Issue 3 9/11/18

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VOLUME 125, ISSUE 03

BLF attendees enjoy show despite concern See A&E page A5

Photo courtesy of the University of Nevada, Reno

University students raising diplomas at the Spring 2017 commencement ceremony. Enrollment Services has proposed a $20 graduation fee increase to cover a $50,000 cost deficit from Spring 2018 commencement.

Enrollment Services

proposes raised graduation fee

By Olivia Ali In a recent ASUN Senate meeting, Associate Vice President of Enrollment Melisa Choroszy revealed that the commencement fee may see a price hike by Summer 2019. The reason?

Commencement this last spring was nearly $50,000 short.

“The shortage communicated with the request to raise the fee”, Choroszy said. As to where the excess funds came from to cover the shortage, it was said to have “came from various non-restricted one

time sources,” Choroszy said.

The commencement fee is currently $75. The proposed hike would be $20 bringing the cost to $95, according to Choroszy.

Currently, the fee includes various services.

However, one of those services is not the walk across the stage itself, as students must pay the fee whether they choose to walk in the ceremony or not. “[The cost covers] the costs associated with graduation, communications, programs, disabled access, captioning, live streaming,

lighting and sound, video screens, postage, diploma production, graduation processing and degree eligibility verification, personal contact to students missing items for graduation completion, degree certifications, bomb sweeps, ESI security, REMSA, emergency response teams, equipment rental, chairs, stage, stage skirting, fencing, bandshell maintenance, electrical infrastructure to operate equipment, name display software to be able to see name and degree on the screen as

Counseling Services brings awareness to suicide prevention

By Taylor Johnson With the challenges of daily life and college schedules, it has been reported suicide rates have nearly tripled across the country among college students. To help, the University of Nevada, Reno, is hosting a series of events for students during National Suicide Prevention Week.

During the week of September 10 to September 15, a series of events will be taking place to both inform and help students affected by suicide.

The university and Counseling Services are sponsoring the events to promote better mental health and to help deal with suicidal thoughts.

Events during this week will include Prevention and Pastries on Monday, Sept. 10, to help students prevent suicide for both themselves and others, “Take5” events on both Tuesday and Thursday to help students destress and “Coping with Suicide Loss” Grief Workshop on Sept. 12, to help students through the grieving process. In addition, Counseling Services will host a “How to Help” suicide awareness workshop on Thursday to help

students when a loved one exhibits suicidal behaviors. To finish the week, students can attend Walk in Memory Walk for Hope at 8 a.m. at Idlewild Park hosted by Nevada Coalition for Suicide Prevention.

A study by University of North Carolina at Greensboro professors Deborah J. Taub and Jalonda Thompson found in 2013 that ”suicide is the second‐leading cause of death among college students. College’s stressful environment leaves students more susceptible to choose alternative methods in order to feel better.

In addition, USA Suicide 2014 Official Final Data found that Nevada ranked fourth in terms of highest suicide rate in the United States.

Suicide comes in many forms with many companions, one being depression.

Depression entails the feeling of extreme sadness, hopelessness, or worthlessness. Some common symptoms include loss of interest in activities they enjoyed before, focusing and concentration becomes more difficult and sleeping becomes

See COUNSELING page A2

you walk across the stage, portable washrooms, water for graduates, text messaging and robo calls to graduates in case of emergency, signage, disabled escort, accessible programs online, maps, and golf carts for special needs,” Choroszy said.

“The Graduation fee is a mandatory fee much like the ASUN fee or the fitness fee. All students pay into it and is needed to be able to provide a consistent and quality experience for all graduates. Walking is a personal choice. It is included as part of the

fee. About 95 percemt of the students who apply for graduation participate in the ceremony. The costs of the ceremony are fixed costs.”

In addition to the fee being mandatory for students who choose not to walk, the fee does not include the cap and gown.

“This has never been part of the fee,” Choroszy said. “The fee would have to be raised an additional amount equal to the cap and gown costs.”

The fee raise is neces

Changes to graduation jeopardize experience

See FEE page A2

FEMA rejects request for aid in South Sugarloaf Fire

Nevada Football drops first road game

Sisolak prioritizes education on platform

By Andrew Mendez

Photo courtesy of Wikicommons

The Port Hills Fire burning Feb. 15, 2017 in Northern California. The South Sugarloaf Fire has been rejected for FEMA aid.

See FIRE page A3

After defeating Chris Giunchigliani (D) in the primary elections, Steve Sisolak (D) has been traveling across Nevada campaigning for governor.

Sisolak stated his top three priorities, according to his campaign website, are education, diversifying the economy

and affordable healthcare.

Sisolak primary focus on college education is making it affordable while providing better fields of study.

“Higher education needs to be affordable,” Sisolak said.

“We need to offer more

See SISOLAK page A2

Student voice of the University of Nevada, Reno, since 1893.

Volume 125 • Issue 03 Editor-in-Chief • Madeline Purdue mpurdue@sagebrush.unr.edu

News Editor • Olivia Ali oali@sagebrush.unr.edu

Asst. News Editor • Andrew Mendez oali@sagebrush.unr.edu

Sports Editor • Darion Strugs mpurdue@sagebrush.unr.edu

Opinion Editor • Jacey Gonzalez mpurdue@sagebrush.unr.edu

A&E Editor • Carla Suggs csuggs@sagebrush.unr.edu

Design Editor • Nicole Skarlatos nskarlatos@sagebrush.unr.edu

Photo Editor • Andrea Wilkinson

Fee

Continued from page A1 sary to keep running commencement as it has in the past, according to Chrozy. The last fee raise was by $20 in 2011.

“Operating costs have increased over the last five years and the current fee no longer is able to support theses costs,” Choroszy said. “The requested increase is to cover the additional costs associated with ceremonies and graduation processing including postage and mailing of diplomas.”

During the ASUN Senate meeting on Wednesday Sept.

5, Choroszy proposed multiple enhancements to the commencement ceremonies for

upcoming years. These include better quality live streaming of the event, barcodes on diplomas so the graduate’s name would be shown on screen as they walk, name coaches for more accurate pronunciation of names and heightened security. However, Choroszy said that this fee increase would not go toward these enhancements, but toward the deficit caused by flat costs increasing over time.

“It would balance our costs assuming no new enhancements, cost increases or additional improvement costs,” Choroszy said.

The price raise for graduation is not confirmed as it must still go through several committees.

“The fee is being reviewed by

awilkinson@sagebrush.unr.edu

Copy Editor • Robert Roth mpurdue@sagebrush.unr.edu

Copy Editor • Clay Temme ctemme@sagebrush.unr.edu

Multimedia Editor • Bailey MeCey bmecey@sagebrush.unr.edu

Asst. Multimedia Editor • Austin Daly bmecey@sagebrush.unr.edu

Illustrator • Zak Brady mpurdue@sagebrush.unr.edu

Social Media Manager • Jessie Schirrick mpurdue@sagebrush.unr.edu

Staff Writer • Emily Fisher efisher@sagebrush.unr.edu

Media Adviser • Amy Koeckes amyk@unr.edu

CONTRIBUTING STAFFERS Cedrick Alcala, Seth Bell, Isaiah Burrows,Taylor Johnson

DISCLAIMER The Nevada Sagebrush is a newspaper operated by and for the students of the University of Nevada, Reno. The contents of this newspaper do not necessarily reflect those opinions of the university or its students.

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Fire

Continued from page A1 The late summer fire season isn’t letting up as it spreads over California state lines and into Nevada.

Fires of all sizes are popping up around Northern Nevada — among them the South Sugarloaf Fire, the Slide Fire and the North Fire. The Sugarloaf Fire caught national attention after failing to receive federal aid.

According to InciWeb, the South Sugarloaf Fire has burned nearly 250,000 acres and only stands 97 percent contained. The South Sugarloaf fire originated in Elko County, according to Nevada Fire Info. It was only discovered on Friday Aug. 17, but has still caused notable damage. In comparison, the largest fire in Nevada to date, the Martin Fire, had burned over 435,000 acres by early August, making the South Sugarloaf Fire over half as large.

The South Sugarloaf became a threat to homes in Mountain City and other remote towns according to the Reno Gazette-Journal. Unfortunately, this fire was not deemed dangerous enough by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to receive aid.

According to FEMA’s official website, the agency’s mission is “helping

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2018

@NevadaSagebrush | nevadasagebrush.com

A2 | NEWS

Sisolak

Continued from page A1 programs for students in Nevada so they don’t have to go out of state in order to master some disciplines. I don’t think we can offer the same programs at both universities because we don’t have the money.”

With public university tuition becoming more costly, Sisolak believes that universities and community colleges need to be updated with the times even though Nevada’s system for higher education is fairly young.

“We need to become a lot more flexible than what we are currently,” Sisolak said. “The university that worked for my father isn’t the same university that worked for me and it’s not the same university that’s going to work for you.”

After marijuana was legalized in Nevada, it was promised by the state that 15 percent of revenue from the wholesale tax would be put toward Nevada public education and 10 percent of the tax toward the Rainy Day Fund: a fund dedicated to protect the state in the event of economic swings.

School districts currently are not seeing the money promised from the tax, and are struggling to keep up with operating costs, according to Fund Our Future Nevada.

“I will commit to this; that bill passed because the citizens were sure that money was going to education,” Sisolak said. “It did not go directly to education. I will assure you that every dollar that we can find that was supposed to go to education through the marijuana money will go to education.”

Sisolak stated his decision to run for governor was because he feels he knows the issues higher education faces. And mainly how to help fix the issues, as him and his daughters were a product of higher education in Nevada.

“I’ve been on the county commision for 10 years and chair for six years,” Sisolak said. “The skill I believe I have developed is problem solving and putting people together. I can put two people in a room and firmly believe if I shut the door I can find a way to get to yes.”

While currently running against Adam Laxalt (R) for governor, Sisolak was endorsed by former president Barack Obama. Obama won Nevada’s electoral votes in his race for president in both 2008 and 2012.

“Steve Sisolak will fight for justice, equality and opportunity for all Nevadans, and I’m proud to endorse his candidacy for governor,” Obama said.

“Nevadans deserve a leader like Steve.

Raised in a working family and now a proud dad who raised two incredible daughters on his own, he knows the value of hard work and the importance of opportunity.”

Obama also stated that Nevada has the opportunity to elect a Democrat as governor for the first time in 20 years.

Andrew Mendez can be reached at oali@sagebrush.unr.edu and on Twitter @NevadaSagebrush

people before, during and after disasters”. However, FEMA did not do so when the state of Nevada asked for a Fire Management Assistance Grant. According to FEMA, the fire “did not threaten such destruction as would constitute a major disaster.”

FEMA would have been able to assist suppression of the fire, as well as the covering of the price for tools for victims such as portable toilets and bulldozers, according to Nevada State Forester Kacey KC. The rejection from FEMA left Nevada congresspeople confused. A letter from Senator Dean Heller to FEMA Administrator Brook Long asked for reconsideration in the treatment of fires in the Great Basin.

“I write to you to today in the midst of one of the worst fire seasons on record to share my concerns with the eligibility criteria for a wildfire to qualify for assistance under the Federal Emergency Management Administration’s (FEMA’s) Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) program,” Heller wrote. “While I am a strong supporter of FMAG and its benefit to my state, it seems clear that some of the criteria used to determine eligibility for the FMAG program may put my state’s rurual communities at a disadvantage. In order to qualify for

the students and the university fee committee,” Choroszy said.

“It will be presented at the December board meeting along with all of the special fees and will be implemented for summer 2019.”

In the past several years, graduation at the University of Nevada, Reno, has seen a bigger increase than ever before.

During the spring 2018 commencement ceremonies, over 3,000 degrees were issued.

This number broke records as it was the most the university has ever issued in a single semester. The number of diplomas given from spring 2017 to spring 2018 rose nearly 11 percent and nearly 50 percent since 2010, according to the university.

The increase of degrees is

similar to the pattern of enrollment, as the university has seen increasing enrollment while the nation’s enrollment has fallen. Choroszy reported in a senate meeting in April that university enrollment was estimated to hit 25,000 by 2025.

In addition to the increased enrollment and diplomas, the number of people choosing to participate in commencement is higher than ever. An average of 95 percent of graduates have chosen to walk in the commencement ceremony in recent years and the number has only seen growth, according to Choroszy.

Olivia Ali can be reached at oali@sagebrush.unr.edu or on Twitter @OliviaNAli.

DEA ranks Nevada fourth for pure drugs

By Emily Fisher The drug crisis spreading across America is not a new concern, as chemical restrictions and drug enforcement agencies crack down. However, the concern has become not which drugs are present in the United States, but their purity.

A drug’s chemical composition contains telling information about how and where it was made, but these details are often very hard to uncover. When a user buys drugs, they rarely know exactly what they’re getting.

Each year the Drug Enforcement Administration discloses detailed records on the purity of all the drugs they’ve confiscated. In August, Laguna Treatment Hospital compiled this information in a comprehensive study finding some interesting insights on drug purity across

different states and how it affects overdose deaths to street-level prices.

In Nevada, drugs were on average 84.9 percent pure — the fourth highest of the states that were analyzed in Laguna’s study. Additionally, Nevada came in fourth for the purity of methamphetamines and amphetamines.

These substances are cause for major concern with Nevada’s amphetamine death rate sitting at the highest in the nation. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, if current trends continue, the death rate for “psychostimulants” will soon eclipse the state’s prescription opioid death rate.

The purity of methamphetamines, which is also often included in many

See DRUGS page A3

SENATE RECAP SEP. 5 PUBLIC COMMENT ENROLLMENT SERVICES PROPOSES NEED TO RAISE COMMENCEMENT FEE Melisa Choroszy, associate vice president of Enrollment Services & Commencement, Registration, shared commencement fees could be raised by $20 by the time of Summer 2019 commencement. The commencement fee was raised $20 in 2011-2012 from $55 to the current fee of $75.

Currently, the fee is mandatory whether the student walks in the ceremony or not. According to Choroszy, the fee covers the processing of the graduation application, reconciling any issues with the graduation application, coordination of the entire program, mailing and printing of diplomas and programs, compiling the list of all graduates and declaring all degrees. The fee does not cover the rental or purchase of the cap and gown.

Choroszy said the increase of the fee would be vital for commencement to function as the last spring commencement was nearly $50,000 short. According to Choroszy, the remaining funds for commencement was “scrounged” from various accounts and funding.

Choroszy said with the fee increase, the commencement ceremony could see an increase in technological updates. These could include better quality worldwide live streaming, name coaches for better pronunciation of names, heightened security and barcodes on diplomas so the graduate’s name would be shown on screen as they walk.

According to Choroszy, if the fee is not raised, several actions could be taken to conserve funds. These actions could include moving commencement to Lawlor Events Center permanently, not having redundancy in Lawlor should a weather conditions make commencement in the quad unfeasible and elimination of the printed program among other things.

Choroszy said nearly $23,000 was spent on programs alone during Spring 2018 commencement.

President Jackson asked Chorosy if selling programs for those who wanted them was feasible. According to Choroszy, this is not feasible or practical as the audit and set up of sales would cost more money than it would make. In addition, Choroszy says that it is likely it would be unpopular for the sales of the printed programs after students have already paid for the commencement ceremony.

REPORTS PRESIDENT JACKSON PROPOSES REVISION OF STATEMENT ON HATE SPEECH

Photo courtesy of Laguna Treatment Hospital A graph shows drug purities across the United States. Nevada ranked fourth for purest drugs seized.

FMAG, your agency requires a threat to lives and property, including threats to critical infrastructure and critical watershed areas. I respectfully ask that your agency take into consideration the severe consequences of wildfire on our public lands, including the loss of lands for grazing, energy development, and any other factor that would have an economic impact on Nevadans.”

In addition to Heller’s letter to FEMA, Catherine Cortez Masto took to Twitter to voice her concerns.

“It’s unacceptable that (FEMA) has refused to grant additional assistance to help the state fight the Sugarloaf Fire with great urgency,” she tweeted.

“Wildlife habitat and the livelihood of Nevada’s ranchers are at stake.”

Congressman Mark Amodei questioned in a Washoe County Commission meeting why receiving aid from FEMA was so difficult.

“We’d like the FEMA folks to come in and tell us why it is so hard … to get their attention on something,” Amodei said. “The guy in Oakland has an invitation to please come to Northern Nevada and see what you’re saying no to.”

Olivia Ali can be reached at oali@ sagebrush.unr.edu or on Twitter @ OliviaNAli.

Counseling Continued from page A1 becomes more excessive.

A study in 2009 by the American College Health Association and National College Health Assessment found that “[in] a nationwide survey of college students at 2- and 4-year institution...nearly 30 percent of college students reported feeling ‘so depressed that it was difficult to function’ at some time in the past year.”

Another common mental illness linked to suicide is anxiety. Anxiety includes feelings of urgency, paranoia and fear.

Students suffering from anxiety worry about not being good enough in their academics, or in social situations. This constant fear leads them toward suicide.

“Among individuals reporting a lifetime history of suicide attempt, over 70 percent had an anxiety disorder,” said a

study by Depress Anxiety.

“Even after adjusting for sociodemographic factor... the presence of an anxiety disorder was significantly associated with having made a suicide attempt.”

Counseling Services feels that suicide can be prevented and encourages students to speak up in the event that someone exhibits suicidal behaviors. Sufferers of suicide often have warning signs, some being self-destructive behavior, self-loathing and looking for ways to kill themselves.

In the event of an emergency, the Counseling Services advises to call 9-11 or the University of Nevada, Reno, Police Department Dispatch at (775) 334-COPS immediately.

Taylor Johnson can be reached at oali@ sagebrush.unr.edu and on Twitter @ NevadaSagebrush.

President Hannah Jackson encouraged senators to read a free speech aspirational statement as she is aware the university has been affected by free speech and hate speech in the past. President Jackson said the statement would be presented at the Board of Regents meeting as she felt the current statement needed revision. According to President Jackson, the statement conveys values and is not a means of enforcement.

Senator Hannah Hudson said she felt it was not deep enough and fairly superficial. Senator April Wilday said she agreed with what is written in the statement regarding hate speech.

SOLD OUT GAMES TO CAP FREE TICKETS

Vice President Carissa Bradley reported tickets for sold out basketball and football games are to be capped.

Football games that sell out are to only sell 3,000 free tickets to students. Basketball games that sell out are to only sell 1,500 free tickets. If a game sells out and reaches the cap, $10 tickets are available to students. According to Vice President Bradley, the Boise State homecoming football game is projected to sell out.

ASUN INTERN INTERVIEWS TO TAKE PLACE

Chief of Staff Matthew Dutcher announced that 120 interviews are to take place for ASUN interns on Sunday Sept.

9. 135 applied but some have not scheduled interviews as they have already been hired for the ASUN Department of Programming.

Olivia Ali can be reached at oali@sagebrush.unr.edu and on Twitter @NevadaSagebrush.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2018

NEWS | A3

@NevadaSagebrush | nevadasagebrush.com

Great Basin expands opportunities for STEM majors

By Andrew Mendez

according to WISE member Kaleigh Quinlan.

“What I really like about WISE and being situated in Great Basin is I am surrounded by like-minded people who are interested in stem-related careers in the future,” Herrera said.

The WISE program that used to occupy the fifth floor of the Learning Living Community was moved to Great Basin. WISE and the Engineering programs in the LLC have been replaced by programs catered to students with Hispanic Cultural Heritage and/or identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer +.

Students accepted into the program are automatically placed in Great Basin.

The hall features the only 24-hour computer lab on campus, an innovation lab and is being equipped with “smart” technology. Amenities are only available for the approximately 400 residents in the hall. In order to live in Great Basin, there is no grade point average requirement other than a 2.0 GPA set by Residential Life, Housing and Food Services for all housing on campus.

Great Basin also has a total of eight resident assistants, three academic mentors and six peer leaders in order to help students get acclimated to STEM, according to Gatto.

“So far we are 2 weeks in and we already had five different floor events,” Quinlan said. “Just every single RA, not just our RA, will see us and try to make conversation, ask how we are doing and just ask if we are okay.”

Despite moving into the dorm less than a month ago, residents of Great Basin Hall have expressed positive feelings regarding the new dorm at the Great Basin Bash.

Residents of Great Basin Hall were invited to the Great Basin Bash to celebrate the hall’s opening. The event included games, food and opportunities to talk with residential life as a way to introduce the hall to the university’s campus.

“It’s such a welcoming environment,” first-year student Angela Faith Herrera said. “Being such an introverted person I felt motivated to expand my comfort zone. I was able to make a lot of new friends.

Everyone wanted to start fresh and that is what I wanted.”

Great Basin was created for students who are a declared Science, Technology, Engineering and Math major or education major with a minor in STEM. Everything in the hall has a STEM related focus, according to Peter Gatto, Assistant Director of Housing and Residential Life.

“It’s a very popular and in-demand field,” Gatto said. “A lot of different organizations and entities are looking for individuals with STEMrelated backgrounds.”

Students who are in Women in Science and Engineering must have met a certain core math and core writing requirement prior to being accepted to the residence hall.

Students accepted to the program must take Science 110 in the fall and Science 120 in the spring. Classes are catered to members of the program and consist of roughly 35 students,

Andrew Mendez can be reached at oali@sagebrush.unr.edu and on Twitter @NevadaSagebrush

Drugs

Continued from page A2 distributed drugs, has risen from 39 percent purity in 2008 to more than 93 percent purity in 2018.

The key to understanding why these findings are important is understanding what drug purity is. Simply stated, purity in drugs is the lack of impurities. Often times drugs are cut with other additives, to help drug dealers stretch purchasing power. The Associated Press found substances from baby power to rat poison in various drugs.

Drugs seized west of the Mississippi River were nearly 40 percent purer than those confiscated in Eastern states, ac-

File Photo/Nevada Sagebrush Great Basin as it stands in Aug. 2018. The hall has allowed te WISE and Engineering programs that use to reside in the LLC take root. The hall aslo provides ammenities only residnets of Great Basin can use.

cording to Laguna.

This is due largely in part to the shift from homegrown labs in the U.S. — due to chemical regulation — to cartels in other countries, such as Mexico.

While one may expect to see more drug-related deaths in the Western states with higher-purity narcotics, Eastern states actually have higher overdose rates, but it is not for the reason most people think. Most blame the substances the drugs are cut with for higher overdose deaths but while it’s true substances used to dilute drugs can be harmful if ingested in large quantities, it’s unlikely dangerous additives account for the entirety of this trend.

Overdoses often occur when a substance is purer than a user anticipates,

overpowering the tolerance they’ve developed for more diluted forms of the drug. In states where substance purities tend to be consistently high, deviation from the norm might lead to dissatisfaction and swift withdrawal.

But in places where drugs are usually diluted, Laguna Treatment Hospital reports an especially strong batch could prove deadly.

“Psychostimulants” — a class of drugs that includes methamphetamine, ecstasy and ADHD prescription drugs like Adderall and Ritalin — are the highly addictive drugs causing the most concern in Nevada and other western states.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, psychostimulants like methamphetamine increase the

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amount of the natural chemical dopamine in the brain. High levels of this chemical in reward areas of the brain strongly reinforce drug-taking behavior, making the user want to repeat the experience.

The “high” from these drugs both starts and fades quickly, causing users to often take repeated doses in a “binge and crash” pattern.

Provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) indicates that 7,663 people died from psychostimulant use in 2016. Despite the fact that methamphetamines are more unlikely to cause death alone, unlike opioids.

Methamphetamine overdose can lead to stroke, heart attack or organ problems — such as kidney failure — caused by overheating and these

conditions can result in death. There are currently no government-approved medications to treat methamphetamine addiction or overdose.

Nevada was one of 14 states that saw an increase in the psychostimulantrelated overdose death rate in 2016, according to the CDC. After Nevada, New Mexico and Oklahoma tied for secondhighest at 7.1 deaths per 100,000.

The DEA also reports that prices are the lowest they have been in years and the average purity of seized methamphetamine remains at or above 90 percent, making the drug easier to obtain and a larger threat.

Emily Fisher can be reached at oali@ sagebrush.unr.edu and on Twitter @ NevadaSagebrush

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A4 | A&E

PACK N THE EVENTS THINGS TO WATCH OUT FOR THIS WEEK

By Carla Suggs

NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS EXTRAVAGANZA DATE: Monday - Friday TIME: Various times LOCATION: MIKC INFO: Every day this

week, different resource centers from UNR and around Reno will be giving hour-long lectures on how to prepare for disasters like earthquakes and active shooters. Times and locations include: Mon. 8:30 a.m. in MIKC 201 and 1:00 p.m. in MIKC 305, Tues. 8:30 a.m. in MIKC 104 and 2:00 p.m. in MIKC 305, Wed. 8:30 a.m. in MIKC 104 and 1:00 p.m. in MIKC 305, Thurs. 9:30 a.m. in MIKC 201 and 2:00 p.m. in MIKC 305, and Fri. 8:30 a.m. in MIKC 104 and 2:00 p.m. in MIKC 305.

ROLLING IN THE DOUGH WITH NEVADA MONEY MENTORS DATE: Tuesday &

Wednesday TIME: 10: 30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

LOCATION: Knowledge Center Lawn INFO: Come meet the Nevada Money Mentors and find out how they can help you manage your money. If this isn’t enthralling enough for you, they’ll also be giving out free breakfast pastries that you can take with you on your way to class!

THE INCREDIBLES 2 DATE: Thursday TIME: 6 p.m.

LOCATION: JCSU Movie

Theatre INFO: Have you seen the first Incredibles? Have you yet to see the second Incredibles but are constantly harassed about it by your friends and coworkers who have seen it and are amazed that you still haven’t? Come watch it and shut all your acquaintances up once and for all! Or, if you have seen it already, why not give it another go?

UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES TRIVIA NIGHT DATE: Thursday TIME: 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

LOCATION: Second floor of

the Knowledge Center INFO: If you love competition and have an array of useless facts swimming around in your brain, compete in the KC’s Trivia Night! You can arrive with a group of up to five people or create a group upon arrival. What better way is there to meet people that are just as knowledgeable in obscure topics as you are?

ENGAGING IN THE POWER OF DIVERSITY: A LIBERAL ARTS SPEAKER SERIES DATE: Friday TIME: 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

LOCATION: Davidson Math

and Science Center, 110 INFO: Author of Juliet Takes a Breath and Marvel comic book writer Gabby Rivera will be speaking about “Creating Your Own Superhero.”

Aspiring comic book writers and diversity enthusiasts will benefit greatly from what she has to say, so don’t miss out!

Carla Suggs can be reached at csuggs@sagebrush.unr.edu and on Twitter @c_swayzy.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2018

Mac Miller’s

death

highlights drug addiction in entertainment industry

By Carla Suggs Malcolm James McCormick, also known as Mac Miller, was officially pronounced dead on Friday, Aug. 7, by authorities who were dispatched to his San Bernardino home. The rapper and singer was just 26 years old.

Authorities say the cause of death was a drug overdose, for which there was a 911 call from one of Miller’s friends who claimed he was going into cardiac arrest. He was dead by the time police arrived on the scene.

Miller was very vocal about his relationship with drugs in his music and with media sources. The artist first began drinking lean — a drink containing codeine and juice — when he was 15 years old.

However, the pressures he felt from being on television and witnessing other friends die from it led him to quit. He later took to using other drugs like cocaine and promethazine to deal with stress, especially after dropping his 2012 album Blue Slide Park.

Following his public breakup with Ariana Grande, the artist was also arrested

on two counts of DUI — one for driving under the influence and another for operating a vehicle with a BAC above the legal limit. His vehicle was found decimated by authorities after he ran into a light pole and fled the scene.

Many of Miller’s fans took to Twitter to blame Grande for his DUI, to which she responded with a lengthy but justified answer.

“How absurd that you minimize female self-respect and self-worth by saying someone should stay in a toxic relationship because he wrote an album about them … ” she said in a screenshot taken from her Notes app. “I am not a babysitter or a mother and no woman should feel that they need to be. I have cared for him and tried to support his sobriety & prayed for his balance for years … but shaming / blaming women for a man’s inability to keep his shit together is a very major problem.”

Hours after the announcement of his death, Grande disabled her Instagram comments as they were flooded with hate from

Miller’s fans who also blamed her for his death.

Miller’s death from overdose is one of many, and highlights the issue of drug abuse among entertainers everywhere.

Although celebrities are frequently held in high regard by fans and the media, they also deal with mental illnesses which can be made worse by having to maintain a public persona or by facing heavy criticism.

A report on celebrity deaths caused by drug overdose was released in 2009 by the National Center for Biology Information, and stated that substance abuse is “a disease that can result in depression, insomnia, personality changes, impaired judgment, and poor relationships … They form deadly combinations with barbiturates and other sedatives and with alcohol.”

Another 2013 article by the Huffington Post also discussed the trend of drug addiction in the entertainment industry.

“For celebrities and highprofile individuals, being

Mac Miller/ Wikimedia Commons

Mac Miller performing at the Splash! Festival in 2017.

The artist was pronounced dead on Friday afternoon from an apparent drug overdose.

His untimely death is a stark reminder of drug addiction among many musicians today.

under the microscope 24/7 and trying to maintain and project an aura of perfection and success can sometimes be too difficult to handle,” said author John Tsilimparis. “As a result, some stars turn to drugs and alcohol to cope and to try and manage the overwhelming pressure. Once the connection is made that drugs or alcohol can provide them some temporary relief, they may continue to do it despite knowing the negative consequences.”

Several celebrities and fans have since taken to social media to mourn Miller, proving that his death has certainly begun to take its toll on the world. Despite his young age, Miller created a platform that allowed him to openly discuss depression, drug addiction, heartbreak and loss. His impact on hip-hop will forever be appreciated by those who cherished his music and his soul.

Carla Suggs can be reached for inquiry at csuggs@ nevadasagebrush.unr.edu and on Twitter @c_swayzy.

Arboretum, botanical garden

plays important role in San Rafael park

By Carla Suggs While many people revel in the luxury of arboretums and botanical gardens, they’re often unaware of the significance behind them. So what exactly are arboretums and botanical gardens, and what purpose do they serve beside providing beautiful scenery?

Botanical gardens, in essence, are areas that are dedicated to protecting and preserving plant life of various species. Their purpose is to promote the growth of plants and act as an area of study for botanists. In fact, the late American historian and author Edward P. Alexander once described botanical gardens as “special museums in the natural history field with collections of living, rather than inanimate, specimens […] increasingly they focus on those species deemed to be at risk of extinction.” In relation to botanical gardens, arboretums are preservation areas that consist of only trees.

Not only do these gardens promote plant growth and study, but they also help us connect more with wildlife. As we become more and more invested in globalizing technology, we tend to lose touch with the natural world right in our own backyards. Arboretums and botanical gardens allow us to close that gap by providing a wide range of flora not only from our own native location, but from all around the world.

In this way, we can feel like we’re exploring the globe just by taking a stroll through the park.

This is certainly the case for the Wilbur D. May Arboretum and Botanical Garden, located

right at the edge of the Rancho San Rafael Regional Park a few blocks away from campus.

Established in 1983, the area was created in honor of the late adventurer and philanthropist Wilbur D. May. Over the past 35 years, the garden has grown from just three acres to 23 acres, and includes over 4,000 different plants. Not only that,

but there are nearly 30 smaller gardens and groves avail able for exploration within the preservation area. Each is home to a variety of either native or foreign species of plants, and in some cases even both.

Within the arboretum alone, there are about 186 genuses and 260 species total.

Despite the continued

growth of the Wilbur D. May nature areas, not all is well within the world of preservation.

Bill Carlos, the arboretum’s horticulturalist, estimates that by the end of the year, approximately 100,000 plant species are expected to go extinct due to environmental deterioration. In some ways, the Wilbur D. May Arboretum and Botani-

Andrea Wilkinson/ Nevada Sagebrush

The Wilbur D. May Arboretum in Rancho San Rafael Regional Park on Monday, Sept. 10. Many Reno locals enjoy quiet strolls through the preservation areas, but are unaware of their roles in protecting plant life.

The arboretum pictured here was established in honor of the late Wilbur D. May, who enjoyed wildlife and dedicated much of his life to travel.

cal Garden act as a refuge for plants that are in danger of going extinct. For this reason, it’s vital to stress the importance of environmental friendliness and respect when visiting the park, meaning no littering or walking in areas that are sensitive to extinction.

Carlos also expresses several ways in which he believes the arboretum and botanical garden can be improved in terms of learning experience. The main improvement he wishes to make is the quality of signs throughout the preservation areas. Some groves and gardens have little to no indication of what kinds of plant life live there, whereas others have very detailed signs describing each kind of plant. In addition, some sections have been established in the name of a certain individual for a special reason. It would be better for the overall experience of visitors if signs could indicate the person the grove or garden is named after, and why the contribution was made in their honor.

The Wilbur D. May Arboretum and Botanical Garden is just one of many preservation areas on the west coast, that serve as wonderful examples as to why preservation is so important. As they continue to grow and prosper, it’s vital that Reno locals take caution when visiting and not impose on any of the areas that harbor endangered species. At the same time, experiencing the preservation area is just one way to get closer to nature and witness plant life from all around the world.

Carla Suggs can be reached for inquiry at csuggs@ nevadasagebrush.unr.edu, or on Twitter @c_swayzy.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2018

A&E | A5

@NevadaSagebrush | nevadasagebrush.com

Great Reno Balloon Race returns for 36th year Andrea Wilkinson/Nevada Sagebrush

Balloons begin to land after flying for this year’s annual Great Reno Balloon Race on Saturday, Sept. 8. Pilots and crowd members alike reveled in the magic that unfolded during the early-morning flight.

By Carla Suggs Since 1982, Reno has been bringing together its “biggest little” community by putting on the largest free hot-air ballooning event in the world, the Great Reno Balloon Race. Local and international attendees have come from all over to witness the magic that unfolds against a vivid sunset backdrop, as dozens of hot-air balloons light up and float like giant colorful lanterns into the sky.

This weekend marked the 36th year the race has occurred, as huge crowds trudged into Rancho San Rafael Regional Park each morning at 3:30 a.m. with sleep still lingering on their faces and in their minds. From Sept. 7 to 9, the smell of freshly-made food wafted up into the park air to create a delicious aroma that was difficult to ignore. Families, students, couples and friends huddled together in tightly-wrapped blankets to keep the cold away. Children chased one another in the grass as the balloon pilots prepared for their greatest show. Yet a hush always befell the crowd at 5:15 a.m., as the miraculous “Glow Show” began and each balloon lit up with spectacular radiance.

Two of the pilots in attendance this year were father and son duo Allen Anderson Sr. and Allen Anderson Jr. Both have been around hot-air balloons for a large portion of their lives — Anderson Jr. even grew up around them as a child, thanks to his father. The two work together on the multi-colored balloon known as “Imagine”, with Anderson Sr. as the pilot and his son as part of the crew.

Anderson Sr. has been flying balloons for 37 years, and was the winner of last year’s race in 2017. He first got involved in flying during a hot-air balloon encounter while on a skydiving vacation.

“I was sleeping in my tent early in the morning [and was woken up] by a loud noise that seemed very close,” he said. “I stuck my head outside to find a balloon a few feet above my tent. I asked what they were doing [and was told] having the time of their lives. The next morning I was up skydiving out of that very same balloon. I had so much fun the rest is history.”

Although Anderson Jr. has been flying balloons for a year and a half, he’s been participating in the balloon race every year as a part of his father’s crew. Along with a number of other balloon pilots, Anderson

Jr. has also created a Facebook page called Hot Air Balloons 101, which allows people to ask pilots questions about balloons, post pictures or experiences with balloons and get to know local balloon pilots. The page also promotes education about balloon flying and landing, which Anderson Jr. says is a frequently misunderstood topic of discussion.

“For us [pilots], what is a normal day may be perceived to those on the ground as dangerous or that we’re in distress,” he said, “when in actuality it’s business as usual. Our aim is to bring joy to all around us, and if people don’t have to worry about whether we are landing emergently or falling too fast, the public can then enjoy it for what it is.”

Another balloon pilot in attendance this year was Sheldon Grauberger, with his balloon, “Kaleidoscope”. Grauberger has not only been a balloon pilot for 15 years, but he’s also been flying for UNR for the past five years. Yet perhaps the most impressive aspect of Grauberger’s career is the fact that he’s the only balloon pilot in the world who launches and lands balloons on a boat in Lake Tahoe, for a company called Lake Tahoe Balloons. Each

Students displeased with BLF lineup, attendees seemingly impressed

By Carla Suggs Students huddled together in groups outside the Reno Events Center after the Biggest Little Festival on Friday, Sept. 8, eagerly awaiting their rides and buzzing about the show. Many of them were still reeling from the events that occurred inside just a few moments earlier. “[Ella Mai] touched my soul,” said Delevear Mack. “I love her music. I’m single, I feel like she’s single, so [I] relate.”

Another concert-goer, Lareana Toralba, said this year’s BLF was her favorite so far.

“Elephante was good … I like his type of music,” she said with a beaming smile.

Yet many students at the University of Nevada, Reno, were disgruntled by the announcement of this year’s Biggest Little Festival for a number of reasons. Some were put off by the change from an outdoor, oncampus venue to an indoor, off-campus venue. Others were not impressed by the lineup. Many even said the price for tickets was too high, and the lineup wasn’t worth $27.

UNR student Jourden Brown said, “I didn’t go this year ‘cause the only artist I actually knew [Ella Mai] didn’t seem to be the festival type. When I go to a festival, I want to hear music I can actually dance to. I know everyone is different but it seemed like they only catered to one type of genre.”

Nicci Holman, another student who didn’t attend, said that although she respected Ella Mai as an artist, she didn’t feel like she was an appropriate choice as headliner in comparison to prevaious years.

“Years prior we had YG and ASAP Ferg, so to switch it up to a slower R&B artist was not the best decision in my opinion.”

ASUN President Hannah Jackson explained the reasoning for all the new changes this year, citing students’ best interests and health concerns.

When it came time to choose a venue, Jackson said the poor air quality from the recent wildfires would have prevented many students from enjoying an outdoor event, leading ASUN to change the location of the Biggest Little Festival to the Reno Events Center. In terms of the chosen performers, Jackson also said it had to do with what students voted for last school year.

“We did a poll last spring … for what artists [students] wanted to see,” she said, “and pop was the number one genre … which led us to choose our artist, followed by EDM.” It certainly seemed as though students in attendance enjoyed the music, as they danced and laughed and cheered throughout the night. Leading performers Gavin Turek

morning from May to October — and when the winds allow it — Grauberger is out above the lake, sailing through the air while others sail through the water below him.

“To me it’s the purest form of aviation,” he said about balloon flying. “You are just floating. It’s the only form of flight where you’re not being powered through the air … a balloon, you just lift off and you become the wind.”

Grauberger also believes that all Reno locals should try to witness the Great Reno Balloon Race at least once in their life.

“It’s something that people of Reno all love to see. Even if they’re not balloonloving people, just seeing the big bubbles of colorful bags of air … they just love it.”

He’s right about one thing — those who have been to the balloon race tend to enjoy it, despite the early trek to the park and brisk morning air. A few University of Nevada, Reno, students who attended the race this year had only positive things to say about their experiences.

“What I like about the balloon races is the sense of community it draws, even from spectators from out of town,” said Austin Rodriguez, UNR senior. “Everyone

gets really into the glow show and you can sense the joy that the event brings everyone.”

Another senior, Charis Nixon, said, “It’s so sweet to see families with little kids experiencing the magic of the hot air balloons.”

Senior student Bridget Karlsson said she enjoyed “being with my friends, all wrapped up in blankets and watching the hot air balloons in the sky as the sun rises!”

Jenny Cen, a senior who’s been attending the balloon race for the past two years, says the race was one way she was able to feel more connected to Reno.

“I remember coming up to Reno for school in my freshman year thinking how lackluster the city was,” she said. “But these events really changed my perspective … The Great Balloon Race is one of the many things I love, and I’m proud to call the Biggest Little City my ‘second home’. I really recommend attending this event at least once.”

Carla Suggs can be reached for inquiry at csuggs@sagebrush.unr.edu and on Twitter @c_swayzy.

mobile monday October 15, 2018 at Hilliard Plaza, 12:30PM - 3:30PM

November 19, 2018 at KC Rotunda, 12:30PM - 3:30PM

December 10, 2018 Cedrick Alcala/Nevada Sagebrush

Students cheer and sing along enthusiastically during this year’s Biggest Little Festival on Saturday, Sept. 8. Although there was concern over the lineup after it was announced, attendees thoroughly enjoyed the show.

and Elephante even made their way out to the crowd during both of their sets to receive love from the enthusiastic students.

Ella Mai was met with a litany of cheers, screams and affectionate words as she made her way onto the stage. The artist mostly geared her music toward women, of which there seemed to be more of than men in the audience that night. At one point during her performance she led a singing contest between the men and women present, and claimed the women as the obvious winners.

Overall, many students at the concert said they had a great time even if they weren’t familiar with or excited by artists at first.

“I was unhappy when I saw the lineup on paper,” said Bryan Dotson. “But when I went it was actually hella cool!”

Jacob Woods, who didn’t know Ella Mai very well before the concert, said “[She] was my favorite artist there. She definitely gained a new fan!”

Carla Suggs can be reached for inquiry at csuggs@nevadasagebrush.unr.edu or on Twitter @c_swayzy.

at KC Rotunda, 12:30PM - 3:30PM

Mobile Monday is a free, monthly farmer’s market style event on campus, allowing students to receive fresh produce and resources for health and well-being.

@NevadaSagebrush | nevadasagebrush.com

A6 | OPINION

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2018

STAFF EDITORIAL

UNR graduation changes must consider student experience

G

raduation is a special time here at the University of Nevada, Reno — the Quad is at its best after being primed all spring, students file in after spending the previous hour drinking free mimosas at the Wal and families gather to celebrate the major success that is completing a college degree.

However, the university has implemented some changes that might end up hindering that excitement and sense of accomplishment.

The first major change the university made was to completely change the schedule of graduation.

The colleges that used to graduate in the mornings now graduate in the evenings and vice versa. While this rescheduling might not impact the excitement graduation brings, it’s definitely a major change to what has been a primarily setschedule, for unclear reasons.

The university also is discussing raising the graduation fee by $20 like they did in 2012. If they go forward with this plan, students will have to pay $95 merely to receive the diploma they already earned. Melisa Choroszy, associate vice president of Enrollment Services & Commencement, told the ASUN Senate this fee goes toward

the processing of the graduation application, reconciling any issues with the graduation application, coordination of the entire program, mailing and printing of diplomas and programs, compiling the list of all graduates and declaring all degrees. The fees from last spring’s commencement did not cover the entire bill, leaving a $50,000 deficit.

While this increased fee would benefit the aesthetic and efficiency of graduation, students have already paid their dues not only in money but in hard work to be able to cross the stage. On top of the already exorbitant cost of tuition and housing, there are even more fees to pay before graduation. Students must pay for their cap, gown, tassel, university stole, diploma frame and more, not to mention the cost to the families to travel to and stay in Reno for the ceremony.

It’s not fair to keep tacking on little fees here and there because they add up quickly.

Honestly, us graduates want the best possible experience when the time finally comes to cross that stage, so most of us probably will pay the fee, even if it is annoying.

What’s not fair is to assess the fee to those who choose not to walk across the stage and just receive their diploma in the mail. If the fee

partially goes to making the ceremony itself better, those students not participating shouldn’t have to pay it, or at least the whole thing.

Believe it or not, it costs money to graduate, and not a lot of us have much of that by the time we’re done here.

However, if this fee is not assessed and it remains $75, a number of things could happen to conserve funds. One solution would be to stop printing the commencement programs that list the graduates by college and the schedule of the ceremonies, as they cost over $20,000 to produce. These programs are another piece of memorabilia to graduates of their accomplishment and should be kept if possible.

The second option Choroszy gave is to move all commencement ceremonies from the Quad to Lawlor Events Center, which would cause an uproar amongst the student body. During the rainy Spring 2018 commencement, the university announced the possibility of moving the ceremonies to Lawlor in spite of the weather.

Students took to Twitter to protest and express their disappointment — mostly along the lines of “I didn’t work this hard these last four years to graduate in Lawlor”.

While all of us have great memories

A

Ian McMorran/Flickr

Two graduates walk together on Wednesday, May 9. If UNR’s increased graduation fee is not approved, commencement could be permanently moved to Lawlor Events Center.

in Lawlor, this is not where we want to have our last hoorah. The Quad is a traditional part of what makes graduating from UNR so great.

It is clear there will be changes when it comes to graduation this school year, but we urge the university to weigh these choices with the thought of the student experience on their minds. Yes, the days may change and those choosing to walk across the stage may have to

pay a little more, but it’s unfair to make those students not walking at graduation to pay the same as those who do and it would essentially ruin graduation to have it anywhere but the Quad. So please UNR, don’t ruin our graduation.

The Editorial Board can be reached at mpurdue@sagebrush.unr.edu, and on Twitter @NevadaSagebrush.

Nike ad sparks outrage among public

C

olin Kaepernick is the Nevada alumnus that older generations forget about and younger generations love to claim.

Whether you remember him as the quarterback that led the Wolf Pack from 20072011 or his rise to the Superbowl with the San Francisco 49ers in lieu of Alex Smith’s season ending injury — Kap was one of those players you Jacey don’t forget about.

Gonzalez Until recently, there was even a shrine of Kap at the Reno-Tahoe International Airport. That changed when Kaepernick took a knee during the national anthem in protest of police brutality against people of color.

Back in 2016, Kap’s protest began quietly. For the first few games of his protest, he sat during the anthem without people noticing. Then when someone paid attention, he was met an army of people with hypothetical pitch forks. Kaepernick’s response was brief and to the point.

“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses

black people and people of color,” Kaepernick said, via NFL.com. “To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”

A veteran and former NFL long snapper, Nate Boyer, penned an open letter to Kaepernick online at ArmyTimes.com.

In his letter, Boyer wrote how he felt Kap was disrespectful for sitting during the national anthem. After reading the letter, Kaepernick reached out to Boyer and they met for 90 minutes in San Diego. During this meeting, Kaepernick described what he was protesting and asked what was the most respectful way to protest. Boyer directed him to take a knee during the anthem because it was the same way soldiers showed respect and what they do when they are mourning a fallen brother.

Since then, Kaepernick and his protest took a tumultuous journey that ultimately ended his career in the NFL. Recently, Nike has launched a new campaign to commemorate the 30th anniversary of their signature “Just Do It” campaign. The company wanted to celebrate those fighting through adversity to get where they want to be. Nike then revealed that Colin Kaepernick had remained on their payroll for the past few

years and that he was now the face of the campaign.

The first promotional photo featured a headshot of Kaepernick with the words “Stand for something, even if it means sacrificing everything” across his face.

The photo created instant controversy.

There were people who supported Kaepernick wholeheartedly from the start, and there were people who resulted to destroying their Nike products in protest of the company’s support of Kaepernick.

During the opening Thursday Night Football game, the full Nike ad ran and featured a montage of people following their dreams while Kaepernick narrates.

The video was well received, but there were still those who completely disagreed with Kaepernick.

The funny part of people disagreeing with Kaepernick’s kneel is that he hasn’t even had the opportunity to kneel in an NFL game in two years.

People are crazy. All people, I’m not discriminating here.

Everyone is too concerned with what everyone else is doing that they fail to sit and think about their own actions first.

I’m sure that you felt it was justified to burn your Nike shoes, but somewhere else a homeless person walks barefoot.

The $40 dri-fit shirt you’re mutilating

shows how money is dispensable when 50 percent of the world is impoverished.

Your 2,000 word Facebook post supporting Kap was *definitely* justified ­— as was arguing with every single commentator about what you believe our troops fight to support.

No matter which side of the argument you land on, stop yelling at people. Stop trying to force your opinion down people’s throat. Create an open dialogue where you can talk about these issues. Also, stop using Facebook as your sole method of communicating that you disagree with the ad.

Nike intended to cause controversy.

They wanted to get people talking and having educated discussions about why it was important to stand (or kneel) for what you believe in. Their entire campaign is meant to be inspirational — the campaign shouldn’t be the reason why you block your conservative uncle on Facebook because you might’ve agreed with your liberal aunt.

Opinions expressed in The Nevada Sagebrush are solely those of the author and do not necessarily express the views of The Sagebrush or of its staff. Jacey Gonzalez studies journalism. She can be reached at jaceygonzalez@unr.edu and on Twitter @ NevadaSagebrush.

Stay ‘woke’, engaged to protect our American democracy from creeping authoritarianism

T

here are growing concerns that in our current national political environment, American democracy is under assault.

This can be seen in any scan of newspaper headlines discussing politics. Moreover, the results of a major bipartisan poll published in June 2018 show that over half of Americans believe the United States is Seth in “real danger Bell of becoming a non democratic, authoritarian country.” The poll was commissioned by the George W. Bush Institute and the University of Pennsylvania’s Biden Center.

The positive news from the poll is that Americans continue to overwhelmingly support the idea of democracy, and think it is critically important that the system inherited from the nation’s founders be saved.

At the close of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787, it was reported that a woman asked Benjamin Franklin, “…what have we got a Republic or a Monarchy?”

Franklin replied, “A Republic, if you can keep it.” Since the beginning of the American “constitutional” experiment, the United States has been a

“republic” with a representative democracy. The fundamental idea was — and continues to be — that the “sovereign” power in America would be held and exercised by the people, as opposed to being held and exercised by a monarch, an autocrat, or an authoritarian. Thomas Jefferson — among other founders — was concerned about the government being controlled by a person who considered himself a “demi-god.”

Implicit in the American concept of democracy was free and fair elections, an educated electorate, active citizen participation, the protection of individual rights and liberties, a mandate that America would have a strong and independent judiciary and rigorously follow the rule of law, an application of the law equally to all citizens and freedom of speech and the press (as well as the truthfulness of information) would not be impaired. In order to impose limits on the powers of the federal government, and to provide for the protection of various civil liberties and personal rights and freedoms and to attain the ratification of the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights were drafted and added to the Constitution.

Additionally, the government was organized into three separate branches of government in order to create necessary “checks and balances.”

In the 230 years since the ratification of the Constitution, the

United States model of democracy has pretty much worked as it was intended. And while one or more leaders have attacked some of the foundations of the democracy, democratic norms have been the practice, and the risk of true authoritarian rule has very rarely been raised.

In order to achieve the sad transition to authoritarianism in other nations, the following things often occurred, starting with the undermining, attacking, and/or disabling of democratic institutions and pillars. In some ways, it almost seems as if there is a tyrant’s playbook that is used.

There were efforts to censure or challenge the free press, or claims were made by those in control that what was reported was inaccurate and false. In some cases, press freedoms were limited or suspended, and the authoritarian leaders began to control the media, messaging, and information, and government propaganda became the rule. Dissenters were intimidated, demonized, or attacked as dangerous. Access to voting was limited, or eliminated. The rule of law was constantly under siege, and eventually smashed.

In this regard, the independent judiciary was criticized and condemned, as was the legislative branch. In some countries, their constitutions were suspended and emergency powers granted to the leaders (which allowed the “leaders” to gather all of the mechanisms of power), minori-

Student loan debt adds pressure to college students

ties were marginalized or made into scapegoats and excluded from government participation (or worse), citizen rights and freedoms were curtailed and/ or discarded, protests were prohibited, critics attacked and silenced and political opponents taken into custody.

Benjamin Franklin’s challenge that we need to work to “keep” and save the American democratic republic our founding fathers created for us is as relevant today as it was when first made. And the poll mentioned above suggests that Americans are worried. There are at present real threats to our democracy.

Putting aside the cyberattacks from one or more foreign powers, there is a homegrown threat — starting in the Executive branch — that is subjecting the American democracy to a test.

Keeping and maintaining a resilient and healthy democracy requires citizen knowledge, active engagement, participation, protest (when necessary), the focus on “real” facts, challenges to mis-truths and disinformation advanced by the government, collaboration of — and cooperation and discussions between — various interest groups, compromise for the good of the nation, and the vigorous support of the fundamental institutions and processes of democracy. Those include, of course, the rule of law, checks and balances — with an energetic and independent judiciary and legislative branch, the

freedoms of assembly, religion, and speech, and those other vital civil and personal rights set forth in the Bill of Rights. Americans must also fight any efforts to unfairly discredit the Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and true bipartisan, independent investigations.

In addition, Americans must be alert to and attempt to counter authoritarian tendencies in their elected representatives, cheer for a “free” and unrestricted press and the unrestrained dissemination of information, demand that its elected representatives be held accountable for bad behavior and actions that fail to put America above party or “leader,” oppose the consolidation of power (and especially military power) in any person or party, and forcefully and loudly fight — and pushback against - any efforts to restrict or interfere with elections or election processes.

Only by doing such things, and really staying “woke” to the diminishment of individual liberties and freedoms — and being constantly attentive and engaged — can Americans counter threats to and keep our American democratic republic.

Opinions expressed in The Nevada Sagebrush are solely those of the author and do not necessarily express the views of The Sagebrush or of its staff. Seth Bell studies political science and can be reached at jaceygonzalez@sagebrush.unr.edu and on Twitter @NevadaSagebrush.

nyone in higher education can agree that student debt is ridiculous. There’s no way around it.

Debt collection practices are getting hostile, the fickle amount of money you get back from FAFSA is insignificant and let’s not even get into how hard it is to apply for a loan.

To be short, student debt is crazy.

Skyrocketing interest rates and unfair debt Jacey collection Gonzalez practices are stressing college students out before they even finish their degrees.

“Americans owe over $1.48 trillion in student loan debt, spread out among about 44 million borrowers,” according to Student Loan Hero.

The average amount of debt for the class of 2017 was $39,400 per person. This is just for borrowers attending public institutions. The average monthly student loan payment for borrowers between 20 and 30 is $351 per month — that’s equivalent to a car payment.

Students get caught up in debt because they wanted to go to college. They pursued higher education and decided this is what they wanted to spend their money on (or rack up an obscene amount of debt).

It’s easy to get a student to sign for something when they’re desperate. Unfortunately, this creates a large amount of debt for students before they even have their degree. Student loans are even harder to navigate when you have to do it alone. Without any sort of guidance from someone experienced, students get trapped by high interest rates and short explanations of what’s going on around them.

If you are a borrower, you have rights — even when it seems like you don’t.

Your student loan is solely your business. No matter if you are late on payments or default on the loan, debt collectors are not allowed to reach out to a third-party acquaintance in your life to get ahold of you. Thirdparty people are considered to be: non-immediate family members, coworkers and neighbors.

Debt collectors can’t call you 24/7 trying to get ahold of you.

They can’t constantly harass you or threaten you over the phone.

Collectors also cannot impersonate anyone — they have to reveal their identity. So if you get a call from someone who can’t confirm their identity — hang up.

All of this can seem daunting for a freshly-turned 18-year-old who probably has little to no banking experience.

An informational session or a class made available to those who are considering taking out student loans could be a solution. This could be a space where students can ask questions and get them answered without biases involved. This could even be an online forum that the Department of Education creates to allow those pursuing higher education to get more answers than from a simple FAQ page.

It’s a great dream but Betsy Devos would never, she’s too busy chasing her yacht around Lake Huron.

It’s hard to find someone who truly understands the world of student loans and student debt, but you have to be your own advocate in finding what works best for you. Do your research, and don’t get down about the blood sucking leeches that are debt collectors.

Opinions expressed in The Nevada Sagebrush are solely those of the author and do not necessarily express the views of The Sagebrush or of its staff. Jacey Gonzalez studies journalism.

She can be reached at jaceygonzalez@unr.edu and on Twitter @ NevadaSagebrush.

Sports TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2018

SPORTS| A7

@SagebrushSports | nevadasagebrush.com

Volleyball rallies after opening match loss, secure two more wins

By Darion Strugs In a rough weekend for Wolf Pack sports, the volleyball squad seemed to be the only team to return to Reno in good spirits.

In the first match of the Sacramento State tournament, the Wolf Pack were set to play the host school — Sacramento State. Nevada took a 10-9 lead off of a Kayla Afoa kill and would not look back, winning the tightly contested set 25-23. Sacramento State kicked it into another gear to win the next three sets. In the second and third sets, the Hornets took commanding leads and never let the Wolf Pack come close enough to even sniff at winning the set.

A 7-9 deficit was the closest Nevada came to the lead in the fourth and final set, before the Hornets pulled away with an easy 25-17 win.

The loss is the second consecutive year Nevada has lost to Sacramento State. Last year Nevada hosted the Hornets in Virginia Street Gym, losing in four sets 25-22, 21-25, 25-19 and 25-23.

The Wolf Pack recovered from the Friday night loss, File Photo/Nevada Sagebrush by sweeping their Saturday Nevada Volleyball player hits ball through wall of the opposing defense. The Wolf Pack won two of three games during the games against Seattle Uni- Sacramento State tournament that took place from Sept. 8-9. versity and UC Riverside.

The match against Selead and win the match.

Wolf Pack, Jamila Minor did more — joined Afoa on the Mountain West behind Wyoattle, the Wolf Pack swept the Nevada’s second match of not play in the win against the All-Tournament team. Maki ming and Boise State. Nevada Redhawks 25-18, 25-18 and the day against UC Riverside Highlanders. Minor has been had eight aces against UC has two more non-conference 25-19. In the first set, Nevada pushed the Wolf Pack to the a key player for the Wolf Pack Riverside, a school record for matchups — Thursday, Sept. went on a four-point streak to limit. In a full five sets Nevada early in the season. aces in a single match.

13, against Saint Mary’s and extend their lead from 9-8 to pulled out a win. Nevada won For the second consecutive Junior Dalyn Burns con- Saturday, Sept. 15, against 13-8, taking charge from then the first set 25-17 and the two tournament Kayla Afoa was tinued her good run of play Pacific — before starting conon. A slow start in the second teams would go back and named to the All-Tournament as she led the team in assists ference play Sept. 20, against set saw the Wolf Pack trail 4-0 forth in the next three sets team. The sophomore tallied in all three matches over the Colorado State. early. With 15 points and trail- forcing a winner take all fifth a career high 23 kills against weekend — including 50 in ing by two, Nevada scored 10 set. The Wolf Pack opened UC Riverside — her previous the match against UC River- Darion Strugs can be of the last 11 points to win the with a 4-0 lead and would career high being 18 kills she side. reached at mpurdue@ set 25-18. Similar to the first keep that lead through the set the week before against The two Saturday matches sagebrush.unr.edu and on set, Nevada pulled multiple entirety of the set winning 15- Northern Illinois. Ashley pushed the Wolf Pack’s record Twitter @dstrugs. three-point runs to secure a 9. In concerning news for the Maki — another sopho- to 7-2, which is third in the

Back-to-back losses slow Nevada Soccer's early momentum

By Darion Strugs After a surprising start 3-0-1, the Nevada Soccer has lost its last two games falling to 3-2-1 on the season.

The first loss came on Sunday, Sept. 2, against St. Mary’s. From the beginning of the match it felt as if whatever team scored first would win. The first half was relatively quiet as neither team found the back of the net. Goalkeeper Kendal Stovall and her counterpart Maleah Milner tallied two saves in the first half. The games lone goal came in the 56th minute as Jordyn Cunningham put one past Stovall.

The goal ended up being the only difference between the teams as both teams finished with four shots on goal. The Wolf Pack would go on to play a winless Sacramento State squad on Friday night.

Unfortunately the struggles continued for Nevada against Sacramento State.

After neither team could muster up anything for much of the first half, a penalty was given to the Hornets in the 40th minute. Tiffany Miras stepped up for Sacramento State and scored giving the Hornets the lead and momentum in the game.

Just two minutes later the Hornets would net another goal off the foot of Camila Fonseca. The Hornets took a 2-0 lead into the half.

Nevada hoped the halftime break would slow the roll Sacramento State appeared to be on but it was

not the case. Five minutes into the second half, the Hornets scored once again. The 3-0 deficit is the biggest the Wolf Pack had faced all season.

Nevada enjoyed a brief moment of hope as sophomore Hannah Souza scored her first goal of the season in the 54th minute scoring past a diving Kaylyn Evans.

A falling Payton Lieb connected with senior Mackenzie Robinson who scored in a traffic jam in front of the net shrinking the Hornet’s lead to one. Nevada had scored twice while only putting up three shots. With 27 minutes left, it felt as if the pendulum was starting to swing in favor of the Wolf Pack.

That was not the case as Sacramento State shut down the Wolf Pack for the rest of the match. In the end, Nevada would finish with those three shots on goal while the Hornets had a total of 10. Kendal Stovall did finish with five saves — all coming in the second half — which kept the Wolf Pack in reach of a possible tie.

The Wolf Pack finished their five-game road trip with a 2-2-1 record after both of the losses.

Next up for the Wolf Pack, they play their second home game of the season — and first home game at Mackay Stadium this season — as they face Hawai’i Thursday, Sept.

13, at 6:30 p.m.

Darion Strugs can be reached at mpurdue@ sagebrush.unr.edu and on Twitter @dstrugs.

University of Nevada, Reno observes

Constitution Day 2018

O

n September 17, 1787, the 55 delegates to the Constitutional * FREE * Convention held their final meeting — to sign the U.S. Constitution.

Constitution A federal law directs public schools and universities to hold programs to booklets will be

handed out while

offer events each year that allow students, faculty, campus administrators supplies last. and the community to discuss the Constitution, its meaning and the freedoms it ensures.

SEPT. Public Reading

17

of the Constitution

Come one and all! Join students, staff and faculty in a rousing public reading of the United States Constitution. Anyone FREE interested in helping to read the Constitution is welcome.

Monday, Sept. 17, 2018, 10 a.m.- noon On the steps outside of the Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center (MIKC) University of Nevada, Reno campus

7 AM TO 1 PM

REGISTER SAME DAY AT CLARK ADMIN. BLDG $20 REGISTRATION FEE CASH ONLY

American Creed Screening and Discussion

Sharing stories of people from diverging backgrounds and points of views,American Creed highlights different visions of the American promise as well as moments where different sides find common ground. Join us for a screening of this FREE PBS film, followed by a discussion.

Monday, Sept. 17, 2018, 6-8 p.m.

Joe Crowley Student Union Theater For more information about the University’s Constitution Day 2018 events, visit constitutionday.unr.edu, or call Extended Studies at (775) 784-4046.

The University of Nevada, Reno is an Equal Opportunity/ Affirmative Action, ADA institution. A portion of program fees may be used to pay hosting expenses. Produced by Extended Studies Marketing Dept., 08/18.

Sponsored by the University of Nevada, Reno • • • • • • • • • • • •

Office of the President Office of the Provost Grant Sawyer Center for Justice Studies National Judicial College Reynolds School of Journalism Mathewson–IGT Knowledge Center Extended Studies The Center: Every Student.

Every Story.

ASUN Center for Student Engagement Intercultural Council University Police Services Northern Nevada Writing Project

Gameday

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2018

vs. Portland State

at Vanderbilt

W 72-19

L 41-10

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT BASKETBALL TICKETS SELL OUT In anticipation of the upcoming college basketball season, Nevada fans bought all of the season tickets available. The Nevada athletics department ended sales of season tickets to leave open the availability of single game tickets. Nevada also intends to offer mini-plan tickets and on sale date tickets in the near future.

Lawlor Events Center sold out multiple times last season, including the Feb. 7 loss to Nevada’s rival to the south, UNLV. Lawlor also saw record attendance last season for men’s basketball, breaking the record set during the 2016-17 season.

The Nevada men’s basketball team is projected to be a top-10 team this season. The Wolf Pack return most of their team from last season, while transfers who sat out last season and impact freshman — like top recruit Jordan Brown — will join them.

The regular season begins on Tuesday, Nov. 6 in a nonconference matchup against BYU.

NEVADA ADDS OKESON TO STAFF

With just under two months before the start of the college basketball season, the Nevada m e n’s b a s k e t b a l l t e a m continues to make moves.

Nevada hired Todd Okeson as assistant director of basketball operations. He most recently worked the last two seasons as the director of basketball operations at the University of Hawai’i. Okeson is just another member added to Nevada’s basketball staff during the offseason. Most recently Nevada hired Brandon Dunson in July as an assistant coach.

Okeson was a member of the first Nevada squad to reach Sweet 16 in the 2004 NCAA Tournament. In his two years as part of the Pack, Okeson averaged over 10 points a game and shot 39.3 percent from beyond the arc.

Okeson would go on to play professionally for only a couple years before returning to the Wolf Pack as a program assistant in 2006. He then moved on to become the Operations assistant for the Reno Bighorns for the 2008-09 season. Okeson joined the Georgia Bulldogs staff where he would be united with former Nevada head coach Mark Fox for the next three seasons. Okeson would then spend four years at the Southern Utah as an assistant coach.

GAME PREDICTIONS # 4 Ohio State vs. #15 TCU Spread: Ohio State -12.5 In the final week of Urban Meyer’s three-game suspension, the Ohio State Buckeyes face the TCU Horned Frogs.

Both teams enter the game 2-0 .

The Buckeyes offense has had no problems since the departure of J.T. Barrett, as Dwayne Haskins has taken the mantle with grace.

TCU, on the other hand, has Shawn Robinson, who also has looked impressive since becoming the starting quarterback for the Horned Frogs. The Horned Frogs should be a contender along with Oklahoma for the Big 12 title.

This game will mostly likely come down to which defense can make the most stops. Ohio State’s defense is one of the best in the nation, but TCU playing in front of its home crowd should give their defense some confidence as well as rattle Ohio State’s young quarterback.

vs. Oregon State 4:00 p.m.

39/15

THIS WEEK’S GAME vs. Oregon State Saturday, Sept. 15 at 4:00 p.m.

SPORTS | A8

@SagebrushSports | nevadasagebrush.com

at Toldeo

at Air Force

9:00 a.m.

9/22

TBD 9/29

vs. Fresno State TBD 10/6

vs Boise State at Hawai’i 7:30 p.m.

10/13

9:00 p.m.

10/20

vs San Diego State TBD 10/27

vs. Colorado State TBD 11/10

at San Jose State TBD 11/17

at UNLV 6:30 p.m.

11/24

Wolf Pack Drops Road opener

Norvell still looking for first away win as head coach

LOOKING BACK

By Isaiah Burrows The Nevada Wolf Pack’s offensive attack was stuck in neutral in Saturday’s 41-10 loss to the Vanderbilt Commodores.

Following a 72-point outing against Portland State week one, Nevada mustered only 248 total yards and four turnovers. The Wolf Pack dropped their first road game, putting them at 1-1 this season. Nevada has yet to win a road game in the Jay Norvell era.

The Commodores front seven forced quarterback Ty Gangi out of the pocket on multiple occasions, leading to errant throws on the run and easy takeaways in the secondary.

Vanderbilt also kept the run game in check, holding Nevada to 37 rushing yards on 25 carries.

Gangi finished the day 22-for-39 for 216 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.

Receiver McLane Mannix was the primary beneficiary with six receptions for 86 yards.

Kaleb Fossum added 56 yards receiving.

Vanderbilt tallied 468 total yards and 25 first downs in the win. Quarterback Kyle Shurmur torched the Wolf Pack secondary with 262 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn added a season-high 93 yards and two scores on the ground.

Nevada held their own defensively early in the first quarter. Linebacker Hausia Sekona stripped the ball from receiver Chris Pierce and recovered it on their own 16-yard line.

Vanderbilt stormed down the field on their ensuing possession, but the Wolf Pack stood tall once again. Forcing a turnover on downs at their own three-yard line and keeping the game scoreless.

The Wolf Pack got off to a slow start offensively, opening their first four drives with three punts and a fumble. Constant pressure off the edge from Kenny Hebert made it difficult for routes to develop downfield, resulting in several lofted balls down out of bounds.

The Commodores took advantage and built a commanding 14-point advantage midway through the second quarter.

Nevada responded in a big way before the halftime whistle. Gangi’s nine-yard touchdown pass to Brendan O’Leary-Orange cappedoff a 10-play, 75-yard drive with 49 seconds remaining. O’Leary-Orange’s catch was his first catch of the season, and the only catch he would make all game. The score cut their deficit to 1710.

Two more turnovers and a scoreless second half was a recipe for disaster for the Wolf Pack.

Gangi’s first interception came at the hands of Joejuan Williams six minutes into the third quarter.

Vaughn capitalized on a 46yard scamper to the end zone.

The Commodores continued to pile it on, including an 11-yard touchdown reception by receiver Kalija Lipscomb to put them up 34-10. The flood gates opened from there with another score late in the fourth quarter, taking the howl out of the Wolf Pack.

Isaiah Burrows can be reached at mpurdue@ sagebrush.unr.edu and on Twitter @dstrugs.

LOOKING AHEAD

By Darion Strugs Nevada returns to Mackay Stadium Saturday, Sept. 15, to face Oregon State. The Beavers are also 1-1, following a 48-25 win against Southern Utah. Both teams enter Saturday’s face off in similar positions — convincing wins against FCS opponents, losses against Power 5 schools and struggling defenses. The Wolf Pack are an early 6.5 point favorite over the Beavers.

The Nevada offense should correct the ship against Oregon State considering the Beavers defense averages over 600 yards allowed in their first two games. The receiving corps of Mannix, Fossum and O’Leary-Orange are expected to put up big numbers against the secondary. The Wolf Pack should also expect success on the ground. With four talented running backs, offensive coordinator Matt Mumme should be able to keep the Oregon State defense honest.

Defensively Nevada needs to find its groove.

Nevada forced and recovered two fumbles against Vanderbilt, but that was the only positive for the Wolf Pack. The Commodores moved the ball with relative ease. After an entire offseason, this game — along with the following game at Toledo — should give an answer to how good Nevada’s defense actually is.

Darion Strugs can be reached at mpurdue@sagebrush.unr.edu and on Twitter @ dstrugs.

SCORE PREDICTION: #15 TCU - 35 #4 Ohio State - 41 Darion Strugs can be reached at mpurdue@sagebrush.unr.edu and on Twitter @dstrugs.

Andrea Wilkinson/Nevada Sagebrush

McLane Mannix and Elijah Cooks jump and embrace each other after a touchdown on Friday, Aug. 31, against Portland State. Mannix caught three touchdowns in Nevada’s first home game of the season. The Wolf Pack play the Oregon State Beavers on Saturday, Sept. 15 at Mackay Stadium.