The Lumberjack -- May 4, 2017

T H E L U MBE R JAC K

MAY 4, 2017 - MAY 10, 2017

C HALLE N G I N G C H EN G PAGE 4-6

From the Editor

Online at JackCentral.org

A

s graduation quickly approaches, many of us graduates have gone into full panic mode. The stress of finals is nothing compared to the panic that has settled in front of the prospect of our future.

I have sat in my room wondering what my next move will be and how will I put my skills to use. Then I realized that I am finished after years of memorizing, flash cards and late nights. This accomplishment may not seem to like a lot to many, but to my family it it is huge step into their “American Dream.”

Growing up with immigrant parents taught me about the value of a struggle. I was raised to take advantage of every opportunity that was handed to me whether or not I liked it. My parents are some of the most incredible human beings I have ever admired. I was raised in an environment where family and education came first.

During this time in our nation, many people have developed negative stereotypes of immigrants and their motives. Every race, country and religion has a batch of sour grapes. I want to encourage individuals to embrace diversity with an open mind. My parents did not leave their family behind at 12 years old to come destroy this country. They came to better their future and allow their children to live a better life. I am not asking this country to allow every single person who wants to enter but our immigration policy needs a lot more beneficial process than a wall and a ban. In order to progress as a nation we must accept our place in this JACQUELINE world.

CASTILLO I learn and experience visually, and that is how I hope to help this planet.

DIRECTOR OF VISUALS People ignore the damage that is created because it is not sitting on their front lawn. I thank my parents every day for risking their lives to allow me to be sitting here writing this letter about my goals. They allowed me to gain these skills and create these visions.

That path led me to The Lumberjack, where I have been able to express and create things I am passionate it about.

My two years with this publication has tested my confidence, but also nurtured me into expanding my abilities. It makes me so sad to say goodbye but I will cherish my time here.

“Please don’t feel badly. You didn’t fail.”

— Coconino county superior court judge dan slayton to the jury, 2017

P.S. My parents passed their U.S. citizenship test in February.

Thank you for reading.

LJ

Judge Dan Slayton rules that the State of Arizona v. Steven Edward Jones is a mistrial May 2.

The jury felt that no further deliberation or instruction could lead them to a verdict.

Halie Chavez | The Lumberjack Phone: (928) 523-4921 Fax: (928) 523-9313

T H E LU MBE R JACK

Editor-in-Chief Scott Buffon Faculty Advisor Mary Tolan

lumberjack@nau.edu P.O. Box 6000 Flagstaff, AZ 86011

VOL 104 ISSUE 15

Managing Editor Rachel Dexter Faculty Advisor, Visuals Jennifer Swanson

Director of Visuals Jacqueline Castillo Sales Manager Marsha Simon

Student Media Center Editorial Board Director of Illustration Alanna Secrest

Asst. News Editor Conor Sweetman Sports Editor Peter Kersting

Asst. Features Editor Makenna Lepowsky Culture Editor Kari Scott

Copy Chief Hannah Noelle Cook

Asst. Sports Editor Lance Hartzler

Asst. Culture Editor Darrion Edwards

Director of Multimedia Gabriel Granillo

News Editor Sunday Miller

Features Editor Ariel Cianfarano

Opinion-Editorial Editor Emma Helfrich

Print Chief Matthew Strissel

Director of Photography Halie Chavez

Asst. Opinion-Editorial Editor Elizabeth Wendler Director of Social Media Allysia Lara

2 T HE LUMBER JACK | JACKCEN T R AL .ORG

On the cover NAU President Rita Cheng addresses a crowd of students, faculty and community members at a Solidarity March in front of Old Main Oct. 13, 2015. The event was held to honor the victims of the NAU shooting at NAU Oct. 9, 2015. Anna Bradley | The Lumberjack

Corrections & Clarifications The Lumberjack is committed to factual correctness and accuracy. If you find an error in our publication, please email Scott Buffon at swb53@nau.edu.

PoliceBeat

April 24 At 12:03 a.m, a student in Tinsley Hall called NAUPD to report someone screaming outside the dorm. An officer checked the area but could not find anyone in distress.

At 3:12 a.m., a passerby reported a student on the roof of the University Union.

FFD, NAUPD and a GMT ambulance responded and made contact with the intoxicated student.

The student was taken to FMC for treatment and cited for trespassing and minor in consumption of alcohol.

At 12:09 p.m., staff in the Health Sciences building reported the theft of computer chargers and a toaster. An NAUPD officer responded and took the report. The theft occurred on an unknown date.

The case was closed.

April 25 At 2:06 a.m., a student in Sechrist Hall requested a welfare check on their friend who was posting concerning Snapchat messages. NAUPD searched and located the student in good health.

Everything was fine.

At 12:29 p.m., a staff member in the University Union reported a possible fight. A student had been assaulted, but NAUPD was unable to locate the suspect.

At 12:57 p.m., a student in Hilltop Townhomes reported being in a physical altercation with another student. NAUPD responded, and one student was arrested and booked into the Coconino County Detention Facility for assault, domestic violence and criminal damage.

At 3:47 p.m., a student in the University Union reported a subject damaging their personal property. NAUPD responded, but the student

did not wish to file a report.

The two involved exchanged information, and the subject was warned about trespassing on campus.

April 26 At 12:06 a.m., a passerby reported two subjects looking into parked vehicles in parking lot 33. NAUPD made contact with the subjects near the intersection of Franklin Avenue and Fountaine Street.

One subject was cited for an MIC, possession of drug paraphernalia and driving in the wrong lane. The other subject was cited for minor in possession of alcohol and drug paraphernalia.

Compiled by Conor Sweetman possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. The other two students were deferred for use of marijuana.

At 10:58 p.m., staff reported that a bulletin board had been pulled off of a wall in McConnell Hall. NAUPD responded and made contact with two students. One student was cited for criminal damage and the other student was cited for theft.

April 28 At 5:01 a.m., NAUPD received two blue-phone calls near the Babbitt Academic building, but nothing was heard. NAUPD went to check out the area and made contact At 11:49 p.m., staff with a student. The student was in Cline Library reported a given a ride to an off-campus subject with an open container address. Everything was fine. of alcohol inside the building.

NAUPD responded and made At 4:14 p.m., an NAUPD contact with the subject who officer reported finding two was arrested and booked into sleeping subjects in lot 3. No Coconino County jail on an criminal activity was observed. outstanding warrant.

The officer woke up the subjects, and they left the area.

April 27 At 1:02 a.m., a At 5:30 p.m., an RA at concerned passerby reported Campus Heights reported a an intoxicated subject near subject sleeping on a bench.

McKay Village. NAUPD An NAUPD officer responded, responded and made contact and the subject was awakened with the subject. The subject and booked into CCSO jail for was fine, and a friend arrived trespassing. to take them home.

April 30 At 3:26 p.m., a student At 3:06 a.m., NAUPD reported a subject sitting by initiated a traffic stop at the the entrance of Cline Library intersection of Lone Tree yelling at people. NAUPD Road and Pine Knoll Drive. A responded, but the subject was student was cited for a DUI to gone upon arrival. the slightest degree, DUI above .08, extreme DUI and super At 5:30 p.m., NAUPD extreme DUI. An additional assisted FFD with containing a citation was given for driving fire at Citizens Cemetery. Two in the wrong lane. Everything students were educated on fire was way too lit. regulations.

At 3:57 p.m., a passerby At 10:15 p.m., a resident reported several subjects in all assistant reported the odor black near the Lutz Telescope. of marijuana in McConnell An NAUPD officer made Hall. NAUPD responded contact with the group. The and made contact with subjects were ROTC members three students. One student setting up exercise equipment. was criminally deferred for

NEWS

President Cheng’s policies concern faculty Adrian Skabelund

N

AU has been rocked by a number of controversies this semester, including harassment of faculty, the blackface incident and the administration’s decision against raising the minimum wage. These controversies tested the relationships between faculty, students and the administration.

Much of the tension between faculty and the administration is due to unhappiness with NAU President Rita Cheng and the direction she seems to be taking the university. To explain their concerns, faculty point to everything from the sudden departure of administrators, loss of tenure-track positions, and the centralization of university services.

The Lumberjack contacted nearly a dozen faculty members who expressed concerns about the president, but many were afraid to speak on the record. One faculty member cited “a chilling institutional atmosphere regarding dissent.”

In a May 2 statement, Cheng denounced harassment and said she supported academic freedom. But Mara Pfeffer, a parttime faculty member teaching first-year seminar, who is leaving her teaching job after this semester for graduate school, said that in her time teaching at NAU, she has seen just the opposite.

“They don’t want classes to encourage social activism which makes teaching social justice really difficult,” said Pfeffer.

Pfeffer recalled times when she was told by the administration that she could not have the word “activism” in the title of her classes. Other times, she had to change content in her syllabus or risk the class’s renewal for the next semester. Even more concerning for Pfeffer is the seeming lack of transparency in how these decisions are being made.

“Upper administration doesn’t want to support student activism on campus,” Pfeffer said.

President Rita Cheng is followed after an official function by media and protesters requesting a statement on NAU’s use of fossil fuels April 28, 2016. J. Daniel Hud | The Lumberjack

Cheng’s stance echoes policies endorsed by the Arizona Board of Regents and the Arizona State Legislature. Retired NAU political science professor Harriet Young said this trend has been supported by “alt-right” groups and individuals, like conservative brothers Charles and David Koch, who are pushing to reduce funding for traditional higher education.

For Nishant Upadhyay, who teaches women’s and gender studies and is also leaving NAU after this semester, one of the most concerning events was the recent departure of Carmen Phelps, NAU’s first chief diversity officer, in early March. Phelps had only worked at NAU for seven months. Upadhyay said the departure of Phelps raises serious questions about the track the university is on when it comes to diversity.

“It is questionable about what [Phelps’] role was and whether or not she was being supported in that role in the university,” Upadhyay said. “It seems like they failed to support her in the ways she needed to be supported in order to do this work.”

Pfeffer agreed, pointing to how Phelps’s departure was followed by comments from Cheng in opposition to safe spaces.

“That doesn’t look good to me,” Pfeffer said, adding that she did not see NAU committing to either diversity or academic freedom.

For many faculty, including Upadhyay, Phelps’ departure raises more than just a question of Cheng’s commitment to diversity. It also illustrates a worrying trend when it comes to retention of key people on campus. In December 2016, NAU’s provost Jim Coleman suddenly resigned.

The only public explanation for his departure has been that it was “a mutual decision.” His departure, however, adds to the growing list of faculty members who have either prematurely resigned or retired during Cheng’s tenure, which was one of many issues that led Cheng to leave her previous university. (For more information, see article on Page 5) Neither Coleman nor Phelps responded to The Lumberjack’s requests for comments.

Upadhyay said one should look at the departure of Phelps, “given the larger context of how many other people have resigned or have left the university in the last few months.”

Since 2009, tenure and tenure-track faculty have decreased, while non-tenure positions have increased. Tenure-track positions, as opposed to non-tenure track, provide stability, significantly higher pay and the increased likelihood to teach fewer classes and do more research.

In 2009, there were 556 tenure and tenure-track positions, and 233 non-tenure positions. In 2016, there were 529 tenure and tenure-track positions, and 516 non-tenure positions, according to NAU Institutional Research and Analysis.

On April 28, approximately 30 faculty held a meeting in the basement of Majerle’s Sports Grill in downtown Flagstaff in order to “reclaim [their] rightful place at the table of faculty governance,” according to the flyer advertising the event.

The exclusive meeting — The Lumberjack sent a reporter who was not allowed in — was organized by the NAU chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP).

The flyer also described NAU’s administration as “toxic,

4 T H E L U M BE R JACK | JACKC E N T R A L . ORG

dismissive and divisive,” and that it had “seriously degraded the collegiality that for so long has made NAU a gratifying place to teach.”

Upadhyay agreed that the issue of faculty governance is also a concern, one they have been feeling for some time. Upadhyay said he and his colleagues are particularly concerned about the Faculty Senate and how much power it really has.

“It seems like the Faculty Senate doesn’t really have that much power left in the structure. It’s troubling,” Upadhyay said. “It’s troubling that [senators] came out with a few different petitions and letters in the last few months, and the administration has not responded.”

One example is the passage of a petition calling for NAU to be a sanctuary campus, which one anonymous faculty member perceived as being ignored by the administration. Cheng did not respond directly to the letter and did not designate the university a sanctuary campus; however, she did sign the Pomona College statement of support for the DACA program.

In addition, the flyer listed a number of recent incidents that faculty members have seen as concerning. In addition to the frustration regarding Cheng’s silence on harassment issues, the flyer mentioned the departure of Phelps, the increase of nontenure track faculty and the recent initiatives to centralize jobs previously done by individual departments. For many faculty and staff, this centralization meant nothing more than less autonomy for departments and longer wait times when problems regarding technology arise.

But more than this, many faculty have said they are unhappy with Cheng’s style of running the university. Diana Wilkinson, a former member of the School of Nursing who retired last year, said many faculty felt “micromanaged.”

Since Cheng started at NAU, the Information and Technology Services has been centralized and is no longer run by departments. The scheduling of classrooms was also centralized, and Cheng mandated that departments schedule 25 percent of classes in non-peak hours in the future. Non-peak hours are classes held before 9 a.m. and after 4 p.m. Centralization is popular across the country as universities streamline operations to save money.

But Wilkinson said that Cheng’s control goes even further than this. She described how, in some departments, Cheng mandated when faculty come into work.

“It came up in a faculty meeting that the faculty had to be there, I’m going to say, 8 to 5,” Wilkinson said. “When you have people who are that qualified to do the work, they should be able to handle that kind of scheduling themselves.

“There was less autonomy for the faculty, less autonomy as far as taking care of what they needed to take care of. Everything had to come across [Cheng’s] desk, as far as new hires or [firing people to], which is a little unusual. That whole process is [usually] more internal.”

The Lumberjack reached out to Kimberly Ott, the assistant to the president for executive communications and media relations, for comment. She didn’t respond to specific questions but referred to the May 2 statement released by email to the NAU community.

NEWS

NAU President denounces harassment, but is it enough?

Adrian Skabelund

I

n recent weeks, the issue of harassment has been front and center on campus. Some of these controversies have thrust NAU into the national spotlight. Targeted faculty say they have been left to fend for themselves with little help from administration.

President Rita Cheng and the university administration have been silent on the issue of harassment, until a statement from Cheng was sent out via email to the NAU community on the evening of May 2. But the statement may be too late for those looking for support during the time of their harassment.

“Because of the lack of support, it’s definitely made me more afraid to go to events [on] social justice,” said an anonymous faculty member before the statement was published. “It’s made it a lot scarier in the classroom too.”

At the end of March, English professor Anne Scott garnered national attention when she took one point off a student’s paper for failing to use gender-neutral language, citing her syllabus, MLA format and university policy.

The student, Cailin Jeffers, felt she had been treated unfairly and reported the incident to Campus Reform, a conservativeleaning website that focuses on bias in higher education. Soon, the story was reported on national news outlets like Fox News, and Scott also began to receive waves of online harassment and threats.

Some students have also taken to recording professors, both in and out of the classroom. This is legal under Arizona state law and allowed by the university, but many faculty say recording them inhibits their academic freedom.

The practice of recording can be shrouded in ambiguity because the person recording the video isn’t often identifiable. This leaves faculty members and students alike feeling threatened. It has also raised concerns about freedom of speech in the classroom.

Earlier this semester, NAU student Mark Holden recorded an instance where he was allegedly removed from a classroom because he was reading the Bible just before his United States history class taught by assistant professor Heather Martel.

In an email to Holden, included in the April 27 Campus Reform article, Martel provided another reason for the student’s removal.

According to the article, Martel said the student was being disruptive in class and using hate speech prior to the incident.

Martel, however, declined to comment when The Lumberjack asked about the incident.

As the story continues to gain traction, Martel and Derek Heng, the chair for the History Department, say they have been harassed. At this time, neither Cheng nor the administration has made any statement on this specific incident.

The President’s Distinguished Teaching Fellows and members of the Teaching Academy, two groups on campus who describe themselves as a body of well-trained and committed faculty, addressed what they see as growing concerns April 21.

The Distinguished Teaching Fellows and the Teaching Academy drafted a letter asking the administration to respond to the harassment Scott is experiencing, as well as to other instances

of perceived harassment. The letter outlined how the lack of a statement from the administration has left many faculty members feeling abandoned when facing harassment. The letter was signed by 25 faculty members prior to Cheng’s May 2 statement.

The Lumberjack reached out to a number of faculty who helped draft the letter but all declined to comment. “[The faculty] strongly believe that these harassment

Amanda Burns protests at the president’s campus forum at the High Country Conference Center March 29.

Michael Patacsil | The Lumberjack

situations will not go away if the administration simply ignores them,” faculty members wrote in the letter. “Students who engage in this type of behavior are simply empowered to do more of the same if NAU’s administration refuses to condemn [or curtail harassment] through necessary policy changes.”

Among the Fellows’ demands are that the NAU administration reviews the university’s safe working and learning environment (SWALE) policy, which they say is inadequate and does not address online harassment. This, the letter states, is problematic and notes that even the local high schools have policies regarding online harassment and cyberbullying. Furthermore, the letter claims the university’s lawyers are not available to faculty when either seeking advice on or defending themselves from online harassment.

While the letter alleges the lack of official policy in SWALE, the policy does indeed have provisions on harassment. Harassment is defined in SWALE as “pervasive” actions taken against an individual. In fact, online harassment is also banned by the policy.

“Conduct over social media that rises to [harassment] is prohibited,” according to SWALE. “Harassment … is not protected by the First Amendment.”

SWALE, however, only covers those who attend, work for or are physically on campus. It says nothing about online harassment coming from people unaffiliated with NAU. This presents the university with a challenge: How does NAU craft a policy to respond to online harassment coming from someone living three states away?

NAU is not alone in dealing with these issues. A faculty member at ASU, Angeles Maldonado, has also been harassed after her students organized a protest supporting immigrants, LGBTQ rights and Black Lives Matter.

The administration at ASU however, did not stay silent and released a statement in support of the faculty member and academic freedom. In fact, ASU President Michael Crow even reached out to Maldonado personally in order to make sure she was safe, according to an article published by The Arizona Republic April 21.

The NAU faculty letter calls for Cheng to follow Crow’s lead.

“NAU can only stand to benefit from a strong statement from the administration about this issue,” the letter said.

This is a position that has been echoed by the NAU Faculty Senate, who drew a distinction between free speech and harassment. The Faculty Senate made these positions official, passing a statement on harassment May 1.

In the statement, the senate voiced their support for faculty, pointing to the vital role faculty plays in education.

“Our continued success relies on a teaching and learning environment free from harassment,” the statement said. “Thus, the NAU Faculty Senate strongly condemns the use of harassment to limit free expression.”

NAU Provost Dan Kain attended the senate meeting and voiced his concerns about the statement being misconstrued.

Therefore, Kain said he opposed the statement. Nonetheless, the statement passed with only three faculty members in opposition.

On May 2, in an email to faculty and students, Cheng broke her silence, endorsing the senate’s statement.

“Let me reinforce that NAU will continue to foster freedom of speech and freedom from harassment within our campus community in accordance with ABOR policies, Arizona state law, and the Constitution of the United States,” Cheng said in the email.

But part-time faculty member Nishant Upadhyay, who teaches women’s and gender studies and is leaving NAU after this semester, said the damage has already been done. Upadhyay said through the weeks of Cheng’s silence, it is the students who have kept him going.

“This last month has been super exciting to be at NAU, and that’s one of the main reasons I’m sad about leaving,” said Upadhyay. “Knowing students care so much and they fight back, given the administration and their lack of response. They’re the ones keeping the democracy alive, it’s not the administration, it’s not the faculty, it’s the students doing that.”

The Lumberjack repeatedly reached out to Kimberly Ott, assistant to the president for executive communications and media relations, for comment but Ott didn’t respond to any specific questions. Instead she referred The Lumberjack to the statement released to the NAU community May 2.

M AY 4 , 2 017 - M AY 10, 2017 | T HE LU MBE R JACK 5

NEWS

Cheng: from Chancellor to President Katie Sawyer and Scott Sandon

A

s NAU’s president of three academic years, Rita Cheng has made waves on campus with faculty accusations of micromanagement and lack of support. These criticisms are similar to those from the university where Cheng worked before coming to NAU. Cheng was chancellor of Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIU) from 2010 to 2014. At SIU, Cheng had the reputation of promoting budget cuts, centralization and boosting enrollment numbers.

David Johnson, faculty member and former director of SIU’s faculty union, said Cheng had conflicts with the faculty during her time there. When Cheng first came to SIU, the university faced a budget crisis and a slow decline in enrollment. These were the main issues that Cheng was hired to fix. Although Cheng did fix these problems, Johnson said she did so in ways he described as inappropriate.

The first issue that came to light after Cheng’s hiring at SIU was the hiring of a new provost, Gary Minish, a prominent and long-term faculty member at SIU. However, just one week after being hired as provost, he resigned unexpectedly. Johnson’s explanation of this is that he “wouldn’t be a yes-man” for Cheng.

Minish ended up leaving SIU, despite first asking to stay on as dean of the agricultural college. “[Cheng] wanted to centralize a lot of things. She wanted to take power not only away from faculty but away from department chairs and deans. She wanted to make all of the important decisions herself — that’s the most obvious,” said Johnson in fall 2016. “Not all of her ideas were foolish, but a lot of them were.”

Since Cheng came to NAU, departments have been centralized for increased administrative oversight.

Johnson said Cheng’s next step was to implement furlough days in an attempt to take control of a failing budget. Furlough days are university administrative closure days, where the university is effectively closed and faculty are forced to take vacation days.

However, Cheng attempted to implement these measures, despite the then-current contract having no provisions for furlough days. Johnson said Cheng then abruptly called an “impasse,” meaning that faculty and she had not been able to reach an agreement, and she was given the power to force the unpaid work days on faculty and staff members.

Johnson maintained that no such impasse was ever declared. Cheng moved forward by holding bargaining meetings during which she made it clear that it was her intention to impose furlough days if they could not come to an agreement, he said.

“She took hold of the budget by robbing everybody of four days of pay through these furlough days,” Johnson said in a fall 2016 interview.

Faculty became increasingly upset with these forced limitations and were preparing to strike. Anne Fletcher, a

theater professor and 2011 teacher of the year at SIU, was one such faculty member.

“A colleague and I went to an information meeting about the potential strike held by the Faculty Association,” said Fletcher in fall 2016. “We were shocked and dismayed to learn that the administration’s first point was they desired the right to let go of faculty and staff with 30 days’ notice regardless of rank and tenure.”

Cheng forced four days of administrative closure and was threatening to fire tenured staff under her new terms.

At this point the SIU faculty went on strike in fall 2011.

“This is the only strike in the 20-year history of the SIU Faculty Association,” Johnson said. “We’re glad we struck, and the strike allowed us to beat back some of Cheng’s excesses, but the strike certainly divided the SIU community. Some faculty struck, others did not.”

Hundreds of students came out to support faculty in their strike against the administration, according to articles in Illinois media. The SIU Facebook page was censored, and administration later admitted to this.

“There was a statement I particularly recall about how the university would bring in ‘qualified substitutes’ to replace striking faculty,” Fletcher said. “At the time — and still — I found that statement demeaning and thought it reflected a lack of understanding of who we are and what we do. I hold a Ph.D. from Tufts University from a preeminent program in theater history. There is probably not someone with my training within 100 miles of SIU.” As the deadline for the strike neared, Johnson recalled, administration refused to compromise on their terms. After the successful union strike, a new contract was created that would protect faculty members with tenure but still allowed for the possibility of furlough days.

Johnson added that Cheng’s actions reflected a trend in higher education.

“There are far too many administrators failing upward, leaving campuses worse off yet moving up the career ladder,” Johnson said. “It’s a bizarre state of affairs.”

Cheng later addressed the choices she made at SIU. “The stress of a rapidly changing fiscal and regulatory environment for higher education has prompted discussions and debates on most college campuses about the rate of change necessary to continue to provide a quality education to our students with increasingly limited resources,” said NAU spokesperson Kimberly Ott in fall 2016 on behalf of Cheng.

After Cheng’s departure from SIU, the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board found the faculty’s claim that there was no impasse accurate. A judge upheld this ruling, and it was not appealed. Faculty and staff were repaid for the missed days, which cost $1.9 million in back pay because of the forced furlough days, according to media reports.

“I suspect that she believed what she was doing was best for SIU and what was best for Rita Cheng, which was to make a lot of changes that would be positive for SIU and for herself,” Johnson said.

6 T H E L U M BE R JACK | JACKC E N T R A L . ORG

Diversity questioned Scott Buffon

A

representative from INSIGHT Into Diversity, an academic magazine, did not attend an award banquet May 2. She was intended to present NAU with a commendation for diversity that the university had been awarded in 2016.

Lenore Pearlstein, the owner and publisher of the magazine, did not appear at the President’s Diversity and Equity Awards Dinner to present the HEED Award after researching the university’s recent history. HEED stands for Higher Education Excellence in Diversity, and the award is given to universities that “demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion,” according to the INSIGHT website.

Pearlstein traveled to Arizona from Washington, D.C., for the event but decided not to attend after learning that Carmen Phelps, NAU’s past chief diversity officer, had left the university and after learning of President Rita Cheng’s statements about safe spaces at the March 29 campus forum.

“I would say to you that, as a university professor, I’m not sure I have any support at all for safe spaces,” said Cheng in response to a student’s question at the forum. “I think that you as a student have to develop the skills to be successful in this world and that we just need to provide you with the opportunity for discourse, debate, dialogue and academic inquires, and I’m not sure that that is correlated with the notion of safe spaces.”

An early draft of the award-banquet program showed Pearlstein was scheduled to appear at the dinner, although the final program did not.

Despite Cheng’s scheduled May 2 appearance at the president’s dinner, Cheng also did not attend event and instead provided her remarks through video.

While Pearlstein said they will not revoke NAU’s 2016 award, she disagreed with Cheng’s statement and expressed hope that the president would revoke or amend her position on safe spaces. Pearlstein informed NAU events coordinator Samantha White before the dinner that she would be unable to present the award at the ceremony as a result of her dissatisfying discoveries.

On May 2, before responding to Pearlstein, the Office of Public Affairs released a statement signed by Cheng: “For now, let me reinforce that NAU will continue to foster freedom of speech and freedom from harassment within our campus community in accordance with ABOR policies, Arizona state law, and the Constitution of the United States.”

Pearlstein believes the president’s most recent statement does not go far enough.

“Freedom from harassment is only one aspect of what a safe space should afford every student and employee on a college campus,” said Pearlstein in an email. “Having had a recent shooting on her campus should make her statement have even greater clarity in emphatically stating that anyone who steps foot on the NAU campus should feel respected and safe, especially any and all people from underrepresented groups.”

Pearlstein was referring to the Oct. 9, 2015 shooting, during which then-freshman Steven Jones shot four other NAU students, killing one and wounding three.

This is not the only award NAU has received for diversity. April 28, the Victoria Foundation hosted an event recognizing NAU for their diversity in education. The foundation previously donated $100,000 to the Honorable Raúl H. Castro Memorial Scholarship in Politics and International Affairs and established a scholarship in the College of Education.

NAU spokesperson Kimberly Ott did not comment in time for publication.

NEWS

Steven Jones trial: Judge calls a mistrial due to hung jury Chandler Coiner Editors note: After nearly four weeks of witness testimony and presentation of evidence, the Jones trial ended in a mistrial May 2. This story is an overview of what happened in the courtroom.

A

fter more than five days of jury deliberation, Coconino County Judge Dan Slayton declared a mistrial in the case of the NAU shooting May 2. Earlier in the day, jurors asked Slayton what they were to do if they could not come to a consensus on a verdict for any charge.

After Slayton issued new juror instructions, the judge met with prosecuting attorneys Ammon Barker and Bryan Shea and defense attorneys Burges McCowan and Joshua Davidson in chambers for more than 2.5 hours in the afternoon of May 2.

Court resumed just after 4 p.m. and the jury was brought back into the court room. The jury foreperson informed the court they had not reached a verdict and informed the judge that no further deliberation or instruction would lead them closer to a unanimous verdict.

Slayton then declared the case a mistrial due to the hung jury. He released the jury and thanked the jury for their committed service during the course of the trial. The state has 60 days to retry Jones, with a tentative date of Aug. 1 selected for jury selection.

“Please don’t feel badly,” Slayton told the jury. “You did your best.”

Previously in the murder trial of the State of Arizona v. Steven Edward Jones, the 12 jurors broke for deliberation in the late afternoon of April 25, indicating the nearing conclusion of the long chapter of grief for NAU. Former NAU student Steven Jones was charged with one count of first-degree murder, three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and three counts of aggravated assault that knowingly caused bodily harm. The charges come from Jones’ actions in the early-morning hours of Oct. 9, 2015.

While there are several discrepancies about the events that night, most witnesses indicated there was a verbal fight between two groups of students, somewhere between seven and 20 total. This happened shortly before Jones retrieved a gun from his vehicle and shot Colin Brough and Nicholas Prato, which killed Brough, and a second round of shots injured Nick Piring and Kyle Zientek.

For both the defense and prosecution, it was not a question of whether Jones shot four, killing one, in the parking lot of Mountain View Hall or not — it was a question of how those events played out and whether or not Jones acted in self-defense.

Sudden movement from Brough prior to being shot, accounts from residents of Mountain View Hall and the perspective of the shooter himself were just some of the things that slowly became more defined over the past several weeks.

The trial began April 5 with the opening statements from prosecution and defense.

“This is not a case of murder. It’s a case of a young man who did what he had to do,” said defense attorney Davidson in his opening statement.

Davidson and Jones’ other defense attorney, McCowan, painted the morning of October 9 as one of turmoil and as threatening to Jones’ life to explain the fatal shooting as self-defense. When asked by the defense about their accounts of the incident, witnesses often became disgruntled and pushed back against the questioning.

During a string of testimonies from several NAU students, McCowan read statements from a witness in the case, junior elementary education major Courtney Waked, to an officer the night of the shooting.

“He just charged him, and then, like, boom. Shots,” McCowan read.

The statement appeared to indicate Brough charged Jones, but while testifying Waked said she wanted the jury to disregard her words as she was unsure they pointed to any person in particular. It was dark outside, and who was charging whom was not easily determinable.

Brough’s supposed charge toward Jones while he was holding up his gun became a pillar of the defense’s argument. Later, while medical examiner Dr. Lawrence Czarnecki testified, the defense pointed to stippling that appeared on Brough’s neck wound as evidence that he was within two feet of Jones, possibly lunging at Jones when he was shot.

Stippling occurs when flecks from the gunpowder after a discharge superficially penetrate the skin. The presence of stippling can indicate a weapon’s distance from the victim at the time of shooting. The stippling on the neck could indicate the two were only a few feet apart, contrary to

Steven Jones and attorneys listen to Judge Slayton May 2. Halie Chavez | The Lumberjack

some students’ testimony that there was as much as 15 feet between Jones and Brough.

“Does the absence of stippling from the decedent’s hands mean that the decedent’s hands were not in that intermediate range of the muzzle of the gun?” Davidson asked the medical examiner.

“In fact, it’s entirely possible that at the time the shots were fired that the decedent could’ve had his hands extended forward towards the person that shot the gun, correct?”

But the medical examiner was not ready to offer any assumptions on what happened, only stating what could and could not have happened.

When the defense called witnesses, they called Jones to the stand to give his side of the story.

Jones described himself being assaulted, chased and threatened by several people that night. “[They were] running as fast as they could, looking me straight in the eye,” said Jones about what happened right before he shot Brough. “I knew if I waited even another second, I’d get seriously hurt or die.”

Prosecutor Ammon Barker chose a different narrative to convince the jury of Jones’ guilt.

“He was armed for battle, but only he knew about the battle,” said Barker in his opening.

The prosecution’s assertion of Jones’ recklessness continued into the final days of the trial.

Barker cross-examined Jones about why he did not stay in his car instead of turning to face his alleged attackers with a gun. Jones said in response that he didn’t think he would be completely safe.

Prosecutor Bryan Shea repeatedly asked witnesses whether or not they thought the altercation between students prior to the shooting was violent, and whether or not the situation demanded police attention before a gun was involved. Many testified they believed it did not.

When Barker questioned victim Nicholas Prato on his account of that night, Prato described his approach to a wounded Brough.

“He was on his back,” Prato said. “His shirt was covered in blood. His eyes were wide open. He was looking up at the sky. He didn’t say a word.”

During the closing arguments, Barker drove home why the state was seeking a first-degree murder charge.

“Let’s dismiss the notion that self-defense has anything to do with this case,” Barker said as part of his closing statements.

On the other side of the courtroom, the defense asked the jury to find Jones innocent on the charge of first-degree murder.

“You don’t need a weapon to be dangerous,” McCowan said. “Steven waited until the last moment to pull the trigger.”

Three weeks after the trial began, Slayton denied an earlier motion for a mistrial due to statements made by the prosecution during their closing argument.

If the state decided to restart the trial and pursue the same charges of first degree murder and aggravated assault, a brand new jury will have to be selected and different witnesses may be called.

Slayton set a tentative date of August 1 for jury selection if the retrial goes forward.

A status check hearing is scheduled for June, though no official date has been set. These dates are to be set by Slayton, but are subject to change depending on how events unfold from today forward.

M AY 4 , 2 017 - M AY 10, 2017 | T HE LU MBE R JACK 7

WINGS.

BEER. SPORTS. Isn’t that what college is all about anyway?

NAU STUDENT SPECIAL

10% OFF (Entire Food Order)

Flagstaff • Prescott Valley Valid at participating locations only. Dine in only. Not valid with any other coupon, offer or discount. Excludes alcohol. Limit one coupon per person, per visit. Excludes Tax. No Cash Value. Expires June 30, 2017.

928-774-3550 2700 S. Woodlands Village Blvd.Suite 550, Flagstaff, AZ 86001

OPINION-EDI TOR IAL

The Hub: An unwanted cog in the machine of change Zach Martin

T

he Hub, for those unaware, is the massive new development going up on Milton Road near the recently closed Granny’s

Closet.

It’s no secret the traffic in Flagstaff is generally bad. There are too many people living in this little town (especially during the school year) for the deteriorating infrastructure to support, and there’s only so much city planners can do until they start piling people up on top of each other. Case in point: The Hub. This building, which will accommodate about 550 students, couldn’t be located in a more terrible location. Yes, there’s a lot big enough for it, but it will be cramming everything around it, including the already-congested Milton Road.

Now, before anyone gives me a hard time for complaining about traffic, here’s a little backstory.

I’m from Southern California, specifically Orange County. I used to work in Los Angeles.

My commute was 50 miles and took about two hours, but at least it moved! In Flagstaff at rush hour, the traffic hardly moves. I see people walking to their destination faster than I can drive. This town was not made for this many people.

NAU’s growth is putting strain on this city, and the only way to fit more students is to build

more housing.

One of my favorite parts of Flagstaff is exiting the I-17 freeway and seeing the peaks in front of me. I love being able to walk around downtown Flagstaff and still be able to see the peaks. That view only lasts until the new Marriott downtown (don’t get me started) is finished. Like the Marriot, The Hub (which by the way isn’t even on-campus as they claim) is going to impair the amazing view that many residents love and take pride in having.

When I see the rendering of The Hub and the construction behind the fences, I can’t help but see one more cause of the countless issues I see in Flagstaff’s future — overpopulation being one of the biggest.

I remember moving here in the summer 2016 and completely falling in love with this town. The views, the nature we are embraced by in every direction and the silence compared to Southern California. Even when the fall semester started, I was still so enthralled by the new environment that I didn’t really notice the infancy of what I think is the downfall of Flagstaff.

The Hub is a representation of how the powers that be — both on-campus and in the local government — are no longer concerned with what makes Flagstaff and NAU unique.

Yes, at their core, education and government

The Hub Apartments will take up 2.43 acres of land between downtown Flagstaff and NAU. Wyatt Rutt | The Lumberjack

nine different parking lots available providing 148 parking spaces a day for visitors. During summer 2015, there were so many visitors that the creek frequently hit capacity by 7 a.m. The new reservation system will prevent this from happening and regulate the area from being overpopulated.

It’s unfortunate the Forest Service was forced to create a reservation and permit system to attempt to save Fossil Creek. The area is being taken for granted just as many other places are on this Earth.

In addition to the new permit system, there are no fires or camping allowed during the popular summer months. This is because, instead of using dead wood, people were using branches off trees for fires and not putting them out.

It’s not only unfair and damaging to the environment to leave bottles, beer cans and wrappers behind, but it’s also unfair to the people who must go back to pick it all up.

Pack out what you pack in, and leave the

place looking just as beautiful as it was when you got there. The Forest Service has populated the area with signs to inform visitors about the policy of no fires, glass, parking or littering, but there are still people who seem to not care or see it as an issue.

There are currently portable toilets available in the Fossil Creek area for visitors to use, but the Forest Service will soon be replacing them with vault toilets, which are sturdier bathroom structures. The Fossil Creek area will be closed from May 1 to May 14 for the installation of vault toilets because some people went as far as vandalizing the portable toilets in addition to the littering issues and illegal fires. The rancid smell and trashing of the available Porta Potties has turned people away, causing them to use the restroom in or around the water, which has led to elevated levels of E-coli.

Porta Potties have also been purposely pushed over by visitors, forcing the Forest Service to clean up the mess. The installation of vault toilets will be an improvement for

need money to function. Most things do. But the community is now entering a phase where those who are aware will see that the desire for growth and expansion will turn this once-quaint little town in the mountains into another cookiecutter, gentrified mess with none of its true culture remaining.

I know this got a lot deeper than just hating on The Hub, but it’s these thoughts that enter my

mind when I see it. And, among other personal reasons, it’s a large part of why, after only one year of school here, I am moving back to California.

It’s unfortunate that such a wonderful place is about transform into something it was never supposed to be.

I hate to say it, but I’m glad I won’t be here to see it happen. I’m happy to leave with a little bit of true Flagstaff left in my mind.

Permit system to reserve and preserve Fossil Creek Mckenna Rodriguez

L

ocated about an hour away from Flagstaff down a long dirt road, there is scenic river with 70-degree Fahrenheit water gushing at 20,000 gallons a minute. Fossil Creek is considered one of the two “wild and scenic” rivers in Arizona with multiple springs and waterfalls for hikers and adventurers to visit.

Over the years, this scenic river has become a popular swimming area, especially during the warm summer months, causing the area to become littered with trash visitors leave behind.

Not only has the Forest Service been forced to deal with these trash issues, but they also have to conduct search-and-rescue operations and put out illegal fires.

In order to preserve the animals and habitat of Fossil Creek, the U.S. Forest Service issued a reservation and permit system in 2016, which requires visitors to obtain a $6 permit online from May 1 to Oct. 1. There are

10 T HE LUMBER JACK | JACKCEN T R AL .ORG

the environment, as it will be more sanitary and people will be unable to push them over.

It’s despicable to know that, because of certain visitors who have trashed Porta Potties, the Forest Service must spend more time and money to protect the area.

If the reservation was not put into place by the Forest Service, the area would be littered with trash and most likely ruined by the illegal fires not being put out. The Forest Service is forced to juggle maintaining mining, timber and watersheds and it can be difficult to also control and protect such a popular swimming area.

We are fortunate enough to have such a spectacular place to explore, and it’s important for visitors to do their part in picking up trash upon departing. This will make it easier for the Forest Service, and future visitors can also learn through example.

As summer is approaching, whether you plan to visit Fossil Creek or any other hiking area, remember to respect the environment and pick up after yourself.

OPINION-EDI TOR IAL

Marine Le Pen — the Donald Trump of France?

Kaitlyn Munsil

T

his year’s French presidential election is causing a lot of discussion around the world. Marine Le Pen, one of the top candidates for office, may cause more harm than good if she is elected president of France. She may even become the European country’s own Donald Trump.

Citizens of France shout “Vive la France” at their patriotic celebrations during the elections.

However, this year they are rallying behind the top two candidates for the presidency: Le Pen and Emmanuel Macron.

“The demands are high for the next president to keep the country safe, jump-start its economy and manage the sometimes competing goals of improving the labor market and the maintaining a social safety net,” said Aurelien Breeden in an interview with The New York Times.

There is no doubt that whoever is elected as president of France must meet high expectations

from their citizens. If the candidate chosen fails to do so, the citizens of France will be outraged.

Two days after the first election, Le Pen declared herself as independent from the National Front party.

“She stepped aside from the party leadership this week to run on behalf of all French citizens,” wrote Ray Sanchez and Melissa Bell in a CNN article.

By doing so, Le Pen is aspiring to get more votes from a bigger portion of citizens.

Out of the 11 candidates, Le Pen was one of the top two. She hopes to take some of the votes in support of the other nine candidates who didn’t make it to the second election.

So what exactly does Le Pen stand for?

“Ms. Le Pen continued to emphasize the anti-immigrant and anti-globalization views that propelled her into the second round,” wrote The New York Times’ reporters Breeden and Adam Nossiter.

Although these are not the only two policies Le Pen stands behind, these are the most

critical to understand. The policies she aspires to implement if she becomes president mirror the policies of our own president, Mr. Trump.

As I am a conservative, you may be thinking, “Why wouldn’t you want a far-right candidate to win the French election?” However, I am here to say that as much as I stand behind Trump, I fear for France as a country if Le Pen is elected.

France has not had a far-right candidate win, let alone a female candidate. I am all for woman power, but sometimes change can dramatically alter a society for the worse.

France has been under attacks lately, which is a cause for some concern. Is this because of immigrants? It is very unlikely this is the case.

Not all of these attacks are from immigrants. So, what good does banning immigrants really do?

It only puts an invisible wall around France to keep people out.

As the second part of the election, which is scheduled for May 7, draws near, it is important to keep an eye on and an ear out for France.

Our country was in a similar situation just a few months ago. We should be supportive of France as this election continues.

Depending on how this election turns out, a dramatic change could be occurring in the country. Staying informed about this election and doing your research will improve your understanding of this issue.

illustration by alanna secrest

An open letter to President Cheng: Safe spaces matter Alex Rand

D

ear Rita Cheng, I’m sure you’re tired of hearing the phrase “safe space.” It’s OK, we are, too!

I’m tired of having to consider every day whether or not this campus is safe for me, or if I’d be safer somewhere else. I’m tired of having to consider the physical and mental safety of my fellow students in a place meant to be liable for both.

I’m honestly baffled by the way you’re handling this. During the March 29 forum you hosted with students, you denounced safe spaces as something you don’t believe in. This would be all well and good if the question you were answering hadn’t been about the physical safety of the campus.

What I saw when I watched that forum was Donald Trump levels of question-dodging.

A student asked you about the physical safety of the campus after you refused to condemn students in blackface, and you chose to answer the question not with a condemnation or any actual acknowledgement of the problem. You answered it with a brief rant about how metaphorical, ideological safe spaces are hindering students from preparing for success. You answered it with a confirmation to me, and every other minori-

ty student on campus, that you are not here to want to be harassed. protect us.

That’s it. Period. End of sentence.

Here’s the thing: You wildly I want to be able to walk misunderstand the concept through campus without of a safe space. It, like hearing a preacher conmany other phrases, demning LGBTQ has been adopted students to hell by the alt-right and calling a and twisted black student into a mock“charcoal” — ery of itself something so that the I witnessed common just yesterconception day. I want of a safe to walk space is a into camjoke. I’m pus faciliassuming ties knowwhen you ing that I, a hear that transgender phrase you’re person, am picturing a physically safe tense, quiet using the reroom where nostroom I want to. body is allowed to I want to know that speak their mind for Muslim, Jewish and fear of getting in trouble. other religious minority What I actually want out students are able to exist on this of a safe space is this: I don’t campus without feeling as illustration by alanna secrest

though they are in danger each time they see a “Make America Great Again” hat.

I want you to come out explicitly in support of the safety of minority students. I don’t want that to be a false promise anymore. I’m sick of diversity being a buzzword you put on posters and pamphlets handed to prospective students.

You can’t call your campus diverse if you don’t protect that diversity.

You claim that safe spaces don’t prepare students for the real world, but may I ask why you think that? Why is it unrealistic and dangerous to think someone may be kind? Why is kindness a radical act?

The only reason the world outside campus isn’t safe is because of people like you who actively refuse to make it safer. You can’t say you’re doing all you can while simultaneously sitting back and refusing to try to make things better.

All I can say now is this: Expect protests.

Student coalitions are already calling for your resignation and activist groups are hosting protests and walkouts you have to divert campus tours around. If you’re going to refuse to acknowledge us, we’re going to force ourselves into the spotlight. We should not have to fight to feel safe on our own campus, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t going to.

M AY 4, 2017 - M AY 10, 2017 | T HE LUMBER JACK 11

FE ATUR E S

A new way to do yoga, with goats by your side Mikayla Shoup

I

n ordinary yoga, a backbend is just a backbend. In goat yoga, a backbend is an invitation for a goat wearing a tutu to jump up on your stomach.

It all started in 2016 when “Yoga Girl” Rachel Brathen’s video of herself doing yoga with a goat on her back went viral. Ever since, more people have been giving goat yoga a try.

“Goat yoga basically is just yoga with goats. We do a lot of interaction with the goats ... We put the goats on you. They are so good now they jump on you, and they run across your back, and they help you with the yoga because you have to balance them and it helps with strength,” said April Gould, Arizona Goat Yoga goat owner.

Gould worked out with goats before it became a trend. She started using goats in her training routine in 2014. In 2015 and 2016, Gould was on the show American Ninja Warrior where they called her the “goat whisperer” because she incorporated goats into her workouts by putting them on her back and doing things like pushups and squats.

“We got goats because we needed some friends for my kids and something for them to do, and we also needed lawn mowers. So it just made sense to get goats. Since then we’ve realized how fun and playful they are,” Gould said.

Gould and high school friend Sarah Williams run Arizona Goat Yoga in Gilbert, Ariz. Williams teaches the class, and Gould is in charge of making sure that everyone has a “goat experience.”

Arizona Goat Yoga is the largest goat yoga class in the world, and classes generally have about 80 students. Classes take place three to four times a week. Locations vary but are mainly held at the Welcome Home Ranch in Gilbert, Ariz. The ranch also hosts the John Volken Academy, a life-skills academy for boys. Classes are for all experience levels, and each person works at his or her own pace.

“They’re just a gentler animal.

I mean, I could take them on an airplane if i wanted to. I could walk them around for my emotional-support therapy if I wanted to.”

-April Gould, Arizona Goat Yoga goat owner The goats for the yoga classes are Nigerian Mini Goats, which weigh about 30 pounds. The largest goat at Arizona Goat Yoga weighs 45 pounds. The added weight while holding a yoga pose helps to build strength and balance.

Participants in goat yoga have to sign a liability waiver before joining, and Arizona Goat Yoga has actual goat-yoga insurance. However, there is little risk of injury from the goats. Gould’s goats are certified support animals, which makes them gentle and playful animals.

“They’re just a gentler animal,” Gould said. “I mean, I could take them on an airplane if I wanted to. I could walk them around for my emotional-support therapy if I wanted to. But they’re just a calmer, more gentle animal.”

The goats are trained to jump up on flat surfaces, so during yoga the goats may jump up at any time and walk around on the person. The goats also like to get dressed up — or so humans claim.

The yoga instructors usually put them in things like tutus and headbands, and they dress them differently for each season.

The training they undergo mainly consists of positive reinforcement when the goats jump on something. Gould bottle feeds the young goats, which helps them bond with their owner.

The reason goats are the animal of choice for yoga is because of their gentle personality, and because they are extremely entertaining to watch.

12 T HE LUMBER JACK | JACKCEN T R AL .ORG

“If I had normal goats, I probably wouldn’t want to do goat yoga. But my goats are super special. We’ve had sheep before and bunnies, and we’ve almost gotten alpacas, but they’re just not as nice of an animal,” Gould said.

Not only is goat yoga fun, but being around the goats contributes to human health. Goat yoga is considered pet therapy, which can increase oxytocin.

According to Psychology Today, oxytocin is a powerful hormone in the brain, which is usually released during physical contact with a loved one. It plays a role in bonding and can help to reduce depression. Other health benefits of oxytocin include stress relief and the release of endorphins from exercise.

NAU’s Students Nurturing Alternatives in Landscaping (SNAIL) Club is working on hosting goat yoga in Flagstaff. On April 22, the club hosted a garden yoga event to promote the club.

“Initially it started out as goat yoga because it just sounds like a really fun thing to do. It’s a really good way to publicize the garden and bring people in and show them that it’s a fun space,” said SNAIL Club president Amanda Harder. “But the goats didn’t really work out so we just decided to go with yoga in the garden.”

The SNAIL garden hosted the event hoping to show the community where they are and what they are doing as a club.

The goats that were going to be at goat yoga are owned by Rosemary Logan, an NAU professor for the Living the Good Life class. Students in the Living the Good Life class are required to help out in the garden.

To host goat yoga, the club has to go through the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee who will evaluate its licenses. The club also needs to write up a safety plan and purchase insurance to cover the yoga participants and the goats.

The club did not have enough time to get all of the paperwork done, so they opted for yoga in the garden in the meantime.

The SNAIL garden is located on South Campus next to Facility Services, and the group meets Saturday at 10 a.m.

Everyone is welcome to garden, and most plants are allowed.

The SNAIL Club was rumored to be shut down due to NAU’s beautification standards. The members of the club believe that the rumors were just that: rumors.

“As far as I can tell, they’re rumors. I’ve tried to track down where it came from. I honestly don’t know where they came from. People just started saying this was maybe a thing and no one knew anything, and I don’t think it was every actually a thing,” said Kim Fessenden, graduate assistant for the Illustration By Alanna Secrest Living the Good Life class and SNAIL Club member.

These rumors are one of the reasons that the club decided to host a yoga class. They want to show the NAU community that they are still around and not going anywhere.

“It brings attention to us that SNAIL needs to be more a part of campus life, with doing things that help to make it an indispensable part of the community,” Logan said.

Goat yoga is still a relatively new concept that the club hopes to implement because it is an activity that yoga and goat lovers alike might enjoy.

“Goats are just very nice, and gentle and playful, and goats love you. So, that’s why we do goat yoga,” Gould said.

nt

e tud

s

May 7th

Doors at 6pm

$9

Show at 7pm

for students

Orpheum Theater

w/ valid ID

Purchase tickets at:

15 W Aspen Ave.

Orpheum Box Office

Rainbow's End Box Office Online at www.orpheumflagstaff.com/ *additional fees apply when purchased online

T HE LUMBER JACK

$11 for general public

FE ATUR E S

HUMANS OF NAU WILL INKRET | PHOTOS BY ANDREW ORMONDE hrough the lens similar to the blog Humans of New York, inspirational stories and favorite memories about their summer plans are revealed by NAU students and community members. As the school year nears its end, on the minds of many students is traveling and summer vacation. Whether it is spending time on the beach or moving home for the summer, a well-rested break is deserved after long academic school year.

T

Charly Root

Carson Lester

Long Beach, Calif. | Pre-Nursing

Oak Park, Calif. | History and international affairs

“I like to go camping, beach camping, so just up the coast. My family usually goes camping in Malibu. I might go to Jamaica actually … My neighbors are from Jamaica, so they’ve invited me every year, and I just haven’t gone. So I’m not really sure about the details of it, but I’m pretty sure this summer I’m actually going to go.”

“As soon as my finals are done, I’m heading straight down to the Phoenix area because my mom lives out there. I’ll probably just chill a lot and play a lot of video games.

I’m going to a few conventions. I’m going to Phoenix Comicon and the Anime Expo out in Los Angeles in July. I might be going to Denver for a week to see one of my brother’s friends who lives up there ... spend some time a mile high in Denver, if you get my drift.”

Kristen Oneall Phoenix | Psychology

“For Cancun, I’m going with my family, and we’re staying at this cool resort, so there’s a lot of cool things to do. It’s an all-inclusive type of place, so there’s zip-lining, paddle-boarding and surfing. I’m excited about that.”

Phoebe Lake Gilbert, Ariz. | Photography

Khalil Dorsey Ontario, Calif. | Fitness and wellness “I only get, like, two weeks off because I have to report back here for football. So while I’m down, I’m just gonna relax, sleep, have a little fun, go go-carting and stuff like that. [I might go] down to Sedona a couple of times just for the weekend.”

“It could be literally anywhere in the world except for, obviously, North Korea or the Middle East because that’s pretty dangerous.

But, it could be anywhere in the world … It’s exciting. My mom went to the Philippines, and my dad went to South Korea, and then my brother went to [Philadelphia]. I’m going to Disneyland with a friend. She hasn’t been since, like, seventh grade, and I go every year.

So, I was, like, ‘Let me show you the ropes.’

I’m not leaving or going on any huge trips. I’m mostly just going to concerts and staying in Gilbert at home until I leave.”

Check out Jackcentral.org for full stories 14 T HE LUMBER JACK | JACKCEN T R AL .ORG

HAPPY HOUR: MONDAY - FRIDAY 2PM - 6PM

COUNTRY WEEKENDS B i n G o $3.25 PINTS - $3 WELLS - $1 OFF GLASS OF WINE

$4 OFF BOTTLE OF WINE - $1 OFF 1/2 LITER SANGRIA - $2 OFF LITER SANGRIA FREE DANCE LESSONS - 9PM

FREE ADMISSION- 21 AND OVER

LUNCH - DINNER - LATE NIGHT

FRIDAY: $6.50 32OZ YARD JARS SATURDAY: $3.25 PINTS OF

Every Wednesday at 10pm Come play for your chance to win prizes...

Including the Grand Prize for the Blackout!

Happiness is Yelling

BINGO! www.lumberyardbrewingcompany.com

MICROBREWERY TOURS AVAILABLE

STAY CONNECTED

DRINK SPECIALS STARTS @ 9PM DANCE FLOOR OPENS @ 10

DOUBLE WELLS & LY BREWS

Specials

$0.60 Wings $3.25 Pint & $3 Shot $7.50 Yard Jars

5 S SAN FRANCISCO ST | 928.779.2739

Everyday Happy Hour Nightly Specials 7pm - Last Call 11am-7pm

$3.95 22oz Imperial Pints $3 Well Drinks $4 Long Islands BS Margaritas, & Bloody Mary’s $5 Grapefruit Shandys $1 OFF 1/2 Liter of Sangria $2 OFF Liter of Sangria

Full Size Pool Tables Board Games

www.beaverstreetbrewery.com

Margarita Monday $3.50 BS Margaritas

Pint Night Tuesday $3.50 Imperial Pints

Thursday

$5 Beertails

Friday

$4.50 BS Moscow Mules

3 S Beaver St | Flagstaff, Az | 928.779.0079

Sunday - Wednesday 11am - 1am Thursday - Saturday 11am - 2am Food Until Midnight STAY CONNECTED

CULTUR E

Celebrating two years of Dark Sky Abigail Bieker

F

lagstaff is home to several breweries that offer fine-crafted beers and drinks, so patrons have many places to choose from when looking for a refreshing beverage. Dark Sky Brewing Company, located at 117 N. Beaver St., offers unique and high-quality beers.

Dark Sky Brewery’s inspirations come from Northern Arizona’s dark skies that are a staple in Flagstaff. The Flagstaff Dark Sky Coalition protects the night skies by reducing light pollution.

This provides great opportunity for stargazing at Lowell Observatory at the top of Mars Hill along with other local destinations. The goal of the starlight-inspired brewery, according to the brewery’s website, is to “brew beer for the city that loves to drink it”.

May 5 marks the second anniversary of Dark Sky Brewing Company and its success since opening in 2015. Dark Sky offers IPAs, light beers, imperials and seasonal brews that include dark porters and stouts. Usual hours are 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and noon to 8 p.m. on Sunday. Happy hour runs 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Monday through Friday.

Dark Sky will be open during its normal Friday hours for the anniversary event and will offer four select new beverages.

Sara Martinez, Dark Sky Brewing Company manager, works to keep her seven bartenders close knit and feeling like a giant family. Whether it is merchandising, event planning or doing sales around town, Martinez attempts to keep a happy-go-lucky feel around the brewery.

The yearly celebration, happening on Cinco de Mayo, will feature three local bands: Quinn and the Confluence, DuB and Down with the Blues, and Brandon Decker. Two of the bands will perform on the brewery’s patio, and the other will be performing inside.

“We also will have special merchandise. So our two-year-anniversary shirts and some logo pint glasses as well that are special for that event,” said Martinez.

For the first anniversary, Dark Sky Brewing Company released a special set of beers, and the tradition will continue this year. “[We] also [will have] bottled and barrel-aged beer releases,” Martinez said. “So we have four barrel-aged beers that will be released on the anniversary, which is the big seller.”

Dark Sky, which started out as one room, has adopted many new styles and rooms for its business.

“I came in last year, and a year is not that long of a time,” said employee Lindsay Murray. “In the time that I’ve been here, I’ve seen the brewery grow so much. We acquired a patio and a food truck and I’ve seen a lot change, like the quality of the beers. We’re trying all these different styles now, we’re coming out with sours now. Barrel-ageing — that’s not something we originally had.”

What started out as a only six beers on tap has now grown to over 20, a wild growth rate for the brewery.

Just a few of the local breweries that coexist with Dark Sky are Historic Brewing Company, Lumberyard Brewing Company and Mother Road Brewing Company. For Trader’s Smoke Shop merchandise seller Julian Valdez, it’s not about where he is but the quality of the beer.

“I really enjoy different types of stouts and IPAs, although I do respect the mix-up on flavors and the different attempts to make new beverages,” said Valdez.

For those looking to enjoy some time out of the house and sample one-of-a-kind beers, Dark Sky is looking forward to hosting anyone 21 and older during the May 5 event. Dark Sky’s food truck, Merge, will be providing food, including street tacos and snacks, with entrees from local restaurant Shift.

“Dark Sky has one of the best atmospheres in downtown Flag,” Valdez said. “The colors and artwork that they use really capture the essence of what they’re trying to bring to the table. And I think it’s important to be comfortable when drinking beer, which is definitely something Dark Sky provides.”

Left: Dark Sky Brewing Company features its own brewing process, which uses beer distillers that can be viewed on the patio April 27. Right: Dark Sky offers IPAs, light beers, imperials and seasonal brews that include dark porters and stouts. Abby Bieker | The Lumberjack

16 T HE LUMBER JACK | JACKCEN T R AL .ORG

Oak Broiled Steaks, Chicken, Ribs, and Seafood Nightly Musical Revue Featuring Your Favorite Standards, Showtunes, & Singing Waiters!

2760 E Butler Ave, Flagstaff, AZ www.BlackBartsSteakHouse.com

Open Daily 5pm-9pm

Chaco Z/Cloud Sandal with the soft and plush Cloud footbed

Available at chacos.com

CULTUR E

A new buzz in the art community

Concert-goers attend a performance at The Hive, a live music venue located on Phoenix Avenue, April 28. Shannon Cowan | The Lumberjack

Maria Angulo

A

s the art and music scene continues to grow in Flagstaff, The Hive, located on east Phoenix Avenue, is a place where artists of any sort can share their creativity.

This is a venue where musicians can play on a low scale and artists can display their paintings and craft. Events like the Nasty Women Art Exhibition have taken place at the venue. Many groups have even recorded albums at The Hive.

The Hive was created in 2012 by James Higbee, and is currently co-directed by Alec

Tippet and Higbee. However, with the new surge of college bands and the city growing, the venue has become a more popular destination for artists and their audience.

“I wish I could have had something like it where I grew up,” said Higbee.

Music has been a part of Higbee’s life since fifth grade, and Tippet has been involved with music since he was 10 years old. Tippet plays several instruments and is working on five projects locally. After graduating from high school, he went on tour with other artists.

Tippet has been working as a band

18 T HE LUMBER JACK | JACKCEN T R AL .ORG

technician, loading sound equipment, running sound and promoting production. He has done a little bit of everything and has been a part of The Hive for three years.

“I played the first show when [Higbee] started it. I don’t remember what year it was, and that’s when I first met James,” said Tippet.

For Tippet, The Hive is an artist coop. Currently, it serves as more of a venue or performance space. Tippet also calls it a community center. There are weekly open-jam events on Sundays. Doors open at 5 p.m., and all the instruments are laid out so people can

come, sing and play.

“It has a lot of potential,” said Ryan Orr, guitarist for local band False North. “Right now, it’s a very [do-it-yourself ] set venue, and is run by the community helping to keep it rollinng as a venue itself.”

For Higbee, it was important to have venues like this for various reasons. He wanted The Hive to be a safe place for kids to go and hang out, be creative and loud, and meet new people. Higbee also wanted to focus on art, performances and projects like recording jam sessions, demos and albums.

“I’ll be the first to admit I didn’t know what I was doing, but that’s what The Hive does. It lets you fail,” Higbee said.

The venue offers a low-risk way to book a show as an alcohol-free venue that is open to all ages.

“Our shows are cool. We make the art the main focus,” Tippet said. “If you come with an idea and a little bit of money on the table, and sometimes not even money, you can make yourself money, you can make yourself happy.

You can make each other happy — create an opportunity with a low cost.”

Tippet’s goal is to bring the Flagstaff music scene together as much as possible and bridge that gap between old and young, female and male.

Even though Tippet likes the direction The Hive is going, there are a lot of mistakes he hopes can be fixed. Right now, Tippet would like to fill the position of art director.

Higbee expects The Hive to grow with recording projects and live jam sessions.

“Thanks to the generous contribution made by David Strackany last year, he made a control room for The Hive to confidently offer recording services,” Higbee said.

Strackany, a local producer, brought his own equipment and skills and recorded local artists at The Hive and its new control room.

Now the studio is being furnished with equipment and recording consoles by StudioBeez and are looking for a new studio engineer.

The Hive is also focusing on forming relationships with artists who are younger than 21 so they can share their art, and are looking for a low-risk, high-success formula for artists who have been underrated.

As local talent continues to rise, venues like The Hive are ready to give them a place where they feel safe and they can let people experience their art.

CULTUR E

Music found in a fit of happiness MaryAnn Witt

T

he Happy Fits is an up-and-coming band based out of New Jersey that is set to bring their unique sound to the Flagstaff music scene. The three band members, Calvin Langman, Luke “Salmon” Davis and Ross Monteith, all have huge personalities that are truly the heart of The Happy Fits.

Monteith described The Happy Fits’ music as a mixture of sounds from the indie-rock genre from 2000 to 2008.

“It’s really hard to describe their sound because I don’t know of any rock band that has a cello, so it is really just very different,” said Tyler Miranda, The Happy Fits manager and NAU alumnus.

Langman plays the cello. The instrument adds a different level to the music that fans would not expect from a band with their roots planted in the rock genre.

“Flagstaff just seems like one of the coolest places to go to, even outside of playing music.”

-Ross Monteith, The Happy Fits guitarist and vocalist The inspiration for their music comes from a variety of artists including: The Killers, Elton John, Panic at the Disco, Alabama Shakes, Dave Matthews, Ben Howards and many more.

Unlike many bands, the members of The Happy Fits did not start out as friends but instead bonded over the music they created together.

“The conversation started between Ross and [me],” said Monteith. “We had heard of each other over Facebook and started messaging each other back and forth about music. We didn’t actually start playing music together until a while later.”

Davis was not always the band’s drummer.

At first, there was a different drummer who played the first round of shows for The Happy Fits. It was not until the original drummer was unavailable for the recording of the band’s first

Photo courtesy of The Happy Fits

EP that Davis was added to the lineup.

“I was playing with a solo artist, Zach Matari,” Davis said. “I was with him for a while but was never the official drummer. Then, I had talked to Ross and he told me about the EP.” Davis said that, as much as he enjoyed his time with Matari, the uniqueness of The Happy Fits’ sound is what persuaded him to leave Matari and join the band completely.

The Happy Fits currently has one album, Awfully Apeelin’, which was released in 2016 and currently has one single out titled “Right Through.”

Awfully Apeelin’ is a four-song album that demonstrates the inspiration the band takes from Panic at the Disco.

Throughout their career, the band has had the opportunity to work with some interesting artists. Miranda has known Los Angeles rapper SuperDuperKyle for approximately three years now. This working relationship provided a gateway for the band to create a song with Kyle’s long-time partner in crime SuperDuperBrick.

This collaboration will be coming out soon and has many fans of both The Happy Fits and SuperDuperBrick waiting in anticipation.

The band is pumped for their upcoming West Coast tour, starting with a show at Firecreek Coffee Company May 5 at 7 p.m.

“Flagstaff just seems like one of the coolest places to go to, even outside of playing music,” Monteith said.

The hope they have for their May 5 show is that it will be a catalyst for people who have not had the chance to hear their music and that more people can be exposed to who The Happy Fits are.

The Happy Fits will also be hosting a short, acoustic set in the Media Innovation Center in the NAU Communication building May 5 at noon.

“It’s a bit of a movement,” Davis said. “If people dig our stuff in Flagstaff, they can spread our stuff out to the rest of the world.”

The tour will start in Flagstaff before the band will continue to Phoenix, and then on to venues in California, Washington, Oregon, Utah and Colorado.

M AY 4, 2017 - M AY 10, 2017 | T HE LUMBER JACK 19

SPORT S

Dave Brown (right) sits with his grandson, along with broadcast partner Mitch Strohman in the broadcast booth. Photo courtesy of NAU Athletics

Helping in any way possible: the Dave Brown story Lance Hartzler

C

areers end and bodies wear down, but legacies last long after. The best are remembered in almost fairytale-like ways in which we can’t believe someone had such a career.

Dave Brown has built such a legacy by helping NAU Athletics in any way possible.

In a small corner of the J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome is a little office, and this is where Brown spoke about his experiences at NAU and beyond.

In his late 70s, Brown is a man who, once he begins to talk, tells stories of topics ranging from working with and bringing Jerry Colangelo’s Phoenix Suns to NAU for training camps, to building college basketball programs.

But the topic he is most passionate about,

He’s not my broadcast partner.

He is one of my best friends.

— “the Voice of the Lumberjacks” Mitch Strohman more than anything else, is helping others, a character trait that stems from his background as a former basketball coach.

“I’m all about working with young people,” said Brown. “I’m a big believer that when you coach, you coach heart and people, not necessarily always basketball.”

Brown’s effect at NAU starts with basketball. As the former women’s coach, Brown held an 85-100 record, as well as a 3-17 record

20 T HE LUMBER JACK | JACKCEN T R AL .ORG

as the interim men’s basketball coach in 20112012. Brown is currently the color commentator for NAU men’s basketball broadcasts and has been since 2009, working with play-by-play commentator Mitch Strohman, known as “the voice of the Lumberjacks,” for his work as NAU’s play-by-play broadcaster.

Brown and Strohman have worked together on men’s basketball broadcasts for about 10 years, Strohman said. During that time, the two have built a bond bigger than the broadcast booth over their mutual love for Lumberjack basketball.

“To have the opportunity to share that with him for the better part of 10 years now is one of the great things of my life,” said Strohman.

“He’s not my broadcast partner. He is one of my best friends.”

Strohman spoke highly of Brown and,

specifically, his love for the student athletes he comes into contact with.

“The most powerful thing I carry with me about my thinking about coach Brown is his concern for the student athletes,” Strohman said. “Their well-being. Their education. Their athletic experience. Them as a person, as people.

He cares so deeply. He takes it so personally that it is his priority above all else.”

Even from the sideline Brown can’t resist the coaching bug, he lends his advice to people around the program, ranging from players and even to basketball head coach Jack Murphy.

“He’s an icon around here, and I feel fortunate to spend the time I have with him over the last five years,” said Murphy.

Brown spoke at length about the roles he has played at NAU, some small and some large, but all coming because he wanted to help in any

SPORT S way possible.

As a man of many jobs, Brown was the head coach of the women’s basketball team from 1983-1990, co-athletic director in the ‘80s, director of the Skydome and the liaison between NAU and the Arizona Cardinals and the Phoenix Suns, coordinating training camps for each of the teams.

It makes sense why he was inducted into the NAU Hall of Fame in 2011.

Brown reminisced about times when he was asked to do things that most people would say no to.

While attending a women’s basketball game in 2002, Brown said he was pulled into former NAU President John Haeger’s office unexpectedly. When Brown walked in, Haeger told him, “I need help, Dave.” The help Haeger was asking was for Brown to become the interim athletic director.

Dave Brown interviews NAU men’s basketball coach Jack Murphy, who is accompanied by his daughter. Photo courtesy of NAU Athletics

Brown was glad to help, with the stipulation that they find a new athletic director as quickly as possible. Due to his age Brown didn’t want to do the job for long. He served as interim athletic director for two years until Jim Fallis was hired in 2004.

Brown did what he planned — he preserved the athletic program and helped NAU as much as he could.

Six years later, former head men’s basketball coach Mike Adras resigned in December of the 2011-2012 season. No surprise, the first person who was asked to help was Brown.

Brown said he was once again called into Haeger’s office, this time at 4 p.m. Haeger said, “I have a problem.” An all too familiar phrase for Brown. Brown said he was told Adras had resigned and Haeger needed Brown to fill in as interim head coach for the remainder of the season.

“Dr. Haeger, I’ll do anything I can to help this university. I’ve always tried to be here to help. I’ll do what I can, and I’ll try to keep this program together,” Brown told Haeger.

Brown never asked why Adras resigned.

He didn’t feel like it was his business or that he needed to know. Brown was just willing to keep the program afloat for the season. Regardless of the politics surrounding the job and what may come, he took the job for the same reason as always — to help.

The same day Brown took the job, he walked into Rolle Activity Center to speak to what was now his team. The players had no idea what was happening or why Brown was there instead of Adras. Brown told them what had happened and knew the young men were in for a struggle.

Brown said the team was in shock and not in a good frame of mind.

“In fairness to them, it was very hard to accept,” Brown said.

At the time of the coaching change, the Lumberjacks were playing bad basketball. They struggled early with a 2-7 record, and now with a sudden change not even half-way through the season, became deflated.

“I told President Haeger and the kids, ‘I’m here to only help you and do the best I can till we get you another head coach,’” Brown said. “‘We are going to work together and if wins and losses are a part of it, fine, because there are others things that we got to work on here.’”

In the first game of Brown’s tenure as men’s coach, NAU won against California State University Bakersfield at home. For the first time all season, Brown saw the players smiling after a game. He accomplished what he wanted: to change the mood surrounding the program that was in need of help and give the team confidence.

In the next game NAU traveled to Tempe, Ariz., to play the “Scum Devils,” Brown’s preferred name for his longtime rival the ASU Sun Devils. NAU pulled another upset, and Brown had the Lumberjacks showing heart and determination.

The rest of the season didn’t go as well. The Lumberjacks won their first conference game, but from then on they would fail to win another game. Even so, Brown said the team continued to fight, never getting as low as they once were.

“The bottom line was that, he jumped at it. He saw this as an opportunity to help the kids that he cared so much about,” Strohman said. “Dave came in and tried to bring calm and stability and a sense of peace and to give those kids an opportunity to enjoy being student athletes again. Dave made the commitment to help settle waters, and he did.”

“That moment to me is Dave Brown. That is coach Brown,” Strohman said.

But the losses were not the only thing wearing on Brown’s spirit. He was also dealing with a personal dilemma during the season.

Brown said his mother was on her deathbed under hospice care for the last two months of the season. To spend time with his mother, Brown made a commitment every weekend to see her.

From January until the end of the season, as soon as Brown finished coaching on a Saturday, he would make the nearly five-hour drive to Albuquerque, N.M., to be with his mother.

“I would spend Sunday and Monday [there] and then come back for practice on Tuesdays,” Brown said with tears in his eyes. “That was a grind, having your mother pass away while having to do this all this.”

The will and desire to help as much as he can is why Brown took the job, even while dealing with personal problems. To say Brown is unselfish is an understatement.

Lisa Campos, vice president for intercollegiate athletics at NAU, said the two best words to describe Brown are “compassionate and passionate,” paralleling what Strohman and Murphy said.

When it comes to legacy, Brown believes his is about a commitment to what was right because of his drive to help in any way he can at every job he was at.

“I think my legacy would tie in with a commitment to try and do things right from the perspective of education and athletics,” Brown said.

It seems clear that long after the headset is taken off, long after the little corner office is empty, long after the ear-to-ear smile has left NAU, coach Dave Brown will be remembered for his unending selflessness and drive to help — in any way possible.

M AY 4, 2017 - M AY 10, 2017 | T HE LUMBER JACK 21

SPORT S

Recent success fuels the NAU RacquetJacks Anthony Bertran

K

nown as the RacquetJacks, the NAU Racquetball Club is grabbing students’ interest after showing success in tournaments and cultivating a fun club.

The roster involves a good mix of students who joined to just have fun and those who joined to have a chance to play competitively. Club president Carlos Rascon, junior business management major, is a big part of the the diverse roster. Rascon founded the club his freshman year and has been part of the team since, watching the club grow with more and more people wanting to join. He also said he has seen huge progress in the players over the years.

Rascon said the club members bring a work ethic that rivals other sports. Even when the club doesn’t hold their normal Monday and Wednesday practices, they come out on their own time to improve their skills.

“We’ve seen a huge growth in our team members throughout the year,” said Rascon. “We work on our technique and other areas of improvement, and that’s how we really get better.”

The RacquetJacks is open to all students, and even non-students, of any level. It doesn’t matter to them whether you come out swinging like a pro or not, the more advanced players will help train those who need help so they can become a seasoned veteran.

Though this sport could seem like it’s all focused on the individual, the members have nothing but respect for each other and say they feel like a family. When traveling to tournaments, they get to build bonds which help them to encourage and support each other while playing.

Senior biomedical science major Miguel Olivas has been been involed with the club since it began and said he feels a strong connection with his teammates.

“At first we would just say ‘Hi’ and play against each other,” said Olivias. “Once we started going to tournaments, we really started to bond. We all hang out outside of the courts when at first we didn’t. All of that helps your game, knowing that you have support from teammates who want to see you succeed and giving you tips throughout the match. It’s pretty special having that.”

The RacquetJacks recently competed in the National Intercollegiate Racquetball championships in Fountain Valley, Calif., and placed ninth. The team trained for the tournament all year, starting in the fall, and the hard work paid off. Throughout the season, one of their athletes competed at the junior worlds tournament and won.

They competed at Arizona State University in singles and doubles matches, and also competed at nationals in singles and doubles. When a tournament pops up on the radar, the RacquetJacks will travel to it and compete with hopes of either placing or winning.

Training tips and adivce are shared from the advanced players to the newer members who are just getting started. Head coach Bill Porter plays a large part in the training of the fundamentals of

the game. Porter joined the team this season and has been great help for the entire team on how to pick up on the fundamentals and learn some easy tricks to help outwit the opponent.

Freshman biology major Jeremy Kelley has high praise for Porter. Kelley is a first-year member and is already competing in collegiate tournaments thanks to Porter’s coaching.

“He’s been awesome,” said Kelley. “I took the racquetball class last semester, and he was the instructor. So I had a little experience from that, but now having him as a coach, he’s really helped up my game.”

Part of what makes Porter so great is his enthusiasm, Kelley said. Porter knows how to motivate the members and match their commitment to getting better.

“Knowing the right mechanics now has really helped improved my skills, not only physically, but mentally, as well, when it comes learning the art of the game,” Kelley said. “I’m absolutely coming back every year to be apart of this team.”

Many of the players who are a part of the club hope to stay members as long as they are at the school. Olivas is graduating this year and though he will no longer be a student, he said he is hoping to join coach Porter as an assistant coach to help the team and continue to compete in tournaments.

Though the club started out relatively small and is still growing, they hope to recruit more students who are interested in applying their skill on the courts and are always active in recruiting the casual player at the racquetball courts in the Health and Learning Center. Though just a club, the team has the competitive drive to succeed and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down.

Left: The NAU RacquetJacks medaled at the National Intercollegiate Racquetball championships April 1. Right: Junior Carlos Rascon lines up his serve during practice April 24.

Maxim Mascolo | The Lumberjack

22 T HE LUMBER JACK | JACKCEN T R AL .ORG

TM

NAU STUDENT DISCOUNT

20 Off 10 Off %

OPTICAL FRAMES 1

or

%

DISPOSABLE CONTACT LENSES 2

BEST PRICES ON ALL MAjOR BRANDS OF CONTACT LENSES

Now also serving Flagstaff inside JCPenney, The Flagstaff Mall FlagstaFF Mall | 4600 N Us Hwy 89 | 86004 | (928) 526-5400 FlagstaFF | 801 s. MIltON | 86001 | (928) 213-1400

Your Local Eye Care Professionals!

Offers cannot be combined with any other coupon, special offer or insurance plan unless otherwise noted. Certain Restrictions Apply, See Store for Details. All Exams performed by Doctors of Nationwide Optometry P.C. (1) Current NAU Students Only. Must present current NAU School ID. Discount on frames of $159 and above. (2) Contact lens fitting fee and exam additional. Contact Lens discount on 6 months supply or more. (3) VSP® is a registered trademark of Vision Service Plan and is not affiliated with Nationwide Vision.

Vision Benefits go further at nationwide.

WE ACCEPT MOST MAJOR VISION CARE PLANS INCLUDING MEDICARE VSP®3 (GENERALLY APPROVED PROVIDER) • SPECTERA / OPTUM HEALTH • AVESIS • ALL AHCCCS PLANS DAVIS VISION • BLUE CROSS • UNITED HEALTHCARE • HUMANA • CIGNA VISION • EYEMED AND MANY MORE!