I n d ep en d en t
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September 2012
Volume 25
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Boise, Idaho
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Blue vs. BYU
The Cougars come to town for a Thursday night showdown.
Blue & Orange Tab
Band Q&A
Get to know The Head and the Heart before their show.
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At young ages, Boise State music professors Brian and Betsi Hodges knew which instruments they wanted to dedicate much of their lives to. In elementary school, Brian Hodges decided the cello was his calling. “Somehow I gravitated towards it,” he said. “I don’t remember why. I started it in the fifth grade and once I started, it stuck.” Betsi Hodges said she wanted to continue the family tradition of playing the piano. “I always loved tinkering around at the piano when I was very young, imitating my two older brothers who were taking piano lessons,” Betsi Hodges said. “Later on, my mother played a recording of my grandfather, who had died before I was born, playing the piano and I loved it. I wanted to be able to play the pieces I had heard.” Today, both perform and instruct here at Boise State. According to David Feldman, graduate cello performance major, Brian and Betsi have made a positive impact on music students. “I enjoy the opportunity to work with an instructor who is well accomplished in ev-
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ery respect, but who doesn’t have the inflated ego that can be found with other teachers working at his (Brian’s) level,” he said. Matt Fiorentino, graduate cello performance major, said he agrees that Brian Hodges is an effective instructor. “Throughout my undergrad I had a teacher who was at the same level as a performer, but as a teacher was really nasty about your mistakes and blamed you for them,” Fiorentino said. “Dr. Hodges understands that’s where you’re coming from and is really supportive without breaking you down.” Fiorentino said he is looking forward to working with Betsi Hodges. “She’s so professional. I’m going to be setting up rehearsals with her. Dr. Hodges is showing me all her material. I watched a video of her playing and I was like ‘Wow. She really is amazing’,” he said. Brian and Betsi Hodges will perform together Friday as part of the Faculty Artist Series. They said they are looking forward to participating in this series. “I think the Faculty Artist Series is important for several reasons,” Betsi Hodges said. “First, it allows us to demonstrate and continue perfecting
our skills on our respective instruments. We are able to share our love of music and a lot of great repertoire with the students, as well as the community. This can’t be done by just reading about it or even listening to recordings. I personally love to be able to communicate to an audience, even though it is in a non-verbal way. It is also a wonderful opportunity to hear a variety of different instruments and
In all the scrambling to get things done, undergraduate students know a college degree alone won’t get them what they want. For every student who does want a good, secure job after graduation, they will need to do more than earn a degree. If students want respect from their peer group, and leverage for job security and career advancement, there is the need to demonstrate attitude, aptitude, knowledge and skill. Ask the average graduate, some may know the job market all too well. Some may say earning a college degree is nothing more than a temporary job-hunting license.
The Career Center advocates standout performance is necessary. “Start with the end in mind.” The opportunities to learn by doing significant, meaningful work aren’t easy to get. Realworld work that can showcase one’s ability, counts much more than most students think. One solution to this degree dilemma is establishing credibility by conducting a successful research project. But how is that possible? Isn’t research a science-dominated area? Isn’t it beyond the grasp of the average student? Not anymore. Check out the new grant program, the Student Research Initative Fellowship, an original research award for current undergraduates and
voice all in one place.” Brian Hodges said he is particularly looking forward to bringing something new to the recital hall. “The pieces that we’re doing are really amazing pieces,” he said. “Two of them we’ve performed before; one of them is a newer piece and it’s not very well known. The chance to in a way introduce that piece to the people is always a privilege; it’s an honor.
It’s something we’re really passionate about. We hope that people who come will pick up on that.” The Faculty Artist Series performance by Brian and Betsi Hodges will be at 7:30 p.m. in the Morrison Center Recital Hall. This event is free for students and children, $5 general admission, and $3 for seniors. For more information, call 426-1596.
Photo Courtesy Brian Hodges
Professors Brian and Betsi Hodges will be featured at upcoming Faculty series.
Student Research grant opportunity now available Steven Keeley
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Today the Brigham Young Cougars come to the legendary blue turf to test their might against the growing momentum of the Boise State Broncos. While the Cougars have already tallied two wins this year against Washington State and Weber State, they fell short in a thriller to in-state rival Utah. The Broncos are looking to deliver a second consecutive loss to the Cougars.
Faculty Artist Series Continues Axl Stickel
Boise State is becoming more and more tech-friendly.
ROBBY MILO/THE ARBITER
graduates alike, no matter what their major. “The student research grant grew out of student initiated interest, and supporting opportunities for students to do their own projects, their own research, their own creative activities, their own scholarships and so it was through student initiation creating the part of the program that we’re now implementing,” said Sharon McGuire, vice provost for undergraduate studies. “And, so it’s an opportunity for students to create a project, get paid an hourly wage to do that project, and to present it locally, and nationally and even internationally,” McGuire claimed. The supporting money comes from the Division of
Research within Boise State. Shaila Schmidt, a theater major with emphasis in dramatic writing is a junior this year. She already has direct collaboration with her own Theater faculty. Schmidt already knows successful experiences associated with close faculty connections works. “In theater you do a lot of collaboration with a faculty member – this opens a lot of opportunities professionally and academically. So, building that relationship and working with some one who is in that field is very beneficial – especially as you’re exploring areas you want to go into,” Schmidt said. “I think there are two major benefits to this: first, you get to work really closely with a member of the faculty,” Schmidt said, reflecting on her job as the ASBSU Secretary for Academic Affairs. “The second thing,” Schmidt said, “is simply the research portion: I think that some-
times we just get caught-up in the classes we need to take, and we want to be learning and enhance our experience. And so, doing research, you come up with a project you do on your own that you’re passionate about, and just go with it and explore it and do as much as you can to just really see what it’s about.“ “For this round, we’re asking that the student contact a faculty member to become the student’s mentor,” noted Liljana Babinkostova, Ph.D, the associate professor of the department of mathematics, and the faculty director of the student research initiative fellowship. This means the student fills the Student Fellowship Application Form, writes the idea in a project format, then gets an agreement from a proposed faculty mentor. Once the mentor signs the Mentor Endorsement Form, the application with an unofficial transcript must be entered by Oct. 15. arbiteronline.com