2/21/17 Arbiter Online

Vol. 29 Issue 24

February 21, 2017 IN D EPE ND E NT

ST U D E NT

V O I CE

O F

B O I SE

STAT E

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Scoping out the experience

The Arbiter

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KATHLEEN TUCK / COURTESY

Boise State program explores human and environment relationship pg.11

WEEKLY EVENTS Career Fair

Wednesday, Feb. 22 Student Union Building, Jordan Ballroom, 9:00 - 3:00 PM, FREE 85+ companies will be at this event to reach out to Boise State students. If you are planning to attend, check out the Career Center’s website so you know how to prepare.

Tri Delta Sincerely Yours Philanthropy Event Wednesday, Feb. 22

Student Union Building, Jordan Ballroom, 7:00 - 10:00 PM, FREE This event is held annually to help raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Attendees are asked to bring addresses and Tri Delta will supply the letters, postage, entertainment and refreshments.

Generation Found Documentary Screening Wednesday, Feb. 22

Student Union Building, Special Events Center, 7:00 PM This documentary covers the “youth addiction epidemic in Houston,” and follows the story of community members who have built a recovery community.

Hispanic Film Festival Friday, Feb. 24

Riverfront Hall, Room 105, 6:00 PM, FREE Boise State University, the Idaho Film Collection, Club de Español at Boise State and Pragda are sponsoring this festival, which on Feb. 24 will feature a screening of “Pequeñas mentiras piadosas” (The Travel Agent) with English subtitles. The event is open to the public.

Brie Gertler Lectures

Friday, Feb. 24 from 3:30 p.m. to 5:15 p.m.

Education Building, Room 110, FREE Saturday, Feb. 25 at 10:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

Interactive Learning Center, Room 202, FREE Professor Brie Gertler, of the University of Virginia, will be hosting two philosophy lectures. On Feb. 24 she will discuss the question “Does Your Mind Extend

SEND EVENTS TO DARBYEBELING@BOISESTATE.EDU. DESIGN BY NANCY FLECHA

EVENTS

INSIDE: 2/21/17

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Patty Bowen

editor@stumedia.boisestate.edu

OPINION EDITOR Sierra Williams

sierrawilliams659@u.boisestate. edu

INVESTIGATIVE/ENTERPRISE REPORTER Jacob Palmer

jacobpalmer@u.boisestate.edu

NEWS EDITOR

Samantha Harting

Broncos beat Wyoming 91 - 87 : pg. 16

ALEC FOEGE / THE ARBITER

news@stumedia.boisestate.edu

NEWS REPORTER Taylor Munson

taylormunson@u.boisestate.edu

CULTURE EDITOR

Brandon Rasmussen

culture@stumedia.boisestate.edu

CULTURE REPORTER Michael Paquin

michaelpaquin@u.boisestate. edu

SPORTS EDITOR Evan Werner

sports@stumedia.boisestate.edu

SPORTS REPORTER Rylan Kobre

rylankobre@u.boisestate.edu

DIGITAL CONTENT MANAGER Jared Lewis

digitalcontent@stumedia.boisestate.edu

COPY EDITORS

Darby Ebeling Maxwell Peterson

ELLEN FOGG/ THE ARBITER

BRANDON RASMUSSEN / THE ARBITER

DESIGN MANAGER

Students skip school in an effort to improve it : pg. 5

Contact Us:

New musical “Urinetown” takes politically satircal tone : pg. 13

A r b i t e r o n l i n e . c o m 1 9 1 0 U n i v e r s i t y D r. B o i s e , I D 8 3 7 2 5 P h o n e : 2 0 8 . 4 2 6 . 6 3 0 0

Ted Atwell

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Nancy Flecha

Distributed Tuesdays during the academic school year. The Arbiter is the official independent student newspaper of Boise State University and a designated public forum, where student editors make all content decisions and bear responsibility for those decisions. The Arbiter’s budget consists of fees paid by the student body and advertising sales.

The first copy is free. Additional copies can be purchased for $1 a piece at The Arbiter offices.

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NEWS International Rescue Committee begins One Home Idaho, set for Summer 2017 Jordan Erb Staff Writer

News@stumedia.boisestate.edu

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is introducing a new campaign, One Home Idaho, to celebrate Idaho’s diverse population and promote awareness of different social groups living within the state.

Expected to last four months throughout the Summer of 2017, the One Home Idaho campaign is an awareness movement started by the IRC intended to bring recognition to the beauty and cultural diversity refugees can offer.

The campaign comes

soon after the recent executive order regarding immigration that left a percentage of the American population contemplating the implications of the global refugee crisis.

A recent teach-in held by Boise State hosted panel members from refugee resettlement agencies, who

“Just getting through this pro-

cess speaks to the perseverance of these amazing people.”

- Alene Hortin, senior multidisciplinary studies major, IRC intern and logistics coordinator for One Home Idaho campaign

INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE / COURTESY

spoke on the gravity of the situation and shed light on the presence of refugees in Idaho.

According to Megan Schwab, International Rescue Committee employee and member of the teach-in panel, 21.3 million people were legally classified as refugees as of 2015. Of those 21.3 million people, only one percent were approved for resettlement, and about onehalf percent of those found their way to the United States, as reported by the UN Refugee Agency’s

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website. Ultimately, of the one-half percent of refugees who are resettled in the U.S., about 1,200 make it to Idaho, another source from the panel stated.

In the eyes of Alene Hortin, senior multidisciplinary studies major, intern at the IRC in Boise and logistics coordinator

for the new One Home Idaho campaign, those 1,200 people make Idaho beautiful.

The road from a refugee’s home to resettlement in Boise is a long one— dotted with interviews, background checks and health exams, according to Hortin. In a process that— on average—lasts between 18 months and two years, those seeking resettlement are put through long and rigorous testing, which often takes longer than the allotted two years, or doesn’t end up working out at all.

“Just getting through this process speaks to the perseverance of these amazing people,” Hortin said.

Having worked directly with refugees as a part of the refugee studies minor, Hortin can speak personally about the impact made

by refugees in the Boise community.

“I have associated with refugees in many capacities and my life is enriched because of knowing them,” Hortin said.

The One Home Idaho campaign aims to foster this kind of relationship between native Boiseans and resettled refugees by promoting their cause through their website, social media platforms, billboards and potential airtime on TV networks.

Immigrants from all over the world, as well as Native Americans, will also have a chance to tell their stories through One Home Idaho.

The stories will generally focus not on their past, but on their present and future lives in Idaho, according to Hortin.

The International Rescue Committee specified in a flyer for One Home Idaho that they plan to set up interviews, take video footage, create portraits and write articles about participants. These creations will help promote the notion that although there is ample diversity throughout Idaho, “more unites us than divides us.”

Boise State students— and others throughout the community—are invited to reach out to the coordinators of the campaign if they are interested in assisting with the project.

To get involved, or for more information, contact Alene Hortin at a l e n e h o r t i n @ u .b o i s e s tate.edu or Tearyn Cox at tear yncox@u.boisestate. edu.

Students walk out of class to protest new education secretary Local political group hosts student walkout rallying for greater public education

when asked about these contradictory findings. He claimed that the study was only one out of many studies which show a negative impact from charter schools, although he did not specifically list what the studies were.

“There’s other studies that look at other voucher programs in other parts of the country,” Thomas said.

Jacob Palmer Investigative/Enterprise Reporter JacobPalmer@u.boisestate.edu

The air swirling around the Idaho Statehouse was filled with the chants of hundreds of students gathering for a demonstration on Thursday, Feb. 16 in support of public education and in opposition of Betsy DeVos—the new secretary of education.

Many participants at the rally said that DeVos—an advocate for charter schools and school voucher programs—would be detrimental to funding for public schools.

Some students skipped their classes to join in chanting statements such as “Betsy DeVos has got to go!” and “Student power!” The event was organized by People for Unity, a local political group run by two Idaho high schoolers Nora Harren and Colette Raptosh.

“We want (students) to come out here and have our voices heard—we love public education. We really want to make sure the State of Idaho understands students will not stand for segregating ideas,” Harren said.

Rapthosh furthur explained the group’s issues with charter schools.

“School vouchers and advocating for charter schools creates de-facto segregation— we’re not supporting that,” Raptosh said.

Differing opinions at the event Many at the rally had concerns about public education, such as Boise resident Michelle

Protest’s effectiveness

Citizens and students gather at the captiol to advocate for public edcation. (Photo by Ellen Fogg / The Arbiter).

Roberts, who took issue with DeVos’s encouragement of private education.

“I’m here because I have several siblings, and I want them to have a good future. The key to a good future in America is a good education,” Roberts said.

“I can tell there is a strong push to gut (public education) to the point where a private education is the only useful education we have access to.”

While the vast majority of the crowd was in attendance to protest DeVos, not everyone who showed up agreed with the protest’s message.

Caleb Christensen, a Borah High School student, took issue with perceived anti-Trump mood of the event.

“This is just an anti-Trump protest; just another way to say, ‘We don’t like you and we want you out.’ We’re here to say that students are for Trump,” Christensen said.

Other students, such as

Rickland Sanchez from Cole Valley Christian School, came to the rally with much simpler motives. “(I’m here) to skip school.

(I’m skipping) history and math seminar,” Sanchez said. “(The protest) is pretty cool, but I really could care less who’s in charge of my education.”

The debate behind the protest The main points of the protest were written on a fact sheet that organizers made available on People for Unity’s Facebook page. The sheet claimed charter schools create de-facto segregation based on demographics such as race, exclude low-income families and don’t work for rural citizens. The sheet uses an excerpt from a New York Times opinion article, “Betsy DeVos and the Wrong Way to Fix Schools,” which lists DeVos’ experience in the

Detroit charter schools as “the biggest school reform disaster in the country.”

Jesse Thomas, an organizer with People for Unity, cited a study the opinion article used as evidence for his claims.

“There was a study done in Michigan on the charter school system. Most of the articles you’ll read from the New York Times pull from (that study),” Thomas said. “If you look at the study as a whole, they dumped a bunch of money (into charter schools) and got zero (gains).”

The specific study cited by Thomas was conducted by the Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO), called “Charter School Performance in Michigan.” While Thomas cited the study as his supporting evidence, according to the conclusion of the study itself, Thomas’s contentions are directly contradicted within.

“Based on the findings pre-

sented here, the typical student in Michigan charter schools gains more learning in a year than his TPS (traditional public school) counterparts,” CREDO stated in their conclusion.

“Charter schools have significantly better results than TPS for minority students who are in poverty.”

According to CREDO, the charter school system in Michigan helped students get better grades in reading and math, as compared to traditional public schools. 47-49 percent of charter schools got “significantly better” scores in Math and reading, while 44-52 percent saw no significant change, and only 1-7 percent of saw worse scores. Groups who saw some improvement in performance were racial minorities, those in poverty and rural students, groups Thomas claimed were hurt by charter schools.

Thomas quickly pivoted away from the study he cited

It remains to be seen whether protests such as this will have any tangible impact on state or federal education. According to Jeffrey Lyons, assistant professor of political science, protests and political organization in general can have varying levels of success based on a variety of factors, especially given Republican majorities in the national and state legislatures. “(Protests) definitely can be effective. But, it doesn’t mean every time you hold a protest you’re going to get what you want.” Lyons said. “If everybody who’s going to vote against me anyways has shown up in protest, that’s probably not going to change my calculus. But if it’s people of a different demographic, people who have supported me or people who I need to win an election, then it can be (effective).”

No major education reform plans have been put forward by DeVos currently. The country will have to wait to see what happens in the way of reforms.

Students interested in education issues are always welcome to attend public hearings on bills at the Idaho capitol.

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NEWS

A classical approach to education

Boise State faculty start local high school for homeschool students Samuel Wonacott Staff Writer

News@stumedia.boisestate.edu

A group of high school students crowd around a small conference table with copies of Plato’s “Republic” splayed open in front of them and stare with rapt attention at Benjamin Brandon, a bewhiskered man with dark, untidy hair.

He reads from the text and leans back in his chair.

“If this is an unjust man, why is he doing these pious acts?” asks Brandon.

Brandon, an adjunct

instructor in the Foundational Studies Program at Boise State University, founded Boise Classical Academy (BCA), a high school geared toward homeschooled students, in 2012. The school currently operates out of the Boise Church of Christ and has nine faculty members who teach subjects ranging from Latin to physics. Many of the faculty graduated from Boise State, and some are current students. The school began with eight students, but has since grown to about 45 full and part-time students.

Brandon said the idea

for the school came out of his experience teaching at a homeschool co-op while finishing his Master’s in History at Boise State.

He’d planned on teaching at the university level once he graduated, but said he was amazed by the caliber of the students he encountered.

“The kids actually wanted to learn. I went to public school, so a lot of the homeschool environment was new to me. Seeing how respectful the kids were to the teacher greatly impressed me,” Brandon said.

The homeschool co-op Brandon taught at only

covered elementary and junior high. When the students he taught were ready to advance to high school, they had nothing to turn to outside of their homeschool curriculum.

“I decided, let’s just start a high school. A friend and I planned out what that would look like. I’d teach history, he’d teach literature and we found some other friends to jump on board,” Brandon said. “The common element in these teachers is that they actually love their subjects.”

One of those friends is Derek Ririe, who graduated from Boise State in 2013

with a degree in philosophy and now teaches or coteaches economics, literature, rhetoric and history at BCA. Although Ririe said he never planned on being a teacher, he always harbored an interest in alternative models of education.

“I did public school in Las Vegas, and it was pretty miserable,” Ririe said. “The evidence is pretty clear that state education is not always the answer. It’s not necessarily evil or bad, but there should be alternatives.”

Both Brandon and Ririe teach at Boise State as adjunct instructors. Ririe

BCA students negotiate with one another while playing a strategy game designed to teach them about the Peloponnesian War (Photo by Samuel Wonacott / The Arbiter).

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leads a discussion group as part of a University Foundations (UF) 100 class on climate change, and Brandon teaches UF 200, which focuses on ethics and diversity. For Brandon, UF 200 aligns closely with his objectives at Boise Classical Academy.

“We’re trying to say, ‘what are our values as a society?’ (teaching UF 200) has been invaluable, because I get to look at college students from different backgrounds and ask, can we agree on anything?

If so, what?” Brandon said.

“Boise State really helps me be a better teacher by hav-

MOVIE SCREENINGS ON THE BOISE STATE UNIVERSITY CAMPUS

Goodbyes from leaving staff members ing a mature class, and I can take some of the practices I’m doing there and apply them here.”

The school­­—in one of the many ways it departs from the methods of schooling found in traditional public or private schools—takes a classical approach to education, emphasizing the great works of Western Civilization, discussion based on the Socratic method and the ultimate goal of graduating not only good students but also high-minded citizens.

“The classical approach focuses on the great conversation, on the dialogue going back to the beginning of civilization and exploring the big questions, such as, ‘what does it mean to be human? What’s the purpose of life? What’s the

and private schools who wish to supplement their education.

“We’d be happy if some people who didn’t necessarily share our values but were drawn to learn more and wanted to investigate them. If they could see positive fruit and be like, ‘maybe we’re not a religious family, but we see this as a wholesome environment,’” Brandon said.

While the classical approach allows for a curriculum that is more open-ended and dynamic than the programs of study found in traditional classrooms today—many of which are frequently faulted for focusing too heavily on standardized test-taking—BCA nevertheless includes a course on college tests like the SAT and ACT.

discussion with the kids.

We’re going to do medieval history next year, and medieval history is my favorite. It’s my jam,” Renk said.

Chema Caillet-Bois teaches physics at BCA and tutors math and physics on the side. Although he started off as a physics major, he will graduate this spring from Boise State with a degree in Economics. Caillet-Bois found out BCA was looking for a physics teacher through a friend, and started teaching at BCA last fall.

“How I’ve learned to be a teacher has been observing teachers as a student and tutoring the subject,” Caillet-Bois said. “Being in classes recently has been helpful.”

Brandon said with alternative methods of educa-

“The classical approach lets us talk about values, explic-

itly, purposefully.” -Ben Brandon

nature of reality?’” Brandon said. “The classical approach lets us talk about values, explicitly, purposefully.”

Brandon said that while BCA is a Christian school, the goal is to expose students to the great texts of Western Civilization so they develop a love of learning.

“We read the Greeks; we read the Bible; we read Darwin. We want to read the great conversation, wherever that may be found, and not feel like things are off limits,” Brandon said.

The school is non-denominational, and Brandon said he welcomes students from all backgrounds, including those from public

“We really try to emphasize critical thinking because it’s good in and of itself, of course, but it’s also really helpful for testtaking,” Ririe said.

According to Brandon, many Boise Classical Academy graduates have fared well at college. One of those students, Abra Renk, graduated from BCA a few years ago and is part of the Boise State Honors College, where she is majoring in history and minoring in German.

BCA asked her to return as a TA, a job she was more than happy to accept.

Working as TA has led her to consider becoming a teacher.

“I really enjoy doing the

tion on the rise, opportunities abound in the Treasure Valley for students interested in teaching. BCA is hoping to eventually partner with Boise State to offer internship credit to students who teach at the school.

“If there are Boise State students who are interested in getting involved, I’d be happy to be in touch with them and help direct them to some of these opportunities or tell them more about what that would look like,” Brandon said.

Students interested in getting involved can email Brandon at benbrandon@ boisestate.edu.

A Special Sneak Preview of the documentary, “The Apology.” The film follows the personal journeys of three former “comfort women” who were kidnapped by the Japanese Army and forced into sexual slavery.

The filmmaker, Tiffany Hsiung, will be there for discussion after the screening.

FEBRUARY 28 6:30 P.M.

Morrison Center Recital Hall C200

The camera follows Angy Rivera as she steps out of the shadows to the front page of The New York Times, inspiring her undocumented mother Maria along the way.

The filmmaker, Mikaela Shwer, and subject of the documentary, Angy Rivera, will be there for discussion after the screening.

MARCH 3 6:30 P.M.

Morrison Center Recital Hall C200

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

familyofwomanfilmfestival.org

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OPINION Letter to the editor in response to “Embrace the awkward”

Students shouldn’t assume there is a connection between being introverted and being socially anxious Hannah Masson Junior Spanish and linguistics double major Editor@stumedia.boisestate.edu

I enjoyed reading the article “Embrace the Awkward: Boise State alumni launch ‘Animal Warmth,’ a web series about introversy and social anxiety.”

However, being a very introverted person, it kind of irked me the assumed connection that was made between being an introvert and having social anxiety. It’s true that these things can occur together—this was very true for my younger self—but this is not always the case, and the title of this article definitely perpetuates the stereotype that introverts are scared of social connection.

There is a really cool website called Quiet Revolution that has all sorts of information about introversion and extroversion. From there I found an example of the difference between introversion and social anxiety—and there is a great difference! They tell a short story about Liam and Alex, two introverted college seniors. When asked what they will do on a Saturday night, Liam describes his probable activities, ending with “I’ve never been a raging party guy—it’s not my scene.”

Surrounding a women in thought are images of famous introverts, such as J.K. Rowling, Steven Spielberg, Albert Einstein and Eleanor Roosevelt (Illustration courtesy of Chuck Todd/ Tribune Content Agency)

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When it’s Alex’s turn he says the same thing, with one subtle difference: “I’ve never been a raging party guy—I always think I’m going to say something stupid.”

And there you have it, folks.

Social anxiety is a fear of being judged, of being seen, of saying something other people will perceive as stupid, of being revealed as the person you don’t want to be and suspect that you are; like a deeply amplified self-consciousness.

Liam isn’t afraid of saying anything stupid; he just isn’t a rager. And he doesn’t let society tell him that he is wrong for not being so. News flash peeps: you don’t have to do what you feel society is telling you that you should do, and if something makes you feel uncomfortable, like small talk, just let it be. Just bask in the uncomfortability and you’ll soon realize that it doesn’t actually hurt. Social anxiety is driven by fear, by worry, by not feeling you are good enough.

You are good enough! You just don’t know it yet, and there are so many factors that influence this—check out the website.

Introversion is simply how a person creates her energy. For me, being around people for too long just makes me tired and in need of a good, long alone-time session. My mind

gets too scrambled with ideas and undefined emotions and an almost multiple personality-like chattering that will only calm itself when I am given the opportunity to sort it out in solitude. This doesn’t mean that I care what other people think of me, or that I feel “awkward” when talking to other people. In fact, awkward isn’t even real if ya’ll would just stop creating it in your minds out of insecurity and the fear of making eye contact. I’ll try not to start ranting about how the avoidance of eye contact is the most annoying thing to me, but I would like to say one thing: when you avoid someone’s eyes your insecurity in your one true being screams its presence, just so you know.

So please, don’t assume that introverted people are anxious or even shy, because they often are quite the opposite. Maybe they just don’t initiate contact with others and they feel perfectly normal being this way.

Their inner worlds are fertile and complex, and sometimes it is too hard to be around so many people for so long without breaks to harvest and channel their energies. Just let people be themselves and any “awkwardness” will disappear.

I think this way we can all learn to judge less and to be more kind!

CORRECTION: On the feature spread of our last print issue, distributed on Feb. 14, the graph explaining the Salary Allocations and Full Time Equivalency (FTE) of several departments for the 2015-2016 fiscal year mixed up the data for the Canadian Studies and Gender Studies Departments. The graph should have read: “Gender Studies receiving an FTE of .05 and a Salary Allocation of $16,542,” and “Canadian Studies receiving an FTE of .01 and a Salary Allocation of $4,897.

Phrases that are out of style

Cliché and constructed responses to controversial topics are of no value in modern discussion about social justice issues Sierra Williams Opinion Editor

SierraWiliams659@u.boisestate.edu

After a month under the Trump presidency, the political and social divide has unfortunately managed to remain. There is a growing presence of those who yearn to diminish this divide, but are using empty rhetoric that lacks thought and effort.

Here are five phrases—and prominent Facebook comments—that are getting really old: “Just get over it.”

And move on! *Insert social issue* is over so we just need to let it go. This is a common phrase that is used in regards to issues that deal with discrimination against race, gender, religion, etc.

Using a phrase like this as a means to downplay the importance of an issue is counter-productive.

For example, slavery is not something that people can just “get over”, especially since it is deeprooted in this country’s history.

This phrase was also used following the 2016 election results in response to those who were not satisfied with the outcome. A phrase like this makes it seem acceptable to settle for less. It only

works in the favor of those who are not affected by a problem despite their acknowledgement that the problem still exists.

“Put yourself in their shoes.”

A popular one amongst the plethora of Kumbaya rhetoric that sounds easier than it is. To put yourself in the shoes of another individual of a different cultural background seems to only provide a glimpse of what it is like. It lacks authenticity and makes it seem like by doing this, you would be able to have a full understanding of what it is like to be from another culture. It does not and will never provide an honest experience.

This phrase is merely a superficial attempt to understand cultural perspective. It would be more effective to emphasize engaging with a culture and the individuals who identify with it to learn more about it. That lens of experience is unique to that individual and by knowingly attempting to view through it would result in an unrealistic and constructed experience. That experience would hold no value.

“We should all be kind to one another.”

The classic cop-out that holds no substance when it is used to address an issue. This phrase should be a given and the fact that we still have

to remind each other of this is unfortunate. This is also easier said than done. While it is true and the message is positive, it fails to address how we should be kind to one another and promotes progress without dealing with conflict. If anything, it should be “We should all be kind to one another when expressing opinions and perspectives, even if we disagree.”

“We don’t know what is going to happen, give it a chance.”

For those who were not happy with the results of the election and the subsequent controversial policies that were proposed, this response is not reassuring and it is stating the obvious. Being unaware during this presidency is not comforting and saying this in an attempt to find comfort is problematic. Knowingly pleading ignorance as a means to justify controversy is not a substantial answer. This is not to say that predicting the future is always correct either, but to say this phrase

IT IS PUTWHAT IT IS

IT IS YOURSELF IN WHAT THEIR SHOES IT IS IT IS GET WHAT OVER IT IS IT GET IT OVER IS IT IS WHAT IT IS IT WHAT PUT WE SHOULD ALL BE KIND TO ONE ANOTHER

JUST GET OVER ITGET

NANCY FLECHA / THE ARBITER

PUT YOURSELF IN THEIR SHOES

IT IS

YOURSELF IN THEIR SHOES

in response to criticism does nothing. The whole point of discussing issues is to talk about what is happening and ideas for what is going to happen.

“It is what it is.”

A cheap excuse to avoid addressing a problem. This phrase is closely related to the “Just get over it” as it manages to downplay the severity of a social justice issue. To say this comes across as though there is nothing that can be done to improve these problems and no efforts need to be made to do so. Essentially, it is giving up. “It is what it is” does not solve anything and saying so does not mean that the problem will go away.

This response relies heavily on laziness.

Using these empty phrases allows us to detach ourselves from engaging with one another in knowledgeable discussion. It takes away from the opportunity to learn about one another on an individual level and gain a better understanding about how we form our perspectives.

WE DONT KNOW WHATS GOING TO HAPPEN

ODESZA SUMMERFIELD CONCERTS AT MEMORIAL STADIUM SATURDAY, MAY 20 BOISE, IDAHO ALL AGES

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FEATURE

Boise State program explores human an Taylor Munson News Reporter

Taylormunson@u.boisestate.edu

MS Student, Tara Easter (far left), sets up a field camera in search of leopards in Mozambique.

(Photo courtesy of Kathleen Tuck)

From L-R starting in back: Alex Killion (PhD student), Jenna Narducci (MS student), Neil Carter (professor), Xochitl Sanchez (MURI student), Daniel Bakyono (MURI student), Melissa Valencia (MURI student), and Jodi Brandt.

(Photo courtesy of Jenna Narducci)

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This summer, human-environment systems graduate student Tara Easter will travel to Gorongosa National Park in the Southern African country of Mozambique to help efforts to rebuild wildlife populations. This area of Mozambique was devastated by a long civil war, resulting in a massive loss of large animals, causing the landscape to change substantially.

“I’ve always had an interest in conserving endangered species and figuring out ways policy and economics play into conservation—realizing it’s much more than just the ecology of it all,” Easter said.

Easter is a member of the Human-Environment Systems (HES) program, a Boise State College of Innovation and Design (CID) program in its second year providing opportunities to study the human impact on this area of Africa and rebuild the park’s wildlife populations.

Four years ago, Boise State was one of three universities to receive grant funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to be used towards “good science.” Instead of putting the money towards established science programs, Boise State decided to create a new program dealing with the relationship between humans and the environment: HES. HES uses an interdisciplinary approach to take a step back from researching specific topics and adopt a systems perspective to examine the interactions between humans and the environment.

Gordon Jones, dean of the

CID, believes HES provides students with opportunities to pursue interdisciplinary research in the human-environment realm that isn’t available at other universities.

“I’m very focused and committed to the idea that students at Boise State should be able to participate in majors that are highly relevant and reflect the interests and needs of today,” Jones said. “(HES) is a fascinating model where we are encouraging faculty to stay true to their area of

future.

“NSF has the expectation that you sustain what you grow with their grant. In the next six months, we are going to write up the next NSF proposal, and one of the areas we are going to target is how do we continue to grow HES,” said Mark Rudin, vice president of Research and Economic Development.

Rudin was one of the driving forces behind using the grant money to turn HES into a reality. He believed in combining

“(HES) is a different model than what

happens in higher education right now. I can’t point to any other similar type of program across the United States.”

-VP of Research and Economic Development Mark Rudin focus, not necessarily their disciplinary anchoring.”

How it’s set up There are currently only four graduate students in the program, three of whom are pursuing their Master’s degrees, while the fourth is pursuing a Ph.D. HES is partnering with different departments, such as the Department of Geosciences and the Department of Biology Sciences, to incorporate the many aspects of human and natural systems.

There are also a few undergraduate students involved with HES research, but an undergraduate degree has not been established yet. As of now, the primary focus of HES is the research projects of faculty and graduate students.

HES faculty offer two courses of their own, but anticipate expanding the program’s offerings in the

faculty expertise from diverse backgrounds to form a more extensive structure for student learning. “(HES) is a different model than what happens in higher education right now,” Rudin said. “I can’t point to any other similar type of program across the United States.”

Currently, the three faculty who work within HES are Jodi Brandt, Neil Carter and Vicken Hillis. Each brings a different background and expertise to the program.

“I’m more of a social scientist, Neil is a wildlife ecologist and Jodi is a land use scientist, but when we do our work, we work together, incorporate expertise and bring perspectives from all of these different disciplines,” Hillis said. “In doing so, that’s what is really required in order to solve these important environmental

nd environment relationship challenges.”

With each faculty member bringing a different perspective to the program, students are able to expand their research beyond one specific discipline.

“That’s really what is unique about the HES faculty, they’re a different breed than what you would normally see at a university. They are amoeba-like, moving into a lot of different areas and a lot of different disciplines,” Rudin said.

Research projects HES involves a variety of research projects to achieve its primary goal of hands-on research that addresses environmental problems around the community and the world.

Current HES faculty members are utilizing their backgrounds and interests to do their own research on relevant environmental issues.

For example, Hillis is currently collaborating with a professor in the Anthropology Department to look into how children develop their environmental values and preferences.

Another project the faculty has begun working on involves conservation in the High Divide region, an area covering part of Idaho and Montana. This will be in collaboration with many individuals, including students and stakeholder organizations working in the conservation community.

“We’re doing research that generates information that people who are on the environmental front lines can use,” Hillis said.

HES graduate student Matt Unitis spent two and a half years working in the coastal wetlands of Michigan. Once finding HES, he decided to continue his re-

search by using remote sensing and modeling tools to map and detect invasive species—particularly invasive plants—and areas vulnerable to plant invasion in the wetlands.

Unitis hopes to use this project to consider furthering applications in Idaho outside what is currently available.

“Just being in HES has allowed me to think beyond just ecological and think ‘What is the practicality of including a human element to the study that has really interesting implication for the ecological side?’” Unitis said.

In Easter’s research for her HES project, she will spend three months in Gorongosa using instruments to determine the effects of people on the large animals of the region. Easter believes there may be a human barrier preventing the animals from coming into the park and wants to study the reasons for it.

HES graduate student Jenna Narducci found out about the program through Professor Jodi Brandt. She was immediately drawn to the idea of doing hands-on research that impacts the community, instead of being stuck in an “ivory tower” researching theoretical ideas.

“HES is completely in line with the national drive to not just do research for a certain amount of publications, but to make it applicable,” Narducci said.

According to Rudin, the new program is a means of paving a new and innovative path for higher education.

“It’s sometimes hard to turn the ship on higher education.

There is enough disruption— enough people pointing at higher education from the outside— that more and more people are going to go this way,” Rudin said.

Human-Environment Systems faculty member Neil Carter (left) works with a colleague to set field cameras in order to learn more about tiger behavior and interactions with people in the lowlands of Nepal. (Photo courtesy of Kathleen Tuck)

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CULTURE

Urine for a treat

Students gear up to perform satirical musical “Urinetown,”where no one is safe and you pay to pee Brandon Rasmussen Culture Editor Culture@stumedia.boisestate.edu

High heels and dance shoes thumped and scraped against the freshly mopped floors of the Danny Peterson Theater as 26 student-cast members found their starting positions.

Officer Lockstock, played by senior theater major Tristen Fishman, introduced an imaginary audience to a peculiar place, alongside a snappy piano accompaniment.

“It’s sort of a mythical place, you see,” Fishman said, as he leaned against a prop fire hydrant. “A place you won’t see until Act Two, and then, well, let’s just say it’s filled with symbolism—and things like that.”

This line comes along with other self-parodying quips to introduce “Urinetown,” the Boise State Theatre Arts Department’s latest production, opening on Thursday, March 2 at the Special Events Center in the SUB. According to Gordon Reinhart, a Theatre Arts Department professor and director of “Urinetown,” this musical takes on an irreverent, self-referential tone to serve as a satire of politics and even musicals in general.

“It seems to make fun of most things,” Reinhart said.

“I’ve begun to think of it as a sort of vaudeville political theater without much of an agenda, except to say ‘wake up!’ Whatever it wants us to wake up to—or from—I

don’t know that it knows, or if it cares.”

This sentiment can be clearly found throughout the production. The story follows a city sharply divided by class, where a wealthy businessman requires all citizens to pay to urinate. As prices rise and conditions worsen, the oppressed rise up for their right to use the bathroom, free of charge. Amid all this, Fishman and JZ Marrero, playing “Little Sally,” address the audience directly.

“I’m very much the narrator of the piece,” Fishman said. “I try my best to control everything on stage, with Sally poking holes in it along the way.”

According to Reinhart, this act of addressing the audience in combination with the outlandish premise gives the production a sense of directness, enhancing both the comedic elements and its ability to make the audience think.

“It deals with the face value of whatever is said or done in a very literal way, which I find very funny,” Reinhart said.

“It wants the audience not to be swept away, but to be selfaware and conscious of their political reality. Good theatre operates that way. It works best when it’s asking a question, inciting you or inspiring you to confront it.”

Reinhart went on to mention these outcomes are best accomplished in this particular production when the characters in the story play it completely straight.

Urinetown’s rich crowd gather around main antagonist Cladwell B. Cladwell, played by senior theatre arts major Brian Telestai. (Photo by Brandon Rasmussen / The Arbiter)

This can often be seen with the character of Hope, the rich antagonist’s idealistic daughter, played by junior music education major Sarah Worthington, who reacts to the play’s tragic elements with a sense of almost jarring optimism.

“It’s obvious to the audience that this is really cheesy,” Worthington said. “But I still put it all out there. This character is absolutely ridiculous, which is why it’s fun.”

While the show seeks to entertain, Reinhart noted it is quite political in nature. The director described “Urinetown” as having an equalizing factor, which he noted was

less available in our political climate.

“Urinetown occupies a space that is poking everybody in the eye. Nobody gets off,” Reinhart said. “In this age of people watching their own channels and getting back only the echo of their own views, this play sits them down and says ‘You’re going to have to deal with me.’ And hopefully, by getting poked in the eye, it will make people wonder what they actually believe.”

The play will run from Thursday, March 2 to Saturday, March 4 at 7 p.m., with a final matinée showing on Sunday, March 5 at 2 p.m.

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MFA Reading Series hosts Poet Julie Carr Natasha Williams Staff Writer

Culture@stumedia.boisestate.edu

While writing “100 Notes on Violence,” Julie Carr, poet and co-founder of Counterpath Press and Gallery, researched and explored her subjective perspective on violence.

“We do not want our children to know what they know. We do not want to tell them what we cannot help but tell them. And thus, protection fails; innocence is false. Something else must be taught to them, which is to

say, something else must be taught to us. And that something else, I think, is that we must live within the paradox of our awareness of suffering coupled with our experiences of pleasure, hope, even joy,“ Carr said in an interview with The Conversant.

Carr will be reading from “100 Notes on Violence” and “Objects from a Borrowed Confession,” her newest book of poetry, on Friday, Feb. 24 at 7:30 p.m. in the Bergquist Lounge in the SUB. The reading is part of the MFA Reading Series, which, according to Director and Editor of The

Ahsahta Press, Janet Holmes, will allow students to explore poetry.

“Julie is very good at answering questions and things like that,” Holmes said.

“That’s one of the reasons we have a reading series, is that we bring writers in from all over who share their experiences with poetry with our students. It would be a shame if people didn’t pay attention to that.”

Both “100 Notes on Violence” and “Objects from a Borrowed Confession” were published by the Ahsahta Press, the not-for-profit po-

etry press that was founded in 1979 at Boise State. The press is dedicated to publishing contemporary, experimental poetry that is also accessible.

“Poetry readings are very welcoming, we have all kinds of students. We even have people come from off campus,” Holmes said. “You don’t have to be a writer to hear another writer speak, all you have to do is be open to new ideas.”

After the reading Carr will open up discuss to a Q +A. Events like this one help students understand the importance of literature and the

arts, according to Holmes.

“The arts enrich a person in ways that aren’t academically measured,” Holmes said. “We offer those opportunities to the students by bringing in authors like Julie Carr.”

Rake, Tillage and Plunder

BSU Sustainability Club looking forward to new opportunities cropping up Maxwell Peterson Copy Editor

Culture@stumedia.boisestate.edu

NANCY FLECHA / THE ARBITER

On a blustery day in February, volunteers turned over the muddy patch of land where the Boise State Community Garden resides. Among them was Community Garden Manager Sammi Lowman, who sifted

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through the wet ground with her hands, thinking ahead to the variety of food the soil will hopefully produce in the near future.

“This semester we’re going to be doing things a little bit differently,” Lowman said.

The Community Garden is a resource open to the Boise community where anyone can come to participate in learning to cultivate and harvest sustainably grown produce.

This semester, the garden will still hold fast to its community values, but will be taking a more enterprising approach to its processes. The garden recently made a deal with Aramark, Boise State’s contracted food and catering provider.

According to Lowman, while they still encourage the community’s free use of the garden, this deal opens the door for the gardeners to sell their produce on the quad.

“If we have enough crops we

can set up a small farmer’s market at a few points during the summer and sell some of our produce to raise money for the Sustainability Club.”

The Community Garden is one of many efforts by the Sustainability Club to augment local sustainable ventures. In the past, the club has hosted cooking classes using locally grown produce, clothing swaps, scrap metal drives and helped to clean, maintain and replant the foothills after the fires last year.

According to Lowman, this focus on sustainability extends to their choice in organic fertilizer as well, utilizing food scraps, hair from a local salon and coffee grounds.

The garden manager also emphasized the garden’s accessibility, and assured interested participants that the only prerequisite to getting involved in the garden is a desire to learn.

“Anybody can come by. I can give them a list of tasks to

choose from. People can come by with others or meet up with me or work on their own,” said Lowman.

Emily Le Morvan, a Boise community member and volunteer contributor to the garden gave her reasons for pitching in.

“I like to see things grow. I like making food, and I like cooking,” Morvan said.

Lowman explained her own motivation behind spearheading objectives at the garden was to study “community theory, seeing how communities form around common goals and objectives.”

She stated that mainly students get involved, but that it is a valuable resource for the entire community.

“Dirt is healthy,” said Lowman, citing a Norwegian study which linked gardening and a decrease in depression and anxiety.

“I’m not an expert on soil,

but I’m willing to do the research,” Lowman said.

Finally, Lowman expressed her thoughts on the importance of keeping these gardens around, presenting closeness with nature as a key benefit.

“It’s awesome to reconnect with the natural and organic world and remember that this is ultimately where our food comes from,” Lowman said.

“It’s really important for the survival of our entire species that we care for the soil and plant life, otherwise we’ll all die of starvation.”

Community members who wish to become involved with the garden can contact the garden manager at samanthalowman@u.boisestate.edu. Planting dates will be released shortly through the club’s Facebook page or by inquiry. Harvesting days may come as early as May.

MFA READING SERIES: JULIE CARR FACEBOOK / COURTESY

CULTURE

Hispanic Film Festival screens films topical to the Spanish-speaking world

Exploring hostile oceans has never been so much fun

“Ixcanul” is a 2015 Guatemalan film about a mother and daughter who work on a coffee plantation. (Photo courtesy of Ixcanul Facebook page).

Michael Paquin Culture Reporter

Culture@stumedia.boisestate.edu

When Manuel Gomez, lecturer in the Department of World Languages selected the films to be played at this year’s Hispanic Film Festival, he was looking for movies that addressed a series of social issues facing the world. While he didn’t specifically look for films addressing current American issues, it certainly worked out that way.

The Hispanic Film Festival, which began on Feb. 13 and will run through Feb. 24, showcases films from the Hispanic world that deal with topics relevant to it.

“The first criteria was social issues in the Hispanic world— picking movies from the different countries and Spanish-

speaking countries, and also paying attention to the diversity in the Hispanic world, meaning that not only did we play movies in Spanish but the first movie was in Mayan,” Gomez said, referring to the Guatemalan film “Ixcanul, Volcano.” about a Mayan girl who works with her parents on a coffee plantation in the foothills of an active volcano. Maria, the protagonist, is to be married to the plantation overseer but isn’t content with her fate.

Gomez, who is from Spain, chose “Ixcanul, Volcano” to demonstrate that the Spanishspeaking world is broad, with many different cultures and languages. Gomez also notes that all the films have English subtitles.

The first of the final two remaining films of the series is “Illiterate,” which will be showing in Riverfront Hall Room 105 at

6 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 22.

This Chilean film tackles the often unspoken problem of adult illiteracy as an adult woman learns to read in secrecy.

Finally, on Friday, Feb. 24, which marks the end of the festival, “The Travel Agent” will be screened. This Spanish film takes place in Cuba and revolves around a travel agent who organizes trips for Cuban nationals interested in visiting the United States. Although the protagonist is able to walk aspiring travelers through the lengthy screening and visa process imposed by the Cuban Government, she herself has never been able to visit the United States, in spite of the fact that almost all of her family lives there.

“It’s an interesting thing—and it’s sad at the same time—that some movies are from three or four years ago but we’re still talk-

ing about these issues. They are not resolved yet,” Gomez said.

“I was not looking specifically at the topics though.”

While this is the first Hispanic Film Festival that Gomez has organized for Boise State, he intends to put on more. The Spanish Film Festival was put on with the participation of the Spanish Government as part of a heritage program they provide to colleges around the United States, as well as the Idaho Film Collection.

Although this is the first time that Gomez has planned a film festival, it’s not his first time planning a heritage-related event.

“This is a second interest in my professional career, —promoting cultural organizations, and organizing exhibitions and literary recitals,” Gomez said.

Subnautica offers up locations and creatures the are both wonderous and terrifyng. (Photo courtesy of Subnautica Facebook page.)

Jacob Palmer Investigative/ Enterprise Journalist Jacobpalmer@u.boisestate.edu Exploratory survival games are excellent. You start with almost nothing, and through exploring the world and building little by little, you create an adventure that will last you years. But sometimes the longevity of these games cause the community surrounding them to grow stale and fester like an old mold. For anyone who has had their last straw with seven-year-olds cursing them out on games like Minecraft, might I suggest a much newer, and more sophisticated, experience for you: Subnautica.

Subnautica is a game available for early access on Steam. Subnautica places you as the lone survivor of a wreck on an alien planet covered almost entirely by water. You’ll catch fish, mine for valuable materials, build your seabase and explore exotic underwater alien landscapes. However, the one thing that sets Subnautica apart from other games like Minecraft is a simple, primal emotion: fear.

No ocean is complete without giant-toothed predators who want to find a new diver to scare, and every second you spend traversing through the foggy, blue depths could be another second you’re swimming closer to a terrifying alien monster.

So jump in and go for a swim; inhospitable oceans are always ready for new adventurers.

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SPORTS & REc

Broncos bounce back, beat Wyoming 91-87 Rylan Kobre Sports & Rec Reporter

RylanKobre@u.boisestate.edu

Fifth place was supposed to be Boise State’s landing spot in what has been pegged as a down year for the Mountain West.

Now, with four games remaining, Boise State has the 23 of 27 voters who picked San Diego State to win the conference in the preseason media poll eating their words.

On Saturday, Feb. 18 the Broncos responded with a 91-87 win over Wyoming following their loss to New Mexico in Albuquerque four days earlier.

“We’ve been through games that have helped prepare us for this,” said junior Forward Chandler Hutchison postgame. “Unfortunately the New Mexico game we were trailing the whole game, and we got ourselves in a stretch there where we kind of put ourselves into a hole too deep to dig out of.”

Hutchison finished the night with a 25-point effort and was aided by sixth man Paris Austin, who came off the bench to score 27 points.

The Broncos struggled most of the night with the Cowboy defense, which had Boise State trailing 41-37 heading to the locker room trying to find answers offensively.

“Against the zone it sped us up,” Head Coach Leon Rice said. “We had three or four of those serve it into the net turnovers where we just threw it straight out of bounds. That’s just a sign of us trying to go too fast.”

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Wyoming grabbed a one point lead with just under 17 minutes left in the first half before Boise State went on a 16-2 run capped by a Paris Austin layup, assisted by Nick Duncan.

Over the four-and-a-half minute span, the Broncos stretched the lead to 60-47, but it wasn’t the offense that Hutchison and company was most worried about before the second half started.

“I don’t want to sound redundant, but it was just defense. They were hitting three after three in the first half and our game plan was to keep them under eight threes,” Hutchison said. “I think they had seven in the first half. We were focused on that, it was nine minutes in the second half without a three point field goal (for Wyoming) and that was where we made our run.”

The Broncos relied on a steady diet of Austin and Hutchison finishes at the rim and the occasional bucket from seniors Nick Duncan and James Reid who finished with 10 and 12 points respectively.

Boise State had the lead at 84-73 with 1:06 to play before Wyoming began a furious comeback. The Cowboys were able to get consecutive scores and forced a few turnovers, to get as close as 89-87 with three seconds to play.

But Hutchison sealed it with two free throws and Boise State improved to 17-8 overall and 10-4 in conference play. It was the ninth time this season the Broncos scored more than 80 points in a game and the second

time they have scored more than 90.

“We know we’re gonna score­—we had 91 today— it’s just trusting each other.

Make the right plays and knowing where our guys are on the floor to get them shots,” Hutchison said.

Austin, who was starting earlier in the year, is averaging 17 points a game in his last five and is averaging 12 points a game for the season.

The new role has been a transition but something he has become accustomed to.

“The main focus was just to get the ball moving the first few minutes of the game.

They still want me to move the ball, but they just want me to come off and be that spark plug and bring a fast pace. That’s what I’ve been able to do,” Austin said.

The Broncos are tied for first place in the conference with Colorado State and Nevada. The Rematch comes on Wednesday night, Feb. 22, in Reno.

Nevada beat Boise State at Taco Bell Arena on Jan. 25, 76-57 and the Broncos, although taking the cliche “game at a time” mentality, fully remember their emotions following that defeat.

“That’s always in the back of our mind. You can say it however you want, but you’re always thinking about it,” Hutchison said. “We took a tough one here, and we’ve been thinking about it ever since. But we’ve been thinking about “all of them” in the sense that we want a conference championship and that starts with the game we have in front of us.”

David Wacker goes up for the two handed slam against Wyoming. The Broncos won 91-87 against the Cowboys on Saturday, Feb. 18. (Photo by Alec Foege / The Arbiter)

Boise State Swimming and Diving Team wins 2017 Mountain West Championship Peter Huguenin Staff Writer

Sports@stumedia.boisestate.edu

Determined, focused and fun: those are the three words Jeremy Kipp, head coach of the Boise State University Swimming and Diving team, used to describe this season. After all, it’s easy to have fun when you are winning.

The Boise State Swimming and Diving Team won first place in the Mountain West Championship (MWC) this past

“

ably go 10 to 15 kids deep.”

Boise State takes a lot of pride in their team according to Kipp.

“Performance is one thing. You want to win, but when people look at your team, are you having fun? Are you loud? Are you boisterous? Is there a lot of pride? Those are the things that we measure success (by),” said Kipp.

Boise State deserves to take pride in their team after they crushed the competition, beating the next closest team, San Diego State, by 251 points.

Performance is one thing. You want to win, but when people look at your team, are you having fun? Are you loud? Are you boisterous? Is there a lot of pride? Those are the things that we measure success (by).”

- Head Coach Jeremy Kipp

weekend, finishing with 1390 points. This is their third MWC Championship win.

Boise State has finished in first or second place in the Mountain West every year since 2012.

Recruiting has played a big part in Boise State’s success in the Mountain West, according to Kipp.

“If you look at the states of Washington, Oregon, Nevada—all the states that are GEM and WUE eligible—really have good swimming,” said Kipp.

“We’ve been able to attract a lot of really good talent from that region, and it’s deep. Each event you prob-

Boise State continued their dominance in relays this year, winning every relay at the MWC. Boise State also had many impressive individual performances.

The 200-yard medley relay, made up of Allyson Kleinsorgen, Robin Pinger, Katelyn Martin and Abbey Sorensen had a time of 1:37.66.

Brittany Aoyama, Martin, Cody Evans and Emma Chard made up the 400yard Freestyle Relay which had a time of 3:15.85.

The 800-yard Freestyle relay set the Mountain West Championship

record with a time of 7:03.96. This team consisted of Chard, Aoyama, Amelia Draney and Felicity Cann.

Kleinsorgen, Laura Williams, Aoyama and Martin also set a MWC record in the 400-yard Medley Relay with a time of 3:35.13.

The 200-yard freestyle relay broke the all-time Mountain West record with a time of 1:28.43. The team consisted of Aoyama, Sorensen, Martin, and Kleinsorgen.

Pinger got second in the 200-yard individual melody (2:00.27), Martin got second in the 100-yard freestyle (49.48), Kleinsorgen for first in the 100yard backstroke (53.24), Chard for first in the 200yard freestyle (1:45.59), second in 1650-yard freestyle (16:17.11) and second in the 500-yard freestyle (4:39.22), Aoyama placed first in the 100-yard butterfly (52.04) and first in the 100-yard freestyle (48.74). Most impressive, was that Boise State had the top three finishers in the 50-yard freestyles: Sorensen (22.57), Aoyama (22.38), Martin (22.11).

The team had 10 wins at the meet which sets a program record. The team also broke or tied eight school records.

Also scoring points for the Broncos were Kacee Olson, Karlie Kriewall, Cassidy Bose, Taylor Hosein, Alyssa Schultz, Amanda Barnes, Emily Mathis, Emmie Jennings and Monica Bottelberghe.

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SPORTS & REc Former Bronco star making strides at the next level Cameron Gray Staff Writer

Sports@stumedia.boisestate.edu

Former football star and Boise State alumnus, Jay Ajayi, has continued to impress at the post-collegiate level, very much like he did in college.

After leaving Boise State ranked one of the top-three in school history when it came to rushes, rushing yards, and rushing touchdowns, Ajayi was selected with the 149th overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins.

Ajayi was predicted by many analysts to have an immediate role within the offense as a backup to Running

Back Lamar Miller. However, Ajayi suffered a cracked rib in the Dolphins’ pre-season finale and was forced to miss the first eight weeks of the season.

Ajayi made his NFL debut on Nov. 8, 2015 against the Buffalo Bills and rushed five times for 41 yards.

Ajayi finished his rookie season with 49 carries, for 187 yards and one touchdown.

Going into his sophomore season, Ajayi was appointed the de-facto starter due to the departure of the thenstarter, Lamar Miller. However, that did not last long.

Free-agent Running Back Arian Foster was signed by the Dolphins and took over the role of starting running back coming out of training

camp.

Head Coach Adam Gase deactivated Ajayi for the season opener against the Seattle Seahawks. Ajayi be-

against the Buffalo Bills that resulted in a 28-25 victory the following week.

“All credit to the o-line,” Ajayi told NFL Hall of Famer

“andHe’staking done a great job grabbing this thing advantage of it, and he’s done everything we needed him to do.”

- Head Coach Adam Gase came disgruntled for not being named the starter for the first game of the season, and did not make the trip with the team to Seattle.

On Oct. 16, 2016, Ajayi rushed for 204 yards against the Pittsburgh Steelers in a 30-15 victory. He followed this performance by rushing for a career high of 214 yards

Deion Sanders. “These past two weeks, getting all those guys back healthy has been a huge confidence boost for me and the rest of the guys.”

Head coach Adam Gase credited Ajayi’s comeback to 10 bad days.

“He had 10 bad days there from the fourth preseason game to the first game, but

he’s been great every day besides having that little rough spot,” Gase said to NBC’s Pro Football Talk. “He’s done a great job grabbing this thing and taking advantage of it, and he’s done everything we needed him to do.”

Ajayi joined some impressive company by rushing for 200 rush yards in back-to-back weeks. Only four players in NFL history have ever accomplished this feat, the other three being Pro Football Hall of Famers OJ Simpson—twice—Earl Campbell, and former Dolphins Running Back Ricky Williams.

Ajayi was also named AFC Player of the Week two weeks in a row for both of these performances. However, Ajayi wasn’t done. On

Dec. 12, 2016, he rushed for 206 yards on 32 carries against the Buffalo Bills in a 34-31 overtime victory.

Ajayi became the fourth player in NFL history to rush for over 200 yards in three games in the same season, and the only player to do so in as soon as his sophomore season.

Ajayi ended his sophomore season with 260 rushing attempts for 1,272 yards and eight touchdowns.

As a result of this outstanding season, Ajayi was selected to the 2017 NFL Pro Bowl as a replacement for Buffalo Bills Running Back Lesean McCoy, becoming the only Boise State Bronco in the Pro Bowl this season.

Key Tournaments approaching for Men’s and Women’s Ultimate Disc Teams Tyler Deitrick Staff Writer

Sports@stumedia.boisestate.edu

Looking to have successful upcoming seasons, the Boise State Men’s and Women’s Ultimate Disc Club teams have key tournaments this semester.

The Men’s Ultimate Disc Club, Mamu Zaldi— which means Ghost Horse in Basque—has about 25 members. The Women’s team—the Buffalo Gals— has around 14 members on the team.

Both teams are a part of the Big Sky Conference.

Members of this conference include: Boise State,

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University of Idaho, University of Montana, Montana State, University of Utah, Utah State, Washington State, Gonzaga and Brigham Young University.

This past fall, the Men and Women’s teams competed in The Big Sky Warm Up in Logan, Utah and The Big Sky Gun Show in Missoula, Mont.

This upcoming spring season, the Mamu Zaldi team will be looking to build off of last semester. With a high number of freshmen this year, the team continues to strive for success.

“This past fall, about 35 guys showed up to the first couple of practices which has made the team more

competitive than in the past,” said Mamu Zaldi Vice President Joe Warnecke.

Warnecke, who is currently in his fourth year with the club, has noticed a big difference in recruiting since he first arrived.

“The Get Rec’d program has helped our club gain more attention which is the reason more guys are coming out every year,” said Warnecke.

Get Rec’d is a social event that allows all clubs on campus to advertise their sport to students to start off the year.

Looking further ahead, the Men’s team will compete in Sectionals which will determine which three teams

from the Big Sky Conference move on to Regionals.

Last year, Boise State, University of Utah, Utah State, University of Montana, Montana State, Washington State, Gonzaga and Brigham Young University competed.

The first day of the tournament will be held at Ann Morrison Park, with the following day held at three different locations: Grass Recreation Field located behind the Student Union Building, Recreation Turf Field and DeChevrieux Field.

“Our goal is to compete at Regionals, which is definitely an attainable goal,” said Warnecke.

This past fall, the Buffalo Gals took first place at the

Big Sky Warm Up in Utah and second place at the Big Sky Gun Show in Montana.

With key tournaments ahead this upcoming season, the Buffalo Gals have already started to prepare.

“We went to our first tournament of this semester a few weeks ago in Corvallis, Oregon where we tied for third,” said Buffalo Gals President Amy Norris.

The team will compete in the Big Sky Boise Brawl this upcoming March and then have sectionals in April along with the Men’s team.

The Buffalo Gals had a successful past fall and know they need to stay sharp in order to compete at sectionals.

“We plan on scrimmaging

against some of the older, more experienced ladies who play in the Boise Ultimate Scene, which is the league that we play in during the fall and spring,” said Norris.

Students who are interested in either team can show up to any of their practices.

The Men’s team practices weekly on Mondays from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Thursdays from 10 p.m. to 12 a.m. in Caven-Williams Sports Complex. The Women’s team practices weekly on Mondays from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Thursdays from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. in CavenWilliams Sports Complex.

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