The Signpost: TO FEE OR NOT TO FEE? >> WILDCAT WIN BRINGS NEW RECORD IN

Friday | October 29, 2021 | Volume 94 | Issue 76

NEWS » PAGE 8

CULTURE » PAGE 10

TO FEE OR NOT TO FEE?

ONE FOR ALL OR ALL FOR NONE BLYTHE EVANS| The Signpost

KENNEDY ROBBINS| The Signpost

2 | MyWeberMedia.com | October 29, 2021

By JOSHUA KAMP Section Editor

What goes up... doesn’t come down?

WSU police responded to a call regarding a stuck elevator in Swenson Gym with at least one person inside on Oct. 14. The officer was able to help get the person or people out of the elevator within a few minutes and the elevator was taken out of service.

Inappropriate messages WSUPD began looking into a suspicious incident on Oct. 18 when a female complainant reported that she received a disturbing text message saying “nice body slut” along with an image of a nude female lying on a bed.

The complainant said the image was not of her, but her face may have been edited onto the body of the person in the image.

Officers informed her about safety resourc-

es and safety escorts on campus. The complainant said that she did not fear a stranger messaging her, but was worried it may be someone who knew her. She blocked the number.

Tiff in Tracy Hall On Oct. 19, an officer was dispatched in response to a couple arguing at Tracy Hall.

A witness was in the building when they overheard a male and female arguing loudly inside the building. The witness filmed part of the argument. The female involved in the argument works on staff in Tracy Hall.

The other person is no longer employed by WSU. In denial An officer responded to a disturbance in progress at Shepherd Union on Oct. 21 around 1:30 p.m. When the officer arrived, the complainant did not want anything

done but wanted the officer to be present in case the individuals who caused the problem came back. The officer learned that a group of people got upset when they were denied a room reservation for the day in the union building. The group of people then proceeded to interrupt a group who were already using a reserved room and caused a disturbance. The case is open for follow-up.

Threat in University Village An officer met with the University Village housing staff on Oct. 22 regarding a WSU student recently causing issues. The student trespassed the property earlier that day.

The housing staff said a male was making uncomfortable statements in person and via email to them.

A supervisor of the staff stepped in and told the student to stop or face repercussions.

Smoked out Three individuals were found “hotboxing” in a vehicle in the R2 parking lot on Oct. 24 around 11:35 p.m.

A search of the vehicle revealed multiple drug paraphernalia items and drugs, which were seized by officers. Alcohol was also found in the vehicle.

All three individuals were cited and then released for various offenses, including possession of paraphernalia, possession of marijuana and for having alcohol on campus property.

The seized items were photographed and booked by WSUPD.

Comment on this story at signpost.mywebermedia.com

Photo by Matt Popovich on Unsplash

M A R W G E OR N P Social Work & Gerontology 801-626-6154 MSW@weber.edu

MyWeberMedia.com| October 29, 2021 | 3

The WSU Master of Social Work (MSW) is a strong, studentfocused program with an emphasis on clinical training to help meet the needs of your community.

Accepting applications for Fall 2022 until Dec. 15, 2021.

Struggling with PROCRASTINATION? WE CAN HELP! · One-on-one coaching · Online resources · A blog made by students, for students · All FREE!

weber.edu/academicpeercoaching

Academic Peer Coaching

NIKKI DORBER | The Signpost

4 | MyWeberMedia.com | October 29, 2021

Vials filled with the COVID vaccine are ready to be administered in Ogden, Utah, on Oct. 16

By ANDRES RODRIGUEZ Translator

Para el semestre de primavera de 2022, todos los estudiantes de Weber State University tienen que vacunarse contra COVID-19, con la excepción de aquellos que hayan presentado una excepción.

Brett Perozzi, vicepresidente de Student Affairs, ha estado involucrado en el progreso

Did you know?

de la vacunación de Weber State University.

Perozzi dijo que Student Affairs ha creado un método para permitir que los estudiantes informen fácilmente sobre su estado de vacunación.

La encuesta se envió a los estudiantes a través de su correo electrónico Wildcat y tiene dos o tres preguntas para que los estudiantes informen sobre su situación de vacunación.

Hace aproximadamente 6 semanas, una

You can get your

WILDCARD

at WSU Davis!

D2 262 l Davis Student Services

weber.edu/wildcard

resolución legislativa estatal permitió a las universidades la oportunidad de investigar más a fondo qué estudiantes han sido vacunados.

“Lo compartimos hace aproximadamente 4 semanas, y fue aproximadamente 2 semanas antes de que se aprobara la legislación…. Entonces, diría que lo hicimos bastante rápido“, dijo Perozzi.

La encuesta de Qualtrix rastrea los datos a través del servicio de Banner de WSU con respecto a los estudiantes que completaron la encuesta. A partir de ahí, la encuesta enviará mensajes de texto o correo electrónicos a aquellos estudiantes que no hayan completado la encuesta.

La encuesta esta deseñado para ser rápida y fácil de completar y hace preguntas al estudiante, tal como si están vacunados, tienen plan de vacunarse o presentarán una excepción. La encuesta también provee un espacio donde los estudiantes pueden explicar la razón para su excepción.

Según Perozzi, el 81% de los estudiantes ha verificado que ya están vacunados, y las cifras de vacunación de los profesores están en el rango del 90%. Pero ¿cómo se ve esto

en comparación con el mundo fuera del campus?

Según la información proporcionada por Amy Carter, supervisora de enfermería de enfermedades transmisibles y epidemiología del Weber-Morgan Health Department, el 56% de las personas entre 12 y 18 años están vacunadas y las tasas de vacunación aumentan a partir de ahí, al igual que el rango de edad.

Carter dijo: “El Weber-Morgan Health Department ha administrado más de 291,127 dosis de vacunas COVID-19 hasta el 21 de octubre de 2021…. También hay muchas otras instalaciones en la comunidad que también ofrecen servicios de vacunación“.

Según Carter, en los condados de Weber y Morgan, hay 136,963 personas que están completamente vacunadas contra COVID-19, que es el 50,3% de la población.

Carter dijo que las tasas de vacunación de Weber-Morgan están justo por debajo de las del país.

Para aquellos que todavía se preguntan qué vacuna elegir, Carter proporcionó información sobre las opciones que ofrecen los condados de Weber y Morgan, ya que en-

Makayla Martinez | The Signpost

NIKKI DORBER | The Signpost

MyWeberMedia.com | October 29, 2021 | 5

Supplies are in, and pharmacies, clinics and doctors in Ogden, Utah, are ready to administer the COVID vaccine.

In Weber and Morgan counties, there are 136,963 individuals who are fully vaccinated for COVID-19, which is 50.3% of the population.

“La vacunación es nuestra mejor herramienta para luchar contra la pandemia de COVID-19 y proteger a nuestro público”, dijo Carter. “Pero todavía tenemos muchas personas y familias sin vacunar, lo que los deja más vulnerables a la infección”.

Carter dijo que los datos confiables muestran que las tres vacunas aprobadas para uso en los EE. UU. Son “altamente efectivas para reducir el riesgo de enfermedad grave, hospitalización y muerte, incluso contra la variante Delta de amplia circulación”.

Carter también enfatizó la importancia de que las personas en edad universitaria se vacunen, ya que solo el 58% están completamente vacunados.

“Cuantas más personas de todas las edades nos vacunemos contra el COVID-19, mejor y más pronto podremos ver el fin de esta pandemia”, dijo Carter.

Como estudiante universitario joven y saludable, “puede ser fácil pensar que no necesita preocuparse por los efectos dañinos de la infección por COVID-19”, dijo Carter, pero la enfermedad puede causar “algunas consecuencias muy graves y a largo plazo”. que potencialmente puede afectar a cualquier persona, de cualquier edad“.

Según Carter, la vacunación ayuda a brindar protección para combatir infecciones, enfermedades graves y complicaciones y también protege a los miembros de la familia y a las personas de la comunidad.

Carter instó a todos a hacer su parte para contribuir a la salud y seguridad de su comunidad hablando con un médico, un centro de salud universitario o el departamento de salud local sobre las opciones de vacunación.

Además, Carter le recordó a la comunidad otras herramientas para ayudar a prevenir la

propagación del COVID-19, como quedarse en casa cuando está enfermo, realizar pruebas de infección si está enfermo o expuesto, usar una máscara, distanciamiento social / físico y lavarse las manos.

“Es necesario que todos trabajemos juntos”, dijo Carter.

La universidad entiende que, debido a diferentes razones privadas y personales, justo excepciones religiosas, algunos no sentirán que vacunarse es correcto para ellos.

“Creo que las personas estando vacunadas pueda ser una de las mejores formas en las que puedan ser parte de la comunidad y creo que sería mejor si se vacunara a la mayor cantidad posible de personas”, dijo Perozzi.

HELP PREVENT VIOLENCE IN OUR WEBER COMMUNITY! Take the Safe@Weber training now.

1

2

Search Safe@Weber

Go to your eWeber portal

3

Click on the Safe@Weber icon and choose student or employee training.

Questions? Email safeatweber@weber.edu

weber.edu/safeatweber

Comment on this story at signpost.mywebermedia.com

6 | MyWeberMedia.com | October 29, 2021

By EMILY MILLER

Section Editor

Weber State University’s women’s volleyball team have made themselves comfortable atop the Big Sky standings.

After their 3–0 sweep against the Eastern Washington Eagles at Swenson Gym on Oct. 23, the ‘Cats have won 22 consecutive sets and extended their home winning streak to 23 matches as well.

Outside hitter Dani Nay said it felt good being at 10–0, but it also “feels better that we’re getting better and just working on the areas that we need to improve in.”

The Wildcats hosted the University of Idaho Vandals on Oct. 21 and collected scores of 25–17, 25–16 and 25–11.

Nay led the squad with 11 kills. Rylin Adams followed with nine, and Emma Mangum collected seven.

Nay, who collected five aces against U of I, is currently leading the country in total aces with 52. Baylee Bodily was close behind with three, and Makayla Sorenson collected two.

Mangum and Bodily both had three blocks for the night, and Nay had two.

The Idaho Vandals are now 3–15 overall and 0–9 in the Big Sky. On Oct. 23, the ‘Cats faced the Eastern Washington University Eagles and saw a similar fate. Weber State won all three sets

25–16, 25–21 and 25–9.

The first set started out with back-andforth scoring runs against the Eagles until the Wildcats went on a 4–1 run and pushed themselves past EWU 10–5. From there, it was a game of catchup for the Eagles, and EWU never led in the first set.

The second set brought the closest score of the match, but EWU wasn’t able to catch the ‘Cats.

The Eagles were the first to see a point go up on the board, but it wasn’t long until the ‘Cats went on a 6-point run and led the set 9–6.

Eastern Washington had a late scoring run in the second set that brought them to 23–20, and as the ‘Cats got to the set point, the Eagles were able to add one more point before the Wildcats brought it home with a score of 25–21.

The third and final set of the day brought Weber State their largest lead of any set when the ‘Cats went on a 9–0 scoring run that eventually took them to 25. The Eagles couldn’t catch up, making the final score 25–9.

Adams led the squad with 14 kills. Nay was close behind with 12, and Mangum collected seven.

Bodily collected three aces, Ashlyn Power had two and Adams had one ace.

Sam Schiess had a team high of four blocks, and Power and Mangum each had two.

This match advanced Weber State to 15–5 for the season and 10–0 in the Big Sky. Eastern Washington is now 8–10 overall and 4–6 in Big Sky Play.

It’s been almost 240 days since the Wildcats last lost to a Big Sky opponent. The loss was to the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks on March 7 and was the first loss of that season.

The only other loss Weber State faced last season was against the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the second round of the NCAA volleyball tournament, losing 3–0. The ‘Jacks snapped the Wildcats’ 10-game winning streak.

The last time the Wildcats lost on their home court was almost 750 days ago when Weber State hosted Sacramento State and lost 3–2.

Nay led with 16 kills and Power led with 45 assists in the game against Sacramento State.

The Wildcats’ newest record was set this season after winning 22 straight sets. This streak started on Sept. 30, when Weber State played in a five-set match against Montana State, in which WSU lost the first and fourth sets 25–17 and 26–24 and won the second, third and fifth sets 25–20, 25–23 and 15–13.

“Everybody brings their best game against us,” Nay said. “Everybody wants to beat us and come at us. We respect the other teams enough to just take care of our business and play our kind of game.”

Following their game against MSU, the ‘Cats took on the University of Montana and swept the Grizzlies, winning 3–0.

Since then, the ‘Cats have collected straight sweeps from Idaho State, Northern Colorado, Southern Utah, Northern Arizona, the University of Idaho and Eastern Washington.

The current standings of the top three spots in the Big Sky have Weber State in the lead at 10–0, Portland State at 8–2 and Northern Colorado and Montana State tied at 7–3.

“We’re taking it game by game,” Nay said.

“We know people are coming after us and want to beat us, but that isn’t our motivation.”

The Wildcats go on a four-game road trip to Sacramento State on Oct. 28, Portland State on Oct. 30, Idaho State on Nov. 3 and Northern Colorado on Nov. 6.

Your last chance to see the ‘Cats in conference play is when they head back to Swenson Gym after their road trip and host Northern Arizona and Southern Utah on Nov. 11 and 13.

Comment on this story at signpost.mywebermedia.com

Dani Nay, 12, and Ashlyn Power, 19, embrace celebrating a strong play.

PAIGE MCKINNON | The Signpost

Weber lines up against the net as the opposing team prepares to serve.

PAIGE MCKINNON | The Signpost

PAIGE MCKINNON | The Signpost

MyWeberMedia.com | October 29, 2021 | 7

Weber lines up against the net as the opposing team prepares to serve.

8 | MyWeberMedia.com | October 29, 2021

By REBECCA BAGGETT Reporter

a commonality — each provides a statement about student fees and a numeric breakdown of how student fees are being used.

These schools’ information about student fees can be easily found simply through a simple Google search. This information for WSU is not found through the school’s own search engine or Google.

UVU’s official website states that “revenue from general student fees is used to pay for programs, facilities and services that are determined to be essential for the enrichment and broadening of opportunities for UVU

students.”

USU provides students with a system that automatically calculates where the funds from their fees are going based on the number of credit hours they are enrolled in.

Student fees from a full-time student, 1218 credit hours, would be dispersed between multiple programs — $113.28 to Athletics, $36.98 to Campus Recreation, $10.58 to Music & Theater and a few others. Each fee on the list also has a brief explanation. For example, technology receives $56.72 per student and is used to provide “full access to 12

computer labs and the multimedia center.”

Tuition and fees are needed to keep universities running, and WSU’s neighboring schools are able to provide transparent and accessible information to students about how the funds from their fees are benefiting the school. WSU does not yet provide that information.

BLYTHE EVANS | The Signpost

Weber State University’s Student Fee Recommendation Committee is getting ready for their annual meetings to sift through potential recipients of funds drawn from the pool of student fees, part of a yearly process to determine how the funds from student fees will be distributed.

The committee is made up of 12 members Comment on this story at and is chaired by Student Body President signpost.mywebermedia.com Ben Ferney. Students are picked for the committee through an application process.

“We give control to the students,” Daniel Kilcrease, executive director of Student Affairs Auxiliaries, said, in reference to the committee.

Other public universities in Utah provide clarity and transparency when it comes to the usage of student fees. Although WSU provides a way for students to participate in the deliberation, Weber State has yet to provide a clear and easily accessible breakdown of how each student’s fees are being used.

Committee members receive training, and each December, the departments hoping to receive funds begin to submit requests. In January, the departments present to the committee. The committee then makes recommendations to the President’s Council. The Board of Trustees makes the final decision. “[It’s an] open process; any student can apply to be on the committee, and all the meetings are open,” Kilcrease said.

If measured by number of students, Weber State is within the top five largest public universities in Utah, along with the University of Utah, Utah Valley University and Utah WSU has a Student Fee Recommendation Committee that consists of students and faculty to aid in making deciState University. USU, UVU and U of U share sions about dividing student fees.

Ogden

KENNEDY ROBBINS | The Signpost

We’re Hiring!

Tax Examiner, Contact Representative & Clerk positions To search for current jobs, visit:

irs.usajobs.gov For Application help & more, visit:

jobs.irs.gov Phone: 801-620-4JOB (4562) E-mail: wi.ogden.recruitment@irs.gov

IRS Offers Outstanding Benefits!

■ Competitive Salaries ■ 11 Paid Holidays ■ 13 Vacation Days ■ Sick Leave ■ Flexible Schedules ■ Transportation Subsidy ■ Health & Life Insurance ■ Federal Retirement

We’re looking for new talent.

We’re looking for you.

U.S. Citizens including Naturalized Citizens An Equal Opportunity Employer

Susan Matt introduces Robert Putnam and Shaylyn Romney Garrett to the audience.

By LEXIE ANDREW

Reporter

Robert Putnam, research professor of public policy at Harvard University, and Shaylyn Romney Garrett, a Harvard graduate and writer, gave a guest lecture at the Wildcat Theater on Oct. 25 and spoke about their book “The Upswing: How America Came Together a Century Ago and How We Can Do It Again.”

The coauthors talked about the “I” mentality America has been growing, rather than the “We” mentality, and ways Americans can fix this problem.

While researching for their book, Putnam and Romney Garrett looked at and collected data relating to four different areas — political polarization, economic inequality, social isolation and cultural understanding — and compared them from about 1880 to 2020.

Putnam collected and compiled the data, while Romney Garrett researched the reasons behind the data and how they can fix problems the data revealed.

Putnam found that America’s current level of polarization is almost comparable to the Civil War. Americans don’t agree with each other politically.

“America has never been more politically polarized than we are right now,” Putnam said.

Putnam also found that the gap between the rich and poor is growing wider and that Americans have an “I” mentality instead of a “We” mentality.

“We’re very self-centered culturally. We’re focused on ‘me’ and not focused on what we in the country have in common,” Putnam said.

Romney Garrett explained that America is a heavily economic-driven country. One would think that during this time period the economy was what stimulated change, but Romney Garrett found that the economy was one of the last things to change.

“It’s clear that it was actually a moral and cultural shift in America that led this upswing,” Romney Garrett said.

In order to create the upswing, Americans can’t rely on the economy to change but must rely on the other factors like a cultural shift.

Romney Garrett also found that change started small. It started in the younger population in America, not the older population.

The youth initiated the change and the older population grasped on to the idea and con-

tinued the change.

The younger population found ways to bring the people out of isolation while small towns and neighborhoods found ways to solve problems.

These ideas started the change to help America move towards a “We” mentality, away from the self-centered, split-in-two America. Change comes from small places that then gain traction and make their way through the country. Starting small can lead to bigger changes.

Romney Garrett said Americans need to learn from the time periods that struggled with the same problems seen today and see how they solved their problems in the past so that Americans can start solving the problems today.

Comment on this story at signpost.mywebermedia.com

WSU Athletics

MyWeberMedia.com | October 21, 2021 | 11

Dontay Basset attempts a layup.

By ALEX CIPOLLINI Reporter

On Oct. 21, preseason polls for the 202122 Weber State University men’s basketball season were released, and Weber State University’s team was selected second for both the coaches’ and media polls.

Last season, the Wildcats finished 17–6 overall and 12–3 in the Big Sky, landing second in the conference.

WSU’s in-state rival and the reigning Big Sky Champs, the Southern Utah Thunderbirds, were selected to come in first for both categories with first-place votes from 8 of 11

Big Sky coaches and 23 of 29 from the press.

The ‘Cats tallied five first-place votes out of 29 by the media and two first-place votes by head coaches out of 11 around the Big Sky. The Montana State Bobcats received a single vote in both polls.

The Wildcats will not see former star point guard Isiah Brown return to the roster despite him still having one year of eligibility available. Brown declared for the 2021 NBA Draft after last season ended, but wasn’t drafted.

Despite Brown leaving the program, some experienced transfers are coming to Ogden alongside a group of returning seniors, who

will be exercising their extra year of eligibility.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, all NCAA athletes were allowed an extra year of eligibility due to the shortening of their seasons last year.

New transfer and senior guard Koby McEwen returns to Utah to play for Weber State for his fifth and final season after leaving Marquette University. McEwen originally started his college career at Utah State before transferring to Marquette, where he averaged 10.2 points per game in 27 games last year.

Former Utah Valley forward/guard Jamison “JJ” Overton has also made the switch to

WSU for his fifth college season. Overton had 15.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game last season and was named onto the Second-Team All Western Athletic Conference list based off of his performances.

Most of the roster from last campaign will remain intact while center Dontay Bassett, forward Michal Kozak and forward/center Cody Carlson will all return for their second-senior seasons.

The Wildcats kick off their 2021-22 season when they clash with Concordia University, St. Paul, in a non-conference game on Nov. 4 at the Dee Events Center at 7 p.m.

Comment on this story at signpost.mywebermedia.com

NONTRADITIONAL STUDENT CENTER

HOURLY

child care

Need child care while you are in class or partaking in academic events?

MAJOR & CAREER NAVIGATION Feeling lost?

Can't decide on a major?

We can help!

Get low-cost hourly child care for children 2-9 years old.

where children d i s c o v e r, e x p l o r e & g r o w

Find more information and apply at:

weber.edu/major-career-navigation

weber.edu/nontrad/childcare.html

CLIMBING

YOUR MOUNTAINS OF WITH

Calling all tabletop gamers!

Enjoy D&D, Pathfinder, Catan and other board games.

All you need to start your epic adventure is available for checkout. Need books, dice and player mats?

Visit the tabletop page at: weber.edu/esports

AND We can help. Connect with Student Affairs. weber.edu/studentaffairs

?