The Lumberjack -- April 8, 2021

THE LUMBER JACK APRIL 8, 2021 – APRIL 14, 2021

CRUZ-ING TO NAU PAGE 4-7

Online at JackCentral.org

From the Editor

D

ear reader, I have a confession: I forget to have fun. Apologies for the lack of juicier secrets to publicly share, but forgetting to make time to have fun can end up being more serious than one might think.

At this point in the year, students are hunkering down with notebooks and study guides trying to keep up with end-of-semester projects and exams, and while it’s certainly important to make school a priority, it’s also no secret that one’s mental health requires attention as well. We’ve all had the self-care idea suggested to us, and sure, bubble baths, reading outdoors and other me-time activities are great, but I invite you to consider making fun a priority and see where it takes you.

About a month ago, my best friend and I decided to pop down to Sedona for an afternoon to enjoy some slightly-warmer-than-Flagstaff weather. When we set up a picnic and settled into our spots on the sun-soaked field we occupied, neither of us could help exclaiming how wonderful it felt to have the sun hitting our skin again. Soon enough, we were deep in conversation about how we both felt the effects of seasonal depression this past winter worse than we had before — a Flagstaff winter and social distancing will do that to a couple of girls from Tucson and Hawaii. As I’m sure many were in the same boat, I hope the beautiful weather recently has been working its magic. It surely has for me.

ASH The warmer weather has encouraged me to get outdoors more recently and make LOHMANN time in my schedule for the fun activities I went without all winter. Since, I have found DIRECTOR OF myself in a much better mood and far more capable of handling the stressful situations DIGITAL CONTENT school, work and life throw at me. So, in light of the extremely stressful environment we’re in, I encourage you to schedule time for fun to decompress from school and other stressors.

It may seem simple, but forgetting to do so can leave one with more stress and regrets if anything. In my “journey” of prioritizing fun, I have unsurprisingly been enjoying life more. I know that when I look back on my time in college, I won’t remember all the finals I took or all the presentations I did – I probably would have a hard time recalling my projects and exams from my freshman and sophomore years at NAU already. Yes, I still think those assignments and projects mattered, but not necessarily on their own but as a means to help me build knowledge and practice over time. I know that looking back at my time at NAU, what I will remember above all else are the memories of the fun I had – the camping trips, the movie nights, the hikes, bonfires, skating, swimming, dancing around, etc. For me, it’s the fun moments like these that make up life. It was the realization that school, work and other responsibilities are just a part of my life, a significant part, but a part nonetheless. So, when I prioritize fun, I prioritize me. And those moments are my life.

I understand that prioritizing fun can be difficult. I forget to have fun more than I’d like to admit. However, making time for your happiness and to live for yourself will go a long way. Please, go have fun.

Continuous local and campus covid-19 coverage available at jackcentral.org

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Thank you for reading.

Phone: (928) 523-4921 Fax: (928) 523-9313 Lumberjack@nau.edu P.O. Box 6000 Flagstaff, AZ 86011

THE LUMBERJACK VOL. 111 ISSUE 13 Editor-in-Chief Scout Ehrler

Managing Editor Nathan Manni

Copy Chief Nayomi Garcia

Faculty Adviser David Harpster

Print Chief Jacob Meyer

Director of Digital Content Ash Lohmann

Media Innovation Center Editorial Board Director of Social Media Maddie Cohen

Op-Ed Editor Trinity Archie

Culture Editor Katelyn Rodriguez

Sports Adviser Rory Faust

News Editor Camille Sipple

Asst. Op-Ed Editor Kylie Soto

Asst. Culture Editor Kyler Edsitty

Director of Illustration Aleah Green

Asst. News Editor Mark Fabery

Features Editor Olivia Charlson

Sports Editor Brenden Martin

Asst. Dir. of Illustration Maddie Cohen

Online News Editor Kylie Soto

Asst. Features Editor Emily Gerdes

Asst. Sports Editor Will Hopkins

Senior Photographer Michael Patacsil

Senior Reporter Molly Brown

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Director of Photography & Multimedia Shawn Patti

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Senior Photographer Brian Burke

On the cover President Cruz tours the Mayan VR Experience Project at the VR station in the Advanced Media Lab, April 1. Brian Burke | The Lumberjack

Corrections & Clarifications In a story published March 25 in Issue 11 of The Lumberjack, Andrew Iacona’s last name was misspelled as Lacona.

PoliceBeat March 29 At 7:45 a.m., a School of Communication staff member reported hearing an alarm in the area. NAUPD responded and no criminal activity was witnessed.

roommate had a guest in their apartment they did not want there. NAUPD responded, but the subjects left before officer arrival and no criminal activity was witnessed.

March 31 At 11:42 a.m., a student At 8:45 a.m., a South reported their bicycle stolen Village Apartments resident near Cowden Hall. NAUPD reported the odor of gas. responded and took a report.

NAUPD and FFD responded, but no odor was present.

At 6:01 p.m., a hotel and restaurant management At 11:07 a.m., NAUPD (HRM) staff member requested reported providing a public a check for property which may assist ride to a subject from lot have been left in the building. 66 to the NAU Bookstore.

NAUPD responded and was unable to find the property.

At 4:47 p.m., a shuttle The staff member was advised driver reported a suspicious to call HRM the next day. person outside the Biological Sciences building. NAUPD At 9:25 p.m., a responded and the subject was nonstudent requested a gone on arrival. welfare check on a subject sleeping outside the Ponderosa April 1 building. NAUPD, Flagstaff At 3:45 p.m., a Fire Department (FFD) and nonstudent late-reported a Guardian Medical Transport stationary hit and run near (GMT) responded, and one Health Professions. NAUPD nonstudent was transported responded and took a report. to Flagstaff Medical Center (FMC) for intoxication.

At 8:18 p.m., a company reported a power failure alarm March 30 at the bookstore. NAUPD At 7:17 a.m., a Flagstaff responded and no criminal Police Department officer activity was witnessed and the reported a male subject yelling companies were advised. outside Drury Inn & Suites.

NAUPD responded, but the April 2 subject left the area prior to At 6:43 a.m., a Mountain officer arrival.

Line bus driver reported a vehicle improperly parked in At 11:55 a.m., McConnell lot 43. NAUPD responded Hall staff reported multiple and learned the vehicle was room number placards disabled and the driver was missing. NAUPD responded waiting for a tow truck. and took a report.

At 8:42 a.m., a Wilson At 3:01 p.m., a student Hall staff member reported reported the odor of marijuana blood in a men’s restroom. in the University Union. NAUPD responded and NAUPD responded and found Facility Services was notified. the odor to be present, but no contact was made.

At 12:43 p.m., a student reported an unusual sound At 10:42 p.m., a McKay coming from a maintenance Village resident reported their closet in the Student and

Compiled by Mark Fabery Academic Services building.

NAUPD responded and Facility Services was made aware of the problem.

April 3 At 2:27 p.m., a Drury Inn & Suites staff member reported a nonguest refusing to leave the area. NAUPD responded and one nonstudent was booked into Coconino County Detention Facility for third-degree burglary, as well as possession of burglary tools.

At 11:35 p.m., a Reilly Hall RA reported multiple people moving dorm furniture into an elevator. NAUPD responded and no criminal activity was witnessed, but hall staff advised they would handle the issue.

April 4 At 2:15 a.m., University Safety Aides requested a welfare check on a subject that was stumbling into the roadway near the intersection of Humphreys Street and Dupont Avenue. NAUPD responded and the subject appeared to be in good health.

Coconino County COVID-19 Dashboard data

Community transmission Case rate Positivity percentage Cumulative cases

Moderate 67.6 per 100,000 pop.

4.5% 17,058

Flagstaff Medical Center COVID-19 Resources

In-house COVID-19 patients Hospital capacity Critical care capacity

Positive: 5 | Pending: 5 186/300 29/55

NAU Student Cases

Total on- and off-campus cases

58

At 7:56 a.m., NAUPD reported conducting a field interview with a nonstudent who seemed unwell. FFD and GMT responded and the nonstudent was transported to FMC. At 8:58 p.m., a Hilltop Townhomes resident reported an intoxicated subject outside their room. NAUPD responded and the area was searched, but no contact was made.

APRIL 8, 2021 – APRIL 14, 2021 | THE LUMBERJACK

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NEWS

Q&A with incoming NAU Scout Ehrler & Nathan Manni

A

fter touring the School of Communication’s Media Innovation Center and Advanced Media Lab, NAU’s 17th president, José Luis Cruz, Ph.D., sat down with The Lumberjack’s Scout Ehrler and Nathan Manni for an interview. Cruz met with various faculty members and students Thursday afternoon, viewing The Lumberjack’s newsroom, the NAZToday studio, the KJACK Radio booth and the school’s esports facility.

As he transitions into the role of president and moves from New York City to Flagstaff, Cruz will make a handful of visits to NAU in order to get acquainted with campus and its faculty, staff and students. He is slated to step into the role of university president on June 14.

SE: So, how is the moving process going?

JLC: It’s going well — a little stressful. The same day the board appointed me officially, that was the day the movers had taken everything out of my apartment in New York City, so all the stuff is in Long Island, in an undisclosed location in a warehouse, waiting for us to have a place here to ship it to. We’ve been working out of Puerto Rico since that time and we’re fairly close to closing on our home here. If that happens, we will probably move before my actual start date, which is June 14. I’ll still be working for New York, but if I can do it from Puerto Rico, I can do it from Flagstaff.

SE: What have you and your transition team been up to in order to prepare for that June start date?

President Cruz listens to The Lumberjack adviser David Harpster about the MIC and the weekly Flagstaff publication, April 1. Brian Burke | The Lumberjack

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JLC: I had said when we first talked that the intention was to hit the ground learning, and so we’ve been trying to deliver on that. The first action was to put together a small core team. Kim [Ott], Laurie Dickson, Brian Register have been instrumental in ensuring that we can focus on who I need to be talking to, in what order, to get up to speed quickly on the main issues facing campus before June 14.

So, there are a couple of components. One is working with the executive team to have topic-specific briefings on areas like enrollment and budget and all the areas of running a university — both written briefings, as well as Budget 101-type briefings where I’ll hopefully be able to quickly learn the insand-outs of how budgeting is done in Arizona, as opposed to California, or all the other places I’ve been. So, that’s one part of the discovery process, as we’ve called it. And then, I think it was just last week, we had the first meeting with the Presidential Transition Commission, which is a broader group. I think we have 28 representatives — students, faculty, staff and community members.

We basically charged the commission with, over the next couple of months, developing a plan for my first six months around who I need to engage with — again in what order — to get a better understanding of the culture, the aspirations, the challenges, the opportunities, so that we can go from hitting the ground learning to hitting the ground running and being able to start driving some initiatives.

So, so far so good! I’m learning every day. This is part of that process — we built in three visits. This is the March visit, that’s bleeding into April, and then I’ll have another one later in the month, then in May. This one’s focused on students, the next will be faculty, staff and community.

NEWS

U President José Luis Cruz

President Cruz hears MIC voices in the Advanced Media Lab, April 1.

Brian Burke | The Lumberjack

SE: Do you have any idea what your first plan of action will be yet?

JLC: You know, the first plan of action is to try to — from all of these efforts that are ongoing, that I’m learning from — is to distill from three to five big themes that we can engage the campus community and the external community in during the first year.

And so, there are some topics that are floating to the top and there’s still time to go, so these may change, but issues around consultative leadership, issues around diversity, equity and inclusion, campus climate, issues around the identity from the perspective of research and creative activities, and how those feed into our academic programming and the way we relate to the community. Then of course, issues you’d

“the first plan of actions is to try to — from all of these efforts that are ongoing, that I’m learning from — is to distill from three to five big themes that we can engage the campus community and the external community in during the first year.”

– José Luis Cruz, Incoming NAU PResident expect in any institution, this is not just NAU — issues around fiscal sustainability, sustainability in general because that’s a big thing for the university and the community, enrollment, academic excellence, student success.

So, what I’m hoping is — perhaps not on June 14 on day one because we have the commission working on a six-month plan that will add more input to the process — but some time in that first semester, in the fall, I’ll be able to come out with the three to five things we would focus on, and these are not the ones I came up with, these are the ones I’ve heard from you.

SE: So, I know that we’re anticipating reentry into in-person classes next semester.

How do you see that reopening going?

JLC: Well, I’m just now — as part of this learning process — getting a better understanding of what the ultimate goal, optimistic goal would be in what operational and communication, strategic investments, need to be made in order to ensure an optimistic fall that looks more like the prepandemic era — what needs to happen to get there, and what would be some of the mitigation plans that would be in place in case we need to scale back at some point. I feel very optimistic, but we need

to be prepared for things going in a little bit of a different direction. I do still have another job, so part of my attention right now is in ensuring that the fall for the City University of New York is in a good place. And what’s been interesting is to see what some of the things we’re doing there, I think could help our thinking here, and vice versa. Some of the things I’m hearing from different folks as to how the campus is looking at the fall and saying, that could be helpful in New York. Two very different situations, obviously, in terms of geography, scale, types of students, etc.

NM: What are some of those things that you hope to bring from the City University of New York to NAU — things that worked there that you think could be implemented in Flagstaff?

APRIL 8, 2021 – APRIL 14, 2021 | THE LUMBERJACK

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NEWS JLC: One of the things I’ve learned at the City University of New York — even more so than when I was the Provost at Cal State, Fullerton, because of the scale of CUNY and the students that CUNY serves — is the importance of really approaching all challenges and opportunities through an equity lens. And that’s very ingrained in the ethos of [CUNY] — it was founded as the Free Academy. And by law, the 25 campuses that comprise it, with 500 thousand students, between degree and nondegree programs, the mission is to serve as a vehicle of upward mobility for the historically underserved peoples of New York City. It’s beautiful language, right? And it provides a really strong framework for the word [equity].

So, in coming to NAU, I bring that mindset into how we approach issues, which is ultimately about driving the mission and ensuring that everything we do is aligned with improving education attainment for the students of NAU, in this case, and in doing so, really accelerating the state’s ability to not only provide more opportunity for Arizonans, but also, as I’ve said before, in doing so, create a blueprint for other similar colleges and universities across the country that are trying to figure it out. That’s also some of what I bring from New York, it’s the scale, right? So I think, we have the Flagstaff campus, but there’s these 20 others, so it could be a mini system, and so how do we create that scale? Because clearly, there’s a lot of impact, so we want to expand that out.

SE: Our university here has experienced a lot of loss due to COVID, as I’m sure you know, between faculty and staff, decreased enrollment and funding, especially in programs like [those in the School of Communication]. The Lumberjack lost its print edition when COVID hit, so I’m curious — I know this is a long-term question, but in the short-term, how do you anticipate potentially repairing the damage that COVID did?

JLC: That’s a great question. I think, you know, one thing — just put it out there and we can park it — is, what can we learn from the way we reacted to COVID? Because there are probably things that we learned to do differently that could help, even post-COVID, so I want to make sure we don’t lose sight of the bright spots.

I think from a policy and practices perspective — at least this has been my experience in New York and I’m sure it’s probably true here, and as I learn more, I’ll find out what the specifics are — there are things that, at CUNY, faculty, staff and students had wanted to do for many years, then the crisis really created the conditions and the sense of urgency to do them, so I suppose there

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President Cruz tours the Mayan VR Experience Project at the VR station in the Advanced Media Lab, April 1. Brian Burke | The Lumberjack

may be some things here that we want to keep.

But to your broader question, I think that as part of this process of identifying the three to five things we want to focus on, the framework that we develop to talk about those things will hopefully give us some insight into how to restore those areas. It’s very difficult to talk about, how do we restore faculty lines or staff lines, or the resources for the print edition for The Lumberjack, a request for a $15 minimum wage, or separately, carbon neutrality by 2030 — I’m just saying the things I’ve heard today from people, these are the things that everybody is passionate about — it’s hard to talk about them individually.

So, part of what we want to do in the first six months is to be able to come up with a framework that will engage all stakeholders in saying, OK, we’re going to work really, really hard to increase the size of the pie, we’re going to work with ABOR and legislators, and we’re going to do more with philanthropic support and grants and contracts.

But in the meantime, with the size of the

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pie that we have and the competing aspirations, what’s the most equitable way to go about it?

Let’s think of not next year, but let’s think about the next three to four years. And so, along the way, we’ll get some winds in enrollment that will drive tuition revenue up, that will then be able to be funneled back into a print edition of The Lumberjack, for example. It’s going to take time.

I’m hoping that the campus will be willing to engage and recognize the complexity, but my experience — my 25 years in higher ed[ucation] — is that when you have an engaged campus community and you have a process in place that people buy into, you can solve these issues. In other places I’ve been, when people say, “We don’t have any money,” I say, “Our money is invested in people.” So, if I can capture 10% of the faculty’s time — when I was at Fullerton, 10% of the faculty’s payroll was $26 million — so if I can capture 10% of your time toward solving this problem, we can solve this problem.

SE: That is a brilliant approach.

JLC: Anyways, that’s a long-winded answer, but you know, I try to step back — these are complex problems and it’s hard — if we had silver bullets, there wouldn’t be problems.

SE: Speaking more toward student media — you’re coming from New York City, one of the media capitals of the county, let alone the world, and Flagstaff is almost the exact opposite. As I’m sure you heard, NAZToday is the only TV station in the city. We only have two newspapers, The Lumberjack is one of them. So, what role do you see student-led media playing in the culture of our campus and city, and how do you plan to support that?

JLC: This will likely be true of several points of pride of this university, but with this specific area, I think that when you talk about universities being anchor institutions, meaning that they are not only intellectual hubs, but also economic hubs and cultural hubs, if they happen to be located in communities that have deficiencies in certain areas, like in this case,

NEWS

President Cruz listens to Graham Hagerty, lead designer for the Lowell Interactive Project, and senior Alexis Lucero speak about the Lowell Interactive Project in the Advanced Media Lab, April 1.

Brian Burke | The Lumberjack

information about the local community, then it’s really incumbent upon the university that has the intellectual resources and programs to try to fill that void. In a way that will advance students’ careers, obviously, and the disciplines that the faculty are advancing, but it’s a responsibility, especially in places like this, where you have such a large university and such a, from a population perspective, small town. I say that to suggest that I will be very supportive of working toward trying to figure out how we can scale up the good work and expand the impact that this had.

At Cal State, Fullerton, the way that worked out, there was a deficiency in local media, but especially in Spanish — local media reporting with an increased population in that demographic — so we created a newscast with Univision as a partner that was runned by our students, similar facilities to the one we have here, that was based around local news, but delivered by students who were bilingual.

So, I just say that as an example of how we looked at a particular place that needed

attention, and then put the institutional resources toward that. That’s how I would approach this particular issue — we have this great infrastructure, we already have a great impact, what’s next? Within the framework of the broader campus community, with all of the competing priorities, what can we do, who can we partner with to take it to the next level?

SE: NAU recently became a Hispanic Serving Institution, and as you know, we have a large population of students of color, and I’m curious on how you plan to support those communities as a Hispanic person yourself, but also what could that mean for the university and its funding?

JLC: The Hispanic Serving Institution is a big deal from the standpoint of signaling to the world that this is a welcoming university that has expanded access to historically underserved communities, in this case, Hispanic students.

You hit that 25%, you get the seal of approval of

the U.S. Department of Education, and that’s a passport to get access to extra funding — a new revenue source for the university by just getting to this place. What I want to focus on now is not only the celebration of getting to that Hispanic Serving Institution designation because of what it means for the inclusive environment being built over time here, but focusing on the serving part. What does it mean to be a good Hispanic Serving Institution — serving students well.

So for example, if our Hispanic students are not graduating at the same rate as our overall student body, that’s an issue.

So, narrowing that achievement gap would be important. If in trying to drive toward that, we realize we need to strengthen some programs that exist already or provide equitable access to others that may need to be created, those are things we would be considering. If it implies that we need to do a better job of reaching out to Latino communities across the states, that’s where we would go.

So, I still don’t know enough about where

the opportunities and the challenges are, but the serving piece is really what’s catching my attention. Everywhere I’ve worked in higher education has been an HSI. In Fullerton, we were both an HSI and an AANAPISI, which is an Asian American, Native American, Pacific Islander Serving Institution, so I sort of know what it means to get the designation and get the money, and how some times, over time, the designation is taken for granted and it’s just about the money. So, this is a great point in time for me coming in because having all these experiences, it’s like, we’re at the beginning of the journey of an HSI, so how can we build a foundation for good service moving forward?

APRIL 8, 2021 – APRIL 14, 2021 | THE LUMBERJACK

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NEWS

Ducey vs. Deasy: The battle of mask mandates Camille Sipple

S

ince the release of Gov. Doug Ducey’s March 25 executive order, cities and municipalities across Arizona have responded in a plethora of ways.

Ducey’s order included a point that specifically banned cities, counties and towns from issuing any orders or mandates that conflicted with the executive order’s new policy. This point also stated that it included, but was not limited to, the mandated use of facial coverings.

An anonymous source within the Glendale mayor’s office said neither the cities nor counties were given any notice prior to Ducey’s announcement. Directly following the governor’s executive order, angry and concerned citizens began calling city officials and the mayor’s office in a frenzy, the source said.

According to a March 29 article from the Associated Press, the mayors of both Flagstaff and Tucson refused to revoke their cities’ mask mandates in response to the governor’s order. Within these cities, facial coverings can still be enforced in government buildings and are required inside schools, despite Ducey’s executive order and a recent unanimous Arizona Senate vote to rescind mask policies.

Flagstaff city councilmember Adam Shimoni said he was in a state of shock when he first heard what Ducey’s latest executive order entailed.

“I couldn’t believe it was happening,” Shimoni said. “Governor Ducey was repealing the mask mandate and also preemptively trying to prevent local municipalities from keeping their mandates in place and doing our job to govern locally.”

Shimoni said he believes the move was extremely political for Ducey and did not necessarily take into account the current state of public health within Arizona.

As of April 2, a total of 20 states, including Arizona, have no formal mask requirements in place as reported by The New York Times.

Following Ducey’s executive order, Mayor Paul Deasy tweeted a statement March 26, voicing his concern and the city council’s decision regarding the matter.

“With the full support of the Flagstaff City Council, I do not plan to rescind the face covering proclamation. @CityofFlagstaff @ GovernorDucey,” Deasy tweeted.

The governor and state legislature within Arizona have a significant disconnect with the

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Illustration By Dominic Davies

local municipalities, Shimoni said.

“Each community is different,” Shimoni said. “The situations are complex and we know what’s best for our communities, not the governor. What Flagstaff and northern Arizona needs is not the same as what Maricopa [County] needs … We need to not have our hands tied so we can govern in a way that best serves the public and fulfill our roles as elected officials.”

David Engelthaler, co-director of the Pathogen Genomics Division at TGen North, was a guest speaker at the March 30 Flagstaff City Council meeting and discussed where the northern Arizona region currently stands in terms of COVID-19. Recent studies, Engelthaler said, have found a trend of 80% efficacy in relation to the current COVID-19 vaccines after individuals receive their first dose and 95% efficacy after the second dose.

Engelthaler explained although there has been a significant rise in immunity within Arizona, he does believe that at least another month of COVID-19 restrictions is highly necessary in order to see the vaccination levels and overall immunity levels rise even more.

As vaccines rapidly roll out to the public and potential pediatric vaccines undergo trials, Engelthaler said he cannot envision a circumstance where everyone who wants a vaccine will not have the opportunity to receive one by the Fourth of July. Parades and outdoor,

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open-air celebrations may be a very viable option by then, Engelthaler said.

Throughout his discussion with the council, Engelthaler also emphasized the importance of slowly reintroducing people to a concept of prepandemic normalcy. Moving out of the pandemic will not be like simply flipping a switch, Engelthaler said.

“We have to accept that there will still be risk,” Engelthaler said. “The pandemic will end, the disease will not … We will likely deal with this virus like we deal with the flu and have to update vaccines yearly.”

On the topic of facial coverings, Engelthaler said mask wearing has evolved into more of a symbolic gesture and source of comfort than a form of physical safety. Masks are not going to 100% protect everyone, Engelthaler said.

“I think somewhere down the line, people are going to realize that we really are not getting any physical benefit out of mask wearing and that’s when a lot of people will stop wearing masks,” Engelthaler said.

While he doesn’t see masks as an absolutely critical form of COVID-19 safety, Engelthaler said the symbolism behind masks has grown so powerful that he would not suggest simply telling the public they do not need to wear a mask.

This is directly linked to the misconception that many individuals may believe once they no longer need to wear a mask, the virus will have magically disappeared, Engelthaler said.

However, Engelthaler also said he believes businesses should enforce mask requirements as much as they can to protect themselves and their customers because the current state of the pandemic is at a tipping point where no one knows exactly who has been vaccinated.

Shimoni said the council is doing all it can to inform the public that it is opposed to the governor’s recent actions and believe it could jeopardize public health. While, like Engelthaler said, there is a large percentage of immunized or vaccinated individuals within the state, safety precautions are still necessary at this juncture in time until the numbers rise even further, Shimoni said.

“It’s basically a race to vaccinate the public while also hoping that people continue to take precautions in their daily lives,” Shimoni said.

Councilmember Jim McCarthy and Shimoni both said there has been an influx of emails and messages rolling in to Flagstaff city officials, similar to Glendale. The city has received emails and social media messages from both sides of the issue and McCarthy said it has led him to believe this is a very polarized issue that will only be solved by scientific facts and rational decision making.

“We get emails saying ‘let individuals decide for themselves’ and emails saying ‘this is a public health issue, please protect our health by having potential COVID carriers wear masks,’” McCarthy said. “In the end, city council must make a rational decision based on science.”

McCarthy said he would estimate about two-thirds of the messages the city has been receiving are in support of the continued use of masks. Shimoni agreed and said he believed those angered by the city’s actions were the minority in this situation.

In response to the governor’s order, the Flagstaff City Council communicated to local businesses and community members that they fully support the continuation of proper COVID-19 mitigation measures, Shimoni said.

“There’s a light at the end of the tunnel and it feels like we are close to being through this,” Shimoni said. “Let’s just stay patient and slowly continue to move forward, but it’s not over yet.”

Engelthaler said he also urges community members to remain patient and see the science through to the end.

“We really need to use science neither as a punchline nor as a weapon, but rather as a tool to illuminate the best way to serve humanity,” Engelthaler said.

COMIC SPOT

APRIL 8, 2021 – APRIL 14, 2021 | THE LUMBERJACK

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OPINION-EDITORIAL

Gardening makes isolation less lonely who tend to them. Roger Ulrich has extensively studied the effects of gardens and other natural scenery on stress levels and he past year has seen a proliferation of solitary, insular the recovery rate of hospital patients. and sedentary activities. The side effects on mental Ulrich’s research shows that simply looking at natural spaces and physical health have largely been negative. After a both lowers stress levels and expedites recovery from medical particularly long and fraught winter, many are revelling in the procedures. It also demonstrates higher satisfaction levels for staff growing hours of sunlight and weather that’s slowly trending who are exposed to the areas, with the biggest benefits for those toward warmth. who actively participate in the gardening process.

Those emerging and dusting cobwebs off themselves after Gardening has also been shown to increase dexterity and what has felt like prolonged hibernation might be in search of strength, reduce the likelihood of dementia, lower blood pressure new activities to fill the days they can now spend outside. There and increase longevity. A study by the International Journal of is perhaps no better, nor more seasonally appropriate, activity Environmental Research and Public Health suggests gardening to recover a lost — or at least, muddled — sense of self than also encourages the growth of brain nerves related to memory. gardening.

Like anything else, starting a new hobby can seem There is nothing comparable. intimidating. Unlike everything else, gardening is beginnerIt goes beyond the rich, musty smell of healthy friendly and getting started is simple and accessible to almost soil or the gentle pulsating energy of the sun anyone. warming your skin or even the food that comes Soil, water, seeds and space are all that’s required. from a successful harvest.

An herb garden takes up minimal space and But what it really is — and why is extremely rewarding in that it provides fresh gardening is so special — is that it’s the seasoning to use in food. Flower gardens add nearinsinuation of oneself into a process that instant beauty to any space they occupy and is completely beyond oneself. The similarly take up however much space seeds, the soil, the sun, none of you are willing to give them. these things are human-made.

Although they require a bit The process is simply trying more room and are considerably to replicate conditions that are more labor-intensive, fruit and supportive of life. vegetable gardens are also It is meditation, it is incredibly gratifying when it habituation, it is humbling comes time for harvest. oneself in the face of nature.

Those who do not have the In gardening we find ourselves ability to garden in their own space nurturing nature so that it may also have several public gardening nurture us. Daily attentiveness to options. fostering this symbiotic relationship NAU has several locations where results in an enhanced awareness students can get some experience in the of human dependence on the garden, one of which is community-based natural world. and volunteer-run.

A sense of wonder is created Students for Sustainable Living and when one realizes the specificity of Urban Gardening is an on-campus club the conditions that allow for an that incorporates both student and faculty everyday abundance of life that is volunteers and employs and teaches easy to take for granted. Walking organic permaculture gardening through a forest hits differently when techniques. Anyone interested can sign you’ve failed — despite your best up here. human effort — to grow a bean plant Likewise, Flagstaff has several to maturity. community gardens that are open to anyone, Eating food that has been shipped s though there are a limited number of spots each avie year and the price is $65. To sign up and secure d in a refrigerated container halfway across c i n mi y do the globe ceases to be quite as fulfilling once you’ve a spot for the season, those interested can enroll on B i t a tr had fresh produce. Yet, at the same time, it increases here.

Illus your appreciation for the farmers who helped grow it.

Those who choose to partake in these opportunities Benefits from gardening go well beyond the pseudoare sure not to regret the decision. There is nothing quite as spiritual virtues of communing with nature. There are a whole restorative to a psyche, jangled by a year of loss and trauma, than host of studies that have shown the cognitive and health-related nurturing and sustaining life that is both beneficial to you and benefits of gardening. everyone who sees it.

Gardens are proven stress relievers and not just for those

Collin Vanderwerf

T Why Georgia’s latest elections law is dangerous

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epublicans are calling it the “Election Integrity Act of 2021.” Voting rights activists are calling it a modernera Jim Crow law, and with good reason. SB 202, the bill Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law March 25, appears to be yet another blatant attempt by Republicans to disenfranchise Black voters.

A whopping 87% of Black voters supported President Joe Biden in 2020, and they overwhelmingly supported Sens.

Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock in the Georgia runoff election, which clinched MARLEY the Senate majority for Democrats. It GREEN is clear Black voters are crucial to the WRITER Democratic Party’s success in elections.

Consequently, it’s no surprise Republicans are attempting to complicate the voting process for a group that often votes against them.

The bill appears to be retributive at its core.

The law requires identification for absentee voting, although approximately 200,000 Georgia voters do not have a driver’s license or other forms of identification.

It makes handing out food and water at election sites a misdemeanor, despite the fact some Georgia voters stood for hours in line during June 2020’s presidential primary. Studies show voting lines took longer in precincts where voters were 90% or more nonwhite.

Absentee ballot drop boxes must now be located inside early voting locations, which defeats much of the purpose of voting absentee. Black Georgia voters are more likely to work multiple jobs and have limited time during the day to vote in person, which means the availability of absentee ballot drop locations is useful to them.

The law is already the subject of lawsuits from civil rights organizations, who rightly observe it is driven by blatant racism.

Republican supporters claim it cracks down on voter fraud and actually expands the ability to vote, but this is untrue. I cannot see how complicating the voting process expands availability.

The law sets a dangerous precedent for election laws in the future, especially in swing states. Other states could pass their own versions of this law and make it more difficult to vote in neighborhoods where they don’t like the election results.

If Georgia can get away with such blatant voter suppression, other states can, too. It’s time to keep a watchful eye out for voter suppression laws in other areas. Democracy is at its best when everyone gets an equal chance to make their voices heard.

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OPINION-EDITORIAL

no mental illness should ever be stigmatized Hayley Bostian

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n today’s society, we’ve made a lot of progress when it comes to raising awareness for mental health. There is now a National Anxiety and Depression Awareness week during the first week of May, among many other times when we acknowledge other mental illnesses.

We have also gotten more people to change their perspectives on seeking professional help from therapists and psychologists. As seen in a survey by the American Psychological Association (APA), nine out of 10 people said they would recommend the help of a mental health professional if they or someone they know was struggling.

Many universities, including NAU, also recognize and offer help to students struggling with mental health. For example, Campus Health Services holds the Paws Your Stress event throughout the year, along with other services and events. Paws Your Stress is an opportunity for students to destress while playing with dogs, creating art or meditating.

Despite all of this progress, there still seems to be a stigma around other mental illnesses that people view negatively. It is amazing we have normalized issues such as anxiety, depression and PTSD, but other mental health issues are still left as a taboo topic while being just as difficult to deal with.

When people think about mental illnesses such as schizophrenia or dissociative identity disorder, they often think of movies like “The Visit” or “Split,” which inaccurately depict these mental illnesses and make them out to be violent.

A lot of the false information the public has on mental illnesses, such as the depictions in movies or stories, demonizes those living through these things rather than reveal the truth about the illnesses themselves.

Despite media portrayals of mental illness, there is very little correlation between those coping with mental health struggles and

enduring violence when there is no substance abuse involved, according to Better Health Channel.

Unfortunately, there is still very little productive discussion around stigmatized mental illnesses and what they actually look like.

Although anxiety and depression are the most common mental illnesses, it’s important to also recognize those suffering with more commonly stigmatized mental illnesses and provide them with support. About 7 million people are affected by bipolar disorder each year, 3 million people are affected by OCD each year and millions are affected by others each year as well, as reported by the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

With so many people affected by these mental illnesses — whether personally or through a friend or family member — it is important that we recognize these are valid issues. All mental health issues should be talked about so that we can stop the negative stereotypes about them and allow people to not feel like they have to hide having one.

I have personally noticed that myself and others in my life are a lot more open to talking about anxiety and depression over other issues affecting us. It feels as though someone will be judged less if they were to say they have anxiety versus saying they have something that may garner more negative reactions.

In an article about mental illness stigma published by APA, about 76 million United States citizens fear people finding out about their disorder and thinking differently of them.

It is important to change these stigmas so people can feel secure knowing that others do not

Illustration By aleah green

view them negatively because of their illnesses.

Additionally, it is time to stop disregarding disorders that we simply do not understand and deem as intimidating. Especially because many of these disorders greatly affect people’s lives.

Highly stigmatized mental illnesses are among the deadliest.

An article published by Psychology Today explained eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness. The

National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders shared that 28.8 million U.S. citizens will have an eating disorder in their lifetime. With such serious effects, it is another mental illness that we need to begin discussing more openly as well.

Of course, none of this is to discount anxiety, depression or other mental illnesses that are more openly talked about today. Instead, I suggest that people should also be just as open to talking about mental illnesses that have a strong stigma surrounding them.

Also, people need to do a better job of spreading accurate information.

Stop believing the negative stereotypes we see inaccurately portrayed on screen. These prejudices affect people who are dealing with mental illnesses, and they should not be compared to violent characters from movies or made out to be dangerous.

Many people are affected by mental illness in some way and all of these mental health concerns deserve to be accurately discussed and treated with the same amount of respect.

APRIL 8, 2021 – APRIL 14, 2021 | THE LUMBERJACK

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FEATURES

As water issues abound in the

Jacob Meyer

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he western United States is known for many of its great, natural resources. Bodies of water like the Colorado River are well-known for the vast amounts they contain and the striking beauty of their nature. Even locally, Flagstaff has Lake Mary and the Rio de Flag, which flows part of the year.

But for all its water, the western U.S. has a significant and growing issue. Denielle Perry is a water resource geographer and assistant professor with the School of Earth and Sustainability at NAU. She explained the East Coast has more water per capita, but statistically people in the west use more water than people in the east, even though there’s less in the region.

This is an example of one of the largest issues at play: the harmful combination of a downward trend in resources and an upward trend in consumption. Perry said regionally the biggest problem is the fact that the Colorado Basin supports millions of people, while climate change is affecting the water availability.

But even when compared to the growing population, industry continues to play a massive role in water supply issues. Perry explained that for the Colorado River, irrigated agriculture and the cattle industry are heavy users of its water.

This massive siphoning-off has ramifications for both people and the environment. With a more limited supply, she explained that water rights have become controversial, fish species native to the

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river have become endangered and down-river environments like the Sea of Cortez estuaries have been damaged. “[Agriculture and industrial overuse] makes the rest of what goes on in the river unsustainable,” Perry said. “Ultimately, we just think that water is just endless and unfortunately it’s not. It is a finite resource, even though it’s renewable.”

In a place like Flagstaff where agriculture is not as prevalent and river water is not a major source of municipal supplies, the city is far from exempt from resource issues. Perry said Flagstaff is growing and the environment was never meant to sustain a large amount of people.

“Thanks to modern technology, we can sustain a larger population, but not endless growth,” Perry said. “So we need to be careful about how the city grows and the types of technology that we have, and we need to encourage the people who live in the town to use less water.”

Perry said her opinion is that the city of Flagstaff is sufficiently forward-looking on water issues and takes an active role in educating the public and raising awareness. However, the classic push and pull between conservatism and industry, just like that of the agriculture and cattle industries along the Colorado River, still remains.

Perry pointed to developers in particular and explained how they are highly important for integrating water-conserving infrastructure and technology, but are often the least supportive

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when it comes to environmental measures that affect their bottom lines.

“The challenge is that there’s always the competition between those people who want to do everything they can to protect and conserve water, and those people who are developers,” Perry said.

“Developers don’t want to have to invest in the latest and greatest because it might cost more. They don’t want to spend the most on building the most green, sustainable infrastructure because it cuts into their profit margins. So it’s usually developers that are the ones pushing back against any type of progressive policy that a city would try to implement in its building codes.”

Erin Young, water resources manager for Flagstaff, also said the city and the Flagstaff City Council are forward-thinking on water resource issues.

“Current and previous city councils have always elevated water supply and the future of our water supply as a priority,” Young said. “They’ve always been supportive of developing new policies or taking actions to protect our water security.”

Young explained even though Flagstaff is considered rural Arizona and is outside of the state’s active management area where certain water plans are imposed on localities, Flagstaff has voluntarily opted in and participates in a program called the Adequate Water Supplies Program.

As for the city’s water supply itself, it uses a mix of sources, though predominantly water from Lake Mary and a collection of

FEATURES

e West, Flagstaff looks ahead

Left: An entry for a water pipe rests on the ground outside Buffalo Park, March 31. Right: The future of northern Arizona’s water conservation has been a prominent topic. Recently northern Arizona has been working out future endeavors in the conservation of local water, April 4. Background: Lower Lake Mary serves as a popular local recreational area for Flagstaff residents and visitors alike, March 31. Madison Easton | The Lumberjack

ground wells in and around Flagstaff. However, Young said the water at Upper Lake Mary is prioritized over other groundwater sources.

“At least in water management, surface water is seen as a more renewable resource,” Young said. “We want to utilize surface water as much as we can, while leaving some for the environment and several subsequent years.”

This prioritization of surface water is due to practical reasons and concerns over the long-term viability of pumping groundwater. Young said Upper Lake Mary is Flagstaff’s cheapest water supply, whereas pumping groundwater from around 1,800 feet below can be expensive.

While Flagstaff’s local groundwater is contained in what is called a fractured rock aquifer, something that has less of a risk of collapse and is generally rechargeable or renewable, Young said the city prefers to limit its use of the resource and treat it more like a savings account than a prioritized supply.

In order to limit the use of groundwater supplies, Young explained the city draws on reclaimed water for certain uses. She said it provides 20% of the water supply to the entire city through irrigating the golf courses and parks.

In addition to reclamation, conservation also plays a significant role in preserving Flagstaff’s local supplies both currently and in the long term.

Tamara Lawless, the Flagstaff water conservation manager,

said in many respects, conservation comes down to a cost-saving measure. By limiting and lowering the amount of water consumed per person, the city can delay or eliminate the need to invest in costly infrastructure projects like additional reclamation facilities or a pipeline that would bring in water from more distant sources, even as the city continues to grow.

A significant part of Lawless’ and the conservation program’s work centers around awareness. She said their outreach has involved a variety of approaches in the past, such as tabling in public spaces, making appearances at events and generally finding different ways to engage and inform the public, whether by distributing educational materials or giving away free highefficiency showerheads. The program’s outreach efforts are especially active during the month of April, which is being celebrated as Flagstaff’s Water Awareness Month.

However, Lawless explained technology is a much more easily measurable and likely effective tool in conservation, especially as it relates to future planning and figures that officials can rely on.

In addition to the fact that people’s consumption habits play a real role in conservation, she said a big part of it is maintaining the local culture of sustainability and continuing to instill the importance of individual action. Lawless said the conservation program puts a lot of emphasis on public outreach.

All the city’s actions and future plans for conservation culminated in the Water Conservation Strategic Plan, an

agreement approved by city council Dec. 1, 2020 that seeks to ensure the best approach for conservation actions well into the future.

Lawless said that in large part, the plan is a refining effort. It sought to examine various current programs and possible future programs, ensure they all assist in saving the city money and meaningfully contribute to long-term needs.

“We were able to decide which things we were going to sunset and which things we’re going to expand,” Lawless said. “So really, I think it’s just a way for us to plan out where we need to be putting our money and our staff time over the next 20 years to make sure that we’re getting good water savings for our town.”

Among many things, the plan provided a cost-benefit analysis of the programs currently in action, examined the role conservation can play in planning and discussed how the implementation of plans will occur.

Overall, the future of stable water resources is only as secure as officials and members of the public are willing to carry out essential policies and actions, and challenges abound both locally and regionally. As policymakers and officials in Flagstaff have made this stability a stated priority and taken actions to address current and future concerns, all that remains to be seen is how carefully these plans are carried out and if they truly meet Flagstaff’s water needs.

APRIL 8, 2021 – APRIL 14, 2021 | THE LUMBERJACK

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FEATURES

SHAC’s Sexual Assault Awareness 5K is racing toward wellness Olivia Charlson

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hrough many sacrifices, the pandemic has also brought on opportunity. Rather than running away from problems, students have been adjusting. This year, the Annual Sexual Assault Awareness 5K hosted by the Student Health Advocacy Club (SHAC) will be a self-guided and virtual event for anyone wanting to make a wide stride for change.

SHAC is a club at NAU committed to student well-being.

Senior and president Samantha Spina explained since the start of the pandemic the club has been more focused on mental health.

The club’s purpose is to find ways to strengthen students’ overall condition.

Senior Kelsie King is the vice president of SHAC and said a lot of members’ majors are connected to public health because that is what the club advocates. She joined the club because it related to her career path and matched her interests.

“I joined freshman year mostly for my interest in health care and specifically, mental health,” King said. “So I really wanted to get involved and try to improve the student experience on campus — particularly improve student experience for mental health services.”

SHAC does several initiatives throughout the year for student wellness. Spina said there were three focuses planned out for this semester, which include nutrition, mental health and sexual assault awareness. SHAC previously hosted its Epic Fail event, which encourages students to open up about their embarrassing stories in a comedic and friendly environment. Spina said the club is trying to spread the message about mental health resources and make sure the student body is doing OK, especially with no spring break.

For SHAC’s upcoming initiative, April will be focused on Sexual Assault Awareness and the club has committed to spreading the word while raising funds. Sophomore Matthew Morales is the Sexual Assault Awareness Month 5K initiative leader within the club and has worked with other members putting together this year’s event.

Morales said the purpose of the 5K is to raise awareness, but also to fund and create prevention programs that affect students directly. Morales said within the Health Promotion department, it is looking to revamp and recreate the sexual assault resources so it is better than it was before. The money is specifically going to the Health Promotion department and the sexual assault and violence prevention program.

In addition to the 5K, SHAC is organizing a teal ribbon campaign across campus. Morales said the color teal signifies sexual assault awareness and survivors. The National Violence Research Center states April 2021 will mark the 20th anniversary of April being Sexual Assault Awareness Month. In the early 2000s, the goal of making this change was to raise the visibility of the meaning behind wearing and displaying a teal ribbon.

SHAC has planned to post these ribbons around campus, as well as collaborating with the NAU Police Department. Officers will wear the teal ribbons on their uniforms during the month of April.

It will trigger an inquiry about what the color and the purpose behind the teal ribbons is, Morales said. It is important

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to raise awareness in Flagstaff and at NAU, he said, especially with the hardships and crises everyone has faced with the pandemic.

“I don’t think a lot of people acknowledge [sexual assault] happens,” Morales said. “It’s kind of just left in the dark and that itself creates a stigma behind sexual assault and sexual violence. I think doing this 5K is a small step for us in that we can take to create that awareness to show people that this is a real problem in our society. Not only within our society, but really in our community, what we’re trying to do is raise awareness for the sexual assault victims and acknowledge them.”

Morales said the main point of doing events like the 5K is to raise awareness to let people know if they are in these vulnerable and terrible crises, there is going to be someone there for them.

Spina said this is another aspect of advocacy the club works on. She explained the club is speaking for the student body and with that, it has to take on more topics that are not talked about frequently, like sexual assault.

“I feel like if somebody got into that situation like, ‘What do you do?’ ‘Where do you go?’” Spina said. “It would be nice to have either a faculty member or student, somebody close that you can talk to and that you might know on a personal level.

So I think this is the kind of training that the program is really going to help with. It’s such a hard thing to open up for because I know just like in society, unfortunately, a lot of people are kind of just being put down for it. Especially men and women being asked ‘Well, what were you wearing?’ ‘What were you doing?’ We shouldn’t be asking these questions, we should just be there for these people to try to understand.”

The 5K is trying to fundraise and spread awareness, but it also gets students involved on and off campus. This year, the event is virtual and is a self-guided run or walk. Morales said students can run, walk, use a treadmill or hike and then submit their time on the race registration website.

King said she is currently planning on hiking for her submission because the self-guided aspect allows one to be in nature, but she might use the map given to participants of a 5-mile route on campus.

“I could do the walk on campus and depending on how many people are doing it, it might be really fun to have a socially distanced group and be able to do that together on campus just so people can see us and we can raise awareness,” King said.

Spina said she is planning on participating as well and plans to walk the event with her dog.

Sexual assault is a serious matter that needs to be addressed in each community, and SHAC aims to spread that message while bringing students together for a fun event. The 5K will take place April 8-11 and Morales said students can do their activity any time between those four days. Students can register online until the last day, but the price goes up the closer the event gets.

Time to strap on some gear and run, walk, hike or tread toward a more mindful future. Making changes in one’s own community is a small step in the right direction. SHAC, with the help of NAU students, attempts to implement better sexual assault and violence prevention programs on campus.

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The teal ribbon was adopted as a symbol of sexual assault awareness and prevention, April 3.

Jonah Graham | The Lumberjack

“I think doing this 5K is a small step for us in that we can take to create that awareness to show people that this is a real problem in our society. ” – Sophomore Matthew Morales

Parker Koesel helps the group tie ribbons to help spread the word of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, April 3.

Jonah Graham | The Lumberjack

CULTURE

APRIL 8, 2021 – APRIL 14, 2021 | THE LUMBERJACK

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CULTURE

Why ‘The Sound of Metal’ deserves its Oscar nomination

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irected by Darius Marder, “The Sound of Metal” was released Nov. 20, 2020 on Amazon Prime. The film follows Ruben Stone (Riz Ahmed), a metal drummer who begins to lose his hearing. Ruben believes his career is over and is sent into a spiral after his doctor shows serious concern for his rapidly deteriorating hearing.

Ruben and his girlfriend Lou Berger (Olivia Cooke) live in an RV they use to travel to gigs across the United States. Despite his doctor’s recommendation of eliminating loud noises, Ruben continues to drum at performances and believes his problem can be solved by a cochlear implant, which according to Mayo Clinic is the insertion of “an electronic device that partially ANNIKA BECK restores hearing.” The most significant element of the movie is movement from the static noise from Ruben’s WRITER point of view to those who can hear around him. When the sound is from Ruben’s point of view it shows how severe his hearing is and his inability to communicate with others.

Because Ruben is a recovering drug addict, his girlfriend grows concerned about his mental well-being while he is checked into a deaf shelter for recovering addicts. There, Ruben meets Joe, who lost his hearing in an explosion in the Vietnam War, and as he settles in at the shelter, he starts to learn American Sign Language (ASL). As someone who took ASL in high school, I was able to relate to Ruben’s frustration of picking up another language that is solely based on hand gestures and visuals.

The film shows the battles Ruben faces every day dealing with sobriety and the one thing he loves the most: music. It is miserable to see his internal conflicts and the silence that fills his life. Once Ruben accepts his reality and immerses himself in the community, he is able to find other forms of music through bass vibrations. Despite his progress and never turning back to drugs, Ruben instead grows addicted to music and the desire to hear again, ultimately leading him to get the cochlear implant surgery. However, the implants aren’t that simple and Ruben still struggles to fully hear. After reuniting with Lou again, the distorted sound becomes too much and Ruben goes outside, stares into the horizon and removes his cochlear implant, finally accepting the silence.

The film was nominated for Best Film Editing, Best Picture, Best Sound and Best Original Screenplay Writing. Actor Paul Raci has also been nominated for Best Supporting Actor in his role of Joe in “The Sound of Metal.”

The movie made me cry one moment and smile the next. It was a roller coaster and a journey that showed someone being stripped of something they loved. I would be genuinely shocked if the film doesn’t take home the Oscar for Best Sound for its outstanding complexity in Ruben’s journey with sound.

“The Sound of Metal” represented an endeavour to accept a new reality while leaving the old one behind through an achingly and beautiful story of a latedeafened drummer.

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The importance of Inter Jacob Rimmer

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n March 31, the Office of Inclusion (IMQ) hosted an online seminar to commemorate International Transgender Day of Visibility, an annual awareness event which intends to honor and shed light on the transgender community. While the seminar underscored the difficulties endured by transgender individuals in society, it equally celebrated the progress and triumph of trans groups over the years.

As an on-campus organization, the IMQ is committed to establishing an accepting environment for students with diverse backgrounds, according to its page on the NAU website. Through programming, mentoring, academic support and other services, the organization looks to develop a close relationship with the student body at NAU. Its mission statement explains that the IMQ is welcoming to every student no matter their culture, gender or sexual identity and provides them with community engagement opportunities.

The variety of services offered by IMQ is extensive; one such service, its “Zone Training Series,” focuses on educating the NAU community about issues relevant to diversity. DREAM Zone 101, for example, exists to introduce staff and students to the difficulties faced by the undocumented community so they are better equipped to express solidarity for undocumented students. This is only one of five Zone Training Programs that IMQ offers, alongside a range of other activities and resources.

Coordinator Martin Tease facilitates activities

and programs for the organization. For this year’s commemoration of International Transgender Day of Visibility, IMQ held a virtual tea party and hosted guest speaker Parker Lemal-Brown, a Bowdoin College graduate who spoke about his transition and his identity in the entertainment industry.

“My role, along with our assistant director Marian Griffin, is to create, develop and program events like this to help support and promote members of the NAU Qmmunity who identify as transgender, or trans for short,” Tease said. “We thought that Parker was a great host, as he developed the event to be more informative and engaging in a tea party-like setting.”

Lemal-Brown, a writer, aspiring producer and showrunner, discussed the entertainment industry and his role as a trans artist. With considerable experience in the industry under his belt, Lemal-Brown traversed a variety of topics over the course of the seminar, beginning with his overall aspirations for his career and in Hollywood.

“Professionally, I’m excited for the chance to start pitching my projects, and moving on to the next chapter of being a writer,” Lemal-Brown said, “I’ve been an assistant for almost three years, and now that I have a couple of my own scripts, the next step is getting the opportunity to pitch them as a series, and getting paid to produce my own projects.”

Among a multitude of other accomplishments, he has worked with and produced for famed entertainment companies including Netflix, Amazon and Quibi.

His passion for artistry and creation is clear, and as an

CULTURE Photo courtesy of the Hamilton Trans Health Coalition.

rnational Transgender Day of Visibility advocate for intersectional LGBTQ+ representation, LemalBrown intends on making the entertainment industry a more inclusive environment.

According to his website, Lemal-Brown is currently a member of Time’s Up’s 5050by2020 Transmasculine Cohort, the #PayUpHollywood movement and Young Entertainment Activists. Time’s Up 5050by2020, for example, is a movement which challenges the inaccurate reflection of diversity in the entertainment industry, which the movement claims to not properly represent a wide range of demographics.

While progress has been made, as indicated by the increased popularity of media in which the LGBTQ+ community is represented, these efforts are still paramount for achieving a wholly inclusive industry. Some demographics still remain underrepresented; there are few transgender actors cast in television, and when they are, they are presented in “victim roles” at least 40% of the time, according to an article by GLAAD, a publication dedicated to honoring inclusive and accurate portrayals of LGBTQ+ individuals in the media.

The distinction between mere presence and actual representation is crucial, as statistics fail to account for the condition of LGBTQ+ demographics represented in film. As reported by NBC News, the on-screen appearances of LGBTQ+ people of color and Latinx LGBTQ+ individuals don’t match those groups’ actual population estimates. Similarly, LGBTQ+ demographics are most often pigeonholed into specific roles and categories of movies, and have yet to fully break through to other genres, according to NBC News.

For Lemal-Brown, the consciousness of these trends inspires him to take up the pen and reimagine the possibilities

for LGBTQ+ entertainment. He said trans characters are often presented in such a way that makes them appear inauthentic, rinsed and repeated, and that their role in the film is almost entirely based on their identities rather than what they truly provide to the plot.

“Trans characters, now, mostly appear in dramas ... you don’t really see those characters in comedies, sci-fi, etc. I want to create characters that are Trans, which is part of their identity, but not their entire character,” Lemal-Brown said.

The purpose of International Transgender Day of Visibility is to recognize these truths in all aspects, and to celebrate the contributions the transgender community has made to society as a whole, Tease said.

On March 31, President Joe Biden released a statement in recognition of the date.

“Today, we honor and celebrate the achievements and resiliency of transgender individuals and communities,” Biden said. “Transgender Day of Visibility recognizes the generations of struggle, activism and courage that have brought our country closer to full equality for transgender and gender nonbinary people in the United States and around the world. Their trailblazing work has given countless transgender individuals the bravery to live openly and authentically.”

As Biden said, International Transgender Day of Visibility recognizes a certain activeness in the pursuit of full equality: regardless of personal background, it is only in taking an active role in progressivism that real change can be made. This is the essence of the IMQ’s mission, and a step toward real equality.

“Trans characters, now, mostly appear in dramas ... you don’t really see those characters in comedies, scifi, etc. I want to create characters that are Trans, which is part of their identity, but not their entire character.”

– Producer and activist Parker lemal-brown

APRIL 8, 2021 – APRIL 14, 2021 | THE LUMBERJACK

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CULTURE

March 29 to April 4: Recastings and trailer releases Wednesday, March 31

Katelyn Rodriguez

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his week in Hollywood brings news regarding Broadway shows, Netflix deals and award show winners. Here’s the latest out of the entertainment industry.

Monday, March 29

Entertainment website Deadline reported actor Russell Crowe has been cast in Marvel’s upcoming “Thor: Love and Thunder,” which is currently being filmed in Australia. _________ Entertainment Weekly reported actor Amanda Seyfried, best known for her role in “Mamma Mia!” has replaced comedian and actor Kate McKinnon in Hulu’s upcoming series “The Dropout.”

Tuesday, March 30 The Broadway musical “Diana,” which chronicles the life of the late Princess Diana, is making its way to Netflix, according to Deadline. The show is set for an Oct. 1 release, prior to opening on Broadway in December. _________ Actor Jordan Fisher has been cast in series “The Flash,” according to Variety. Fisher will portray DC comics hero Bart Allen, also known as Impulse. _________

Variety reported Netflix has bought director Rian Johnson’s anticipated “Knives Out” sequels for $450 million, in which actor Daniel Craig is expected to reprise his role as detective Benoit Blanc. _________ Music and arts festival Bonnaroo, which takes place in Manchester, Tennessee, announced its 2021 lineup on Twitter and Instagram. The festival is set to take place Sept. 2-5 and features headliners like Foo Fighters, Megan Thee Stallion, Lizzo and Tame Impala. _________ The Recording Academy announced on Instagram and Twitter that next year’s Grammy Awards will take place Jan. 31, 2022 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. _________ Director Adam Wingard’s “Godzilla vs. Kong” was released on HBO Max and in theaters. _________ Nominations for the BRIT Awards were announced and include singers Billie Eilish, Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus and The Weeknd. The full list of nominees can be found on the BRIT Awards website.

Thursday, April 1

Actor Kirsten Dunst revealed she’s expecting her second child with fiance Jesse Plemons in a cover shoot for W magazine’s Director’s Issue, which also features actor Elle Fanning, and actordirector Rashida Jones. _________

Singer and actor Olivia Rodrigo released her new song “Deja Vu” and announced in a tweet that she has completed her debut album. _________

The trailer for season 4 of Hulu’s adaptation of “The Handmaid’s Tale” was released. The new season is set to begin streaming April 28.

Actor Chris Evans, producer Mark Kassen and tech entrepreneur Joe Kiani’s civic engagement platform A Starting Point has partnered with Newsweek “to create a cross-platform series exploring Gen Z’s impact on American politics,” Deadline

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reported. Evans confirmed the news through quoting the tweet from Deadline containing the article with the caption “Very excited about this!”

Friday, April 2 Netflix’s latest hit show “Bridgerton,” which was created by producer Shonda Rimes, announced via its Instagram and Twitter accounts that breakout star, Regé-Jean Page, who played the Duke of Hastings, won’t be returning for season two of the show. Page also confirmed the news with a post on Instagram. _________ Singer Demi Lovato released her new album “Dancing with the Devil…the Art of Starting Over.” The album consists of 19 songs and includes features from singers Ariana Grande, Noah Cyrus, Sam Fischer and rapper Saweetie.

Award show update: Screen actors guild (SAG) Awards - Outstanding performance by a male actor in a leading role: Chadwick Boseman (“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”) - Outstanding performance by a female actor in a leading role: Viola Davis (“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”) - Outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture: “The Trial of the Chicago 7” - Outstanding performance by a male actor in a supporting role: Daniel Kaluuya (“Judas and the Black Messiah”) - Outstanding performance by a female actor in a supporting role: Yuh-Jung Youn (“Minari”) A full list of winners of the 27th annual SAG Awards can be found on its website.

CULTURE

APRIL 8, 2021 – APRIL 14, 2021 | THE LUMBERJACK

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SPORTS

NHL divisions need to adapt for Seattle Kraken

W

ith the addition of the Seattle Kraken following the 2020-21 season, the NHL will expand to 32 teams.

This means the conferences of old will once again shift in order to accommodate Seattle. However, it may be time to step away from conferences and follow the lead of another 32-team league, the NFL. The NHL is in a unique situation to heat up already fierce rivalries. That’s right, the NHL should resort to using eight four-team divisions rather than returning to two conferences following this season.

So what would these divisions look like, and what will this do to the NHL playoffs and the season as a whole?

Let’s start there, with the 82-game WILL HOPKINS regular season. Well, 12 of those games ASSISTANT SPORTS would come from their own division, with EDITOR two crossover games coming against every division, adding up to 68 games. Add an extra two crossover games with a division to get to 76 games, and now we have the best part of this new proposal. Each team has three flex spots, allowing for an extra set of crossover games that can be used to drum up interest in the game. These would be home and away series to draw attention, as the two teams could be fierce rivals or just two of the league’s best teams.

Now, before talking about what is possibly the most controversial piece of this proposal, let’s get to the divisions. The Pacific Northwest division would consist of Seattle, Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary. The West Coast division is made up of Las Vegas, San Jose, Los Angeles and Anaheim. Colorado, Arizona, Dallas and St.Louis are in the South Central division.

Minnesota, Winnipeg, Detroit and Chicago would be the Lakes division. The Southeast would include Nashville, Carolina, Florida and Tampa Bay. The Manhattan division would be both New York teams, New Jersey and Buffalo. The Northeast would include Boston, Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa with the final division being the East, which includes Washington D.C., Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Columbus.

Finally, without conferences the question becomes about the playoffs. This is perhaps the most significant change that I would suggest — teams pick who they play. It’s something that is so uniquely hockey, causing conflict in addition to the already high pressure of the postseason.

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NAU cross country celebrates winning its fourth national championship on the podium, March 15.

Photo courtesy of NCAA Photos via Getty Images

Cross country’s Young, Ferro shine as NAU captures fourth national title tyler Murphy

T

he NAU men’s cross country team wrapped up its season as national champions March 15. The team has now won four national titles in the past five years thanks to the many talented runners in the program.

Freshman Nico Young has been a standout for the team in his short NAU career. Making the jump from high school to college has proven to be difficult, but not without its upsides.

“Having training partners to do workouts with, I didn’t get that in the late years of my high school career,” Young said.

It sure was a change for Young as he was running a 5K in the 13-minute range in high school, which is an extremely fast time for that level. It wasn’t a difficult part of the transition but was a notable difference from high school to his first year competing in college.

Running a 13:50 5K in high school would be hard, considering there wouldn’t be a lot of athletes that fast one could work out with as a teammate. The natural talent and hard work of Young and his teammates are what impacted the racing for the

Lumberjacks.

Before coming to NAU, Young was already used to the bright spotlight created by his blazing speed. In his senior year of high school, he led his team to a first-place finish at the Nike Cross Nationals, a prestigious invitational meet. With his team accolades, he also has an impressive personal trophy case.

Finishing first in almost every race, he brought home the 20192020 Gatorade National Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year Award, and also received the same award in track and field.

During his freshman year at NAU, Young finished fourth in the NCAA Championships in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and played a major role in securing NAU’s fourth national championship.

With these huge performances early in his career, the pressure is on to live up to his full potential.

“It definitely sets the expectations really high, but I feel like I’ve gotten really good at meeting that and I think that’s what’s going to motivate me to keep improving,” Young said.

At the top of the game at such a young age, Young plans to keep improving and to continually become a faster and better runner for NAU. He, as well as the rest of this NAU squad, had

SPORTS to reach this point through adversity. With COVID-19 altering the team’s season and ability to train, the athletes had to adapt to the circumstances while still being a top cross country program.

“It impacted everyone really negatively,” senior runner Blaise Ferro said about COVID affecting team morale. “I think I’m on the higher stress level … I’ve been pretty paranoid about catching it and spreading it.”

The fear of catching and spreading COVID-19 was a huge concern for the NAU runners, given the nature of the respiratory virus. The team could have been set back and been robbed of a national championship if they could not remain healthy.

Coaching was a major aspect of keeping the players in check.

When it came to developing a game plan, NAU head coach Michael Smith had everything under control during the national championship.

“Around 6K, I heard coach Smith say that we were up 30 points, which was the first affirmation that we were doing everything that we planned,” Ferro said about the team’s success.

For Ferro, an All-American, All-Big Sky runner who only has the outdoor track season left in his career, it has become time for him and other runners to plan their future.

He has been able to focus on running more intensely as he’s finished his classes. With college almost done, and with his goal to become a professional runner, Ferro has an important decision to make.

“I would love to make a career out of this,” Ferro said. “This is definitely the most focused I’ve been on running in the past five years.”

With tenured veterans like Ferro graduating from the program, some, like Young, are just getting started. Ferro closes a chapter at NAU, but walks away a champion, with a winning legacy that will be carried by new runners like Young, who will inevitably pass the baton to future Lumberjacks.

Senior runner Blaise Ferro competes in the NCAA Cross Country Championships in Stillwater, Oklahoma, March 15.

Photo courtesy of NAU Athletics

Upcoming NAU Games this Week NAU Women’s Tennis @ New Mexico State: Friday, April 9, 2 p.m NAU Women’s Tennis @ UTEP: Saturday, April 10, 11 a.m.

NAU Men’s Tennis @ University of Nebraska at Omaha: Saturday, April 10, 12 p.m.

NAU Football @ Southern Utah: Saturday, April 10, 5 p.m.

NAu GAme Scores From last Week Men’s Tennis: Friday, March 26, NAU vs Idaho State (Win 6-1) Men’s Tennis: Saturday, March 27, NAU vs Weber State (Win 6-1) Big Sky Volleyball Tournament Semifinal: Thursday, april 1, NAU vs Weber State (loss 3-1) Soccer: Saturday, April 3, NAU vs Northern Colorado (Draw 2-2) Soccer: Monday, April 5, NAU vs Northern Colorado (loss 3-1) APRIL 8, 2021 – APRIL 14, 2021 | THE LUMBERJACK

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APRIL 8, 2021 – APRIL 14, 2021 | THE LUMBERJACK

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