AMONG VIOLENCE, PEACEFUL >> PAGE 6 PROTEST IN SLC NEWS » PAGE 4
SARAH EARNSHAW | The Signpost
Monday | June 09, 2020 | Volume 92 | Issue 02
NEWS » PAGE 8
RESIGNATION ISN’T THE END
SHARPEN YOUR PHOTO SHOTS WEBER STATE UNIVERSITY
BRIELLE HARKER | The Signpost NIKKI DORBER | The Signpost
02 | MyWeberMedia.com| June 09, 2020
DO YOU KNOW YOUR NEWS? By JENNIFER GREENLEE Editor-in-Chief
1. Which police department had 57 police officers resign from the emergency response team after two officers were suspended for pushing a 75-year-old protester to the ground?
d. Asheville, North Carolina 2. What did Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel E. Bowser have painted on a street in front of the White House in large, yellow letters? a. No Peace, No Justice b. All Lives Matter
b. Buffalo, New York
c. George Floyd
c. Albany, New York
d. Black Lives Matter
was found to have no benefit? a. Pyrimethamine
a. Criminal Justice
b. Artemisinin
b. Sociology
c. Hydroxychloroquine
c. Psychology
d. Lumefantrine
d. Mathematics 4. Which drug, after being touted as a possible aid to COVID-19 patients,
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a. Sante Fe, New Mexico
3. Which Weber State University department saw a professor resign over racist and threatening tweets?
Hydroxychloroquine was found in a recent study to have no benefits for COVID-19 patients.
ANSWERS AND EXPLANATIONS ON PAGE 11
MyWeberMedia.com| June 09, 2020 | 03
WSU PROFESSOR RESIGNS
AFTER THREATENING
TWEETS REVEALED By JENNIFER GREENLEE Editor-in-Chief
Weber State University Professor Scott Senjo resigned on June 3 after several of his tweets, which threatened protesters and journalists, came under fire. His Twitter account, which was linked to his faculty email, was deactivated shortly before he announced his resignation. The now-former criminal justice professor sent an email to his department, offi-
cially resigning. The lines of his email released by the school said: “I studied the situation and the public fury is too great. I have to resign immediately. There’s no other option.” Neither Senjo or anyone from the university has responded for requests to comment. However, Senjo has told both the Deseret News and the Salt Lake Tribune that he doesn’t stand by his tweets and “will have to suffer the consequences of my
recklessness. I failed to respect my role as a college professor in the hyper emotional atmosphere of the recent police brutality protests. I apologize for my Twitter contributions.” WSU has stated they did not ask for his resignation but had placed Senjo on leave since June 2 while the situation was under review. During the statements WSU has released, university officials denounced his tweets, calling them “abhorrent” and stat-
ing that the tweets did not represent the views of the school. In the midst of the Twitter firestorm and investigations, WSU also released a statement on June 2 that they stand with the peaceful protesters in Ogden and across the globe and call for change: an end to racism, an end to oppression and intolerance, an end to violence. Comment on this story at signpost.mywebermedia.com
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ONE OF OUR PROFESSORS HAD TO RESIGN OVER TWITTER THREATS. NOW, WE NEED TO PROVE WHERE WE STAND DARYN STEED Managing Editor
Weber State University Criminal Justice Professor Scott Senjo resigned on June 3 after tweeting several threatening comments about protesters and making other derogatory posts and comments in the days prior. Senjo’s tweets were first reported after he threatened a journalist on May 31. In tweets that have been since deleted, Senjo called people protesting police brutality “savages and criminals” and threatened to shoot protesters. Journalists at The Signpost took screen grabs of these tweets on June 1, after being made aware of the initial tweet threatening Tyler Blint. Senjo deactivated his Twitter account shortly before resigning from WSU on June 3. In past months, Senjo endorsed comments criticizing the MeToo movement as one that “hastily destroyed men with decades-old allegations and third-hand hearsay,” advocated for the deportation of U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar and labeled Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez a “radical communist.” In response to Senjo’s comments, Weber State tweeted the following: “We are aware of Twitter comments linked to a faculty member and are looking into the issue. Weber State University does not condone violence or threats of violence under any circumstance.” Neither Senjo or WSU responded for further requests for comment. Senjo’s tweets aren’t surprising. I wish I could summon surprise for such blatant racism. Instead, the only thing that shocks me is his total disregard for consequences. His Twitter account was linked to his We-
ber.edu email, and he listed in his bio that count for 10% of police killings. 1,143 in 2018 and 1,099 in 2019. he was a criminal justice professor. He’s In Minnesota, where Floyd was murFloyd will not be the last black man to not hiding behind an anonymous account, dered, black Americans are four times die from police brutality. And Senjo’s comtweeting flagrant threats at protesters. He’s more likely to be killed by police than ments illustrate why there has been so threatening them in plain sight. white Americans. little progress. Black Americans have been After a protester lost his eye to rubber It is not savage to demand an end to peacefully protesting police brutality since bullets, Senjo called him an idiot. senseless murder. 2014, and little has changed. Kaepernick Senjo criticized this driver’s method of Six years ago, Michael Brown was shot knelt peacefully for two years and was refdriving through a crowd of protesters. and killed by police officers in Ferguson, erenced by President Donald Trump as a Senjo tweeted that Floyd was not mur- Montana. His death set off a national de- “son of a bitch.” dered because a police officer killed him in bate about how to reduce police violence. Senjo’s resignation comes after WSU the “course of official duties”. All these summers later, it feels like placed him on paid leave on June 2, in orHe threatened to show protesters how nothing has changed. In fact, the numbers der to conduct a review of the situation. The firearms work first-hand. have stayed almost level: 1,059 Ameri- university did not ask him to resign. He called protesters “disgusting losers,” cans were killed by police in 2014, 1,103 In an email sent to his department chair then called SLC Mayor Erin Mendenhall an in 2015, 1,071 in 2016, 1,095 in 2017, and college dean on June 3, Senjo wrote idiot: He labeled all protesters “savages and criminals”. He endorsed a comment that called protesters “punk kids” and hypothesized people were only protesting for social media followings. He commented on a post that called for police to put “leftist scum” in their place The Rental Shop is now open! with the response “Time for the pendulum Monday - Saturday to swing wildly back in the other direction”. If Americans are protesting police bru8 a.m. - 6 p.m. tality, and Senjo wants the pendulum to swing back the other direction, we can only assume he’s advocating for systemic racism to continue in the same way. Between 2013 and 2019, police in the United States killed 7,666 Americans, according to research group Mapping Police Violence. Despite only making up 13 percent of the US population, black Americans are two-and-a-half times more likely than Check out our website for white Americans to be killed by the police. more information! On May 25, George Floyd became yet another victim of police brutality. He was weber.edu/outdoor killed in police custody while unarmed. Protesters are marching in cities around the country demanding justice, and Senjo writes these protesters off as savages and thugs. In Utah, African Americans comprise just 1.06% of the population, but they ac-
WE’RE OPEN
MyWeberMedia.com| June 09, 2020 | 05
days to take action, putting Senjo on paid leave and finally letting him resign, there are questions in community members’ minds — and in my own — about what their “call for change” entails. If we’re not willing to take action in our own university, what can we expect to happen “across the globe”? Protests are continuing nationwide. As of June 3, all four police officers involved in George Floyd’s murder have been charged, but the NAACP is asking for much more than that: legislative reform, making knee holds and choke holds illegal during ar-
rests and an overhaul of our criminal justice system. This week, Weber State found ourselves face-to-face with the kind of hateful rhetoric that keeps systemic racism in place. We have a responsibility to stand up for black Americans. We have a responsibility to listen to them, march with them and stay by their side until we establish real change. This issue will not end when the protests do. Black Americans will still be subjected to prejudice and discrimination. Senjo’s resignation is a necessary step to proving our university values. Now, we
need to take it further. We need a more comprehensive statement from the university about why he was not fired. We need community members to remain unified about this issue, even after the protests have ended. Black lives matter, and it’s the least we can do to continue saying that until everyone knows it’s true.
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“I studied the situation, and the public fury is too great. I have to resign immediately. There’s no other option.” Senjo’s tweets were described by university officials in formal statements as “inconsistent with the university’s values.” WSU President Brad Mortensen said in part that the university stands “with peaceful protesters in Ogden and across the globe and call for change: an end to racism, an end to oppression and intolerance, an end to violence.” This was WSU’s chance to demonstrate what our university’s values are. By waiting
Twitter replies by Professor Scott Senjo that have caused his resignation on June 3. Screenshot taken 12:01 a.m. on June 1.
MyWeberMedia.com| June 09, 2020 | 07
06 | MyWeberMedia.com| June 09, 2020
PHOTOS COURTESY OF SARAH EARNSHAW | The Signpost
PEACEFUL PROTESTERS MARCH FOR
BLACK LIVES MATTER
By JENNIFER GREENLEE Editor-in-Chief
The police and National Guard stood side-by-side as they watched the peaceful gathering from the State Capitol Building behind yellow tape. Thousands of protesters lined the space from the sidewalk down North State Street and across the majority of 300 North on June 4. Hosted by the Salt Lake Equal Rights Movement, this particular protest started at 4:30 p.m. and ran until long past dark,
remaining peaceful. As the protest progressed into the evening hours, protesters pushed themselves close together to listen to speakers of color who lined up from the crowd to talk to the onlookers. Many of the speakers identified themselves only by their first name for privacy. “I’m grateful for these beautiful faces,” Jemema said. “One of the chief officers knelt for black people. One of the National Guard also knelt. His name was Mike.”
For many of the protesters, this was not their first time being at a protest in the past few days. Several of the speakers mentioned that they had been there for days at a time, some as many as a week, joining whatever peaceful protest had begun that day. Several of the protesters were transplants or had come from other states to join in Salt Lake City’s protest. Jessica, who is from the Ivory Coast, spoke of her younger brother and her fear
for him when he leaves the house. “I’m scared for him every day,” Jessica said. Other protesters spoke about justice and wanting to change the system, calling for an end to police brutality and begging for new legislation. “Only justice will bring peace,” Jay said. “Coming out here is what matters. Not a post.” At the end of Jay’s speech, he asked for only the blacks in the crowd to chant “Black
Lives Matter” and then for allies to chant alongside, causing an echo that reverberated across the lawn. “I’m tired of asking which brother is going to die tomorrow,” Jemema said. “Which uncle or father or child is going to die tomorrow.” As the speeches came to a close, a march began. The thousands of protesters walked and chanted down State Street and 500 South. Police escorted the procession down, blocking intersections for protesters
to march through safely. Organizers and bystanders, identifying themselves as protest medics, brought hundreds of bottles of water and snacks to hand out during the march. These were handed out at intervals and some walked the protest to keep an eye on those that might have a difficult time. Others who were not a part of the original crowd saw the protest, went to convenience stores and grocery stores to buy bottled water and handed it out on street
corners as the protest passed by. Homeowners stood outside of their homes with raised hands and signs in support of the protesters. Cars stuck because of the march honked their support, some even parking and joining the walk. Police and the National Guard lined streets, up and down the blocks, some with shields and others with other personal riot gear, lining streets and guiding protesters around the block. As protesters took a knee in front of them, several knelt
alongside during the quiet moment. The protesters continued up 300 North and back onto North State Street to the Capitol, led by a motorcycle procession, and police following them up the streets, blocking other streets as the protest went on into the late hours of the evening until they dispersed. Comment on this story at signpost.mywebermedia.com
8 | MyWeberMedia.com| June 09 , 2020
HONING YOUR CRAFT
By BRIELLE HARKER Assistant Photography Editor By ROBERT LEWIS Photography Editor
BriElle and Robert are photographers with The Signpost at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah. Now that school is out for summer, they have time to practice their craft and share with readers what they are working on. Hi everyone, I’m Robert. Today, I brought my camera along when I went for a hike on Waterfall Canyon Trail in Ogden, Utah. I wanted to try the High Dynamic Range mode on my Canon EOS
R to photograph the waterfall. Previously, I tried to take a photo of it, and when I focused near the sky, the camera underexposed the waterfall. The opposite happened when I focused on the waterfall — the sky was overexposed. In David Busch’s Canon EOS R Guide to Digital Photography, he mentions using HDR to improve the chances of getting a properly-exposed image by having the camera do all the work. It takes a series of three photographs at different shutter speeds to obtain different exposures. One photo is underexposed to capture the bright areas. Another is overexposed to capture the shadows and one is exposed
for the mid tones. The camera combines all three RAW images to form a JPEG image. The camera also has five HDR effects to choose from. Natural, art standard, art vivid, art bold and art embossed. Today, I wanted to apply art vivid to my photographs. So, after hiking to the waterfall I took a seat on the most comfortable boulder I could find, pulled out my camera and got ready. The camera setup was not difficult. In the menu under the camera settings, I set HDR mode to Auto, Effects to Art Vivid, returned to the menu and exited out to the
normal shooting screen. A tripod is recommended, but I handheld the camera. With a push of the shutter button there were a series of rapid clicks, a busy signal for a few seconds while the camera processed the images … I like the results and found it was simple to do. I didn’t do any post processing. The camera does it for you. Art Bold is next on my list. It applies more saturation than art vivid, giving a photo an “oil painting” effect. And now that school is out for summer, I’ll just have to find the scenery for applying that effect.
ROBERT LEWIS | The Signpost
ROBERT LEWIS | The Signpost
Normal exposure RAW image produced in HDR sequence.
Jpeg produced by camera for HDR image.
MyWeberMedia.com| MyWeberMedia.com|April June14, 09,2020 2020| 33 |9
buy a reversing ring that allows you to attach the lens to your camera. For my macro photos, I used two different methods. First, I used three different extension tubes combined: a 36 millimeter, a 20 millimeter and a 12 millimeter, along with my 18 millimeter- 55 millimeter zoom lens. These photos produced a wide depth of field while still keeping a lot of detail. Second, I used only my 18 millimeter55 millimeter zoom lens turned around. I found this difficult to focus on an object. I could not simply use the focusing ring on the lens. Instead, I had to physically move the camera closer or farther away to achieve the right focus. Even with this, I still found that they took wonderful macro photos and captured a lot of little details. There are always different types of photos that one can take and achieve different results. Next time you are thinking about what photos you should take, try one of these techniques and maybe you will fall in love with this process. Comment on this story at signpost.mywebermedia.com
BRIELLE HARKER | The Signpost
Hi, I’m BriElle. While I have been staying home during quarantine, I have been experimenting with different styles of photography. I found macro photography interesting. Macro photography involves taking closeup pictures of parts of an object instead of a standard photo that portrays the entire object. There are multiple ways to achieve these photos. The first and easiest way is to buy a macro lens. It will allow you to zoom in very close and take a photo. This route is also the most expensive. Two cheaper options are to use either extension tubes or macro bellows. Both of these are attachments that you can buy for your camera that go between the body of the camera and the lens. They extend the space between your lens and the sensor in your camera, making the objects appear closer. The last and cheapest way to take a macro photo is to simply turn your lens around and shoot through it reversed. The lens already acts as a magnifying glass. So, this method just uses this to your advantage. If this is your preferred style, you can also
Standard photo of a rose using an 18 millimeter-55 millimeter lens. BRIELLE HARKER | The Signpost
Extension tube macro of a rose.
10 | MyWeberMedia.com| June 09, 2020
LINDQUIST COLLEGE OF ARTS AND HUMANITIES
WELCOMES INTERIM DEAN
By ADAM RUBIN Reporter
GET OFF THE WAITING LIST AND ON TO A NURSING DEGREE!
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Dean of the Lindquist College of Arts and Humanities to serve WSU in a more permanent capacity.
WSU Archives
The new Interim Dean of the Lindquist College of Arts and Humanities Amanda Sowerby is assuming the role in a tumultuous period for the university. Sowerby was announced as the new interim dean on May 20. “This has been a challenging time for the Performing Arts since we all moved online in March, not unlike other disciplines that rely on tools, technologies and spaces beyond a computer. The Performing Arts engage the human body as a vehicle for self-expression,” Sowerby said. Sowerby said that she finds inspiration and motivation in the students, faculty and staff of the college, and that she plans to emphasize the areas of research the college focuses on: empathy, understanding and modes of self-expression. Dr. Ravi Krovi, current Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs said, “I look forward to her service as interim dean and know that she will help continue the college’s positive momentum as she has during her time as associate dean,” in a WSU announcement email. Amanda Sowerby’s previous accomplishments and high-level involvement with performing arts in the top of Utah are apparent, such as her co-role as one of three
founders of Paradigm Dance Project, a non-profit performing arts project created in Salt Lake City in 1999. Sowerby moved to Salt Lake City in 1998 from San Francisco. Sowerby stated, in an article from 2001 by Scott Iwasaki, that before visiting Utah, she didn’t know what kind of dance-scene Utah had to offer, but that she knew she had to move to Utah after visiting. Since Sowerby has become a Utahn, she has made other cultural impacts, including serving as the President of the Utah Dance Education Organization for three years and holding the role of Higher Education Representative from 2007 to 2013. Sowerby’s still-growing list of performance arts and leadership accomplishments also includes performances with National Ballets in countries in Latin America, such as Peru and Chile. “We have an outstanding pool of finalists and hope to conclude our national search for dean this summer,” Krovi said. “Amanda will serve until such time when the new dean can assume responsibilities.” Krovi also extended a formal thank you in the email to former Dean of the Lindquist College of Arts and Humanities, Scott Sprenger, whom Sowerby will be filling in until The Board of Trustees finishes up their search for a new
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MyWeberMedia.com| June 09, 2020 | 11
DO YOU KNOW YOUR NEWS? QUIZ ANSWERS FROM PAGE 2 WSU Archives
1. The correct answer is B. Buffalo, New York. Two officers shoved a 75-yearold protester to the ground, causing him to hit his head and leaving him unconscious while the two officers walked past. According to CNN, 57 officers resigned in protest of the two officers being suspended. 2. The correct answer is D. Black Lives Matter. Mayor Bowser renamed the street “Black Lives Matter Plaza� and painted the street to show support for and honor the demonstrators who are protesting the killing of George Floyd and other victims of police brutality, according to the Washington Post. 3. The correct answer is A. Criminal Justice. Professor Scott Senjo resigned after a Twitter scandal broke that he had tweeted racist and threatening things at protesters who have been protesting police brutality across the nation. 4. The correct answer is C. Hydroxychloroquine. A recent study found that patients taking hydroxycholoquine had no benefits from taking the drug and had no better chance of surviving the disease, according to the Wall Street Journal. Comment on this story at signpost.mywebermedia.com
Scott Senjo tendered his resignation on June 3 after his Twitter account came under fire for racist and threatening tweets.
THE SIGNPOST TEAM Editor-in-Chief Jennifer Greenlee jennifergreenlee@mail.weber.edu
Photo Editor Robert Lewis robertlewis7@mail.weber.edu
Sports Editor Raymond Lucas raymondlucas@mail.weber.edu
Managing Editor Daryn Steed darynsteed0@gmail.com
Asst. Photo Editor BriElle Harker brielleharker@mail.weber.edu
Asst. Sports Editor Miles Shaw milesshaw@mail.weber.edu
Chief Copy Editor Nic Muranaka nicholasmuranaka@weber.edu
Culture Editor Aubrielle Degn aubrielledegn@gmail.com
News Editor Marisa Nelson marisanelson@mail.weber.edu
Asst. Culture Editor Caitlyn Larsen caitlynlarsen@mail.weber.edu
Asst. News Editor Francia Henriquez Benson fhenriquezbenson@weber.edu
Social Media Manager Kalli Prendergast kandidkalliP@gmail.com
Design & Graphics Editor Aubree Eckhardt aubreeeckhardt@mail.weber.edu Asst. Design & Graphics Editor Alli Rickards alexandrarickards@mail.weber.edu Videography Editor Sarah Earnshaw sarahearnshaw@mail.weber.edu
Webmaster David Morris david.lee.morris@gmail.com Adviser Jean Norman jeannorman@weber.edu 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.
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