The Lumberjack -- February 24, 2022

TAKING INITIATIVE PAGE 4

THE LUMBER JACK FEB. 24, 2022 – MARCH 2, 2022

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FROM THE EDITOR

B

efore I left for college, my cousin told me, “College is magic for finding cool people.”

I was skeptical, nervous to be in a place where I knew absolutely no one, but she was totally right: Mary and I have been stuck together like glue since the second she moved into our third-floor room in Tinsley Hall.

Attending college in a time where we couldn’t do the traditional college things — party, go to in-person classes, attend concerts and events — we had to find a way to entertain ourselves. We decorated our room for every single holiday.

We covered our walls with art projects we found on sale at Michaels.

MARLEY We built a makeshift projector screen with command hooks, binder clips GREEN and a sheet, and then binge-watched “Bridgerton.”

We often say to each other that this is a reason we still enjoy each other’s OP-ED EDITOR presence over a year later; we were essentially stuck in the same room for an entire two semesters, so we are used to the other’s quirks.

Mary is my rock in Flagstaff. She does my dishes and makes me smoothies when I’m sick. She brings me snacks when I work late in the newsroom.

She reads all my articles and all my friends’ articles. She even stole a printed copy of my last letter from the editor off the wall outside the Media Innovation Center so she could display it in our living room.

One time she apologized to me for not having read my article yet. She told me she was getting to it, but she was just really stressed.

“You don’t need to read every single thing that comes out,” I said.

“Marley,” Mary said with a very serious look on her face, “I take my role as The Lumberjack’s biggest supporter very seriously.”

What makes Mary so great, though, is that she is like this with everyone she knows. She appreciates everyone, deeply, and wants them to know it. She has helped me branch out, encouraged me to aim high and reminded me to breathe when I am in over my head with work.

If you haven’t found your “cool people” yet, they are coming.

THE LUMBERJACK VOL. 113 ISSUE 6

Faculty Adviser David Harpster

Managing Editor Camille Sipple

Print Chief Lauren Gomez

Director of Marketing Lydia Nelson

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Thank you for reading

Editor-in-Chief MacKenzie Brower

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

Copy Chief Kylie Soto Director of Digital Content and Social Media Emily Gerdes

Media Innovation Center Editorial Board News Editor Mark Fabery Asst. Op-Ed Editor Jessie McCann

Asst. Culture Editor Haylee Sorensen Director of Illustration Brittani Poeppel Senior Reporter William Combs III

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Asst. News Editor Daisy Johnston

Online News Editor Josh Ostby

Op-Ed Editor Marley Green

Features Editor Hannah Elsmore

Asst. Features Editor John Chaffeur

Culture Editor Katelyn Rodriguez

Asst. Sports Editor Will Hopkins

Asst. Dir. of Photography Megan Ford-Fyffe

The sun rises over NAU’s mountain campus on a cold and quiet Saturday morning, Feb 19.

Octavia Freeland | The Lumberjack

Sports Adviser Rory Faust

CORRECTIONS & CLARIFICATIONS

Sports Editor Brenden Martin Director of Multimedia Shawn Patti Senior Photographer Madison Easton

Director of Photography Brian Burke Senior Photographer Jonah Graham

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Asst. Print Chief Lian Muneno

ON THE COVER

The Lumberjack is committed to factual correctness and accuracy. If you find an error in our publication, please email MacKenzie Brower at msb389@nau.edu.

PoliceBeat Feb. 14 At 9:47 a.m., NAUPD received a fire alarm notification from Tinsley Hall. NAUPD and Flagstaff Fire Department (FFD) responded to clear out smoke, and checked the areas for any further assistance.

NAUPD, FFD and Guardian Medical Transport (GMT) responded, but the student refused medical transport. The student was given a public assist ride to Raymond Hall.

At 3:12 p.m., a Science Lab Facility staff member reported a non-student loitering in the area. NAUPD responded. The non-student was identified and told to leave the area.

At 7:51 p.m., a subject reported a student who possibly dislocated their shoulder at the South Campus Recreation Complex. NAUPD, FFD and GMT responded, and the student was transported to Flagstaff Medical Center (FMC).

At 10:45 p.m., NAUPD received an anonymous report for an alcohol offense in Allen Hall. An officer responded, and two students were criminally deferred for minors in possession of alcohol.

At 10:01 p.m., a subject reported a vehicle blocking the roadway in lot 32B. NAUPD responded, and determined a non-injury traffic collision had occurred. Both parties exchanged information.

Feb. 15 At 9:24 a.m., a Cline Library staff member reported being threatened. NAUPD responded. One non-student was cited and released for assault and interfering with an educational facility.

Feb. 17 At 8:00 a.m., a student reported a non-injury traffic collision near the intersection of Pine Knoll Drive and Huffer Lane. Officers responded and took a report. Facility Services was notified to put ice melt on the roadway.

At 12:14 p.m., a student at The Suites reported a broken security camera. NAUPD responded, and one student was deferred for criminal damage.

At 10:33 p.m., a Gabaldon Hall resident reported receiving threats from another resident. NAUPD responded but the student did not want to pursue charges.

Feb. 16 At 10:08 a.m., work control reported the odor of gas in Campus Heights.

NAUPD and FFD responded and determined the odor was coming from a stove.

At 3:15 p.m., a nonstudent reported a student feeling like they may pass out.

Compiled by Mark Fabery had broken a glass door on a display case in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences West building.

NAUPD responded, and the nonstudent was cited and released for criminal damage.

Feb. 19 At 5:00 p.m., a Reilly Hall RA reported a student had attempted suicide.

NAUPD, FFD and GMT responded. The student was located and transported to FMC. Counseling Services was notified.

At 5:55 p.m., a student reported a parking issue in lot 66A. An officer responded, and two vehicles were issued a university warning for parking outside of stall lanes.

Feb. 20 At 3:20 a.m., multiple subjects reported a disturbance in Tinsley Hall. NAUPD, FPD, FFD and GMT responded. One non-student was transported to FMC for a laceration to the arm. A student was arrested and booked into Coconino County Detention At 1:42 p.m., an employee Facility for assault, disorderly reported someone hit their conduct and a minor in vehicle and fled the scene in lot consumption of alcohol.

64. NAUPD responded and took a report.

At 5:25 p.m., a student reported a subject passed out At 4:39 p.m., an Allen in the grass near the Ponderosa Hall resident reported an building. NAUPD, FFD and illness. NAUPD, FFD and GMT responded. The nonGMT responded, and the student was identified, but patient was transported to refused medical transport.

FMC. At 11:40 p.m., an Allen Feb. 18 Hall resident reported a nonAt 4:20 p.m., an employee student refusing to leave reported empty shell casings their residence. NAUPD in lot 3. NAUPD responded, responded, and one student but no criminal activity was was cited and released for witnessed.

The property minor in consumption of was taken to NAUPD for alcohol. The non-student safekeeping. was cited and released for minor in consumption of At 7:59 p.m., a student alcohol, warned of trespass and reported that a non-student provided a public assist ride.

NAU announces early closures and delayed start Mark fABERY

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n Wednesday afternoon Feb. 23, NAU announced via email to the student body that the university will close at 3:45 p.m. to allow NAU, city and county crews time and access to clear snow and allow everyone on campus ample time to get home safely.

Classes beginning after 3:45 p.m. are canceled and university offices will be closed. All campus dining locations will be closing at 8 p.m. tonight, which includes restaurants typically open for late night pick-up and dine-in.

Moreover, NAU will have a two-hour delayed start on Thursday, Feb. 24 to allow street crews to clear roadways. Classes before 10 a.m. are canceled and university offices will be closed until 10 a.m.

NAU has given faculty members the option to determine how classwork will be made up and communicate with students directly.

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FEB. 24 ,2022 – MARCH 2, 2022 | THE LUMBERJACK

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NEWS

President Cruz Rivera discusses NA Mark Fabery

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resident José Luis Cruz Rivera and his staff received approval from the Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) for a pilot program that would change the admissions criteria for students entering the university in fall 2023.

The Lumberjack had the chance to sit down with President Cruz Rivera and Anika Olsen, NAU vice president of Enrollment Management, to discuss the newly approved admissions pilot program.

The pilot program itself Cruz Rivera said the introduction of the admissions pilot program for NAU is an effort by the university and ABOR to expand opportunities, so more Arizonans can have access to the growing economy.

“The driver for this pilot is really an effort to increase educational attainment in Arizona. At a

“The driver for this pilot is really an effort to increase educational attainment in Arizona. At a time when, as you know, the state’s economy is booming.”

– NAU President José Luis Cruz Rivera time when, as you know, the state’s economy is booming,” Cruz Rivera said. “It’s among the top, fastest growing in the country. It’s generating high paying jobs, but unfortunately, most of these high paying jobs, two-thirds of them require some form of post-secondary education and Arizona as a state is among the lowest states in the country, in terms of the percentage of their workforce that has a postsecondary degree.”

The sentiment is supported by both Jorge Quintero, president and CEO of QCM Technologies, and John Graham, president and CEO of Sunbelt Holdings, who serve as co-

chairs for Greater Phoenix Leadership Higher Education Task Force.

“Throughout our state, the need is clear for an educated pipeline of Arizonans to match the booming economic opportunities of our state,” Quintero and Graham said in a joint statement cited by NAU. “We are pleased to see NAU and ABOR taking a leadership position in advancing this work to help educate the talented workforce of the future that will continue to drive our state’s prosperity.”

The six-year pilot will omit the two-year foreign language requirement from the 16 courses needed for guaranteed admission to

The sun rises over NAU’s mountain campus on a cold and quiet Saturday morning, Feb 19. Octavia Freeland| The Lumberjack

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the university. Moreover, the change will allow students to count additional courses as one of the four math requirements, while the 3.0 GPA requirement will not change.

The current ABOR policy allows all three state universities to admit students who do not meet a few core requirements on a case-by-case basis through a delegated admission process.

These changes are meant to move NAU’s admission standards closer to Arizona high school graduation requirements, with the goal to make attending college more accessible to students. Roughly 50,000 students in grades nine through 12, across Arizona are not offered all of the core courses required for university admission, according to preliminary data cited

by ABOR. ABOR Chair Lyndel Manson made note of the decades-old policy, in regards to admissions requirements that have remained the same across all three universities during a Feb. 10 ABOR meeting.

“I think we have pigeonholed ourselves in this state in terms of who goes to college, and I think we have missed an opportunity to serve more broadly,” Manson said. “I think [this is] going to be truly important moving forward to meet the broader needs of the state. I really do think that this is the right direction to move in terms of differentiating and making each of the universities distinctive from each other.”

As NAU was seeking approval for the admissions pilot program at the time, Cruz Rivera said the university’s proposal is meant to bring in more students from underserved communities who can excel at NAU. However, when it comes to the financial aspect, universities across the country have seen a dip in enrollment as high tuition costs discourage prospective students, according to The New York Times.

In response, Cruz Rivera described the proposal to ABOR as the first piece of a larger puzzle the university is continuing to work on before the pilot starts in fall 2023.

“When we presented this pilot program to the Arizona Board of Regents, we made the point that it’s the first piece of a larger puzzle that we’re putting together, and it is important to realize that this pilot will start in fall 2023,” Cruz Rivera said. “So we have a full year to fill in the rest of that puzzle, but I will say that we have been working for the last seven months on a new price positioning and financial aid strategy that will allow us to better serve our neediest students.”

NEWS

AU’s new admissions pilot program Anika Olsen, vice president of Enrollment Management, noted the university’s goal since Cruz Rivera took office is to provide what she describes as a “equitable post-secondary value” for prospective students.

“I think how we market it is the first piece as we’re envisioning our strategic roadmap, and really looking at how we can best serve Arizona students, and really attain the goal and our guiding light all along has been an equitable post-secondary value,” Olsen said.

“We feel that this admissions policy is us taking one step into that broader pool, followed in the next probably six to eight weeks with announcements around how we are fundamentally shifting our financial aid and merit award strategy for fall ’23, and we’re really excited about a lot of the changes.”

The program’s potential effects on affordable housing During the discussion, Cruz Rivera noted the new program is only a pilot, because the university has a hypothesis they want to explore moving forward. Currently, he believes that a majority of high school students in Arizona, who don’t meet current standards are not thinking about their post-secondary education, due to current obstacles, which make it difficult to predict the increase of students coming to the Flagstaff mountain campus.

Cruz Rivera highlighted that roughly 20% of high school students have access to 14 core courses, when they need 16 and a 3.0 GPA to be assured admission to the university, which he said sends a contradictory message to students. “[Our] new message is much simpler,” Cruz Rivera said.

“It says if you meet your high school graduation requirements with a 3.0, you’re admitted to NAU, there are of course some nuances to that, and we will of course be monitoring the increase in applications as we move the pilot forward.”

Cruz Rivera went on to explain the pilot will provide additional access to not only the mountain campus, but also 20 different sites NAU operates, along with partnerships the university has with 10 community colleges throughout the state.

Moreover, Cruz Rivera cited Flagstaff’s recently passed 10year housing plan, while noting the university continues to work with the city to ensure specifics included in the plan will be put into action, while the university embarks on its master planning effort.

“We will be working with the city to ensure that some of the recommendations that came out of that plan are put into action, so that we can help be part of the solutions in terms of the housing situation in Flagstaff,” Cruz Rivera said. “We just embarked on a master planning effort for campus, so there’s opportunities for us to consider expanding our housing on campus, to make sure that any increases in enrollment are attended to directly by the university.”

Additionally, the president made note the university is currently reenvisioning the NAU’s financial aid packaging, which he believes will likely have an effect on lowering the burden of affordability to potential students.

Cruz Rivera described this process as pieces of a puzzle that the university continues to discuss for the next several months, where he feels confident the university will be helping address housing issues rather than contributing to the problem.

“We feel that this admissions policy is us taking one step into that broader pool ... and we’re really excited about a lot of the changes.”

– Anika olsen, NAU VICe president of Enrollment Mangement In addition, Olsen said she personally does not believe the pilot program will massively increase enrollment at the Flagstaff mountain campus, as many students take different paths after graduation.

“Do I think this is going to massively increase enrollment in Flagstaff?” Olsen said. “I don’t. I think students all take different paths — students that are graduating from an Arizona high school may not give higher education a look. They may give NAU or one of our 20 partner community colleges a look in a different way than they had before when they take a look at the requirements.”

Cruz Rivera ended the discussion touching on the exciting

time NAU is experiencing as the university continues to see a shift in enrollment. Currently, the university is working on expanding access to the Flagstaff mountain campus, but also scaling up the university presence outside of the city.

“In recent years, we’ve seen shifts in enrollment, and we’re looking to capitalize on not only expanding access to Flagstaff, because there is room for us to do that,” Cruz Rivera said. “As we said earlier, figuring out how to really scale up our presence outside of Flagstaff, so that those communities will have access to high quality education.”

Early morning sunlight shines on NAU’s Student Academic Services building, Feb 19. Octavia Freeland| The Lumberjack

FEB. 24 ,2022 – MARCH 2, 2022 | THE LUMBERJACK

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NEWS

New wave of anti-LGBTQIA+ BILLS pushed by lawmakers Emma Long

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new wave of anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation is being pushed by several Republican lawmakers in Arizona.

The bills in question involve transgender youth, genderqueer and gender-nonconforming individuals in Arizona schools. This includes the banning of gender-affirming healthcare for minors, the banning of critical race theory from the classroom, the banning of transgender girls from girl’s sports teams and the exclusion of any gender markers other than male or female on documents.

However, the anti-LGBTQIA+ proposals have been met with a bipartisan backed bill which would protect queer and transgender people from discrimination in the workplace, in matters of housing and public accommodation.

Junior Ethan Lew, president of Turning Point NAU, which describes itself as a nonpartisan right-leaning activist group, said there should not, to an extent, be any discriminatory laws that make life harder for those part of the LGBTQIA+ community.

However, Lew said banning critical race theory from the classroom, the exclusion of gender markers other than male or female on documents and the banning of gender-affirming healthcare for minors are all views held by many Turning Point members.

Rather than simply banning transgender girls from sports, Lew said Turning Point would like to have more restrictions in place for them to play. Lew said having transgender girls in sports with biologically female athletes would pose a disadvantage to the biologically born females.

Lew said he disagrees with some of his peers on matters that are putting too many restrictions on the transgender community. He said he comes from a more libertarian point of view. Since the bill banning gender-affirming healthcare for minors may cause increased psychological distress and suicidal thoughts for transgender individuals, Lew said he does not believe it is morally right.

Lew said he has also dealt with his own mental health in the past and knows how difficult those struggles can be.

“I feel sometimes that it kind of disregards the person,” Lew said. “It’s more of a utilitarian viewpoint rather than individual, I feel like they really should focus more on the individual.”

Additionally, Lew said he would like to see parents have more say in what their children are taught in school. This idea is currently being

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Rep. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, speaks during a vote on the Arizona budget at the capitol in Phoenix, June 24, 2021.

Courtesy of the Associated Press

proposed in Senate Bill 1165, which would ban critical race theory from the classroom, and House Bill 2011, which would prohibit students from joining any club dealing with gender or sexuality without written parental consent.

Junior Jacob Carter, president of the NAU Young Democrats said these bills are antiLGBTQIA+ and a deliberate attack on our education system.

In 2020, Republicans saw what happened when voters were more educated on issues regarding queer rights, racial justice, education and climate change, Carter said. This increase in education encouraged voters to mobilize, resulting in the Democratic control of the United States House of Representatives, Senate and the White House.

“It’s an attack on things that do empower people to not only critically think about their government and the structures that put them there, but also to critically think about the society that they want to grow up in,” Carter said.

Carter said anti-queer and anti-education bills tend to be unpopular with voters, especially those who are ready for social progress to be made.

“The viewpoint from young student people who are on the left is that we do not thrive in a society that is constantly trying to punish people for living out their own lives and just for simply existing,” Carter said.

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Fred Solop and Andrew Dzeguze are professors within the Department of Politics and International Affairs, and agree these bills have set the stage for Republicans to make their position clear to voters for the upcoming election.

Dzeguze said many lawmakers in the House are focused on getting their name out before the upcoming governor’s race. These bills may be their way to do that, Dzeguze said.

“They are signaling to their base of supporters where they stand on the issues,” Solop said. “That they are a part of this social movement, and this social movement is enthusiastically embraced by many people.”

However, these bill proposals have been met with an anti-discrimination bipartisan backed bill, which is backed by leaders in business and faith communities as well as Arizona Republican House Speaker Rusty Bowers. Lew said he is in support of this bill.

“Anything bipartisan, in my opinion, is a step forward into reuniting our country against our ‘so-called’ political tension between the two parties,” Lew said.

Solop said Bowers’ backing of this bill sends a message. This was a strategic move for Bowers, Lew said, as opposing discrimination is a unifying issue across the political divide.

“He is a more moderate Republican, and he is putting out signals that are essentially saying to these more extreme right-wing Republicans, ‘Let’s cool out here, we are a state that supports

anti-discrimination legislation,’” Solop said.

However, Carter said progressive leadership is the way to help build the Arizona economy, and the inclusion of the queer community is pivotal to that success.

“It’s not popular for legislatures to be taking such a hard stance against people’s sons, daughters, against people’s children, against people’s aunts, uncles, against people’s family members,” Carter said. “Gay people are vetted in every single workplace, every single community, just as our workers, our minorities and every single type of person.”

There are essentially two sides to the Republican party, Dzeguze said, those who would compromise on issues of social conservatism to promote growth of business, and those who would prefer to keep conservative social values at the expense of business.

“For the really die hard Republicans, they tend to be more of a socially-conservative group of people,” Dzeguze said. “But at the same time, if you look at the people who are the sources of funding for the Republican party historically, they don’t want to be associated with those social fights.”

Dzeguze and Solop agreed few of these proposed bills are likely to pass. Solop said one tactic Republican lawmakers may be using is pushing so much new legislation at once that voters are not sure where to focus.

To see the status of these bills and others, visit the Arizona State Legislature website.

NEWS

Flagstaff announces early sustainability leaders William Combs III

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he city of Flagstaff Sustainability Office, in partnership with RentLab, announced its early sustainability leaders among local rental properties. According to a press release, rental properties in the area shared metric data with RentLab to measure sustainability focused on environmental, social and economic factors.

The Grove scored the highest among the sustainability leaders, with a score of 64 out of 100.

General manager of The Grove, Caitlin Hailey, said making investments in sustainability is not only the right thing to do, but the smart thing for businesses. Since millennials and Generation Z make up a majority of the renter demographic, Hailey said these investments pay dividends by appealing to younger groups when they are deciding where to sign a lease.

“Gen Z and millennials are the drivers of sustainability initiatives; they are the ones pushing for these issues and they are also the largest renter demographic,” Hailey said. “If it is important to our demographic, obviously it should be important to us to recognize our impact and join them in the fight for change.”

At The Grove, Hailey said the use of solar panels to power the apartment complex is an attractive and sustainable option for their tenants. The tenants receive credit for their electricity use and if they do not exceed their credit, they do not have an electric bill at the end of the month, Hailey said.

Not only does The Grove offer renewable energy options to its tenants, but it is also conscious of any waste produced.

In partnership with Catholic Charities, who support displaced veterans with finding housing, The Grove offers used furniture to the organization instead of taking it to the landfill.

“Every year when we have slightly damaged furniture we contact Catholic Charities first so that they can use those to furnish those apartments for people that have been displaced,” Hailey said. “Instead of sending it to the landfill, we set it aside for them and give them an opportunity to go through it.”

Jacqui Bauer, a representative of RentLab, said although the initial investment in green housing may be daunting to rental properties, the return on investment will be seen almost instantly.

By installing insulation, a property will lose less heat, which not only makes it more sustainable, but cost-efficient as well, Bauer said.

The problem is not that properties are not practicing sustainability, but rather they are not sharing the data necessary to be scored on the list, Bauer explained. She said with this first announcement of sustainability leaders, she hopes more properties will share data so renters can understand the full spectrum of a location’s sustainability efforts before signing their lease.

“One of the biggest things that properties can do to increase their score is to share more information,” Bauer said. “That is everything from who pays which utilities, what the recycling programs look like and the utility data. One of the things we are trying to do is give more visibility to the properties that have made these investments so that they get a market return when they make their property more efficient.”

Furthermore, Bauer explained properties must realize the full spectrum of sustainability to include social equity. An example of this is an eviction diversion program that some rental properties have implemented; this program helps tenants stay off the streets and find alternative housing, as well as get them in touch with rental assistance.

If the housing market is leading to evictions and more homelessness, rental properties are not truly practicing sustainability, and must incorporate social equity into their business model in order to be recognized as a true leader in this area, Bauer said.

“If the community is so expensive that a teacher or a firefighter or a janitor can’t afford to live there, you have created a real resilience problem for your community and that’s one of the reasons why we have to be thinking in that full spectrum,” Bauer said.

She noted this list is not complete, and just a start to the vision of sustainable housing in Flagstaff, which she said she believes will only be realized if properties continue to share the necessary data with RentLab and the city.

Ramon Alatorre, climate and energy coordinator for the city of Flagstaff, said sustainability efforts among rental properties will not only improve our carbon footprint, but may also end up being cheaper for tenants.

“A house that was built to code in the 1970s, and hasn’t had any work done since could be a relatively inefficient house compared to today’s standards,” Alatorre said. “Contractors will go out to houses and find that there is only three inches of insulation in the house whereas the code today requires 16.

Where these properties are lacking usually means that the tenants are paying a lot more for utilities.”

The pandemic and the consequential supply chain issues which followed have put a strain on these sustainability investments, making them more expensive.

However, the return on investment is still greater in the long run, Alatorre said.

Alatorre said the city and RentLab are working to make those sustainable investments more attractive to property owners by producing their list of leaders, which they believe will prove to be an efficient marketing tool for these properties.

“The list is an appreciation to those that have been participating and engaging in the project and have been making those investments for their tenants,” Alatorre said.

“We are hoping that with this coverage that other properties that we are not talking to yet, start to share their data and make these investments as well.”

To share property data and compare to other locations in the area, visit RentLab’s website.

“Gen Z and millennials are the drivers of sustainability initiatives; they are the ones pushing for these issues and they are also the largest renter demographic.”

– Caitlin Hailey, General Manager of The Grove

Illustration By Kaeyley Collins

FEB. 24 ,2022 – MARCH 2, 2022 | THE LUMBERJACK

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OPINION-EDITORIAL

Russia is the worst type of frat boy Maria Rodriguez

Ye, compassion and accountability

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e, previously known as Kanye West, has dominated the entertainment news cycle for his bold remarks on Instagram. After posting insults about Pete Davidson (his ex-wife Kim Kardashian’s current partner) and commenting on the media and society in general, he became even more of a controversial figure to many. Ye, who EMILY was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in REHLING 2017, is displaying symptoms of a manic episode. The suddenly public matter has OP-ED WRITER seen an ugly reaction from fans and the general public alike.

However, what Ye and his family deserve is compassion and thoughtfulness during this time, as do all who struggle with mental health. Bipolar disorder is experienced by about 4.4% of Americans at some point in their life, and those affected are 10 to 30 times more likely to die by suicide than the general population.

The reactions to Ye’s remarks are scattered and mostly unhelpful. Superfans of the rapper encourage him in the comments of his posts, many aiming threats toward Davidson.

Others ridicule him.

To be clear, many of Ye’s posts have perpetuated the misogynistic and dangerous ideas of male-dominated family units and women belonging to men as if they are property — these should not be praised. Many are concerned for Kardashian, with some deeming Ye’s remarks as harassment.

But as the situation develops, it remains unequivocal that the privacy, safety and well being of Ye, Kardashian and their family should be the main priority.

Ye, once revered as a musical and lyrical genius who artfully translated social criticism into music, should have some of his thoughts at least taken into consideration, rather than be immediately dismissed amid his struggles with mental health. If not taken seriously, Ye will only feel more alienated.

In addition, if fans continue to feed into these remarks instead of holding him accountable, the result could be even more harmful.

What Ye needs is empathy, and what Kardashian and their children need is support. The circumstances will not change for anyone involved if Ye is not encouraged to get help and the family is not treated with basic respect. Ye, Kardashian and their family deserve their humanity to be recognized, not just their celebrity status.

Our attitude toward mental illness is dated and harmful.

Treating those who struggle with bipolar disorder the way Ye has been treated is not helpful; it’s just dangerous.

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n the simplest of terms, Russia is standing outside Ukraine’s dorm, trying to prove how strong he is by flexing his muscles and stalking her with weapons. It is certainly not as charming as one would think, especially with so many people’s lives at risk for more territory.

Thinking that Russia should own Ukraine, a separate nation with over 43 million people — now that’s the worst type of frat-boy mentality.

As stated in The Wall Street Journal article by reporters Michael Gordon and Max Rust, Russia is positioning special forces with highly trained battalions toward Ukraine, as well as tripling its amount of Iskander-M ballistic missile brigades over the past four months.

After leaving Russia in 1991, Ukraine is still having trouble making a clean break. Ukrainians have been rebelling against Russian rule for more than 30 years, as evidenced by Ukraine’s former’s blue and yellow flag.

The flag was initially used during anti-communist protests in the 1990s and was banned by the Soviet Union.

Unfortunately for Ukraine, it doesn’t help that Vladimir Putin feels like Ukraine is owed to him because, God forbid, one might assume the man in charge is having performance issues while trying to relive a glorified Soviet Union-era fantasy.

Another worry for Brad — sorry — Russia, is that Ukraine’s ally, the United States, is getting too close to his ex and sharing one too many Western ideas. Although, only Putin can explain why it’s Russia’s business.

Without Ukraine, Russia’s worried his friends and enemies might see him as weak. Still, come on, Russia; that’s no reason to follow the stereotypical toxic masculinity tropes.

Currently, frat boy Russia is going for the standard gaslight approach: Denying that he’s doing anything wrong, while arguing that Ukraine is being over dramatic and emotional

for no reason.

In an interview with BBC News, Deputy Russian Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy confirmed with the news outlet that Russia’s done this before, and it’s no big deal, to them at least — as if the threat of invasion isn’t a national security crisis for Ukraine.

“Why such a hysteria this time? So this is absolutely artificial hype, artificial problem … it’s not Russia,” Polyanskiy said.

Perhaps referring to the war between Russia and Ukraine in 2014 wasn’t the wisest choice Polyanskiy could have made. Ukraine’s still trying to heal from the many wounds left from their previous conflict, and it seems that no de-escalation has come from his remarks.

The Council on Foreign Relations reported that more than 13,000 casualties occurred, with over 1.5 million estimated people displaced in Ukraine as a result of their last encounter with Russia.

Russia claims he is not escalating the situation by standing outside Ukraine’s dorm with dangerous men. Nonetheless, over 150,000 troops, with more on the way, surround her dorm in every direction but the west — classic hysterical Ukraine for worrying.

According to Russia, being threatened with invasion and war, as well as the loss of civilians, territory and independence are not reasons to panic. Unless, of course, someone was demonstrating those

intentions toward Russia.

Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, commented calmly on the tensions with Russia and the fear of invasion in a BBC News video interview: “To be honest, we react to the reality we have and don’t see any troop withdrawal yet.”

Most parties are hoping for deescalation, especially Ukraine, who is hoping that Russia’s flaunting of muscles is just that: All talk. But as the saying goes, prepare for the worst and hope for the best, especially as Russia continues to antagonize on a global scale.

It’s almost like an adolescent boy trying to see just how much he can get away with before having to face the real-world consequences of his actions.

Recently, U.S. President Joe Biden threatened severe international economic sanctions should Putin act on his hopes for a catastrophic reunion. Putin still might be willing to risk it all.

The frat boy’s insecurities and jealousy over Western relations and Ukraine’s solidified independence are getting old.

No, Brad — she doesn’t miss being together, and Ukraine can quote from Taylor Swift’s popular song “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” if it helps get the message across any better.

Unsurprisingly, the world is now looking at Russia to see the next move Putin is willing to make. Sadly, the ball is in Russia’s court to de-escalate if that is genuinely their intention. Right now all signs are pointing to the obvious: Frat boy Russia won’t be happy until Ukraine is under his belt with his masculinity and ego stroked.

Any day, Brad’s positioned to break into Ukraine’s dorm and put the entire nation at risk if Putin has his way. What an enthusiastic beginning of 2022 — but no worries.

As Russia’s claimed, it is an “artificial problem.”

Illustration By Diana Ortega

OPINION-EDITORIAL

Tattoos are more than aesthetic appeal Lisa Hall

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efore tattooing became mainstream, there was a history of healing, protection and identity associated with the practice.

In cultures such as those of Indigenous, Japanese and Samoan people, tattooing was seen as therapeutic, and the symbols were unique to each individual, telling the stories of their lives. In many cases, the practice dates back to ancient times.

The stigma surrounding tattoos is rooted in prejudice created

by European missionaries. Americans in the United States didn’t start tattooing until the 1800s and was primarily seen on sailors and soldiers. During the 1900s, the practice became more widespread through circuses. This is also when tattoos became associated with “freaks” and “outcasts.”

American culture has a dark past of tattooing, along with other cultures such as Greek, Roman and Persian. Tattooing was used to mark fugitives and slaves, and also to shame and punish people.

Most negative connotations with tattooing in the U.S. come from colonization and the European mindset. In the precolonial era, tattooing was a sacred ritual and rite of passage for many Native American tribe members and held great significance to other cultures around the world.

Tattoos were sometimes used as medical therapy. Research notes that the placement of tattoos on joints was used to ease pain, similar to modern acupuncture. The ink used in the tattoos was composed of healing materials from plants, minerals, charcoal and soot, to name a few.

After colonization, Europeans and early pioneers tried to eradicate the practice altogether.

Fortunately, the attempts were not successful in erasing it, but there was success in suppressing it.

From the 1900s to the 1970s, the U.S. government removed Native children from their communities and sent them to boarding schools in hopes of forcing them into Christianity. The idea was to force them into a Western-world way of living and remove them from their traditional practices.

In recent years, younger Indigenous generations have been working to revive the art of tattooing and other traditions of their tribes.

During the 1970s and 1980s, tattooing became more mainstream in the U.S., although it was still associated with negative ideas like rebellion and criminal activity.

After government intervention failed to erase the practice from Indigenous tradition is when society decided it’s more appropriate to have tattoos. This is extremely hypocritical.

American tattoo culture is a combination of stolen practices from other cultures where tattoos were a prominent tradition.

From the beginning, society looked down upon those with tattoos. Native Americans, Japanese, Samoans and so many other racial and ethnic groups used them as a sign of status and identity.

Samoan culture also used tattooing as a rite of passage into adulthood, but not on a spiritual level. The symbols were created for aesthetic purposes, to enhance beauty and decorate the body of men. For women, they were reserved only for those of high rank but served the same purpose.

In addition to the aesthetic aspect of the tradition, tattoos were also meant to reinforce tribal bonds and ideals. Aside from the actual tattoo process, the healing process was incredibly painful and oftentimes lasted nearly a year. Through individuals overcoming this adversity, the tribe was seen as stronger and more interconnected.

Disappointing, but not surprising to many, Western missionaries tried to reduce the number of tattoos that were performed in Samoan culture. The hypocrisy was blatant, as these missionaries would get tattooed themselves.

In Japan, where tattooing was originally a sacred art, it is now considered extremely taboo.

The country has a complicated history with tattooing. What was once used as a form of identity in tribes later turned into the mark of a criminal, which was called irezumi-kei. Once the practice of irezumi-kei ended, society still held onto the association of tattoos with criminals.

Once again, younger generations are bringing the art form back to life, with more people getting tattoos in Japan. The stigma is very real there, and lawmakers continue to try and eradicate the practice. It could take many years for the stigma around tattoos to disappear in Japan due to the negative connotations they held in the past.

When talking about Japanese and American tattoo styles, it’s important to note that Americans were heavily inspired by Japanese culture in the creation of the American tattoo style.

Despite this, Japanese people were heavily discriminated against in the U.S. during this time.

The tattoo artists that created the American style did not pay

homage to the culture that inspired them.

“Traditional Japanese tattoos are more than just a fashionable accessory; they implicate an ambiguous history of racism, transnational admiration, appropriation and artistic growth,” Verena Hutter wrote in an article for Dismantle Magazine.

Unfortunately, the practice of tattooing in AmericanJapanese style won’t just end because of the cultural implications that it brings. But people should be more aware of what a symbol could mean in the culture where it originated from before getting it tattooed.

Although the stigma has been broken down over the years, discrimination toward people with tattoos is still very real. Today, there are no anti-discrimination laws protecting potential and active employees with tattoos. As a result, those with visible tattoos find it even harder to get employed.

Due to the long negative history associated with tattoos in society, people with them are often faced with prejudice and incorrect assumptions. They are looked at in the wrong light.

There is hope for change, though, as younger generations continue to bring back the practice in popularity. Employers will learn tolerance and realize professional capabilities matter more than appearance and society will change its views as tattoos become more commonplace.

It should be recognized that tattoos hold more than an aesthetic value and carry cultural importance, signifying key points in life. They can be rites of passage, symbols of personal accomplishment and important aspects of individual identity.

Patrick Sans and Monsé Arizmendi stand at the front desk inside Burly Fish Tattoo & Piercing, a local tattoo studio in Flagstaff, Feb. 20. Jacob Handley| The Lumberjack

FEB. 24, 2022 – MARCH 2, 2022 | THE LUMBERJACK

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FEATURES

Curios Living Magazine : Still thriving Brisa Karow

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oices of local artists and writers are showcased within the pages of Curios Living Magazine. In recent years, the Coconino Community College (CCC) publication has worked to define the state of the world. Recently, the production of the magazine has undergone substantial turnover.

Delmy Payne worked as the student intern for the magazine’s 2020 edition, “Transformations.” Payne said she completed most of the production work on her own. In turn, she gained extensive experience in graphic design. After graduating from CCC with an associate degree in graphic and web design, she transitioned to the position of general manager of FlagTagAZ, where she applied her acquired skills.

“I decided to do an internship at CCC where I would be working on the 2020 edition of Curios,” Payne said. “Halfway through the semester, the campus and world shut down because of COVID-19. This made it necessary to work on the magazine remotely for the second half of the semester.”

Faced with the challenges of adapting to the pandemic, it was harder to receive help in a remote format. Payne ultimately said she was thankful for the opportunity to work on the magazine.

“At first, I never wanted to make another magazine again, but looking back now, I would do it again and have a better understanding of all that went into it,” Payne said.

She said she enjoyed implementing a section about COVID-19 during the quarantine period. It aligned with the times and was an adaptive take on the magazine’s content.

Sandra Dihlmann is the publication’s coordinator and a member of the Student Publications Advisory Council (SPAC).

Dihlmann has worked for the magazine since she created it in 2001. Coconino County lacked a student-led magazine prior to its existence.

Curios filled the gap and gave a platform to local artists and writers. Dihlmann has fostered its existence since.

“I solicit contributions from local artists, writers, painters, musicians and we put together a thematic magazine that usually surrounds something that’s happening in the world,” Dihlmann said.

The goal of the magazine is to provide a platform for new and returning writers and artists. Many submissions come from college students at CCC and NAU, as well as individuals across Coconino County.

An unexpected group of contributors comes from the Coconino County Jail.

“We’ve talked to people at the jail, and we’ve had some of that work from the jailers come to us,” Dihlmann said. “We try to provide a voice to some entities in town that don’t really have a voice, like the jail. So, we’re trying to continue to grow that a little bit and make sure we capture voices that are not captured in our community.”

Including work from those at Coconino County Jail shows how dedicated Dihlmann is to providing a diverse publication for the community.

The magazine’s website is primarily intended to provide access

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to CCC Common Read. This educational resource was created as a forum for community engagement. Reading guides, articles, books, videos, podcasts and lesson plans promote informed discussions based on the magazine’s yearly theme; it is another way for Curios to make an impact on the local community.

“What I’d like to be able to do is connect curriculum to some of the pieces that are published in the magazine and how people use that in the classroom,” Dihlmann said.

“And it could be in a high school classroom. It could be in a jail situation. The idea is to share educational resources with our community. That’s really the ultimate goal.”

Along with the ability to study well-known authors, Dihlmann said she hopes people can use Curios literature as

Illustration By Brittani Poeppel

learning material. She believes the correlation between the community and its art and writings can enrich education.

“I really like the idea of sharing our local writers’ work and having that connection,” Dihlmann said.

The diverse voices in the magazine are locally beneficial, and Dihlmann wishes to nurture their ways of educating.

Typically, Curios can be found in local businesses — offered for free — but that has not been the case since 2020. Without the ability to distribute the last two editions due to the pandemic, Dihlmann fears the community is losing touch with the magazine.

“Doctors’ offices and other places didn’t have anything out on the tables, and of course, no one was allowed to go in,”

THE LUMBERJACK | JACKCENTRAL.ORG

Dihlmann said.

With fewer places available to distribute the magazine to, it has been challenging for the curators to get submissions.

Dihlmann said this is because their print copy has not been accessible to the public. The closure of Barnes & Noble has led to fewer exhibitions of local artists’ work.

The lack of distribution these past few years has made Dihlmann even more aware of the necessity of the Curios print edition. Faced with the trend of going paperless, Dihlmann pointed out that it would limit access to the magazine. This would interfere with the accessibility and, in turn, readership of Curios.

Remote areas across the county — in Page and on the reservation — would be left out.

Anyone can submit their work, and it is highly encouraged for people to do so: An extended deadline for this year’s edition goes until March 13. The 2022 edition will be printed in the summer, and Dihlmann hopes it will be found in local businesses.

The magazine’s goal is to be a fully student-run publication by spring 2023. In previous years, a college publications course, COM 181, was offered to students as a way to get credit and experience. The SPAC oversaw operations, but it was up to the students to do most of the work. Dihlmann said the students deserved the biggest shoutout for stepping up and completing the work each year.

“The students usually come in with no experience at all with InDesign or Photoshop, and they actually create the magazine,” Dihlmann said. “We do very little in the way of changing it because we really want it to be student work. We want them to get the practice and experience with design, and also use programs like InDesign which are industry programs. So, if somebody is interested in going into that line of work, they get in-class practice.”

The course has not been offered since before the pandemic.

Last year, the CCC Curios marketing team designed the magazine and will continue to do so this year.

Janel States was one of the layout and design members of the marketing team and part of the SPAC for the most recent edition: Curios 2021 American Tensions.

“We wanted something that would suit the theme and thought the solid black lines gave it the feel of division,” States said. “We were fortunate to have some great pieces, and we really loved the final cover art, ‘Crackhead.’ We really felt it spoke to the theme of the magazine.”

The 2021 edition of the magazine helped reflect on what was happening in the community. It created a connection between people — a feeling of belonging.

“The magazine has a lot of potential, particularly as it becomes better known. I think it could become the go-to magazine for northern Arizona writers and artists,” States said.

Curios Living Magazine’s contributors exhibit many unique perspectives of the community. The pandemic shake-up presented the community with the importance of a local magazine.

CREATIVE CORNER

The Green Card

only mothers

can brine skin

in a pickle jar, can gild like a police badge

desert gilds footprints & coils like sidewinders;

sands the air we b r e a t h like a dust storm choking us—

CAITLIN HUNTLY GUEST WRITER

tombs have wheels, golden paint, inflated air-bags, air tight like a pickle jar;

like our l u n g s;

tomb indents also have tail lights; a crypt

glovebox has blown a hole;

shattered visa-shaped

without documentation we know tents

& heatstroke & sand gouging

its fingers down our windpipes;

my mother knows the cop

from my brother’s school;

his son handcuffs himself to his desk

with glue, fingers splayed out like links

& our accent is ‘cool’:

like ireland, he says

my tongue knows only of scotland

no documentation required, no tent city catacomb; no detainment;

the car behind us, still, quiet, last name Hispanic—

he tells us later it was his grandfather who moved. documentation: required acquired.

Top: A dusting of snow blankets a statue of Louie the Lumberjack outside the Union, Feb. 17. Megan Ford-Fyfee |The Lumberjack. Middle: The sign of the freshman residential hall, Reilly, is coated in a thin layer of snow, Feb. 16. Taylor McCormick|The Lumberjack. Bottom: A heart shaped snowball hangs on a tree branch in Central Quad, Feb. 17. Megan Ford-Fyfee |The Lumberjack

FEB. 24, 2022 – MARCH 2, 2022 | THE LUMBERJACK

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PHOTOGRAPHER SPOTLIGHT

PHOTOGRAPHER SPOTLIGHT

Megan Ford-Fyffe I

dream of kayaking down rivers, hiking through jungles, and wandering through cobblestone streets with my camera in hand looking for stories to tell. My name is Megan and I am currently the Assistant Director of Photography at The Lumberjack.

I am a photography major and creative media and film minor in the class of 2023 here at NAU. Other than photojournalism, I specialize in portrait, editorial, and adventure photography. Because I was gifted my first small camera at the age of three, I started developing my photographic eye quite early on in life and I have been documenting the world around me ever since I can remember. My goal is to one day document expeditions and individuals as I explore the world working as a travel photographer and photojournalist. I strongly value making connections with people and I find it exciting to challenge myself and learn something new each day. This is one reason I value working at The Lumberjack so much because I have the chance to work closely as a team with others and constantly try new things.

Thank you for reading

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THE LUMBERJACK | JACKCENTRAL.ORG

ILLUSTRATOR SPOTLIGHT

ILLUSTRATOR SPOTLIGHT

Diana Ortega

FEB. 24, 2022 – MARCH 2, 2022 | THE LUMBERJACK

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CULTURE

LEAP hosts 2022 Student Leadership Conference

“Together Toward Tomorrow” Lauren gomez

“The Last Bus”: A tearful and touching film

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HAYLEE SORENSEN ASSISTANT CULTURE EDITOR

he production “The Last Bus” is a lovely film about an older gentleman finishing a journey for his family. I got to bask in the presence of the screen during the first weekend of the Sedona International Film Festival. According to Executive Director Patrick Schweiss, the film was the most enjoyed and discussed by volunteers. It premiered at the festival Feb. 19 at 10 a.m. and had a surprisingly large audience for the early morning.

The film revolves around Tom and his promise to his late wife, Mary. He said they would travel together across Scotland to their original homestead, over 850 miles away. He carries only a small briefcase, and Tom travels specifically by bus to make sure he remembers

their initial journey.

Timothy Spall, portraying Tom, truly made this character effective. He breathed life into a very dull setting to give Tom development. His acting did not falter, and he was able to highlight all the other characters he interacted with.

The project was beautifully shot and composed. The creators’ use of jumping between 1950s flashbacks and the present was a perfect way to connect the main characters’ stories. However, the story itself was a little slow and had a predictable plot.

According to a review from Variety magazine, it closely resembled Pixar’s “Up,” but instead of focusing on pulling at the audience’s heartstrings, it relies more on addressing the modern-day problems of the U.K. I agreed with points from this review and also would have liked to see a little more from Director Gillies MacKinnon.

One reason I truly did enjoy the film was that the project’s themes ran deep including bravery, family, acceptance, perseverance and enjoyment of a journey.

It shows how one can touch the lives of others, even if it is not the initial intent.

The film also included vast amounts of cultural representation. Many races and cultural practices were demonstrated, including the main character defending a Muslim woman wearing a niqab and attending a Ukrainian birthday party.

There was not a dry eye in the theater once the screen went black. I was tearing up during the whole movie, and by the end had tears streaming steadily.

Though the ending was predictable, it still connected with the audience in a personal way.

I am still thinking about this film and the grasp it held. I rated it a 5/5 inhouse for the audience’s choice award and hope to see it succeed. Overall, the film was beautifully shot and had a great structure, but it was leisurely and there could have been more depth in some areas. Although, I would still recommend the production and wish its journey the best.

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he Leadership, Engagement, Activities, and Peer Mentoring (LEAP) Center gathered Saturday, Feb. 19 to lead the 2022 Student Leadership Conference at the W.A. Franke College of Business.

The Student Leadership Conference is an “annual conference that serves as the foundation of new and innovative leadership development for hundreds of college students across northern Arizona,” its website states.

LEAP Assistant Director Michelle Gardner said the conference typically occurs in February and gives students the opportunity to identify themselves as leaders.

“The Student Leadership Conference is a day to invest in oneself,” Gardner said. “We explore what leadership means, the myths of leadership, and how we all have access to call ourselves ‘leaders.’”

The theme, “Together Toward Tomorrow,” was decided by the conference’s planning committee while thinking about a concept that everybody is currently going through. The theme ultimately describes the constant change the pandemic has caused everyone to experience, Garder said.

The conference, which was outlined by an hourly schedule, included multiple leadership-engagement sessions as well student-led breakouts.

During one of the student-led breakouts, a career presentation by Tyler Willden, a graduate assistant discussed the importance of creating what he described as “a sticky introduction.” Willden said creating a good first impression to an employer is the first step in getting them to remember you during a career fair.

Gardner said students were given the opportunity to present at the conference. Once a student decided they wanted to present, ASNAU advisers met with them individually to discuss their ideas and support their vision. Allowing students to lead presentations at the conference aligned with what the conference initially aimed to do.

“We aim to empower Lumberjacks to identify as leaders, and make change in our world,” Gardner said. “Our hope is for every attendee to feel inspired, motivated and able to lead a more inclusive, welcoming world.”

Other student-led breakout sessions included leadership principles and ideas, negotiation tactics, healthy social media habits, diversity in leadership and how introverts can be leaders.

While any NAU student was welcome to attend the conference, its website specifically reached out to “current and emerging college student leaders, those seeking an exciting day of connection, inspiration and empowerment, and Lumberjacks seeking college-

level, new and innovative leadership development information.”

Sophomore Sydney Keefer, an attendee of the conference, said she decided to attend for the leadership development information.

“I decided to attend the conference to build on to the position I just received as a resident adviser for Cowden Hall,” Keefer said. “I want to further my development as a leader.”

Keefer said gaining more enthusiasm and confidence in being a leader ultimately led her to attend this year’s conference as she considers herself to be an introvert. As a graphic design student, Keefer said she hopes to not only gain skills required to lead a group of students as a RA, but also the skills necessary for her career field in the future.

While this year’s conference was held in person, last year’s was not.

“Last year’s conference was on Zoom making it different in the aspect where it was not as interactive,” Keefer said. “This year’s conference allows you to take in the information much better.”

Gardner said, despite last year’s conference being held virtually, more than 100 students attended the conference via Zoom — more than the number of students who attended this year’s conference in-person.

Attendees of last year’s conference were given interactive elements to use while participating virtually as an incentive to register, Gardner said.

“There are benefits to both virtual and in-person,” Gardner said. “ We enjoyed connecting more in depth with everyone in person, however virtual appears to have had more attendees.”

LEAP will begin planning for the 2023 Student Leadership Conference this upcoming fall. More information regarding the conference will be announced closer to next year’s date.

For now, students can find more information regarding upcoming events hosted by LEAP on its social media.

CULTURE

Michelle Gardner, assistant director for Student Life Experience (left), Amanda Tomchick, coordinator of Student Rights and Responsibilities (middle) and Laura Umphrey, director of School of Communication (right) show off some conference merch, Feb. 19. Jonah Graham | The Lumberjack

Left: McKinley Burnett engages in conversation with Cescili Beason during a Student Leadership Conference presentation about strengths and weaknesses for leadership, Feb. 19.

Right: Cescili Beason discusses the Student Leadership Conference with McKinley Burnett, Feb. 19. Jonah Graham | The Lumberjack

FEB. 24, 2022 – MARCH 2, 2022 | THE LUMBERJACK

15

CULTURE

BSU members celebrate their individuality Marley Green & Jessie McCann

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embers of NAU’s Black Student Union (BSU) celebrated their culture with three days of events Wednesday, Feb. 16 through Friday, Feb. 18 to elect a Mr. and Mrs. BSU. The event was held in Room 110 of SBS Castro.

As part of a long-standing BSU tradition, contestants competed in a Black history trivia event, talent show and fashion show on three separate days. This year, the group focused on creating a space for all members, not just contestants, to showcase their individuality and be their most authentic selves.

BSU President Kobe Lee said they wanted all members to feel comfortable showing who they are through their knowledge, talents and style.

“I view the Mr. & Mrs. BSU event as a time [for members] to be creative, be open, love themselves, be OK with their uniqueness and know that everyone in the room won’t judge them,” Lee said.

Audience members had the opportunity to cast votes for who they thought had the best performances at the end of each night.

The winners will be crowned at this year’s Black Renaissance on Feb. 26. A post from the BSU’s Instagram page describes the event as

“a formal night to celebrate African American accomplishments and artistry.”

There were six competitors in this year’s event — junior Payton Smith, senior and BSU Community Service Chair Octavia Sainjusmat, freshman Kayla Wilbon, senior CJ Watson, junior and treasurer Malik Bossett and junior Hannah Imohi. All six contestants mentioned their love for the BSU and its supportive environment when talking about why they wanted to participate in the competition.

“I came from an all-white school and was the only Black girl,” Imohi said. “When I came to BSU, they gave me the tools to start loving myself and feel seen in my identity.”

Each contestant spoke about the BSU’s purpose of embracing what makes everyone unique and creating a supportive community of Black students and allies. Some grew up in areas that were not very diverse; for many, the BSU is their first time being involved in a Black student organization.

Sainjusmat and Smith both mentioned how joining the club improved their confidence.

“I’m the best person I’ve been so far because of BSU,” Smith said.

On Wednesday, Feb. 16, the club hosted a Jeopardy-style trivia game with categories pertaining to cultural aspects of Black history.

After introducing themselves to the audience,

Senior Octavia Sainjusmat puts on accessories for her third outfit change during the Mr. and Mrs. BSU Black Power Fashion Show in SBS Castro, Feb. 18. Megan Ford-Fyffe | The Lumberjack

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THE LUMBERJACK | JACKCENTRAL.ORG

“I view the Mr. & Mrs. BSU event as a time [for members] to be creative, be open, love themselves, be OK with their uniqueness and know that everyone in the room won’t judge them.”

– kobe lee, BSU president the contestants were split into teams of two to answer questions about topics including music, civil rights and sports.

While the audience was relatively small, its members were enthusiastic — they often shouted out answers if no one onstage could think of one.

During the talent show the following night, each contestant had the opportunity to showcase their gifts and passions. Lee said the talent event was intended to allow every member to fully embrace their identity.

“I’m all about people being creative, whether it’s dancing, singing, lip syncing, doing things they have been shy about, doing things that they would normally be afraid of doing,” Lee said. “Mr. & Mrs. BSU proves that that’s OK.” The talent acts, which ranged from singing to stand-up comedy, were met with incredible support from the audience. Smith performed an

original spoken word poem entitled “Black Girl Magic.”

“Black girl magic is melanin, motivated, educated, liberated, aggravated, nonapologetically innovated and natural,” an excerpt from the poem reads.

The final event was the Friday night fashion show, during which each contestant dressed in three outfits following different themes: Business casual, party and Black excellence. The Black excellence theme was meant to pay tribute to each individual’s Black heritage and culture.

With pre-planned songs correlating to their style, each contender did a runway-style entrance and exit. Audience members voted on whose outfits they liked the best.

Sainjusmat wore ripped jeans and a blue pullover windbreaker for the Black excellence theme. She said her outfit was inspired by Black culture and music in the 2000s.

“I feel like it’s a time period where Black

Contestants Payton Smith and Octavia Sainjusmat change into their second outfits for the Mr. and Mrs. BSU Black Power Fashion Show in SBS Castro, Feb. 18.

Megan Ford-Fyffe | The Lumberjack

CULTURE

y in the NAU Mr. & Mrs. BSU competition

Contestants Payton Smith, Kayla Wilbon, and Octavia Sainjusmat pose for a photo before the Mr. and Mrs. BSU Black Power Fashion Show in SBS Castro, Feb. 18.

Megan Ford-Fyffe | The Lumberjack

music and Black culture was very expressive,” Sainjusmat said. “I feel like for the Black community, it means a lot to be able to express ourselves in a way that everyone can enjoy.”

Wilbon, an astrophysics major, wore an outfit inspired by the film “Hidden Figures,” which is about the Black, female mathematicians who played a major role in NASA’s early development. She said the representation meant a lot to her as a Woman of Color in the field.

Watson also paid respect to specific Black influential figures; he wore a Steph Curry jersey and Kyrie Irving shoes.

Not all the contestants’ figures of inspiration were famous, however — Smith’s ’60s themed outfit was dedicated to their mom and aunt, who were both born during that time.

Bossett, who went to an all-Black high school and learned a lot about precolonial

African culture, also had an approach that set him slightly apart from the other competitors.

He wore a dashiki and showed traditional panAfrican colors in his outfit: Red, black and green.

Since this year’s Black Renaissance celebration will be the first one since the pandemic began, each contestant expressed their excitement about celebrating as a group. Last year, given the circumstances of COVID-19, the group held a cookout instead of a formal event.

BSU members came to pick up their food at the Murdoch Community Center.

Makenna Billingsley, BSU public relations chair, said despite holding online meetings and events last year, the sense of community was not the same.

“Being online for over a year was hard for everyone, but it was especially hard for our Black-identifying students to not feel like they

“I think the first step is to get people to come together and feel that they have people to go to. Even though we are a minority group, we do still play a large role in what happens on campus.”

– Octavia Sainjusmat, BSU Community Service Chair

Senior Mykael Cooper watches as Mr. and Mrs. BSU Black Power Fashion Show contestants speak to the audience in SBS Castro, Feb. 18. Megan Ford-Fyffe | The Lumberjack

“When I finally came over here to NAU, [BSU] welcomed me with open arms. I know that it might seem from everywhere else on campus that we’re small, but we’re not. We’re huge” – CJ Watson found their sense of community,” Billingsley said. “We are so blessed to be able to create that again. The memories that we are creating with one another will last a lifetime.”

Along with the improvement in morale, BSU is also looking forward to the outreach this year’s Mr. & Mrs. BSU pageant and Black Renaissance will provide. Members are energized and enthusiastic about creating a positive, safe space for Black students and allies to celebrate Black culture and participate in discussion.

Through this year’s event, they hope to get more engagement on campus.

NAU’s institutional research website states there were 900 Black students on campus in fall 2021 — yet Lee said approximately 20 or 30 people participate in BSU events on average.

Each Mr. & Mrs. BSU contender said they had high hopes for outreach for the rest of the year, and said they want to share the love they

have for BSU with other students on campus.

“I think the first step is to get people to come together and feel that they have people to go to,” Sainjusmat said. “Even though we are a minority group, we do still play a large role in what happens on campus.”

Ultimately, although students within BSU have unique stories, talents and perspectives, a few key things weave them together: Their cultural experience, as well as their love for the club and its supportive community.

“When I finally came over here to NAU, [BSU] welcomed me with open arms,” Watson said in a campaign speech. “I know that it might seem from everywhere else on campus that we’re small, but we’re not. We’re huge.”

FEB. 24, 2022 – MARCH 2, 2022| THE LUMBERJACK

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SPORTS

Recent Game Scores Women’s Tennis

Coyotes hit a new low

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he Arizona Coyotes have been facing backlash after their issues with Gila River Arena and the City of Glendale in the fall. The city is not renewing its contract, so the Coyotes began searching for new ground to break and a place to call home. With controversy surrounding them, and a losing record, the Coyotes had trouble finding an arena, but the Coyotes have found their new home.

KRISTEN Partnering with the Arizona State CHANCELLOR University Sun Devils, the Coyotes have agreed to a one-year contract to share WRITER ASU’s multi-purpose arena. However, this is not a fantastic opportunity for the Coyotes as they will be giving up a majority of their fan support.

The Coyotes’ current arena seats around 17,000 fans, while ASU’s multi-purpose arena only holds 5,000 fans. Losing the space for the little support they get from the community could be a problem for the organization.

While it is a one-year contract, who knows what will happen after one season in the new arena. The Coyotes are last in the Central Division with a 13-33-4 record. With a record like this, one questions if the rebuilding process has worked at all so far, since the Coyotes gave up most of their dominant players after last season. Was it worth risking the arena, getting rid of key players, and changing coaches? As of right now, that answer is no.

The Sun Devils have a record of 15-16 and are a dominant force on the ice. Despite some uneasy offensive and defensive problems they still have an almost winning record. ASU’s fan engagement and successful program could play a vital role in what comes for the Coyotes.

Since the new arena is used by a college team as well, the Coyotes will pay to get the arena up to NHL standards, and meet the qualities of both professional and collegiate play. This deal has been in the works since December. The Coyotes first reached out with the idea but it took some convincing for the Sun Devils.

Overall, the deal looks like it may benefit the Sun Devils more. More press for the Sun Devils, and more attention from fans, could attract more recruits to the young team and help create a more energized environment.

The Coyotes, on the other hand, are losing 12,000 seats for fans and moving into a smaller shared arena. The team could become less desirable with the uncertainty surrounding them.

The main question is: Are the Coyotes going to be breaking ground or breaking the bank?

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NAU @ UArizona Friday, Feb. 18, 2 p.m.

Tucson, Arizona LANELLE ROBSON TENNIS CENTER Final: NAU 1 - Uarizona 6 NAU vs San Jose State Saturday, Feb. 19, Noon Tucson, Arizona LANELLE ROBSON TENNIS CENTER Final: NAU 3 - San Jose State 4

Men’s Tennis NAU vs UC San Diego Friday, Feb. 18, 6 p.m.

Flagstaff, Arizona Aquatic and Tennis Center Final: NAU 7 - Uc San Diego 0 NAU vs New Mexico Sunday, Feb. 20, noon Albuquerque, New Mexico Mckinnon Family Tennis Stadium Final: NAU 2 - New Mexico 5

Men’s Basketball NAU Vs Southern Utah Monday, Feb. 21, 6 p.m.

Flagstaff, Arizona Walkup Skydome Final: NAU 48 - Southern Utah 79

WoMen’s Basketball NAU @ Southern Utah Monday, Feb. 21, 6:30 p.m.

Cedar City, Utah America First Event Center Final: NAU 67 - Southern Utah 90

Upcoming Events Swim & Dive WAC Swim & Dive Championships Wednesday, Feb. 23 - Saturday, Feb. 26 Houston, Texas CRWC Natatorium

Track & field Big Sky Conference indoor Track Championships Thursday, Feb. 24 - Saturday, Feb. 26 Bozeman, Montana Worthington Arena

Women’s Tennis NAU @ Weber State Friday, Feb. 25, 1 p.m.

Ogden, Utah Edman Tennis Courts NAU @ Utah Sunday, Feb. 27, 9 a.m.

Salt Lake City, Utah George S. Eccles Tennis Center

Men’s Tennis NAU vs New Mexico State Friday, Feb. 25, 4 p.m.

Flagstaff, Arizona Aquatic and tennis Center NAU vs Grand Canyon University Saturday, Feb. 26, 4 p.m.

Flagstaff, Arizona Aquatic and tennis Center

Men’s Basketball NAU vs Weber State Saturday, Feb. 26, 2 p.m.

Flagstaff, Arizona Walkup Skydome

WoMen’s Basketball NAU @ Weber State Saturday, Feb. 26, 1 p.m.

Ogden, Utah Dee Events Center

SPORTS

Student-Athlete High Performance Center officially opens for players Brenden Martin

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he Student-Athlete High Performance Center is officially in operation. Last week, players and athletic staff finally got to tour the new facility and have started using its countless new features.

The facility on South San Francisco Street, across from the J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome, is another building specifically designed for student athletes who represent the university in events locally, state-wide and across the nation.

On Feb. 17, the NAU Athletics Twitter account officially unveiled the 77,000 square foot facility. In a Twitter video, Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics Mike Marlow gave a speech to every student-athlete about the purpose of the new building.

The project had a price tag of $47 million, with $9 million coming from alumni and former NAU athletes. The resources within the building are meant solely to help a student-athlete succeed, and is not accessible to the public.

A major point Marlow made in his speech was that not a single coach or administrator will be moving into the new space. No new offices were made to house anyone other than student-athletes and those who directly support them; this includes academic support, medical trainers, strength and conditioning resources and nutrition staff.

Student-athletes from multiple teams were greeted with pyrotechnic sparklers when they entered the building. Players were free to record and post their findings and reactions to the center on social media. One of the more popular aspects of the building that many players posted on platforms such as Instagram were the weight lifting rooms. Official team social media accounts got in on the action

as well, posting pictures of the players touring the facility and using the commodities included.

The idea of a new athletic facility was one the university explored for a long time. In 2018, NAU Athletics entered a feasibility study with Nations Group, a project management strategy group that has specialized in building athletic facilities across the country.

While fairly vague results from the study were published, the findings were enough for NAU Athletics to move swiftly toward creating a new space.

Aside from helping current athletes, the new center may serve as a recruiting tool. Various coaches have mentioned the potential it has in terms of recruiting since it displays NAU’s commitment to its athletic programs.

The timing of the new center’s opening is not without thought or planning. NAU football is on the cusp of starting its spring practice season where recruits and veteran players will use the building’s new amenities and prepare for its spring game.

NAU Athletics has kept a lot about the High Performance Center close to its chest. An official grand opening date was never announced, nor have any unveiling events for media been announced.

Press releases regarding the building’s creation stated a plan to have it ready by January 2022.

However, there looks to have been a slight delay before it officially opened for student-athletes last week.

As spring football nears, it’s likely the state-of-the-art facility will become a hub of activity.

Entrance to the newly operational Student-Athlete High Performance Center. Brenden Martin | The Lumberjack

FEB. 24, 2022 – MARCH 2, 2022 | THE LUMBERJACK

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SPORTS

NAU football prefers high school recruit Brenden Martin

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he 2022 college football regular signing period has ended and teams are now preparing for spring football. The NAU football program has dedicated the past few months to building a recruiting class that is built for now, and the future.

While other schools might feel compelled to dip into the transfer portal, that is not NAU’s preferred recruiting method under head coach Chris Ball.

NAU had the largest early recruiting class in the Big Sky Conference last December, with 20 recruits committing to becoming Lumberjacks. The team closed the regular signing period by adding nine more players to complete what was its second-straight, top-ranked recruiting class in the Big Sky, according to 24/7 Sports.

On National Signing Day Feb. 2, NAU Athletics hosted a virtual event where coaches and coordinators spoke about the class and how they went about recruiting certain players in certain regions of the country.

“We were very, very picky about who we’re bringing into our program right now,” Ball said. “We feel that our culture is very very strong and we’re heading in the right direction. This thing is quickly becoming player-led, which we needed it to be at this time and place of our program.”

After earning the No. 2 FCS early recruiting class last year, NAU continues to rebuild a program that is slowly but surely starting to bear fruit. Aside from the shortened spring 2021 season, the team hasn’t seen a winning season since 2017, before Ball was hired as head coach.

The transition in leadership has given the Lumberjacks time to grow and regain their footing in the conference. The rebuilding process has already grown a lot of young talent, but the time is coming for that young talent to become veteran leaders of a team built to win.

Despite the team-building process reaching new peaks, the program still emphasizes character as its number one priority during recruiting.

“The people we bring here from now on have got to be quality people and be our type of guys,” Ball said. “The thing we really concentrated on in this class was character, work ethic, smarts, mental toughness and talent. We didn’t just bring somebody here just because they were talented. In fact, we turned quite a few guys away.”

Ball’s emphasis on character and personal development has really stuck with the players he recruited. Ball said the program sold players on committing to NAU with the academic services, equipment, training staff and support systems that players can access.

Character has always been something Ball and his staff have looked at when building the program. However, that philosophy doesn’t just extend off the field. Ball made it clear the program takes a different approach from how other teams may recruit.

With how big the transfer portal has gotten in the college football sphere, NAU remains steadfast in its focus on high school players that ideally can contribute to the team for a stretch of years.

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Photo courtesy of NAU Athletics Of the nine additional recruits that committed on national signing day, only two of them are transfers from other colleges while the rest are from high school.

“We’re building a football program,” Ball said. “You can’t do that by taking transfers and a bunch of just talented guys.”

Ball affirmed that this team is no longer young and that can no longer be an excuse. This recruiting season, Ball and the rest of the coaching staff visited over 140 high schools in Arizona alone.

Recruiting in-state is also an emphasis for NAU. Twelve of the 29 total signees played high school football in Arizona.

However, much of the Arizona recruiting pool is left untapped.

ASU did not recruit anyone from the state in this year’s class and only one from last year. UArizona is in a similar situation.

This year, the Wildcats recruited four players from Arizona while adding 13 Californians to the roster from high school.

“These players in our backyard are the ones we should be getting,” Ball said. “This is a special place. One of the most attractive things about this job was the recruiting base. We’ve got good, great football in this state. We’ve taken advantage of the opportunity and the window that has been opened to recruit the state like we do.”

Offensive coordinator Aaron Pflugrad echoed many of the same sentiments that Ball outlined during his segment. He also said he was really picky on who he brought into the fold and that the team still retooled at offense despite most starters returning.

A former player and graduate assistant at ASU before coming to NAU in 2015, Pflugrad has had a hand in many Lumberjack careers. One of the more notable careers he affected was that of quarterback Case Cookus who, after a record-setting college career, made it to the NFL and played during the 2021 preseason.

Pflugrad said he is ready to do that again with the new talent

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he played a part in recruiting.

“We got nine returning starters on offense,” Pflugrad said.

“We have a lot of great young players. We addressed the speed at wide receiver, added some young guys at tight end as well, a good young quarterback and some offensive lineman.”

Pflugrad spent a large portion of time talking about upcoming freshman quarterback Angel Flores, who won Arizona 4A Conference Player of the Year and led Casa Grande High School to its first-ever 4A state championship.

The addition of Flores is the most intriguing pick-up the Lumberjacks made this year. Pflugrad and the offensive coaching staff had been recruiting him for a while and earned his commitment during the early signing period.

He is the only quarterback in state history to throw for over 7,500 yards and rush for over 3,000 yards, Pflugrad added. His versatility in the air and on the ground made him a highly soughtout prospect.

“The one thing we hang our hat on and felt that he adds to our program is he’s a winner,” Pflugrad said. “He’s a multiplier.

He’s a guy who makes everyone around him better. He won a state championship, undefeated season at Casa Grande. That was the first time in a really long time that they’ve won that many football games.”

Naturally, questions about Flores’ availability at the start of next season are common. Last season, freshman quarterback RJ Martinez became the starting quarterback after coming off the bench and leading the Lumberjacks to victory against UArizona.

Martinez won Big Sky Freshman of the Year, the first time a Lumberjack did so since Cookus in 2015.

None of the coaches would commit to naming who would be the day-one starter. The spring football season looks to be a

SPORTS

ts over transfers for long-term success

Head football coach Chris Ball gestures at the sideline referee about a potential penalty against UC Davis at the Walkup Skydome, Nov. 6, 2021. Brian Burke | The Lumberjack

point when the coaching staff can compare the two quarterbacks in person.

NAU is also currently retooling its depth inside its quarterback room. Many of the quarterbacks from last year are either gone or unavailable for a certain amount of time. Graduate quarterback Keondre Wudtee, last year’s day one starter who suffered an ankle injury against Sam Houston State, is no longer on the team. Freshman quarterback Jeff Widener underwent season-ending knee surgery and the estimate for his return is unknown. Redshirt freshman transfer Cale Millen and redshirt sophomore Heath Beemiller both entered the transfer portal.

Beemiller cited wanting to continue to play quarterback at the college level as the reason for moving, as NAU was using him as a utility player.

With the moves happening at quarterback beyond just Martinez and Flores, Pflugrad said he wants to ensure his quarterbacks are ready to play no matter their position on the depth chart.

“It’s important that everyone in your room can play,” Pflugrad said. “I feel really good about the four guys we have on campus right now. Angel [Flores] actually graduated early, so he’s going to get rolling during spring practice. RJ [Martinez] got his feet wet last year, same with Jeff Widener and Niko Haen, a lot of times you learn by doing, and it’s baptism by fire.”

NAU also added to its depth along the offensive line, which could prove beneficial to the quarterbacks. Four of NAU’s five starting linemen returned from last season, making the unit one of the team’s most experienced.

NAU was the sixth-ranked offense in the 13-team Big Sky last season, but it is the defense that needs to improve as it was 11th in yards allowed in the conference, giving up an average of

438.9 yards per game.

Defensive coordinator Jerry Partridge will have to replace several key contributors who have exhausted their eligibility.

However, he said he believes the current core of players can lead the unit.

“We’re pleased with what we have coming back,” Partridge said. “We have a lot of experienced football players that have played good defense for us and made big plays and helped us win a gigantic game last fall.”

Partridge referred to the UArizona game, but mentioned the defense was a factor in other wins as well.

Size and length was the key thing the program was looking for on defense. Taller players with long arms that can disrupt the opposing offense were looked at. Of the nine players who signed on Feb. 2, four are listed as defensive backs that are at least six feet tall.

“There are some kids just too hard to turn down,” Partridge said. “We probably over-recruited to what we were going to do.”

Linebacker was a position the defense focused on this recruiting cycle. NAU is losing two All-Conference linebackers, Harrison Beemiller and Tristan Vance, the latter of whom has been on the team since 2015.

NAU looks to fill the voids their departures leave with a pair of linebackers from northern California, Whitney High School’s Brandon Wong and St. Francis High School’s Camilo Arquette, both of whom earned first-team honors in their respective leagues.

Even with their additions, Partridge and the coaching staff wanted to specifically get some immediate help at the position.

“One thing we discussed quite a bit, myself and coach Ball, was that we wanted to get a transfer linebacker after losing two

older men like Tristan and Harrison,” Partridge said. “It was something we thought about, but we feel so good about all those kids that are returning and strongly about Brandon and Camilo.

You’d love to put them in a situation where they can possibly redshirt, but if they’re good enough to play and they beat kids out then we’re going to play them.”

That sentiment is shared throughout the coaching staff. No matter what year a player is or what their status is, the players that prove their worth in practice are the ones that see time on the field.

Much like his answer in December when asked about a potential quarterback battle between Martinez and Flores, Ball holds that same standard across the board.

“Best people play,” Ball said. “If you’re the best player, you play. Everybody is going to have a shot. I don’t care if you’re a freshman or a redshirt senior. The best players play. At the end of the day, we get paid to win football games. We are going to play the best players and we make that very clear to them when they walk on campus.”

The coaching staff will get a chance to see what this year’s recruiting class brings to the table when spring football rolls around as a chance for players to train in game settings. NAU football officially announced that spring football will begin March 22 with scrimmage games on April 2 and April 9. The spring footballl game will be April 22.

Many of the activities will take place in and around the newly built High Performance Center, which players across multiple sports toured last week.

FEB. 24, 2022 – MARCH 2, 2022 | THE LUMBERJACK

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