WSUPD ANNOUNCEMENT
WSUPD would like to remind students and staff members that they can register bikes through the police station, so that the bike’s information is already logged if it were to get stolen.
Also, the University Village thief is still on the prowl. The suspect has been mentioned in the last two police blotters and is continuing to steal bikes and items from cars around WSU residential buildings. Anyone living or parking on campus must lock their vehicles and not leave any valuables inside.
Another reminder from the WSUPD, marijuana and illegal substances are not allowed on the WSU campus. Going against this will result in housing drug violations and possible criminal charges.
Did it just sprout legs and run away?
Officers were dispatched to University Village Building One for a possible drug violation on Oct. 29. The Resident Assistant on the floor explained there was an odor of marijuana coming from the third floor of the build-
ing. WSUPD made their way to the area, but could barely smell the substance. They found a dorm room they believed the odor was coming from, but could not smell nor find anything in the dorm after speaking with the residents. No further action was taken.
Peeping Tom WSUPD received an email from a student detailing a possible stalking occurrence on the WSU campus on Oct. 28. A threat assessment and Bureau of Criminal Investigations report were generated for the suspect, but no involvement of illegal activity showed. The complainant stated they did not want law enforcement to take action or make contact with the suspect at this time. The complainant was also put into contact with Safe@ Weber and other resources necessary to the situation.
Causing a scene
Campus police also responded to another possible stalking at the Stewart Library on Oct. 28. The complainant was a supervisor who stated that the suspect has had relations with a library employee since the beginning of this semester. The suspect had come into
the building previously and was bothering the victim. The subject eventually left the building after not wanting to leave and continuing the problem. More context to the situation will be revealed if more information is given to the WSUPD.
Excuse me, that was my door
Officers logged a report of a hit and run on Oct. 27 at 1406 Village Dr. Vehicle Two was parked legally in a parking spot at the location and Vehicle One began backing southbound out of their parking spot, northwest of Vehicle Two. While backing out, Vehicle One made contact with the driver side door of the second vehicle. Vehicle One exited the scene immediately, however, surveillance footage caught the incident. When questioned by authorities after the accident, the driver of Vehicle One stated they thought they had hit a pole instead of someone else’s vehicle. They were warned about leaving the scene of an accident without leaving any contact information behind and their information was obtained by WSUPD. No injuries were reported and the two drivers are now in contact with each other’s insurances.
Davis suicide threat
WSUPD responded to a call from the Davis campus regarding a suicidal individual on Oct. 26. Police made contact with the subject, who is a minor and Northern Utah Academy of Math Engineering and Science student. The subject was escorted to the NUAMES office to meet with a social worker and Davis Behavioral Health Personnel. After completing an assessment and making contact with the subject’s parents, the individual was released to a responsible person to transport them home. No immediate threat was determined at this time.
WSU homeless camp
Campus police were notified on Oct. 25 of a new homeless camp in the area of WSU Facilities and Management. Officers were able to locate the camp, but did not make contact with anyone. Near the camp, WSUPD were also unable to locate any identifying items or documents of individuals living in the makeshift campsite. No further action has been taken as of yet.
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The student senate meeting on Oct. 31 opened with no issues being voiced during the issues forum. Instead, a former WSUSA student senator Amanda Jones took the po dium with Center for Multicultural Excellence (CME) director Michiko Nakashima-Lizarazo to introduce herself in her capacity as the CME’s retention counselor and as the Native American Student Association (NASA) advisor.
Jones, a recent WSU graduate who served on the student senate for three years, thanked the senate for all that they do in discussing the important issues facing the WSU community.
In business not previously highlighted on the day’s agenda, the meeting saw the creation of a diversity committee through a last-minute motion made by LGBTQ+ student senator, Jazmyne Olson. The committee is meant to connect senators who have similar constituencies and deal with similar situa tions regarding diversity issues and commu nication with the student senate.
Before this, the student senate welcomed student representatives from WSU’s American Dental Health Association (ADHA) to give the only presentation of the day, a presentation on a funding request that they intend to bring to the student senate. The funding that would be requested in the upcoming funding request would help cover the costs needed to have WSU dental hygiene students give dental
care to patients in need. The care given would prioritize those in the local Ogden-WSU com munity and would be performed by student dental hygienists on the behalf of WSU.
Alicia Vance, one of the student represen tatives representing WSU’s ADHA student chapter at the meeting explained to the stu dent senate that the requested funds will help cover the costs of experiences that dental hy giene students need in order to graduate and become licensed.
“This funding will allow our students to have these essential learning experiences,” said Vance, explaining how this year and last year students had to pay out of pocket to cover the expenses of the care they had to give in order to meet the requirements to graduate and become licensed, this is because student dental hygienists are required to find their own patients to fulfill these requirements. The current amount is unknown and will be further discussed in a future student senate meeting.
The senate meeting also saw the ratifica tion of two student senators to serve on the Student Fee Recommendation Committee (FDRC). The senators serving on the commit tee will be tasked with providing a student, and more specifically, a student senate per spective on matters related to the ways that student fees are spent over the course of the academic year.
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The tradition of banning and challenging books is once again gaining traction. Richard Price, an associate professor of political sci ence at Weber State University, held an event on Oct. 26 in the Honors Center located in the Stewart Library to discuss recent book challenges.
Every year, the American Library Associa tion publishes a list of the top 10 most chal lenged books of the previous year. Up until recently, most of the books were a variety of different genres and the list changed little year-to-year. The last couple of years has seen a shift to focus on books with race and LGBTQ related material.
Price said challenges on race typically come from a place of not wanting to see the
difficult side of American history. Books that don’t have the narrative of a “triumphant America,” usually get challenged.
One example Price gave was a book geared towards second graders about Ruby Bridges, the first Black girl to go to an all-white school.
The book authored by Bridges herself in cluded some of the racial slurs that people shouted at her. A parent challenged the book saying their second graders did not need to learn or read those things, but when asked when their children should learn them, the challenger replied with “I don’t know.”
In addition to debates about race and American history, the main book challenges have been towards LGBTQ books. Price said these books are attacked because some chal lengers don’t want to “normalize” the queer population to children.
Price also said parents are worried that when their children read these books they
might “catch” queer or become confused.
However, Price said the biggest reason LGBTQ books are challenged is due to sexu al content. Some people when challenging these books argue that it’s not a LGBTQ issue, it’s a pornography issue.
Price said the people challenging these books often haven’t even read the books, they just take a page or maybe a paragraph or two from the book and find an argument for the entire book, taking the page or para graph out of context.
Audience members were frustrated to learn about the reasons behind challenges and added to the discussion.
Syrena Finnell, an audience member, was frustrated with the challenging of LGTBQ books due to not wanting to normalize or ac knowledge that the queer community exists.
“It is frustrating to not see anything that represents the experience that you’ve lived,”
Finell said. “It’s not something I’m making up, but really I have experienced, but a lot of people don’t want to acknowledge that ‘ab normal’ people exist.”
Many wanted to know what is being done to help prevent this. Price said teachers and librarians who fight against these challeng es have been receiving criminal charges, but have not been prosecuted yet, so they are afraid to speak out against it.
Price also said teachers and librarians fear they might get fired or face harassment from the community.
Because of these worries, Price says teach ers and librarians who don’t agree with the challenges might not speak up in order to protect their careers.
For more information on banned and challenged books visit the American Library Association
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By HUNTER LINDSEY Reporter
The once “Great” Salt Lake is dying, the Utah Division of Wildlife Services revealed in a report. The report notes that the lake has lost 44% of its surface area since 1875. DWR also estimates water levels have dropped 11 feet due to human diversions. In fact, the northeast arm of the lake near Ogden and Willard Bay, is almost completely dried up.
“Most recent data within water-surface elevations show a downward trend,” DWR said, in a report. “With climate change and Utah’s ever growing human population, we expect this negative trend to continue.”
Weber State University is hosting the Walker Civic Symposium: The State of the Great Salt Lake to discuss the issues with the Great Salt Lake and what legislation might be happening to remedy the situation. The event will be held Friday, November 4, at 1:30 p.m. in Lindquist Hall room 101. Utah House Representative Brad Wilson will be speaking and hosting a question and answer session with those in attendance. Students can register for the event on the GivePulse app or website.
One of the biggest effects on human health the Great Salt Lake drying up poses is toxic dust plumes originating from the lake bed.
Kevin Perry, professor of atmospheric sci-
ences at the University of Utah, conducted a study on the dry lake bed.
The study found nine minerals in the soil of the Great Salt Lake that exceeded levels determined safe by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. These nine minerals were antimony, arsenic, cobalt, copper, lanthanum, lithium, manganese, vanadium and zirconium.
Three of the aforementioned minerals are especially concerning due to the health risks involved with them.
According to a World Health Organization report, arsenic exposure in humans can cause skin lesions, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer. This report also mentions that exposure to vanadium can cause
lung damage.
Prolonged exposure to cobalt is also quite damaging. It can cause cancer and harm the eyes, skin, lungs and heart, according to a Center for Disease Control case study.
These cancer-causing minerals can be picked up by winds and create toxic dust plumes. In the study done by Perry, he says, “Approximately 9% of the Great Salt Lake bed currently produces dust plumes under appropriate meteorological conditions.”
Perry also notes that this number could rise to 22% if protective vegetation and crusts are damaged or eroded away.
The report states that “four of the elements measured had some values which exceeded both the residential and industrial RSLs
established by the EPA.” RSLs, or Regional Screening Levels, determine how levels of certain contaminants compare in residential and industrial areas around the country. It also details the effects of these dust plumes on the climate. As the minerals in the dust settle on the mountainside, this causes accelerated snowmelt.
With Utah already experiencing droughts, the snow melting faster could worsen the state water supply. Surrounding climates and ecosystems are also feeling the effects of the accelerated water loss.
Antelope Island, the largest island in the Great Salt Lake, is slowly losing the island title. With water levels hitting historic lows, a land bridge has surfaced between the south
ern part of the island and the adjacent salt flats, making it more of a peninsula than an island. This could pose a threat to the local wildlife that call the island home.
Fencing is being placed on the land bridge to deter the buffalo, bighorn sheep and other local animals from migrating and mingling with farm animals and contracting diseases.
In 2018, the Utah Division of Wildlife Re sources reported that the herd on Antelope Island had been completely decimated by a respiratory disease. The herd has since been reintroduced to the island, and is used as a nursery to help supplement the local big horn population.
As water levels fall, the salinity of the water increases, making the salt more concentrat
ed in the lake.
This has the potential to harm the brine shrimp population. Brine shrimp are a ma jor food supply for birds in the area and are harvested and sold to make fish and shellfish food. The Utah Division of Wildlife Services estimates that the brine shrimp industry generates anywhere from $10 million to $60 million annually.
The Great Salt Lake is one of many termi nal saltwater lakes worldwide, meaning it is a lake that does not have any outlets. Lake Ur mia, a saltwater lake with no outlets in Iran, went through a very similar situation to what is happening in Utah.
In 2014, Lake Urmia had reduced to just 10% of its maximum capacity, according
to the U.S. Department of the Interior. Fol lowing the drying of the lake, dust storms containing cancer-causing minerals began causing an issue. These dust storms have the potential to harm human and animal health, as well as kill vegetation and farming crops. Since then, Iran has taken steps and enact ed regulations to help replenish the water levels in the lake. NASA imaging from the In ternational Space Station shows the surface area of the lake rising, so there are hopes that the lake will be able to recover to its full ca pacity and continue to harbor wildlife.
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El una vez llamdo “Gran” Lago Salado está muriendo, según ha revelado la División de Servicios de Vida Silvestre de Utah en un informe. El informe señala que el lago ha perdido el 44% de su superficie desde 1875.
El DWR también estima que los niveles de agua han descendido 11 pies debido a las desviaciones humanas. De hecho, el brazo noreste del lago, cerca de Ogden y Willard Bay, está casi completamente seco.
“Los datos más recientes dentro de las elevaciones de la superficie del agua muestran una tendencia a la baja”, dijo DWR, en un informe. “Con el cambio climático y la creci-
ente población humana de Utah, esperamos que esta tendencia negativa continúe”.
La Universidad Estatal de Weber acoge el Simposio Cívico Walker: El estado del Gran Lago Salado para debatir los problemas del Gran Lago Salado y la legislación que podría aplicarse para remediar la situación. El evento se celebrará el viernes 4 de noviembre a las 13:30 horas en la sala 101 del Lindquist Hall. El representante de la Cámara de Representantes de Utah, Brad Wilson, hablará y organizará una sesión de preguntas y respuestas con los asistentes. Los estudiantes pueden registrarse para el evento en la aplicación o el sitio web de GivePulse.
Uno de los mayores efectos sobre la salud humana que plantea la desecación del Gran Lago Salado son las plumas de polvo tóxico que se originan en el lecho del lago.
Kevin Perry, profesor de ciencias atmos-
féricas de la Universidad de Utah, realizó un estudio sobre el lecho del lago seco.
El estudio encontró nueve minerales en el suelo del Gran Lago Salado que superaban los niveles determinados como seguros por la Agencia de Protección Ambiental de Estados Unidos. Estos nueve minerales eran antimonio, arsénico, cobalto, cobre, lantano, litio, manganeso, vanadio y circonio.
Tres de los minerales mencionados son especialmente preocupantes por los riesgos para la salud que conllevan.
Según un informe de la Organización Mundial de la Salud, la exposición al arsénico en los seres humanos puede provocar lesiones cutáneas, enfermedades cardiovasculares, diabetes y cáncer. Este informe también menciona que la exposición al vanadio puede causar daños en los pulmones.
La exposición prolongada al cobalto tam-
bién es bastante perjudicial. Puede causar cáncer y dañar los ojos, la piel, los pulmones y el corazón, según un estudio de caso del Centro de Control de Enfermedades.
Estos minerales cancerígenos pueden ser recogidos por el viento y crear penachos de polvo tóxico. En el estudio realizado por Perry, dice que “aproximadamente el 9% del lecho del Gran Lago Salado produce actualmente penachos de polvo en condiciones meteorológicas adecuadas”.
Perry también señala que esta cifra podría aumentar hasta el 22% si la vegetación y las costras protectoras resultan dañadas o erosionadas.
El informe señala que “cuatro de los elementos medidos tenían algunos valores que superaban los RSL residenciales e industriales establecidos por la EPA”. Los RSL, o Niveles Regionales de Detección, determi-
nan cómo se comparan los niveles de ciertos contaminantes en las zonas residenciales e industriales de todo el país.
También detalla los efectos de estas plumas de polvo en el clima. Cuando los minerales del polvo se depositan en las laderas de las montañas, se acelera el deshielo.
Dado que Utah ya está sufriendo sequías, el hecho de que la nieve se derrita más rápidamente podría empeorar el suministro de agua del estado. Los climas y ecosistemas circundantes también están sintiendo los efectos de la pérdida acelerada de agua.
La isla del Antílope, la mayor del Gran Lago Salado, está perdiendo poco a poco el título de isla. Con los niveles de agua alcanzando mínimos históricos, ha surgido un puente de tierra entre la parte sur de la isla y las salinas adyacentes, convirtiéndola más en
una península que en una isla. Esto podría suponer una amenaza para la fauna local que tiene por hogar la isla.
Se están colocando vallas en el puente terrestre para disuadir a los búfalos, borregos cimarrones y otros animales locales de migrar y mezclarse con los animales de granja y contraer enfermedades.
En 2018, la División de Recursos de Vida Silvestre de Utah informó de que la manada de la isla del Antílope había sido completamente diezmada por una enfermedad respiratoria. Desde entonces, la manada ha sido reintroducida en la isla, y se utiliza como vivero para ayudar a complementar la población local de cimarrones.
A medida que el nivel del agua desciende, la salinidad del agua aumenta, haciendo que la sal se concentre más en el lago.
Esto puede perjudicar a la población de camarones de salmuera. La gamba de salmuera es una de las principales fuentes de alimentación de las aves de la zona y se recolecta y vende como alimento para peces y mariscos. La División de Servicios de Vida Silvestre de Utah estima que la industria de la gamba de salmuera genera entre 10 y 60 millones de dólares anuales.
El Gran Lago Salado es uno de los muchos lagos de agua salada terminales de todo el mundo, lo que significa que es un lago que no tiene salidas. El lago Urmia, un lago de agua salada sin salidas en Irán, pasó por una situación muy similar a la que está ocurriendo en Utah.
En 2014, el lago Urmia se había reducido a sólo el 10% de su capacidad máxima, según el Departamento del Interior de Estados Uni-
dos. Tras la desecación del lago, las tormentas de polvo que contienen minerales cancerígenos empezaron a causar problemas. Estas tormentas de polvo tienen el potencial de dañar la salud humana y animal, así como de matar la vegetación y los cultivos.
Desde entonces, Irán ha tomado medidas y ha promulgado normas para ayudar a reponer los niveles de agua del lago. Las imágenes de la NASA procedentes de la Estación Espacial Internacional muestran el aumento de la superficie del lago, por lo que hay esperanzas de que éste pueda recuperar su plena capacidad y seguir albergando vida silvestre.
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Weber State University’s women’s soccer team had five players who received Big Sky honors this season: junior Yira Yoggerst, sophomores Morgan Furmaniak and Brynlee Meyerhoffer and seniors Rachel Twede and Mekell Moss.
Furmaniak was named Co-MVP, Co-Golden Boot and all-conference first team. She had 11 points for the season, assisting 14 goals and leading the Wildcats with five goals this season.
“I’m very grateful for it all. It’s a great award, but I’m just here to focus on the tournament,” Furmaniak said. “It’s cool to be recognized and I’m proud of my teammates for getting recognized.”
Yoggerst earned All-Conference first team honors, Twede and Meyerhoffer were named
to the All-Conference second team and Moss was an honorable mention.
Yoggerst was a leader out on the field and played midfield, where she was a big help in getting her honors for the first team.
“It’s a great honor, you work all year to achieve as a team, and it’s nice to get some personal recognition,” Yoggerst said on making the first team. “I was proud of the way I could stay on the field for 90 minutes and try to dominate.”
Meyerhoffer had two goals for the season, tied for the second most on the team and had 11 shots on goal.
Twede contributed one goal to the season with five shots on goals.
Moss, a goalkeeper for Weber, had 54 saves this season with a 71% save percentage and helped the Wildcats get three shout-outs this season.
“I’m feeling pretty confident in our team.
We’ve been playing well lately. We have to keep that mentality going and I think we will come out and perform,” Furmaniak said.
With all the awards given out, the Wildcats are now focused on their biggest challenge of the season: the Big Sky Conference Tournament. The No. 5 Wildcats are set to take on the No. 4 Sacramento State Hornets in the quarterfinals on Nov. 2.
The Wildcats enter the tournament with a 5–11 overall record and 4–4 in conference. Weber State fell to Sac State on Oct. 7, 1–0 on the road.
Yoggerst said she looks forward to the game. It will be a redemption game for her personally because she was injured the last time they played, but even as a team, she thinks redemption is in store.
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Wearing No. 29 for Weber State’s club hockey team, goalkeeper Kyle Lane is a critical part of the team’s success. Coming off of a 696 save season, Lane currently has a 0.927 save percentage this year.
“Hockey has been my whole life,” Lane said. “It’s going to be one of those things I can’t give up.”
Lane became passionate about hockey during his childhood in Raynham, Massachusetts. A popular sport in the area, Lane was introduced to hockey by his father, who played goalie himself. His father, along with former Dallas Stars’ goalie Marty Turco, inspired Lane to play his position. Lane discovered his passion for goalkeeping when playing in recreation leagues.
“When I was young and started playing hockey, everyone had to take turns being the goalie,” Lane said. “It was more mesmerizing making a save or catching the puck rather than getting big hits and scoring goals.”
Before becoming a Wildcat, Lane played junior hockey for teams in Wisconsin and Montana for two seasons before committing to Weber State. While entering the team, Lane was skeptical about the skill level of the American Collegiate Hockey Association.
“When you’re in juniors and you’re coming to the end of it, it seems like you’re at the end of your career when you don’t go to the NCAA as a hockey player,” Lane said. “Ten years ago, the ACHA might have not been that great, or maybe it might have had a bad rap, but [over] the last five to six years, it’s been really good.”
As a captain, Lane needs crystal-clear communication with his teammates to be an effective leader. With players like forward Osmn Cholak and Andrei Shmakov, who are both from Russia, there are occasional language barriers.
“We help them in any way they can,” Lane said. “Most of them played their juniors here, so they’ve been here three, four, five years and have a decent knowledge of English when they come in, so honestly we haven’t really had that bad of a language barrier.”
Lane has been a staple of the Wildcats for two years, but will be leaving after this season. Graduating with a criminal justice degree, Lane is hoping the team can make it to the ACHA national tournament in Massachusetts for his senior season.
“We have the talent and we’re starting to
put it together as a team,” Lane said.
With Lane leaving Weber State next year, the starting goalie position is up for grabs. The position is likely to be given to goalies Robbie Brennan and Keaton Morrison, who are already on the roster. That said, Lane believes a new recruit could come in.
“I see the team bringing in a guy just because Robbie is a little older, but I don’t see there being a problem with the guys we have on the roster,” Lane said.
The Wildcats will travel up north this week to take on the University of Montana on Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. After, they’ll play a double-header against Montana State University on Nov. 4 and Nov. 5, both at 7 p.m.
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