The Lumberjack -- November 18

NAU Skate Club looks to the future

The skate club members trickled in one by one, most of them fashionably late. It was cold and windy outside, but the atmosphere in the University Union’s Grand Canyon Room quickly warmed up. Jokes flew around the room, and the occasional sound of Tech Decks clacked in the background. Throughout the meeting, there was one consistency: NAU Skate Club’s plans for the future.

With a fundraising campaign about to end, the club met to discuss how it should use the money and begin planning for the next campaign. Club members quickly began presenting ideas on how to spread the word about the new petition to construct a skate park on the Flagstaff mountain campus.

Davis Ray, president and founder of NAU Skate Club, led the discussion. Ray started skating when he was 5 years old and said growing up skating has given

him a sense of community involvement. Through the constant success and failures of practicing, Ray said his confidence in dealing with life challenges has improved.

“I think skateboarding definitely means something different to every person,” Ray said. “But for me, it has just been one of the greatest blessings in my life. It has kind of shaped the entire way I view the world. When you see life through the lens of skateboarding, it is kind of hard to come back. It teaches you so many lessons and sets up the way you view challenges.”

Armed with his passion for skateboarding and his knowledge of mechanical engineering, Ray said he has wanted to work on a campus skate park project for a long time.

A skate park on campus became a possibility after Ray received an offer for the role of president of the NAU Skate Jacks, a longboarding club.

NFL visits Southside Community Garden

Volunteers joined NFL representatives Nov. 11 to plant a tree and install new garden beds in the Flagstaff Southside Community Garden. NFL coordinators said they want the upcoming Super Bowl in Arizona to have a legacy lasting further than the game.

On Veterans Day, local volunteers spent their day off shoveling, digging and planting in 32-degree weather. Volunteers gathered at the garden at 10 a.m. to hear speakers from NFL Green, Terra BIRDS, the Flagstaff Sustainability Office and the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee, which organized the event.

After the speakers were finished and a plan was made, volunteers took a group photo before getting into teams and beginning the gardening process. Tools, snacks and parting gifts were all provided by the NFL.

Super Bowl LVII will take place at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on Feb. 12, 2023. It will be the fourth Super Bowl held in Arizona.

Jay Perry is president and CEO of the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee. Perry and her team began work 16 months ago in preparation for the game in February. Working on small community projects, Perry said, is what makes her job both exciting and challenging.

“The idea of beautifying and rehabilitating a community garden, getting it ready for next season’s crops and putting in the apple tree that we did today, I’m excited to come back in a few years, drive by and see it still going,” Perry said.

Moreover, Perry said the committee wants this to be an Arizona Super Bowl, not only for Phoenix. Around 5,000 volunteers have contributed to projects sponsored by the NFL in Flagstaff, Mesa and Tucson.

The most recent Super Bowl at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles was criticized for its effects on the local economy, increasing construction and displacing residents.

The future should be on rails

BRENDAN TRACHSEL

Aquick Google search of “the future of transportation” results in a plethora of dreamy technologies. Self-driving cars, drones, hyperloops and flying vehicles promise to be the answer for all our transportation needs.

The truth is these are all facades to the simple fact that the technologies we need for sustainable, efficient and reliable transportation are already here.

Trains are often touted by environmentalists as being the most environmentally friendly option for transportation, and they are absolutely right. Public ground transportation beats personal vehicles, and when it comes to buses and trains, rail reigns supreme

On top of that, rail transportation is the second safest form of transportation and has the potential to be reliable, affordable and fast However, trains in the United States are known to be quite the opposite The sad state of passenger rail services occurred from nearly a century of mistreatment from national, state and local governments.

From the 1880s to the 1920s, trains ruled the transportation world. The cost to travel across the U.S. drastically decreased, and streetcars could be found in every large American city. In 2022, streetcars, now known as light rail, are essentially nonexistent, and train travel is known to be riddled with delays.

Left: Junior Neto Fernandez, an NAU Skate Club member, performs a line of tricks filmed by another member, junior John Wilson, on the pedway, Oct. 27. Right: Sophomore Rowan McCullough performs a trick over a traffic cone outside of the Starbucks Union and The Wedge on central campus, Oct. 27. Taylor McCormick | The Lumberjack

DAISY JOHNSTON

ZACHARY MARKEWICZ

A train roars past the Amtrak station as the city halts to let it pass, Nov. 13.

Sara Williams | The Lumberjack

See

JONAH GRAHAM DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

Halfway through sophomore year, I had fallen into a slump of life. I didn’t feel motivated, I felt lazy and that I was wasting my opportunity of the college experience.

I remember one day in particular, on my way back to south village and all its gloom. I had called my dad and told him I wanted to join the construction management program and take a swing at it. “I think you can do it if you do your best,” my father said. As a kid I always hated his basic advice of “doing your best.” But it wasn’t till later that I finally realized what he meant.

I have observed the same thing in being a practitioner of photography. As a photographer, you are constantly looking at the world through the eyes of “what would be a great shot.” Running through various composition, lighting, subject framing, and other key aspects that make a photo a great one. And no matter how hard you think and contemplate the quality of your photo, you’ll never fully know you gave it your best till you capture it.

That’s what I’ve seen with my college experience. I didn’t start having fun and enjoying my time here till I started giving my best effort. Until I became so busy I forgot the days. The following semester I started double majoring, became a senior photographer for The Lumberjack, participated in various clubs, and took every opportunity that was presented to me. This has allowed me to have the best college experience I could have imagined.

As the Director of Photography, I have enjoyed every moment of leading the photo section. From guiding photojournalists through assignments, negotiating with outside organizations, working with the incredible photo department and being responsible for them. I have given my best effort to them despite a heavy schedule, clubs and ambitious goals. And have been rewarded with the success that they have achieved. As a senior photographer, my goal was to earn the front cover of each issue, selfishly taking as many assignments and focusing on my photo-taking ability to be the best in the group. As the Director, my goal has shifted to making sure every person is the best they can be. I am a servant to them, because when they go out and succeed, I have succeeded. It truly has been the perfect position for me.

And this all started from the current Editor in Chief Camille Sipple typing in our COVID-era zoom photo class inviting others to join. My letter to Camille, I have an appreciation for you that I cannot put into words. That was the start of my true college career, enabling me to make the best memories, befriend the most genuine people and discover aspects about myself that I wouldn’t have otherwise. From that jump of trust to join from your invitation, I have truly been blessed and I thank you for that.

And to anyone reading this, I would implore you to do your best. You won’t know you’ve done it till you just go for it. That’s the beauty of it.

TAYLOR MCCORMICK ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

For as long as I can remember, I always bit off more than I could chew when it came to school. I joined all the clubs, organizations and sports I could, including a part-time job my senior year of high school. Simultaneously, I had to keep track of all my scholarship information and get prepared for university through my excessive amount of honors, AP and dual enrollment courses.

Despite my wording, this is not me bragging, this is me trying to convey my very real issue of overexerting myself in order to stand out.

In middle school, I had teachers that both praised my efforts and said I would not amount to anything. Some even said they would be surprised if I made it to college.

Ouch.

Imagine my surprise at the end of my freshman year of university that I had an Editorial Board position. If I was still in sixth grade, I would tell my teachers “Take that!” but now all I have to say is for them to “Look at me now.”

When I started out my position, I thought the goal was to take multiple stories to show my strengths as Assistant Director and that I can handle the work that comes with the position.

Wrong play.

What I should have done differently is allow the newer photography staff to take a stab at the stories we were given, not take them before they could even have a chance to decide.

I have always characterized myself as incredibly ambitious whether it is of my own volition or for the approval of those around me. In this case, I sought the approval of my staff and other section editors.

Despite this, I do not plan on stopping “doing too much” because my most ambitious goal of all is to be Editor-in-Chief by my senior year. Yet, I have never had a writing or editing role at The Lumberjack. Just one of those things, I guess.

I will, however, go about my positions differently moving forward as to how I can better support and encourage my staff members, rather than focusing on my own image. For me, I think working in the newsroom as an Editorial Board member early on in my college career is a lot like gaining those four years of prior experience entry level jobs ask for.

If I were to say one thing to anyone reading this, it would be to always over-exaggerate your goals, no matter the outcome, but only do it because you want to.

Not for the approval of taunting teachers.

Not for the approval of parents living vicariously through you.

For you and you alone.

Go for what you want because you know it will improve your way of life, not the way others view you. It took me too long to realize this.

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Thank you for reading!

Thank you for reading!

The Last Mapmaker Reading and Giveaway

Brightside Bookshop

NAU Faculty Chamber Music Concert

Kitt Recital Hall

EXECUTIVE BOARD

Camille Sipple, Editor-in-Chief

Brenden Martin, Managing Editor

Emily Gerdes, Director of Digital Content

Marley Green, Copy Editor

Lian Muneno, Director of Print Design

Lydia Nelson, Director of Marketing

Things Not Seen: Art Exhibition @ Clara M. Lovett Art Museum

16 Film Screening: Portrait de la jeune fille en feu (Portrait of a Lady on Fire) @ Liberal Arts 136

Traditions Day | Pep Rally, Bonfire, Chili Cook-off @ Central Quad

4 ASNAU Carnival @ Union Pedway

5

Homecoming Parade NAU Football vs. Montana State @ Walkup Skydome

Prochnow Movie Weekend: Twilight Breaking Dawn

17

Prochnow Movie: Everything, Everywhere, All At Once

11 NAU Volleyball vs. Weber State @ Rolle Activity Center

18 Louie’s Cupboard Food Distribution @ University Union

12 NAU Volleyball vs. Idaho State @ Rolle Activity Center

19 NAU Football vs. Weber State @ Walkup Skydome

Flagstaff

Phone: (928) 523-4921 Fax: (928) 523-9313

Lumberjack@nau.edu P.O. Box 6000 Flagstaff, AZ 86011 VOL. 114 ISSUE 11

EDITORIAL STAFF

Daisy Johnston, News Editor

Sophia Swainson, Assistant News Editor

Jorja Heinkel, Online News Editor

Xavier Juarez, Assistant Online News Editor

William Combs III, Senior Reporter

Jessie McCann, Opinion Editor

Maria Rodriguez, Assistant Opinion Editor

Hannah Elsmore, Features Editor

Brisa Karow, Assistant Features Editor

Emily Rehling, Culture Editor

Emma Long, Assistant Culture Editor

Evan McNelia, Sports Editor

Noah Butler, Assistant Sports Editor

CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS

VISUALS

Jonah Graham, Director of Photography

Rainee Favela, Director of Illustration

Collin Vanderwerf, Director of Multimedia

Taylor McCormick, Assistant Director of Photography

Tess Bandstra, Assistant Director of Print Design

Jacob Handley, Senior Photographer

Octavia Freeland, Senior Photographer

Amirah Rogers, Director of Social Media

David Harpster, Faculty Adviser Rory Faust, Sports Adviser

The Lumberjack is committed to factual correctness and accuracy. If you find an error in our publication, please email Camille Sipple at ces475@nau.edu.

Photo by Ethon Peddle

NFL continued from FRONT

Perry said the host committee focuses on making a positive impact.

“When the event is the magnitude of the Super Bowl, it does come in and kind of take over the region,” Perry said. “What we try to do as a host committee is create something for everybody.”

Perry said the last Super Bowl hosted in Arizona, at the the State Farm Stadium in 2015, was a major success and they hope their work for 2023 will elevate the game even more.

One of the event’s organizers was the Flagstaff Sustainability Office, where Jacob Raatz works in sustainability and food systems. Raatz said they were there Friday partly to help mitigate some of the effects of the Super Bowl on the environment.

“Every business and franchise and cooperation out there, I think, is trying to find ways to help mitigate their carbon footprint, and that comes from a lot of different areas,” Raatz said. “You can’t pinpoint it on just one, but I think that this program is a great way to put a step forward in showing that they care and are willing to engage with the community.”

Major events like the Super Bowl, Raatz said,

increase traffic and overall carbon emissions. Furthermore, Raatz said issues that already exist in a city tend to be further concentrated by large events, one example being problems with public transport.

Coordinators with the NFL have been working to assist Arizonans with projects across the state. Raatz said he appreciates they are seeking out individuals with ideas already in mind rather than creating new projects. Continuing to grow its community gardens is something Flagstaff has been working on for years.

“This was something that the city was looking forward to, accomplishing and continuing to develop the city’s community space, and so I think the league was great to jump on that opportunity,” Raatz said.

During these events, something new is usually added to the garden. On Friday, volunteers added an apple tree and four new beds.

Elizabeth Taylor is on the board of Terra BIRDS — a Flagstaff group that aims to educate youth through gardening. Taylor said she was thrilled welcoming the NFL coordinators to Flagstaff.

“That’s what community gardens are all about, bringing people together to garden,” Taylor said.

The Southside Community Garden is the newest out of the three in Flagstaff, Taylor said, and is still building its character. Taylor said maintaining a community garden is always challenging, but the ones who stay connected are the most successful.

“What’s cool today is we have people from out of town bringing resources and money to support and commemorate an event in the state,” Taylor said. “We have kids, we have young adults, we have old adults who are all here because we think it’s really important to have community gardens.”

The Southside Community Garden has available community beds for people who want to plant. Everything in the garden has been done by the community.

Top left: James Allen, a professor and interim dean of the School of Forestry, uses a pick to turn up a garden bed during a volunteer event at Southside Community Garden, Nov. 11. Top middle: John Taylor, founder of Terra BIRDS, helps plant a tree in the Southside Community Garden during a volunteer event in collaboration with NFL Green and the NFL Super Bowl Host Committee, Nov. 11. Top right: Susan Groh, director of NFL Green, waters an apple tree planted at Southside Community Garden, Nov. 11. Bottom: A sign outside the Southside Community Garden, Nov. 11. Jacob Handley | The Lumberjack

“WHEN THE EVENT IS THE MAGNITUDE OF SUPER BOWL, IT DOES COME IN AND KIND OF TAKE OVER THE REGION. WHAT WE TRY TO DO AS A HOST COMMITTEE IS CREATE SOMETHING FOR EVERYBODY.”

- Jay Perry, president and CEO of the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee

Record sealing law to be put in place 2023

Arecord sealing law will be enacted in Arizona starting Jan. 1 2023 which includes sealing arrest, conviction and sentencing records. Previous offenders will be able to file a motion to seal their records based on the type of crime committed and conditions of punishment.

If the court grants the petition to seal the record, it will be closed off to the public and only law enforcement will be able to view the record.

Bret Royle is a criminal defense lawyer in Phoenix. Royle said matters of record sealing will impact the lives of previous offenders who want a fresh start.

“If you were to get a DUI, you now have a criminal record and have to tell employers about this, because it will show up when searching your name,” Royle said. “The idea that you can clean up your public image or online image is really important.”

Although the record sealing law will be beneficial to many with a current criminal record, there will be limitations. The severity of the type of crime committed and how long ago it took place will impact when someone can file a motion to have their records sealed.

The waiting period before someone can petition to have their record sealed will increase depending on the severity of the crime.

A three-year waiting period for class 1 misdemeanor and a two-year waiting period for any lower grade misdemeanor charge must be completed before applying to seal one’s record.

Class 2 and 3 felonies have a waiting period of 10 years after the sentence before applying for a record seal. For classes 4, 5 and 6, a five-year waiting period must be completed before applying.

Other laws in Arizona allow certain offenders to be eligible for a similar process. These are known as expungement and set aside. Expungement allows offenders to expunge certain crimes from their record.

Set aside allows offenders to set aside their record and show they have completed all terms of the sentence they were charged with.

Adam Cirzan, DNA-People’s Legal Services attorney, member of Reclaim Your Future Program and previous attorney at the Public Defender’s Office, specializes in expungements.

“The process of expungement is incredibly easy,” Cirzan said. “Not everything in our justice system is quick and easy to accomplish, but expungement is not that way. I encourage everybody that has marijuanarelated history to create a petition to file with the court.”

Enacted by Proposition 207, expungements are only for marijuana-related offenses. When a crime of simple marijuana possession is charged, an offender can file to expunge this crime from their record.

When setting aside convictions, civil rights, such as the right to vote, right to sit on a jury and right to bear arms, can be restored. Set aside does not mean a person no longer has a criminal record. It shows the person charged with the sentence and has no pending charges on their record.

A provision was made to the set aside law in 2021, which added a Certificate of Second Chance The certificate allows a second chance for housing, occupational license and employment opportunities.

“A client who had a criminal history related to marijuana was preventing him from getting food stamps,” Cirzan said. “We were able to get the expungement paperwork filed, prior offenses were expunged and the day after he told me how he was able to get his food stamps. He was happy now to be able to go to the grocery store and buy food.”

Along with these three laws, a class 6 felony can be designated down to a class 1 misdemeanor. A class 6 felony is the lowest grade felony attainable, and one can petition to have the crime moved down to a misdemeanor, meaning they no longer have to declare themselves a felon.

“Some criminals need to be denoted as someone you should watch out for, but the rest of the people are good people who made a mistake,” Royle said. “You shouldn’t have to live under the veil of this conviction because it impacts massive parts of your life that are taken away over a one-time mistake.”

If an offender commits another crime after having their conviction set aside, the previous crime can still be used to enhance the punishment of a new offense. Therefore, this law is useful for criminals as long as another crime is not committed.

Royle said a landlord or employer would much rather hire someone with a prior conviction if the record shows that all terms of the sentence have been completed. “If I am a landlord or employer and want to hire someone with a prior conviction, I would much rather see that the conviction has been taken care of and has no pending charges, which is what the set aside does,” Royle said.

These opportunities offer different options depending on the crime committed and terms of sentence. They all may be beneficial in improving one’s employment and housing situation and helping restore their civil rights.

The future of accessibility on college campuses

On Oct. 31, the Supreme Court of the United States heard arguments over raceconscious admissions policies at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina, which defended their use of race as one of many admissions criteria to attain a diverse student body. The court also heard arguments about Harvard University’s possible violation of the 14th Amendment by using affirmative action.

Both suits were filed by Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA), a group seeking to end practices that take race into account such as requiring students to provide their race on a college application. Practices like this are what the group said are “discriminatory.”

According to International Business Times, the case between SFFA and Harvard University centers around the question of whether the Ivy League discriminates against Asian American students in its race-conscious admission methods. In the case involving the University of North Carolina, the Supreme Court will decide whether considering race in admissions violates the constitution.

The Wall Street Journal reported the court’s decision, expected by July 2023, could force an adjustment to admissions criteria that have favored

Black and Hispanic applicants as well as athletes and children of alumni, donors and employees.

Affirmative action or race-conscious admission policies were confirmed in the 2003 where the University of Michigan Law School

explained how NAU is committed to making the university accessible for all.

argued utilizing race as a factor served a “compelling interest in achieving diversity among its student body.”

Associate Vice President for Communications Kimberly Ott

“As a crucial component of a True Diversity University, NAU’s vision of accessibility is a university community curricular and attitudinal barriers to services, programs and activities through both Universal Design and individual accommodations,” Ott said.

True Diversity University is a

program aimed to create, support and nurture a university environment exhibiting diversity and inclusion.

Universal Design is the goal for products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized arrangement.

By using these programs, NAU applied seven principles to make the Flagstaff campus more inclusive for students with disabilities.

Some of these principles are equitable use, designing campus to be useful and marketable to people with disabilities.

Tolerance for error minimizes hazards, low physical effort provides comfortable usage while size and space for appropriate use provide a clear line of sight to important elements.

“NAU is proud to recognize disability as an important aspect of diversity in our community and continues to work toward the fulfillment of our vision for a fully accessible campus environment,” Ott said.

Director of Disabilities Resources and 504 Compliance Officer Jamie Axelrod said his definition of accessibility is that students who have disabilities in either academic or campus environments can benefit from the programs NAU offers.

ILLUSTRATION BY HANNAH REDWOOD

EMMA WEAVER

ILLUSTRATION BY KAELEY COLLINS

NASA astronauts train in Flagstaff

Scientists from NASA have returned to Flagstaff in preparation for the Artemis era that will bring United States astronauts to the moon again.

NASA held two multi-week field tests with astronauts, engineers and scientists 40 miles north of Flagstaff.

The Artemis program, which consists of three missions, will land the first woman and first Person of Color on the moon to explore more of its surface.

Christopher Edwards is an associate professor of planetary science at NAU. Edwards said the Artemis missions will send humans beyond low Earth orbit.

“We’ve made low Earth orbit seem pretty routine at this point, and this new program paves the way to follow in the footsteps of our interplanetary robots with humans,” Edwards said.

This is not the first time NASA astronauts have trained in Flagstaff. All lunar mission astronauts have trained in northern Arizona since the Apollo program. The three Apollo 11 astronauts, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins, trained in Flagstaff for their mission to be the first humans on the moon.

NASA said the Arizona desert possesses similar features to a lunar environment. These features include challenging terrain, interesting geology and minimal communications infrastructure.

“Through Artemis, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the moon, paving the way for

a long-term, sustainable lunar presence and serving as a stepping stone for future astronaut missions to Mars,” NASA said in its Moon to Mars article. “Analog missions help prepare humans for the challenges of deep space exploration and journeying farther into the cosmos.”

The two analog missions were the Joint Extravehicular Activity and Human Surface Mobility Program Test Team field test 3 (JETT3) and the Desert Research and Technology Studies (D-RATS). NASA said these tests provided crucial data for the real event as teams conducted simulated lunar environment operations.

JETT3 was the first mission of the series. According to NASA, JETT3 included four simulated moonwalks that followed operations for Artemis III, the first moon landing mission of the program. JETT3 planned to help NASA understand the requirements of the unique lighting conditions of the lunar South Pole region.

This mission was from Oct. 4-9 near the SP Crater. JETT3 was the final test in the 2022 JETT series, a broader mission scale to warrant successful surface operations and technology development for Artemis III, NASA said.

The moonwalks happened at night, while a simulated sun produced lighting and shadows to replicate the proper lighting conditions. Two NASA astronauts, Drew Feustel and Zena Cardman, served as the crewmembers for all four moonwalks while wearing mockup spacesuit systems.

Milissa DeGeorge, eighth-grade

science and STEM teacher at Paseo Hills Elementary School in Phoenix, shared her thoughts on the positive benefits of the program.

“I think for the time, people thought the Apollo program was an impossibility only to find our ambition and drive are second to none,” DeGeorge said. “As for the Artemis mission, I believe most people are of the same mindset, it seems to be a far greater mission with many more risks. However, if we don’t continue to explore, we won’t continue to learn and grow as a civilization.”

The second analog mission, D-RATS, was Oct. 11-22 at Black Point Lava Flow, near SP Crater. D-RATS consisted of three mission runs that focused on conducting pressurized rover operations. According to NASA, these rovers are similar to recreational vehicles (RVs) that safely house astronauts for weeks at a time equipped with air, water, food, tools and hygiene equipment.

NASA said a flight control team led the simulated moonwalks from the Mission Control Center at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. A science team joined them in analyzing the moonwalks in real time.

NAU Information Technology Services assisted NASA with networking infrastructure allowing astronauts to communicate with the Houston Mission Control Center during their moon simulation.

“As a planetary scientist, I find this pretty exciting,” Edwards said. “The idea of expanding our breadth of human exploration is a very inspirational and

aspirational goal. Establishing a presence on other planets in a long-term mission is certainly feasible, and I believe the technology is not the barrier.”

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) joined NASA in this mission as part of an agreement that would support JAXA’s ability to provide a pressurized rover. JAXA astronauts joined NASA astronauts in driving a pressurized rover over three days.

“Throughout the Artemis program, robots and humans will search for, and potentially extract, resources such as water that can be converted into other usable resources, including oxygen and fuel,” NASA said in its Moon to Mars article

These teams gathered data about the design of the pressurized rover, cabin configuration, driving modes, timeline constraints and mission operations to assist in potential design concepts for future pressurized rovers.

Edwards said the way NASA has explored the moon’s surface will be similar to how they will explore Mars. He said he suspects Mars missions will start with similar goals as early lunar landings and then evolve quickly.

“I believe the Artemis program is the first real attempt to further true space exploration,” DeGeorge said. “It is a colossal endeavor that would surpass any past missions and finally put to rest the debate of whether we can or cannot make it to Mars.”

NASA said the success of the Artemis program will lead them to the next stage of sending the first astronauts to Mars.

MCKAYLA HOLDER

Photo courtesy of Rainee Favela

Kids? No, thank you

My whole childhood, I grew up playing house with my sisters and playing with baby dolls. I would treat the dolls like I was their mom. I envisioned being a mother, but now that I’m older, I genuinely cannot imagine having kids, whether that be now or in the future.

RAILS continued from FRONT

The current state of rail transportation is why it only made up 0.7% of over 5.6 trillion U.S. passenger miles traveled in 2019. In reality, it is not a realistic option unless you live within the train-heavy Northeast Corridor. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

In the early 1900s, governments made way for investments in motor vehicle infrastructure, and streetcar companies were forced to play on an uneven playing field. Their contracts with municipalities often required an extremely low fare as well as maintaining the asphalt along the tracks.

As cars took up more of the road, streetcars were blocked from making schedules on time and were essentially in charge of subsidizing the cars slowing them down. In the places where they were able to survive, trains were eventually phased out in every way to accommodate cars on the road.

some drastic steps.

The most drastic of all would be nationalizing the entirety of the U.S. rail network. For successful and reliable national rail service, this is a necessity. The major railroad corporations have completely mismanaged their infrastructure and trains solely for excessive profit.

Railroading is America’s most profitable industry. The current 50% profit margin goes to executives and stockholders, which means less investment into infrastructure, reduced safety and worse treatment of workers.

LISA HALL OPINION WRITER

Between the climate crisis, political downturns and economic hardship, I can’t even think about bringing another life into this world without cringing. My mom has said this is not the world she wanted her kids to grow up in.

I can only imagine this world getting worse as natural disasters rage on, the cost of living continues to rise and human rights are in question.

It’s understandable why millennials and Generation Z are choosing to focus on themselves instead of having kids — there are so many issues across the world.

Because of this, people face horrible living conditions where they don’t have access to clean water or food as well as substantial shelter. Overpopulation plays a contributing role in this, and the population reached 8 billion this past Tuesday. With more people, the demand for basic necessities rises exponentially, and the risk of environmental downfall, political disruptions and illnesses will rise.

Les Knight, who created the Voluntary Human Extinction Movement, was interviewed in an article published by The Guardian. The movement upholds the belief that if humans were to go extinct, the environment, ecosystems and other species would once again thrive.

“It’s true that society would be greatly diminished without children, but it isn’t right to create them just because we like having them around,” Knight said.

I won’t go as far as to say that humans should go extinct. However, if we stopped reproducing and focused on making this world a better place for those currently in it, we might see species flourish and the environment regain prosperity.

Still, there is not much of a desire amongst the masses of recent generations to become parents.

Women especially, have more reason than ever not to want to have children. Not even 50 years ago, women needed approval from their husbands to sign up for credit cards, and because of the shift toward a more equal world for all genders, women have more opportunities for personal and professional growth.

An article published by CNN covered reasons why a growing number of women don’t want to have children nowadays. Some of the reasons included not wanting the responsibility or simply being comfortable in their current lifestyle.

Many people see their parents’ struggle to make ends meet, working long hours, multiple jobs and providing childcare and education. Along with raising them, parents have to constantly teach their children how to be good people.

Not to mention the cost of raising a child, let alone the cost of just giving birth, which averages around $3,000 with insurance. An article from TheWashington Post reported that raising a child in the U.S. can cost around $17,000 a year but varies depending on financial situations.

Since the hostile takeover of cars on our roads, there is essentially no other option for travel in many towns and cities. Light rail offers a legitimate alternative to car travel, as they do not get stuck in traffic like most bus systems and can be easily electrified.

Long-distance passenger rail has a similar story of being pushed aside for vehicles.

The signing of the National Interstate and Defense Highways Act of 1956 by President Dwight Eisenhower completely changed the way Americans moved throughout the nation. This bill cemented the U.S.' dependence on cars for long-distance transportation.

Quickly after the creation of the interstate system, most private rail companies ditched their attempts at passenger service. In 1970, Amtrak was created to be a public service replacing the majority of private passenger rail services in America. Shortly after, in 1973, Congress mandated the transfer of rail infrastructure in the Northeast Corridor to Amtrak.

In the rest of the country, privately owned motor vehicles benefit from publicly maintained roads, while Amtrak, a publicly owned corporation, relies on private rail infrastructure. This is completely backwards and leaves little question as to why passenger rail is failing in the U.S.

While the government has neglected trains, it is possible to turn the trend around with

The pursuit of profit largely manifests itself through Precision Scheduled Railroading (PSR). PSR is openly adopted by six of the seven Class I railroads, with the exception being BNSF Railway, which is found going through Flagstaff. This practice includes less staff, less infrastructure and fewer but longer trains. While a railroad executive will never say it, PSR is a stunt purely for chasing shortterm gains at the expense of everyone else.

The “monster trains” have recently reached as long as 3.5 miles. Rail companies largely refuse to update their infrastructure to accommodate the length of these trains, making them unable to pass each other. This is the primary reason for Amtrak services being so unreliable outside the Northeast Corridor. Additionally, these long trains are often manned by just two people. If there is an issue, the workers are walking miles to find it.

Long-term nationalization should seek to reject the pursuit of massive profits and reprioritize strengthening essential rail infrastructure. This rail network will work toward the good of the public, just as is expected of our roads and highways.

Along with rail infrastructure, bike and pedestrian infrastructure with an emphasis on connectivity and walkability must coincide with this massive paradigm shift in how we move. People should have the option to never have to step foot in a car as we rebuild cities to benefit the individuals living in them.

It is a matter of making serious investments and steps toward better infrastructure and living conditions. Entrepreneurs need to step aside from their unhelpful transportation facades. We must prioritize rail to unlock all that is possible and more.

Flagstaff Amtrak Station located next to downtown Flagstaff hosts people waiting for their train or those interested in learning about local tourist attractions, Nov. 13.

Sara Williams | The Lumberjack

The dying industry of paperbacks

The dying industry of paperbacks

NAVARRO

Growing up in the late 2000s, the Internet was still gaining traction. Within a couple of years following, online opportunities expanded to the point where books no longer needed to be printed.

Looking back, I remember libraries used to be full of students looking for a book for their homework, and people sat in libraries for hours studying materials from books. Nowadays, when walking into a library, especially on a college campus, you are more likely to find students with their computers doing their studies online.

Many of my college professors also prefer the usage of an online book rather than a paperback. It is much easier to study and more convenient during class. Instead of having to take out a huge textbook, students can simply take out their laptops.

People relied on paperback books for information, assignments, recipes, etc., but now, we have countless search engines, to the point that physical books are no longer necessary or convenient to retrieve answers.

In the future, I can see books becoming strictly available online.

Online books are a growing market that will soon enough take over. The market was at a value of $17.7 million in 2020, and it is expected to grow an additional 5.8% by 2026.

I don't remember the last time I went to a library. All I have to do is pull out my phone to search on Google for an instant answer, and I’m certainly not the only one to use online resources over a book in the library.

From the years 2009 to 2019, libraries faced a

28% decline in public attendance, with the average person going to a library five times a year in 2009 only to go three times in 2019. Even before the height of COVID-19, five times a year wasn’t often.

As a kid, I spent much of my time at the library, since it had many activities for young kids. Yet as I got older, I’d only go to a library if I needed to print something, which does not say much about the benefit of reading paperback books.

With the decline of people visiting libraries becoming a trend in the past 10 years, the following decade shows little hope for a return of popularity of paperback books.

During the first nine months of 2020, the sales of paperback books declined a total of 4.8%, which might not seem like a significant amount, but it went from bringing in $570 million to $542.6 million.

The Internet was merely beginning to evolve throughout the decade, but it is bigger than ever before and progressing so much faster than we can keep up with it. Moreover, the Internet may not have even reached its full potential.

While looking into the future is an unforeseeable thought, no crystal ball is needed to argue that physical books cannot keep up for much longer with that type of competition.

Many bookstores have been shutting down across the country. The future of online books not only affects libraries, but many local book shops as well.

Even here at NAU, The Lumberjack newspaper stopped printing its editions, and ever since, the publication has only printed one special issue this fall. It is an online newspaper. Yet, even if we wanted to print out most of our issues, it is not as convenient anymore as it used to be.

The Lumberjack is not the only newspaper that has an online website to publish its stories. If we take a look at The New York Times, within only the year 2022, they have gotten a total of 6.14 million subscribers. These subscribers are subscribed to the company’s digital-only platform.

With printed newspapers slowly dying and making the switch to digital print, paperbacks are not too far off from it. In general, the need for print has vastly decreased, whether it be with printed newspapers or paperback books.

Who’s to say that in the future, there won’t be another pandemic that causes everything to shut down, and we will have to rely solely on the internet again?

The pandemic played a huge role in many companies thriving with their online sales. The Internet has a tremendous impact on this generation, and I know it will only keep growing.

While paperbacks have become obsolete, it does not mean that these books will cease to exist or never be printed again. Based on the statistics highlighting the downward trend of these books, it’s safe to say their usage will only decrease from here on out, and physical books will become an element of the past.

Soon enough, the transition from paperback to online books will be official, especially having search engines and e-books at the tip of your fingers. Technology is the future, and it’s much more convenient to use than going out of your way to go to a bookstore or library to find what you are looking for.

ANGELICA

ILLUSTRATION BY ALEXIS BEAMAN

Closing the orgasm gap

ROSE BAILLIE

Writer's Note: For the purpose of this article, when stating “women” or “men,” I am re ferring to cisgender, heterosexual individuals unless stated otherwise. I do not mean to exclude transwomen, non-binary people, or transmen with female sex organs. However, the purpose of this article is to highlight the inequality of cisgender women in hetero sexual relationships.

Unfortunately, it is common that cisgender, heterosexual women do not orgasm as much as cisgender, heterosexual men. This phenomenon is known as the orgasm gap

In one study that surveyed adults in the United States, heterosexual men report orgasming 95% of the time they have sex, while heterosexual women report orgasming only 65% of the time in the U.S.

Our patriarchal culture prioritizes cisgender men’s needs over women’s. As a result, heteronormative, penetrative sex has become the standard for our society, excluding all other forms of sexual pleasure.

The orgasm disparity increases oppression of women and those with female sex organs, as their needs are not considered and come second to heterosexual men. There cannot be a future where the orgasm gap shrinks until women’s and other marginalized groups’ needs are put at the forefront.

This includes prioritizing female sexual pleasure and becoming more accepting of sex that is not penetrative and heteronormative.

Given this predicament, society has not focused on the most important aspect of women’s orgasms: the clitoris. Part of this neglect is due to a lack of significant knowledge of clitoral anatomy and its importance in women's pleasure.

Women are expected to orgasm through vaginal stimulation only. However, most women need clitoral stimulation to reach orgasm. In one study published by the Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, 81.6% of women do not orgasm from penetrative sex alone.

It goes without saying that historically, men’s pleasure, in every aspect of life, has been more important than women’s. Since penetrative sex is the most common method in society, we are not taught to focus on the clitoris during sex.

Not all men are terrible or oppressive, but sex culture is highly patriarchal — like most aspects of our nation — which has contributed to the collective disregard of the clitoris. As a result, women are not valued sexually, nor are they taught that their sexual needs matter. This scenario has prevented normalizing sex that includes everyone’s desires.

To lessen the orgasm gap, it is important to highlight where society has fallen short in recognizing and emphasizing women’s pleasure. By learning the history behind why clitoral orgasm is misrepresented, we can better understand this issue and what can be done to think differently and reduce the orgasm gap in the future.

The misconception of the vaginal orgasm became increasingly relevant in the 18th century. It wasn’t until recently that clitoral orgasm was considered. However, even with the knowledge of the clitoris’ function during sex, clitoral orgasm was thought of as the inferior way for a woman to experience pleasure.

Sigmund Freud is to thank for this horrible phenomenon, as he believed that although women experience pleasure from clitoral stimulation, they must have a vaginal orgasm. He thought that if a woman does not climax through vaginal penetration alone, then she is an immature woman. Furthermore, he claimed that women were “frigid” if they could not orgasm vaginally, and their lack of climax was a psychological problem.

There was no scientific backing to his claims.

Shaming women and their sexual experiences has perpetuated the idea that women are inferior to men. Freud’s narrative has led women to believe that there is something wrong with them if they do not meet the “standard” of orgasming through penetrative sex. This has been and continues to be severely damaging to women’s mental health.

Although current socially adopted views are not as binary as Freud’s were, the clitoris’ role in pleasure is still not valued in the way it should be. If it were, then the orgasm gap would not exist. Society must normalize clitoral stimulation and stop blaming women for their lack of orgasm.

Furthermore, it wasn’t until the 1970s that scientists William Masters and Virginia Johnson discovered and acknowledged the power of the clitoris. They also concluded that women’s preferred way to orgasm is through clitoral stimulation.

Masters and Johnson opposed Freud’s narrative by suggesting that women’s difficulty in climaxing was due to the lack of communication during heteronormative sex, as well as society’s dismissal of women’s sexual needs. They also highlighted that if a woman is stimulated correctly, then she can have multiple orgasms.

There have even been more recent discoveries attributed to urologist Helen O'Connell. In 1998, she found that the clitoris is not just a “button” at the top of the vulva but rather that it is more expansive. Then in 2005, O’Connell uncovered the full anatomy of the clitoris. In 2013, artist Sophia Wallace created the first anatomically correct representation of the clitoris in her Cliteracy project.

ILLUSTRATION BY LENORE OTERO-STRONG

This history shows that society has not been aware of women’s sexual needs, nor have they been seen as important. It is no wonder that women often feel they have no say in sex and that their pleasure is not considered.

Since this information is relatively new, it is going to take an immense amount of effort to emphasize clitoral stimulation and increase women’s pleasure, especially during heteronormative intercourse.

Yet, it is more than the lack of attention to female anatomy; individuals are fed information that puts women at an increased disadvantage when it comes to getting their sexual needs met.

One false narrative is that sex is not as important to women as it is to men. Although this idea has been scientifically debunked, it is still embedded in our society as a gender bias.

This idea prevents women from seeking out their sexual desires and men from pleasing and prioritizing their female partners.

To get past these stigmas and injustices, there needs to be more space for people to communicate honestly and openly about sex. One way to do this is for men to listen to women’s needs and consider her pleasure other than just his own.

Most importantly, if the patriarchal structure is not demolished, then the orgasm gap will not reduce.

If there is no change, then inequality will persist. Women will have to spend their precious time trying to unlearn their sexual conditioning and process the negative impacts.

When women gain control of their sexual pleasure and reproductive function, we are more powerful. However, society clearly views this as a threat, as has been made apparent with the overturn of Roe v. Wade

If women do not have any say over the choices they wish to make for their bodies, how could it be that a woman’s pleasure is going to be important and that there will be an effort to reduce the orgasm gap?

Equality and bodily autonomy are regressing. Unfortunately, women’s and folks with female reproductive organs’ bodily needs and wants are not a priority.

The future does not look bright for the female orgasm without action and the willingness to learn.

While changing the whole structure of society is quite difficult, it is not impossible. There are countless resources to educate yourself and others when it comes to the orgasm gap.

Contribute to the equality of women by putting in the time to learn the facts. Become a better communicator so that you and your sexual partner’s needs are met. You have the power to combat marginalization occurring within sex culture and help reduce the orgasm gap for future generations.

Cities of tomorrow can start today

SAMANTHA LOGERWELL

When most people think of cities, they think of busy, loud and heavily polluted areas, but the idea of the modern-day city is likely to change in future years.

Cities are essential to our lives, but what could they look like in the future?

To some, the future may seem unreachable with the climate change issues we are facing at present, but we can lessen the impact if we change these urban areas.

The majority of pollution comes from cities, with 70% of global carbon dioxide emissions coming from a large number of buildings and cars. The air quality in many areas is at a low and unhealthy level.

In fact, more than 40% of people live in areas with unhealthy air quality, with around 80% of people living in urban cities in the U.S. The worst culprit is California, with cities such as Los Angeles, Long Beach and Bakersfield.

Cities need to be built more sustainably in the future, and layouts need to favor pedestrians over cars. Not only that, but their infrastructure needs to be sustainable. To take these steps for the betterment of the future, we have to start now.

Now, we can pave the way so that in the future, cities will look a lot different from what they are now. One proposed solution for making cities more walkable and urban is limiting road usage. This would not only be better for the average person, because the purchase of a car would be necessary, but it would also cut back on the carbon emissions that are released from cars and from building roads.

This idea isn’t too far off from what cities around the world are trying to do now. An example of this would be in Copenhagen, Denmark. Officials have limited road and car use for the health of the residents, and now more than 45% of the population bikes everywhere. They did this by building bike lanes on all of their roads and major city highways, which they call super-cycle highways.

Bikes are also a great advantage for future cities being walkable and a sustainable mode of transportation, which has become more popular recently. Biking has jumped from 43 million bikers in 2017 to 48 million in 2020. Without roads, car-related deaths would become less prevalent and walking would be safer. Walking is also healthier and gets people outside and moving.

Pollution will decrease and the air quality will improve because there will be less carbon emission from cars.

City transportation could also benefit from the inclusion of more train-focused infrastructure. One fast train going through the nation would make traveling long distances easier and limit the use of planes, which produce a decent amount of carbon dioxide emissions.

Airplanes emit around 100 times more carbon dioxide per hour than trains do. So, switching to trains would keep an enormous amount of pollution from going into the atmosphere.

Also, there are solutions for shorter forms of transportation that aren't walking or biking. Some cities have already implemented an electric community bus that can take people places for a small fee. This will definitely be enhanced in the future by ensuring more of them are accessible to everyone.

The next part of this city plan will be optimizing infrastructure involving how the city is built and mapped out.

This involves using sustainable materials and building strategies. Some examples of this are utilizing enough insulation to limit the amount of energy used and making the best use of natural light to not waste energy. NAU’s Applied Research and Development Building is adopting a similar strategy, as they have already sent 90% of their waste materials that are normally generated from building construction to be recycled inside, instead of being sent to a landfill.

The materials still go unused, so taking these steps into consideration when building is very important. Yet, more action could be taken by converting waste into building materials for use on other projects.

Doing so is especially crucial, as building construction is a top emitter of carbon dioxide from the heavy machinery, construction and the building materials used, including the process of making concrete. This is what makes up about 20% of global carbon emissions annually.

When people are thinking of the future, they might picture flying cars or robots everywhere, but that is not how I see cities. This is because the sustainable city of the future isn’t too far off. With the proper initiatives and changes, this city could easily become a reality in a mere 5-10 years for the betterment of our future.

While at this time, there is no way to make 100% sustainable buildings and ensure an environmentally friendly city, hopefully, in the future, there will be ways to advance architecture and the layout of how the cities will be built to minimize an area’s global impact.

BY KAELEY COLLINS

ILLUSTRATION

BY JONAH GRAHAM

Architecture is dying, but it can be saved

JONAH GRAHAM

Architecture began immediately after our ancestors left the comfortable and easy living of caves and earth-made structures. Since then, it has flourished into a staple of human existence.

Architecture has represented culture and style for millennia, from the grand Greek colossals such as the Parthenon and temples dedicated to their Gods to the Calakmul in Mexico that withstood years of war and conflict. These structures have been the artistic servant providing shelter and awe from the wills of Mother Nature and her creations, while also allowing the opportunity to appreciate the vision needed for creation.

But in today’s built environment, the production of meaningful and creative architecture has seemingly died and is reserved only for special occasions. So what happened, and how do rising generations react to it?

The pursuit of becoming an architect is an extensive and challenging trail to embark on. For an individual to become licensed in this practice, they must attend an architecture program accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB).

This accreditation is followed by gaining real-world experience through internships with design firms and, finally, taking and passing a jurisdictional architect exam by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB). It’s a strenuous and daunting process as the exam covers many different aspects of education.

According to Arizona State's major map, potential architects have a diverse curriculum that allows them to learn different disciplines such as science, art, philosophy and history. This is important to the practice of architecture — allowing the artisan to incorporate design features that give nods to the area, culture and history. Additionally, it also provides a space for people to enjoy occupying, which ultimately helps with mental health

As architects go through this process and are immersed in such variety and culture from everywhere around the world, it’s unfortunate that American architecture has taken such a dive, especially within commercial and residential construction.

The reason for this turn? Money, deliverability and mass production. The demand for buildings in today's industry is astronomical, with developers and owners wanting their specific-use structure built sooner rather than later.

This is especially seen in some residential subdivisions. From a time and effort standpoint, it is cheaper for an owner to have a building designed as quickly and easily as possible, so they save money on the architect. Following the design phase, the owner wants to have a product that is simple and fast so the builders can deliver the structure on schedule.

When this part of the formula is found, finding ways to mass produce this allows a cash cow for builders, architects and ultimately owners. With a method that proves benefits to save on money and time, this allows individuals of the industry to participate in a rinse-and-repeat process, which adds more fuel to the flame as far as diminishing creativity in construction.

Although this may seem like a win-win-win situation, this inevitably kills architecture and everything it stands for. The goal of designing a structure should not be for the money, but for the art itself.

With the motivation of money, corners are cut and designs become bland to produce a more profitable product. Commercial buildings have a similar result,

becoming nothing but big squares that litter the landscape. To return to its former glory, architecture needs to change and transform into what it previously was, which is art.

The motives of the rising generation are the ultimate factor that will allow architecture to be restored to its prestigious stance. Despite continuously being in an industrial age, it has begun to taper off and industrialize in a different direction

Sustainability is an attractive future that owners and builders want to pursue to achieve positive effects that the practice provides. These positive effects include cost-effectiveness, job creation and reducing carbon, water, energy and waste.

This is the foot in the door that art needs to be back in structures. Through the idea of sustainability, architects are given the opportunity to make attractive buildings that do more than look good, but are also effective in reducing the carbon footprint that buildings produce.

The guidelines that sustainable constructions require also result in a challenge for developers to think outside the box. No guidelines result in a square, carbonproductive, bland building that does nothing but stand there. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) buildings, on the other hand, act as symbols of the future that represent the community and remind us that it's possible to industrialize with the future's priorities in mind.

Although this may seem like a far-fetched idea to pursue and only a distant dream that remains, the start of this new industrialization is already upon us. Sustainable buildings and subdivisions grow in popularity each year in construction.

Buyers want more than a stucco-laced structure or a building that gives a slight nod to the area. They want something to enjoy occupying the physical living space, the visual of the art and the feeling they have when they’re there.

These are all undertakings that the discipline of architecture can fix if given the opportunity. The wheel does not need to be reinvented but instead improved upon to be the solution people need the most, whatever that may be.

Although the future is uncertain and modern architecture designs now may only be a vogue, timelessness is created by the user and not the creator. The famous architect Norm Foster would say, “As an architect, you design for the present, with an awareness of the past for a future which is essentially unknown.”

Art is a luxury that must be sought out in today’s world, but architecture remains one of the few that can be seen everywhere, especially with the help of the future. It should be a priority to the future builders of America to look to the past and be inspired to create for the future.

ILLUSTRATION

“AS AN ARCHITECT, YOU DESIGN FOR THE PRESENT, WITH AN AWARENESS OF THE PAST FOR A FUTURE WHICH IS ESSENTIALLY UNKNOWN”

– Norm Foster

FEATURES

SKATE continued from FRONT

Ray said the longboarding club had not gained the traction its founder had hoped for, and ownership of the club was offered to Ray. He said he accepted immediately, knowing the number of skaters on campus was increasing and that a club would be a great way to gain support for building a skate park.

Recycling the Skate Jacks’ certifications, the club rebranded as NAU Skate Club. With the time saved by being certified already, the creation of its online image, club procedures and purpose began. The club officially started this past August. Since then, Ray said he has taken a hands-off approach as president, where the members decide what direction they want the club to take.

The club meets weekly, sometimes for more important discussions about the direction of the club and sometimes for more lighthearted meetings about recent successes for the club. Afterward, members are almost always outside the University Union skating.

When the club does decide on a direction, it often involves collaborating with other skaters outside of the club for events.

The matter of the skate park petition took half of this week’s meeting. The other half was for deciding how to use the received donations. Two ideas seemed to reach a positive consensus: a food drive in collaboration with the Grand Canyon University Skate Club and a gear donation drive with Skate264, a skateboarding collective based in the Hopi reservation.

The club recently held a Halloween skate competition in collaboration with Snow Mountain River (SMR), a local outdoor clothing and equipment shop. Those who participated could win boards, wheels and stickers.

Dylan Green, a manager at SMR, attended the competition and said he thought the event was a lot of fun. He and the team at SMR appreciated being a part of and helping the skate community, Green said.

“Some of those little events can be super beneficial to some people,” Green said. “I know quite a few skaters who can’t necessarily afford to buy a new board every couple of months or whenever they break them. So, it can be a good way to put good products into the hands of people who might not have been able to afford it otherwise.”

SMR plans to open a second location on Fourth Street with an indoor skatepark. Green said he hopes future collaborations with the club at the indoor park will help spread the word about SMR and ultimately help the skate community.

Uriel “Neto” Fernandez is a member of the skate club and has been part of the skate community for two years. He said his favorite part of the club is being part of a group that gets him regularly skating. For him, skating started as a way to get around but has become something he said he finds pride in.

“In high school, I used to do cross country and track,” Fernandez said. “I liked it. I was decent at it, but I mostly did it because my dad was happy I was doing a sport he did, whereas this sport is purely me. No one told me to get a board.”

Skateboarding requires months or even years to become proficient at. Someone practicing will have to fail countless times to learn a new trick, a sentiment that Ray said has given him a worldview that helps him face challenges without fear of

failure. Ray said his learning experiences with skating gave him his passion for the club and makes him want to share skating with others. But, he said his passion for skating has always been for the bonds it creates.

“You don’t get to pick who you’re skating with,” Ray said. “You’re going to go to your skate park and the locals are going to be there. [Skating] found all of them one way or another and you’re united by your love for [skating] and that is what makes it feel more like a family to me.”

When the meeting ended, the members left in a wave. They went outside to their usual spot behind the University Union and started to skate. It was still cold and windy, but everyone was friendly. Some stood and talked as the sound of boards on cement crashed around them.

Top: NAU Skate Club member Ryan Murphy performs a trick on a bench outside of The Wedge on central campus, Nov. 11. Bottom: NAU Skate Club members discuss tricks they are about to do on the pedway, Nov. 11. Taylor McCormick | The Lumberjack

Outdoor education: The future of schooling

The Glen Canyon Outdoor Academy is one of the first schools in northern Arizona to implement what could be the future of education. The public charter school uses a hybrid learning system, called Expeditionary Learning, to create a relationship between outdoor learning and a modified indoor curriculum.

The academy opened its doors for the first time this August to 90 children ranging from first- to sixthgrade.

Susan Pilkington is the director of operations, director of special services and president of the board for Glen Canyon Outdoor Academy. She said she believes the current education model is in desperate need of reform, which is why she joined like-minded colleagues to develop the curriculum of Glen Canyon Outdoor Academy.

“I don't think it's any secret to anyone, whether you're in education or not, that the state of education in America is not ideal,” Pilkington said. “I would hope that we can reach a point where children can feel safe, secure and confident within the school system. I, sadly, would say a lot of children don't feel those three things when they walk into school.”

Pilkington said she and her colleagues kept this idea in mind when they curated teaching methods for the school. Prioritizing community engagement, empathetic teachings and positive reinforcement in behavior are all key aspects of their novel form of learning, she said.

Another key attribute of the school is teaching concepts over memorization, Pilkington said. Rather than teaching in the conventional way, the school uses a looping system to combine grade levels.

“We emphasize multi-year relationships with students and multi-grade level grouping to accommodate children’s different levels of maturity and differing capabilities,” the school’s website said.

Looping helps eliminate labeling students as advanced or behind their goals, the website continues. This method allows educators to teach each child as opposed to grade level, the website said.

Empathy is critical in the Glen Canyon Outdoor Academy education. Children are exposed to understanding others’ feelings and the consequences of their actions through a learning technique called Crew, Pilkington said.

Raini Goatson is the lead teacher for first and second grade at the Glen Canyon Outdoor Academy. The Crew method is the first activity in her class every day.

“Crew is about cultivating belonging and creating relationships while we learn together,” Goatson said. “It connects to empathy, because through courageous

conversations, we are able to support and share the load of opening a new school together without diminishing each other’s needs.”

The school has not only veered away from traditional curriculum but has also modified the build of normal schools.

Students are taught in smaller class sizes to make the learning process more curated toward every student’s needs and for the teacher to be able to focus on education, not “crowd control,” Pilkington said.

Glen Canyon Outdoor Academy has schooling hours from 8:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. and holds classes Monday through Thursday. This method promotes the importance of family and community involvement, Pilkington said.

Each Thursday, grades rotate turns to go on “expeditions,” which are field trips where students learn outdoors, Pilkington said. When it is not the allotted time for a grade to go on an expedition, she said, they take trips within walking distance so they are still able to interact with nature.

This allows students to develop a relationship with the land around them, encouraging sustainability efforts, she said.

“To most of our staff, it is super important that we foster students who understand the needs of the Earth and how to take care of it,” Pilkington said.

Their goal is to create “stewards for the Earth” by first teaching students how to be responsible for their classroom.

Parents find this aspect of the curriculum to be particularly compelling when considering enrolling their children.

Erik Stanfield is a parent to a first-grade student at the Glen Canyon Outdoor Academy.

“I very strongly believe that learning, especially for younger students, should be an active process and engage all of their senses,” Stanfield said. “Outdoor education serves both of these purposes in a way that traditional public schools generally do not offer.”

He said he believes outdoor education helps students build self-reliance and encourages them to become adaptable to changes.

“Nature is, after all, ‘the unknown’ and challenges students in a way that will encourage perseverance, resourcefulness and resilience,” Stanfield said.

The motivation behind making outdoor trips an integral part of the curriculum at the charter school is also based on psychological studies, Pilkington said.

Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports is a type of positive reinforcement method that allows children to be rewarded for good behavior, as opposed to being punished for negative actions.

“What you pay attention to is what will repeat itself,” Pilkington said. “We want to pay attention to those positive behaviors instead of always trying to

focus on what they're not doing or what they're doing wrong.”

Utilizing positive reinforcement also provides educators with the opportunity to implement restorative circles to help solve classroom dilemmas.

In these situations, students, teachers and other faculty members sit in a circle and discuss the matter at hand. This way, all participants have an equal voice in the conversation, no matter their role in the classroom, Pilkington said.

This idea of a restorative circle was inspired by the Navajo notion of restorative peace, Pilkington said.

Navajo peacemakers work with families whenever there is conflict, she said. This model of restoring how things should be, instead of being punished for adverse actions, is greatly reflected in the teachings at Glen Canyon Outdoor Academy, Pilkington said.

This school year, over half of the students are Indigenous, Pilkington said. The idea of educating students on Navajo practices and traditions has been a goal of the Glen Canyon Outdoor Academy since the school’s inception.

Pilkington said the history between Navajo Nation and education has been less than amicable. The academy’s goal is to shift the preexisting relationship into something beneficial and restorative.

“We would like to be able to represent the Navajo culture well in our school so that our Navajo students feel like it is a place for them,” Pilkington said. “Historically, how they were brought into schools was super negative, and so we want them to feel like this is as much their school [as anyone else’s]. I think with time, that [connection] will grow more and more.”

Glen Canyon Outdoor Academy has been well received by parents who have children attending the school and those who wish to enroll their children, Pilkington said. She said there is an extensive list of students waiting to be enrolled.

Pilkington said the school plans to expand into a K-8 establishment by 2024. They will first expand to kindergarten and seventh grade in the upcoming school year.

She said they are also looking for more faculty to help cultivate students into individuals who value Earth and are aware of their emotions. Pilkington said about five new positions will open, and applications are available on their website

Northern Arizona’s natural beauty — paired with the unorthodox teaching styles of The Glen Canyon Outdoor Academy — allows students to learn in a way that is different from the current education method in many U.S. schools. With the increase in schools that utilize expeditionary learning, outdoor education may be the future of schooling.

MAKAYLA RICHARDSON

Students gather in a circle to complete their classwork in an outdoor environment, Oct. 20. Photo courtesy of Glen Canyon Outdoor Academy

Rising rent causes concern

OLIVIA LOPEZ

Students have begun the process of searching for a place to live for the upcoming year, and American Campus Communities' properties are a popular residential choice for upperclassmen. However, an increase in rent for these communities is affecting housing possibilities for students.

One of the American Campus Communities on campus is Skyview — a complex of shared apartments. Layouts for the apartments can accommodate two, three or four people. Skyview also offers townhouse floor plans, all of which range in price. The lowest price offered is $946 and the highest price is $1,029.

Rates have since increased from last year.

Viansa Reid, a sophomore, has been a resident of Skyview for three months. She said she pays $890 a month for a four-bed apartment deluxe room and a parking space.

Because rent is rising for the upcoming year, Reid said she will go from paying $890 to $1,024, something she said she is unhappy with.

“That number still includes parking but doesn't include electricity or water,” Reid said. “If they haven't been charging people for it since opening, why are they starting now?”

A parking garage is located near Skyview for residents. Reid said the price to

park there will increase next year.

“They are also increasing the parking garage fee from $45 a month to $60, which is a higher cost than parking at [San Francisco Parking Garage],” Reid said.

Reid said she does not believe $1,000 a month for rent is an affordable living expense for college students. Places off campus are also raising rent, but are staying in the $800-$900 price range, which is more affordable for students. The Grove, Fremont and The Uncommon are examples of off-campus apartments that have floor plans in this price range.

While Reid chose to live in a deluxe apartment, Skyview offers different apartment styles and rooms for a lower cost.

“There are one or two cheaper options for living at Skyview, such as choosing a standard room instead of a deluxe, lowering your rent per month by about 50 or so dollars, but the rent goes up every year, so eventually, even those options won't be considered very affordable either,” Reid said.

Because of inflation and the already high cost of living in Flagstaff, Reid said she doesn’t believe there is a solution to the increase in pricing.

The Suites is another living area run by American Campus located on south campus. Four floor plans are offered for students to choose from. There are three choices with one bed and one bathroom and one choice of two beds and one bathroom. The pricing for next year will range from $519 to $1,349.

Hilltop Townhomes is the other living facility in Flagstaff through American Campus Communities. The townhomes there have one layout of four bedrooms and three bathrooms. Next year prices for Hilltop will range from $914 to $944.

Madeline Tribolet, a junior, is currently a resident at Hilltop looking for a new place to live for the upcoming year.

She said she has lived at Hilltop for a year and a half, paying $920 a month in rent. If she had re-signed her lease for the upcoming school year, she would be paying $1,054 a month including utilities, Tribolet said.

Tribolet also expressed her issues with parking while living at Hilltop. Like Skyview, Hilltop has increased its pricing for parking to $60 for next year. The price for parking was originally $50 for surface-level parking and $45 a month for garage parking, Tribolet said.

She said there is a lack of control of parking on campus; her parking spot was continuously taken by other Hilltop residents or people visiting. Tribolet said this struggle is not worth the price.

“[I] have to walk from the garage to my building at 12:45 a.m. by myself in the dark after I get home from work,” Tribolet said. “I don’t feel safe doing this, and it’s part of the reason why I decided to pay for a reserved spot.”

The upcoming rise in rent for Hilltop caused Tribolet to search for a new place. She said she wants to move to The Grove because the pricing is cheaper at $840 a month with free parking.

If the timing does not work out to sign a lease with The Grove, Tribolet said she will struggle to find an affordable living space close to NAU with available units for

The Suites are illuminated by campus lights, Nov. 12. The Suites are one of the of the housing options on campus. John Chaides | The Lumberjack

The Hilltop Townhomes one of the housing options that is managed by American Campus Communities, Nov. 12. American Campus Communities manages several housing complexes on and near campus. John Chaides | The Lumberjack

concern for future housing

the upcoming school year.

She said prices are increasing to unattainable rates for college students to pay.

“How is a student supposed to be able to go to school full-time and have a minimum wage job that they can only work part-time because they still have to go to class [and also] study, do homework and have somewhat of a social life?” Tribolet said.

It is difficult to maintain the required guarantor income, which is three times an individual’s rent cost, Tribolet continued.

In the future, Tribolet said she would like to see rent prices more in line with the minimum wage of Flagstaff.

“People should be able to live without the constant fear of not being able to pay their bills — living paycheck-to-paycheck barely being able to survive,” Tribolet said.

Tribolet said she does not want to have to worry about missing rent payments for the upcoming year.

“I hope [American Campus] sees how they are affecting the community and causing other places to believe they can do the same,” Tribolet said.

Sophomore Olivia Bowie lived in The Suites her freshman year and moved to Hilltop this year.

Bowie said The Suites were too expensive for the amount of space within the room. She said she moved to the larger space which came with utilities, including a kitchen along with washer and dryer units. The private bathroom and parking availability were other reasons for her move, Bowie said.

At Hilltop, she said the rent is high, but it is worth it for the location, amenities and the amount of space provided for four roommates.

Bowie said she believes neither The Suites nor Hilltop are affordable for students to live in.

“No student could do full-time school and manage to work enough to pay off these bills and other living expenses without help or a loan,” Bowie said.

Campus living is becoming more expensive than living in an apartment offcampus, Bowie said. She said she would like to see American Campus Communities cover some of the utilities provided in the living areas, in addition to establishing a consistent rent price.

“It would be awesome if they could start covering some of the utilities and keep the rent price the same throughout each year, but that will never happen,” Bowie said.

Alicia Voytek, associate vice president of Campus Living, discussed the housing rate-setting process along with resident involvement.

Voytek said each year there is an advisory council made up of student representatives from Residence Hall Association, ASNAU and faculty representatives from outside of Campus Living.

“We walk through the Campus Living budget, including revenue and expenses, facility improvements completed this year and planned for the upcoming year

and other influential factors or forecasted impacts to the following year’s budget,” Voytek said.

The council also compares rent rates to off-campus housing and other state and regional college and university housing rates, Voytek said.

Voytek said the advisory council then discusses multiple housing rent rate scenarios to vote on which housing rent rate to present to the university president and recommend to the Arizona Board of Regents for approval.

“Campus Living values and solicits student feedback as an important part of how we serve students and determine where we can enhance the student experience on campus,” Voytek said.

Voytek said Campus Living sends an annual experience survey to all on-campus students. This year’s survey has been completed, and there was a reported 94% satisfaction rating from students about their overall experience living on campus, Voytek said.

The survey for students highlighted areas of student satisfaction, Voytek said. Students felt welcomed on campus and comfortable in their living situations, she continued.

The future for on-campus living continues to be a struggle for many students with the rise of rent. Residents are hopeful their concerns will be heard by oncampus living communities.

Hilltop Townhomes is illuminated by street lights, Nov. 12. Hilltop Townhomes are one of the housing options that is managed by American Campus Communities. John Chaides | The Lumberjack

Skyview Apartments advertises open leasing for the 2023-24 school year, Nov. 12. The Skyview Apartments are one of the housing options that is managed by American Campus Communities. Taylor McCormick | The Lumberjack

FEATURES

illustrator spotlight Rainee Favela

Hi there! I am a Digital Designer who specializes in Graphic Design & Illustration, along with my additional backgrounds in Social Media Management, Photography, Videography, and more! I am currently pursuing a BFA in Visual Communications, Emphasis: Graphic Design, at Northern Arizona University. I love leading my team of illustrators and adapting their professional development every chance we get.

News room BeReals of the week

This time, next year

HANNAH ELSMORE

Late at night and early in the morning, I am overwhelmed with the concept of my future.

This time, next year.

Will I be living in Flagstaff?

I just finished boarding the foundations of my “family” here at NAU.

It feels like four years is barely enough time to get started in a new city, at a new school.

It feels quite sentimental, to think of my time here so far.

Where has the time gone?

I reflect on the work I’ve done, the friendships I’ve made and the home I’ve built for myself.

I can’t help but put a timer on the remaining moments I have in this town.

Every time I make a latte for a customer, I ask myself, how many more of these will I make before I move on to a “real” job?

Every time I finish page design for a new issue of the paper, I dread getting closer to the last issue I will work on at NAU.

Every time I go out with my friends, I wonder how many more of these memories we will have time to make.

This time, next year.

Hopefully, these moments will remain crystal clear in my mind. I wish I spent more time appreciating such fond memories.

When I leave Flagstaff, I am nothing more than the impact I have made on this town.

I wonder if my memory will dissipate with my presence here. Will my friends who remain in Flagstaff hear my laughter in the wind? Or will the wind wipe away all signs of me, like dust on a windowsill?

I hope that, wherever I am next year, I will remain grateful for the time I’ve spent here.

Farewell to a Migo

As I’m writing this, State Farm Arena in Atlanta is preparing to celebrate the life of Kirsnik Khari Ball, better known as Takeoff. On the morning of Nov. 1, TMZ reported the 28-year-old Migos member was killed when an argument at a bowling alley in Houston turned into a shootout.

MONTRELL GANTT

Houston police chief Troy Finner said many had contacted him about how peaceful Takeoff was, leading many to believe that the artist wasn’t directly involved in the gunfight that claimed his life. These beliefs were furthered when Quality Control, Takeoff’s record label, released a statement

“A stray bullet has taken another life from this world and we are devastated,” the label said.

When an influential artist passes away, those who lived through their influence grieve a little harder. When Mahalia Jackson died in 1972, my grandparents felt it a little more. When Michael Jackson and Prince died in 2009 and 2016 respectively, my parents felt it a little more. When I woke up and saw the news that Takeoff had died, I definitely felt it more.

I was 13 years old when I heard “Versace,” Migos’ first major label single, released in 2013. I remember hearing that flow and being in awe. I hadn’t heard anything that catchy in all my years listening to hip-hop at that point. It made me want to bob my head, tap my foot or do some sort of movement.

It wasn’t until my first listen of “Fight Night” off the group’s fourth mixtape, 2014’s “No Label 2,” that I took notice of Takeoff and how different he was from Offset and Quavo. His deep, raspy voice along with his catchy adlibs caught my attention, and he never lost it. I still remember those arguments that arose in classrooms at early morning hours: Who was the best Migo?

I would always answer that Offset was my favorite. But I always made sure I followed up with something along the lines of, “but I think Takeoff is the best rapper of the three,” and you would have to search far to find someone who didn’t have that same thought. The way Takeoff would so often insert himself on a beat and immediately put in a legitimate case for best verse was astonishing. With hindsight, it’s even more captivating when you realize how young he was.

To give some perspective, Migos formed in 2008, when Takeoff was 14. When “Versace” was released, he was 19. When their 2017 album “Culture” was released — which included their lone No. 1 single “Bad and Boujee” — Takeoff was just 22. His age makes it all the sadder that his life ended before he even reached 30.

Takeoff released one solo album during his lifetime, 2018’s “The Last Rocket.” By then, he had already become embedded in pop culture, with Migos riding off the success of “Bad and Boujee” and their dab dance; but the album was an indication that the young man from Atlanta was going to become a star in his own right. It was a demonstration that the youngest member of the Migos was going to be fine on his own if the time ever came for the group to split.

It just saddens me that someday, when Migos is honored with some lifetime achievement award for their contributions to hip-hop and pop culture in general, when they’re brought on by BET or MTV to do a nostalgia performance years later, or when they’re pitted against another rap group for Timbaland and Swizz Beats’ Verzuz series, Takeoff will not be beside his uncle Quavo and cousin Offset.

But, even though we won’t be receiving new music from Takeoff, I am grateful that he decided to grace us with legendary verses on songs like “Walk It Talk It,” “Avalanche,” Lil Yachty’s “Peek a Boo,” “Hannah Montana,” “MotorSport” and “T-Shirt.” I am grateful that he decided to convince his uncle to take rapping seriously. I am grateful for everything that Kirsnik Khari Ball brought to hip-hop and everything he did for the culture. Rest in peace, Take.

Kirsnik Khari Ball aka Takeoff

June 18, 1994 - November 1, 2022

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, LED lightbulbs use 75% less energy and last up to 25 times longer than incandescent bulbs. Collin Vanderwerf | The Lumberjack

Becoming proficient in energy efficiency

Across Flagstaff, heaters are being switched on as temperatures drop and winter storms roll in. Energy use increases in the colder seasons, which can cost residents and the environment alike. The city of Flagstaff Sustainability Office hosted the first of many Home Energy Efficiency Workshops in partnership with Cozy Home to teach residents how to keep energy waste minimal in their homes.

The presentation took place at the Sustainability Office itself and began with a presentation from Dark Sky Compliance officer Janice Hakala. Flagstaff was designated as the first Dark Sky City in 2001, meaning the city must prioritize light pollution mitigation.

“Flagstaff is probably the leader among multiple Dark Sky communities,” Hakala said.

Hakala explained how the bulk of light pollution in Flagstaff comes from residential areas since lighting codes are more difficult to enforce there.

Hakala then illustrated how to properly install lighting in a home in compliance with Dark Sky codes, emphasizing bulbs must not be visible and light must be cast down rather than up or out.

After Hakala finished, Cozy Home owner and contractor Eli Chamberlain gave attendees tips and demonstrations on how they can avoid waste and save on their energy bills.

Cozy Home is a local contracting company which focuses on weatherizing homes and conducting energy audits to make homes more energy efficient. Cozy Home celebrated 10 years of operation in 2022, over which Chamberlain said they have helped make 300 homes in Flagstaff carbon neutral. Chamberlain said his passion for climate change mitigation is a major factor in his career.

“Any energy improvement you make on your house is going to reduce your greenhouse gas emissions and your carbon footprint on your home,” Chamberlain said. “It also cuts down on your heating and cooling costs … and will make your house more comfortable, as well.”

Chamberlain said Cozy Home mainly works on older homes in Flagstaff since newly built homes have stricter codes for energy efficiency, so a bigger impact is made from reducing energy consumption in older homes.

Chamberlain highlighted some tips for residents to cut down on energy costs and keep their homes safe, such as investing in a carbon monoxide detector, power strips and LED light bulbs. Carbon monoxide leaks can be deadly, so Chamberlain highly recommended installing a detector.

The presentation was finished off with a demonstration on how to seal areas where an air leak might occur. Chamberlain showed attendees how to use a caulking gun to seal these areas off, as well as how to wrap windows — a common source of air leaks — with a plastic sheet and a hairdryer.

Many residents came to learn how they can reduce their energy waste, such as Flagstaff resident Dawn Pfeffer. Pfeffer said she and her partner came to get more information on how they can make sure their home is properly insulated.

“We just bought a house recently, my partner and I,” Pfeffer said. “So we’re trying to make sure that it’s energy efficient and comfortable for the winter.”

Pfeffer said her background in engineering was another reason she was interested in attending the workshop as she enjoyed seeing others share her passion for sustainability. She also mentioned one goal she has for their new home.

“[One goal is] maybe skylights in our home, eventually, and making sure that they’re energy efficient when we put them in,” Pfeffer said.

EMILY REHLING

Library and Sustainability Office discuss food systems

The third meeting of the Climate Resilience Project took place Tuesday, Nov. 8, at Flagstaff City-Coconino County Public Library and focused on food systems and food sovereignty in Flagstaff and Navajo Nation.

The project is a collaboration of the library and the city of Flagstaff Sustainability Office. Its purpose is to promote resilience during climate events such as fires and flooding.

Events take place once a month in the community room at the library and rotate between climate conversations and resilience work sessions. Conversations happen during odd months, and work sessions happen during even months.

During conversation sessions, attendees discuss topics facilitated by guidance and information.

Work sessions involve opportunities to support ongoing resilience efforts in Flagstaff concerning natural disasters. According to the website, this could include emergency planning, trail maintenance and work at wildfire or flooding sites.

The first event took place Sept. 13. During this program, the topic was Flagstaff’s climate impacts and vulnerabilities.

The second meeting took place Oct. 20. This workshop was about learning and utilizing tools for understanding and identifying climate resilience in public and workplaces.

Kinney Anderson, a library specialist in references, said she got the idea for the program after reading a book.

“It was about how citizen science and climate issues overlap, and that was really interesting, especially the idea about witnessing climate and the idea of bearing witness to climate externalities like species loss and natural disasters and things like that,” Anderson said.

As a reference specialist, her job involves doing adult programming and answering reference questions, among other things. Anderson said after coming up with the idea, she started working with Jenna Ortega, the Climate Engagement Coordinator for Flagstaff’s Sustainability Office.

Ortega works on different educational programs for the library and focuses on figuring out how to serve the community regarding sustainability issues and climate initiatives.

“This is so new, and we are both excited to take this program in the direction that our community wants or needs,” Ortega said.

Anderson and Ortega explained the goal is to

understand climate on a community and individual level through discussions.

“Having an intergenerational group is really important to us, and then really, we just want people to walk away thinking about how resilience is related to climate change and how resilience is related to our current moment,” Anderson said.

Anderson also said the goal of the educational discussions are to make environmental topics more approachable for people.

“I think sometimes people feel like, ‘well, I don’t know how to explain climate change,’ or how to really break down the science so sometimes they are afraid to speak up about issues that are important to them,” Ortega said. “It really isn’t the science that’s going to change people’s minds, it’s getting to know their neighbor.”

Tuesday’s meeting started shortly after 6 p.m. with a land acknowledgment and brief introduction, followed by a presentation by guest speaker Burrell Jones on Indigenous Food Sovereignty. Throughout the presentation, Jones discussed current farming efforts in Navajo Nation and food and job insecurity.

“A part of Navajo culture is to really be selfsustainable through life,” Jones said during the presentation. “We may not be the richest people on these lands, but one thing we are taught is how to survive on the land.”

Jones also discussed how effects of climate change have been recognized and felt by people in Navajo Nation.

“The stories of Elders and how they see the land changing over time with climate changing over time and the impacts that had that we are noticing now, they’ve been noticing it within their whole life,” Jones said.

After the presentation, the 20 participants were divided into four groups to discuss it and related subjects.

Groups talked about topics ranging from programs at NAU, food assistance programs, food delivery systems and monopolies, available resources, possibly city programs and community outreach.

Discussions took place for about an hour before the groups reformed and shared the takeaways and major points of their discussions. Anderson also gave a brief overview of the next meeting before ending the discussion.

The next climate resilience meeting will be on Dec. 3 and will be a workshop on observation and how it can be an entry point to understanding climate.

According to the Climate Resilience Project’s website, the purpose is to teach community members about keeping a climate journal to write about climate change experiences and related observations. For more information, visit the library website.

Attendees discuss questions related to food sovereignty and food systems at the Climate Resilience Project Climate Conversations at the Flagstaff Sustainability Office and Library. Discussion topics included community gardens and shifting produce purchasing to local growers, Nov. 8. John Chaides | The Lumberjack

Sara Spragne watches Burrell Jones speak about Indigenous foodways at the Climate Resilience Project Climate Conversations at the Flagstaff Sustainability Office and Library, Nov. 8. John Chaides | The Lumberjack

TAYLOR SCHWARTZ-OLSON

As the college wrestling season starts back up, there are a lot of guys to watch out for. David Carr of the Iowa State Cyclones bumped up from the 157-pound weight class and is now heavier at 165 pounds. Iowa State as a team is ranked ninth in the country.

For Carr, it will be a challenge to go to a national championship again this season and win.

Carr’s first season wrestling was in 2019-20, attached to Iowa State after his redshirt year. Carr had an 18-1 record and took home an individual conference title. He went into the tournament seeded third, but it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As a redshirt sophomore, Carr put up an amazing season, finishing 20-0, with 14 of those wins in the bonus.

Carr won another Big 12 title the following season and got into the NCAA tournament seeded third. He went through some tough opponents and some very hard-fought matches. Carr came out on top. He won his first national title at 157 pounds against Jesse Dellavecchia out of Riders University, 4-0 in a very tough match.

Carr was also a finalist for the Hodge Trophy when he won his title, which is awarded to the best college wrestler of the season. After his perfect season, he was well on his way to defending his title. Carr went through the season with a record of 28-1, winning his third straight Big 12 title.

Carr went into the tournament seeded No. 1 and ready to defend his title. He cruised through his first match, winning by tech fall, 21-6. After a very good first match, he was upset and had to battle back to eventually take third place

Now, Carr is a senior and going into this season ranked third in a very talented weight class. The two people ranked ahead of him are Stanford redshirt senior Shane Griffith and University of Missouri sophomore Keegan O’Toole. Both are national champions as well, with O’Toole being the defending champ and Griffith winning it back in 2020-21.

Carr will have a difficult path to win the title, but he has all the tools to go out there and compete for it. He has one goal in mind: to get back what he should have gotten last year. He is 100% the person to watch out for this season and will make an already tough weight class even tougher.

JACKSON THORPE

The NAU men’s cross country team won the NCAA Mountain Regionals in Albuquerque, New Mexico and earned automatic entrance to the NCAA National Championships. The women’s team tied for second place but lost the tie-breaker. While they did not have an automatic bid, they still qualified for the NCAA National Championship.

The men’s team excelled during the race, with sophomore Nico Young finishing first and senior Drew Bosely finishing one-tenth of a second behind Young in second. Young finished with a time of 28:01.8 while Bosely finished with a time of 28:01.9. Fifth year Ryan Raff also earned a top-10 finish, running a time of 28:09.7 and finishing in ninth place. Redshirt junior Brodey Hasty finished in 14th place with a time of 28:17.8 and junior Santiago Prosser finished in 17th place with a time of 28:18.2.

Freshman Colin Sahlman and redshirt junior Theo Quax also ran but did not score for NAU. Sahlman finished in 27th place with a time of 28:33.9 while Quax finished in 65th place with a time of 29:50.1.

The NAU men’s team combined for 43 points, which was 11 points less than second place BYU. All five scorers also earned AllRegion honors. The women’s team excelled as

well, with all five scorers finishing in the top 40. Junior Elise Stearns led the way for the women’s team as she finished in second place with a time of 19:55.7. Redshirt junior Jesselyn Bries and fifth year Bryn Morley finished within six-tenths of one another. Bries finished in 18th place with a time of 20:36.5, while Morley finished in 19th place with a time of 20:37.1. The final two scorers for NAU were sophomore Alexis Kebbe and junior Maggi Congdon, who finished in 25th and 39th place respectively. Kebbe finished with a time of 20:44.8. Congdon finished with a time of 21:00.8.

Fifth year Taryn O’Neill and senior Meagan Van Pelt also ran but did not score. O’Neill finished in 50th place with a time of 21:12.3 while Van Pelt finished in 53rd place with a time of 21:15.8.

The NAU women’s team combined for 103 points, which tied for second place with Utah. Stearns, Bries, Morley, and Kebbe earned AllRegion honors.

The NCAA Cross Country Championships will be held on Saturday, Nov. 19 in Stillwater, Oklahoma, hosted by Oklahoma State University. The women’s race will start at 8:20 a.m. MT and the men’s race will be held at 9:10 a.m. MT.

Arizona-born NASCAR drivers enjoy continued success in 2022

MICHAEL MANNY

The 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season came to a close at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona Nov. 6 with its championship race, and the Grand Canyon state has never been more wellrepresented at the sport’s top level.

Over the last half decade, Glendale’s Michael McDowell and Tucson’s Alex Bowman have found success not seen before by an Arizona-born driver. That trend continued in 2022 with NASCAR’s introduction of its Next Gen Car.

McDowell, driver of the No. 34 Ford Mustang for Front Row Motorsports, treasures every opportunity he has to race at his home track.

“More than anything, it’s nice to see friends and family,” McDowell said with a smile. “And I don’t get to do that a lot, our schedule’s pretty busy, so it’s nice to come home and see my family. It’s awesome that the last race of the year and championship round is in my hometown.”

The 37-year-old grew up in the Valley racing gokarts and has run in stock cars, open wheel events and sports car races in his career.

McDowell wrapped up the best statistical season of his career at championship weekend. Though he didn’t get a win this season, he set career-bests in top-10 finishes (12), laps led (67), average start (17.03) and average finish (16.46)

“It’s definitely the best season that we’ve had at Front Row, the most competitive we’ve been speedwise throughout all the different tracks that we go to, and so we have something to build on for next year, and looking forward to that,” McDowell said.

Since debuting in the Cup Series in 2008, McDowell has made a lot of history. He became the first Arizonaborn driver to win a race in one of NASCAR’s three

national series when he won at Road America in the Xfinity Series in 2016. In 2021, he became the first Arizona native to win the Daytona 500, NASCAR’s most prestigious race.

Though the team has taken significant steps forward over the past few seasons, Front Row does not have the historic success of other teams. However, McDowell said the Next Gen car has allowed the team to level the playing field in a way they could not before.

“If you just look at our overall speed and overall performance and top 10s and qualifying into the second round and just our average finish and average start, we have closed the gap to the big teams,” McDowell said. “So I think this car has served its purpose well for us.”

McDowell isn’t the only Arizonan making noise. Bowman, driver of the Hendrick Motorsports No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro, picked up his seventh career win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway earlier this season and made the playoffs.

Both drivers are still looking for their first win at their home track after McDowell made contact with Bowman on the backstretch late in the championship race. Though he has struggled in the Cup Series at the track, Bowman said he still enjoys it.

“It’s really cool,” Bowman said. “I feel like everyone’s had really high expectations on us every time we’ve come here since that race in [2016] that we were really dominant at,” Bowman said.

In that race, Bowman started from pole position and led 194 of 312 laps but finished sixth.

During his time in the Cup Series, Bowman has made history of his own. He became the first Arizona native to win a Cup Race when he did so at Chicagoland Speedway in 2019.

Bowman made his fifth straight playoff appearance this season but missed five of the final six races due to a

concussion he suffered at Texas Motor Speedway Sept. 25.

Looking ahead, the No. 48 and No. 34 teams will have a different look to them in 2023. Bowman’s crew chief, Greg Ives, announced he will be retiring at the end of the season. Replacing him will be McDowell’s crew chief Blake Harris, who moves from one Arizona driver to another.

Ives said he will miss working with his driver and the two’s relationship.

“We have similar personalities,” Ives said. “We’re both kind of a little quirky, I guess, so, just his candidness in team meetings and his ability to bring a little bit of humor and a little bit of fun to what it is we do every week.”

The field also includes Phoenix’s JJ Yeley, who has run for various teams throughout his 18-year career. Yeley has not found victory lane in NASCAR, but won the United States Auto Club Triple Crown, which is earned by claiming the sprint car, midget car and silver crown national championships.

Looking into the future, Bowman said he has taken a lot away from his 2022 season.

“I feel like I’ve learned a lot about this race car,” Bowman said. “[I] kind of feel like all the Cup guys have kind of had to relearn how to drive a race car a little bit, so [I] learned a lot there. It’s been awesome working with Greg, and I’m excited about working with Blake [Harris] in the future, think we’re going to have a lot of fun together and hopefully win a lot of races together.”

McDowell and Bowman will begin a new run at a Cup Series championship when the 2023 season starts at the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum in Los Angeles on Feb. 5, 2023.

Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Ally Cheverolet, walks the grid during pracice for the NASAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speeedway, Sep. 16, 2022. Logan Riely | Getty Images

Michael McDowell, driver of the No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops Ford, walks onstage during driver intros prior to the NASCAR Cup Series South Point 400 at Las Vagas Motor Speedway, Oct. 16, 2022. Sean Gardner | Getty Images