February 28, 2017

NEVADA SAGEBRUSH SERVING THE UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, RENO SINCE 1893

THE

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2017

FIRST COPY FREE, ADDITIONAL COPIES $1.00 EACH

VOLUME 123, ISSUE 22

NEWS in REVIEW

By Madeline Purdue

INTERNATIONAL

LET THE DEBATES BEGIN

SWEDISH SHELTER FIRE INJURES 15 TO 20

A fire at an immigration shelter in Vanersborg, Sweden injured 15 to 20 people on the night of Saturday, Feb. 25. Two of the people were injured after jumping out the windows of the building to avoid the flames.

The cause of the blaze is undetermined, but authorities are investigating.

The building used to be a hospital. The size and capacity of the building attracted immigrants and created a site for businesses to start.

Immigration has been a cause of tension in Sweden in recent years. An employee at another immigration center was murdered in January 2016. Sweden has taken in more immigrants per capita than any other European country, causing anti-immigrant sentiment in the country.

President Donald Trump made comments recently that immigrants were the cause of the increase in violence in the country.

Reports show that Muslims are more likely to be attacked than attack in Sweden. Crimes against Muslims have spiked by 90 percent between 2012 and 2015.

NATIONAL FBI JOINS JEWISH CEMETERY INVESTIGATION The Federal Bureau of Investigations has joined in on the investigation into the vandalization of a Jewish cemetery in Philadelphia that occurred on Saturday, Feb. 25. They are helping to determine if the act is a hate crime.

Philadelphia police say 75 to 100 headstones were knocked over at the Mount Carmel Cemetery, although visitors say it was more. They have not made any arrests or suggested a motive for the vandalism.

A similar incident occurred at a Jewish cemetery in St. Louis less than a week earlier. Dozens of Jewish community centers have received bomb threats across the country.

“I’m a child of a Holocaust survivor, so I grew up with stories of destruction of Jewish cemeteries,” said Philadelphia resident Rebecka Hess to CNN. “I always thought we were done with that.”

The cemetery dates back to the late 19th century.

LOCAL COUPLE RESCUED IN MT. ROSE BLIZZARD

Washoe County Search and Rescue teams rescued a couple in their 60s on Mt. Rose during a blizzard on Sunday, Feb. 26. The couple realized they were lost while snowshoeing and called 911.

The dispatch services were able to track their location by the couple’s cell phone. Special vehicle and dog rescue teams responded to the Incline Creek drainage area where they found the couple two hours after the call. The team walked them to the roadside within an hour.

“What this couple did that was right,” said Washoe County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Harmon to the Reno Gazette-Journal. “After they called Search and Rescue on their cell phone, they pretty much stayed put.

When you’re out there, seconds seem like hours. But every step you take away from your location, it widens the search area.”

Harmon also said people shouldn’t be embarrassed about calling Search and Rescue teams if they are lost. There is no cost to the people rescued.

The couple is in good condition as of Monday morning, according to Harmon.

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

ASUN campaigns ramp up as election nears

By Rachel Spacek Campaign signs dot the campus at the University of Nevada, Reno, as candidates running for various positions within the Associated Students of the University of Nevada show off their creativity in an effort to encourage students to support them in the upcoming general election.

Voting for ASUN senate candidates, vice presidential and presidential candidates opens up on Mar. 15 following three nights of senator debates and a night of presidential and vice presidential debates.

The debates have been restructured

this year, according to Elections Chair Steve McNeese.

“The restructuring of debates was all based on constructive criticism that we had from the current senate session,” McNeese said. “When they went through the process last year, they had some things to say about how the debates went, they felt that it was a little dull.”

Last year, the debate format had two questions for each candidate. They each went through and answered the question, after which they were allowed a rebuttal. McNeese said most of the time the candidates did not have a rebuttal, but felt that they needed to, or else

they would seem as though they didn’t have anything to say. McNeese said the candidates would end up just repeating their answers to the questions. “[This year] instead of having a rebuttal between every question, we just had one longer rebuttal at the very end, where they could just reference back anything that they said in the entire debate. It got rid of the tedious feeling of repetition,” McNeese said.

In addition to the change to the rebuttal section, in this year’s debates, the elections commission also gave the candidates the opportunity to ask each other questions.

“We haven’t had anything like that be-

fore, the thing that made previous elections chairs worry was that if you just opened the floor to the candidates, how can you control it, but this year I wanted to take that risk anyway,” McNeese said.

“There are a few stipulations during that four minute period, candidates can ask each other any questions, but it just has to pertain to their platform, goals if elected, and any previous questions in the debate.”

McNeese said the candidates felt robotic with the previous structure and had little interaction with each other.

See ELECTIONS page A2 File Photo

In this March 2011 file photo, Richard Corn participates in the ASUN Vice Presidential debate. There will be one more night of Senate debates and a night of Presidential and Vice Presidential debates.

Tobacco-free policy does not discourage students, staff from smoking, vaping on university grounds

By Madeline Purdue In August of 2015, the University of Nevada, Reno, became a tobacco-free university, joining 1,200 other higher-education institutes in order to improve the health of students on campus. However, students and staff continue to smoke on campus despite this policy.

This is because the “tobacco-free” label is not actually a tobacco ban. There is no specific person or department to enforce the policy and there isn’t a punishment for those who choose to smoke on campus. The university asks those on campus to respectfully educate and remind smokers about the tobacco-free policy.

“I do not think the policy has decreased the number of smokers on campus,” said junior Cassidy Leslie. “I see about the same amount of smokers on campus as I did

three years ago when I lived on campus.”

Leslie also said she has seen an increase in the amount of vaping on campus since before the policy was implemented. It does not upset her that people choose to smoke on campus.

“It doesn’t bother me unless I smell it or it is blown in my direction. Then I’m upset and disgusted because now, as a nonsmoker, I feel gross.”

According to UNR’s Residential Life website, smoking is prohibited within the living halls and anywhere associated with the dorms. Students who do so face consequences from the university. Outside of those areas, anyone can smoke on campus as long as they are in accordance with Nevada State Law, which requires smokers to be at least 20 feet away from building entrances when smoking. You also cannot smoke inside buildings.

“The University is not taking away the right to use tobacco,” said UNR’s Tobacco Free website. “The University is not requiring that people quit using tobacco.

People may continue with the choice to use tobacco, but we ask them to support the initiative while at the University. We will support and encourage those who do commit to a tobacco-free lifestyle and we will ask for everyone’s respect of the initiative.”

The initiative asks that students, staff and visitors do not smoke on any property owned by the university.

This includes smoking in a vehicle on campus. They also emphasize that smoking includes cigarettes, e-cigarettes and vaping.

See SMOKING page A3

Alumni introduces new parking spot renting app

By Jake Barnes

Andrea Wilkinsen/Nevada Sagebrush

Cars line the parking spots of the Brian J. Whalen Parking Complex on Monday, Feb. 27. The Instally app will launch this week with the goal of making it easier for students, staff and visitors to find parking on and around campus.

UNR THEATRE PREVIEW

A4

NASA PROPAGANDA

A6

Parking at the University of Nevada, Reno, might be much easier due to a new app that helps find a spot for you. The app launches this week.

The app, called Instally, is self-described on the app store as, “the Uber of parking.” By tapping a button and putting in a time, the app uses location services to find the nearest available parking. It also provides direction to said spot.

Creator Ryan Klekas says that like many students at UNR, parking was a source of daily frustration.

“I couldn’t find any parking and ended up parking illegally.

I noticed all the empty driveways and literally thought, “why isn’t there an app that would let me reserve one of those driveways

so I don’t have to worry about this ever again,” Klekas said.

Klekas graduated from UNR in December of 2016 with an MBA and an emphasis in entrepreneurship.

Other features of the app include an option to rent out your private parking spot, a favorites tab and a rating system similar to ride-share apps that let you grade your parking experience.

Klekas spent seven months working on the app. It is available on the Apple app store and Klekas says they have plans to expand to the Android market before the fall 2017 semester.

The Instally page on the app store says the average driver spends 15 minutes searching for parking.

See PARKING page A2

BIG DANCE WITH WOLVES

A7

@NevadaSagebrush | nevadasagebrush.com

A2 | NEWS

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2017

SENATE RECAP

NEVADA SAGEBRUSH

THE

FEB. 22

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

PUBLIC COMMENT

Volume 123 • Issue 22

DIRECTOR OF ASUN ASKS SENATE TO RECOGNIZE ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR

Editor-in-Chief • Jacob Solis jsolis@sagebrush.unr.edu

News Editor • Rachel Spacek rspacek@sagebrush.unr.edu

Asst. News Editor • Madeline Purdue 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 jsolis@sagebrush.unr.edu

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

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

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

Copy Editor • Dominique Kent dkent@sagebrush.unr.edu

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

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

Illustrator • Zak Brady jsolis@sagebrush.unr.edu

Social Media Manager • Alana Ridge aridge@sagebrush.unr.edu

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

Distribution • Michele Cardnuto jsolis@sagebrush.unr.edu

Distribution • Natalie Delbecq jsolis@sagebrush.unr.edu

Media Adviser • Blythe Steelman bsteelman@unr.edu

CONTRIBUTING STAFFERS Jake Barnes, Kevin Bass, Patrick Harden, Will Keys, Gabriel Selbig

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.

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 The Nevada Sagebrush fixes mistakes.

If you find an error, email jsolis@sagebrush.unr.edu

Rachel Spacek/Nevada Sagebrush

From left to right, Daniel Stopka, Grant George, Hayden Cook and Ryan Becker debate for the senate seat for the Divisions of Health Sciences on Thursday, Feb. 23. The debates were recently restructured to allow the candidates the opportunity to ask each other questions.

Elections Continued from page A1

After the reconstruction of the debate format, McNeese said he was happy with the turnout of the first night of debates. He said in the CABNR debate that the candidates did not have questions for each other, but in the College of Education debate, the candidates asked each other questions that might have been missed otherwise.

In the second night of debates, around 30 people sat in the audience in the Joe Crowley Student Union ballrooms to hear the candidates for the senate seats of the Division of Health Services, the College of Liberal Arts, and the College of Engineering.

“I went to the senator debates and it’s super fun looking back because we were there last year and it’s super fun looking back at all the questions and I didn’t even know he changed up the debates, so when they were like, ‘Hannah Jackson

do you want to ask a question?’ to the other candidate, I was super shocked so it was super fun. I had fun going,” said Dennis Green, Senator for the College of Liberal Arts in Wednesday night’s Senate meeting.

ASUN broke the record for people who filed for candidacy last year, but this year the numbers fell short and the College of Journalism does not have any candidates.

This election season started with 39 candidates signed up to run, though that number has dwindled to 33 due to candidates dropping out.

McNeese said there is no definite reason why the number of candidates is so low this election. He said interaction between the current senate and their constituents is important as well as word of mouth.

As far as voter turnout, this election the elections commission’s goal is to have 20 percent participation.

Last year’s voter turnout was 13 percent, which is around the average for the

Parking

past few years, but the year before was the presidential race between Royce Feuer, who brought a lot of attention to the race and former ASUN President Caden Fabbi.

“It depends on how hard the candidates compete against each other,” McNeese said. “People can sense that and they can see it in the campaigns when you have two candidates who equally want it just as bad and are putting in the same amount of work. It gets people excited, it gets people riled up.”

The race between Speaker of the Senate Noah Teixeira and Sen. Alex Crupi may be a race that will turn out voters due to several tweets that resurfaced this month from Teixeira’s past that have students calling for him to drop out of the race.

The tweets were from 2013 and 2014. In them, Teixeira had used several derogatory terms against African Americans and the LGBTQIA community.

“I’ve seen the tweets and I am really glad that students

find and most people don’t have the time to search for one. I’ll definitely use the new app, I think it is a really good idea,” said freshman Faith Delfin.

Freshman Brandon Mansanas doesn’t believe the app is as useful in practice as it would be in the idea room.

“I feel like, if you come early for class, you won’t have trouble finding parking,” Mansanas said. “The responsible thing would be to come earlier since you know parking will be a hassle,” Students pay upwards of $400 for parking passes on campus. This app is aimed to help those who cannot afford a parking pass.

“My future plans for Instally are to expand the service to other university campuses similar to UNR with respect to parking availability on campus and demand for parking,” Klekas said.

Continued from page A1

According to Klekas, the name, “Instally,” is a combination of the words, “Instant,” and, “Ally.” Klekas later clarified ally as the verb, not the noun, was his inspiration for the name.

“As a verb, the word means, ‘combine or unite a resource or commodity with (another) for mutual benefit.’ Since Instally is a marketplace platform that utilizes the shared resources (parking spaces) of others for the mutual good of all users on the platform, these two words describe its purpose with perfection,” Klekas said.

Once Klekas had won the $50,000 first prize at the Sontag Entrepreneurship Competition in 2016, he used a third-party firm out of San Francisco to program the app.

Students at UNR are no strangers to the Jake Barnes can be reached at rspacek@ sagebrush.unr.edu and on Twitter @ parking situation.

“Parking across campus is really hard to NevadaSagebrush.

are interested, that is what the whole elections process is about. It’s about voting for the one person you want to represent you,” McNeese said. “So far the students have really done that.”

While many students have taken to social media to express their distaste for Teixeira’s candidacy, using the hashtag #NeverNoah, many others said in the senate meeting following the resurfacing of the tweets that the comments no longer represent Teixeira and he is still very qualified to run for president.

“I hope that it is an incentive for students to go out and vote,” McNeese said.

“The higher voter turnout is, the better representation we have, especially when students are feeling as strongly as they are with current situations. I am hoping that is the case. Whether or not that is true, we’ll see, but every vote is a voice to be heard.”

Rachel Spacek can be reached at rspacek@sagebrush.unr.edu and on Twitter @NevadaSagebrush

@NevadaSagebrush @SagebrushSports Nevada Sagebrush nvsagebrush nevadasagebrush.com

Nevada’s minimum wage could be getting a boost this year. That’s after two bills were introduced in the state legislature this month that aim to raise, or even double, the wage for the state’s lowest paid workers.

Assembly Bill 175, sponsored

by Assemblyman William McCurdy II, D-Las Vegas, would raise the minimum wage by $1.25 per hour, per year, until it reaches $15 by 2022. Senate

Bill 106, sponsored by the Committee on Commerce, Labor and Energy, would increase the minimum wage by 75 cents each year for 5 years or until the minimum wage reaches $12 or more.

Both bills were introduced in committees last week and sparked spirited conversations between the committee members and the public.

Advocates for SB 106 and raising the minimum wage argued on Monday in the Senate Committee on Commerce and

The second individual to speak up in the public comments section of the Senate meeting was Wayua Barrett, President of the Black Student Union. Barrett’s public comment was a question directed toward Speaker Noah Teixeira about several years-old tweets that had resurfaced earlier this month.

Barrett directed her question to Teixeira, saying she didn’t know him personally and would not call out his character.

“Those tweets and comments were made and it impacted several of my members negatively and I just want to know, I know you don’t have any intentions of stepping down which is totally fine, but how is that going to affect if you get elected, your position and how you relate to students that were hurt or affected by [the tweets]?”

Barrett asked.

Teixeira responded by asking that the two speak privately about the matter because he wanted to stick to the senate’s agenda.

LEGISLATION

The senate heard three pieces of legislation Wednesday night, beginning with a resolution to support Assembly Bill 1 of the 79th Session of the Nevada Legislature.

Assembly Bill 1 is an act requiring the board of regents of the University of Nevada to pay undergraduate fees and expenses of a dependent child of a public employee killed in the performance of his or her duties.

If passed, Assembly Bill 1 would go into effect on July 1. The resolution passed with unanimous support from the senators.

Madeline Purdue/Nevada Sagebrush

A parking meter as it stands on Monday, Feb. 27. The new parking app will make it easier for students to find parking on campus.

SOCIAL MEDIA

By Rachel Spacek

SPEAKER TEIXEIRA RECEIVES MORE QUESTIONS ON TWEETS

SENATE VOTES TO SUPPORT STATE ASSEMBLY BILL 1

Dems consider wage increase

The Nevada Sagebrush

The 84th session of the Senate of the Associated Students of the University of Nevada opened their meeting last Wednesday with public comments from Sandra Rodriguez, Director for ASUN and the Center for Student Engagement.

Rodriguez stood before the body to commend the fact that they would soon hear legislation to create a civic engagement scholarship. She asked that if the senators passed the scholarship, they name it after Amy Koeckes, the Associate Director of the Center for Student Engagement.

Labor that the current Nevada minimum wage of $8.25 per hour is a poverty wage.

“Currently, a single parent of two working an $8.25 per hour minimum wage job does not even meet the federal government’s own measure of the poverty line, which is $20,160 a year,” said state Sen. Yvanna Cancela, D-Las Vegas.

Cancela introduced the bill on Monday, Feb. 20, with Senate Majority Leader Aaron Ford, D-Las Vegas.

“As a state, we have not made any significant changes to our minimum wage rates in nearly a decade,” Cancela said in her introduction. “In 2006 voters approved a minimum wage amendment in the Nevada Constitution that asked that the minimum wage be calculated based on the federal minimum wage and the cost of living. Currently, the minimum wage is $8.25 an hour or $7.25 an hour

See WAGE page A3

SENATORS AMEND CANDIDATE DEBATE FORMAT

The senators heard an amendment to change the timeline of general elections debates. Prior to the amendment, the President and Vice President debates must be held at least two days prior to the end of the general elections.

The amendment would allow the elections chair to hold the debates at least five days prior to the commencement of the general election.

In the discussion of the bill, a few senators were concerned that having debates right before the weekend would not allow students to think about the debate and then vote a few days later.

Despite the lengthy conversation, the bill was sent back to the committee to be discussed at a later time.

Rachel Spacek can be reached at rspacek@sagebrush.unr.edu and on Twitter @NevadaSagebrush.

Nevada Legislature considers ditching existing citizenship requirements for Victim Fund payouts

By Gabriel Selbig

The Nevada Legislature is considering a bill allowing the eligibility for compensation of victims of violent crime, regardless of their citizenship status. If the bill is written into law, undocumented immigrants living in Nevada will qualify for a program that provides financial support to victims of crimes involving physical injury, threat of physical injury or death.

Assembly Bill 122 was heard by the Joint Meeting of the Assembly Committee on Judiciary and Assembly Committee on Corrections, Parole and Probation on Monday, Feb. 13.

Assemblywoman Teresa BenitezThompson, D-Reno, is the primary sponsee of Assembly Bill 122. Her testimony in last week’s joint committee meeting was matched by members of the Nevada Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence and Tu Casa Latina, a northern Nevada-based nonprofit that advocates for immigrant women, men and children who are victims of violence

and abuse.

“This is a human rights issue,” Benitez-Thompson said. “If a person violently attacks another person, that person’s citizenship status shouldn’t matter in terms of being able to get assistance.”

The Victims of Crime program provides support to victims during the fallout of a violent crime. It is not funded with taxpayer dollars, but with forfeited appearance bonds, gross misdemeanor fines, DMV fees and other revenues.

It covers lost wages, hospital bills and even funeral expenses and accepts claims as high as $35,000.

In 2016, it denied the applications of 54 violent crime victims because they were not documented U.S. citizens.

“Nevada is only one of two states that have a prohibition from allowing victims of a crime to apply if they are not a citizen of the United States,” Benitez-Thompson said.

Alabama is the other state with a citizenship qualification for victims.

Lizzie McElheney, a senior at the

University of Nevada, Reno, fears that hateful rhetoric will dominate students’ discussion and understanding of the bill.

“The buzz around this bill will be more harmful than the bill itself because of the extreme polarization of the word immigrant,” McElheney said.

She described what she called an exceedingly common American narrative: the term immigrant is rarely associated with white faces.

“I’m a Jew, and in Judaism I was taught to stand up for the voiceless,” McElheney said. “For me, it’s not hard to imagine being in a sh — situation because of how powerful institutions treat you.”

Victims seeking financial support in Nevada must meet a myriad of requirements other than citizenship.

“In order to qualify for these dollars, they have to file a police report within three days and they have to participate with law enforcement in the persecution of their defender,” BenitezThompson said.

Assembly Bill 122 will delete the was not passionately debated in the citizenship qualification of the Victims joint committee meeting. of Crime program, but not the long, “I would agree it’s a human rights grueling process of a violent crimes issue,” said Keith Pickard, R-Henderson. victim.

“Where someone comes from should When asked if information from the not be a factor when receiving compenprogram’s undocumented applicants sation for these crimes.” is made available to federal agencies, The bill caters to violent crime like U.S. Immigration and Customs victims who have every legal fear Enforcement, Benitez-Thompson said of talking with law enforcement. Its the Victims of Crime program assists supporters said undocumented victims victims with beginning the U visa are more apt to stay with their abusers process so that they start on the path rather than jump through the hoops towards citizenship. of few legal options. According to the Congress passed the U nonimmigrant Victims of Crime office, these victims visa along with the Victims of Trafoften do not reach the office’s doors for ficking and Violence Protection Act fear of their immigration status being in October 2000. Law enforcement, flagged. bolstered by the legislation, can more “This bill provides a supportive easily work with undocumented victims environment where victims are able to of sexual assault, domestic violence and come forward and, ultimately, it puts trafficking. offenders of violent crimes behind “This bill has been misconstrued as bars,” Benitez-Thompson said. something that helps undocumented people stay undocumented and that is Gabriel Selbig can be reached at not true at all,” Benitez-Thompson said. rspacek@sagebrush.unr.edu and on The Las Vegas Sun reported the bill Twitter @NevadaSagebrush.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2017

NEWS | A3

@NevadaSagebrush | nevadasagebrush.com

Smoking

Continued from page A1

UNR junior Jonathan Brown said he tries to be respectful about smoking around others. He tries to smoke in secluded areas or in places where the smoke will not be blown toward other people.

“I do still smoke on campus, even though we’re considered tobacco-free because, in all legality, they can’t stop me or enforce that rule,” Brown said. “If someone did ask me to put it out, I would out of respect.”

So far, Brown said, no one has asked him to stop smoking on campus, despite passing what he calls “prominent figures” while smoking on campus.

The university conducts a survey called the National College Health Assessment, which has reported low tobacco use from students on campus. Over 85 percent of students on campus do not smoke and are tobacco free.

Across the country, smoking has decreased by over 20 percent in the last 12 years, and only 15 percent of people 18 years of age or older smoke, according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC says that over 16 million people live with a smokingrelated illness and just under 500,000 people die every year from cigarette smoking.

“It is imperative our University environment reflect the healthbased principles of a modern land-grant institution that is home to the state’s medical school as well as a nationally recognized research portfolio that includes efforts in medical, behavioral and social research aimed at improving the lives and health of individuals throughout our community, our state and the world,” President Marc Johnson said about the initiative on the website.

The university has a number of programs to help students and staff quit smoking. These services include hotlines, online programs, employee assistance programs and general tips for those trying to kick their habit. They also suggest looking at what programs your health insurance offers or covers.

“Research findings show that tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke constitute a significant health hazard,” said the university’s Tobacco-Free Website. “In addition to its direct impact on the health of a community, tobacco use contributes to college costs in other ways, such as absenteeism, health care and medical insurance.”

“I know the risks of smoking, firsthand and secondhand, and have made my decisions knowingly,” Brown said.

Recreational and medicinal marijuana is still illegal on campus despite being legal in Nevada. The university could lose federal funding because marijuana is still federally illegal.

For more information about UNR’s tobacco-free policy, visit http://www.unr.edu/live-well/tobacco-free-university.

Andrea Wilkinsen/Nevada Sagebrush

A tobacco-free university sign as it stands on Monday, Feb. 27, in front of the Joe Crowley Student Union. The university’s tobacco-free policy has not discouraged smokers from lighting up on campus.

Wage

Continued from page A2

if an employer offers qualified health benefits.”

Cancela also said an increase in the minimum wage would increase Nevada’s economy by stimulating consumer demand.

Diana Diaz has worked as a cashier at a McDonald’s in Las Vegas for almost 3 years and testified in favor of SB 106 last Monday.

“I shouldn’t have to ask for help because I work very hard and the company I work for makes 5 billion dollars in profit yearly,” Diaz said. “I help them make the profit, I am always living on the edge of being homeless again.”

Jackson Brainard, a fiscal and policy analyst with the National Conference of State Legislatures, testified to the senate committee saying that 32 states and Puerto Rico have pledged an increase in minimum wage requirements other than the ones that had previously existed.

Those testifying against the bill, for the most part, were owners of small businesses concerned that the increase in the minimum wage would put them out of business.

Robert Buckle is an owner of three sandwich shops in Las Vegas and said if the SB 106 passed, all three of his shops would go out of business.

Bonnie McDonald is another small business owner in Las Vegas and said because she has negotiated her employee’s wages she has been

able to avoid laying off a single employee.

“I must tell you that I am really scared if this goes into effect, if the minimum wage goes up to $12 or $15 like you’re proposing, I have no shot to keep my doors open,” said Gino Ferraro, an owner of an Italian restaurant in Las Vegas.

Ferraro said his concern is that he would have to pay his servers and other employees that make $70,000 to $80,000 a year a higher minimum wage since there is no tip credit in Nevada.

Taking small businesses’ concerns into consideration, Ford said they are considering an amendment to change the effect date of the minimum wage requirement in order to give businesses sufficient time to plan for the increase.

Joining the sagebrush is just one click away.

Mackay Mining and Mucking Demonstration Tuesday, February 28 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Mackay Statue Mackay N’ Cheese Wednesday, March 1 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

In front of the Knowledge Center Coffee Crawl Thursday, March 2 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

In front of the Joe

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

The Nevada Sagebrush

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

L R @nvsagebrush

The Nevada Sagebrush

“We believe that increasing the minimum wage gradually over five years by 75 cents a year is a fair balance between allowing small businesses and businesses to continue to grow and allowing their employees to begin to earn a living wage,” Ford said.

Ford said it is about finding a balance between paying workers a living wage and allowing small businesses to keep their doors open.

Both Assembly Bill 175 and SB 106 will be read, discussed again and voted on in committee meetings in the coming weeks.

Rachel Spacek can be reached at rspacek@sagebrush.unr.edu and on Twitter @NevadaSagebrush.

The Mackay Muckers will be teaching students and staff the history of mining through their expertise in the single jack, swede saw, muck, track stand, gold pan, survey and jack leg.

Learn about the history and importance of Mackay Week while enjoying FREE Mac N Cheese!

Come by to sample free coffee from a variety of different local Reno coffee shops!

Arts&Entertainment @NevadaSagebrush | nevadasagebrush.com

A4

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2017

PACK N THE EVENTS THINGS TO WATCH OUT FOR THIS WEEK

By Joey Thyne

COFFEE HOUSE SERIES: PACK PERFORMS DATE: Tuesday TIME: 6 p.m.

LOCATION: 15th Street

Food Court INFO: If you are a UNR student, come out to the Coffee House Series: Pack Performs to spectate or perform. Poets, singers, musicians, and comedians are welcome. Coffee will be provided by Bibo and bagels will be provided by Truckee Bagel Co. Contact Morgan Zuziak for any questions at mzuziak@ unr.edu

COFFEE CRAWL DATE: Thursday TIME: 9 a.m.

LOCATION: Gateway Plaza INFO: If you are a tweaking

caffeine addict like me, the Coffee Crawl is perfect for you. Come sample a variety of coffee from different local vendors and celebrate Mackay and all he has contributed to the university.

PASSENGERS DATE: Thursday TIME: 6 p.m.

LOCATION: Third Floor

Theatre at the Joe Crowley Student Union INFO: Who are the two most likeable people in the world? That’s right: Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence. Watch them fall in love. Overcome your feeling of physical inferiority by munching down free popcorn and guzzling down free soda.

Admission for students is free.

SUICIDE SILENCE DATE: Thursday TIME: 7 p.m.

LOCATION: Jub Jub's Thirst

Parlor INFO: California’s

deathcore metal band is coming to Jub Jub’s Thirst Parlor. Let go of your rage and Be prepared to go crazy. Opening for them is Plague Vendor. Tickets are going for $21. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

WOLF PACK DANCE MARATHON DATE: Saturday TIME: 3 p.m.

LOCATION: The Joe INFO: Stressed out

because of midterms?

Come dance your keister off in the Glick ballrooms for NINE HOURS! This event will raise money and awareness for Renown Children’s Hospital.

Admission is $7 or $10 at the door which includes food and T-shirts.

Joey Thyne can be reached at jsolis@sagebrush.unr.edu or on Twitter @joey_thyne

Andrea Wilkinson/Nevada Sagebrush

UNR student actors rehearse for the opening of "Family Portrait." "Family Portrait" will be playing Mar. 3-4 and 8-11.

UNR theatre to break leg, hearts

By Joey Thyne

The University of Nevada, Reno, Theatre Department will be performing “Family Portrait” Mar. 3-4 and 8-11 at 7:30 p.m. and Mar. 5 at 1:30 p.m. “Family Portrait” was translated into English and is being directed

by Jessica Nakamura, Assistant Professor of Theatre in the Department of Theatre and Dance at UNR. “The play takes place in the here and now and follows twelve characters as they try and fail to communicate with each other,” Nakamura said. “The play follows as communication breaks down and chaos ensues.”

Claire Hachenberger plays ‘mother,’ a middle-aged former teacher struggling to overcome her social and physical ineptitudes in order to form compassion with her introverted son.

Hachenberger is a senior at UNR graduating with a B.A. in theatre this spring.

Samuel Crabtree plays ‘son,’ who is unable to handle the pressures of everyday life and becomes a recluse. Crabtree is a freshman double-majoring in theatre acting and English writing and double minoring in music and time-based media (videography).

Charis Nixon plays the ‘woman,’ an eccentric companion to the ‘son’ who wavers the line between reality and imagination.

Nixon is a second-year journalism student, minoring in theatre. Although she has acted for twelve years, “Family Portrait” is her first UNR production.

Amari Callaway plays the ‘shoplifter,’ a troubled youth haunted by ostracization to the point of self-harm who discovers human connection with the ‘shop manager.’ Callaway is graduating from UNR this spring with a bachelor's in Theatre and Studio Art, with an emphasis on costume design.

Justin Tanks plays ‘shop manager,’ who becomes disillusioned with the insincere optimism incorporated into his own business. Tanks is a senior at UNR. The characters do not have proper names but are instead identified by ambiguous labels.

“It's transcendent: the title can be applied to anyone in real life,” Hachenberger said. “It is not about the actual name but more about the relationship to others in society. It's so the audience can take away the character and reflect on people in society that are similar to the characters. “ “They have really developed complex, nuanced characters and have contributed quite a bit to the production,” Nakamura said. “In particular, Assistant Director Jonathan Tsai has been an invaluable resource in contributing ideas and run-

ning rehearsal. The production would not be possible without him.”

Originally from Las Vegas, Tsai came to Reno to study theatre.

The cast and crew had four weeks of rehearsals. Although this is relatively short time to prepare in the student theatre world, they managed to cover a lot of ground.

“It's been a wonderful experience, and the fact that the show is broken up into many little scenes with different characters also made for an interesting rehearsal process,” Callaway said. “Because we would only rehearse the scenes we were in, I frequently didn't have much interaction with actors that I'm not in scenes with, which also lends itself to the theme of human connection or lack thereof.”

The play is being performed in the round, a theatrical technique where the audience surrounds all sides of the stage. This comes with a unique set of benefits as well as complications.

“It's much more difficult to block them out and stay focused on what's happening onstage since the audience is very close and visible,” Nixon said. “In the round, the audience is almost a part of the show. To overcome this challenge, we as actors have to remain completely focused on our scene partner and our character’s objective. It's also

challenging to make sure every the absurdist side of the specaudience member can see trum in certain scenes, so Dr. what's going on at any given Nakamura had to really work moment since each audience with us to find our motivations member sees the stage from and what our characters are a different angle. We as actors trying to say,” Crabtree said. “It's need to stay aware of our posi- been a good experience, though, tioning onstage to make sure and I'm really happy that I got to every audience member gets a be a part of it.” good view.”

“Watching a play that has Tsai provides a technical been translated for the first perspective: “Arena staging is time carries so many subtle complex is many ways, but also perceptions we have about that quite simple once you get the culture,” Tanks said. “It also, in hang of it. The primary goal is to the same vein, shows all of the have at least one actor's face vis- similarities that exist between ible to every audience member two cultures.” so that nobody feels alienated or “Matsui is a leading contemthat they are missing out. This porary playwright, regardless of makes certain areas of the stage, being from Japan or not,” Nakasuch as the corners, particularly mura said. “The original play is useful. The use of diagonals dur- about Japanese contemporary ing interactions also helps to life, but there are so many simiaccomplish this task, which you larities between the problems will see throughout the entirety in the play and problems here of the play.” today. My hope is that people “I think the round configura- do not distance the action of the tion adds so much to this play,” play because it is from Japan, Nakamura said. “It brings the but rather, think about how it audience closer to the action on relates to their lives.” stage and it also suggests that all “Family Portrait” is being permay not be visible all the time.” formed in the Redfield Studio Originally written by Japanese Theatre. Tickets for UNR stuplaywright Shu Matsui, this dents are $5, UNR faculty/staff will be the first time “Family tickets are $10, children’s tickets Portrait” has been performed are $10, senior tickets are $12 in English, with Nakamura as and general admission is $20. the sole translator. As with any translation, there may arise some cultural barriers to over- Joey Thyne can be reached at jsolis@ come. sagebrush.unr.edu and on Twitter “The play definitely falls on @joey_thyne.

Resident Evil 7 marks return to horror roots

By Bailey MeCey Prior to Resident Evil Seven, the Resident Evil franchise had been in a rut for awhile. The franchise had shifted from horror to a more bland action game with light horror elements. With Resident Evil Seven, however, developer Capcom has shifted back to its horror roots and made a game deserving of the survival horror franchise.

Resident Evil Seven starts with protagonist Ethan Winter searching for his wife Mia, who has been missing for three years. After receiving a strange email, he arrives at a decrepit Louisiana farmhouse where he is taken hostage by the backwoods Baker family, a family with abnormal strength and regenerative abilities.

The story feels like a focused horror narrative, instead of the standard 'corporations-are-causingweird-monsters-around-the-world' storyline we have come to expect from Resident Evil. I was genuinely curious to figure out what happened to this family and wanted to make it out alive in a way that left me forgetting I was playing a Resident Evil game.

Another change for the franchise is the perspective you play it in, as it is a first-person game. This doesn’t change the gameplay, though. It retains the slow and methodical pace inherent to the Resident Evil games of the past.

Despite the unchanging pace, the game is much easier to play thanks to that first-person perspective.

Anyone who has played a firstperson game will easily be able to play from the get-go, which is new for a series that, for the most part, has very clunky controls.

Not only does it pay homage to previous Resident Evil games, it also nods its head at several horror movies. You will see bits of "Texas Chainsaw Massacre," "VHS" and even "Day of the Dead" throughout your playthrough that give a great context for the type of atmospheric horror the game lays out for you.

The game is, above all, a technical masterpiece. It runs a solid 60 frames per second, even on the standard Playstation 4. The quality is also impressive, with the game being on such a small scale it can render objects and the environment to a very fine detail.

However, the back third of the

game is where it tends to drag. Instead of continuing what made the first two-thirds of the game so great, it has you running and gunning against nameless blob creatures. It loses a lot of its scare factor here.

There is nothing really to be afraid about because you can kill these creatures. In contrast to the Baker family, you can temporarily immobilize them but they will eventually come back to accost you.

The perfect blend of hanging on for dear life with the items you have and focusing on stealth instead of taking enemies head-on is lost to the fact that you are so overpowered at that point there is no longer any tension. I will give the game credit, though, as it does not dwell on this too long and the ending leaves you asking what is really going on in this world.

Resident Evil 7 does a lot right when it comes to redefining what a horror game is in 2017. While it does take a stumble near the end, the first two-thirds are well done and leave me excited to see the future for Resident Evil.

Bailey MeCey can be reached at bemecey@ sagebrush.unr.edu and on Twitter @bmecey

Video Game Review ‘RESIDENT EVIL 7’ Release Date: Jan. 24 Genre: Survival Horror

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2017

@NevadaSagebrush | nevadasagebrush.com

For your disregard: The year’s best films that were nominated for zero oscars

T

he 89th Academy Awards will be remembered as the year that two movies won Best Picture. When it was time to announce the winner, Hollywood legends Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty received a card that simply read “Emma Stone—La La Land.” This was, of course, some time after Stone had already been awarded the honor of Best Actress. Dunaway and Beatty, obviously confused, declared La La Land the recipient of the Best Picture award. Makes sense, it was the only title on that card. It was only after the cast and crew of La La Land had gathered onto Will the stage and speeches had Keys commenced that showrunners had to halt the celebration and usher them away. “Hold up, we meant to give it to Moonlight.” Not so fast, Academy, I see through your little ploy. I vow to study the footage like the Zapruder film until the truth is uncovered, so help me God. Because if Hollywood is going to decide on which movie Hollywood thought was best, it better not have been Hollywood’s movie about Hollywood nostalgia. No, no, that would be so unlike Hollywood…

Winning an Oscar is as much of an achievement in lobbying, pandering and timing as it is in writing, filming and editing. After the year’s best movies are narrowed down into a field of no more than ten, the Academy tends to get it mostly right within that limited range of films they’ve deemed worthy.

There are still some infamous and egregious snubs Hollywood will likely never live down, such as “Shakespeare in Love” weaseling past “Saving Private Ryan” for Best Picture at the 1999 Academy Awards. It would be far too generous to say that history has not been kind to that decision. A more accurate way of describing the “Shakespeare in Love” victory would be calling it a complete miscarriage of justice to be thoroughly mocked and ridiculed by generations and generations of moviegoers. Watch the YouTube clip of Harrison Ford announcing the winner, and pause the video at precisely 1:08 to see the exact moment when Ford loses all faith and is engulfed in pure, unadulterated nihilism after rendering such a senseless verdict. But I digress…

Most of the injustice the Academy serves is in the narrowing-down process itself rather than choosing between the nominees. Of course, there are more worthy movies than there are nominations across the various categories to be handed out, but movies like “La La Land,” “Moonlight” and “Manchester by the Sea” were awash in expansive Academy recognition while plenty of deserving flicks were given the cold shoulder. Namely, the broad, bulbous shoulders of Hollywood producers who spend award season lobbying until they’re very quickly out of breath. It’s basic economics: the more nominations and wins their movie gets, the more press it gets, which makes it easier to rerelease in theaters, slap the golden Oscar sticker on the Blu-Ray case a couple months down the road and collect the money as it rolls right in.

Harvey Weinstein’s third divorce isn’t going to pay for itself, folks.

With that in my mind, allow me to shine some light on a few movies the Academy didn’t handpick—not because they weren’t good enough—but because they may not have been marketable enough for one reason or another. Sad!

“THE FOUNDER”—DIR. BY JOHN LEE HANCOCK This biopic of fast-food opportunist Ray Kroc (Michael Keaton) and his introduction of California burger joint McDonald’s onto the national stage is an engrossing tale that calls back to the (albeit toned down) cutthroat nature of “There Will Be Blood” and the docudramatic style of “The Big Short.” However, the marketing of this welldone movie remains a mystery. “The Founder” received a curious lack of advertising and marketing around its suspiciously quiet opening, despite it being dropped in the dead of winter, when most Oscar contenders are traditionally released.

Maybe In-n-Out offered the producers the ol’ plata o plomo ultimatum like Pablo Escobar? It’s hard to sleep when you’re this woke.

“GREEN ROOM”—DIR. BY JEREMY SAULNIER After beholding this horror/thriller about a nomadic punk rock band that gets trapped in a Neo-Nazi hang out after witnessing a brutal crime, I declared it the best movie of the year all the way back in May of last year. After seven months of subsequent moviegoing and re-watching it on Amazon Prime, I stand by my scorching hot take.

“Green Room” grips you like few other movies and exposes the audience to some of the most horrifying and realistic violence the big screen has ever offered. “Green Room” deserves a nod for, that’s right, Best Picture. But since that would never happen in 10 million years, how about Patrick Stewart for Best Supporting Actor?

“INDIGNATION”—DIR. BY JAMES SCHAMUS Rookie director James Schamus faithfully translates author Philip Roth’s 2008 novel “Indignation” to the big screen, getting a typecast-breaking performance from Logan Lerman as Marcus Messner, a self-assured Jewish college student trying to find his way at a small, Christian school in Ohio juxtaposed against the anxious backdrop of the Korean War. Let’s give James Schamus a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination for accomplishing the extremely difficult task of capturing Roth’s subtle themes and repackaging them for the screen.

“ANTHROPOID”—DIR. BY SEAN ELLIS A solid WWII thriller that came and went without much stir, “Anthropoid”’s greatest achievement was proving that Jamie Dornan (AKA Christian Grey) is actually a pretty good actor. Dornan and Cillian Murphy play exiled soldiers who attempt to assassinate a high-ranking officer in Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia. Certain parts of this movie are so tense that you’ll be dining on your cuticles, and that’s worth a Best Film Editing Oscar.

“SING STREET”—DIR. BY JOHN CARNEY An Irish high-schooler with no musical experience starts a band to impress a girl, as one usually does at that age. “Sing Street”’s best moment is a fantasy sequence where the eponymous band plays an absolutely electric song called “Drive It Like You Stole It” in front of their school at a 50’s-style sock hop. I demand the members of the so-called Academy surrender one of “La La Land”’s two Best Original Song nominations to “Sing Street,” then immediately burrow 50 leagues underground to live among their fellow lizard people… where they belong.

“EVERYBODY WANTS SOME!!”—DIR. BY RICHARD LINKLATER It remains unclear as to why Linklater’s best work, such as “Dazed and Confused,” “Before Sunrise” and “Tape,” are ignored like the plague while his lamest movie, “Boyhood,” was gobbled up by Hollywood and praised with awards all because he probably just procrastinated on finishing the script and decided to film one or two scenes every couple of years for a decade. “Everybody Wants Some!!” falls into the ‘best work’ category, and its story about a college freshman’s first weekend away at school is so immersive in its early-80’s atmosphere that the opening riff of “Your Love”

by The Outfield may permeate your subconscious for months post-viewing until you finally order a waterbed. Linklater can write circles around everyone else when it comes to dialogue, so let’s give him a Best Original Screenplay nod for one.

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

A&E | A5

Opinion

@NevadaSagebrush | nevadasagebrush.com

A6

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2017

STAFF EDITORIAL

Nevada should raise minimum wage

I

n the coming weeks and months, there’s a real chance that Nevada’s minimum wage will rise for the first time in years. There are two separate proposals floating around Carson City that would change the wage to either $15 an hour or $12 an hour, depending on the proposal. At either level, a change would nearly double the current minimum wage of $8.25 per hour, which is itself just a dollar more than the federally mandated minimum.

We think this change, in either form, is overdue. For too long, Nevada’s

lowest wage workers have been paid what essentially amounts to a poverty wage. More than that, these changes would positively affect the lives of 300,000 Nevadans at the minimum and move the state that much closer to ensuring its citizens are paid a living wage.

Specifically, we feel the senate proposal, which would raise the minimum wage to $12, is best. Over the next five years, it would raise the minimum wage by 75 cents every year until it hits $12 (or $11 if the employer provides health insurance). It’s not the most glamorous proposal in the

world, especially compared to $15, but it’s the safest economic bet the state can make while still improving conditions for low-wage workers.

At $12 an hour, Nevada’s minimum wage would remain comparable to other states in our region. California, Oregon, Washington and Arizona each have voted to raise the minimum wage in response to inflation.

Increasing the minimum wage would encourage workers to remain in Nevada, seeing as our cost of living is still low compared to states like California and Washington.

More than that, moving the wage

to $12 would keep the difference be- economies. tween Nevada’s and California’s wage Ultimately, this is an opportunity the same, mitigating any possible job that only happens in Nevada once evloss that might be caused from Cali- ery two years, due to the biennial nafornia’s fairly large increase to $15. ture of the state legislature. For over a However, whichever proposal wins decade, the minimum wage has been out, there need to be certain conces- stagnant and the state’s lowest wage sions, especially for small businesses. workers have been paying the price.

These businesses often operate at Nevadans shouldn’t have to spend razor-thin profit margins that can’t another two years languishing at the sustain even a small increase in the bottom. It’s simply not worth it. wage. Without some kind of protection, a minimum wage increase has the possibility to be devastating to The editorial board can be reached at these mom-n-pop businesses that jsolis@sagebrush.unr.edu and on Twitter often form the backbone of local @TheNevadaSagebrush.

Bartender! Respect on the rocks

I

t is a situation that has become more and more common in my life. Just take any place where there might be alcohol or the potential for drinking, throw me in with a couple of friends, add some questions and follow up with a lot of ridicule.

I’m sure this setting sounds familiar to a lot of people but mostly to those that don’t drink. You’re hanging out, it’s a good time, and then someone asks the group to go back to their place and have some drinks. Suddenly you Emily find yourself worrying about Fisher how you are going to say no this time and explain why not.

I’ve become an expert in saying no to invitations where I am sure alcohol will be found because I end up being the designated babysitter. However, living near and spending most of my time on a college campus means the talk of alcohol and everyone’s latest drinking frolic can be found almost more often than the substance itself.

A lot of the time, all that follows the sentence “I don’t drink,” is playful banter and a few jeers, maybe a few sidelong glances, but those are enough to make me never want to leave my apartment on a Friday night again.

Occasionally,­­ you will come across a good-

natured soul who takes time to ask, “why?” but that opens a whole other can of words.

I don’t drink because alcohol and its effects have torn half of my family apart. So, besides the occasional celebratory sip of champagne or taste of my parents’ beer or wine out of curiosity (yuck btw), I probably will never be a consumer.

This is usually all I need to say to get the pressure off my back, but there are people who have it way worse than I do. They get forced to drink or ex-communicated from their group of friends for missing too many parties. I’d take a few jokes and maybe some looks of pity over those options any day. But why should I have to?

The fact that I’m not 21 doesn’t seem to stop the harassment either. That’s because people like me, people who don’t know what it’s like to be drunk, who don’t know which alcohol pairs with what mixer, and who haven’t figured out the exact number of shots we can take and still remember the party, have become the minority. Especially on college campuses, those that don’t choose to drink, whether they are underage or not, seem to be harder and harder to find.

Many people choose to ignore this problem.

If they don’t see it or hear about it daily then it must not be happening. Even I choose to live in this oblivion sometimes because it’s easier.

But alcohol remains the most commonly used

and abused drug among youth in the United families, coworkers, children and countless States. others.

In 2016, it was reported by the Centers for The list of reasons a person may have not to Disease Control and Prevention that people drink is a long one. Maybe they have grown up between the ages of 12 and 20 drank 11 percent in a house full of alcoholics, maybe they had of all alcohol consumed in the United States. a bad experience in the past. It could be as Some may argue that responsible, underage simple as they don’t like the taste, or they hate drinkers are not the problem. It’s the people the way it makes them feel. Maybe they would that don’t know how to stop after a few good- rather spend the money or save the calories natured drinks. I agreed with this argument for something they actually enjoy. Whatever until I started doing more research and found the reason, people should feel comfortable that young people consume more than 90 enough to give their reason and have it end percent of their alcohol by binge drinking. So there. while the majority of youth may be drinking I’m not trying to say that everyone under less often than adults, when they do drink, the legal drinking age should be put in jail they consume much more. after one sip, and I’m definitely not saying we Most of us, if we have ever had a job or need to reinstate a nationwide prohibition. I attended orientation, have been lectured don’t want to turn this into yet another piece endlessly on how drinking alcohol, especially that says everything we are doing right now to irresponsibly, can ruin our lives. The National help the problem is wrong, and we need major Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence reform. lists alcohol as the leading cause of crime I just ask that when you come across someamong youth, changes in brain development, one at a party who doesn’t want a drink, or a abuse of other drugs…the list goes on and on. friend who chooses to not hang out with you This problem is so much bigger, though, if there’s alcohol around, try to think about all and can be devastating later in life. The CDC the reasons they may be choosing not to drink, reports that young people who start drinking and please have a little respect. before age 15 are six times more likely to develop alcohol dependence or abuse later in life than those who begin drinking at or after age Emily Fisher studies journalism. She can be reached 21. I can tell you from personal experience that at efisher@sagebrush. unr.edu and on Twitter @ this affects more than one person. It affects NevadaSagebrush

Space propaganda from Houston to Hollywood

L

Screenshots via nasa.gov

Posters released by NASA last year advertising for future jobs on the Planet Mars. Jobs include farmers, surveyors, teachers, technichians and more.

ast week’s discovery of seven earth-like the same hat can be purchased at Target. NASA is planets outside of our solar system everywhere. has astronauts and non-astronauts In its prime, NASA propaganda was about beatalike freaking out over the possibility ing the Soviets in the space race. Now, it seems of life elsewhere in the universe. The dedicated to sending astronauts deep into space. news was yet another media success for NASA Private investors like Elon Musk are planning to who, in recent years, has revitalized and modern- send tourists into space, hoping to get people ized its marketing and space more excited about deep space exploration again. propaganda machine with Despite statements of support for space excampaigns like the Mars Cu- ploration from both President George W. Bush riosity Rover Twitter account and President Barack Obama, NASA’s Mars and astronaut Scott Kelly’s budget has been reduced significantly in the #YearInSpace.

21st century in favor of increased climate and But, it’s not as if NASA needs outreach programs. NASA now relies heavily on any help in the public opinion private support from companies like SpaceX and department.

United Launch Alliance in their attempts to send According to NASA, it is humans to Mars and beyond.

Ryan more popular and more proLast year, NASA released eight retro-propaganSuppe ductive than ever before. In da style posters encouraging college graduates 2016, they had a record 18,300 to apply for future jobs on Mars. A manned/ applications to join this year’s astronaut class. womaned mission to Mars is estimated to be just Also, there is currently more human spacecraft a couple decades away. However, travel to the in production in the United States than any other seven aforementioned earth-like planets is not time in history. likely any time soon barring radical technological According to Hollywood, further space ex- advances from Musk and/or Matthew McCoploration and discovery of alien life is in NASA’s naughey. near future. Movies like Arrival, Gravity, Hidden If we do find a way to travel to the new planets, Figures, Interstellar, the Martian and others I recommend we send earth’s most noble reprefeature American astronauts and American space sentative, Donald J. Trump. programs. The main character of Disney’s Tomorrowland spent her free time saving NASA rocket Ryan Suppe studies philosophy. He can be reached launch pads from condemnation while rocking a at rsuppe@sagebrush.unr.edu and on Twitter @ NASA hat for the entirety of the movie. I believe NevadaSagebrush

Snap Inc. goes public: do not buy

S

nap Inc., the developer of the millennial obsession Snapchat, is gearing up to be the biggest Initial Public Offering of the social media generation since Twitter went public in 2013. There are talks of a $22 billion valuation, but will investors flock to a company that established its brand through nudie pics, rainbow vomit and animal masks?

Snapchat is the perfect fit for those who donated to Marco Rubio’s presidential campaign, Adam Sandler cinephiles and currency pyromaniacs. Basically, Snapchat is the company for people who just hate money. According to its S-1 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Snapchat is losing money and losing it fast. In fairness, its year-to-year revenue has skyrocketed by 590 Patrick percent; from $58.7 million in 2015 to $404.5 milHardin lion in 2016. However, its expenses at seven and a half times as much as revenue in 2015, jumps an additional 110 percent. This led to the company losing over half a billion ($520 million) in 2016. There is some hope, as its expenses grew at a much slower rate than its revenues.

People who desire being punched in the throat should flock to

Snapchat. Snap Inc. is only selling non-voting class A shares, which would only entitle you to dividends from future profits, no vote and no voice. For a company that is still operating at a loss, the lack of power, however minimal, should raise concern. The direction of the company still remains solely in the hands of the co-founders, CEO Edward Speigel and COO Robert Murphy, and this means a higher level of risk due to lack of shareholder involvement. As retail asteroid Sears Holding Corp. has proven, a consolidation of power can prove to be a costly mistake.

Lastly, Snapchat has become the Britney Spears of the social media world. It never seems to change. Unlike Britney, this isn’t good.

Snapchat, since the addition of stories, seems to only make cosmetic changes for the app and doesn’t expand its capabilities and properties like other social media companies would. For example, Facebook bought Instagram in 2012, and Instagram has since introduced messaging, videos, stories, etc. My prediction is Instagram will push Snapchat into the dustbin if Instagram continues to add Snapchat’s capabilities and Snapchat doesn’t expand in the social media world.

The key words in the previous statement are “in the social media world.” Snap has bought a company that produces smart glasses and has developed its own brand of smart glasses called Spectacles with wearable cameras capable of recording 10-second videos. In

its S1 filing, it claims to be a camera company. This shows a lack of direction: is it a social media company, determined to connect people to each other? Or is it a hardware company determined to provide people the tools to create? If it’s the latter, it needs to expand its product line, much like Kanye needs to do if he wants to be President in 2020. (I am waiting for your policy position on currency modernization, Mr. West.) Snap Inc. needs to make a decision. It cannot survive as the Justin Bieber of the social media world.

(Seriously, is he a corporate pop artist? Serious intellectual? Rodeo Clown? DECIDE ALREADY!!!)

All jokes aside, Snap’s leaders are saying the company is worthy of approximately $22 billion in investor funds. They say this when they don’t have yearly revenues of even half a billion. They say this when they lose more than that in a single year when revenue skyrockets.

They say this when they have no plans for ceding any control over the company. They say this when they can’t decide what kind of company they are. They say all of this with a straight face, so I say this with a straight face: Do not buy.

Patrick Hardin is a Noted Idiot. He can be reached at pchardin@gmail. com and on Twitter @NevadaSagebrush

Sports TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2017

@SagebrushSports | nevadasagebrush.com

SPORTS | A7

Wolf Pack’s shining moment rides on Mountain West Conference tournament

Andrea Wilkinson/Nevada Sagebrush

Cam Oliver takes flight against the Boise State Broncos in Lawlor Events Center on Feb. 22. Nevada sits atop the MWC, tied with CSU with an overall record of 23-6 and conference recrord of 12-4.

F

rom the beginning of the season, this year has been billed as the year the Wolf Pack makes it to the NCAA Tournament for the seventh time. The last time the Pack was invited to the big dance was in 2007.

Second-year Head Coach Eric Musselman has brought new energy to the program. Even beyond the wins, over 20 in both seasons, there’s Kevin an excitement Bass around the team Journalism that had been missing.

Lawlor Events Center is packed nearly every game, students are in

line hours before tipoff, and Reno has become a less-than-pleasant place for opponents to visit. But there is a drawback to the new excitement: expectations.

The Wolf Pack has two games left, one in San Jose on Wednesday and one at home in what is becoming the biggest game of the regular season.

Winning secures the top seed in the Mountain West tournament and a regular season title.

At this point, the only way the Wolf Pack is going to get into the NCAA tournament is the automatic bid that comes with winning the Mountain West tournament in Las Vegas.

Despite what many fans may think, the Mountain West is still a one-bid conference.

Nevada played a solid nonconference schedule, with wins over Power Five teams (Oregon State and

Washington) and recent tournament teams (Iona, UC Irvine, Buffalo).

Their only non-conference losses came on the road against Saint Mary’s (currently number 20 in the AP top 25) and to Iona just a week after defeating them in Lawlor.

Unfortunately, the rest of the Mountain West is just not good enough to help the Wolf Pack. Wins over San Jose State, Wyoming, Air Force, Utah State and UNLV simply do not look good enough.

Not to mention the fact that Nevada split the series with Utah State. That and losses to Fresno State hurt the team’s chances of getting an at-large bid.

While the expectations have been high, this team knows it has to take care of business in Las Vegas next week. Last season they watched San Diego State, a team that expected to be

playing in the NCAA tournament, lose Of course, in a single elimination to Fresno State in the Mountain West tournament, anything can happen. But Championship. They did not receive consider this: if the Wolf Pack is upset an at-large bid. in the Mountain West Tournament, This is a team that has played its best they will still likely be a selection for in the biggest games. That’s been the the National Invitational Tournament. theme all season: this is a team that Obviously, the NIT is not the NCAA sleepwalked through games they were tournament, but it is a step up from supposed to win and rose to the occawhat the team played last year, the sion in the big games. That’s how they CBI. And it’s definitely a step up from lost to Utah State, but it’s also how they the team that won nine games two swept Boise State and New Mexico, years ago. and how they pummeled UNLV by 36 As hard as it is to try to manage the points in Las Vegas. hype that’s surrounded this team all I expect this team to win the year, the NCAA tournament is not the Mountain West tournament and only way to measure success. secure an NCAA tournament spot. Last u season, forward Cam Oliver played his best basketball of the season in u the Mountain West Tournament. If he plays at his best, I don’t believe there is anyone in the conference that can Brandon Cruz can be reached at bcruz@ beat them. sagebrush.unr.edu and on Twitter @Sagebrushsports.

Pack keeps regular season title hopes alive

By Javier Hernandez In what was the Nevada Basketball team’s most important game to date, the Wolf Pack (23-6, 12-4 MWC) won a pivotal back and forth affair against the Boise State Broncos (18-9, 11-5 MWC) last Wednesday and secured sole possession of the top spot in the Mountain West Conference rankings.

With the win, the Wolf Pack broke the three-way tie for the top seed and placed itself a half-game ahead of Colorado State. On the other hand, the Broncos slid to third place, taking their campaign for the regular season title out of their hands and leaving their fate up to the Wolf Pack and the Rams.

Nevada started off firing on all cylinders, jumping out to an early 7-0 run sparked by hustle plays by the Wolf Pack’s energizer bunny, Jordan Caroline. During this opening run, Caroline had an early steal, transition layup and interior basket to force the Broncos to call a timeout even before the first media break.

“Just a great energy player,” said Coach Eric Musselman. “Tonight was his best defensive effort.

We’ve come to expect his energy, his enthusiasm for the game which gives our team an identity of a team that plays hard.”

Despite the sizzling start, the Broncos responded with multiple crowd-silencing baskets that helped quiet the crowd at multiple points in the first half. Senior Nick Duncan, who shushed the student section’s “Duncan Donuts” cheers after every made basket, was able to hit back to back threes with 6:03 left in the first half to tie the game at 28 apiece. With 1:40 left in the first half, Duncan hit another three and a buzzer-beating layup to extend the Broncos lead to eight heading into halftime.

“He’s definitely a competitor,” said Cameron Oliver. “He’s tough. He can shoot the ball, man. I think last game we played him at their place and he didn’t really have a good outing. So I knew he was gonna come in and pretty much play his game. He got his shots.”

The second half had an atmosphere of a championship heavyweight boxing match. The Wolf Pack fell behind by as much as ten points and made multiple rallies to try and retake the lead.

However, the Broncos were able to hit multiple timely shots to quell the Wolf Pack runs.

It was not until an Oliver jumper at the 10:05 mark that the game was tied in the second half for the first time. By this point, the crowd was reinvigorated and rose to its feet to try and rally

the team the rest of the way. D.J. Fenner likens the crowd’s atmosphere to last year’s CBI Championship games but with much more at stake.

“It was nice for the fans to come out and get pretty loud and that helps out more than you think,” Fenner said. “When you have that homecourt advantage, it’s a big deal.”

The home stretch was fueled by an aggressive mindset by the Wolf Pack to attack the rim and get to the free throw line. The Wolf Pack placed an emphasis on playing a cleaner game in the second half and tried to outhustle the Broncos to any loose balls.

“We talked over and over at halftime about the will to win—competing,” Musselman said. “It wasn’t necessarily gonna be about Xs and Os. It was going to be about who has the biggest desire to get loose balls. And I thought, quite frankly, that Boise State—they ripped the ball away from us.

They beat us to loose balls in the first half and then I thought it completely changed in the second half.”

The Wolf Pack was also able to get to the free throw line during the closing moments of the game and was able to capitalize on their free throws. As a team, Nevada hit 27-of-29 free throws in the second half as opposed to Boise State’s eight free throw makes. Marcus Marshall, Nevada’s de facto closer in late-game situations, hit a careerhigh 15-of-15 free throws in the second half to put the game out of reach and secure the Wolf Pack victory.

On the night, the Wolf Pack was led by Oliver who scored 21 points (on 6-of-11 shooting; 7-of-8 FTs) and grabbed 11 rebounds. Marshall scored a game-high 26 points and dished eight assists. Of the 26 points scored by the MW Player of the Year candidate, 17 came in the second half. Caroline also tallied 21 points (on 8-of-12 shooting; 5-of-6 FTs), contributing to the Wolf Pack’s 52-point second half scoring output.

For the Broncos, Chandler Hutchison assumed the scoring duties, scoring 13 of his team-high 19 points in the second half. In addition, Duncan continued his hot shooting, finishing the game with five three-point field goals and tying Hutchison’s total point output.

Heading into the home stretch to determine the winner of the Mountain West Conference regular season title, the Wolf Pack was able to create some cushion at the top of the standings to help solidify its chances.

“When you’re playing for first place this late in

the season, you understand that you’re going to try to own tiebreakers,” Musselman said. “We couldn’t lose this game. If we were to lose the game, I think our hopes of trying to win our regular season would be out the door.”

Nevada v.s. UNLV pt. 2 takeaways In the rematch between the two in-state schools last Saturday, the Wolf Pack made easy work of the Rebels, defeating them 94-58. The win marks the largest margin of victory by Nevada over UNLV in school history. Let’s take a look at the three storylines from this weekend’s thrashing.

1. PG Marcus Marshall is officially out of his shooting slump After a rough stretch of games against Utah State, UNLV, San Diego State and Air Force, where in Marshall shot an abysmal 11-of-41 from the field, his historic scoring night against UNLV coupled with a record-setting free throw performance against Boise State has gotten Marshall his sweet shooting back.

In the rematch of the intrastate rivalry, Marshall made a career-high eight 3-point field goals, eclipsing his record seven which took place during his career at Missouri State. His long-range shooting performance against the Rebels solidified his place in the Nevada record books, surpassing the record for most three-pointers in a single season.

Per Nevada, Jimmy Caroll held the previous record with 95 in the 1996-97 season. Currently, Marshall has 103 three-point field goals on the season.

While D.J. Fenner was able to carry the Wolf Pack scoring load over the past few games, if Nevada is to make a postseason NCAA campaign, it is going to need Marshall to return to his early season form to help spread the floor. When Marshall is shooting well, Nevada is extremely hard to outscore.

Saturday’s performance is a good indicator for the Wolf Pack in terms of Marshall breaking out of his slump.

ESPN, Jaylen Fisher, who is now tearing it up for TCU. During his tenure, Rice had a strong start, winning 51 games during in his first two seasons.

While he wasn’t able to replicate that in his later years, he was by all means a solid recruiter and kept the UNLV brand relevant.

In his first year, much like Eric Musselman, Menzies went the transfer route and also signed a few lowly ranked high school players. It is a steep decline from the recruiting classes Rice was able to put together. Menzies is going to have to bolster his roster with better talent if he plans to compete at a high level again.

In his post-game interview, Menzies was blunt about the importance of this upcoming recruiting class.

“I’m 100 percent certain where I am going with this roster from a recruiting standpoint,” Menzies said. “I know who I want to roll with going forward, and I know what we need to do in recruiting.”

Menzies knows his leash is short with this UNLV Athletic Administration. The question is, how short is it? Also, given the financial troubles of the UNLV Athletic Department, if things don’t turn around, can they afford to make a coaching change?

3. Nevada’s regular season championship aspirations will come down to the match-up against Colorado State Nevada had its share of letdown games after a strong performance in the previous game. Coach Musselman scheduled an extra walk-through before the game against the Rebels in addition to the normal team shootarounds because he was concerned about the Wolf Pack having another let-down game following a thrilling victory against Boise State. Barring an upset against San Jose State, and for Colorado state an upset against Wyoming, this Saturday’s regular-season finale matchup between Nevada and Colorado State will be the de facto championship game. With Musselman’s emphasis on not letting the Pack get complacent, the Wolf Pack should handle its business on Wednesday.

2. Menzies’ Recruiting Class The year Nevada Assistant and former UNLV u Head Coach Dave Rice was fired by the athletic department, Rice had successfully recruited two u five-star recruits to his roster in Rashad Vaughan and Stephen Zimmerman. Both players went on to be drafted in the 2016 NBA Draft. He was also able to receive a verbal commit from the 34th Javier Hernandez can be reached at bcruz@sageranked recruit in the Class of 2016 according to brush.unr.edu and on Twitter @Sagebrushsports.

Sports TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2017

SPORTS | A8

@SagebrushSports | nevadasagebrush.com

Zheng headlines Nevadas 3rd place finish

Jack Dempsey/NCAA Photos

Sharae Zheng (fifth from the left) throws up two Wolf Pack symbols after winning and breaking the 1-meter springboard record. The Univsersity of Nevada Swim and Dive team took third place overall in the Mountain West Conference Championship this season.

By Brandon Cruz The Wolf Pack made its presence felt in College Station, Texas, the city that hosted the Mountain West Swim and Dive Championship. Nevada diver Sharae Zheng marked her place in MW lore books, breaking the all-time record on the 1-meter spring board. In addition to Zheng’s individual accomplishments, Nevada took third place, placing in the top three for the second year in a row.

DAY ONE Nevada left the whistling winds and snowy peaks of Reno to embark on a quest for gold during Mountain West Championship play in College Station on Feb. 15. The Wolf Pack was as hot as ever, ending day one with 198-points, just two-points behind first-place Boise State.

Zheng led Pack divers assisting in accumulating 98-points towards the total 198-point total by setting two records on the day in the same event: 1-meter

springboard. Zheng put up a score of 347.25 in the preliminary rounds of the 1-meter springboard, breaking the MW Championship record. She then broke her own record that same day with a score of 359.35 in the finals of the event.

The diving portion of the competition was rounded out by sophomores Zoe Lei and Toma Shmitova, who finished in third and fifth place with scores of 328.60 and 317.35, respectively.

While Nevada’s divers made their mark early, so too did the team’s swimmers.

The first event of the day for this group was the 200-yard medley, in which four Pack swimmers competed: Jaeger Turner, Emma Payne, Jamie Reynolds and Rebecca Murray. These four completed the medley in 1:40.79, failing to acquire a first place finish by just three seconds. Their final event of the day was the 800-freestyle relay. The teams consisted of seniors Teresa Baerens and Sita Kussserow, as well as freshman Andressa Cholodovskis Lima and Murray. Nevada finished in second place with a time of

7:07.78, assisting their team in taking second place for day one of competition.

Richardson coming in closely behind her with a time of 2:01.29.

DAY TWO

DAY THREE

The next day yielded similar results to day one. Zheng once again marked her name in history and the Pack maintained its second place position.

Zheng has followed in the foot steps of her predecessor Krysta Palmer, continuing to shock the swim and diving world with her skill and poise. While just a day earlier she broke the record on the 1-meter spring board twice, her performance followed suit the following day as she broke the all-time record on the 3-meter springboard. With a score of 421.45, Zheng broke the original record by 5.87 points.

In addition, Baerens won the 200-yard IM title, clocking in with a time of 1:58.92, and senior Arantxa Medina-Alegria won the B final in the 200-yard IM with a time of 2:01.74. Nevada also placed in fourth and fifth during the 200-IM as Lima recorded a time of 2:00.57 with Caitlyn

During its third day of contention for the MWC Championship, Nevada took a step back in the standings, falling to third place. Nevada totaled day three with 748 points, trailing SDSU by 21.

Baerens and Murray started the Pack’s day with a second and fourth place finish respectively in the 200-yard freestyle.

Lima also participated in the 200-yard freestyle, finishing in eighth place, with a time of 1:48.68. The Pack’s 400-yard medley relay team finished just .26 seconds shy of second place, taking home fourth.

Elections A S U N

MARCH 15TH-16TH

mark she set. Baerens said farewell to the Pack swim and dive program, following her fourth place finish in the 100-yard freestyle, as well as assisting the team in finishing in second place during the 400yard freestyle. Senior Riley Hilbrandt also performed for her final time in a Pack uniform, placing sixth in the 200-yard breaststroke.

With impressive efforts from both the divers and swimmers, Nevada placed third overall in the MWC Championship, losing to just San Diego State and Boise State.

HIGHLIGHTS

DAY FOUR

u

After dropping a place from day two to day three, the Wolf Pack had some work to do to stay in the top-three.

Zheng again highlighted Nevada’s divers, as she scored a 298.00 on the platform dive. Her closest competitor was more than 15-points behind the bench-

u Brandon Cruz can be reached at bcruz@ sagebrush.unr.edu and on Twitter @Sagebrushsports.

SENATE DEBATE #1 Tuesday, Feb. 21 | 7:30 - 9 p.m.

Theatre on the 3rd floor of the Joe •CABNR •College of Education •College of Business SENATE DEBATE #2 Thursday, Feb. 23 | 7:30 - 9 p.m.

Glick Ballroom C •Division of Health Services •College of Liberal Arts •College of Engineering SENATE DEBATE #3 Tuesday, Feb. 28 | 7:30 - 9 p.m.

Glick Ballroom A •College of Science •Interdisciplinary

NEVADAASUN.COM/ELECTIONS

PRES/VP DEBATE Tuesday, March 14 | 7:30 - 9 p.m.

Glick Ballroom C

For more information please contact Steven McNeece at samcneece@gmail.com ASUN reminds you to request a ride from ASUN Campus Escort Services at www.unr.edu/campus-escort or call 742-6808 if you need a ride after an event. ASUN supports providing equal access to all programs for people with disabilities.

Persons with disabilities requiring accommodations are encouraged to email samcneece@gmail.com

f /nevadaASUN

@nevadaASUN

NevadaASUN.com

“This is Nevada”

@nevadaASUN

Mobile App