Thursday | October 3, 2019 | Volume 90 | Issue 18
BELLA TORRES | The Signpost
NEWS » PAGE 6
PROVOST CANDIDATES MAKE FINAL SPEECHES
NEWS » PAGE 7
NIKKI DORBER | The Signpost
ALUMNI AND STUDENTS KEEPING WSU TRADITIONS
WSU | The Signpost
2 | October 3, 2019 | MyWeberMedia.com
attempted to reposition in the parking space. Section Editor A Buick Enclave backed into a Cadillac STS in the A-2 parking lot on Sept. 26. The Cadillac was stopped behind the Buick and there was minor damOn Sept. 25, a Volkswagon Pasat was age to both vehicles and no citations hit by a Black Tacoma and the Tacoma were given. did not stay or leave any notes. There On Sept. 28, a Sodexo golf cart was no clean surveillance footage and backed into a vehicle at Wildcat Vilthe driver could not be identified. lage. The car was not parked there In the A-2 parking lot, a Jeep Cher- when the golf cart arrived and the okee blocked in a Honda on Sept. 26. driver of the cart did not see it upon The Jeep did not allow the Honda to backing out. A report was taken for back up out of a parking space, and damaged property. there was collision when the Honda On Sept. 29, a Chevy Tahoe backed By JENNIFER GREENLEE
into a Toyota Avalon in the back of the Dee Events Center Parking lot. Minor damage was done and insurance information was exchanged. No citations were issued.
know after the fact. The area was documented by police and the hole she fell in was found. Facilities management filled the hole by the next morning.
A liquor violation was reported at the residency halls on Sept. 28. Police responded and found those in the room were under 21. A warning had not been issued before, so only a warning was given. The residents were told housing would get involved from there.
Officers were dispatched to the A-2 on Sept. 16. A man got a threatening phone call from the father of his girlfriend, who threatened bodily harm. The father was contacted and denied threatening him. His daughter is 16 years old, and he told the caller to stay away from her. The father was told to report the relationship to his jurisdiction.
At the Davis Campus, a NUAMES student broke her ankle during gym class on Sept. 26. The father of the student called to let the administration
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POLICE Other Side of the Hill
by B.C. Sterrett
MyWeberMedia.com | October 3, 2019 | 3
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HOW MUCH CREDIT IS DUE? By MEKENZIE WILLIAMS Commentary
Many podcast genres (especially those of true crime, history and politics) rely heavily on the hosts reading out stories that have been gathered from other sources. While some work to be as ethical as possible, properly attributing their content and pulling from appropriate sources, an increasingly visible portion fall to blatant rereads with inadequate citing or even none at all. Podcasting is such a new form of media that many emerging questions about best practices are only just starting to be answered. Disclosure statements, proper sourcing/attribution and formally issued corrections are at the top of that list. One of the most notable examples of partial or absent crediting, “Crime Junkie,” has been receiving substantial attention in the news lately following Arkansas journalist Cathy Fyre’s accusation of plagiarism in many episodes. Not only is her work heavily summarized by the podcast’s hosts, but some of it is read out loud without any indication
that it belongs to anyone other than Ashley Flowers and Brit Prawat, co-hosts. “I spent months working on that series,” Fyre wrote, addressing the hosts directly and identifying the content they stole as being from her work, Caught in the Web. “The information you used in your podcast comes ONLY from my series. No other media had access to the details that I did. Nor did they get the interviews that I did.” Fyre also made a point of writing that she thinks the podcast’s casual approach to their subject means that they impact not only the journalists whose work has been appropriated, but those they have written about and their families. The frequency of many journalists and other content source’s uncredited material on the podcast in addition to Fyre’s work has led to the removal of several episodes, with the potential for more to be taken down in the future. According to Variety, Crime Junkie’s hosts will have earned more than $1 million by the end of this year between its ad revenue and profits coming in from their fans. This much profit makes the question of who is really doing the work particularly important. Another example comes from comedi-
an Dave Anthony’s alleged plagiarism of a 2013 article by journalist and national editor of Slate Josh Levin four years later. Levin’s article, a piece on historical figure Linda Taylor, was the main source of content for a live showing of Anthony’s podcast “The Dollop,” according to Levin’s own Twitter thread on the incident. “Anthony rearranged the material I’d written, and they also added riffs/jokes. But everything in Anthony’s script … came from my article, either verbatim or slightly rewritten,” Levin wrote. “The Dollop,” while not quite as profitable as “Crime Junkie,” is still successful in its own right with both advertisements and Patreon subscribers creating monthly earnings. Do the shows deserve to lose their stellar ratings in the wake of these issues? Even the chart-topping true crime (and comedy) series “My Favorite Murder” dealt with this in its early episodes. Unlike many of their peers, however, hosts Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark made an immediate effort to correct the oversight. The change was enough for Walter “Skip” Hollandsworth — a crime reporter out of east Texas whose work is often featured on the show — to be comfortable appearing
as a guest during a live show early in September. Other similar podcasts such as “Last Podcast on the Left” and others have also received similar allegations at one point or another. Considering that most writers are happy with even the briefest of acknowledgements when their work is used, the lack of sourcing in these shows is all the more problematic. The fact of the matter is that journalists and other content creators are doing the lion’s share of the work for many of these productions while the hosts are the ones profiting. A growing number of podcasts have become nothing more than 45 to 90 minutes of casual story telling based on plagiarized material. Let credit be given where credit is due. As this issue develops, the impact it has on these genres and even the medium in general will be interesting to see. What is being in your 20s in the year 2019, after all, if not drinking coffee and listening to podcasts. Comment on this column at signpost.mywebermedia.com
4 | October 3, 2019 | MyWeberMedia.com
By MILES SHAW Reporter
On Sept. 26, at the Union Station Museum, Utah’s Poet Laureate, Paisley Rekdal performed "West," a series of poems about the lives and experiences of Chinese workers on the railroad. This event was a part of the 22nd Utah Humanities Book Festival, which will continue throughout October. The poems performed by Rekdal were multimedia poems, as they included Rekdal reading and performing alongside audio and pictures to show what life was like for the Chinese immigrants working on the railroad. "There is something about visual images that you can’t get across with words on
a page,” Rekdal said. Between the reading of each new poem, Rekdal discussed different interesting facts she had found while researching for the poems. One is that nobody knows how many Chinese workers died while working on the railroad. Many did not want to be buried in America, and so their remains were exhumed and their bones sent back to China. Many names of the people who were working are unknown as well. One of the reasons for this was that in Chinese culture, a person might have a different name in childhood, then a different one in adolescence, and then in adulthood. This can make it difficult to find out a person’s actual name when researching. "When I started this project, I assumed
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there would be many documents of workers," Rekdal said. "But I found there is almost no letters or journals from the Chinese workers.” For her research, she found various photographs in the books she was reading as well as writing to the Library of Congress for more information. Rekdal also discussed how her personal experience of growing up in Seattle, Washington as the daughter of a Norwegian father and Chinese mother impacted her while researching about the Chinese railroad workers. She said that while none of her family or extended family worked on the railroads, she admired the workers and learned a lot about them through creating the project. Some of the community members in at-
tendance really enjoyed the performance. Bonnie Anderson, who heard about the event from a friend, said "I think if more people come, they would be really impressed." Attendees also expressed the need for more promotion of events like this in the future. “I just want people to learn about these events before they happen. We really want to promote them in the community. This was a great event,” Chairwoman of Weber Book links and former librarian Kathy Gambles said.
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FILLING WSU'S
PROVOST POSITION By ADAM RUBIN Reporter
The week of Sept. 23 wrapped up the last of the provost candidate’s presentations. Weber State University’s Provost Madonne Miner’s position was opened to new candidates, as she will be stepping down after four years of her role in the position. Over the last two weeks, four candidates have each given their addresses at Lindquist Hall. Wanda Costen, currently Dean of MacEwan University’s School of Business, and David Ferro, current Dean of the College of Applied Science and Technology at WSU, were the first two candidates to deliver their addresses about their candidacy for WSU's provost position. Ravi Kovi gave his address on Sept. 24
for the position. Then, on Sept. 27, Dr. Kelly Ryan, was the last provost candidate to give her address. Both Ryan and Kovi gave their presentations to a roomful of staff, faculty and students. “Whoever is chosen for the position of provost at Weber State should be able to carry on in working towards student success and keeping a student-centered focus and working across faculty and professional staff lines and recognizing the importance of both of those groups in making that happen,” Nick Berg, current College Academic Adviser in Lindquist College of Arts and Humanities, said. She also made it clear to the audience, that she has a strong conviction of pulling together resources and how that will bring meaningful gains in student retention and persistence to graduations with a commitment to WSU’s faculty staff and, importantly, students. “The best example of the way that we can mutually lead and agree to find success is by leveraging resources for faculty and students, investment in one area ultimately bleeds into another," Ryan said. "There’s a balance that’s created by these investments that speak to our mission.”
ROBERT LEWIS | The Signpost
Candidate for Provost, Ravi Kovi, talks about student success in Lindquist Hall
All four of the provost candidates had a different perspective on how to help WSU and to bring a different vision and new ideas. At the end of the final presentation, Karen Miller, graduate of WSU said, “I think all four of these candidates are well-qualified, and each of them has just a little bit
different focus, but they all are well-prepared.” The new provost will be announced once evaluation of all four candidates has been completed by WSU’s administration. Comment on this story at signpost.mywebermedia.com
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Tradition #5: Visit the WSU Stone Wall By MARISA NELSON Reporter
Weber State University has a variety of ways to get involved and traditions that can give students a true Wildcat experience. Recently the Alumni Association and the Student Alumni Association have released the Tradition Keeper app to help students complete some of these iconic traditions such as cheering on the Wildcats at a game and eating Purple Pancakes, all to earn free WSU themed swag. Weber State Students can complete 50 traditions throughout their time on the WSU campus. According to the Tradition Keeper app, "These traditions are made to help you tell your own story while here at Weber State while helping students to see how to make the most of their WSU college experience." The app is made to be simple and easy. To complete a tradition, you just snap a photo of yourself while participating in the activity and add a caption to your photos on the app. There are eight achievement levels. Each one you complete will earn you free Weber State swag. The ultimate prize is a Custom Stole to wear at graduation. “No matter what their interests are, these traditions really extend to everyone,” WSU Alumni Engagement Coordinator Becca Gibson said. “This is trying to engage everyone in the community in ways that they enjoy.”
Gibson believes that by getting everyone involved, our school community can be more united. She also said that it is important for students to feel a part of something, and being a part of a college community is an easy way to fulfill that. Even though the app wasn’t around when she attended Weber, current faculty and staff, other alumni and members of the community can earn the title of “tradition keeper” by completing 35 traditions rather than 50. The Tradition Keeper app and program only have a total of 50 traditions listed but there are more than just 50 ways to get involved and to feel more connected to Weber State. President of the Student Alumni Association Hayden Bickley said that Weber has made an amazing impact on his life. Bickley believes that the college experience is much more than just going to class and getting a degree—it is also about enjoying the life experince. By completing all the traditions and sporting the stole at graduation, fellow students and the community will know that you’re another tradition keeper of Weber State University. Both Bickley and Gibson think that the stole is a great grand prize and students should feel proud of earning it.
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From his famous last words, “You’re fired,” on the reality television show “The Apprentice” to becoming President of the United States, Donald J. Trump has defied the rules and expectations of standard political practices, resulting in an outpouring of animosity regarding how the U.S. governs its elections. In a historically-jarring election, Trump accumulated at least 270 electoral votes needed to become the president-elect. His opponent, Senator Hillary Clinton, lost the election because of the Electoral College’s voting system, despite having won the popular vote among voters. The results sparked outrage among voters because many believed their votes were, ultimately, useless. Voters demanded Washington throw away the Electoral College entirely and resort to a populous voting system for future presidential elections. With the national spread of equal rights activists and social movements taking action in recent years—like the LGBTQ community, Black Lives Matter and #MeToo—it seems possible that Washington could do away with the Electoral College, forming the idea that we all have equal rights within our votes in our presidential elections. Thus, the Electoral College found its place in the mud of a corrupted political voting system—with Trump promising to “drain the swamp” of corrupted lobbyists and politicians from office. But shortly after Trump’s inauguration, it seems that corruption rapidly crawled into his administration through ongoing rhetoric, numerous investigations and—in recent news—his attempt to have the president of Ukraine investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, prior
to the upcoming 2020 election. Will political systems like the Electoral College ever be reformed? If so, how do we elect politicians who will serve justice for a voting system with less corruption and a prosperous future? In the midst of Weber State University’s constitution week, political science professors Dr. Thomas Kuehls and Dr. Leah Murray organized a debate in Barlow Lecture Hall. Kuehls and Murray shared their opposing views on the subject matter to an audience of about 60 people. Kuehls, in favor of removing the Electoral College, arrived to the debate dressed as James Wilson, one of the U.S. founding fathers and a signatory of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Kuehls addressed himself as Wilson throughout the entire debate. “My name is James Wilson,” Kuehls said. “I was delegate to the Constitutional Convention in 1787 and the first person to come up with the constitutional convention we know now as the Electoral College.” Influenced by Kuehls’ eloquence, some attendees engaged in the discussions through mockery fashion, beginning remarks with, “My question is for Mr. Wilson." Various attendees knew about the Electoral College but were unsure what the Electoral College’s purpose is and how it functions. The Electoral College was established so that the government and the states wouldn’t have total control of who gets elected in and out of office. In theory, the Electoral College seems like a gift to the people by the government. But an underlying component in the voting system is that politicians tend to focus their campaigns on a group of perennial “swing states,” an argument that Kuehls made. These states typically have a recurring theme where they could reasonably be won by either a democratic or republican candidate. Thus, a candidate will campaign in these states to attract voters. In the last few elections, the swing states have included Colorado, Florida, Iowa,
Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin. Kuehls argues that a popular vote election isn’t going to narrow the system and instead “require candidates to campaign across the country,” focusing their campaigns in all states, not just the swing states; this would allow for every vote in every state to be equally accounted for. In hindsight, Murray wants to keep the Electoral College and “remove the perversions and operate the way it was intended.” Murray said she would get rid of national campaigns, comparing them to Superbowl advertisements and the end result of the “demigods we've seen elected in office.” “It’s led to painful polarization with people reporting that they’re exhausted. They’re thinking about politics, and they’re just tired that there’s fatigue around this,” Murray said. “They don’t want their children to grow up and marry someone from the other party. It’s insane with that level of animosity, and I tie it directly to allowing people to vote for the president and having the states require electors to track that popular impulse.” WSU student, Cole Larson, favors the
MyWeberMedia.com | October 3, 2019 | 9
Electoral College and thinks that some of the more unsavory traditions that the U.S. was founded with in 1776, such as slavery and a lack of equal rights—including voting, would otherwise persist to this day. “Democrats are calling to abolish the Electoral College,” Larson said. “We need to keep the Electoral College because if we had a popular vote election, there might still be segregation and slavery today.” It’s nearly impossible to create a scenario with “what could have been” if the Electoral College hadn’t been established, but it’s seen as our civic duty to vote in our elections, whether it’s on a national or local level. To take away those rights is unprecedented, considering our nation’s history that led to its current form. But is the reason why our nation is divided because of the Electoral College, a lack of public political knowledge or the scope of attention that our elections bring through public interactions, televised campaign rallies and social technologies?
NIKKI DORBER | The Signpost
Dr. Kuehls and Dr. Murray pose for a debate about the Electoral ColComment on this column at lege voting process. signpost.mywebermedia.com
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WSU IS WANTING
IN ONLINE
RESOURCES By TORI WALTZ Editor-in-Chief
The following story was written and reported by The Signpost in collaboration with The Utah Investigative Journalism Project, The Salt Lake Tribune and The UVU Review. Before starting her freshman year at Weber State University, health administration student Leticia Rodriguez did everything she could to prepare herself for college. Enrolled in GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) from a young age, she was lucky enough to have all of the resources she needed to choose a degree in a field that interested her. “I really like anatomy and learning about the human body; that was always very interesting to me,” Rodriguez said. However, now entering her senior year, Rodriguez is still exploring her options. “I really like nursing, but right now, there was a situation where I couldn’t wait longer to apply for the program. So to graduate faster, I switched to health administration,” Rodriguez said. “It’s not one-on-one with patients, but it’s still in the health area.” When it comes to picking a major, students need all the help they can get. That’s why in 2017, the Utah State Legislature passed a bill requiring institutions across the state to provide resources that help students in the early stages of degree exploration. This legislation would create a website called StepUpUtah.com, which contains sections highlighting information such as job placement and wage data. With this as a resource, students interested in pursuing a specific degree can see how much money they could potentially make five years after graduation. According to the bill, schools such as WSU would have needed to include links to Step Up Utah on their official web pages
no later than July 1, 2018. Yet over a year later, the site — which, as of this summer, has been renamed Utah Futures and is now found at UtahFutures. org — is still nowhere to be found on any major WSU portals. According to the bill, titled H.B. 100 Institutions of Higher Education Disclosure Requirements, these resources are meant to be gathered by the Board of Regents and include information on program completion, job placement, wages and costs associated with different degrees. Once the data is collected and made into a format which is easily accessible and informative, the law states that Utah colleges and universities must then “provide a conspicuous and direct link on the institution’s website,” which students can use when investigating different pathways. It would have been a big help to students like Rodriguez — if she had known it existed. “As a freshman student, you come out of high school and you have all these different options. You honestly don’t know what to do,” Rodriguez said. “So if they provided a page where students could find this information that could give them an idea, I think that would be very helpful.” She’s not alone. With roughly 20 to 50 percent of students entering college with an undecided major, an estimated 75 percent will change their major at least once before graduation, according to a study conducted at Penn State University. “I think a lot of students are not sure where to go,” Director of the Student Success Center Leslie Park said. “There is so much pressure that students put on themselves around choosing the right major when in fact, so many majors can lead to different areas.” In a possible effort to combat this issue, WSU recently launched a new page on their website meant to guide new and un-
DELANEY NYE
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sources include some of the information required in the 2017 bill, the Major & Career Navigation site itself is still very much hidden on WSU’s main page. “I feel really confident about the resources we have, but they’re kind of hidden gems, like a lot of things at Weber,” Park said. “Unless you are really proactive or seek out and ask a lot of questions, you may not find it.” Most of the data the page offers is still not customized to the Utah market. Instead of telling students how much graduates from Weber State earn specifically, the information is only applied on a national scale. This places Weber — along with several other colleges and universities throughout the state of Utah — in violation of the law. However, the school is continuing to look at new ways they can improve the program. “It’s not perfect,” Park said. “We know that there are going to be iterations of it. We will get better every year, but we are really excited to at least now have something to meet the needs of our students in, hopefully, a more meaningful way.”
MyWeberMedia.com | October 3, 2019 | 13
21ST ANNUAL WSU DIVERSITY CONFERENCE
EQUAL JUSTICE
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“As a freshman student, you come out of high school and you have all these different options. You honestly don’t know what to do,” --Leticia Rodriguez
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decided students in the process of choosing a major. The system is called Major & Career Navigation and can be found using the A-Z index on the official Weber State online portal. Using a three step process, the page advises students to take the Strong Interest Inventory and Work Values Self Assessment, attend a workshop to evaluate results and conclude by following up with a career counselor or academic advisor. “We did it that way to make sure it was accessible to all students. Not all students are able to come to campus at a certain time,” Park said. “They can start in the comfort and safety of their own space, but know that we’re here to support that process for them.” The new page also offers a variety of direct online resources for students, including links to sites such as O’Net and the Occupational Outlook Handbook, which Utah Futures uses. “All of those different resources that Step Up Utah offers, for the most part we offer too,” Park said. “We don’t link back to Step Up Utah, but I think that is something we could definitely consider.” However, despite the fact that these re-
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OGDEN EATS GREEK FOR A DAY (OR TWO) By KENLEE EAST Assistant Section Editor
On Sept. 27 and 28, the Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church hosted the annual Ogden Greek Festival where they served over 25 different Greek dishes to over 10,000 people and did tours of the local church. The festival began at 10:00 a.m. and went all day until 10:00 p.m. on Sept. 27. It reopened the following day at 10:00 a.m. and the festival concluded at 8:00 p.m. Each year, Ogden hosts the Greek Festival where vendors sell Greek food and drinks to locals who come to participate in the festival. There were four different marketplace vendors selling different food, pastries and drinks. They sold traditional meals such as: chicken souvlaki gyros, dolmates, spanakopita, kourambiethes, and finkia. The money from the festival goes to the church and to local charities. On the nights of the festival, they had a performance by the Ogden Greek dancers. It was a chance for the community to gather together to watch and learn from Greek
culture. The Transfiguration Greek Orthodox church has been open and hosting the event since 1964. The Standard-Examiner said, “They’ll go through 84 legs of lamb, 1,200 pounds of chicken souvlaki, 800 pounds of pork souvlaki, 50 cases of gyro meat, 12,000 stuffed grape leaves, 4,500 cheese triangles, and about 2,400 spinach pies.” Each year, the Greek food festival runs out of food due to the thousands of people who come to the event. Once people get to the church building, the community waited in a long line to get into the cafeteria where they were able to purchase the food. Over the years, the Greek food festival has become more and more popular as members of the community learn to love the food that is served at the event.
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Shoppers took advantage of the wide variety of food offered at the festival.
MyWeberMedia.com | October 3, 2019 | 15
By FRANCISCO RUIZ Reporter
Weber State University graduate Eddie Baxter and the Office of Access and Diversity hosted the fourth annual Eddie’s Barbecue to promote open dialogue between students of color and WSU police. Baxter and police leadership hope the event will create an environment of friendliness and mutual understanding among students and local law enforcement. As a local DJ provided music, the attendees met inside of Wasatch Hall to eat hamburgers, barbecue chicken sandwiches and s’mores. Freshman and nursing major Madeline Kidd said she attended the event for food. The free food worked, garnering over 100 attendees despite the rain, cold weather and last minute change of venue. Beyond providing a warm meal on a cold day to hungry students, the event also had a deeper purpose. The prevalence of smart phones and the instantaneous nature of social media
have shone a spotlight on race relation issues, especially those dealing with how law enforcement interacts with people of color. Recognizing the trend, Eddie Baxter — a former WSU student and member of Black Scholars United — wanted to provide a safe venue for students of color and law enforcement to meet and overcome barriers to communication. “I was looking for solutions for my local community,” Baxter said. “I came up with an idea for a barbecue for our students of color and local law enforcement to come together.” Baxter credited the university for being open and supportive of the idea. WSUPD Assistant Police Chief Captain Seth Cawley agreed with Baxter’s idea. “It is important to build these relationships, especially in this environment,” Cawley said. “We want to let them get to know us, and we get to know them. We want to support each other.” Alex Dutro-Maeda, WSU Women’s Center program specialist, appreciates the
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purpose and nature of Eddie’s Barbecue. “We see in the media all the time the fraught relationship between law enforcement and marginalized communities,” Dutro-Maeda said. “If we do not talk about it and acknowledge it, then nothing is ever going to change.” Nailah Mansa, the WSU African American student senator, made sure to promote discussion. After briefly instructing the audience about how to recognize implied bias, Mansa then encouraged attendees to submit questions for the police to answer. The topics within the questions included the displaying and meaning of the “thin blue line,” the perceived fairness or unfairness of the judicial system and the overall power of the police. The police officers explained that the “thin blue line” represented a tribute and memorial to officers who had died in the line of duty. Other community members expressed their frustration with how some have appropriated the symbol as a form
of aggression against people of color and the Black Lives Matter movement. Some attendees arrived at a general consensus that context matters in the display of such symbols. The officers lamented that the justice system does have its inequities, even for women and people of color within the police force. However, they also acknowledge and have hope that better training and awareness will lead to more fairness and safety for both law enforcement and the community. After the discussion, Mansa gave students the opportunity to share what they had learned. “Police are humans, like we are,” said WSU student and Black Scholars United member Terri Hughes. “It is important to get us all into a room to communicate.”
Comment on this story at signpost.mywebermedia.com
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MyWeberMedia.com | October 3, 2019 | 17
WILDCATS, HORNETS
BATTLE TO OVERTIME TIE By IAN SYME
Reporter
The Weber State women’s soccer team scored a late penalty kick in regulation to earn a 1-1 tie against the visiting Sacramento State Hornets the night of Sept. 27. With the game winding down and the Wildcats trailing 1-0, Sacramento State defender Aubrey Goodwill committed a foul in the penalty box in the 87th minute. This resulted in a penalty kick for Wildcat junior midfielder Jasmine Lotey, which sailed past Sac State’s goalie to even the score at 1-1. Lotey maintained her composure while facing the high-pressure challenge of a penalty kick late in the game. “In my head, I was thinking, ‘This is it. This is my chance to score,’” Lotey said. “It was our way to get back in the game.” The first score of the game came in the 22nd minute after the Hornets drove down the left side of the field and buried a shot past WSU’s senior goalkeeper Nikki Pittman. Weber State found themselves in striking distance to knot the score up at 1-1 in the 24th minute as sophomore midfielder Olivia Barton went for a header, but her shot sailed just right of the net. Overall, the ‘Cats’ had more shots on goal than the Hornets by a 10 to 4 ratio. Adversity struck early for WSU when Wildcat junior forward Mylee Broad was shown a red card during the sixth minute of the first overtime, reducing the Wildcats to 10 players on the field. The second overtime arrived with rain, which impacted the game as neither team could get a shot off before the final buzzer
rang. The battle between the Hornets and Wildcats ended in a hard-fought, 1-1 tie. Interim head coach Meagan Thunell praised her team’s drive and effort, as they never settled despite trailing. “We were not playing to tie. Even after the red card, we weren’t playing to tie. We wanted to win this game,” Thunell said. The Wildcats entered their first conference match on a three-game losing streak while the Hornets, owners of the Big Sky’s best overall record, came in with a threegame winning streak. The Wildcats’ weekend was not over yet as they battled with the Portland State Vikings on Sept. 29 at the Ogden Community Sports Complex. The game was moved from the ‘Cats’ home field due to poor field conditions caused by the weekend’s rain. However, the Wildcats won despite the loss of the home field advantage. Weber State came away with a 1-0 win over the Vikes, the lone goal coming from sophomore midfielder Taylor Scadlock who was assisted by fellow sophomore midfielder Nixie Hernandez in the 18th minute. Goalie Nikki Pittman was tested by the PSU who had eight shots on goal but Pittman refused to allow the equalizer, which guided The ‘Cats’ to a victory and helped them finish the weekend without a loss. Next up: The Wildcats will travel Missoula, Montana, to battle with the Grizzlies on October 4. Next home game: Weber State will battle the Idaho Vandals on Oct. 11. Comment on this story at signpost.mywebermedia.com
ROBERT LEWIS | The Signpost
Olivia Barton tries to get in front of Alyssa Baena for a shot at goal.
ROBERT LEWIS | The Signpost
Jessica Mann defends against Nixie Hernandez at Friday night’s soccer game.
18 | October 3, 2019 | MyWeberMedia.com
By ALLY NELSON
Reporter
Weber State University students and the Ogden community celebrated their various cultures at the Intercultural Welcome Reception on Sept. 24. WSU leaders President Brad Mortensen, Vice President of The Ohana Association Finau Kalolaine Tauteoli and WSUSA President Bret Alexander joined in the festivities. Student and club leaders were eager to share information about their organization and help attendees understand what resources are available to them. Booths lined the outer border of the upstairs ballroom in the Shepherd Union. Student Support Services welcomed students with a handout explaining the opportunities there are if they apply to the Student Support Services Program. The on-campus organization provides up to five hours of tutoring for any class per week and free book loans and grants from
anywhere between $500 and $2,000. There are restrictions and requirements in order to receive the grant. Over at the Counseling & Psychological Services Center booth, Dianna Abel — executive director of Counseling, Health and Wellness — and clinical mental health counseling intern Ivy Chavez discussed the benefits of adults coloring books. Psychologist Carl Jung was among the first researchers to discover the healing benefits of coloring books, according to Abel’s handout. He discovered that people tend to be calmer and experience significantly less amounts of stress while coloring. Abel said there is an importance in prioritizing mental health and finding a balance within school. There are resources online that cater to the needs of students, whether that be test anxiety or chronic stress and anxiety. Abel told attendees about Therapy Assistance Online, a platform of self-help edu-
cational modules students can utilize to learn and adapt their feelings surrounding stressors. There are numerous ways to de-stress, but according to Chavez, mindful meditation is her favorite way to de-stress, such as being in tune with her senses. “Doing the dishes seems like such a chore,” Chavez said. “But if you’re doing it mindfully, you can smell the soap, appreciate that way it feels on your skin and smelling the other dishes. It’s a lot better than being stressed out about the chores that have to get done.” Beyond learning about mindfulness, students shared their cultural customs. Tauteoli said she jumped at the opportunity to have a booth for TOA and educate others on her Polynesian roots. “Being able to have a table where people can ask questions gives us an opportunity to tell them about our culture,” Tauteoli said. Mortensen said he enjoys events where
the WSU community comes together, adding that it’s important that students who feel hesitant to participate or attend events try it. “I’m sure many of these students have felt that same way at one point,” Mortensen said. “Once they took that first step to be engaged, there’s a whole community ready to receive them.” Mortensen said he learns something new every day from students with different backgrounds, especially when there are events like this that help represent them and their cultures. “We’re always just a big family that supports each other,” Mortensen said. “That doesn’t mean we always get along, but when we come together, we work towards common purposes. That’s what I love about Weber State.” Comment on this story at signpost.mywebermedia.com
ISRAEL CAMPA | The Signpost
ISRAEL CAMPA | The Signpost
One of the dresses that the latin dancing showcased.
THE SIGNPOST TEAM
The Asian Student Involvement campus club was teaching how to do some origami.
Editor-in-Chief Tori Waltz waltzvictoria@gmail.com
Chief Copy Editor Sierra Hawkins sierrahawkins@weber.edu
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Ad Manager KC Sanders kcsanders@weber.edu The Signpost is a student publication, written, edited and drafted by Weber State University students. Student fees fund the printing of this publication. Opinions or positions voiced are not necessarily endorsed by the university. The Signpost reserves the right to edit for reasons of space and libel and to refuse to print any letters. Letters should be submitted online to thesignpost@weber.edu and read letter to the Editor in the subject box. Letters should not exceed 350 words. FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
MyWeberMedia.com | October 3, 2019 | 19
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