell, has also been a bike commuter for decades. During the panel discussion, Stoddard expressed how bike riding serves as more than just a way to get to work.

“Part of the fun of riding a bike is you get to explore and find your own routes and with that, you introduce yourself to entirely new parts of the city,” Stoddard said.

The fourth panel member, Jamee Zahn, works for the Department of Labor. She shared a different method of sustainable commuting: the vanpool.

Zahn, a mother of three, started using the vanpool to save money. She then talked about her transition from passenger to rotating driver for the vanpool.

“Riding in a vanpool is actually my decompression because I feel like the rest of us can vent about what things happened all day at work and get home and not have to vent,” Zahn said.

Brady and Stoddard expressed some concerns in terms of bicyclists’ safety on the roads as well as pedestrian safety downtown. Brady expressed the demand for a change in the law to push for more space between an automobile and a bicycle when passing.

“Give at least as much as you would another motor vehicle [however] that’s the kind of thing that’s not happening out there for pedestrians or bikes,” Brady said.

“That’s the kind of thing we need to move towards in this state.”

Alternative methods of transportation have allowed the panel members to connect with their community in many ways.

Taking the bus, for example, gave Morales the opportunity to make new friends and de-stress from the workday.

“I come home to a very energetic threeyear-old and coming home to her after being on the bus is a lot different than if I’m coming home to her after driving a car in traffic [...],” Morales said.

This discussion aimed to bring light to other sustainable modes of transportation. Justice, along with the other panel members, wanted to stress the importance of knowing these alternate options close to campus.

“A lot of times [...] we are used to driving a vehicle and that’s what we know so the idea of moving to anything else or trying anything else is sometimes overwhelming,” Justice said. “This panel [was] really about providing the [reasons] why people commute in other ways.”

FIRST FRIDAY ASTRONOMY NIGHT

Physics department hosted Dr. Ben Margalit on March 6 Haylie Juelch | Staff Writer | culture@stumedia.boisestate.edu

O

n the first Friday of every month, the Boise State Department of Physics hosts an astronomy event that includes a guest lecturer, followed by stargazing in the observatory on the roof of the Science and Education Building. This fall will mark five years of First Fridays.

March’s First Friday guest speaker was Dr. Ben Margalit on March 6. Margalit is a NASA Einstein Postdoctoral Fellow in the Theoretical Astrophysics Center at the University of California Berkeley. He discussed “Fast Radio Bursts and Discovering Unknowns in Astronomy.”

Margalit was chosen as the speaker this month because guests of First Fridays were interested in learning and discussing more about fast radio bursts.

“Fast radio bursts is this astronomical phenomenon where there will just be this short burst of radio waves coming from space, kind of from all over the sky. People have seen these for years and what they are isn’t well understood,” said Brian Jackson, associate professor and host of First Fridays. “Margalit is one of the folks who recently developed a theory to explain the origins of the fast radio bursts. I contacted colleagues and asked if anyone could come give a talk about this topic, and this was somebody who was recommended.”

Boise State’s observatory was originally installed in 1978. In 2015, money was raised for the observatory to be updated and became a main part of Boise State’s astronomy outreach program.

“The observatory is fully functional. We’ve done a lot of work, myself and some of the endless staff here in the physics department to get that working,” Jackson said. “When it’s clear, that’s the centerpiece of the event.”

The Physics and Astronomy Club (PAC) at Boise State plays a huge role in the success of First Fridays.

“We’re the manpower,” said Ciera Partyka-Worley, a junior physics major and vice president of the club. “We run the

welcome table, take donations, direct people to the right room and answer people’s random questions about the event or any generic space questions they might have.”

Members of the club are also the ones in charge of the telescopes. The volunteers are trained on how to use them and know where and how to point them at various celestial objects.

Anyone is welcome to join PAC. The club hosts game nights and movie nights, as well as takes trips to astronomy-related establishments like (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory) LIGO in Washington state and the observatory at the Bruneau Sand Dunes. Anyone interested can join through their OrgSync page; being a STEM major is not a requirement to join.

“It’s important to me that, as president of a club that exists to bring physics and astronomy enthusiasts together on campus, that everyone feels welcome enough to do so,” said Chelle Szurgot, junior astrophysics major and president of PAC. “We want to create an inclusive space for [Boise State] students to come together and discuss and enjoy the mysteries of the universe and that includes students from all walks of life.”

Next month, April 3, the guest speaker will be Devon Burr from Northern Arizona University, a professor of astronomy and planetary sciences, and his lecture is called “‘Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink:’ Rivers Across the Solar System.”

“First Fridays are important because they engage the general public about science in a way that is mostly very accessible,” Szurgot said. “By that, I mean that the events are free and open to the public and the science covered at the event is presented in a way that is easy to understand. Great and accessible science communication is necessary for recruitment into STEM fields and there is inherent value in that.”

C U LT U R E

“BACHELOR” GOES LIVE IN BOISE

Bachelor Nation came out in full force to find love on stage Logan Potter | Editor-in-Chief | editor@stumedia.boisestate.edu

T

he night began with 12 bachelorette hopefuls looking for love, but only one could prevail and leave the evening with the bachelor. Sound familiar? “The Bachelor: Live on Stage” brought the popular reality show to Boise on its nationwide tour, packing a season’s worth of events into only two hours of live performance on March 5.

The Morrison Center was home to Boise’s tour stop, and the fun - though sometimes over-the-top - rendition of the show was hosted by “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette” alumni Ben Higgins and Becca Kufrin. Shows across the nation had “special guests” from the franchise; while Idaho was not as lucky, the cast of the show held an exciting easter egg in Sydney Lotuaco, a “Bachelor” alum from Colton Underwood’s season, who was featured as one of the stage show’s main dancers.

Despite the lack of surprises in casting, Higgins and Kufrin did not disappoint as they led the contestants and the audience through a fun and fast-paced schedule.

Immediately after the hosts made introductions, the bachelorettes exited their “limo” and met the bachelor; moments later, the first rose ceremony commenced.

Some of the bachelorettes did their research, presenting Matt, the local bachelor, with gifts and jokes tailored to his personality. In just 15 minutes, the scope of the show was narrowed from 12 to 8 bachelorettes. It was then that the excitement took off.

The show was broken up into segments, featuring “get to know you” group dates.

The audience played a role in the bachelor’s decision through yells and clapping, making the stage feel like a game show.

And “The Bachelor: Live on Stage” delivered on the game show notion. The “Newly Met Game” and a lip sync battle called “Lip Service” were among the highlights of on-stage activities, but the family-friendly tag made some segments feel watered down compared to the reality show. The most suggestive part of the

evening was the show’s rendition of fantasy suites, during which the final two women - Amanda and Megan - had three minutes each to get to know Matt in a dimmed portion of the stage.

The hosts were in on the festivities, as well. In many ways, they stole the show.

Matt was the center of attention from the bachelorettes on stage, but Bachelor Nation likely showed up for Kufrin, Higgins and an opportunity to cheer on the local women looking for a “connection,” as the show described it.

Despite its overblown enthusiasm, “The Bachelor: Live on Stage” was a memorable experience, and a connection was made on stage. Boise local Megan accepted the final rose, winning a massive local date package - complete with dinner at Chandler’s, shopping at Shift Boutique and gifts from sponsor Kendra Scott - to take Matt on date number two.

Unfortunately for diehard Boise fans, the stage show will not feature an “After the Final Rose” special, but those who cheered Megan on from the first rose were likely satisfied by the result.

For Bachelor Nation fans, the show is a taste of the “paradise” (get it?) that they love so much on-screen; for anyone else, the experience may be more cheesy than charming. Regardless, the show made its mark. There is no word yet on whether the show will continue beyond this tour, but if it does, only one question remains: Boise, will you accept this rose?

MARCH 10, 2020

|

ARBITERONLINE.COM

15

SPORTS & REC MARCH 10, 2020 | ARBITERONLINE.COM

BOISE STATE IS HEADED TO THE BIG DANCE FOR FOURTH-STRAIGHT YEAR

Broncos claim Mountain West tournament championship and earn an automatic bid to NCAA Tournament Delaney Brassil | Sports Editor | sports@stumedia.boisestate.edu

P

rior to March 4, no Mountain West women’s basketball team had ever won four-straight tournament titles. Boise State decided it was time to change that.

In one of the most nerve-wracking competitions of the Broncos’ season, No. 2 Boise State (24-9) took on No. 1 Fresno State (25-7) in hopes of snagging the four-peat. After the championship game was sent into overtime, which had not occurred in the Mountain West since 2011, the Broncos held on to clinch the title with an 80-76 win.

The Broncos entered the fourth quarter leading 51-45. With just over six minutes remaining, the Bulldogs went on an 8-0 run to tie it up at 64-64. Sophomore Jade Loville (20 points) entered from the Broncos’ bench and brought their lead back up to 69-67.

“Getting the trust from my coach and teammates is everything,” Loville said. “I just wanted to execute for them and step up and let them know that I’m ready.

And they’ve just provided me with so much opportunity.”

Senior Braydey Hodgins (20 points) fouled out with three minutes remaining in regulation, followed by senior A’Shanti Coleman (16 points) with 1:16 remaining.

This put fans on the edges of their seats; the seniors’ experience and impact in the tournament would no longer be available for the Broncos on the court.

“It was definitely different not being in control on the bench there for the last eight minutes. Felt like the longest eight minutes of my life,” Hodgins said. “But with all we’ve been through, I knew they had my back and they were going to get it done.

That’s what I kept reminding [A’Shanti] when she was sitting next to me.”

16

MARCH 10, 2020

|

Coleman went on to win tournament MVP for scoring in double-digits in all three games, including a 20-point, 12-rebound double-double against No. 3 Wyoming.

Two free throws by redshirt junior Mallory McGwire put the Broncos up 71-68, and they were just 13 seconds from the crown. But with eight seconds left, Fresno’s Haley Cavinder, the Mountain West Freshman of the Year, sank a 3-pointer to tie the game and send it into overtime.

The Broncos once again looked to Loville, who scored five-straight in the extra frame to put them up 78-73. Fresno went to the line with 4.4 seconds remaining, and Cavinder purposely missed the second free throw in an attempt to fuel another shot.

In what was an arguably controversial finale, Fresno’s Aly Gamez grabbed the rebound and scored, but the basket was waived with less than a second remaining because her foot had slipped out of bounds. During the play, the Bulldogs’ bench called a timeout it did not have, sending senior Riley Lupfer to the line.

Lupfer made one of two free throws, followed by one free throw by senior Jayde Christopher, who was fouled on the inbounds play. With that, the Broncos secured their much-anticipated, record-breaking tournament title.

The Broncos ended the night with 25 assists on 29 field goals, featuring 10 from Christopher. She ended the tournament with 30 assists — the most in tournament history.

Senior Ellie Woerner contributed with 10 points, four assists and eight rebounds. McGwire snagged 13 rebounds and four steals.

Lupfer and Hodgins are now both 12-0 at Mountain West tournaments, having earned the title every year since they joined the team as freshmen.

ARBITERONLINE.COM

The Broncos celebrated their Mountain West tournament victory at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas on March 4.

Photo courtesy of Michael Walsh “[The seniors are] an amazing, amazing qualify for the 2020 NCAA Tournament group. I just can’t say enough good stuff and have since been joined by seven more about them because they mean so much teams. The tournament’s seeding will be to me personally,” said head coach Gordy announced on Monday, March 16 at 5 Presnell. “What they’ve done for our p.m. MT on ESPN. program and for each other and for the Last season, the Broncos (28-5) were university is really pretty remarkable. The handed a No. 13 seed with a non-neutral seniors had eight chances to win a chamsite, and lost in overtime to No. 4 Oregon pionship and they won six of them in their State (25-7). Boise State has yet to surpass careers. That’s pretty good.” the first round of the NCAA Tournament, The Broncos became the first team to which will occur on March 20 and 21.

GYMNASTICS UPSETS NO. 21 AIR FORCE Broncos post highest score of the season

Emily Stevens | Staff Writer | sports@stumedia.boisestate.edu

B

oise State gymnastics earned their highest score of the season on March 5, with an upset over the No. 21 Air Force Falcons 196.925 - 195.300.

Throughout the season, the Broncos (5-6-1) have struggled to find their footing with their travel-packed schedule and senior captain Courtney McGregor’s season-ending injury.

Head coach Tina Bird is appreciative of the recent time her team has spent at home and how it positively impacted their composure against the Falcons. After the meet on Thursday, Bird was happy to see her gymnasts take another step toward their potential.

“They finally put it all together,” Bird said. “We’ve been waiting for weeks for them to do that and they did it tonight.”

Overall, the Broncos delivered their best performance of the season, never once letting the Falcons take the lead. The Broncos won each event besides floor, in which they tied at 49.300.

The Broncos displayed improvement in all four events but showed the most statistical growth in the vault. With four solid landings, Boise State’s vault team earned a 49.225 out of 50 – the event’s highest score yet.

When junior all-around gymnast Gabriela Bouza landed her 9.825 vault, she immediately celebrated. Her celebration, however, was not limited to her own success, as she congratulated her teammates with the same energy.

“Whether they’re up or I’m up, it’s the same exact excitement,” Bouza said.

While Bouza and her fellow vaulters celebrated their performance, gymnasts with other specialties were less satisfied and looked beyond the night to improve.

No. 4 junior Emily Muhlenhaupt once again took first place in uneven parallel bars, but her score of 9.950 did not quench her thirst for a 10.000. Although all eyes are on Muhlenhaupt to earn a perfect score, she

SPORTS & REC

HOT TAKES

Autum Robertson | Sports Reporter | sports@stumedia.boisestate.edu

F

our Broncos — offensive linemen John Molchon and Ezra Cleveland, wide receiver John Hightower and linebacker Curtis Weaver — competed in the NFL combine on Feb. 24 - March 2, taking them one step closer to the NFL. With spots on an NFL roster on the line, these four Broncos left everything on the field.

Chandler Thornton | The Arbiter strives to keep a team-oriented mindset.

“I’m really focused on enjoying myself while I’m in the gym and helping others to achieve their full potential and just love it while I can do it,” Muhlenhaupt said.

As the Broncos finish off their season, Bird hopes to see her team mature on the beam, in an effort to limit the balance-checks and routine delays.

“We gotta keep working on confidence,” Bird said. “They can do it and they just get a little nervous when it comes down to it in competition.”

Boise State gymnastics will return home on March 21 to face off the No. 24 University of Arizona in their last regular meet of the season. Despite their success against higher-ranked Air Force, Bird aims to maintain an underdog mentality.

“They gotta stay focused on working really hard and not think that this meet is it,” Bird said. “We just have to keep climbing that mountain,” Bird said.

John Molchon If Molchon did not know before the combine, he knows now that he had some stiff competition at the offensive line position.

There were several offensive linemen that solidified themselves as potential first-day picks, including Louisville’s Mekhi Becton who is 6 foot 7 inches tall, weighs 364 pounds and ran a 5.11-second, 40-yard dash. To put this into perspective, Molchon ran a 5.13-second, 40-yard dash and weighs 309 pounds.

To be fair, Molchon was not expected to put up crazy numbers like Becton.

Molchon shined in other areas including the bench press, where he put up 26 reps, and vertical jump, where he reached 34 inches.

Overall, Molchon did alright. The NFL is grading him as a 5.63, which means he has a chance to make a practice squad or the end of a roster.

Ezra Cleveland Cleveland forewent his senior year to enter the NFL draft and after his combine performance, it seems like the right decision.

After Cleveland’s overall great performance, his draft stock increased and some are saying he has moved up to an early second-round pick. Cleveland led

all offensive linemen in the tree-cone drill with a time of 7.26 seconds. His 4.93-second 40-yard dash was No. 3 and his 30 reps on bench press were good for No. 5 among the offensive linemen.

Cleveland is impressive and comes with few weaknesses, making it possible for him to sneak into the first round, but this class of offensive linemen is stacked.

John Hightower Hightower was a big playmaker at Boise State and his speed was likely the biggest reason for that. So it was no surprise when the wide receiver ran a 4.43-second 40-yard dash. Hightower’s time put him with the draft’s top prospects, and his time tied for 15th overall. He was in the top 10 with his 38-inch vertical leap and the top-five with his 4.21-second 20-yard shuttle.

Hightower proved himself at the draft and he did a lot better than many people expected. But call him a steal; he will not be an early-round pick, but will pay off for whoever takes him late in the draft.

Curtis Weaver Weaver leaves Boise State with his name written all over the record books.

He is the Mountain West’s all-time sack leader and is second in Boise State’s all-time sack list with 34. Like expected, Weaver had a good combine.

Weaver’s performance was highlighted by his seven-second three-cone drill, but his overall performance was good enough to make him a solid first-round pick.

The NFL draft takes place on April 23-25.

MARCH 10, 2020

|

ARBITERONLINE.COM

17

SPORTS & REC

THE NCAA MAY CHANGE DIVISION I TRANSFER ELIGIBILITY POLICY More student-athletes could be eligible immediately after transferring Emily Stevens | Staff Writer | sports@stumedia.boisestate.edu

T

ight end Luke Ford transferred from the University of Georgia to Illinois for the 2019 season, in an effort to give his ill grandfather, Timothy Ford, the opportunity to see him play in person. The NCAA denied Ford’s appeal for immediate eligibility and he was redshirted.

Timothy Ford passed away on Feb. 18, 2020, without seeing his grandson play a game of college football.

College football fans responded with surprise and the NCAA transfer policy has been dragged further into the limelight.

Despite the rules in place to delay eligibility for Division l (DI) transfers, a significant amount of student-athletes find themselves switching schools.

According to NCAA statistics published in July 2019, 14.9% of male student-athletes and 9.7% of female student-athletes were transfers in 2018. Since 2004, these numbers have relatively plateaued, only wavering within a margin of 1%.

In reaction to their findings, the Transfer Waiver Working Group of the NCAA collaborated to devise a plan to accommodate athletes in a transfer-ridden climate.

“The current system is unsustainable.

Working group members believe it’s time to bring our transfer rules more in line with today’s college landscape,” said John Steinbrecher, group chairman and commissioner of the Mid-American Conference, to NCAA reporter Michelle Brutlag Hosick.

On Feb. 18, the same day Ford’s grandfather passed away, the NCAA announced a new concept for DI transfer policy under which all first-time, four-year transfers, regardless of their sport, could be eligible to compete immediately after switching schools.

In order to receive immediate eligibility, according to the NCAA, student-athletes will have to receive a transfer release from their previous school, leave that school academically eligible, maintain that academic progress and leave under no disciplinary suspension.

With the current policy, DI student-ath-

18

MARCH 10, 2020

|

letes involved in any sport other than recent transfer season.

Some sports fans argue that eligibility is football, men’s and women’s basketball, For the 2019-20 season, Boise State not automatically deserved, especially by baseball and men’s ice hockey already have men’s basketball had no choice but to those who enter the transfer portal in reacthe access to immediate eligibility to combench University of Arizona transfer tion to lack of playtime. Others argue that pete if they meet the same criteria.

Emmanuel Akot due to the pre-existing the NCAA should exercise leniency and be If the proposed rule change is accepted transfer rules, even after a predictably more sensitive to individual situations. by the Dl Council, this opportunity would successful appeal.

If the movement is rejected, business be extended to student-athletes in the During a press conference in Nov. 2019, will continue as usual and the NCAA will excluded sports, making the transfer policy head coach Leon Rice explained his initial retain the right to deny transfer waivers of equal for all. disappointment with the denial of Akot’s DI athletes in five sports.

“This concept provides a uniform aptransfer waiver.

If approved, their newfound eligiproach that is understandable, predictable “There’s no transparency to it,” Rice bility will allow all first-time transfer and objective. Most importantly, it benefits said. “So, I think that makes it hard on student-athletes to continue to compete students,” Steinbrecher said. fans and hard on coaches because you feel without delay. In turn, collegiate sports Boise State director of compliance Matt like, ‘Well, why didn’t my guy get it and programs like Boise State could benefit Brewer explained that the directive would somebody else got it?’ So, it makes for a from the immediate participation of transnot change any written rules and would tough situation.” fers on their roster. still maintain a waiver process. Thus, each student-athlete must work to meet the four requirements of a waiver.

Brewer claims the hardest task is to acquire the permission to transfer from their previous school, which is a decision entirely up to the coaches and administrative staff. He argues that all schools, including Boise State, should have concrete guidelines when granting transfer releases.

“The thing about transfers and waivers – the thing that I have always told our coaches – is that whatever you decide to do or whichever avenue you’re going to take, be consistent,” Brewer said.

As of now, the Transfer Waiver Working Group is pushing to have the policy implemented by the upcoming 2020-21 academic year.

Along with several Dl programs, Boise State athletic programs would be impacted by the eligibility of new All sports except basketball, baseball and men’s ice hockey currently have access to immediate eligibility. athletes acquired in the

Wyatt Wurtenberger | The Arbiter

ARBITERONLINE.COM

OUR BEST GUESS The Arbiter aligns your stars.

PISCES:

Neptune has made itself known to you this week, Pisces, which means it is time to get real with yourself. Try and break through any facades that you stumble upon. Living without complete honesty is not an option for you right now. You will not be satisfied by the illusion of honesty; you must truly live it.

ARIES

MARCH 20 - APR 20

FEBR

Allow yourself to be guided this week by a deeper sense of self and desires. Sometimes it can be easy to try and appease the immediate, and possibly superficial, self instead of digging deeper into the sincere and profound needs of yourself. Try and nourish your soul this week, Aries, which is not an easy task; but if you do things genuinely and full of care, you will be just fine.

TAURUS

R UA Y

APR 20 - MAY 21

18

-M

ARCH 20

TRISHA KANGAS

SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR TRISHAKANGAS@BOISESTATE.EDU

You are going to continue this battle between love and impulsiveness this week, Taurus. Try and think about other decisions which have served you well in the long-term. Although it might feel right in the moment to jump to conclusions, you will not necessarily feel great in the long run. Think about which areas need stability for you.

GEMINI

MAY 21 - JUN 21

Be careful of wrongful perceptions this week, Gemini. Do not discount someone before you fully have all of the appropriate information. You could hurt someone if you judge before you have the time to put yourself in their shoes. Try and tap into that strong empathetic side you have anytime you are having a personal interaction with someone.

P R E S E N T E D BY S C H O O L O F T H E A RT S The Department of Theatre, Film and Creative Writing

THE DRAG

A HOMOSEXUAL COMEDY

by mae west

March 5-7, 12-14, 19-21, 2020 7:30 pm March 8, 15, 22, 2020 2:00 pm danny peterson theatre, morrison center building The Drag, A Homosexual Comedy is supported in part by funding from the Boise State University School of the Arts and presented by special arrangement with the Mae Company, Robert A. Finkelstein, and the Motion Picture and Television Fund. boisestate.edu/tfcw 208.426.3957 theatrefilmcw@boisestate.edu Member of the National Association of the Schools of Theatre.

JONATHAN COLLINS PHOTOGRAPHY

CANCER

JUN 21 - JULY 23

You feel like something is missing this week, Cancer. There is an event or opportunity that you have been thinking about recently. However, you are having a difficult time bringing it to fruition. Now is the time to ponder if certain accomplishments are going to further your life in a positive way or not.

LEO

JUL 23 - AUG 23

If you keep the right mindset this week, Leo, you will glide right over some pretty intimidating problems that you have been facing for some time. Try and stay positive mentally and keep an open mind to all possibilities and some solutions will make themselves known to you without much struggle or work at all really. Go with the grain and not against it.

VIRGO

AUG 23 - SEPT 23

Even though you love to think on a huge philosophical scale, Virgo, this is not the week to get carried away with ideas of grandeur. The central ideas and beliefs which are pillars to your personality and lifestyle need attention. Check in with your moral self and be honest if you have drifted a bit from where you want to be. Tighten up areas that need it.

LIBRA

SEPT 23 - OCT 22

You are going to have a breakthrough this week, Libra. You have been on a journey and not an easy one at that. Although, you are going to have something click when you start letting go of some residual nasty feelings that have been holding you back emotionally. Try and let go just a bit.

SCORPIO

OCT 23 - NOV 21

You have been thinking a lot about what you do not have, Scorpio; but it is time for a mental shift.

Do not let this feeling get away from you before addressing it head on. It is important that you think about what you have already achieved and what you have to be content about in the present.

SAGITTARIUS NOV 22 - DEC 21

Something is bothering you this week, Sag. You do not like to make decisions or assumptions based on anything other than facts. This week though, something is going to challenge the way you think and you are going to have a hard time perceiving why. Give in to the idea that it is completely okay to let your emotions tell you what is right and wrong.

CAPRICORN

DEC 21 - JAN 20

You have an intense mixing of planets at the moment, Cap. All of them are pointing to a need for lasting change—not just change, but a transformation. This period in your life is leading you toward a deep, lasting rebirth which will take you on to a completely new and exciting chapter of your life.

This type of growth can be scary and difficult, but it will be exponentially beneficial.

AQUARIUS

JAN 20 - FEB 17

You are being faced with the truth that you are not able to appropriately pay attention to areas of your life which desperately need it. Do not ignore this any longer. A shift in routine may be difficult, but it will jumpstart your need for balance. Remember, your wellbeing and mental health does not need to take a back seat to anything.

A CAMPUS VOICE RUN BY STUDENTS, FOR STUDENTS. LISTEN TO YOUR PEERS EVERYDAY AT UNIVERSITYPULSE.COM

FOLLOW US HERE:

LISTEN TO US HERE:

@bsupulse

University Pulse Radio

@universitypulse

universitypulse

@universitypulse

University Pulse