The Lumberjack -- September 3, 2020

GRAND CANYON TRUST PAGE 10

THE LUMBER JACK

SEPT. 3, 2020 – SEPT. 9, 2020

Online at JackCentral.org

From the Editor

R

outine is the axis my world spins on. In short, I’m basically a house cat. I like to know what’s coming, when and how. I’m regimented, and uptight is a word that has been used to describe me many, many times. Since my freshman year, I’ve put too much effort into beating these traits out of myself.

When quarantine hit, these traits became more apparent, but less impactful to my existence. I lived alone at the time, forcing me into complete isolation and if I’m being honest, I didn’t entirely hate it. Sure, I had my fair share of bad days, but the aloneness wasn’t inherently lonely. I got to live my cat-like life without accommodating for anyone else. I didn’t have to wonder who I was making uncomfortable or stifle my compulsions or be filtered through someone else’s perception. I was allowed to just be.

Once I got used to just being, I was forced out of it again. School, work, social life — it all picked back up, but this time with more layers. We’re living in the midst of a contradiction. Be social, but safe. Make friends, but not in the only way you know how. Go to school, but also don’t.

In the last six months, I have sort of recalibrated everything I know, about SCOUT EHRLER MANAGING myself and otherwise. I gave into my compulsive traits and formed habits around EDITOR them, making me arguably more myself than I ever have been. I bounce back and forth between being so worried about the world around me that I can’t be bothered to pay myself much attention and getting completely engulfed in the stress of a reintroduction to a normal that is no longer viable.

The first couple weeks of school were hard. I’d walk on campus and see three, maybe four other people on my journey from point A to point B. And it made me so incredibly sad. Just when I thought my despair for the loss of normalcy peaked, I was on a drive and saw people playing volleyball outside McKay and across the street, a couple girls lounging on the Wilson Hall balconies.

This seemingly miniscule moment made my day. To see friendship and fun continue among all the safety guidelines brought back my normal, if only for a second.

Now that most classes have returned to in-person instruction, I’m of two minds. I’m worried, but I’m also happy to see campus back in action. Normal is becoming an oxymoron in itself. It is fading out of existence, yet being willed to remain.

I’m nervous to see the course this semester takes, but excited for the new normal that will inevitably emerge from it. We’re living history, which while painful, is an incomparable experience.

Don’t forget to take it in.

Continous local and campus covid-19 coverage available at jackcentral.org

Online at Issuu.com Latest Edition & Archive Social media

Thank you for reading.

Phone: (928) 523-4921 Fax: (928) 523-9313 Lumberjack@nau.edu P.O. Box 6000 Flagstaff, AZ 86011

THE LUMBERJACK VOL. 110 ISSUE 4

Editor-in-Chief Brady Wheeler

Managing Editor Scout Ehrler

Copy Chief Nathan Manni

Faculty Adviser David Harpster

Print Chief Jacob Meyer

Director of Digital Content Sabrina Profitt

Media Innovation Center Editorial Board Director of Social Media Maddie Cohen

Op-Ed Editor Ryan Dixon

Asst. Culture Editor Katelyn Rodriguez

Director of Illustration Aleah Green

News Editor Trevor Skeen

Asst. Op-Ed Editor Kyler Edsitty

Sports Editor David Church

Asst. Dir. of Illustration Blake Fernandez

Asst. News Editor Camille Sipple

Features Editor Ash Lohmann

Asst. Sports Editor Cameron Richardson

Director of Photography Michael Patacsil

Online News Editor Alliya Dulaney

Asst. Features Editor Olivia Charlson

Sports Adviser Rory Faust

Asst. Dir. of Photography Mackenzie Brower

Senior Reporter Mark Fabery

Culture Editor Nayomi Garcia

Senior Photographer Brian Burke

Director of Multimedia Shawn Patti

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On the cover The Grand Canyon Trust was started in order to provide protection to the Grand Canyon. Now, the trust’s umbrella of protection covers all of the Colorado Plateau, Oc.t 5, 2019.

MacKenzie Brower| The Lumberjack

Corrections & Clarifications The Lumberjack is committed to factual correctness and accuracy. If you find an error in our publication, please email Brady Wheeler at bew85@nau.edu.

PoliceBeat Aug. 24 At 11:16 a.m., staff reported disorderly conduct occurred on a conference call.

NAUPD responded and took a report.

Aug. 26 At 1:30 p.m., a carbon monoxide alarm was triggered at Mountain View Hall.

NAUPD, Flagstaff Fire Department (FFD) and Guardian Medical Transport At 3:42 p.m., NAUPD (GMT) responded and reported a vehicle parked on discovered the alarm was the sidewalk at the Historic caused by a diffuser.

Quad. The owner was contacted and the vehicle was Aug. 27 relocated.

At 2:08 p.m., a Mountain Line dispatcher reported a At 10:49 p.m., a student person sleeping at the Reilly requested a welfare check on an Hall bus stop. NAUPD unknown subject outside the responded and the nonstudent Aquatic and Tennis Complex. was found to be in good health.

NAUPD responded, but the subject left the area prior to At 6:05 p.m., an NAUPD officer arrival. officer reported an employee at the NAU Bookstore gave him a Aug. 25 pipe. The property was brought At 1:13 a.m., a student to NAUPD for destruction. reported the odor of marijuana outside McKay Village.

At 10:40 p.m., University NAUPD responded, but no Safety Aides reported odor was present upon officer suspicious activity at San arrival.

Francisco Parking Structure.

NAUPD responded and two At 7:57 a.m., staff at students were deferred for Performing & Fine Arts minor in consumption of Building reported a student alcohol. sleeping in the area. NAUPD responded and contacted Aug. 28 the student, but no criminal At 12:13 a.m., an activity was witnessed. anonymous party reported loud talking outside Tinsley At 12:16 p.m., a passerby Hall. NAUPD responded and reported a fight in progress at contacted the students, who lot 3. NAUPD responded and agreed to lower their volume. five nonstudents were warned of trespassing. One nonstudent At 3:29 p.m., an employee was cited and released for at NAU Postal Services failure to identify. reported a package possibly containing drugs. NAUPD At 11:18 p.m., staff at responded and confiscated the Sechrist Hall reported an package for processing. intoxicated juvenile. NAUPD responded and six students At 8:52 p.m., a student were deferred for minor in reported experiencing an consumption of alcohol. allergic reaction at the SkyView Parking Garage, NAUPD, FFD and GMT responded, and the student was transported to FMC.

Compiled by mark fabery Aug. 29 At 9:35 a.m., NAUPD reported being informed of a suspicious person at Drury Inn & Suites. Officers searched the area and no criminal activity was witnessed.

At 10:00 p.m., an RA at Sechrist Hall reported the odor of marijuana. NAUPD responded and two students were referred for possession and use of marijuana.

Additionally, two students were deferred for possession and use of marijuana.

Aug. 30 At 12:47 a.m., a student at SkyView reported a fire.

NAUPD and FFD responded, but the fire was extinguished before FFD arrived. Fire Life Safety was notified.

At 1:45 a.m., NAUPD reported checking on a vehicle with the engine running in lot 13. The vehicle was occupied by a student waiting to meet friends, and no criminal activity was witnessed.

At 7:54 p.m., an RHD at Gabaldon Hall reported an alarm. NAUPD responded, searched the area and discovered the alarm was caused by a candle.

At 10:09 p.m., an NAU employee reported a vehicle drove onto the lawn at the intersection of South Humphreys Street and West Dupont Avenue. NAUPD responded and one nonstudent was booked into Coconino County Detention Facility for felony flight, extreme DUI and criminal damage.

SEPTEMBER 3, 2020 – SEPTEMBER 9, 2020 | THE LUMBERJACK

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NEWS

ASU and the COVID-19 pandemic trevor skeen

A

SU continues to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, and students, faculty and staff have different perceptions regarding the administration’s response. While the university offers a combination of in-person and online instruction until Nov. 29, these questions will only persist throughout the semester.

In Tempe and around the other campuses, the search for a new normal is unfinished.

Providing testing statistics Unlike UA, which publishes COVID-19 test results online, ASU initially refused to share this quantitative data. According to The Arizona Republic, the university declined to release these statistics as recently as mid-August, specifically citing “privacy issues.”

However, a number of prominent lawyers said privacy concerns are unrelated to the pandemic’s broad data trends, which are only documenting the number of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 instead of naming individuals.

“They seem to have really welded themselves to this legal interpretation, but it’s certainly not the prevailing legal interpretation around the country,” Frank LoMonte, director of the Brechner Center for Freedom of Information, told The Arizona Republic.

While sharing personally identifiable information is illegal under federal law, UA’s documentation of 103 positive tests did not reveal any individualized data. Instead, it only showed the number of COVID-19 tests given — along with the number of infections — between July 31 and Aug. 31.

According to Clay Calbert, Dan Kozlowski and Derigan Silver’s “Mass Media Law,” a textbook that outlines local, state and federal stipulations, public disclosure of private facts holds a clear definition under the Restatement (Second) of Torts. This interpretation supported

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UA’s position, wherein no private details were publicly shared in order to provide information about the pandemic.

“One who gives publicity to a matter concerning the private life of another is subject to liability to the other for invasion of his privacy, if the matter publicized is of a kind that a) would be highly offensive to a reasonable person, and b) is not of legitimate concern to the public,” the text stated.

A different article in The Arizona Republic offered a followup perspective: In a decision similar to UA’s, ASU released COVID-19 statistics that avoided sharing any personal information. According to the story — which was published Aug. 25 — 161 students and employees around the university tested positive for the virus. However, a more recent tweet from The State Press documented 775 cases, including 323 on the Tempe campus and an additional 28 faculty positives.

Despite these figures, the percentage of positive cases remained fairly low, with The Arizna Republic documenting a 2% clip after approximately 40,000 tests.

Statistics at UA were slightly less severe, indicating a positivity rate of 0.9% after 11,000 COVID-19 tests were given around the university community. However, the UA website showed that 31 positive cases were confirmed Aug. 24.

Although NAU’s in-state counterparts shared COVID-19 statistics, the university has not followed that pattern. Spokesperson Kimberly Ott said the Coconino County Dashboard is updated weekly with positive cases in NAU’s ZIP code, but this system can fail to demonstrate actual numbers.

Holly Poytner, a public information officer for the Arizona Department of Health Services, told The Arizona Republic that the ZIP codes on COVID-19 cases can reflect different addresses used for health insurance plans or childhood residences. While cases are supposed

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to use primary addresses — such as college dormitories — this distinction can take a while to identify.

“It is important to note that a case in a particular ZIP code does not necessarily indicate that the infection happened in that ZIP code,” Poytner told The Arizona Republic.

Despite the inaccuracy of using ZIP codes to track case numbers, Ott said “NAU will also provide updates on current positive cases from time to time throughout the semester. As of today [Aug. 27], NAU has 7 known cases of students, on and off campus, who have tested positive and are currently in isolation care.”

These results followed NAU’s testing surge, which allowed 2,640 students, faculty, staff and Flagstaff residents to administer self-applied nasal swabs between Aug. 10 and 27.

Ott also said approximately 7,000 students moved into campus housing over the last three weeks, and negative test results were required beforehand.

However, she provided no legal justification for why the university will not provide regular information about positive infections.

Coconino County’s website indicates that 51% of cases around the county are in the 20 to 44-year-old demographic, and multiple testing locations are still offered around campus and Flagstaff.

ASU coronavirus parties The former Instagram account named “asu_covid.parties” is facing litigation from ASU and the Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR), even after the profile was removed from social media.

According to The State Press, the lawsuit alleged trademark violations, false advertising and the spread of harmful misinformation about public health. Before the profile was deleted, it had 23 posts and over 970 followers, while the account’s biography stated, “THROWING HUGE PARTIES AT ASU” and “follow before we go private.”

Sean D. Garrison, a partner at Bacal & Garrison Lawgroup,

signed the lawsuit on behalf of ASU and ABOR on Aug. 20. The accompanying paperwork specifically referenced trademark violations, reputation damages and other adverse consequences amid the pandemic, while also seeking relief against Facebook as a contributory infringer of ASU’s intellectual property rights.

“Copyright law, along with trademark law, patent law and trade secret law, constitutes one aspect of a larger body of law known as intellectual property — intangible property that a person cannot touch, hold or physically lock away for safekeeping,” “Mass Media Law” stated on page 510.

While the effects of “asu_covid. parties” are not obvious or physical, the account holder could have damaged the university’s reputation as an academic institution. As mentioned

in the lawsuit, some members of the university community believed the Instagram profile was officially affiliated with ASU, which threatened public health messaging regarding COVID-19.

“Other posts by ‘asu_covid. parties’ encourage against wearing masks, which directly contradicts, undermines and interferes with the actual health-related message, consistent with the local law that mandates wearing of masks at this time, and that ASU is attempting to provide to its students and the community,” the lawsuit alleged.

However, a Techdirt blog post from Mike Masnick mentioned that “asu_covid.parties” falsely claimed to beat ASU in a lawsuit, even winning a court-ordered “$500,000 in damages.” While these statements are completely untrue, they prove that

A look at Instagram’s mobile application, which “asu_covid.parties” potentially operated on from Russia, Aug. 31.

Michael Patacsil | The Lumberjack

NEWS the account was unaffiliated with the university and even competed against it.

Meanwhile, the profile’s usage of ASU’s signature maroon and gold branding could also represent a trademark violation, which was referenced in the lawsuit and page 512 of “Mass Media Law.” Tiffany & Co.’s blue jewelry boxes and Owens Corning’s pink insulation wrappings are examples of this phenomenon, the textbook added, which distinguish a specific company’s goods and services.

According to the lawsuit, ASU has utilized this combination of maroon and gold since 1898, and has been applied to the university’s merchandise, website, social media and advertisements. This color scheme also helped consumers recognize the college’s identity, which the “asu_covid.parties” account allegedly jeopardized.

Despite these claims, a response from Instagram on Aug. 14 stated that “the reported party appears to be using your trademark to refer to or comment on your goods and services,” which could be legally permissible under a fair use defense.

Additionally, Bacal & Garrison’s lawsuit addressed other falsehoods perpetuated by the former Instagram account, including a partnership with Teva Pharmaceuticals, the distribution of hydrochloroquine and the use of a nonexistent consulate in Tempe. The identity and location of the account holder are also unclear, with some speculation that “asu_covid. parties” is based in Russia.

“Further worsening the situation, the initial investigation indicates that the parties behind this account may be located in Russia and are using the account to sow confusion and conflict and to interfere with the health of the Arizona State University community by trying to worsen the pandemic here,” Bacal & Garrison wrote. “This lawsuit is also necessary in part to discover the true identity of the parties behind this account.”

The student and administrative response While there is no evidence that “asu_covid. parties” hosted actual events, The Arizona Republic reported nine party citations from the Tempe Police Department on the weekend of Aug. 22. Furthermore, six of these incidents were related to students gathering.

According to an email from ASU President Michael Crow, noncompliant behaviors like partying threaten public health and are subject to further punishment. Students, faculty and other members of the university community need to follow appropriate protocols, he added, such as wearing a mask, practicing physical distancing and washing hands regularly.

“Here is the most important thing to

Photo Illustration By Jacob Meyer

remember: COVID-19 is here and will be here for the foreseeable future, so everyone needs to take personal responsibility for their actions and behavior,” the email stated.

Additionally, students who are “hosting or attending” social gatherings — on or off campus — are likely to face suspension under the student code of conduct.

ASU junior Alex Hayden said he opposes this approach, especially because it regulates student behavior separate from the university.

“The recent changes in policy feel a little extreme, given that no large-scale outbreaks have happened,” Hayden said. “I disagree with ASU’s decision to suspend students if they violate public health guidelines while they are off campus on their own time.”

Although some students side with ASU’s policies — or think they are too extreme — others are unsure if existing safety precautions are actually enough. ASU junior Avianna Martin said one of her classmates tested positive for COVID-19 in March, but the university’s administration never informed her of this result.

Instead, Martin explained that she heard about the infection from someone else.

In contrast, Crow’s email to the student body claimed ASU has monitored COVID-19 since the beginning of the calendar year, which supposedly included contact tracing protocols.

“Since January of 2020, ASU has been

managing COVID-19 cases on and off our campuses,” the email stated. “The university has protocols in place to manage students who test positive or may have been exposed to someone who is positive.”

“Administratively, they’re just thinking about the business as a whole, instead of each individual student who attends their university.”

– ASU junior avianna martin And while the university released official case statistics on Aug. 25, Martin said this information does not specify the number of infections at each dormitory or residence.

ASU has four locations in the metropolitan Phoenix area — the Tempe, Downtown, West and Polytechnic campuses — but it is unclear where the positive tests were confirmed at each community.

For example, ASU shared details that Tempe had 205 students in isolation as of Aug.

28, but it did not clarify the exact location of these positive cases.

Martin added that without identifying specific outbreaks and informing the general population, these numbers are meaningless.

With 775 positive cases, the infections could be spread around different parts of Phoenix or clustered all together.

“Administratively, they’re just thinking about the business as a whole, instead of each individual student who attends their university,” Martin said.

Furthermore, she explained that the students who pay thousands of dollars to attend ASU have no idea what is going on. Although Martin has learned about COVID-19, contact tracing and safety precautions in recent months, she said most of this knowledge came from secondary sources and not the university.

“All these specific little things we have to worry about as students, we didn’t know until a couple of weeks before classes started,” Martin said. “It’s just being in the dark 90% of the time, until you find out — usually by accident — how things are going to go.”

ASU’s classes started Aug. 20 and will continue until Nov. 29, with over 127,000 students based on multiple learning modalities.

SEPTEMBER 3, 2020 – SEPTEMBER 9, 2020 | THE LUMBERJACK

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NEWS

Student workers struggle through pandemic tess spinker

N

AU students are struggling to pay for tuition, fees and the cost of living this semester, specifically because employment opportunities are more difficult to secure following the June surge of COVID-19 infections in Arizona.

After closures of schools and nonessential businesses took effect in March, increased regulations forced many into a jobless summer. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, Flagstaff’s unemployment rate went from 5.8% in February to 13.3% by the end of June.

Meanwhile, NAU Human Resources recently released a COVID-19 update following the financial impact of the previous fiscal year. Based on these considerations, the 2020-21 academic year will have a hiring slowdown and salary reduction for employees, including many who are also students.

NAU sophomore Quinn Linsley said she began working for the Student Service Center (SSC) shortly before COVID-19 halted in-person classes, which produced a rapid change for the job she had started just two weeks prior.

“Many people I personally knew who worked at local businesses or had internships were let go before they could begin,” Linsley said. “I consider myself a lucky one to have the opportunity to work for NAU and to have a job in this challenging time.”

While students faced fewer hours or lost jobs, Linsley said NAU also increased social distancing guidelines and provided face masks, hand sanitizer and free testing so everyone could stay safe. Additionally, the SSC began to help those infected with COVID-19 by offering a hotline for any questions or concerns.

Across the campus and city, strict limitations on dinein options, scheduled events and tutoring lessened the options students used in previous school years.

The Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES) recently revised the Shared Work Program in response to

problems for college students who pay for their school through work-study programs, followed with the cost of rent, utilities and books during the school year.

According to a research study from the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA), nearly 50% of college students are financially independent and about two-thirds work while enrolled in classes, which amounts to approximately 11 million student workers.

On the federal level, The Washington Post reported that President Donald Trump took executive action to extend unemployment benefits, defer taxes and limit evictions. However, without congressional agreement, it is unsure if and when another stimulus check will be distributed.

While classes rotate between face-to-face and remote instruction, sophomore Breanna Duran worried that even more problems may arise as a result of these drastic changes.

“It has been a little harder because we have to rely on Wi-Fi,”

Duran said. “I had to call ITS [Information Technology Services] like three times to help me get into a computer.”

Wireless connections can affect the learning environment for many students around NAU, while Zoom calls and the additional online workload can cause further technical difficulties.

According to ITS, Wi-Fi access points are constantly increasing and improving on campus, in addition to boosting other statewide locations. By offering internet connection around different parts of the state, some students can choose to participate remotely and limit exposure to the virus.

“I just like working from home because I do not want to go out and have the chance of getting COVID-19,” Duran said.

While the hiring process is unclear since the pandemic, SSC previously hired new employees once seniors graduated in the fall or spring. However, this system could change amid the pandemic and hiring freezes.

“I consider myself a lucky one to have the opportunity to work for NAU and to have a job during this challenging time.”

– sophomore quinn linsley COVID-19. This system allows employers to avoid layoffs by dividing time between workers and alloting them partial unemployment benefits.

“We are temporarily increasing the maximum reduction of hours for the Shared Work program from 40% to 60%,” the DES stated. “Employers can reduce workers’ hours up to 60% and still qualify for the Shared Work Program as long as they continue to provide health and retirement benefits to participating employees.”

However, the uncertainty of finding jobs continues to create

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Illustration By Blake Fernandez

COMIC SPOT

Comic By Diana Ortega

Comic By Blake Fernandez

Comic By ALeah Green

SEPTEMBER 3, 2020 – SEPTEMBER 9, 2020 | THE LUMBERJACK

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OPINION-EDITORIAL

Protesters deserve the right to vote KYLIE SOTO

Opening up about vaginismus

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he irony of opening up about vaginismus can be painful in itself. According to Medical News Today, vaginismus is a condition involving muscle spasms in the pelvic floor of the vagina. It can be a physical cause or linked to anxiety, making penetrative sex, inserting a tampon or a visit to the gynecologist extremely painful. Now, according to me, it is a pain in the aforementioned area that can make sexual experiences go from fun to done in a short amount of time. My experience was confusing, frustrating and embarrassing.

Sex affects everyone, even those whose sexual preference is to not have sex at all. We consume sex in the media and details of it from people around us, especially in college. “The talk” is seen as OLIVIA standard in most households, even if it CHARLSON looks different for everyone.

ASSISTANT FEATURES EDITOR For example, you might have had a slightly uncomfortable conversation with your parents about the birds and the bees. I got a one-sentence explanation after which I ran out of the room screaming.

Some people do not get this conversation at all and it can be a whole other level of hurt for those who grew up while gay or transgender.

In our youth, sex is used to experiment. It is a time when you can discover what intimacy physically feels like. My first time trying to have sex did not work. It was as if my body was putting up a wall, creating figurative walls in my life, too.

I thought it was just that sex was supposed to be extremely painful, at least at first, and I felt ashamed thinking that it was my fault for not being able to handle it.

I did not know what vaginismus was until I watched “Sex Education” on Netflix. For the first time, what I was feeling made sense, but it also made me question things further: Why was I learning about this through a TV show and not in actual sex education in high school?

Real-life sex education is corrupt. I want people to be able to talk about their erectile dysfunction, endometriosis, body dysphoria, UTIs, sexually transmitted diseases and all of the other problems that can plague us below the belt. Sex education also tends to only focus on abstinence and heterosexual sex, so it is in no way inclusive. Do I want my peers to know all about my sexual experiences? Not necessarily. However, if there is anyone who can relate to this, then I will scream it from the rooftops.

For a few years, I could not have sex like a lot of my other friends because it felt like a kick to the crotch. No one should feel afraid of their own body or upset because sex isn’t like the movies. Let’s talk about it and support each other through our uncomfortable, unsatisfying and undoubtedly sticky situations because sex is not one-size-fits-all.

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oting in the United States is considered a civic duty and a constitutional right. In light of recent events, many people have come to realize that voting is another form of protest that has the most direct impact on the average citizen’s life.

As expected and observed, there are politicians who disagree with social justice protests, claiming that they are too violent and that the Black Lives Matter movement (BLM) is a domestic terrorist group.

However, while these statements are fasle, they have not extinguished the movement as protests continue to pop up around the country.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee took his visible disapproval to a whole new level by signing a bill that would as stated by The Hill, “ramp up punishments for certain kinds of protests, including losing the right to vote.”

These increased penalties — from a misdemeanor to a felony — could lead to protesters losing the right to vote in some instances. It also adds additional mandatory minimum sentences implemented in an effort to try to arrest protesters specifically for disorderly conduct, disrupting a meeting and other commonly used protest tactics.

Protesters in Tennessee now have targets on their backs and, worst of all, they were placed there by the very government that should be serving them. This is a deliberate and vile attack on Tennessean protesters and their First Amendment right to voice their beliefs, assemble and petition their government.

I was taught in high school that we the people were given the right to challenge our government.

Now, I’m unsure of what

rights we, the people, will have left if politicians like Lee continue ramping up consequences for rights granted to the people in the Constitution.

Protesters are fighting for those that have been lost at the hands of law enforcement: George Floyd, along with countless others, such as Elijah McClain, Breonna Taylor and Tony McDade.

A statement issued by the Tennessee American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) stated it “had earlier urged Gov. Lee to veto this legislation” and it, as an organization, is “very disappointed in Gov. Lee’s decision to sign this bill.”

Tennessee ACLU executive director Hedy Weinberg said the bill “chills free speech, undermines criminal justice reform and fails to address the very issues of racial justice and police violence raised by the protesters who are being targeted.”

This bill prevents protesters from getting their message through to politicians like Lee and puts Black Tennesseans a step further from equality. If anything, it will feed more people into the prison system and force crime statistics in further favor of the rich white man.

The Tennessee ACLU also wrote in their statement that camping on state property that has not been designated for such use results in a felony and “creates a pre conviction punishment by requiring a person to spend 12 hours in jail if they are arrested for any of the offenses listed in the statute, even if they are not convicted, unless an official finds the person is unlikely to resume the action they were arrested for.”

Across the nation, if a person has a felony charge, they lose their right to vote. Which will take away one of their most powerful forms of protest and change.

The Tennessee state government would rather see these people — these human beings in grief — locked up rather than listening to them and reflect on what could be changed to better the community.

On top of that, they will also destroy the one avenue available to the people that would force them to listen to the protesters: their right to vote.

This bill feeds into the very concept the people are protesting Yet again, the government has failed to serve the people and instead chooses to punish the minority. All this because people are exercising their right to protest and express their beliefs. Nay, because Black people are exercising their right to protest and express their beliefs.

The U.S is now the land of division and the home of the rich white man who can afford it.

Illustration By Tonesha yazzie

OPINION-EDITORIAL

home looks a little different this semester haylee emch

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all’s major move-in weekends have passed and NAU students are finally able to return to the beautiful Flagstaff campus.

That is not a reality for all, though, as many students are still in their hometowns across the country.

The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting many in differnt ways, but one crucial aspect is the debate over whether students should return to universities. Regardless of the reason, students who choose to stay home should not feel like they are missing out on a vast amount.

Safety guideline requirements are mostly the same for students on and off campus. These requirements include mandatary daily checks, testing, wearing masks and socially distancing. Guidelines keep students safe but also allow minimal contact between those on campus.

The College Crisis Initiative by Davidson College is actively reporting schools’ plans to help the nation understand institutional response to COVID-19. There are over 1,427 American colleges and universities that have declared a fully online or hybrid experience with only 73 schools meeting fully in-person, according to the College Crisis Initiatve. The vast majority agree that it is up to the student to make their decisions with safety at the forefront.

A benefit of staying home during this time is providing oneself with proper safety procedures. Some students were not able to comfortably and safely return to campus due to being conisdered high-risk. These students can feel more comfortable at home with less worry about getting sick.

Many schools across America have been forced to shut down due to potenital outbreaks. The Washington Post reported that just days after reopening campuses, some colleges already have already documented over 500 positive COVID-19 cases. Hannah Knowles of The Washington Post wrote that in response to the outbreaks, students are committed to the “university’s ability to deliver a dramatically transformed on-campus experience.”

Parents also have concerns regarding their students’ returns to campus. Their angst rises from the debate of letting their students be independent while trying to ensure their children’s safety.

The New York Times heard from concerned parents and how they are dealing with letting their students go. One parent discussed her struggles of dropping off her college freshman, describing the experience as one disappointment after another.

She said she was sad that her student is already missing out on her senior year and now will be missing her freshman year of college as well.

The article then discussed ways parents can cope and alternatives for students that are not returning to campus. For students that are home, this is less of a concern because they can stay with their parents.

The benefit of staying home is a low-stress semester without all the questions of the unknown.

Another reason students are choosing to stay home is the financial burdens of returning to campus. NAU has been offering grants such as the one provided by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Secuirty (CARES) Act and other academic assistance, but staying home offers savings to students. Many people have been laid off due to the virus, and staying home is a viable option when many parents allow their children to stay at the family home for free.

By staying home, sudents are further connected to their families. Quarantine has led to creativity in how people spend time together. Families have reached out more to distant relatives, and Zoom birthday parties allow for everyone to feel connected.

The idea of keeping communication open has been the ideal that has made families successful.

On the other hand, there are also negative aspects of students staying home. Many people lost their independence overnight and some had to return home to toxic families or relationships. Leo Sher of “QJM: The International Journal of

Medicine” discussed the negative impacts of rising depression rates.

“Multiple lines of evidence indicate that the coronavirus disease pandemic has profound psychological and social effects,” Sher stated in QJM, “Studies indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic is associated with distress, anxiety, fear of contagion, depression and insomnia in the general population and among health care professionals.”

With negative thoughts and feelings of loneliness rising in those who are distanced, it means students need to connect now more than ever.

There are many ways for students to feel connected, even if their friends are at the Flagstaff Mountain campus and they are still home. They could participate in picnics over video calls, have movie nights or even make collaborative playlists. Now is the time for students to get creative to stay connected to their friends.

There is no denying that many people’s lives changed drastically and things are different than what was originally planned. It is important that everyone can stay connected in safe ways, no matter where their home is. With all the challenges the virus has introduced to daily life, there are also bright sides. This can be an opportunity for students to save money, feel safe at home and reconnect with family and old friends. There is hope even in the darkest times. Home is wherever you make it, whether on the gorgeous NAU campus or elsewhere.

Illustration By Christian Ayala

SEPTEMBER 3, 2020 – SEPTEMBER 9, 2020 | THE LUMBERJACK

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FEATURES

Grand Canyon Trust: Guardi Oakley Seiter

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he Grand Canyon Trust has fought many battles. It is an organization dedicated to protecting the Grand Canyon and Colorado Plateau in order to keep them safe and flourishing. The organization’s struggles are constant and include keeping pollution under control, shutting down uranium mines, protecting forests and Indigenous land and maintaining the cleanliness of the Colorado River.

Roger Clark, program director of the Grand Canyon Trust, has been a part of the organization for decades. He explained that throughout their history of protecting the Colorado Plateau, the trust has worked extensively with governments, activists and grassroots groups to achieve their goal of promoting the flourishing of the area. Clark said his work at the trust has made a positive impact on him throughout his involvement. “[The Grand Canyon] is a place I have lived and worked in for most of my life and it gets me into the places I most enjoy,” Clark said.

The organization began in the 1980s under the Reagan when the promotion of environmentalism was heightened, Clark said.

Environmentalist Huey Johnson was invited on a river trip through the Grand Canyon to discuss possible ways to protect it. After the trip, Johnson stood before the group and presented the idea of the Grand Canyon Trust. While it took a few years for the proposal to come to fruition, Clark explained that the trust was

officially formed in 1985.

Clark said Bruce Babbitt, an attorney and former Arizona governor, was contacted a few years after the aforementioned river trip to officially establish the organization as a nonprofit. After some time, the Grand Canyon Trust decided to expand its region of protection.

“The program mainly focused on the region of the Grand Canyon, until Stewart Udall [former Arizona congressman] suggested expanding the program to protect the entire Colorado Plateau,” Clark said.

The umbrella of protection provided by the Grand Canyon Trust was thus expanded to include around 130,000 square miles of land. Clark explained the organization’s efforts now encompass Utah, northern New Mexico, Colorado and Arizona.

Clark said after the trust broadened its horizons, there were three high-priority issues to reduce: noise from overhead flights at the Grand Canyon, high-fluctuating water releases from surrounding dams and pollution from the Navajo generating station.

With the help of activist Edward Norton and former Sen. John McCain, Clark said a regulation was passed to control air tours over the national park to prevent helicopters from flying over the rim.

After resolving the noise reduction issue, the organization started to work on the highfluctuating water release of the Glen Canyon Dam. Clark said it altered the Colorado River’s ecosystem, cut into archaeological sites and harmed endangered fish.

The trust’s work led to the implementation of the Grand Canyon Protection Act of 1992, which was passed to protect, maintain and exceed the values of the national park that were put in place when it was established, according to the United States Bureau of Reclamation.

After the law was passed, the third issue was figuring out a way to reduce the pollution produced from the largest generating station in the western United States. In 1991, the sulfur dioxide produced from the Navajo generating station was cut by 90% under the president George H.W. Bush administration.

Although its main purpose was to replace the power produced by the lost dam, it added to the toxicity in air pollution, according to an article on Intermountain Histories by George Mumford.

There were 17 other coal-fired power plants that needed pollution control, as well. In 1995 the first plant to shut down for exceeding pollution standards was Mojave’s generating station, Clark said.

Though throughout the trusts’ history, Clark said that it was a different area of focus that was of the greatest concern.

“The program’s biggest issue we had to sink our teeth into was to stop uranium mining,” Clark said.

Clark explained that the Grand Canyon Trust worked with the Havasupai people and congressperson Raúl Grijalva in an effort to stop the mining. In 2008, Grijalva initiated

Uqualla, the spiritual practitioner of the Havasupai tribe in the Grand Canyon is pictured preforming a prayer in the sacred land at the base of Red Butte in Kaibab National Forest Oct. 7, 2018. Members of the Havasupai tribe and tribes all across the Colorado Plateau gathered spiritual fellowship in opposition to the uranium mining, the main issue the Grand Canyon Trust combats.

Michael Patacsil | The Lumberjack

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efforts to withdraw one million acres of federal land surrounding the national park from future mining endeavors. However, Clark said that it was not until 2012 when an executive order was signed for a 20-year moratorium, or temporary prohibition, on that land under the Obama administration.

One mine in particular is still contaminating the water that nearby tribes use today. Canyon Mine was permitted to operate in the mid-’80s but before it could reach the ore, its owners had to close its gates in the ’90s due to a drop in uranium prices. In 2013, Clark said uranium prices climbed back up and the National Park Service decided the mine was exempt from the 2012 ban on mining due to its mineral rights and resumed operations.

“Today, water is continuously dropping into the shaft and put into the monitoring wells,” Clark said. “[Contaminates] could move into the regional aquifer and permanently contaminate the water.”

Not only does such contamination pose a threat to the flora and fauna in the area, but it also threatens the well-being of nearby indigenous tribes, Navajo tribe member Rita Bilagody said.

FEATURES

ians of the Colorado Plateau Bilagody is also a member of the grassroots organization Save the Confluence and lives on the Navajo reservation near the Little Colorado River.

She explained that her tribe and others continue to face struggles, such as lack of water and electricity, as well as having to grow their own food. On top of these challenges, Bilagody said they also must protect their rightful land from investors who try to steal and lie to them for their own profit.

The Grand Canyon Trust began working with Save the Confluence, whose goal is to protect reservation land. Bilagody explained that the organization is located at the edge of the Colorado River where it joins with the Little Colorado River, hence the confluence reference. The reservation land encasing the rivers is sacred to about 14 Navajo, Hopi and Pueblo tribes. “[The reservation] is where our emergence stories come from,” Bilagody said. “This is where our people came from, it is the beginning of our tribes around here.”

Bilagody said Save the Confluence was started in the mid-2000s when Lamar Whitmer, a developer from central Arizona, wanted to get investors to put a resort near the confluence.

Whitmer began a campaign to start building it, and promised the Indigenous people he would increase jobs and income for the surrounding tribes. Bilagody said as the group started digging into the issue further, they realized Whitmer barely had any investors.

“He never got permission from the tribes or people who lived there,” Bilagody said. “He decided he wanted to borrow $65 million from the Navajo tribe to finance it, and this was a red flag to us.”

The tribes were in need of jobs, electricity, roads, housing and running water, Bilagody said. So, there was no way they could lend Whitmer money.

Save the Confluence began reaching out to the world to create awareness and possibly get help to stop the development.

The Grand Canyon Trust stepped in to help by posting about it on social media, putting up flyers, creating petitions and coming up with resolutions. After

years of fighting, Bilagody said the two organizations were able to persuade the Navajo Nation Council to vote against Whitmer’s proposal in October 2017.

“The Grand Canyon Trust has realized the value of the land and what these businesses will do to the life on this sacred ground,” Bilagody said. “I don’t know how we would have made it without their help, we are so indebted to them and have a lot of gratitude that they are willing to stand by us and fight with us.”

Recently, the Grand Canyon Trust began helping Save the Confluence with another issue. Bilagody said federal officials gave permission to developer Steven Irwin, to build a dam that will take already scarce water from the confluence’s two rivers.

“People need to realize that living here on the reservation, it is hard for us to provide water sometimes,” Bilagody said.

“Water is a luxury and the dam is going to use all the groundwater to power Phoenix, Las Vegas and California and then turn around and leave us dry.”

Save the Confluence and the Grand Canyon Trust are working together to stop the dam from being built. Before the pandemic, both the Grand Canyon Trust and Save the Confluence had the advantage of going face-to-face to each governing chapter on the reservation and argue their case, as well as present some resolutions.

Now, with COVID-19, they cannot have that in-person communication to really get their point across.

“The developers are trying to push ahead because they think we can’t do anything about it right now, so they are taking advantage of this,” Bilagody said.

“We have social media, we are writing letters and talking to as many people as we can. The Grand Canyon Trust and we, as a grassroots collaboration, are so important.”

In order to get the help it needs, Bilagody said that Save the Confluence has a petition on their website and she encourages anyone interested in helping their mission to sign it and pass the word on. Furthermore, those aiming to work within or alongside the Grand Canyon Trust’s mission can learn about ways they can get involved by visiting their website.

“The Grand Canyon Trust has realized the value of the land and what these businesses will do to the life on this sacred ground ” – Rita Bilagody, Navajo Tribe member

The Grand Canyon Trust was started in order to provide protection to the Grand Canyon.

Now, the trust’s umbrella of protection covers all of the Colorado Plateau, Oc.t 5, 2019.

MacKenzie Brower| The Lumberjack

SEPTEMBER 3, 2020 – SEPTEMBER 9, 2020 | THE LUMBERJACK

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FEATURES

Urban farming has skyrocketed throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Rafael Acuña started his microgreens farm in March. Ash Lohmann | The Lumberjack

Community support sprouting from urban farming Ash Lohmann

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ith shutdowns and restrictions in place due to COVID-19, much of the hustle and bustle of urban life had a chance to calm down this year, allowing urban farming to sprout through the cracks. Urban farms all over Arizona have been blooming as residents have more time on their hands working and studying at home while social distancing.

Alongside preexisting urban farms, new farms have provided food throughout grocery store shortages and are establishing community connections when life might have been feeling distant.

Urban farming is essentially growing food within an urban area, like a city or populated town, according to Greensgrow Farms, a chain of urban farms with a mission to educate people about urban farming. With its encompassing definition, urban farming is practiced in various ways. Be it inside an apartment, on a rooftop, in a backyard garden or a plot of land downtown, growing food on a small or large scale is urban farming all the same.

Rafael Acuña started his Phoenix-based microgreens farm, Galveston Greens, after losing his job in the wake of COVID-19’s economic repercussions. Acuña said he had always wanted to dip his toes into urban farming as he enjoys growing food that he can use to make healthy meals for himself.

“Galveston Greens is my indoor garden farm,” Acuña said.

“The idea to make myself some healthy plants to eat evolved into an idea of maybe being able to make some money off of it. So, I started growing more than I could eat to see if I could find people who would buy it.”

Galveston Greens grows microgreens, Acuña said, which are often vegetable sprouts that are grown densely and harvested after only a few days. He said that oftentimes, microgreens can contain as much or more vitamins and nutrients than the plant’s fully developed vegetable. However, some microgreens aren’t vegetable plants, but are still edible and highly nutritious, such as sunflower sprouts and wheatgrass.

Acuña said that as a superfood, wheatgrass is one of the healthiest things someone can eat. It contains five times more iron than spinach, 11 times more calcium than dairy milk and seven

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times more vitamin C than an orange. While he said wheatgrass is very healthy, Acuña dislikes the taste and said he prefers to juice it and include the microgreen in his smoothies for breakfast. To Acuña, wheatgrass is a prime example of how easy it can be to grow something healthy at home.

“Urban farming is really easy, and you don’t need a lot of space,” Acuña said. “I have a little setup in front of my window that gets the morning sun and then I turn on my lights and run that for the rest of the day. You don’t need much time either ...

Within a little over a week, I can start harvesting something to eat and something that’s nutritious. I also like that I know I didn’t use any chemicals — just water and love.”

While it may look different from the Galveston Greens microgreens farm, the Flagstaff urban farm Ruby Earth Gardens also produces healthy food for the community to enjoy. Elizabeth Bechok, farm manager and co-owner of Ruby Earth Gardens, said their outdoor urban farm is only a quarter of an acre but provides the community with produce that’s as local as it gets.

“We are a bio-intensive urban farm startup business in downtown Flagstaff,” Bechok said. “We focus on growing aridadapted, high-elevation vegetables for sale to the local community.

We also grow indigenous varieties of corn, beans and squash using dryland farming techniques.”

While what an urban farm can grow may be limited by local climate and available space, Bechok said there are many benefits to having an urban farm located in downtown Flagstaff.

“By starting our business within city limits, we have access to municipal water, which is helpful for our arid environment,” Bechok said. “We also have access to a community that is supportive of local food production, which is helpful for continued sales for the business.”

Bechok explained that because Ruby Earth Gardens lies within city limits, the urban farm also is better for the environment than traditional farms because the food doesn’t have to travel long distances. She said that because of this short distance from the farmer to the consumer, urban farming supports a sustainable food system.

Ruby Earth Gardens, as well as other urban farms, have been thriving throughout the pandemic, Bechok said. She explained that while many urban farms are just getting started, like

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Galveston Greens, other urban farms that were already established have been receiving higher traction than usual recently.

“Many people want access to local food since the pandemic,” Bechok said. “There is increased interest in urban farms as people saw the aisles bare in supermarkets. I think access to locally-grown food brings a great sense of peace and ease to communities in a time when the world can feel scary and uncertain. People feel secure knowing that they can procure some of their caloric needs without going to the grocery store.”

On top of having another source of food outside of a grocery store, Bechok said urban farms are a place where locals can form connections with the community. She said urban farms can make eaters and growers alike feel as though they are supporting one another, especially when small businesses and members of the community might need more support than usual.

For those taking on urban farming, Acuña said now seems to be a better time than any. Because of more available time and an increasing need for fresh food and community connections — at a distance, of course, — he said kickstarting one’s own urban farm makes perfect sense. He said that even if it’s only enough food to share with neighbors, everyone should be growing something for themselves. Acuña said urban farming can bring more food security to an individual in unpredictable times and learning to care for plants that, in turn, care for you is an important skill to have.

Bechok agreed that gardening is an essential skill and said it can be cultivated at home or by volunteering at a local farm.

She also explained that YouTube, and the internet in general, is a valuable resource for learning about growing food from an urban environment.

If someone doesn’t want to grow food themselves, Bechok said they can still support their local urban farms by buying what they grow and spreading the word about small businesses.

The Flagstaff Community Farmers Market has reopened and is enforcing social distancing guidelines, according to its website, but community members can also order products online.

All in all, farmers agree that urban farming is needed more than ever. So, they encourage community members to try urban farming out for themselves and continue to support local farmers.

CULTURE

Keeping friendships by playing video games cole stewart

Halsey takes fans back to the “BADLANDS”

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t’s been five years since Halsey’s debut album “BADLANDS” was released.

To celebrate the anniversary, she took fans back to this iconic era on Aug. 28 with the release of “BADLANDS (Live from Webster Hall),” which she announced on Twitter. The tracklist for the live album is almost the same as the original, but features 21 tracks that include talking breaks and two songs off her 2014 EP, “Room 93.”

This album not only makes you feel like you’re in the middle of a crowd, but it shows off Halsey’s immense talent. The album begins with “Castle,” which serves as an introduction to the concept of “BADLANDS” and was featured in the 2016 film “The Huntsman: KATELYN Winter’s War.” RODRIGUEZ While the entire live album is a masterpiece, the standout songs are “Hurricane,” “Haunting” and ASSISTANT CULTURE EDITOR “Trouble.”

Five years later, “Hurricane” remains an empowering anthem for listeners. Halsey’s vocals are strong throughout the entire performance as the audience screams the words back to her. Toward the middle, she tells fans that this song is a reminder that they don’t belong to anyone but themselves. That message shines through the lyrics.

“I’m a wanderess / I’m a one night stand / Don’t belong to no city / Don’t belong to no man / I’m the violence in the pouring rain / I’m a hurricane,” Halsey belts.

“Haunting” begins with an eerie voiceover of Halsey repeating “Keep on haunting / Keep on haunting me,” before launching into the beat-driven song where her vocals switch from whimsical to gravelly. However, the biggest surprise came in the form of the extended ending in which she added lyrics from the beginning of the track, but switched them up and slowed them down.

“I’ve got a boyfriend now and he’s made of gold / I know / I know / I’ve got a girlfriend now and she’s made of gold / I know,” she sings as the song slows to a close.

“Trouble” is a fan favorite that supporters have been begging her to play for years. The song wasn’t featured on“BADLANDS,” but it was on the “Room 93” EP. Chants of the singer’s name can be heard before she tells them they earned it as the piano begins playing in the background. The lyrics are a powerful telling of a verbally abusive relationship in which the significant other takes pride in hurting the narrator.

“Lmao whole [timeline] stopped talking during ‘trouble’ u good?” Halsey tweeted in response to fans reacting to the album.

After the release fans trended #WhyWePickedYou on Twitter to express their love for Halsey, after she explained during one of the talking breaks that she didn’t know why her fans picked her to support.

“BADLANDS” was a pivotal album for me as a teen, especially after meeting Halsey prior to its release. The album gave me an opportunity to make new friends and the ability to express myself. Going back to this era only solidified the album’s meaning for me.

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ideo games have become mainstream over the past decade. With advancements in consoles and online servers that can support millions, it is an easy way for friends to spend time together in the safety of their bedrooms. With the gaming technology in a constant state of advancement, friends and family are now able to connect to online servers and players can use microphone headsets to communicate while streaming online games.

Game developers have enlarged the industry to a point where they appeal to all types of people. This makes it possible for anyone to find a game they enjoy and it gives them the ability to play with their friends.

Online gaming has kept friendships alive during the COVID-19 pandemic. With so many people indoors, gaming has become a new regular for many.

All that’s required are a Wi-Fi connection, console or PC and a headset. Although some games are free to play, many consoles charge a fee each month to use their online service.

TechRadar listed three of the most popular free games of 2020 as Fortnite Battle Royale, Dota 2 and PlanetSide 2.

Senior Nico Bohland is a competitive gamer who has been gaming more often during the pandemic.

“I have been gaming since 2007, playing mostly Call of Duty and FIFA,” Bohland said.

“I’ve made better friends on Call of Duty than I have in real life. We ended up going on a trip together and became even closer.”

Bohland said his gaming time had increased from one to two hours a day to six or seven during the pandemic. He said he primarily uses his PC for aimbots, which make target acquisition effortless in shooter games, and his PlayStation 4 for competitive tournaments.

Spencer Smith is a gamer who uses various consoles on the market.

“I try to play video games with my friends more often than when I play alone,” Smith said. “Primarily, I use a PlayStation 4 due to the game variety that appeals to me.

However, I can’t say that I do not use an Xbox.”

Kyle Klein is a sophomore and parttime gamer of six years. Klein said online games have kept his friendships alive.

“Online games allow me to socialize with

my friends who live farther away from me, and they allow me to share something in common with them,” Klein said.

Klein said he plays online games with his friends, for the most part. He said it is more fun for him to socialize and play online where they can all catch up together about their lives.

Video games have provided a safe alternative for socializing during the pandemic. With advancements in the gaming industry and the release of the new Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 this holiday season, it will be interesting to see what technologies will step up their game in 2021.

Illustration By Blake Fernandez

SEPTEMBER 3, 2020 – SEPTEMBER 9, 2020 | THE LUMBERJACK

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CULTURE

Members of the NAU Body Positivity Club participate in a scavenger hunt on NAU campus, Aug. 29. Courtesy of the NAU Body Positivity Club.

Making their mark: NAU Body Positivity Club Lisa Hall

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ody positivity and self-love can be difficult for many, but NAU’s new club strives to encourage their members to love who they are. Although the club is pretty self-explanatory in its purpose, there is a lot more going on under the surface.

Junior Sarah Cunningham and senior Ashley Schaberg were some of the club’s first members. They both reached out to the NAU Body Positivity Club via Instagram to join.

Cunningham and Schaberg signed up for the member emailing list. Despite the fact that this club is brand new, and still figuring out its voice

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and finding its place within the community — which is open to everyone — and it is already creating an impact.

“Although we have only met up once, this club has brought together such a positive and necessary community for me,” Cunningham said. “Body positivity is a topic I am particularly passionate about, and to find a plethora of others who also value it and want to form a community around it just makes me incredibly happy. Also, the simple fact that this club exists gives me hope for how we can change society bits at a time.”

The people involved in this club, the members and those who run it, are committed

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to creating a change in the social standards of body image within the NAU community.

People may struggle with how they view themselves, but this club is trying to make a change in how someone views their appearance.

“To me, the body positivity club is about being yourself and believing in the concept of living comfortably in your own body,” Schaberg said. “It is about treating it right through nourishment, positive encouragement, and not letting society’s ideals influence your own view of yourself.”

The NAU Body Positivity Club wants the community to know that whatever someone looks like, they are worthy and should always

hold love for themself. This club is a community of people committed to making others feel comfortable in their own skin.

Cunningham said the club provides a way to be oneself unapologetically in a comfortable and safe place.

“It represents a way to spark change in the way we think as a society,” Cunningham said. “It represents inclusiveness, respect, vulnerability and understanding.”

In today’s social climate, ideas of beauty and the perfect body are created by what is seen on social media. Social media is plagued on a daily basis with unrealistic expectations, doctored images of people’s bodies and a certain

CULTURE hostility for people who don’t fit within these lines. The NAU Body Positivity Club wants to spread the message that regardless of what a person looks like, they’ll always find a place in their club.

NAU junior and club vice president Abbie Stackis said the club represents inclusion and self-love.

“Everyone deserves love and acceptance, regardless of size or weight,” Stackis said. “For any student at NAU, this club will provide a place for students to feel loved and accepted exactly as they are.”

Becoming a member of this club can open a world of experiences and enlightenment.

Finding a new community of people who are like-minded and hold the same values is something a lot of people strive for. This community could provide a breath of fresh air for any student.

Stackis said the club has two missions.

“The first is to educate NAU students on body positivity — both how to practice it and how to talk about it to others,” Stackis said. “The second is to give our members a community in which they can grow and make social connections with people. Our club will provide everyone, both members and nonmembers, with a sense of selflove and acceptance.”

The NAU Body Positivity Club strives to leave a lasting impression on anyone it can: club members, students, faculty and others. The message members are trying to spread is a very important one. College campuses can be a toxic environment for body image and a club like this can change the course in someone’s body image journey.

Stackis said her favorite part of being in the club is knowing that the information they are promoting has the ability to change lives.

Negative self-talk and body image issues are significant problems that plague a large number of people — of any gender — especially in college, she said.

“I know from personal experience that struggling to practice body kindness can truly interfere with every pillar of the health spectrum, like your emotional well-being,” Stackis said. “ If the content I am creating and spreading helps people to embark or continue on their own body positive journey, then I have done my job as a leader in this community.”

The NAU Body Positivity Club is looking for new members to help spread love and body positivity across campus. Societal expectations cause negativity for many, but this club can help one find the joy they may need in their life.

Courtesy of the NAU Body Positivity Club

SEPTEMBER 3, 2020 – SEPTEMBER 9, 2020 | THE LUMBERJACK

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SPORTS

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2035: Luka Dončić is the G.O.A.T.

ith the NBA Playoffs in full swing, players have been given the chance to rise to the occasion without the mounted pressure of thousands of screaming fans bearing down on them. One player who has impressed the most during the first round is Dallas Mavericks point guard Luka Dončić.

NBA fans already knew how special Dončić was. In his rookie season, the Slovenian averaged 21.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game, according to Basketball Reference. The eye-opening statistics would earn him NBA Rookie of the Year honors in 2019.

He would take his game to the next level the following season, averaging nearly CAMERON a triple-double with 28.8 points, 9.4 RICHARDSON rebounds and 8.8 assists per game, per Basketball Reference. He subsequently ASSISTANT SPORTS became an NBA All-Star starter in EDITOR the Western Conference and led the Mavericks to a No. 7 seed in the postseason — the team’s first playoff appearance since the 2015-16 season.

Although Dallas was eliminated by the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round, Dončić wasn’t stopped from being the most impressive player in the series.

For anyone who still isn’t sold on Dončić, please watch Game 4 of this series. There are certain players throughout NBA history who have specific moves that can’t be stopped, such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s sky hook, Kobe Bryant’s fadeaway and Tim Duncan’s bank shot. Let me introduce you to the Dončić step-back 3-pointer. It feels as though every time you see Dončić do a step-back dribble from beyond the arc, the ball will go through the basket.

However, it’s not just the step-back three that makes Dončić great. It’s all the little things he does on offense that makes him so great. He can drive to the basket and bully his way to a layup. He can space the floor to allow his wing shooters to get open looks. He crashes the boards to create second-chance opportunities for Dallas. While he isn’t the flashiest, most athletic or the fastest, he does everything with such perfection that it automatically puts his team in a position to win.

He’s comparable to the mega mushroom power-up from Mario Kart Wii. Yes, I said the Nintendo Wii. The powerup made your character very large for a few seconds and you could crush your opponents and slow them down during the timeframe. While it isn’t as convenient as the speeding bullet power-up, it sets you up for victory just as well and does all the necessary things to give you what you need to compete for wins.

I don’t see Dončić slowing down at any point during his career, barring injury, and I’m ready to not only make his case for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, but 15 years from now, the headlines will read: Luka Dončić is the greatest player in NBA history.

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The NAU soccer team gather together for a pregame speech to hype each other up right before their game against ASU, Sept. 14, 2018. MacKenzie Brower | The Lumberjack

Taylor Spradling brings new perspective to NAU soccer Will Hopkins

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hen talking to new assistant NAU soccer coach Taylor Spradling, one thing quickly becomes clear about his coaching: relationships. The former Big East champion had a clear emphasis not just on his relationship with the players, but the coaching staff around him and everyone else that he interacts with — ­ and it showed when talking to anyone who had been in his presence.

Spradling, who will be stepping in as the new recruiting coordinator and assistant coach, had been the goalkeeping director at Xavier University in Ohio since 2017. In his three seasons there the Musketeers excelled, finishing last season as Big East champions, the first title in school history. In his time there, one of the players he worked closest with was goalkeeper Olivia Jenkins.

Jenkins was the first player Spradling recruited at Xavier, beginning his work with her in the first few weeks of his time there.

“He was very involved in my recruiting,” Jenkins said.

“During my visit, I could tell that he cared and would be a fun coach to play for.”

The two had a clear chemistry. Both brought up Spradling’s shooting ability, though they had different opinions about the quality.

Spradling was no slouch of a player during his time at Northern Kentucky University, and his brief professional career with the Cincinnati Kings. However, in his first professional

season, Spradling suffered a career-ending head injury that would change his life forever. While most people would perhaps view an injury like this as a curse, especially one of such severity, Spradling did not seem to let it affect him.

“It’s probably the best thing that ever happened to me,” Spradling said. “Of course I would never wish injuries or significant moments like that on peoples playing careers, but it was something that happened and you move on.”

Spradling has a unique optimism and talked about how he trusts the coaches around him, the great attitude of the players and how grateful he is for his past and the people that have helped him along the way. Jenkins mentioned that as well, and said his positive attitude makes him easy to go to and helps build their relationship.

Relationships were also a key role in what brought Spradling across the country. Head coach Kylie Louw is one of the many reasons why he is excited to coach the Lumberjacks.

“She absolutely sold me on where the program was headed,” Spradling said. “It was very difficult not to feel the passion, so that got me excited.”

Louw mentioned that during the hiring process, she used the unorthodox method of giving some of the team leadership an opportunity to meet Spradling and the other candidates for the job.

Ultimately, Spradling became the choice. Louw said she felt that due to the similarities of the programs and the success that Spradling had at Xavier, “it became obvious that it would be an easy transition and a good fit for both sides.” The other thing that

SPORTS set Spradling apart from the other candidates was “his emphasis on relationships,” Louw said.

So, what does Spradling bring to the Lumberjacks who have remained stagnant in recent years, being unable to make the jump from contender to title favorites in the Big Sky Conference? First, Spradling will step into a new coaching role, moving out to work with the defense. Though this is a new role, both he and Louw were optimistic that this would be a smooth transition due to both Spradling’s experience and the strength of the coaching staff.

Spradling will also be working closely with fellow new assistant coach Ali Conquest, which should shorten the learning curve. The reality, however, is that Spradling will likely see the greatest impact and responsibility in his new role as recruiting coordinator.

Spradling was clear that he wants to be ambitious in his approach. While he doesn’t have the recruiting pipelines set up on the west side of the country, he still has a strong connection to the East Coast and Midwest that he plans to use to strengthen the Lumberjacks in the coming years. This may be vital in the early days, until Spradling can establish those strong connections on the West Coast. Still, Spradling feels that he will not need to rely on those old connections.

“I don’t think it’s a priority, but are we gonna try and pull kids from there?

Absolutely,” Spradling said. “We’re always looking for great talent.”

Spradling will have some work to do, as this is the furthest west he’s been for a coaching job, but he seems excited for the start of the new challenge, season and relationships.

While the Lumberjacks have not seen the success that they hope for, the changes to the coaching staff are a clear indication of a focus to get the team to the next level. Last season, the Lumberjacks could not hold onto momentum, but with a more experienced roster this season, they should look stronger come the postponed spring season.

The coaching staff, outside of head coach Kylie Louw, has gone through a major revamp with two new assistants stepping in. With the additional time to adjust due to the impacts of COVID-19, the staff will have to get creative in these unprecedented times.

“[Kylie Louw] absolutley sold me on where the program was headed. It was very difficult not to feel the passion.”

– Assistant Soccer coach Taylor Spralding

New NAU soccer coach Taylor Spradling instructs players Aug. 31 at Max Spilsbury Field. Photos courtesy of NAU Athletics

SEPTEMBER 3, 2020 – SEPTEMBER 9, 2020 | THE LUMBERJACK

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THE LUMBERJACK | JACKCENTRAL.ORG