I n d ep en d en t
Issue no.
S t u d e nt
V oic e
o f
B ois e
S tat e
Sin ce
1933
38
January
2013
Volume 25
Boise, Idaho
Top Stories
Stayin’ alive {STUDENT
VOICES}
w w w.arbiteronline.com
Lack of a clear plan for Boise State’s new logo worries students Staff Writer
Students react to the apocalypse. Or lack thereof.
4
MW B-ball
Men’s basketball in MW is neck-deep in competition
page
6
Re-brand?
Did the university make the right choice with its image?
page
5
Boise State unveiled the new redefined “B” logo on Nov. 27 to replace the diamond logo which has represented the university since 2001. However, as education costs continue to rise, questions about the new logo come to light: How much is it costing to make the change over to this new logo and where is the money coming from? Boise State is aiming to have everything fully transitioned to a new logo by Sept. 1 of this year, but Melinda Keckler, assistant director of marketing explains, at this point there is no committed funding source for swapping out significant pieces of architecture. And although Nike designed the new logo at no additional cost to the university as part of the renewal of its contract with the athletic department, some costs will show up in different ways. A clear picture of exactly what the cost associated with the roll out of the new logo still remains murky. However, Boise State Public Radio reports in 2001 when Boise State switched over to the diamond logo it cost the university an estimated $25,000.
Weather Today
Partly Cloudy
20%
chance of precipitation
Before recently moving on to a new job position outside of the university, Frank Zang, former director of Communication and Marketing said, “We are identifying some of the key elements that will need to be changed in the long run, whether it’s the signage on the Lincoln and Brady garages or the tile in the SUB. Then individual plans will be developed for those projects after they’ve been prioritized and addressed,” Zang said. “We just haven’t gotten to that level of detail on those kinds of projects.” Stacy Pearson, vice president of Financial Affairs, seconded this in an email. “We don’t know those costs yet, but once we have good estimates, we will determine the timing and various funding sources for the changes,” Pearson said. The old diamond logo must be changed over from several permanent positions across the university. Tile insets, paintings on walls, floor mats and more must be changed over as well. The plan for these seems less concrete. This is cause for concern for some students. “It kind of bothers me that they didn’t look at the cost before they decided to change the logo,” said Dallas Pullen, junior applied mathematics
major. “It seems backwards.” Seth Townsend, a sophomore electrical engineering major agrees, “I don’t like it,” Townsend said. “How do you do something this big with no plan?” Many departments on campus will have to make room in their budgets for the changes that need to be made. For example, once it is decided what changes need to be made to the Student Union, the changes will come out of the budget the school is given every year, Pearson explains. However not every department will have the necessary funds. “Some of these projects will require central funding,” Pearson said. “But we don’t know yet how much that will be.” With departments facing the possibility of funding some logo changes on their own, they will have to take a close look at their budget. “It’s important for departments to identify where they see significant costs being involved in replacing the logo and definitely document that and make a case for when the best time would be from a budgetary standpoint (to make the change),” Keckler said. Some of the smaller changes can be made from the existing marketing budget.
CODY FINNEY/THE ARBITER
A large diamond logo is prominent in the SUB. As Zang explains, allowing time for the transition from the old logo will cut down on the cost of switching over to the new logo. It allows departments to use letterheads, business cards, stationary and other products they currently have and re-order when supplies are low, as they usually would. “The goal is to have as little
waste as possible,” Zang said. “This should allow them to make changes during a regular budget year cycle.” “Some of the initial materials, such as the pin and a couple banners on campus, have all been covered through existing funds. So there have really been no extra costs so far,” Zang said.
Boise dance group to bring the heat to Tyga Lauren Hooker Staff Writer
33º high
First issue free
Cost of Change
Emily Pehrson
page
24
“Tank tops, low-cut, STOP!” shouted Miranda Palacio, stamping her foot in rhythm to the lyrics. “In this joint!” The room echoed as members of The Armada, a local Boise dance crew, counted steps, recited lyrics and directed movements as they practiced—for the umpteenth time—a portion of Nelly’s “Hot in Here.” This preparation was for their 13-minute-long set to open Tyga’s show on Friday,
Jan. 25, at the Revolution Concert House. “Take it from the top,” shouted Palacio. “Can we make it louder?” asked Alexandra McLaughlin. Music poured from the speakers, reverberating through the floors and filling the room. Sneakers squeaked as the dancers rehearsed again and again. The Armada was formed a short five months ago by director and choreographer Max Nguyen. The seven members of the
group were chose by Nguyen, who teaches workshops and classes, based on their personality and talent. “We chose ‘The Armada’ because it seemed to fit,” said Nguyen, who has been dancing for the past five years. “You think of a fleet of battleships—it’s intimidating. Strength in numbers.” After posting a freestyle video to Tyga’s “Faded” on YouTube, Mikey Castro was approached by promoter for Tyga, and The Armada was eventually asked to perform an opening sequence. Juggling a budding
dancing career while being a full-time student takes hard work and time management. “I make sure all of my classes are during the day, and all homework is over before practice,” said Castro, who is a junior Marketing major at Boise State. Practices are held two to three times a week in the evenings, though the group has been smashing in seven practices a week to put the finishing touches on their set for the show. “It’s a good thing school is just now starting,” Melissa
Grund, junior exercise science major said. “But we all understand we need to do this, so it’s not bad.” Though the style of dance they move to is general hiphop, the group tries to incorporate more of a musical element to their sets. “We try to embody more music driven versus just rap,” said McLaughlin, who has been dancing since she was 15. “We stick to movement rather than moving to rap.” The 13-minute set will be a mash-up of a variety of different rap songs.
Tomorrow
Mostly Cloudy
35º high
10%
chance of precipitation
Saturday
Sunny
42º high
20%
chance of precipitation
What’s Inside News Briefs
page
News
page
Opinion
page
Sports
page
The Arbiter
2 3 5 6
JAKE ESSMAN/THE ARBITER
The Armada, a local Boise dance crew, practices a choreographed dance in preparation for Thursday’s Tyga performance. arbiteronline.com