Issue 19 02/06/2018

NEVADA SAGEBRUSH SERVING THE UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, RENO SINCE 1893

THE

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2018

FIRST COPY FREE, ADDITIONAL COPIES $1.00 EACH

NEWS in REVIEW

By Karolina Rivas

INTERNATIONAL IOC DECLINES RUSSIAN ATHLETES The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has refused a request for 15 Russian athletes and coaches to attend the Winter Olympics in South Korea that will take place Feb 9.

On Thursday, the two coaches and 13 athletes were among the 28 Russians whose lifetime bans were overturned by the Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) for doping during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia.

Despite the ban being overturned, the IOC said they held suspicions on anti-doping violations. Its invitation review panel examined applications on behalf of the 15 individuals and had lingering suspicions about potential anti-doping violations.

CNN reports the IOC will consider whether to appeal against their decision once it has seen the full details of the CAS ruling.

‘WE HAVEN’T FORGOTTEN’ With start of Black History Month, UNR diversity debate resurfaces

By Madeline Purdue For the two weeks that the University of Nevada, Reno spring semester has been in session, there have been a number of instances in which signs have been hung up or posted around campus that read “UNR protects racists.”

The first sign — a bed sheet with the words painted in black and red — appeared on Wednesday, Jan. 24, on the balcony of the Ansari Business Building facing north toward the Reynolds School of Journalism and the Joe Crowley Student Union.

The sign was removed by the next day.

The second wave of signs appeared on Thursday, Feb. 1 as flyers posted on billboards, left on keyboards in computer labs and other locations on campus. The phrase “UNR protects racists” appeared next to a widely-circulated picture of UNR student Peter Cvjetanovic from the white-supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia last August. The words “#UNRBlackHistoryMonth” lined the bottom of the flyer.

Cvjetanovic’s participation at the rally sparked a movement at UNR, and many students began to question the university’s dedication to diversity.

It also put a spotlight on incidents that happened in years prior and would depict the events to follow in a different light.

Just in the fall 2017 semester, the assistant director of the Latino Research Center resigned and publicly blamed the university’s attitude toward

NATIONAL ORLANDO POLICE STOP LANA DEL REY KIDNAPPING THREAT Police in Orlando arrested a man outside of a Lana Del Rey concert Saturday after a threat was made to kidnap the singer.

The man was identified as 43-year-old Michael Hunt and was arrested a block from the Orlando Amway Center where Del Rey was scheduled to perform, according to officials. He had purchased tickets to the concert and was in possession of a knife at the time of his arrest. Hunt was sought on charges of aggravated stalking and attempted kidnapping after threatening social media posts were made to kidnap the singer.

“At no time was [Hunt] able to make contact with Del Rey,” police added.

LOCAL SQUAW VALLEY SKI RESORT TO RUN ON RENEWABLE ENERGY Squaw Valley Ski Resort is teaming up with Tesla and Liberty Utilities to power Olympic Valley with renewable energy, Channel 2 KTVN reports. This effort is a part of the Olympic Valley Microgrid Project that will combine solar and wind energy with battery storage technologies.

“When the sun’s shining or the wind’s blowing, you want to be able to store that energy,” Greg Sorensen, President of Liberty Utilities Western Region told Channel 2. “Any excess energy that you have, put it into the batteries, and then you utilize that either at night or when the wind isn’t blowing.”

Squaw Valley Ski Resort plans to locate the energy system near Gold Coast where it is projected to store up to eight megawatts of renewable energy. According to Channel 2, Liberty Utilities will provide the electricity and store it in Tesla’s power packs.

“This is really about proving to everybody in the community, in the region, in the state and the country that we can bring about good things if we put our minds to it,” Andy Wirth, president and COO of Squaw Valley/ Alpine Meadows, said in an interview with Channel 2.

Karolina Rivas can be reached at karolinar@sagebrush.unr. edu and on Twitter @karolinarrivas.

VOLUME 124, ISSUE 19

Lamor Andrews/Nevada Sagebrush

A flyer with a picture of UNR student Peter Cvjetanovic hangs on a bulletin board on Thursday, Feb. 1. The flyers have gone around campus and sparked more conversation around the university’s dedication to diversity.

One dead in shooting near campus

By Madeline Purdue diversity, a UNR police officer joked about shooting an African-American student, swastikas were graffitied on campus and another UNR police officer was dressed as a negative caricature of UNR alum Colin Kaepernick during Halloween.

It is unclear who hung the sign and distributed the flyers, but many students are welcoming their presence on campus.

A UNR student with the Twitter handle @ pulcher_african tweeted, “In case you missed this. we haven’t forgotten” and tagged UNR, ASUN and University Police Services in the tweet. It was accompanied by a picture of the original sign.

Kevin McReynolds, the UNR student jokingly threatened by a UNR police officer, released a statement on the matter, calling the person or people who have distributed the signs “brave community member[s]”.

“The question of UNR’s complicity stems from their complacency in response to the outcry of minority students that continues to grow,” McReynolds said.

“UNR students feel unsafe and unheard when their justified complaints go unanswered.”

McReynolds also praised the University of Alabama for dismissing a student after a video of her repeatedly saying the n-word went viral. The University of Alabama is a public

See SIGNS page A2

University police awarded traffic grants from state

By Madeline Purdue

Staff Report A shooting near the University of Nevada, Reno, campus has left one person dead and another person seriously injured on Sunday, Feb. 4.

The shooting occurred at a house on Beech Street on the east side of campus, west of Taylor Memorial Park. Officers responded to reports of shots fired around 6 p.m.

When officers responded to the scene, they found a female victim dead and another person injured. An announcement from the City of Reno said the person appeared to be involved in the incident and was transported to the hospital.

Police identified the female victim as 35-year-old Kendra Lethco. The injured person has not been publicly identified at print time.

It remains to be seen who is responsible and what motive might be behind the shooting.

This is a developing story.

Check back with the Nevada Sagebrush for more updates.

The News Desk can be reached at mpurdue@sagebrush. unr.edu and on Twitter @ NevadaSagebrush.

RENO SINGER IN OLYMPICS

A4

Student activism website goes live

See POLICE page A2 Andrea Wilkinson/Nevada Sagebrush

Do you want to plan a peaceful protest but don’t know how? Or express disagreement with a speaker on campus but don’t know what actions cross the line? All of this information and more is now available on a new website the University of Nevada, Reno’s Center for Student Engagement launched on Friday, Feb. 2.

The Student Expression, Rights and Responsibilities website compiles information about how student activism works, what rights students have to express their opinion and university guidelines and policies that must be followed.

The website is split into three sections — learn, act and get support.

The learning section provides information on the First Amendment, including a section about what first amendment rights are granted to students on land-grant universities such as UNR. “Public universities firmly believe their students should be exposed to an array of ideas and opinions — not only those with which they agree, but also those that challenge their perspectives and worldview,” reads a letter from the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities on the website.

Also under this section is a frequently asked questions menu about the First Amendment and how it applies to students, as well as the rights of students and policies of the university.

The act section provides information that helps students express their opinions without getting into trouble with the university or the law.

There is an entire subsection dedicated to how students can express disagreement with things happening on campus.

This part of the website walks through different scenarios that could potentially happen on campus and how students can respond to them.

One of the ways the website suggests expressing disagreement is to hold a peaceful event or protest, and it even gives step-by-step directions on how to do so, and what restrictions could apply.

The website also has information on how to report acts of discrimination or harassment — including the newly live Hate and Bias hotline.

While the Center for Student Engagement is not the department that handles the reports or investigations, they provide links to those who do.

The get support section of the website provides all the ways different departments can help student activists and their contact information including Police Services, counseling and more.

Hannah Jackson, Speaker of the Associated Students of the University of Nevada Senate, got the idea from the University of California, Irvine.

They have a pamphlet with this type of information as pertains to their campus that could be distributed to students. Jackson looked to do the same but quickly realized a website was a more viable option.

“There are so many amazing groups on campus that are doing this work already, so why don’t we consolidate all these resources so people have a guide so they know how to do it and know how to have their

Students cross the street at North Virginia Street on Artemesia Way on Monday, Feb. 5. UNRPD was granted funds for projects like pedestrian safety.

A TALK WITH ALEXA

A6

FRANTIC FEBRUARY

See WEBSITE page A2

A8

NEVADA SAGEBRUSH

THE

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

Volume 124 • Issue 19 Editor-in-Chief • Jacob Solis jsolis@sagebrush.unr.edu

News Editor • Madeline Purdue mpurdue@sagebrush.unr.edu

Asst. News Editor • Karolina Rivas mpurdue@sagebrush.unr.edu

Sports Editor • Brandon Cruz bcruz@sagebrush.unr.edu

Asst. Sports Editor • Javier Hernandez bcruz@sagebrush.unr.edu

Opinion Editor • Ryan Suppe rsuppe@sagebrush.unr.edu

A&E Editor • Joey Thyne jthyne@sagebrush.unr.edu

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

Photo Editor • Andrea Wilkinson awilkinson@sagebrush.unr.edu

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

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

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

Web Manager • Willis Allstead wallstead@asun.unr.edu

Illustrator • Zak Brady

Signs

Continued from page A1 university like UNR. “The University of Alabama ... chose to stand and protect their students and uphold public institutional values rather than give a reason as to why they could not take action,” McReynolds said.

McReynolds also said in his statement that he is meeting with university officials to talk about changing the culture on campus, but questions as to whether it will turn into action and the officials’ willingness to implement change remain.

McReynolds has met with President Marc Johnson on multiple occasions and said he is willing to accept criticism and talk about change.

McReynolds also said he is starting to question Police Chief Adam Garcia’s commitment to change because “time after time his department is the cause of so much discomfort and embarrassment” to UNR. Once again, McReynolds has called on Chief Diversity Officer Patricia Richard to hand her position to someone else.

“I believe her heart is in the

right place, but she lacks professional credibility as well as cultural and religious understanding of the students that she is serving,” McReynolds said. “I believe it is time for her to step down and make way for a new Chief Diversity Officer to engage in real change.”

In a statement about the most recent signs, Richard said the university is holding onto its core values and understands that “people push back against those values, but we stand firm.”

“We acknowledge that our campus is facing challenges,” Richard said. “Like the country we live in, we all have much to do to realize a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture for all. We are committed to preparing students for global citizenship and recognize the critical importance of diversity.”

The university has taken a step toward addressing diversity issues on campus by introducing a new Hate and Bias hotline where students and faculty can report these types of incidents to university officials. During dialogues hosted by university organizations in the fall, many students requested a way to inform the

SENATE RECAP JAN. 31

By Madeline Purdue

PUBLIC COMMENT CAMPUS CONSTRUCTION COMING TO AN END

Screenshot via Twitter

A Reno resident tweets to the Associated Students of the University of Nevada with this message. Signs saying “UNR protects racists” have been hung around campus since the beginning of the spring semester.

university when these types of things were happening.

However, some students say there’s still more to be done.

McReynolds encourages students to keep speaking out and the university to enact change.

“Minority students on UNR’s campus feel unsafe, unprotected, and we are speaking out,” McReynolds said.

If students don’t know how to get involved or don’t know

jsolis@sagebrush.unr.edu

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

Distribution • Zacary Brown jsolis@sagebrush.unr.edu

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

Media Adviser • Nichole Collins nmcollins@unr.edu

CONTRIBUTING STAFFERS Olivia Ali, Seth Bell, Will Keys, Darion Strugs

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.

It is published by the students of the University of Nevada, Reno, and printed by the Sierra Nevada Media Group.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2018

@NevadaSagebrush | nevadasagebrush.com

A2 | NEWS

Website Continued from page A1

voices heard and be able to express themselves,” Jackson said.

Jackson worked with Amy Koeckes, Associate Director of the Center for Student Engagement, and others in the department to quickly compile the information and put the website up so students who wanted to get involved in activism could do so while knowing what they could and could not do.

“Here at the Center for Student Engagement, we were getting a lot of questions from students like: ‘I don’t agree with this, what can I do?’ So then it was like ‘Hey, you can do all kinds of things!’”

Koeckes said. “People need to know their limitations because there could be consequences — there could be consequences on campus, there could be consequences off-campus if it is

against the law. In that way, it is a resource.”

The information was looked over by a number of people — including journalism professors, students, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and more.

The main reason the information was organized into a website was so it could be continuously updated and added to after it launched.

If there is information you want to see added to or included in the website, please contact the Center for Student Engagement at studentengagement@unr.edu.

“Student activism is one of the most important things on our campus and in our country too,” Jackson said. “I think with everything that has happened, that we need to work together to make a change.”

Madeline Purdue can be reached at mpurdue@sagebrush.unr and on Twitter @madelinepurdue.

ADVERTISING For information about display advertising and rates, please call the Advertising Department at 775-784-7773 or email adnevadasales@gmail.com.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters can be submitted via email at jsolis@sagebrush.unr.edu

CORRECTIONS On Jan. 30, we stated the OUR Center Benefit took place on Jan. 26. It actually took place on Jan. 27.

SOCIAL MEDIA The Nevada Sagebrush @NevadaSagebrush @SagebrushSports Nevada Sagebrush nvsagebrush nevadasagebrush.com

File Photo/Nevada Sagebrush

UNR students stand at a Black Lives Matter rally on Aug. 27. A new university website provides resources to students who want to host rallies, protests and more.

their rights about expressing their disagreement, they can visit the newly-launched Student Expression, Rights and Responsibility website.

More information on the website can be found at www. unr.edu/student-expression, nevadasagebrush.com and in this issue of the Nevada Sagebrush.

Madeline Purdue can be reached at mpurdue@sagebrush.unr and on Twitter @madelinepurdue.

Police

ways in 2016. The Nevada Office of Traffic Safety Continued from page A1 reported that 66 vehicle crashes resulted in 77 The University of deaths that were alcoholNevada, Reno Police Ser- related. Nationally, there vices was awarded two were 10,497 fatalities due grants — totaling $33,000 to drunk driving in 2016, — from the Nevada Of- according to the National fice of Traffic Safety to Highway Traffic Safety address traffic problems Administration. around the university.

Laws about driving The Impaired Drivers, while under the influWalkers and Riders Grant ence of alcohol or other gives UNR Police Ser- substances can vary from vices $21,000 to address state to state, but here alcohol-related traffic are some of the laws in issues. This includes Nevada. people driving under The blood alcohol conthe influence, impaired centration limit in the walking and underage state of Nevada is .08 perdrinking. cent. However, the Illegal This fund makes it Per Se law says that even so officers can be paid if a driver is under the for the overtime work it legal limit, they can still takes to battle alcohol be arrested or cited for and impaired travel. It having a lower amount in also will be used to buy their system. supplies necessary for The Implied Consent the enforcement of sober Law says that if a driver transportation — includ- decides to get behind ing portable breathalyz- the wheel while under ers and more. the influence, they have “Thankfully, we don’t implied consent to take have a high number a sobriety test. If they do of injuries or fatalities not comply, they can be within our jurisdiction,” arrested by law enforcedirector of University Po- ment officials. lice Services Adam GarBlood alcohol concia said. “We believe in centration only applies pro-active enforcement, to alcohol, but the same and cooperative enforce- laws apply to other subment to ensure the safety stances. of our students, faculty “If any detectable and staff as they navigate amount of an illegal the roadways surround- substance is found, you’ll ing university proper- receive at least the same ties. And, we know that penalties as you would alcohol plays a role in a for alcohol, and perhaps lot of unsafe behaviors, even more,” says the including driving and DMV website. walking while impaired.”

In addition to being ilThe second grant legal to drive while under — worth $12,000 — is the influence, it is also ilfor Joining Forces, legal to drive and have an a statewide safety open alcoholic beverage program.

It encour- anywhere in the vehicle. ages multiple agencies to Additional information work together to combat about using alcohol and specific issues and viola- other substances while tions during a certain driving can be found on amount of time. These the Nevada DMV webissues include speeding, site. distracted driving, use of seat belts, child seats and Madeline Purdue can be pedestrian safety. reached at mpurdue@ Drinking and driving sagebrush.unr and on caused more than 75 Twitter @madelinepurdue. deaths on Nevada road-

Dr. Marczynski, Associate Vice President of Student Life Services, stopped by the Senate to update them on the construction happening around campus. He said Great Basin Hall, a new residential dorm building, will be opening at the start of the fall 2018 semester. The dorm is reserved for science, technology, engineering and math students.

The building holds 420 beds, 50 of which will be reserved for upperclassmen, who will serve as informal mentors to the underclassmen.

The building will have a computer lab and innovation lab for students to work on projects. The new arts building is also scheduled to open in the fall.

Marczynski also said future construction projects are coming to the university. The Pennington Engineering Building was approved by the Nevada Legislature during the 2017 session, and the university is currently raising donor money and finishing the design before moving onto construction. A new business building is also planned but is only in the concept-stage. It will be located in the university gateway district next to Interstate-80 on the south end of campus once the houses that currently occupy the area are sold and moved.

APPOINTMENTS KATIE WORRALL NOMINATED TO DEPARTMENT OF LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS Katie Worrall was nominated to be a policy analyst for the Department of Legislative Affairs by the department director, Spencer Schultz. Worrall was previously an intern for the department but left to partake in an internship at the Nevada Democratic Caucus during the 2016 Nevada Legislative session. Worrall was approved by the Senate.

MACKENZIE NELSON NOMINATED TO DEPARTMENT OF LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS

Mackenzie Nelson was nominated to be the project coordinator for the Department of Legislative Affairs by Director Schultz. Schultz said he nominated Nelson because he came to the interview with a timeline of things he wanted to do with the short amount of time left in the 85th Session, including getting students more actively involved in local and state politics.

Nelson was approved by the Senate.

REPORTS CAMPUS WELLNESS TO PUT ON 10 DAYS OF HEALTH Director of Campus Wellness Dahlia Henderson said that her department is planning a 10 Days of Health campaign in the beginning of April. Some of the events included in the campaign are free STD testing, stigma awareness and puppy yoga.

KINEL PRAISED FOR ACTIONS DURING ICE SKATING EVENT

Dr. James Beattie, the advisor of the Senate, praised Director of Event Programming Mia Kinel for her actions during an ASUN ice skating event on Friday, Jan. 26, when a student was injured while skating. Kinel escorted this student back to campus where the student’s parents were waiting to get her medical attention.

Madeline Purdue can be reached at mpurdue@sagebrush.unr and on Twitter @madelinepurdue.

Tips for landing internships

By Emily Fisher The unseasonably warm weather and the stress of an already busy semester has a lot of students looking forward to summer break. For students, however, summer means a lot more than beaches, late nights and ice cream. It’s the perfect time for dedicated students to land an amazing summer internship.

Whether you are a graduating senior looking for a pathway to a great career, or an underclassman in search of some professional experience, a summer internship is a perfect opportunity to make valuable connections and explore personal interests.

Landing the perfect internship can seem like an impossible task, but there are things you can do to ensure you’ll have a successful summer 2018. This is News You Can Use

with a guide to summer internships.

HOW TO FIND THE PERFECT FIT As much as we’d all like the perfect internship to just fall into our laps, most of us aren’t that lucky and the search to find the perfect summer internship can be overwhelming.

Maybe you want to go for a position at a well-known tech company in the Bay Area, or maybe you want to explore more opportunities in your local area; there are thousands of internships across the country for students seeking work experience.

How do you find them? A general search for “internships” online will leave you with more results than any sane person can sort through.

As university students, we are lucky to be surrounded by more smart, well-connected adults than any other place on Earth, so

take advantage of it! Many colleges have advisors specifically for finding internships, and if not, the Career Studio is the perfect place to start your internship hunt. Using an internship specific search engine like Internships.com can be another great way to scope out positions across the country.

The Spring Career and Internship Expo here at the University of Nevada, Reno, is also an easy way to see what opportunities can be found right at home. What could be better than over 50 employers all together in one room? The expo is on Thursday, Feb. 8 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., so dress your best and bring along your resume. Who knows, maybe you’ll get hired right there on the spot.

YOUR RESUME Once you find the perfect internship for

you, or even better, a handful of them, it’s time to apply. Since most applications are online these days, your resume becomes your first impression, and we all know how important those are. Keep your resume concise and engaging, limit it to only one page, and as a general rule keep high school out of it. While it may be tempting to perfect your resume and send it out to every company in sight, it’s recommended to tailor your resume to each different internship, depending on what they’re looking for.

The experts at the Career Studio, who are available to help you with your resume, cover letter and other questions, recommend you keep a master resume on file, with everything you’ve ever accomplished listed, and when you send in a resume to a specific company, pick and choose the most important experiences.

GETTING CREDIT THROUGH THE UNIVERSITY Depending on which college you belong to, a professional internship may be a requirement before you graduate. If not, you can still get university credit for your work over the summer. ACE 400 is an internship course that’s not tied to a particular major.

Even if your internship is paid, which most these days are, you can still get credits toward graduation. That’s a pretty sweet deal.

Finding your summer internship doesn’t have to be that stressful after all. With valuable resources across campus, you are well on your way to finding and landing the internship of your dreams.

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

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2018

@NevadaSagebrush | nevadasagebrush.com

NEWS | A3

Move over meat: veganism on the rise

By Olivia Ali In recent years, veganism has grown at an exponential rate around the country — and Reno is no exception.

Veganism is the practice of following a diet free of all meat and animal products, including but not limited to milk, eggs, honey, or more depending on how strictly they follow this lifestyle.

University of Nevada, Reno, graduate student and teaching assistant Kathrine Wright chose to pursue a diet free from animal products due to her affection for them.

“I have an attachment to animals and I felt guilty harming animals, so I decided I didn’t want to do this anymore so I made the transition about two years ago,” Wright said.

Cheyenne Culp of San Diego first adopted a meat-free diet after learning of health benefits from popular documentaries, as well as being influenced by her friends.

“I had two friends who were vegan that taught me about veganism, and after watching Cowspiracy on Netflix in 2014, I started cutting out meat and dairy,” Culp said.

Culp and Wright are part of a much larger trend of Americans becoming vegans. While there is debate over whether or not veganism is healthy and sustainable, people do not foresee the diet diminishing among Americans.

According to Plant Based News, the number of Americans following a vegan diet has increased to six times as many in the last three years. In 2017, 6 percent of people described themselves as vegan compared to just 1 percent in 2014.

Vegan options at restaurants and grocery stores have increased along with the rise of veganism.

“We noticed that there was a new customer emerging that was vegan, so we wanted to provide options for them,” said Julianna Scala, president of popular vegan restaurant Great Full Gardens.

When Great Full Gardens was first created, they were just selling their soups in Pathways at the University.

Now, they supply 18 different vegan soups and a number of other vegan meals to their three locations, as well as Whole Foods grocery stores in the Reno area.

While veganism is growing, others are turning against the trend.

Shaun Brooks, a powerlifter and personal trainer from Sacramento says a vegan diet would not benefit his

lifestyle.

“I definitely considered it, but I do a lot of powerlifting and my goal is to squat 700 pounds. It is just impossible for me to hit that goal without getting the amount of protein that I get from meat,” Brooks said.

Even Culp, who was once a devout vegan, decided eliminating dairy and eggs from her diet was impractical for her lifestyle in late 2016.

“It takes a lot of discipline for some people and for me, it was getting difficult towards the end,” Culp said.

There is also heated debate over whether a vegan diet is actually healthy. Nutrition expert Caroline Kurtz warns people that diets are not one size fits all, and veganism is no exception.

“In the short period of time, if people have preexisting conditions these diets could either exacerbate those conditions or if they have a condition where these habits are helpful, a vegan diet could be helpful,” Kurtz said.

While Culp was still vegan, she noticed that she was substantially healthier than she had been when she was following a standard diet.

“When I was vegan, I was losing weight in a healthy way and I felt much more energetic,” Culp said.

Wright also said that she has found veganism to be a healthy lifestyle for her, as it assisted her chronic migraines.

“As a chronic migraine sufferer, I went from having 15 migraines a month to only five a month when I went vegan,” Wright said.

According to Kurtz, those following a vegan diet should be sure they are obtaining vital nutrients in other ways, either through supplements or introducing new foods to their diets to replace the ones they are eliminating.

Vegans and vegetarians are much more likely to lack nutrients such as zinc, iron, protein, calcium and vitamin D, says research from Reader’s Digest.

Although there is a great amount of skepticism around veganism and whether or not it is a practical diet to follow, people foresee the diet becoming a new constant in American culture.

Culp, who has transitioned back to a vegetarian diet, is attempting to return to a vegan diet as it becomes an easier way to live as more stores and restaurants become accommodating to this diet.

“When I first went vegan, meat substitutes and foods that were made

Andrea Wilkinson/Nevada Sagebrush

A UNR students orders food from Great Full Gardens in the Joe Crowley Student Union on Monday, Feb. 5. The restaurant is popular for its vegan options.

vegan were expensive. Now, there are options almost everywhere and the price of meat substitutes has dropped,” Culp said. “It’s just proving that veganism is more than a trend.”

Scala said that their restaurant’s success was due to how many people are becoming vegan.

UNR sees decrease in international students

By Karolina Rivas Last year, the State Department tightened regulations for visitors who sought to register for a visa. According to the Office of International Students and Scholars at the University of Nevada, Reno, this issue has added to the list of challenges that international students face when applying to school in the US. “At UNR, we have had some students, more than usual, go through administrative processing for their visa applications which we attribute to the current administration’s tougher restrictions on granting visas,” said Adilia Ross, an International Advisor at OISS. In a study conducted by the Institute of International Education, approximately 45 percent of the 500 campuses surveyed reported to had seen a drop in enrollment of new international students for the 2016-17 school year. The IIE reported that there was a 7 percent decrease of newly arriving international students.

Furthermore, figures for the 2016-17 school year calculated a 3 percent drop, implying the decline occurred before the Trump presidency.

“I know that to get a visa to come to the US isn’t a walk in the park,” said Prince Nesta, an international student from Kenya studying for a masters in media innovation. “There are also some countries that have been put on visa bans and this might have affected some students. [...] Students shouldn’t be afraid to come and better their lives if they get an opportunity.”

Despite this lack of new international students, there was an increase in international enrollment during the 2016-17 school year, according to the IIE. A record 1.08 million international students enrolled in U.S. colleges — an 85 percent increase compared to 10 years ago.

Although these numbers are at an all-time high, they were propelled by 175,000 graduates who remained in the US to complete an internship-type program, also referred to as “optional practical training.”

“The number of applicants to our university has not decreased but the number that actually attend after admission has decreased [...],” said Ross. “Lack of funding such as scholarships and assistantships is the main reason for

students not attending this university.”

The New York Times reported that international students contribute roughly $39 billion to the US economy.

In an interview with the NYT, vice provost for enrollment management at the University of Central Missouri, Mike Godard said that the University of Central Missouri saw a decline in students coming from India partly because of a currency crisis in the country. Godard also believes that due to concerns about a travel ban, this affects Muslim students from studying in the US. “[...] certainly feeling welcome and safe and all those things is important,” Godard said. “It would be naïve to say that wasn’t a contributing factor.”

Regardless of these concerns, the OISS says that they will continue to work closely with students and other departments on campus to help with visa applications or accommodate them if they cannot arrive for their admit term.

Karolina Rivas can be reached at mpurdue@sagebrush.unr and on Twitter @karolinarrivas.

Lamor Andrews/Nevada Sagebrush

The Northern Nevada International Center as it stands Feb. 5 on Center St. The Center has hosted thousands of international visitors for decades.

“Two of our most popular dishes are vegan. If veganism wasn’t so big, neither would our restaurant,” Scala said.

Despite Kurtz’s view on the health factors of veganism, she agrees that this is becoming more than just a trend.

“Veganism isn’t going anywhere,”

Kurtz said. “Had it stopped growing a couple years ago, it could have died out soon but at this point, it’s not a fad diet anymore.”

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

A4 | A&E

@NevadaSagebrush | nevadasagebrush.com

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2018

PACK N THE EVENTS THINGS TO WATCH OUT FOR THIS WEEK

By Joey Thyne

SPRING CAREER AND INTERNSHIP EXPO DATE: Thursday TIME: 10 a.m.

LOCATION: Glick Ballrooms INFO: A bunch of businesses are coming to UNR looking for new prospective employees.

There will also be a ton of on-campus jobs available.

Dress for the job you want. Don’t wear that Free Kodak t shirt. It’s crunch time: do you keep those two months you worked at Yogurtland in the summer of 2014 on your resume or take it off?

KARAOKE NIGHT DATE: Thursday TIME: 9 p.m.

LOCATION: Blind Onion INFO:The only karaoke

night of the semester takes place on Thursday.

Admission is FREE to students and there will be FREE pizza. This event runs until 1:00 a.m. I suppose I will find out. Fun fact: karaoke is Japanese for “wouldn’t it be funny if we sang Who Let the Dogs Out?”

PUNK ROCK FLEA MARKET DATE: Saturday TIME: 12 p.m.

LOCATION: The Generator

INFO: There will be live music, aerial performances, food trucks and beer. Tickets cost $5-$10. This event runs until Sunday at 6 p.m. This event is for REAL PUNK FANS ONLY. Green Day, Blink 182, Smash Mouth, ever heard of them? The Generator is a community art space in Sparks. Did you know Reno is so close to hell you can see Sparks?

MARDI CRAWL DATE: Saturday TIME: 8 p.m.

LOCATION: Downtown INFO: Reno’s Mardi Crawl

is one last party before lent, wherein you will give up chocolate, unless it’s somebody’s birthday and there’s cake. $5 gets you admission into the crawl, a map and a commemorative crawl cup. 15 bars downtown are participating. Fun fact: Mardi Gras is French for blacking out at Brew Brothers.

RENO RUN 4 LOVE DATE: Sunday TIME: 8:30 a.m.

LOCATION: Reno Ballroom INFO: Reno is hosting

a 4-mile Valentine’s Day themed run. You know what is better than an intimate, caring relationship with a significant other? A runner’s high and killer calves. Registration begins at 7 a.m. and awards are at 10 a.m. Champagne and chocolates will be available. This event is partnered with Catholic Charities.

Joey Thyne can be reached jthyne@sagebrush.unr.edu and on Twitter @joey_thyne

‘THROUGH THE STORM, WE REACH THE SHORE’ Olympics to feature song by Reno native

Photos courtesy of AprilMeservy.com

Aprll Meservy is a singer-songwriter. Her cover of U2’s “With or Without You” will be featured at the Olympics in South Korea.

By Joey Thyne One day last year, as Reno native and singer-songwriter April Meservy waited in the studio to record backup vocals for another artist, she struck up a conversation with the engineer. Soon, the small talk turned to Meservy’s long-term relationship which was coming to an end and she broke down in tears.

She admitted that she couldn’t carry on with or without her significant other. The engineer turned to the keyboard and began plunking out the chords to the iconic U2 song, and encouraged Meservy to hit the booth. She sang the cover in one take, eyes drying as she read the lyrics for the first time in years, appreciating them in a whole new way.

Besides some re-edited vocals and polished piano parts, Meservy’s performance was left unvarnished. Now, the raw emotion captured on her version of “With or Without You” will take an international stage, as Pair Figure Skaters Eric Radford and Meagan Duhamel have chosen to skate to it in their Short Program in the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Meservy found out they had been skating to her song all season when she was tagged in a Facebook post back in August.

“Watching them has been really emotional for me,” Merservy said. “Obviously that song was so personally meaningful. Then to

see them bring their art and their expression to how they hear the song and what they see in that story. Just the way they interpret it is beautiful. It’s been really a powerful thing.”

Thanks to an anonymous donation, Meservy was able to travel to see Radford and Duhamel qualify for the Olympic team at the 2018 Canadian National Skating Championships.

“It feels like there’s been this series of really amazing things that have connected,” Meservy said.

“Around Christmas I received this letter and it had my flight tickets and tickets were arranged for me to go watch them skate at their national championship.”

All season, Radford and Duhamel strove to pass 80 points. At the championships, they finally accomplished that and received a record-breaking seventh national title.

“They felt really emotionally connected to it, which they feel has really helped their skating this season,” Meservy said. “I think they have their own story with the song, why it’s meaningful to them, especially because this last year I guess they had a kind of rocky year with skating and it was causing them to question themselves. This brought them hope.”

Meservy added that Radford and Duhamel are “Some of the most down to Earth, gracious people ever.”

Now, yet another anonymous donation has allowed her to see

them perform to her song in South Korea at the Olympics. Meservy wanted to go, but, in her words, she is a singer-songwriter and “doesn’t have a ton of cash to burn.”

“I don’t even know who he or she or they are that’s doing it, but it’s a total dream come true miracle for me,” Meservy said.

On Jan. 25, Meservy released her EP “The Good-Morrow,” a collection of four covers including “Fix You” by Coldplay. The inspiration for her cover of “Murder in the City” comes from listening to the song over and over again on the train rides between Salt Lake City and Reno.

“It boils down to the one line, I think: ‘Always remember that there was nothing worth sharing like the love that let us share our name,’” Meservy said. “That’s their concluding line in this letter they wrote if they got murdered in the city. Which, unfortunately, we’re seeing more and more, or at least we know more about situations like this where one minute they’re there and the next minute they’re gone ... The Avett Brothers said it perfectly so I don’t have to.”

Although she now lives in Utah, Meservy was born and raised in Reno and still comes back several times a year and visits family. She even has a rousing adaptation of “Home Means Nevada.” She played in a band here and remembers the Reno music scene fondly.

“I personally loved it,” Meservy said. “There’s always places you can play. There’s different community

Photos courtesy of AprilMeservy. com

events.

There’s artown. There’s different festivals and community things, either downtown or near the river or wherever. And then different places like Walden’s. One of my first gigs was at the rib cookoff.”

Meservy says she is grateful for the ways Reno has shaped her as a person.

“Growing up on the outskirts of Reno, I felt like there was a lot of room to run around as kids,” Meservy said. “I just remember when it would rain, and you could just smell so strongly the sage and the whole desert beautiful smell. It made me love the sunsets. Nevada has some of the greatest sunsets for sure. The way the sky would light up in the evening or the morning. It gave me a really great appreciation for art and for nature and for the land. I love that you can

Eric Bradford and Meagan Duhamel ice skate. They perform to Meservy’s song in their short performance.

hear the coyotes. It would scare me as a child a little bit. But it kind of helped like we were living on the edge of this big beautiful land, this open space. Something about that has developed within me a love for different types of landscapes and different sounds like the wind.”

Look out for Meservy’s rendition of “With or Without You” at the Olympics during Duhamel and Radford’s Short Program.

Meservy’s music is available on iTunes, Spotify and other streaming services.

Joey Thyne can be reached at joeythyne@gmail.com and on Twitter @joey_thyne.

‘Call Me By Your Name’ mystifies

By Ryan Suppe

“Call Me By Your Name” is a dreamy, stylish and modern movie, yet it’s the most heartfelt I’ve seen this year. It’s set in an older time but touches on issues that still plague some of the most vulnerable in our society. It’s a lot of things but at its core the film is a classic romance and left me feeling peachy.

Its is the newest film by Italian director Luca Guadagnino. It’s based on a novel of the same name from 2007 by American writer Andre Aciman. The screenplay was adapted by James Ivory, known for directing “A Room with a View,” and it stars Timothee Chalamet and Armie Hammer.

The film has been nominated for three Oscars including Best Picture, Best Actor for Chalamet (the youngest Best Actor nominee since 1931 at 22 years old) and Best Adapted Screenplay for James Ivory (the oldest male nominee this year at 89 years old).

The movie is set in 1980s Northern Italy, a sort of fairy

tale dreamland that I’m still not confident could exist in real life because it’s so beautiful. It seems like the perfect place to fall in love and have a summer fling and also swim, dance, ride bikes, read, lie in a hammock and eat fresh fruit (and do other things with fruit).

And that’s exactly what the two protagonists do, although it’s more than just a fling, and the story is not like any fairy tale I’ve ever read.

The film is a well-acted, welldirected and almost unbelievably stylish portrayal of a gay romance between two young men. The music is ethereal, and includes original songs from American indie folk artist Sufjan Stevens.

Elio (Chamalet) is a 17-year-old Italian-American musician, who spends his summers in Italy with his parents in a lavish countryside Italian villa. His parents are the epitome of high-class intellectuals.

His dad, Mr. Perlman, played by Michael Stuhlbarg, is an archaeology professor, who studies Ancient Greece and Rome. The professor requires an assistant every summer, and that’s where Oliver (Ham-

mer) comes in. He’s a 24-year-old American graduate student, studying under Perlman and living with his family for six weeks.

Six weeks might not seem like enough time to fall in love, but the script and the actors take their time. Also, the days never seem to end in Northern Italy. Elio is young, thoughtful and distant. He’s a trilingual musical prodigy, but he spends most of his time reading and writing alone. Chalamet plays him broodingly. Oliver is confident and loved by everyone who meets him, even the ones who think of him as a bit of an arrogant American ass.

Elio and Oliver become friends, and they admit to each other later they tried to send signals of their attraction, but at first they each tread lightly, unsure of how the other might react to advances. It’s unclear whether this relationship is the first time each character has been intimate with another man. We don’t know much of what happens on either side of these six weeks. We only witness a brief and intimate affair that sparks quickly

and extinguishes just as abruptly. don’t think they should stop anyThe book goes into more detail, one from seeing the movie. It’s a but the film viewer is left with just beautiful film about a beautiful these six dreamy weeks. romance.

The movie climaxes, not in a peach, but in a thoughtful and Ryan Suppe can be reached at compassionate monologue from rsuppe@sagebrush.unr.edu and Professor Perlman, which was on Twitter @salsuppe copied almost word-for-word from the novel. Elio’s father and mother (Amira Casar) are silent spectators through the whole affair, but as we find out in the end, are absolutely supportive of their son.

The film’s portrayal of a gay romance hasn’t been without controversy. Richard Brody of The New Yorker says the characters are shells of real people and too much focus is given to plot points. Others say straight actors, like Chalamet and Hammer, shouldn’t be playing gay characters. Guadagnino responded to this one in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

Such arguments are worth ‘CALL ME BY YOUR NAME’ having, and they are important at a pivotal time when homosexuality becomes more visible Release Date: Jan. 19 on the big screen. However, I

Movie Review

Genre: Drama

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2018

Can we all just calm down for a second?

Man of the Woods Justin Timberlake Pop?

By Joey Thyne These days, we consume media preemptively. We’ve already decided how we feel about a piece of art before we’ve interacted with it. In the weeks leading up to “The Force Awakens,” the hype became so insurmountable that there was no way anyone was going to dislike it. Before Justin Timberlake’s new album “Man of the Woods” came out on Friday, everyone had already decided it was a total disaster.

In the pop blogosphere, the trolls deemed it a country album. With song titles like “Flannel,” “Breeze off the Pond,” “Livin’ off the Land” and a Chris Stapleton feature, who could blame them? Although “The Hard Stuff” sounds like a B-side from Florida Georgia Line, “Man of the Woods” is not a country album. I’m not quite sure what it is. I’m having a difficult time wrapping my head around it.

There seems to be a resurgence in concept albums.

Last year, Tyler tried to convince us that he is a flower and Vince tried to convince us he was a fish. Now, the most far-fetched premise of all: Justin Timberlake tries to convince us he’s just a regular, chill dude.

On “Midnight Summer Jam,” Timberlake sings “Act like the south ain’t the shit.”

On “Higher, Higher,” Timberlake claims he is a “southern man.” It’s true: he was born in Tennessee. However, by age 12, he starred in the Mickey Mouse Club, hanging out with the likes of Ryan Gosling, Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears. Then, after, he joined the biggest boy band in the world.

Perhaps upon approaching the age of 40, Timberlake regrets missing out on a conventional life. In that case, “Man of the Woods” would communicate his fantasies

as an average-joe. “I’m just a man doing the best I can” he professes on “Livin off the Land.” Also, his middle age could indicate losing his ear for what’s cool, for better or worse.

In 2002, Timberlake teamed up with super producer Timbaland to turn the music world on its head with their fusion of hip-hop and pop. On “Man of the Woods” they’re back together.

Stylistically, the album is all over the place. Each song battles between genres.

Sometimes it ends in an unfortunate compromise.

Other times, however, it yields interesting results.

“Filthy” has dramatic glamrock guitar against dubstep synths. “Sauce” has boombap drums against a rootsrock riff. The title track has a twangy slide guitar against bouncy 808s. Trap drums pop up everywhere.

The album does contain some objectively bad songs.

“Say Something” has all the worst tendencies of stadium country and EDM. It’s vaguely protesty but not coherent enough to offend anyone. “Flannel” sounds like a Christmas song but somehow more nauseating than a Christmas song.

But we shouldn’t throw out the baby with the bathwater.

The album also contains some pretty good songs. The enchanting soul of “Morning Light” intoxicates. “Filthy” is a certified bop. “Higher Higher,” “Montana” and “Breeze off the Pond” have a fun disco vibe.

Every great album has taken great risks in experimenting with genres (“Sgt. Pepper’s,” “Kid A,” “Yeezus”).

Although Justin falls short of

A&E | A5

@NevadaSagebrush | nevadasagebrush.com

great, it’s admirable he took a chance. I don’t think it’s entirely disposable.

I wish I listened to music in a vacuum but I do not.

I have seen many music reviewing sites tweeting diatribes against this album.

I saw a think piece from Noisey about Justin’s “performative whiteness.” I saw a review from Pitchfork saying “MotW” is offensive enough to “revoke” his “pop superstar status.”

I don’t think it’s as dire as all that. Timberlake dipped his toes into something different, and it didn’t quite work out. He just released a hapless pop record, which he has done for the past two decades. Maybe in 2018, we all take ourselves too seriously to allow such fodder.

We derive sadistic pleasure out of eviscerating artists and dismantling their work.

Everything is either a masterpiece or a catastrophe, no ambiguity. The commentary on a work of art has become more important than the artwork itself.

Critics love to pander to festering hate. They love to make “hot takes” about how “trash” an album is. I must admit, I too have frequently indulged in this.

Some may say I only wrote this review out of camaraderie with people who have the initials J.T., to which I would respond: maybe. Some may say I only wrote this review because I am contrarian, to which I would respond: no I’m not.

Joey Thyne can be reached at joeythyne@gmail. com and on Twitter @ joey_thyne.

Joining the sagebrush is just one click away.

You know you want to.

The best part? We like volunteers and sometimes we’ll even feed you pizza. If you’re fun, love journalism or just want to learn a new media skill, email us at jsolis@sagebrush.unr.edu.

Writers Photographers Multimedia Designers

J I

@NevadaSagebrush

L R

The Nevada Sagebrush

@nvsagebrush

ASUN

f /nevadaASUN

@nevadaASUN

NevadaASUN.com

@nevadaASUN

Mobile App

The Nevada Sagebrush

@NevadaSagebrush | nevadasagebrush.com

A6

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2018

STAFF EDITORIAL

We need to talk about gun violence

T

here are but few certainties in life: death, taxes, and the fact debates over guns will froth with vitriol before going nowhere at

all.

Perhaps most vividly, it happened after the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in 2012, when the outrage of grieving parents was met by the lobbying might of the National Rifle Association. Naturally, the NRA won that fight as their drum-beating, you-can-take-my-gun-from-my-colddead-hands-type rhetoric convinced their base that the government was

surely coming for their guns.

In many ways, it’s not surprising.

The NRA has been a dominant force in Washington for decades, and to see it quash opposition after [insert mass shooting here] is never a shock.

But in the face of this inaction, both on the part of Congress and the NRA, the steady march of gun violence — especially at schools — has yet to stop.

Just last week, the accidental firing of a gun in a 12-year-old Los Angeles girl’s backpack injured two of her middle school classmates.

Two weeks ago, a shooting at a Kentucky high school left two dead and

18 wounded. And that was the 11th school shooting of the year.

Nevada is no exception. It was less than five years ago when a 12-year-old opened fire at Sparks Middle School, killing a teacher and wounding two others before killing himself.

This can’t be nothing. To suggest so is as dangerous as it is ignorant. But at the same time, both sides — the 2nd Amendment purists and gun control proponents alike — need to be able to discuss the problem in a way that doesn’t end in yelling, cursing and more deadly indecision.

So maybe we need to admit the

Alexa, how smart are

conversations we’re having now aren’t working, and commit to talking about it another way. Maybe we need to admit the answer might not be outright gun control, but also see and acknowledge there’s still a problem to be discussed and to be solved.

Perhaps we could let the CDC study gun violence as a public health problem. Then we might finally have actionable data with which to form cohesive, consensus legislation on guns that most people might agree on.

And on an even simpler level, we need to acknowledge that we all keep talking past each other. We need to

Photo by Pierre Lecourt via Flickr

The Amazon Echo, originally released in 2014, is a smart speaker with a built-in, voice-controlled, artificially intelligent personal assistant. She goes by Alexa and can do things like make to-do lists, set alarms, play podcasts and music and look up information on the internet.

M

that you can easily do yourself with your smartphone, but you won’t have to dig through the couch cushions to find your phone. You can just say "Alexa, play LCD Soundsystem," and she'll respond, "Playing Sound System by The Clash." And that's better than trying to find your phone, right?

Me: “Alexa, can you do my laundry?”

Alexa: “Sorry, I don’t know that one.”

Smart speakers haven’t yet developed that killer application, the one that will make everyone have to buy the speaker just because they need to have that one capability (think of an app that you can only get on a specific computer so you have to buy that computer). The smart speakers haven't gotten there yet. Right now, they can be helpful, but aren’t essential for any reason in particular.

It's cool they can turn on your lights but most people don't want or need that yet: that’s not a problem for the developers. Amazon, Google, Apple, Microsoft and Samsung aren’t trying to make people think they need the speakers yet. They’re letting consumers build trust with the machines for what will come later.

Once you trust your artificially intelligent speaker, you’ll probably let it control your basic needs and possibly some of your appliances around the house (you don’t hire a house servant before a thorough background check, right?). When the technology arrives and you aren’t too afraid of the evil computer burning your house down, Alexa will turn the oven on for you and make you coffee. And, in this end-toend closed system world that Steve Jobs created, your Amazon speaker will only connect to a compatible Amazon coffee maker.

Me: “Alexa, what can the Google Home do?”

Alexa: “Here’s something I found on Wikipedia: In October 2017 Google announced two additions to the product lineup, the Google Home Mini and the Google Home Max.” Classic move going to Wikipedia for information about your competitors, Alexa. You probably changed the founder of Google to Blake Bortles while you were there.

What’s the difference between different smart speakers coming out of all these different companies? For me, it seems to be your preference on what name you want to say constantly. Or which voice you think is the prettiest for the time when computers become capable of love. The practical differences aren’t drastic. Google Home is better

The editorial board can be reached at jsolis@sagebrush.unr.edu and on Twitter @NevadaSagebrush.

Perspectives from a you? nuclear strike false alarm

O

e: “Alexa, where does your name come from?”

Alexa: “My name ‘Alexa’ comes from the Library of Alexandria, which stored the knowledge of the ancient world.”

I wouldn’t say my new Amazon Echo is quite as full of knowledge as it claims, but I am having fun asking it questions and listening to its jokes. Alexa: “I would tell a fart joke, but I’m afraid it would bomb.” Smart speakers seem to be Ryan all the rage. Everyone Suppe I know is getting one for Christmas Soup of the and getting me one Day for Christmas! If you also got one for Christmas, or are thinking about getting your significant other one for Valentine’s Day, this might be helpful.

Smart speakers aren’t insanely expensive, but they aren’t cheap either.

You can’t just go out and buy one on a whim, unless you’re Jeff Bezos. A smart speaker isn’t useful to everyone (if you just want a speaker to tell you funny jokes, you need not read on because the Echo is for you), so you should ask yourself some relevant questions before buying your own.

What do these smart speakers actually do? Who wants me to have this talking cylinder in my home and why? Who is listening through that speaker? Is this going to make me a worthless, lazy slob who can't do anything for himself?

Why don’t we ask Alexa ourselves?

Me: “Alexa, are you worth the money I spent on you?”

Alexa: “Sorry, I don’t know that.”

So much for all that ancient knowledge stuff she bragged about.

Me: “Alexa, How rich is Jeff Bezos?”

Alexa: “Jeff Bezos’ net worth is 93 billion one hundred million dollars.”

That’s better, at least she can Google stuff.

Alexa can tell you readily available facts on the internet. She can make to-do lists for you. She can tell you the weather in Rome. She can call you an Uber. And she can set a timer while you’re cooking or while you’re taking a shower and the hot water only lasts for exactly three minutes. She can turn the lights off in your home, but only if you buy compatible smart home devices.

A smart speaker can do a lot of things

understand the nuance, and approach gun violence from a perspective inclusive of both the 2nd Amendment — which has shown itself to be an immutable part of the American identity — and those Americans who see guns as something to be strictly controlled.

Sure, it may be an idealistic take.

But if we cannot commit to starting somewhere, anywhere, the body count will continue to rise.

at conversation, it seems, and the Echo can buy stuff on Amazon and track your packages. But, if these tech companies succeed in connecting everything in your home, the smart speaker you buy now might influence what sort of connecting devices you will inevitably buy later as they’re introduced. If you’ve already bought the Echo and the Amazon Smart Plugs, it might be too late to switch brands when Google comes out with its real-life, voice-controlled Jetsons Easy-Bake oven.

Me: “Alexa, are you always listening to me?”

Alexa: “I only send audio back to Amazon when I hear you say the wake word. For more information, and to view Amazon’s privacy notice, visit the help section of your Amazon app.”

No, smart speakers aren’t recording everything you say. The Echo will only record for a brief time after you summon it with the wake word “Alexa.” It does send what you say after that to Amazon’s servers, which has the police itching to get their hands on murder recordings like a Black Mirror episode.

However, the smart speaker is only recording if you want it to, meaning only for a few seconds after you say “Alexa” or “OK Google” or “Hey Siri.” Recording any more would be an extreme invasion of privacy, and developers say they’re abiding by that rule. Also, you can always see your conversations with Alexa in a sort of feed in the Alexa app, and any recording should show up there.

If you want a Google Home to do all your chores, the technology isn’t quite there yet. If you’re afraid Alexa will record everything in your house, that shouldn’t stop you from buying one because it won’t. Overall, these smart speakers won’t do much for you, but that’s not really the point. They’re meant to groom us for the inevitable future where computers and robots will coexist.

Me: “Alexa, are you getting smarter?”

Alexa: “I’m learning how to be more helpful to as many people as possible.”

Hopefully that means helpful like C3PO from Star Wars and not Roy Batty from Blade Runner.

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.

Ryan Suppe studies journalism and philosophy. He can be reached at rsuppe@sagebrush.unr.edu and on Twitter @salsuppe

n January 13, which was a beautiful, sunny, Saturday morning on the Big Island of Hawaii, I was in my room at the Hilton Hotel in Waikoloa Village looking at emails on my iPhone. At 8:08 a.m., my phone started to vibrate and I received an allcaps “emergency alert” text which read: “BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A Seth DRILL”.

Bell This was a highly unusual and disturbing text message, and it was the worst one I have ever received. Many questions and thoughts ran through my mind. Was the message real, a test, or some bad joke text? No sirens were blaring a warning. There was relative calm outside of my room. And Hawaii is supposed to be paradise, and a missile attack seemed so unreal. But the official-looking words “THIS IS NOT A DRILL” made the alert seem real. I started looking at other news sources on my iPhone, and could not find anything on local or national sites about the inbound missile. My mom turned on the television, and the news channel she found had the alert showing on the screen. Seeing the alert on the screen made it very official and real.

Was the missile (which my parents and I — and later many others — assumed was nuclear) fired by North Korea?

Because of the recent heated dialogue and threats between President Trump and Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea, and the tendency of Kim to test fire and show the world his latest longrange missiles, I presumed the missile was coming from North Korea. The threats between Trump and Kim also made the alert seem more believable.

What was the intended target? Where would the missile hit? How much time was left before the missile would strike a target in Hawaii? The words “inbound” and “immediate” in the alert suggested that there was limited time.

What sort of blast would occur? Would we hear a loud explosion? How much radiation would there be? I was traveling with my parents, so I did not need to contact them in the mainland about my situation and the impending missile strike. Would this be my — and my parents’ — last morning alive? Would the United States retaliate? What was I (and my family) supposed to do?

Because the alert said to seek immediate shelter, my parents and I decided it was best to stay in our room — which was in a large hotel structure — after closing and moving away from the windows and curtains. We could not think of any better option, and we had no idea if there were any “designated” shelters nearby. Yet we had no food or emergency supplies in our room. If the missile stuck nearby, and we survived the initial blow but there was nuclear radiation fallout, how would we survive in the days ahead?

Then, after 38 minutes of deep concern, non-stop discussions with my parents, and sheltering in our room, I received a follow-up text (at 8:46 a.m.), which read: “Emergency Alert: There is no missile threat or danger to the State of Hawaii. Repeat. False Alarm”.

That was certainly a relief and great news. That text was followed by an announcement over Hilton’s public address system that the missile threat was not real.

I could now go outside and explore more of paradise, and forget about the thought of a ballistic missile strike destroying property and ending massive numbers of lives, including those of my parents and myself. My parents and I smiled at each other, and we all agreed that the entire incident was truly shocking, unbelievable and should never have occurred.

My thoughts then turned to how the incredible alarm could have happened by mistake, what effect the false alert had on other people, and what lessons could be learned and what perspective was gained from the experience.

News reports disclosed that an employee at the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency had simply pushed the wrong button during a routine shift change. I found that sorry to be beyond belief, but the State of Hawaii and the FCC said they would be doing an investigation into the matter. It also seemed incredible that one person could send an instant statewide and panic-causing alert of an imminent missile strike, but the process to cancel the warning could take 38 minutes. The FCC has now made preliminary findings in its investigation, and concluded that the officer fully intended to issue the alert because he misinterpreted a confused message. According to the FCC, the midnight shift supervisor had played a standard recording which included the language "exercise, exercise, exercise" and the text from a real Emergency Alert System message (which includes "this is not a drill”), and the employee who clicked the alert was convinced it was real. The State of Hawaii has announced that the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency administrator has resigned, and the false-alertbutton-pusher had been terminated, having at least twice before confused drills for real events. The State also announced that there were insufficient management controls, and that “poor computer software design and human factors” contributed to the false alert and its delayed retraction. The FCC cited both "inadequate safeguards" for false alerts and a "lack of preparation" for the event of a false alarm.

In reading a number of news stories about the mistaken alert, there were many reactions and emotions before the “all clear” notice was made. Some people were in a state of confusion, and many were highly stressed, frantic, or even traumatized. Some openly prayed. Others abandoned their cars and ran for whatever cover they could find. Some parents put their children in storm drains (as a shelter). Some people barricaded themselves in bathrooms and closets, while some crawled under tables at restaurants. Many had panic attacks. More called loved ones and said goodbyes, and others said final farewells. Some people walked off their jobs to get to their families.

There were reports of people driving at very high speeds as they sought safety or to be with their families. The reality is that most people did whatever they thought they needed to do to protect themselves and their loved ones.

With regard to my perspective and lessons learned, I concluded that some things are beyond one’s control. But I think the state of Hawaii and all other states that can be impacted by a missile strike need to have better training and develop improved, more fail-safe, and redundant warning communications systems, including texts, and coordination with radio and television stations, local governments, and the US Defense Department. Those states should also develop training materials and survival tips for their residents and visitors on what to do and where to go in the event of a missile attack. In addition, people should have emergency plans and supplies in the event of a missile strike just as they would for a tsunami, earthquake, or other natural disaster.

Finally, there needs to be fewer threats made between the leaders of the US and North Korea, and more diplomacy, as well as the development and installation of a more effective US missile defense system.

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. He can be reached at rsuppe@sagebrush.unr.edu and on Twitter @salsuppe

Sports

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2018

Pack boxing buries navy at sea

Andrea Wilkinson/Nevada Sagebrush

Rookie Nevada Boxer Dillon Raatz swings for the fences against his Navy counterpart on Feb.2 in the Eldorado Ballrooms. Nevada boxing went 3-1 that night against the Naval Academy.

T

SPORTS | A7

@SagebrushSports | nevadasagebrush.com

By Brandon Cruz On Feb. 2, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow and predicted six more weeks of winter. While there’s no scientific backing for any of Phil’s claims (he is right just 39 percent of the time), Navy sure had a cold night against Nevada boxing on Feb. 2 in the Eldorado Ballrooms, winning just a quarter of the team’s fights that night.

Following some pre-fight introductions, Nevada boxing’s Dustin Congdon electrified the crowd with the team’s first fight of the night. Congdon has yet to be defeated this season, and he’s never fallen to a military branch in his short stint as a boxer. Just as any boxer does, Congdon has a couple of go-to moves.

“Yeah, my money shot,” Congdon said. “The left hand and the hook. That’s my signature move. It worked on the other Navy dude. In regionals I dropped him with it.”

That “other Navy dude” Congdon fought in regionals was actually set to face off against Congdon, but according to Navy boxer Jake Clary, Congdon’s original opponent broke his hand. Teammates of Congdon’s joked that the Navy boxer didn’t want to face Congdon again.

Clary took his teammate’s place against Congdon, fighting up a few weight classes.

Originally a 119-pound fighter, fighting in the 130 pound weight class. The discrepancy between the two in size was hard to miss. Many spectators were surprised by Clary’s resilience because Congdon was landing everything he threw. If you wanted to learn what whiplash in the making looks like all you had to do was watch Clary’s head snap back five to six times a round.

Congdon won by unanimous

decision putting Nevada Boxing at 1-0 for the night.

Next up for Nevada came Dillon Maguin and boy is he a hometown favorite. By the way the crowd reacted to his name being announced you’d think he had some family relation with everyone in attendance.

Maguin got off to a slow start this season with an opening loss at home but has since turned it around. He got his record back to .500 a week prior to the Feb. 2 fight, with a big win in Seattle, Washington. Riding high on that win, Maguin was looking more comfortable than ever in the ring this past Friday.

“I wanted to get the win, so

“It worked on the other Navy dude. In regionals I dropped him with it.”

-Dustin Congdon I came in focused and relaxed with everything I was trying to do, blocking out everyone else,” Maguin said.

That strategy did wonders for him as he landed a heaping of blows on his Navy opponent throughout three rounds of battling. Maguin knew he had slower footwork so he made it a point to keep his head moving and try to catch his opponent punches.

But in the second round, Maguin figured out his opponent’s strategy.

“I knew he was going to be a little bit slower in combinations or just a one puncher and that’s what he did,” Maguin said. “He just wanted

to bait you in and throw that hook.”

Maguin ultimately won the match, putting Nevada Boxing at 2-0 for the night.

Following two fights from a few other teams in attendance, Nevada’s late addition Dillon Raatz competed in the first boxing fight of his career.

While he did lose the fight it wasn’t from lack of effort.

Raatz was completely gassed in the second round and wasn’t protecting himself so his corner threw in the towel for him. Although Raatz didn’t win, he did learn a great deal from the fight.

“I just couldn’t breathe,” Raatz said. “Sparring is completely different. You’re not going full pace like that.

It definitely humbled me.

Thought I was going to go in and do what I usually can do.”

Raatz loss put Nevada at 2-1 for the night, with one fight to go.

Nate Strother came out looking poised for another big win. After starting the season on a slump, losing a close one in the team’s home opener and another close fight in New York a few weeks later, Strother’s hopes of fighting in regionals began looking meek. But just a weekend before the team’s fight last Friday, Strother took two big wins home in Seattle, Washington. With his record sitting at 2-2, he was hoping to get over the .500 mark for the first time this season and he would do just that, defeating his opponent by decision.

Brandon Cruz can be reached at bcruz@sagebrush.unr and on Twitter @SagebrushSports

Frantic February ensues as March Madness approaches

his season, both Nevada and Boise State’s basketball programs have been a tier ahead of the rest of the Mountain West.

For the third time this season, Nevada is currently the 23rd ranked team in the AP Poll with a 20-4 overall record and a 9-1 record in conference.

Boise State is Darion 19-4 overall Strugs and has posted a 9-2 record in conference play this season. Both teams are deserving of NCAA tournament bids, but with the Mountain West Conference being painfully average as a whole, that may be tough to come by.

For Nevada, the goal is to win the regular season conference title and Mountain West tournament. Last season they won both and made it to the NCAA tournament for the first time in a decade. This season the expectations were even higher, as Nevada added both Caleb and Cody Martin along with Kendall Stephens, to go along with an already talented core of Lindsey Drew, Jordan Caroline and Josh Hall.

The resume for this Nevada squad should be enough to get them in, barring any unforeseen meltdown. The Wolf Pack has two very important wins under its belt this season — a home win early in the season against Rhode Island, who have gone 18-2 since and climbed to no. 18 in the AP Poll, and a win against Boise State in late January.

The Pack’s four losses this season are by a combined 13 points. The first loss was in overtime to Texas Tech in Lubbock, TX. The Red Raiders are currently no. 9 in the AP Poll so Nevada fans should continue to root for Texas Tech’s success. The second loss came days later in Los Angeles to then-undefeated no. 20 ranked TCU Horned Frogs team. TCU is another Big 12 school that is solidly into the tournament,

even after the loss of star guard Jaylen Fisher for the rest of the season. The last two losses are more damaging. A neutral site loss in the last seconds to the University of San Francisco and a double-overtime loss to Wyoming in Laramie, have hurt the Pack but nothing they have not been able to recover from.

Nevada has eight regular season games left, including two against arch-rival UNLV. If Nevada wins each of those games, it would clinch the regular season title and winning the conference tournament would be icing on the cake.

Boise State is also a talented team, but with a less impressive body of work. Boise State guard Chandler Hutchison has been in the conversation for Mountain West Player of the Year opposite of Nevada’s Caleb Martin. Hutchison scored 27 against Nevada as Martin scored 28 for the Pack.

The Broncos are in either the Last Four In or the First Four Out in each three of ESPN’s, CBSSports and Yahoo Sports’ Bracketology. The Broncos’ four losses are not as forgiving as Nevada’s. Boise lost the first head-to-head matchup between the schools. Like Nevada, Boise State was defeated

by Wyoming on the road. Boise State lost to a bad Iowa State team in non-conference play and a streaky SMU team. All four of the Broncos’ losses have been on the road, which is something pollsters should keep in mind come Selection Sunday.

Boise State needs one signature win if they want to secure a spot in the tournament. The only issue is that there is only one opportunity for that to happen, a Valentine’s Day rematch against the Wolf Pack in Boise. Even if Boise State loses that game, if they win the rest of their regular season games and perform well in the conference tournament, there should be no argument against a 25+ win team making the NCAA tournament.

Brandon Cruz can be reached at bcruz@sagebrush.unr and on Twitter @SagebrushSports.

Andrea Wilkinson/Nevada Sagebrush

Pack guard Kendall Stephens surveys the court during Nevada’s win on Jan. 31, 2018 against Fresno State at Lawlor Events Center. Nevada has now been in the Top 25 three times this season.

AP TOP 25 1. Villanova 2. Virginia 3. Purdue 4. Michigan State 5. Xavier 6. Cincinnati 7. Texas Tech 8. Auburn 9. Duke 10. Kansas

22-1 22-1 23-2 22-3 21-3 21-2 19-4 21-2 19-4 18-5

11. Saint Mary’s 12. Gonzaga 13. Arizona 14. Ohio State 15. Tennessee 16. Clemson 17. Oklahoma 18. Rhode Island 19. West Virginia 20. Michigan

23-2 21-4 19-5 20-5 17-5

19-4 16-6 19-3 17-6 19-6 21. North Carolina 17-7 22. Wichita State 17-5 23. Nevada 20-4 24. Kentucky 17-6 25. Miami 17-5

Court Report @NevadaSagebrush | nevadasagebrush.com

A8

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2018

HITTING THEIR STRIDE NEVADA DEFEATS COLORADO STATE, HEADS INTO HOME STAND AGAINST REBELS AND AZTECS

LOOKING BACK

By Javier Hernandez Nevada Basketball won its previous outing in Fort Collins against the Colorado State Rams. The Wolf Pack notched its 20th victory against the Rams with a 76-67 victory.

The Rams were unphased by the absence of its head coach Larry Eustachy who was placed on administrative leave as the athletic department is conducting a “climate assessment” of the way that he ran his basketball teams.

After giving Nevada trouble in the first half, shooting 52 percent from the field, the Rams went ice cold in the second half, shooting a measly 26.7 percent.

With a jumper by Anthony Bonner with a little over three minutes remaining in the game to cut the lead to three, Caleb Martin stepped in to give the Wolf Pack a

more comfortable cushion.

He got fouled in the following possession and converted on two free throws. Then, in the subsequent time down the floor, he nailed a three to give Nevada an 8-point lead.

Without one of their leading scorers in J.D. Paige and with Prentiss Nixon just returning from an injury, the Rams weren’t able to produce enough to get over the hump in the second half.

They were able to find production from Deion James, who scored 12 points, and Bob Che and Anthony Bonner who each chipped in 13 points.

On the other end, the Wolf Pack was led by Caleb Martin, Lindsey Drew, and Kendall Stephens who produced 57 of Nevada’s 76 points on the night. Kendall Stephens eclipsed the 1000-point mark for his college career.

LOOKING AheaD The Wolf Pack once again reclaimed its ranking in the AP Top 25 poll, checking in at 23 for this week. Every time this season they have been ranked, they have lost the next game. However, this time around, the Wolf Pack will be able to play as a ranked team in front of what should be two sell-out games.

With an 8 p.m. tipoff tomorrow, Nevada will take on in-state rival UNLV for the first time this season. UNLV is currently sitting at 5-5 in conference play but they are 16-7 on the season. They are a tough bunch that gave 13th ranked Arizona a run for its money earlier in the season.

They are led by top-ranked junior college transfer Shakur Juiston and its gem of the previous recruiting class in

five-star big man Brandon McCoy. The duo combined for 42 points on 19-of-25 shooting against San Diego State in its previous outing.

Nevada has had its struggles against size this season and McCoy is no average big man.

This weekend, the Wolf Pack will also take on perennial Mountain West powerhouse San Diego State. The Aztecs, who are missing their star Trey Kell, are still a tough opponent who could give the Wolf Pack a good fight following an emotional rivalry game against UNLV. Javier Hernandez can be reached at bcruz@sagebrush. unr.edu and on Twitter @ SagebrushSports.

TWEET OF THE WEEK

Andrea Wilkinson/Nevada Sagebrush

Lindsey Drew drives to the paint in the home game against the Fresno State Bulldogs on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2018 at the Lawlor Events Center. Drew scored 16 points in the Wolf Pack’s previous game against Colorado State.