I n d ep en d en t
Issue no.
S t u de nt
V o ic e
o f
B o is e
S tat e
Sin ce
1933
51
March
19
2012
Volume 24
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Boise, Idaho
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Tough girls
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Softball wins
CODY FINNEY/THE ARBITER
Senior Hans Smith pitches the first game of the St. Louis Cardinals’ season in MLB “The Show” for Playstation 3. Sony gave Smith a player in the game, so anyone who buys it can play as Hans Smith.
Softball sweeps the weekend with three big W’s.
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Wyatt Martin Sports Editor
The candidates have been announced! See who is gunning for what.
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Hans Smith stares down from the pitcher’s mound at his catcher, awaiting the sign for the next pitch. From his crouch the catcher waves all four of his fingers and taps the inside of his left thigh, indicating he wants an inside change-up. Smith goes into his windup and delivers the highinside pitch to the right-handed batter. “Come on Blue! What are you, an Astros fan?” Smith yells at the TV, his 78-mph changeup barely missing the corner of the plate. While this is only a spring training game, Smith takes it very seriously. He knows a player’s spring can have lasting effects on their regular season. The 26-year-old senior dons the number 86 jersey for the St. Louis Cardinals and is currently the fifth pitcher in their rotation heading into the 2012 season. Smith has never been able to hold a baseball, let alone hurl one at over 90-mph because of
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brought to his life. Little did he know that his letter would have such a lasting impression on them. A month later, Sony flew Smith down to San Diego to come on as a consultant for the development of the next season’s game. Along with bringing him into the studio, they also took a facial scan and put Smith’s exact likeness into the game. Because he is an actual player in the game, Smith is required to sign a contract each season to give them these rights—this is his major league contract. “It is true I do not play in front of thousands in the stands, or millions on TV. I do not make exorbitant amounts of money every year. In fact, my contract pays me nothing and yet gives me everything. I cannot even pick up a baseball or swing a baseball bat. I cannot even stand up, I am in a wheelchair, and even still, I play professional baseball,” Smith said.
While all of this would be a major accomplishment for most, Smith is trying to take it a step further. He is currently trying to develop an online league for others with disabilities, which would allow them to play against each other and keep track of everyone’s progress. The Association for Disabled Virtual Athletes (ADVA) is still in its infancy as Smith tries to gather funding and support. However, he is confident there are enough people like him who just want the opportunity to compete and be recognized for their talents. Amidst school, trying to upstart the ADVA and relationships, Smith still has the time to follow the strict and rigorous Major League schedule. Smith will travel to St. Louis in April to play Major-Leaguer and last year’s World Series MVP David Freese in a game of “The Show.” I’m betting on number 86.
DRC accomodates disabilities Elena Soto
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the cerebral palsy that has stolen the majority of his motor skills. Despite the fact he is stricken to a motorized wheelchair and needs helpers to assist him with simple chores like eating, getting in and out of bed and bathing, he still signs a professional contract each season. He plays on the exact same days, at the exact same times as the real St. Louis Cardinals. Smith plays the latest version of MLB “The Show” for Playstation 3. The game is like few before it, in that you can play in a career mode (road to the show) that lets users control only their player-avatar. When he first told his mother about purchasing the game in 2010, he said she started crying on the phone. When he asked her why she was crying she told him, “Out of all people, I never thought you would be a professional baseball player.” After playing the game in its first year, Smith decided to write the game-makers at Sony to tell them his story and about the absolute joy their game had
Going off to college can be a challenging adventure for students from different backgrounds. Usually the first year is the most difficult, but once students get the hang of things, everything else falls into place. However, for students with disabilities, adjusting to college can be a bigger challenge. In 1973, the Rehabilitation Act guaranteed rights to people with disabilities. Before then, students with disabilities didn’t have many options when it came to a higher education. Almost two decades after the Rehabilitation Act came
the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. It was then that students with disabilities were given accommodations to gain equal access in academia. The Disability Resource Center offers students with disabilities accommodations to help them achieve their education goals. No matter if a student has a physical disability or an invisible disability -- a disability that is not immediately apparent -- to receive the proper accommodations, he or she has to come into the Disability Resource Center and self-identify the disability and provide documentation. “It is case-by-case per situation, depending on the needs of the student,” said
Wendy Turner, director of the Disability Resource Center. Disabilities can range from mental illnesses such as bipolar d i s o rd er, learning disabilities such as dyslexia or physical disabilities such as deafness or blindness. W h ate v e r the disability, the center strives to accommodate every student. “If the student needs extra time on a exam, he or she can have that allowed extra time,” Turner said.
A student can also get assistance by requesting help with notetaking or extra time for taking tests. Students who, for example suffer fromblindness, can be provided with an assistive David Wuerth/THE ARBITER t e c h nology program that reads text on a screen in a computer-generated voice. The Disability Resource Center provides the software programs and wheelchairs, fax machines, copy machines
and multimedia products for students who need them. Students must have professors sign accomodations letters in order for the accomodations to take effect. They must also meet with the Disability Resource Center each semester the accomodations are requested. Students who feel they are challenged with a disability can find more information by visiting the Disability Resource Center in room 114 of the Administration Building to see if they qualify for accommodations while pursuing their degree. Contact 426-1583 DRCinfo@boisestate.edu
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