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Students voice their concerns about parking on campus.
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This and many other pieces of art created by faculty are on display.
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Boise State soars past Air Force to open Mountain West Conference play.
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September 16, 2013 • Issue no. 08 Volume 26
Boise, Idaho
First issue free
Cyber Stalking Timeline
Snupe
Status
Obsessive surveillance Problematic surveillance
Makenzie Phillips, adjunct professor in the communication department, dedicates her professional career to research related to social media stalking. Since 2007, Phillips has studied the effects of social media stalking on the romantic relationships of emerging adults, individuals ranging in age from
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18-26. Phillips’ 2007-2009 research shows that 87 percent of college students have engaged in at least one, if not all three, of the surveillance factors, which she has titled Social Networks used for Prying Electronically (SNUPE). “The newest edition of that (with data taken between 2011 and 2012) is saying it is closer now to 94 percent,” Phillips said.
“What that means, essentially, is it is considered a normative behavior. We don’t worry about it because everyone else is doing it, so it doesn’t make me crazy because everybody does it.” SNUPE, as coined by Phillips, discusses three main factors with regard to invasion of privacy through social networking: Covert surveillance, obsessive surveillance and problematic surveillance. Covert surveillance is where a social media user lurks quietly on other people’s profiles or pages without leaving evidence of their lurking (no commenting or liking). “You are aware of what the other person is engag-
ing in without letting them know you’ve been on their site,” Phillips said. Aaron Elfering, a senior majoring in computer science, admitted to participating in this practice. “It’s not something we’re proud of, but it’s human nature,” Elfering said. “There’s no real societal rule for how things like Facebook, social media and texting should be handled. We’re still kind of hammering out rules for what’s acceptable and what’s not, what’s creepy and what’s not.” People who partake in obsessive surveillance not only make frequent visits to specific profiles, but also leave their mark.
“These are the people who do sort of, I call it, marking their territory electronically,” Phillips said. Problematic surveillance is, as its name suggests, the most problematic and is characterized by interactions within cyber-space affecting faceto-face interactions. “This is where your online activities sort of bleed into your offline relationship,” Phillips said. “It causes real time or real space problems, conflict.” Elfering said he isn’t worried about people invading his privacy. “I’m smart enough to realize you shouldn’t put anything on Facebook or
the Internet that I don’t want other people to see,” Elfering said. Phillips went on to advise students to be aware of their own lurking tendencies, especially those that fall into any of the three categories of SNUPE. “If you engage in specific lurking behavior, this is what sort of crosses the line between we’re friends and I’m annoying,” Phillips said. “If you’re gearing toward cyber stalking, if you’re doing a lot of activity on their Twitter, their Facebook, and they don’t know about it, that’s where it starts to cross the line from appropriate to inappropriate behavior.” Design Megan Nanna/THE ARBITER
Students say GOP in need of makeover @RyanThorne86
After losing two consecutive presidential elections, members of the Republican Party have began to scrutinize traditional Grand Old Party (GOP) ideologies and leadership. Rifts between old guard Republicans like Lindsey Graham and newcomers like Marco Rubio have grown, causing political infighting within the party. “Personally, I think Republicans have to give up a little bit on some social issues if they want a shot at the White House,” said Adam Weber, president of the Boise State University College Republicans (BSU CR). According to Weber, the GOP’s focus on social issues like abortion and gay marriage have hurt the party’s image with voters. As a libertarian Republican, Weber feels the federal government should not get involved in issues that aren’t specifically outlined by the
constitution. “We noticed Obama came out in support of gay marriage; I think it was more political than anything,” Weber said. “He says he believes in it in now, but who knows? It was a strategy he used, giving up some of his social beliefs to win the White House.” Weber thinks the Republican Party should focus their message more on fiscal responsibility for the federal government and let states decide on specific social legislation. He hopes disagreements within the party will not divide and weaken the GOP’s political backing for the upcoming senate and presidential elections. “I think it is inevitable that we are going to get to that point and I don’t know how bad it is going to be,” Weber said. Junior history major Amanda Gilmore said Republican hard-line stances against abortion initially attracted her to the party, but extreme right wing ideology
about women’s basic reproduction rights should be changed within the GOP. “Birth control should probably not be that big of a deal anymore,” Gilmore said. “I feel like that isn’t even a big concern on a national scale and there are other topics that are more important.” Over the last couple of presidential elections, Gilmore thinks Republicans spent too much energy mud-slinging their Democratic opponents and should have focused on offering more tangible solutions. “They especially attack the Democrats and they need to step back and create more policy that is well rounded,” Gilmore said. As far as Republican energy policies is concerned, former BSUCR President Domenic Gelsomino thinks the GOP should pursue energy independence while encouraging a practical, gradual shift toward renewable power. “We should cut all dependence on middle eastern oil. It’s time we use American
oil and American energy like hydro power,” Gelsomino said. Gelsomino thinks transition to renewable energy sources on a large scale should be a gradual one that fits the needs of American citizens. “We understand the con-
cerns with environmental problems,” Gelsomino said. “But should we halt progress as a result?” With Republicans striving to find leadership for the 2016 presidential campaign, Gelsomino thinks the current divisions between GOP members will produce new
candidates with reformed ideas. “Marco Rubio would be great for immigration reform and bring a fresh perspective to the White House. There are a number of candidates and each brings a different perspective and skill set to the table,” Gelsomino said.
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Ryan Thorne
Marco Rubio (pictured) meets with voters.
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