March 5, 2021 — Volume 127, Issue 4

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VOLUME 127, ISSUE 4

UNR to host Virtual Spring ‘21 Commencement

By Andrew Mendez

A collage of Nevada Sagebrush file photos. March 5 marks the anniversary of the first reported case of COVID-19 in Washoe County.

COVID-19: A Year in Review

By Taylor Avery

The United States reported ha lf a million fatalities due to COV I D-19 on Monday, Feb. 22, nea rly one yea r si nc e t he first case of the coronavirus was reported in Reno on March 5, 2020.

T h i ngs happened quick ly f rom t hat point forward. Just six days after the first reported case in Reno, the Nevada System of Higher Education and the University of Nevada, Reno announced t h at c l a s s e s wou ld cont i nue remotely after spring break. For some st udents, t hat would be the last day they would ever walk

through their college campus as a student.

Since then, the Nevada Sagebrush staff has repor ted on t he movements of COVID19, bot h on a nd of f campus. The following is a timeline recounting what the past year has looked like for the University of Nevada, Reno’s students, staff and faculty.

2020: On Feb. 28, the University Studies Abroad Consor t ium a nnounced that all study abroad prog ra ms i n Italy and South Korea wou ld be ca nceled, a nd st udents st udying in those countries were to return home.

March 11 saw an a nnouncement f rom the athletics depart-

ment s of U N R a nd U N LV s t a t i n g t h a t sports events were to be held w it hout i nperson fa ns. On t he same day, the Nevada System of Higher Educat ion a nd UNR requested t hat facult y prepare for online instruction after break.

A d a y l a t e r, o n March 12, UNR and UNLV announced that t hey would be transit ion i ng to on l i ne learning after spring br e a k , s t a r t i n g on March 23. The Mountain West Conference suspended spr i ng sports indefinitely on the same day.

A l it t le over t wo week s a f ter ca nceling study abroad prog r a m s i n It a ly a nd Sout h Korea, US AC announced on March

14 t hat it wou ld be ca ncel i ng a l l of it s programs worldwide.

On M a r c h 16 , NSHE announced that it would be postponi ng it s sea rches for the next presidents of UNR and UNLV. City of Reno Mayor Hillary Sch ieve a n nou nc ed the closure of all nonessential businesses, i nclud i ng ca si nos, bars, restaurants and gyms on the same day.

In an email to the ca mpus communit y, t hen-President Marc Joh nson a n nou nced the closure of all nonessential campus operations on March 18.

One day later, UNR’s Department of Housi ng a nd Resident ia l L i fe a n nou nc ed on

The University of Nevada, Reno informed graduates on Monday, Feb. 8, the spring 2021 commencement ceremonies will be held online.

The university said the decision was made to comply with county, state and federal COVID19 guidelines.

“Taking into consideration your health and wellness as well as that of your families, we have begun planning a v irtual commencement ceremony for all May 2021 graduates…,” said the university in an email to graduates.

“This will include your individual recognition through the display of a photo and an audio of your name, similar to having your name read at an in-person ceremony. We are working diligently in the planning of your ceremony that will be accessible world-wide.”

Since the start of the pandemic in March 2020, the university has held graduations virtually.

However, graduates of the spring 2020 class were supposed to be allowed to walk in spring 2021 commencement. No information was released on this specific development.

Students with concerns or questions are encouraged to email commencement@unr.edu.

Andrew Mendez can be reached at a n d rew m e n d e z @ s a g e b r u s h . u n r. e d u o r o n Twitter at @amendez2000.

File Photo/ Nevada Sagebrush University of Nevada, Reno graduates sit in Lawlor Events Center before their winter commencement on Dec. 8, 2019. University officials said Spring ‘21 commencement will be held virtually due to COVID-19 concerns.

See COVID-19 page A3

Students voice concerns over unclear Reading Day policy

By Andrew Mendez

Editor’s Note: The reading day policy was provided in an email from the President’s Office to The Nevada Sagebrush.

Fol low i ng t he ca ncel lat ion of Spr i ng Break, the University of Nevada, Reno implemented “reading days,” citing the demand to provide “needed breaks”. However, per the university’s policy instructors are allowed to host class if they receive approval from their respective dean.

The policy was not explicitly communicated to students, according to the university’s Vice Provost of Undergraduate Education, David Shintani. “(UNR) did not state in (the original announcement) that these were sort of meant to be instruction days. We didn’t communicate that well,” Shintani said. Additionally, Shintani said the information sent to students and faculty had different intents. “(Both messages) serve different purpos-

es…,” Shintani said. “We didn’t communicate that these were still instructional days to students, it was not clear that these were not just days off. They were meant to be breaks from the classroom not necessary instruction, that was the intent. It doesn’t look like that was included in the announcement to students.” He added that faculty had approached administration saying they could not afford to lose those days of instruction, which is why the university wrote the policy the way they did.

When reading days were first announced, university President Brian Sandoval issued a statement to the campus communit y say ing reading days would provide much needed rest.

“Our ‘Reading Days,’ although they do not constitute a complete spring break, will nonetheless provide the people of our campus community with five needed days of mental and physical respite as we face the continuing challenges of COVID-19,” said Sandoval in an announcement to students December 2020.

Init ia l ly Sa ndova l a nnounced cer ta in labs and studio based courses may hold class, if necessary. The current policy gives professors the autonomy to decide if classes are needed.

According to the university, the policy was just provided to instructors and was not provided to students.

“We are aware that for various reasons, such as laboratory, performance, and field base courses, some of you may not be able to assign alternative out-of-class learning opportunities on one or more of the scheduled Reading Days,” the policy read. “If you feel that in-class instruction is necessary on one or more of the scheduled Reading Days, please confer with your department chair and dean to gain approval. If approval is granted, you must clearly state in the course syllabus and schedule, on which Reading Days will you being teaching class and, in addition to being responsible for the material, whether or not class attendance will be mandatory on those specific days.”

See READING DAYS page A3

@NevadaSagebrush | nevadasagebrush.com

A2 | NEWS

FRIDAY, MARCH 5, 2021

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

Volume 127 • Issue 4 Editor-in-Chief • Olivia Ali oali@sagebrush.unr.edu

News Editor • Taylor Johnson tkjohnson@sagebrush.unr.edu

News Editor • Taylor Avery tavery@sagebrush.unr.edu

Spanish Editor • Andrew Mendez andrewmendez@sagebrush.unr.edu

Sports Editor • Madeleine Chinery mchinery@sagebrush.unr.edu

Sports Editor • Isaiah Burrows iburrows@sagebrush.unr.edu

Opinion Editor • Vincent Rendon vrendon@sagebrush.unr.edu

A&E Editor • Emilie Rodriguez erodriguez@sagebrush.unr.edu Isaac Hoops/Nevada Sagebrush

Photo Editor • Isaac Hoops ihoops@sagebrush.unr.edu

Copy Editor • Olive Giner oginer@sagebrush.unr.edu

Multimedia Editor • Austin Daly adaly@sagebrush.unr.edu

Engagement Editor • Rachael Jones

The John W. Mackay statue as it stands on Friday, Feb. 26. Students and faculty are engaging in discourse whether the statue should remain on campus after the sculptor Gutzon Borglum had affiliations with the Klu Klux Klan.

Gutzon Borglum:

KKK affiliate and sculptor of the John W. Mackay Statue

By Taylor Johnson

rjones@sagebrush.unr.edu

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How did the Mackay Statue come to campus?

Mackay Statue, located at the northern end of the University of Nevada, Reno’s quad, was sculpted on June 10, 1908. An immigrant from Dublin, Ireland, John W. Mackay was one of the famous “Big Four” from Virginia City, a group of mine owners who profited tremendously from the so-called Big Bonanza of the 1870s. He was a miner who amassed a large fortune in the late 19th century.

“His son, Clarence Mackay, commissioned the present statue shortly after his father’s death [in 1902], to honor his father’s memory,” said Dr. Elizabeth Raymond, who specializes in American history. “It was housed at the university because there was a mining school there, and it was a suitable place for a permanent installation honoring John Mackay’s affiliation with the state.”

Raymond said when Clarence Mackay visited for the installation, he felt the building housing the mining faculty was shabby, so he and his mother donated the money and commissioned the architect, Stanford White to design the present Mackay School of Mines Building.

Who is Gutzon Borglum?

The sculptor that Clarence Mackay commissioned was Gutzon Borglum—the man who sculpted Mt. Rushmore.

Born in 1867 to Danish immigrants, Borglum pursued architecture and design. He sculpted several other historical pieces such as Stone Mountain in Georgia, the statue of Union General Philip Sheridan in Washington, D.C. and a bust of Abraham Lincoln which was exhibited in the White House by Theodore Roosevelt.

Borglum remains controversial due to his Klu Klux Klan affiliations. The Smithsonian Magazine said he once wrote “I would not trust an Indian, offhand, 9 out of 10, where I would not trust a white man 1 out of 10.”

Raymond said Borglum became a renowned progressive supporter of Theodore Roosevelt and champion of American nationalism.

“KKK affiliation, unfortunately, wasn’t uncommon in the U.S. during the 1910s and 1920s,” she said. “It had absolutely nothing to do with John Mackay, who died in 1902 and never met Gutzon Borglum.”

Because of the sculptor’s background, some students have advocated for the removal of the Mackay statue. Created in July 2020, FUSED UNR created the petition named “End Racist Roots at the University of Nevada, Reno.” Currently, the petition has 233 signatures in support of removing Mackay statue.

“Gutzon spread the oppression of Black and Brown people through his art, allowing racist leaders to be amplified on a larger scale than ever before,” they wrote in their petition. “By allowing John Mackay’s statue to remain on our campus, we are supporting the racist roots of its creator.”

The petition also said Mackay’s wealth was made largely off the backs of Black and Indigenous people in America after spearheading Comstock Lode.

The Comstock Lode was popular for silver mining in Virginia City during the late 1800s. As it grew in popularity, the petition said white miners violated the human rights of Indigenous people and did not give them reparations after.

“The Comstock Lode accumulated profits for white men, while simultaneously violating the human rights of both Black and Indigenous people,” the petition said.

In order to discuss the discourse over the statute, the university created the John Mackay Statue Discussion Advisory Committee in October 2020. Dr. Anna Huhta, Director of the Mackay School of Earth Sciences and Engineering and the head of the committee said the goal of the group is to engage various perspectives from both the University and surrounding community regarding the Mackay Statue and its sculptor.

Huhta believes one of the major contributions the committee can provide is to help address some of the misconceptions that have been circulated about the statue, to put future discussions about it on solid footing, and to provide accurate information and materials to help inform campus tours and the broader community.

COVID-19 Continued from page A1 March 19 that students living in the residential halls would have until March 25 to move out before the halls were closed.

The first UNR student tested COVID-19 positive on March 20.

UNR announced virtual commencement plans for Spring 2020 on March 24 and confirmed the continuation of online instruction through the end of the semester. After an online peti tion calling for inperson commencement gathered over 16,000 signatures in six days, the university said on March 27 that it would allow Spring 2020 graduates to walk in the Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 ceremonies.

In an email to students on March 31, the university shared that it would allow students to change their final grades for the spring 2020 semester to a “satisfactory” or “unsatisfactory.”

Two days later, on April 2, UNR announced remote summer instruction.

On April 10, NSHE announced a contract extension for then UNR President Marc Johnson and approved a budget reduction proposal. UNR announced its move to hold summer orientations online on

According to Huhta, several organizations have discussed their opinions about the statue including UNR Indigenous Student Organization, Black Student Organization, ASUN, FUSED Student Group, John Mackay Club, GSA, Mackay Rockhounds and College of Science Senator Representatives.

“The committee includes students, faculty, staff, activists, historical and museum professionals, and community stakeholders with the goal of cultivating inclusive discussions regarding these topics,” Huhta said. “Ultimately the advisory committee will provide [u]niversity leadership with recommendations regarding paths forward that incorporate perspectives and ideas shared during committee discussions.”

Huhta believes the Mackay statue should stay based on character and the values that he stood for.

She also said Mackay’s values remain consistent with the values of the university and the Mackay School of Earth Sciences and Engineering. She said his statue was not crafted to commemorate a racist individual, to condone or celebrate racist acts or beliefs, or to perpetuate oppression.

“For me, I see John Mackay’s legacy as a wonderful example of determination, grit, courage, and back-breaking hard work,” Huhta said. “I see a legacy built from a commitment to continued selfdevelopment and a commitment to use his personal development to support equality for all. I believe those are ideals and values worthy of remembering.”

Huhta claims there is no evidence that in March of 1906, when Gutzon Borglum was hired to design the statue, that Borglum held any racist or white supremacist beliefs. She believes any affiliation of Borglum with the KKK happened after the film The Birth of a Nation came out in 1915.

“Borglum’s contract to complete the Confederate monument was broken off in 1925, and he never completed his planned sculptures of Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and Jefferson Davis,” Huhta said.

Huhta said the Advisory Committee has not submitted any formal recommendations to the university administration regarding the Mackay Statue.

“While some committee members have expressed interest in removing the statue, the majority support keeping it in place, recognizing it as a commemoration of the character and accomplishments of John W. Mackay, not the views of its sculptor,” Huhta said.

She said many of the committee members have suggested the addition of interpretive materials nearby, potentially in association with the W.M. Keck Museum just inside the Mackay School of Mines building.

“Each perspective expressed by the committee will be noted and shared with university leadership along with recommendations for actions the University might take regarding the statue and, on a broader scale, to express the university’s unequivocal rejection of systemic racism, prejudice, and discrimination of any kind,” Huhta said.

Any decisions regarding the future state of the Mackay Statue lie with President Brian Sandoval and the Board of Regents for the Nevada System of Higher Education, according to Huhta.

“It cannot be denied that the story of the settlement and development of Nevada and the American west is also a story of displacement, hardships, inequities, and acts of extreme violence inflicted upon people of color, including its tribal communities,” Huhta said.

ASUN passed legislation in support of erecting a statue of alum Colin Kaepernick in December. Kaepernick statue advocates, ASUN College of Liberal Arts Senator Lauren Harvey and university alum Wenei Philimon, said their project is unique and separate from the Mackay discourse.

Harvey believes these initiatives would dilute the intentions and goals of erecting a Kaepernick statue on campus. She believes that these are two different conversations that must be had on campus.

“We don’t envision Kaepernick replacing anything,” Harvey said. “We believe he should be given his own, original space instead of being used as a way to erase the realities of white supremacy on our campus.”

Taylor Johnson can be reached at tkjohnson@ s a g e b r u s h . u n r. e d u o r o n T w i t t e r @ taylorkendyll

Reading Days April 29.

Just five days later, on May 4, NSHE announced that it had plans to resume in-person classes during the Fall 2020 semester. UNR announced the cancellation of all NevadaFit programs on May 21. A little under two months later, on July 16, UNR announced its HyFlex reopening plan for fall 2020.

Just three weeks after the beginning of the fall semester, UNR announced on Sept. 14 that it would continue to use the hyflex model in spring 2021. On the same day, UNR announced that winter commencement would be held virtually.

On Sept. 17, previous Nevada governor Brian Sandoval was appointed the president of UNR. He took his post on Oct. 5. Just one day after taking his new position at UNR, Sandoval announced the closure of the E.L. Wiegand Fitness Center on October 8. The day after the gym closure, on October 9, Sandoval announced that instruction would be completely online following Thanksgiving Break and that there would be no spring break during the spring 2021 semester.

UNR announced in an email to 66 students that they

would not be allowed to study abroad during the spring 2021 semester on Oct. 15.

NSHE said it would continue to allow students to change their grades to “satisfactory” or “unsatisfactory” during the 202021 school year in an email on Nov. 18.

On Dec. 11, Sandoval announced that four class-free days, or “reading days,” would be given during the semester in place of spring break.

2021: Students living on campus in the residential halls were required to show a negative COVID-19 test upon their arrival during the weekend of Jan. 23. Two days later, on Jan. 25, the UNR campus and the E.L. Wiegand Fitness Center reopened.

Residential hall staff began receiving COVID-19 vaccinations the week preceding Feb. 5.

On Feb. 8, UNR announced that it would be hosting a virtual commencement for spring 2021.

Taylor Avery can be reached at tavery@nevada.unr.edu or on Twitter at @travery98.

Continued from page A1

Despite not all professors hosting class on these days, students who do have class expressed concern.

Sheridan Walund, a fifthyear student at the university, said by her professors holding classes on reading days she feels annoyed and frustrated.

“I feel incredibly disrespected by my professors and the college by having class on (reading days),” Walund said.

“I was under the impression reading days were just a day for students to just recoup, to calm down and rest up. By that being taken away by one of my professors it’s just disrespectful.” She added that without these days off, she can’t pick up shifts at work or take time to reconnect with friends.

“These days were promised by administration … in place of spring break.” she said. “The whole university has this day off and there’s no class except for the select few professors that don’t feel like they don’t need to obey by that. The school should be doing something to prevent this from happening.”

Like Walund, Catherine Schofield, a third-year stu-

Isaac Hoops / Nevada Sagebrush The first week of school of fall 2020. Students expressed concerns regarding the university’s reading day policy.

dent at the university, said she feels professors hosting classes are not taking into consideration student needs.

“It makes me feel like professors who choose to have class are putting their class above student’s mental health and needs,” Schofield told The Nevada Sagebrush. “Without spring break students are going practically all semester without a break and it’s exhausting. Professors wouldn’t ask us to do that in a normal

year so I don’t know why they think that it’s okay to do during a year that’s anything but normal.”

Schofield said reading days seemed like a good alternative to spring break but the execution wasn’t helpful.

Continued online at the nevadasagebrush.com Andrew Mendez can be reached at andrewmendez@sagebrush.unr. edu or on Twitter at @amendez2000.

FRIDAY, MARCH 5, 2021

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Emilie Rodriguez/ Nevada Sagebrush The Irish folk band, Goitse, performed live as part of UNR’s Performing Arts Series on Thursday, Feb. 25.

Goitse: Bringing Ireland to your living room

By Emilie Rodriguez

The School of t he A r t s 6 0 t h Per for ming Arts Series is back with their spring performances from Goitse, Sweet Honey In T he Rock a nd ja z z composer Michael Mayo.

On Thursday, Feb. 25 Goitse opened up the start of the spring semester w it h a f un and energetic 75 minute set of original, remi xed a nd classica l tunes.

T he w it t y Ir ish quintet held a workshop pr ior to t hei r per for ma nce, which ca n st i l l be v iewed t hrough t he Washoe Count y Libra r y system.

W h i le t he ma i n event may have been their stunning performa nce on T hursday e v en i ng , t he work-

shop gave families the opportunity to appreciate cla ssica l Ir ish music and learn about the instruments that go i nto ma k i ng t he tunes.

This is the first time Goitse has performed for UNR students, but a f ter watching t heir p er f or m a nc e, I r i s h folk music will linger on campus for the rest of the semester.

Goitse is a mult iaward-winning quintet that formed after five gifted artists met at L i mer ic k ’s I r i s h Wor l d A c a de m y of Mu s i c a n d D a n c e .

G oit s e w a s n a me d Ireland’s “Traditional Group of t he Yea r” and also received the “Freiburger International Leiter 2016” in Germany.

The band has also been na med t he leader of traditiona l I r i s h en s emble s of t he new generat ion.

Colm Phelan, Goitse’s

bod h rá n player, ha s been play i ng cla ssic Irish tunes since he was little. The bodhrán is a nIrish frame drum with goatskin tacked to one side. The drum is not very big, but certainty br i ngs u n ique l ivel iness to the band.

“I’m t r y i ng to remember how to play music,” Phelan said at t he beg inning of t he performance. “It’s been a long seven months.”

The ba nd has only p e r f or m e d t o g e t h e r twice in the last seven mont h s due t o t he pa ndem ic, a nd t he y wa r ned t he audience they may be rusty. Of course, the band performed ver y well, but this comment by Phelan broke through any p e r f or m a n c e j i t t e r s and had the audience laughing.

Phelan has won numerous medals through the years and holds the t it le of t he f irst ever World Bodhran Cham-

pion in 2006. In the sa me yea r, he a lso won the All Ireland in Letterkenny for t he second year in a row.

Phela n g raduated from Limerick with a BA in Irish Music has since then joined Goitse and released his solo CD “Full Circle.” More of Phelan’s achievements can be v iewed on Goitse’s website.

The second member of the band is the lovely fiddle player, Áine McGeeney. McG e ene y g r adu at e d Limerick wit h a BA i n Ir ish Music a nd Da nce a nd a n M A in Irish Music Perf or m a nc e .

A l on g w it h play i ng her f i d d l e , Mc G e n n e y is an extremely talented voca list, and sings many of Goitse’s songs in English and Irish. She is a founding member of t he g roup, a nd has toured all of the world sha r i ng her love of classic Irish folk music.

McG en ney wa s awarded “Female Vocalist of 2016” by Irish American News and t h roug h her ma ny accompl ish ments has been sought out to lead work shops in fiddle and vocals.

“The first set we were playing I was a wee bit emotional,” McG en ney sa id when describing their preper for ma nce practice.

After engaging the audience with a fun story about the band r eu n it i ng to pl ay, McGenney lead into their musical adaptation of the Irish poem “An Bonnán Buí” by Cathal Buí Mac Giolla Ghunna.

T h r ou g hout t he

Emilie Rodriguez/ Nevada Sagebrush A lab featured in the documentary, “Picture a Scientists,” directed by Sharon Shattuck and Ian Cheney.

The film “Picture a Scientist” reveals the heartbreaking truth women face in the field of science

By Emilie Rodriguez

The University of Nevada, Reno invited staff and students to take part in a private virtual viewing of the documentary “Picture a Scientist” (2020) on Feb. 5.

This 2020 Tribeca Film Festival selection takes an investigative look into the world of science, and the challenges women scientists face in the male-dominanted area.

The Boston Globe called the production “quietly devastating” in reference to some of the horror stories the women scientists described.

Geologist Jane Willenbring, PH.D spoke on her horrific experience working on an Artic research expedition, describing how she was constantly sexual harrassed and verbally abused from a male researcher. This deterred Willenbring from field work, and unfortunately discouraged other

women as well.

One such woman who preferred to remain anonymous described a similar instance with the same Artic research group, and it cost her a potential career with NASA as an astronaut.

The film deserves more then just a mere review, and when you get the chance to view it the research will open your eyes to the bias, inequality and unethical behavior that goes on in the field of science. Women over the years have been kept from their full potential as scientists because they have to fight this equality problem, which is heartbreaking to say the least.

The most impactful part of this film was the mass amounts of data provided to back up the inequality that goes on behind the curtain. Biologist Nancy Hopkins, PH.D, helped in making this data a reality, aiding many women in their

FRIDAY, MARCH 5, 2021

ent i re per for ma nce, Goitse captivated aud ienc e s w it h t hei r upb e at p ol k a s a nd t heir tea r-br i mming rhythms.

Many of their classica l Irish tunes are a t t r i but e d t o A l a n Reid, the band’s highly-adept multi-instrumentalist. Reid plays the banjo, bouzouki, ma ndol i n a nd t he oud. With his instrument a l sk i l l s, Reid appeared in the 2014 movie “Noble” and is featured on the compilation CD “Leitrim Equation 3.”

The band affectionately calls Reid their classic Irish archive, a s he’s p a s s i on a t e about taking old Irish t u ne s a nd r e c r e ating them into sounds that can be enjoyed by the new generation of Irish music lovers.

G o i t s e ’s o t h e r ver y talented instrument a l i st, Tad hg Ó Meachair, is the man behind the keys. Performing in many fest iva ls t hroug hout Eu rope, Meacha i r r e c ent l y g r a du at e d from Limerick and has many titles from his pi a no per f or ma nc e and piano accordion.

During their set, the band played “Make Me A Pol ka,” composed

by Meachair himself.

When they played this pol k a t he aud ience simply couldn't help but tap their feet and dance along to the inspiring music. Goiste helped their audience enjoy live music again, and their performance made everyone smile.

C on a l O’ K a ne i s t he la st member i n t h i s t a lented qu i ntet. O’Ka ne is f rom Philadelphia, graduating Limerick with a BA in Irish Music and

Dance and MA in Irish Music. A multi-instrument a l i st h i msel f, he origina l ly played fiddle and banjo before focusing on guitar. A few practices in, Goiste decided t hey wanted a guitarist to diversify their sound.

With his insight on the melodic and harmonic structures of Irish tunes, O’Kane was an a ma zing addition to t he ba nd. O’Ka ne is also an undergrad and postgrad guitar teacher at the Irish World Academy.

With joy on each of the musician’s faces, t he y embr ac e d t he e v en i ng a nd a s ke d the audience to forget about t he pa ndemic and just focus on how music brings people toget her. T he sent iment was comforting, a nd when t he ba nd finished each set the aud ience clapped, whooped and cheered.

A f ter t he ba nd closed out their perfor ma nce w it h “My Bel fa st L ove” a nd “Transformed,” a prerecorded Q&A session with Program Manager Shoshana Zeldner played. This Feb. 25 performance can still be viewed on-demand until March 11.

More i nfor mat ion about G oit se, a nd the other two performances can be found on UNR’s performing arts website.

Emilie Rodriguez c a n b e re a c h e d a t emilier@sagebrush. unr.edu or on Twitter @emilieemeree.

fight to just be equal to their male counterparts.

Hopkins knew she needed to do something about the issue after working as a professor for MIT and not being permitted the same conditions and materials as the male professors. She created a staff report by recording data on the inequality of MIT, and that was revolutionary in helping women gaining recognition at the university.

This in turn caused other universities to follow suit which make the science field a lot more inclusive for women, and women of color.

A couple statistics from the film included 50 percent of the women in science related fields experience sexual harassment. In 2017, women only made up 29 percent of the STEM field. Lastly, between 1901-2019 only 19 women have been awarded a Nobel Prize, and drastically, only one of those women was a woman of color.

The film is visually stunning and makes great use of colorful and captivating motion graphics.

The documentary does a amazing job of displaying women from the various fields of science and their struggle with many forms of harassment, abuse and mistreatment in their work environments.

A very powerful theme in the film was comparing the field of science and the scientists themselves. Science is always evolving and changing, so why can’t scientists evolve and change as well.

Luckily, this documentary showed that change is coming, slowly but surely.

The film is not open for public viewing at the moment, but those interested in this documentary can still attend a post-viewing panel on Feb. 11 at 12 p.m. “Picture a Scientist” provides more information about this groundbreaking production and potential ways to view it in the next few months.

Emilie Rodriguez can be reached at emilier@ sagebrush.unr.edu or on Twitter @emilieemeree.

FRIDAY, MARCH 5, 2021

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Emilie Rodriguez/Nevada Sagebrush

Leonor Fini’s oil painting “La Leçon de Botanique” or “botany lesson” displayed at the John and Geraldine Lilley Museum of Art at UNR.

The Leonor Fini Exhibit at The Lilley Museum does not disappoint

By Emilie Rodriguez

Leonor Fini’s oil painting “La Leçon de Botanique” or “botany lesson” displayed at the John and Geraldine Lilley Museum of Art at UNR. Emilie Rodriguez/Nevada Sagebrush Tucked away in the Church of Fine Arts building at the University of Nevada, Reno, the work of artist Leonor Fini awaits, and watches as students, faculty and Reno community members stare.

With rough sketch work and contorted bodies, Fini’s work is triggering to initially look at. After taking a closer look and reading the small descriptions of the art pieces, a theme emerges that was way before it’s time.

Leonor Fini was a prominent artist during the age of the Surrealists. Developing after World War 1, Surrealism was a cultural artistic movement that spread across Europe. Surrealism took dark themes and brought them to life visually

to stimulate the unconscious mind. The avantgarde art movement “Dada” also heavily inf luenced Surrealists and their work.

To Surrealists, women were inspirational, mystical and not easily understood. While men held women in the highest regard as muses, they never dreamed one woman would become the artist. Women as muses would be at the core of Fini’s work, and as her artistic passion grew, so did her opinions on feminism and men as a submissive figure.

Fini was extremely unapologetic and arguably one of the most independent women in the 20th century. Even though her work was during the Surrealism period in the 1920s and 1930s, she opposed being labeled a “woman artist” or a Surrealist. She detested the movement’s leader, André Breton, because she felt he was misogynistic. Fini’s artwork is outspoken, colorful and full of women empowerment.

Fini was born in Argentina in 1907. After

A&E | A5 a family rift, Fini’s mother relocated them both to Italy. Fini’s mother feared her husband would come find them, so she dressed Fini as a boy, which may have inf luenced Fini’s depiction of gender later on in her artwork.

Fini relocated to Paris in 1931 where she immediately found herself surrounded by Surrealists. At first, Fini was a muse for many of the painters in Paris. However, she soon discovered she was no muse, and her art became a sensation with personality, drama and mystery.

Fini was prolific and versatile in her art.

Fini would use oil painting, silkscreen, lithograph, watercolor, drawing and rough sketches, as well as other unconventional materials. According to a write up of Fini at the John and Geraldine Lilley Museum at UNR, Fini was a shaker and a mover. She used her art to criticize many artists and ideas in the art world.

Fini was a force of nature, and could not be tied down to one idea, personality or lifestyle.

She was constantly changing. Fini even hated relational constructs and chose to live with two men, one her best friend and one her lover. Because of her unique and risque lifestyle, Fini incorporated many of these themes into her art, disturbing many who looked upon her work. Fini questioned beauty, age, dark, light, sex and love.

She was incredibly persistent in portraying men as submissive and women as dominant figures in her work.

Fini also surrounded herself with cats, sphinxes, and witches as they inspired her and her ideal image of a woman. In her piece “Sphinx 10,” Fini created a cat-like woman with wild hair and an arched back. The wild hair of the creature has been speculated to mirror Fini’s personality.

This color lithograph is one in a series of recurring sphinxes, but is seen to be a self-representation of Fini if she was a sphinx.

Much more can be said about Fini, her work, and the exhibit itself. However, writing cannot capture the liveliness of Fini’s art, and the exhibit must be viewed before it closes later this spring.

Fini’s life and her work continue to fascinate art lovers and collectors. The Lilley Museum currently has more than 30 pieces of Fini’s art on display. The exhibit “Leonor Fini / Not a Muse, An Artist” will be on display from Jan. 29 through May 15. More information about the artist and museum hours can be found on the UNR events website.

Emilie Rodriguez can be reached at emilier@ sagebrush.unr.edu or on Twitter @emilieemeree.

Opinion A6 | OPINION

@NevadaSagebrush | nevadasagebrush.com

Photo via Pixabay A design of digital classroom meetings in the time of COVID-19 . With classes being held on Zoom at the university it changes the social dynamic between peers and professors.

Why are classes so awkward?

By Vincent Rendon

Every Tuesday and Thursday I take a political philosophy class with a very kind professor. It is a lovely little class where I never have any idea what the professor is talking about. Throughout every single lecture, almost no one

has their cameras on. When he asks for questions or thoughts, no one speaks.

He powers t hrough t he si lence a nd lectures into a void for over an hour straight, twice a week. Quite frankly, t he situation ma kes me uncomfortable. However, it is also a situation I

could fix ... but I don’t. I could turn my camera on, I could speak up, but why do I feel like I can’t?Something about the online learning situation has created a zeitgeist of pa ra ly zi ng awkwardness, and I suspect that I am not the only one who feels this way.

Quick obser vat ions of t he levels of participation in all of the remote classes I’ve taken tells me that, by and la rge, we a l l feel incredibly uneasy about doing school t his way. I suppose there is somewhat of a comfort knowing I am not alone, but it begs the question: why are we feeling like this?

One obser vation I’ve made is that classes are more awkward when nobody wants to speak up. My gut tells me that this is something we all know is true, which creates a dilemma—if just one person were to get t he ba ll rolling, it would be less uncomfortable for everyone. So why don’t I? Why doesn’t someone be the hero in these situations? What’s worse is that when someone does bravely speak up, it is rare for people to follow up in support.

It pains me to know that these situations could be lively and supportive and not so darn awkward, but collectively we fail to rise to the occasion.

It pains me further to know that I am part of the problem.

To me, this is a problem without solution. I could say that I will try to be better and speak up more and break the tension, but I won’t. Ultimately, I feel this is an inherent issue with remote learning. Building up comfort

FRIDAY, MARCH 5, 2021 levels is hard enough in face-to-face interactions, and the peculiarities of doing t hings v ia webca ms ma kes it nearly impossible.

All of this is to say, if we decide to build our future societ y around v irtual interactions, then I fear for the future of our ability to form meaningful social relationships. Something is just missing in t hese settings, some sort of distinctly human element that helps ma ke t hings less tense. W hile this sort of setting was thrust upon us by circumstance, the conveniences it has opened up worr y me that it will become an ingrained feature of how we structure life. I am concerned that even when we no longer need to be assisted by the various technologies that have developed in the pandemic, we will continue to consult them any way, choosing convenience and ignoring the long-term ramifications of removing excuses for people to old-school interact. Maybe we need to be around each ot her and breat he a ll over one another for the sake of it. Maybe that’s an essentia l part of being non-awkward humans.

Opinions expressed in The Nevada Sagebrush are solely those of the author and do not necessarily express the views of the Sagebrush or its staff. Vincent Rendon is a student at the University of Nevada studying political science. He can be reached at vrendon@sagebrush.unr.edu and on Twitter @VinceSagebrush.

Quicktakes Spring please come soon!

By Vincent Rendon Quicktakes is a column by opinion editor Vincent Rendon where he gives bite-sized thoughts on all the most important and unimportant things. Now that the worst of the winter storms are starting to pass, it feels like we can finally be optimistic about the coming spring.

Quite frankly, it feels criminal to let a groundhog have so much control over our weather system.

Photo by JohnPickenPhoto /Flickr Empty school busses lined up on a grass lot. As Generation Z has kids the requirements for education are changing as we enter a new relm of social chnage.

For the incoming Gen Z parents, what should education look like?

By Vincent Rendon Older members of Generation Z looking through their Instagram feeds might have started to make a startling discovery: people their age are having children.

In fact, some Gen Z’ers reading this right now might already have some, or are currently expecting. Even more exciting, or perhaps sobering, is that every year from beyond this point the number of Gen Z parents will be increasing.

With new parents and new children to enroll in schools comes, of course, new faces in the Parent-Teacher Association meetings.

If one of the oldest members of Generation Z, born in 1997, had a child when t hey were 18, t hen t hat chi ld wou ld be five or six years old right now. That means they would be starting kindergarten soon or perhaps already have. Finally, the people who have spent many years on Twitter complaining about the education they received in public school are now in a position to shape education’s future.

What should it look like? Right now, there is already a debate of sorts occurring in the realm of education based on how history is taught. In efforts to better present the dark legacy of slavery in this country and shine more light on the contributions of Black Americans, The New York Times created the 1619 project.

Work from the project is being examined and adopted as part of some school’s curriculum, but not without controversy.

Asserting that teaching American histor y in a negative light is unpatriotic, the Trump Administration had created their own 1776 commission, which filed a report two days before Trump left office. The commission was unceremoniously canned by President Biden, and

their findings have been criticized by the press.

This is not a debate spearheaded by Gen Z by any means, but it does illuminate the sorts of battles the first Zoomer parents will be thrust into. Do we plan to embrace progressive, inclusive, and challenging curriculum or will we cling to the sugar-coated truths force-fed to us during our schooling?

T he potent ia l for educat iona l upheaval does not end at history, but carries through in all facets of the learning system. Should math still hold the same sort of prevalence in an age of smartphone calculators? Does the literature we teach put too much emphasis on authors of narrow backgrounds? Is the reliance on standardized testing too archaic? How coveted should extracurriculars be? W hat about Physical Education? Is it time to add new classes on things like programming or social media use? With a new crop of parents comes a chance to reexamine these questions and many more.

Yet, while it is nice to imagine that the injection of a new generation of values will help to shore up deficiencies and gaps in our education system, there are also pitfalls to be war y of. In general, members of Generation Z are aging into an economic system with fewer opportunities and dominated by corporatism.

The inf luence of corporations and private wealth into the realm of education provides a powerful competing interest to any dialogues on educational reform, and it is unsure if it is for the better.

For example, a recent piece by The New York Ti mes deta i l i ng t he issues within labor at Amazon explored the inf luence of the mega-company in education. As the article explains, students in one San Bernardino high school are offered classes in A ma zon logistics and business management as part of pos-

sible career paths to study. Students in t his prog ra m wea r A ma zon bra nded shirts, take tours of the facilities, and learn other skills that would allow them to transition into the Amazon workforce after high school. Of course, this program is also partially funded by Amazon. On the one hand, with the economy so uncertain for young people it is hard to shun programs designed to help prepare students for entering the workforce.

On the other hand, it feels incredibly… icky? Should our schools be for providing knowledge and inspiring our youth to be curious about the world around them or should it solely be for training the best worker bees possible? I don’t know if anyone, Gen Z parents included, knows the answer.

W hatever the case, thinking deeply about these questions will be necessary for structuring the future of our nation’s educational system. Each new generation leaves their mark on the ones that follow, and schooling is one of the primary ways this impact is felt. We must remember, ever y child we put through the school system we design will grow up to be an adult we interact with. They will become adults who engage us in conversation, work in the cubicles next door to us, and help steward the Earth with us.

With that in mind, do we really want to mess up their education?

Opinions expressed in The Nevada Sagebrush are solely those of the author and do not necessarily express the views of the Sagebrush or its staff. Vincent Rendon is a student at the University of Nevada studying political science. He can be reached at vrendon@sagebrush.unr.edu and on Twitter @VinceSagebrush.

W hat happened in Texas shows us that we are truly not prepared. If you accept the word of pretty much any climate scientist, you’d understand that predictions for the next few decades include a massive uptick of climate- related emergencies. Even if we were to make huge steps to curb emissions and other wise mitigate t he worst of climate change, the world is in for a rough one no matter what. Wildfires, hurricanes, f loods, blizzards—these things are already wrecking us and are only going to intensif y.

Luckily, we are doing everything we can to prepare ourselves for these calamities!

Right? Right? We’ve had weeks worth of discourse about how Texas wasn’t prepared for the storm when they should’ve been, which is true, but literally nowhere in this country is ready for the climate disasters of this scale. Pretty much all of our infrastructure is in disrepair, our houses are made out of ply wood and dreams, and the government still hasn’t managed to build up beefier responses to any of this. If a tornado hits my house tomorrow, I would not even be surprised anymore.

I’ll stop hating on new Universit y buildings. Admittedly, I have been deeply critical in the past each time the university added a shiny new building. After all, my tuition is super high, I’m in debt, parts of the campus are in disrepair … why do we need a multi-million dollar facility? However, I have had a change of heart. My ire was directed at the wrong thing. Our universities should have shiny and new buildings and I should not be in debt, tuition should be low, the rest of the campus should be in good working order, and so forth. Ultimately, these do not need to be one-or-the-other situations; t. The fact that they are is just a consequence of education’s lack of importance in our nation. So, instead of being mad at the buildings, I am choosing to be mad at the budgets instead.

No thoughts, just vibes. Lately I’ve been going entire days without hav ing a single thought. I’ve gone completely empty headed and it is quite fun. As much as I am a firm believer that thinking is important and that we all need to spend more time t hink ing deeper … t here’s something deeply addicting about not thinking. It’s a worrisome habit that becomes a lot easier to sink into when you don’t have to leave the house. Yet, I encourage everyone to try not thinking for a day. It’s quite refreshing to let the good vibes run through you.

Opinions expressed in The Nevada Sagebrush are solely those of the author and do not necessarily express the views of the Sagebrush or its staff. Vincent Rendon is a student at the University of Nevada studying political science. He can be reached at vrendon@sagebrush.unr.edu and on Twitter @VinceSagebrush.

Sports

FRIDAY, MARCH 5, 2021

SPORTS | A7

@SagebrushSports | nevadasagebrush.com

Nevada Athletics

Both Nevada men's and women's basketball teams have postponed or canceled multiple contests due to COVID-19 issues.

Nevada Athletics continues COVID-19 testing and safety guidance

By Madeleine Chinery

Nevada Athletics

Sophomore guard Da'Ja Hamilton and the Nevada women's basketball team are making a late push toward postseason seeding.

Nevada women’s basketball making late push towards postseason seeding

By Isaiah Burrows

The Nevada women’s basketball team has found its stride at the perfect time.

Winners of three straight games, the Wolf Pack swept Utah State Wednesday, Feb. 24 and Thursday, Feb. 25 at Lawlor Events Center. Nevada (11-8 overall, 7-7 in conference) can clich a No. 6 seed and potential first-round bye in the Mountain West Tournament with at least one victory over Air Force on March 3 and March 5.

Led by sophomore guard Da’Ja Hamilton, Nevada has found a balanced offensive attack.

Hamilton’s 14.5 points per game leads the team on 38.2 percent shooting from the field and 32.2 percent shooting from 3-point range this season.

Hamilton has taken a massive jump in her offensive performance dating back to her freshman year, but several other Wolf Pack members have made their contributions on the offensive end. Junior guard Amaya West (9.5 ppg) is second on the team in scoring along with senior guards LaPraisjah Johnson (8.6 ppg) and Nia Alexander (8.5 ppg). The contributions continue with sophomore Leta Otuafi averaging 7.9 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.

Nevada has six players averaging at least 7.0 points per game on the season, and it’s translated to high-scoring performances against con-

Nevada Athletics

Nevada guard Grant Sherfield has a strong case for the Mountain West Men's Basketball Player of the Year award.

Nevada’s Grant Sherfield makes case for MPOY award

By Isaiah Burrows It didn’t take long for Nevada guard Grant Sherfield to make his impact felt in Reno.

A transfer from Wichita State, Sherfield has filled the state sheet with the Nevada men’s basketball team this season, and could be well on his way to earning the Mountain West Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Year award.

The 6-foot-2 sophomore leads the conference with 397 points on the year (18.9 points per game) and 6.2 assists per game. Sherfield scored a career-high 29 points on 9-of-18 shooting in a victory against Boise State Feb. 7. He also leads the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio at (2.6) and free throw percentage (88.9) this season.

A native of Fort Worth, Texas, Sherfield and Nevada

ference opponents. Nevada ranks second in the conference as a team from the free throw line at 77.6 percent.

The Wolf Pack also have held their own on the boards, pulling down 41.4 rebounds per game for fourth place in the conference. Opponents have imposed their will against Nevada at points this season, but the team’s recent defensive stretches can create some momentum heading into the conference tournament. Nevada ranks seventh in the conference in steals (126) and ninth in blocked shots (49) on the season.

With just two games left in the regular season, Nevada’s improved play of late can potentially land it a first-round bye in the Mountain West Tournament. Air Force has struggled mightily during the 2020-21 campaign. The Falcons are ninth in conference at 6-14 overall and 3-11 in conference play. Nevada can take advantage with its potent offensive attack and improved defensive intensity.

The Wolf Pack are playing some of their best basketball of the season against a struggling Air Force squad. With one win in the two-game series, Nevada can take full advantage of its seeding in the tournament and be a tough matchup for any conference opponent.

Is a i a h Bu r r ow s c a n b e re a c h e d a t i b u r r ow s @ sagebrush.unr.edu or on Twitter @IsaiahBurrows_. head coach Steve Alford have had close ties before his arriva l w it h t he Wolf Pack. Sherf ield committed to UCLA—where Alford coached from 2013-2018— coming out of Sunrise Christian Academy as a senior. Alford was fired before Sherfield committed and instead settled with Wichita State his freshman year.

Sherfield and Alford reconnected at Nevada this season, and his input on a nightly basis has pushed the Wolf Pack into a potential top seed heading into the Mountain West Tournament. Alford knew Sherfield was a special culmination of talent as soon as he stepped foot on campus.

“Grant had initially committed to us at UCLA, so he and the family have an established relationship with me. I’m excited to have him in the beginning of our culture building,” Alford said before the 2020-21 season.

“He’s a tremendous individual with a great work ethic.

He stands for all the things we want in a student-athlete.

This is a huge addition to our program.”

Sherfield hasn’t disappointed with his on-court performance. He is the driving force of Nevada with his combo scoring ability in the paint and from outside. His patience and vision in the half-court set gets fellow Wolf Pack teammates wide open looks, and he’s showcased true leadership qualities on the f loor.

When the regular season comes to a close, Sherfiled has the resumé to potentially earn the Mountain West Men’s Basketball Player of the Year. The combo guard is faced with against upper-escelant players within the conference such as Utah State’s Neemias Queta and Boise State’s Derrick Alston Jr. Sherfield has the upper hand in several statistical categories, but Queta is arguably the best player on the top team in the conference, which could earn him more first-place votes as a result.

Sherfield and the 14-7 Wolf Pack (9-5 in conference) have a chance to clinch a top-four seed in the Mountain West Tournament scheduled for March 10-13. If Sherfield continues his dominant performance while Nevada improves in the standings during the regular season, the conference may have no choice but to award him the trophy when all is said and done.

Is a i a h Bu r r ow s c a n b e re a c h e d a t i b u r r ow s @ sagebrush.unr.edu or on Twitter @IsaiahBurrows_.

A s t he coronav i r u s pa nde m ic c ont inues, Nevada At hletic s ha s ex tended a nd mod i f ied t hei r sa fet y g uidelines a nd test ing protocol for at h letes, coaches and staff members as they prepare to ret u r n to play du r i ng the spring semester.

L a s t s e me s t e r, every fall sport with the e xc ept ion of foot ba l l and men’s and women’s ba sketba l l were postponed until the spring.

Now, they will be able to have their season, along with the spring sports.

Since the football team had t heir season, t hey w i l l be goi ng t hroug h t hei r of f-sea son practices this spring.

According to Athletic Director Doug Knuth, the program expects ever y postponed a nd r e g u l a r l y- s c he duled spor t to compete t h i s semester. “Ever y single tea m w ill be either working out, practicing and preparing for t heir season or w ill be in season like men’s and women’s basketball and t r ack a re r ig ht now,” Knuth said.

Most tea ms a re competing in the Mounta i n West conferenceonly format seen during t he 2020 footba l l season. Nor ma l ly, tea ms would play against noncon ference schools i n addit ion to t hei r conference schedule. This change means the seasons will be shorter and have less travel. In the fa l l, t he at h let ic program followed the testing guidelines set by the Mou nt a i n We s t C onference. In t he w i nter and spring, they transitioned to their own testing protocol.

Nev ada At h letics’ testing protocol requires athletes and staff to test negative through t he a nt igen test, a l so known as the rapid test, in order to par ticipate in an event. If t he test comes back positive, a PCR test is done for confirmation. According to the CDC, rapid tests are r e a s on a bl y a c c u r a t e , but the PCR test is seen as the golden standard w it h h ig her accu rac y.

Risk evaluation is also a factor in testing, Knuth s a i d . H i g he r c ont a c t spor t s w i l l be te ste d three times a week and l ow er c ont a c t s p or t s w i l l be tested once a week.

Sports that are seen as h ig her r i sk a re t hose played inside and where players a re i n close proximity, such as basketba l l a nd vol leyba l l.

Lower r isk spor ts l i ke those played outside in-

clude golf, cross country, and tennis.

“We follow all of the CDC recommendations w it h hand washi ng, socia l d ista nci ng a n d m a s k w e a r i n g ,” Knuth said. “On top of that, we have the Mountain West rules related to host i ng ga mes a nd compet it ions, a nd we have depa r t ment a nd university rules for bus, pla ne a nd c a r t r avel .

There’s a lot of layers to it.”

St udent at h le t e s a nd staff are expected to follow t he set guidelines, a nd discipl i ne w i l l be dealt with on a case-bybase.

“We wa nt ever yone to fol low t he CDC g uidelines and the rules, and if our athletes, coaches or sta f f do not fol low t hem, we w i l l have to have a conversat ion with them and get them to understand why this is so important,” Knuth said.

K nut h k nows t here c ou ld be pe ople w ho decide not to follow the r u le s due to per s ona l choice, a nd i f t hey do not c ompl y, t hei r el ig ibi l it y cou ld be i n question. According to Knuth, this hasn’t been an issue yet. “ We ’r e n o t g o i n g t o put other people, their tea m mates, coaches a nd ou r st a f f at r i s k if t hey do not wa nt to comply,” Knuth said.

K nut h s a id t he v i r u s has shown the strength of t hei r at h lete s a nd that their protocols and guidelines appear to be working.

“We’ve had a few cases where we’ve had some positive tests,” he said. “ T h r ou g h mo s t of i t we d id n’t h av e a lot of spread a rou nd t he tea ms or depart ments, so I think our protocols have been good and we will continue along that path.”

So far, men’s and women’s basketball have endured a f lurr y of game post ponement s a nd ca ncel lat ions because of coronav irus contact t raci ng protocol s a nd v i r us concer ns on t he Ne v ada side a nd opposing teams. All other sports have been able to compete without many issues.

Madeleine Chinery can be reached at mchinery@sagebrush. unr.edu or on Twitter @ mchinery6

Gameday

@SagebrushSports | nev nevaadasagebrush.com

SPORTS | A8

FRIDAY, MARCH 5, 2021

Nevada men’s and women’s basketball series canceled or rescheduled

By Madeleine Chinery

Nevada Athletics

Nevada women’s cross country member Hiley Dobbs (pink) emphasizes nutrition to improve her skill set.

An in-depth look: What fuels a Nevada student-athlete?

By Isaiah Burrows

Spring sports are under way for t he Nevada Wolf Pack, and two progra ms in particular are training more than ever to recover f rom a lost 2020 season.

The Nevada women’s track and field team and men’s and women’s cross c ou nt r y t e a m s a r e i n the midst of a busy 2021 ca mpa ig n. Ba r r i ng a ny unforeseen setbacks, womens’ track and field will compete i n t wo i ndoor championships followed by seven meets throughout the outdoor season.

The men’s and women’s cross country teams finished their first meets of t he season Fr iday, Feb. 19 and are set to compete at t he Mou nt a i n We st Cha mpionsh ips Fr iday, Ma rch 5 i n L a s Vega s, Nev. Bot h c r os s c ou nt r y t e a m s r u n mor e t h a n 1,000 m i les du r i ng t he season, whi le members of the women’s track and f ield tea m compete i n s e v er a l h i g h-i nt en s it y competitions.

T hat begs t he question: What fuels a Nevada cross cou nt r y or t rack and field athlete to train at such a high level?

Ta ke f i f t h-yea r st udent Hiley Dobbs for exa mple, who has logged personal bests and high place f i nishes w it h t he Nev ada women’s cross country team since 2016.

Nutrition has remained a key component in sustaining her performance.

“I wou ld n’t be able to sustain any thing if it wasn’t for how I fuel my b od y,” s he s a id . “O u r diets play into our endurance across t he season.

It’s not getting t hrough that one run or workout, fueling yourself each day propels your recovery.”

Dobbs isn’t a lone in her focus on properly fueling her body in order to maximize her skill set.

Eating nutritious mea ls at certain times is a common t heme for cer ta i n members of the track and f ield a nd cross count r y sports at Nevada. ‘It keeps me going throughout my training’ E at i ng b e f or e e a c h meet, workouts, events or training sessions are a helpf u l technique for certain Nevada studentat h lete s. Ky le E l i a s, a freshman and men’s cross countr y member, makes sure to eat lighter meals and foods beforehand for sustained energy. “ It k e e p s m e g oing throughout my training,” Elias said. “I’ve been into somet hi ng l i ke a bagel and cream cheese lately t hat’s quick and easy. I like going lighter because

it keeps me on my toes a bit more, that’s why I eat so close to my training. ” Complex c a rbohydrates remain front and center before any physical exercise to help maximize the body’s use of glycogen before short-andhigh intensity workouts.

Endurance is just one of t he ma ny requirements needed from a track and field or cross country athlete, and carbs are a beneficial source to sustain energy.

During her tenure at Nevada, Dobbs has found a liking for meals before a run or training session.

A staple of hers is a “supercharged” bowl of oatmeal loaded with protein powder, hemp, chia and f la x seeds to power her through the day.

“Oats are a great thing for me before my runs or workouts,” she sa id. “It settles well with me. I’ll add some protein powder to it for more high endura nce workout s for t he day, or even mix in chocolate chips, hemp, chia and f lax seeds. It’s supercharged for me through those sessions.”

Heading into her senior year on the Nevada women’s track and field team, five-time All-American winner Nicola Ader has incorporated recipes from her home country of Affolterbach, Germany.

A de r ’s pr e -w or k out food s i nclude a heav y dose of c a rbohyd r ates a nd vegetables to help add to her decorated Wolf Pack career.

“I grew up having lots of nut r it ious food back home f rom my g r a ndmother and that’s stayed with me,” she said. “I’ve i nc or p or at e d s ome of t hose recipes to ma ke sure I eat things like rice, p ot a t o e s , q u i no a a nd pasta all with vegetables before events. Those were staples for me.”

‘Recovery is everything’ After a heav y amount of physica l act iv it y, recover y is crucia l w it h a bev y of nutritious meals to choose f rom high in protei n. Dobbs pra ises the university for its postworkout protein shakes.

She aims for more protein through eggs and cheese i n h e r p o s t- w o r k o u t meals.

“G et t i ng t hose protein shakes in for me is a great resource t he university offers to us,” she said. “Recovery is everything, so I’ll get home and ma ke some sc r a mble d eggs with cheese and veggies, which are one of my favorite easy sources of protein.” As a f irst-year college student, Elias is adjusting to his new surrou nd i ngs. T hat t ra nslates to his meals, where he uses T he Wol f Den, student dining facility at the University of Nevada,

Reno to his advantage. Following a training session, Elias gets his necessary caloric intake through a variety of proteins and vegetables.

“That place is k ind of like my hub,” he said. “I try to use it to my advantage right now to get those veggies and proteins in after my sessions … I just try to get in as many calories as I ca n t here t hrough different meats and stuff. It’s somet hing new, and it’s been going well.”

Ader applies the same approach to her diet after workouts, aiming for substantial proteins and fats during and after events.

“After weights I tr y to get something more substantial,” Ader said. “Getting protein and fats will benefit my recover y. I tr y to plan those things up and eat.”

‘It’s a balance’ Ma inta ining your physica l hea lt h t h roug h nutrition takes dedication and discipline. Life takes place out side of spor t s, and student-athletes must balance their eating habit s w it h jobs, cla ss a nd other activities or responsibilities. Dobbs takes the time to prepare her meals t hroug hout t he week i n order to su st a i n her healthy lifestyle.

“I’ve lea r ned it ta kes discipline to plan my meals before I’m hungry,” Dobbs said. “The will to cook and prepare nutritious mea ls for my workouts isn’t there when I’m hungr y. I want t hat i mmediate sat isfaction, so being prepared is key for me.”

Ader sa id she has lea r ned to l isten to her body, and the results will follow. “I rely on my gut i nst i nct more t ha n a nyt hing,” Ader sa id. “It’s a balance. If you pay attention to your body and what it needs, I t hink it helps you fulfill those physical goals you want to achieve.”

Rega rdless of t he circumsta nces, nut r it ion is at t he foref ront of t hei r performance. It aids and at h letes ener g y stor age before training and recover y a f ter wa rds. To be at your physical best, a bala nced nut r it iona l pa late is required. It will have a substantial role throughout the track and field and cross countr y seasons at Nevada.

“I t r y to l isten to my body a lot and one of those ways is through my diet,” El ias sa id. “I t hi n k t hat goes for everyone else too.”

Is a i a h Bu r row s c a n b e re a c h e d a t i b u r r ow s @ sagebrush.unr.edu or on Twitter @IsaiahBurrows_.

For t he p a s t t h r e e weeks, men’s and women’s ba sketba l l tea ms have postponed games due to coronav irus related concer ns on t he Nev ada side. Most of the games have been rescheduled and canceled games will be declared as “no contest”.

T he delays occur red a s t he men were r idi ng a fou r ga me w i n st rea k a f ter defeat i ng riva ls UNLV and Boise State. The men’s tea m was forced to push back m at c he s a g a i n s t S a n Jose State and Colorado State. The women have canceled their contests against San Jose State, Colorado State a nd postponed t heir series versus Air Force.

The men’s tea m had t r av ele d t o S a n Jo s e State for their two game series against the Spartans when it was found that one member of the group had tested positive for the virus on Feb. 12. The tea m t hen re-

turned to Reno and began to isolate themselves.

On the women’s team, a fa lse posit ive f rom a r a pid t e s t c au s e d t he delay against Air Force.

Due to the testing protocol fol lowed by Nevada At h let ic s, a seconda r y PCR test was conducted which ca me back negat ive. Nevada was or ig ina l ly scheduled to play the Falcons in December 2020 but postponed until 2021 due to positive cases on the Falcons team.

A previously scheduled ma ke-up ga me aga i nst San Jose State on March 3 has also been canceled because of positive test results on t he Spartans side. Nev ada w i l l play Colorado State on March 5 a nd t he women w i l l now travel to Air Force on March 3 and 4.

Games that were origin a l l y p o s t p one d wer e likely canceled because of the limited time before t he conference championship tournament.

After two rounds of negative test results, the Wolf Pack t r avele d to Ut a h

State on Feb. 26 and Feb. 28 marking the men’s first game in 19 days. The men lost both games to the Aggies, fa lling short 75-72 and 87-66 respectively.

The women’s team returned to action w it h a strong 63-40 win against Utah State on Feb. 24 and went on to sweep the Aggies in a 73-60 victory on Feb. 25.

In November, the women’s team had to cancel t heir f irst match of t he season against San Francisco because of contact t r ac i ng protocol s. T he ga me was not rescheduled.

T h e Mou nt a i n We s t Conference women’s bask e t b a l l c h a m pi on s h i p will be held on March 7-10 in Las Vegas followed by the men’s championship from March 10-13.

T he at h let ic depa r tment has not disclosed the identities or number of positive cases among the basketball teams.

Madeleine Chinery can be reached at mchinery@sagebrush.unr.edu or on Twitter @mchinery6.

Nevada Athletics Student-athletes and staff on postponed and regularly scheduled sports teams undergo weekly testing and follow guidelines to ensure safety.

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