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Volume 24
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Boise, Idaho
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ASBSU election forums this week Associates Students of Boise State University (ASBSU) is holding elections to appoint new officers for the upcoming academic year. Online voting will take place March 20 and 21. All students are en-
ONLINE
Four wrestlers are headed to NCAA Championships.
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St. Pat’s Day
couraged to vote. Voting is for the positions of President, Vice President, Assembly Speaker, Secretary of Academic Affairs, Secretary of Clubs and Organizations, and Secretary of External Communication.
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The President & Vice President
Secretary:
The following forums forum took place Wednesday, will take place this week on the Student Union Building March 14. (SUB) Dining Stage:
Thursday, March 15 Noon-1 p.m.
Assembly Speaker:
Friday, March 16 Noon-1 p.m.
More information will be available on the candidates once completed election packets are submitted. Further information can be found on ASBSU’s website, Facebook page and twitter account.
Look for more coverage of ASBSU elections at arbiteronline.com and in upcoming issues of The Arbiter.
Young, ambitious politician Boise State student has hopes to give a voice to students, university in the Statehouse Bryce DunhamZemberi Whatever the reason for this holiday, it’s a good excuse to party.
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Expensive textbooks
Should students have to spend so much on their textbooks?
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Weather Today
Journalist
Gus Voss, a senior political science major, is running for the Idaho House of Representatives, seat 17A, in the 2012 election. Voss feels he has a moral duty to fix the legislature. “Given our current political climate, I feel it is my ethical duty to run for office,” Voss said. “I feel that constituents of district 17 deserve a lot more than that, especially since we are much more intelligent than the candidates of district 17 are willing to demonstrate.” Voss is a Boise native and said he was largely influenced by his father and grandparents who, “taught me a hard work ethic and a strong sense of morality.” He said he believes this work ethic helped him through a variety of occupations. Voss has worked several customer service jobs such as the Boise Co-Op as stock-boy and the Owyhee Plaza Hotel as a banquet server during his four years at Boise State. According to Voss, these occupations helped him develop a stronger character. While studying politics, he worked for three student-run organizations, including the Poverty Issues coordinator on the Volunteer Services Board,
CODY FINNEY/THE ARBITER
Gus Voss, senior, is running for a seat in Idaho State’s House of Representatives. and he is currently the ASBSU ethics officer. He also started a nonpartisan political group, Democracy Matters (DM). “I have been involved in political organizing for the last two years with Democracy Matters, which is dedicated toward getting the money out of politics and people back in,” Voss said. Prior to college, he did volunteer work for the Obama campaign. “I was a co-chair of the
Timberline High School Students for Obama,” Voss said. According to Voss, his views have shifted from a partisan Obama supporter to a peopleonly party line. “Part of the reason I am running is because I think people are the only sources the government should look to,” Voss said. He also believes corporations, unions and political action committees should not be involved in politics.
“Government should not look to business. We should look to people. We shouldn’t look to party lines, we should (look) to people, not political action committees, corporations or even the ACLU and unions for advice,” Voss said. If elected, Voss plans on being a politician who works to solve differences between opposing parties. “I want to go into the community and ask what they want and then figure out the
way to get over the minor differences and try to implement it,” Voss said. Voss wants to represent the Boise State community in the Idaho legislature. “I also think that BSU students need a representative who will fight really hard for equitable funding. That is something that I have not seen (current seat holder) Bill Killen do much of,” Voss said. Because Boise State is a major asset to district 17, Voss said he wants to see more student-representative interaction. “I would like to see more public forums at BSU. I would like to communicate with my constituents on a face-to-face basis,” Voss said. According to Voss, representatives publicly interacting with their constituents is the most authentic form of representation. “I am less interested in pushing my own personal objectives,” Voss said. Voss said he does not have any ulterior motives in the House of Representatives other than supporting the needs of his voters, which in this case, are Boise State students. For more information about Voss and his campaign visit his Facebook page at facebook. com/Voss/4house.
Few Showers
57º high
Idaho mourns victims of Japanese earthquake, tsunami
50%
chance of precipitation
Tomorrow
Mallory Barker Journalist
Showers
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chance of precipitation
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54º high
90%
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CODY FINNEY/THE ARBITER
The candlelight vigil for Japan took place at the Statehouse steps last Sunday.
Boise community members gathered Sunday night to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami that shook Japan on March 11, 2011. There were several members from the Japanese and Japanese-American community in attendence, as well as people from the Idaho Japanese Association who are interested in keeping attention focused on those who are still hurting from the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster. “We are really honored as Idaho’s nuclear watchdog to have been able to take part in a vigil with the Idaho Japanese Association to commemorate the devastation of the nuclear disaster and tsunami that happened in Japan,” said Liz Woodruff, executive director of the Snake River Alliance. Before the moment of silence, a number of participants read short statements from victims of the catastrophic event.
One statement read, “The tsunami is washing away cars, buildings, ships, and many people … thousands of people are missing, and many, many thousands are suddenly homeless. The death toll is rising.” After the testimonials, the group gathered together in a moment of silence to remember those who were lost or affected by the earthquake and tsunami. A feeling of solemnity and respect fell over the crowd as the attendees stood in silent remembrance of those who were lost. Even the children’s stirring lessened as the feelings of empathy touched their souls as well. A statement from February read, “Someday, I’ll tell my future children and grandchildren, ‘When Grandma was young, people all over the world came together as one after the Great Tohoku Earthquake. Everyone was working desperately to support a common cause and it was beautiful to see.’ ” arbiteronline.com