WHAT’S INSIDE
NEWS 1
SPORTS 3-4
OPINION 2
CULTURE 6 September 30, 2010
I SSU E
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The Independent Student Voice of Boise State Since 1933
Volume 23
First Issue
F R E E
3
"Dead man's cell phone" preview!
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Broncos face tough test against Aggies
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Bouldering at BSU GO TO ARBITERONLINE.COM TO watch HOW STUDENTS CLING TO THE CLIFFS UP AT TABLEROCK.
Aramark employees:
Stress led to SUB explosion Suzanne Craig Journalist
A butane canister exploded Aug. 30 after being stored in a commercial grade minifridge, causing the two stainless steel doors to fly off. The leak wouldn't have been an issue had there been proper ventilation, but due to the cramped conditions, the density of the flammable gas was high enough for a small spark of electricity, supplied by the wiring inside the fridge to cause an explosive reaction. A tightened work timeline might have led to the explosion in the Student Union Building Aug. 30. Management at Boise River Cafe has told their employees that Aramark, the company that contracts with Boise State to supply dining services, is losing money at the Boise State branch, according to several student workers. "They don't want to pay us overtime, so instead we're supposed to work faster," said a student employee of the BRC. According to employees, the butane canisters were stored in an electronic cooler. The canisters were placed inside the refrigerator because it was nearby and the worker
was hurried. The leaking gas filled the cooler and was lit by a spark from the wiring. Had they been stored properly, it's likely the gas would have dissipated instead. "We can do better. Instead of corporate interests, they should look out for students, both employees and customers," said a former employee of the BRC. The Arbiter called Corporate Aramark Sept. 20 for a statement, and they directed all inquiries to the management at Boise State. General Manager for University Dining Services, Carol Scott, was contacted on Sept. 7 and Sept. 13. On both occasions she declined to comment. On Sept. 20, she was contacted again and agreed to be interviewed on Sept. 27. She confirms that Aramark is losing money at this branch, and as far as safety concerns, they conduct monthly safety meetings in addition to multiple health and safety inspections per semester. They also reward team members for coming forward with safety concerns or for doing something especially well. "Our goal is to have a 100 percent safe work environment," Scott said. Kim Thomas, Aramark contract manager for Boise
Mitch Esplin/THE ARBITER
A customer purchases food inside the first floor of the Student Union Building. Food services are contracted through Aramark, an international company based in Philadelphia. State, said at the corporate level, Aramark might not be losing money. Aramark had revenue of $12.3 billion in 2009. It's common in the restaurant industry for suppliers to give kickbacks to corporations based on the amount of their product the corporation is using, said Thomas. "Knowing about kickbacks is above their (the local management's) paygrade," Thomas said. "So while this local account indicates Aramark is losing money, maybe they're making up for their losses somewhere else." Five years ago, a contract
committee reviewed the proposals of companies that wanted to provide dining services at the university. After evaluating bids, Aramark was chosen as the company that gave the university the best deal, though another corporation "came close," according to Thomas. The initial five year contract that was made with Aramark included provisions for yearly renewals, so either party could reconsider at any time. Now the five year commitment is complete and another single year renewal is being considered by the contract committee.
Downtown exhibit sheds light on Boise's past Suzanne Craig Journalist
Today Downtown Boise is a vibrant place filled with buzzing shops and cultural landmarks, but around 50 years ago much of the current Downtown area was nothing but dirt. Thanks to an urban renewal plan that resulted in the destruction of hundreds of iconic buildings for a planned downtown mall complex that was never completed. Doctor Todd Shallat, working in conjunction with College of Social Science and Public Affairs and its dean, Melissa Lavitt, has put together an exhibit featuring the era before the renewal project called, "Lost City, Boise Before Urban Renewal." Featuring pictures by past Idaho Statesman photographer Leo J. "Scoop" Leeburn, along with corner stones of old buildings and a cross from St. Margaret's Hall, the exhibit's pieces were either donated by other organizations or found by Shallat. "I found this pile of stones at the Old Pen and I still don't even know what half of them are," Shallat said. "One of them was the cross from St. Margaret's, and another was this plaque from the first public school in Boise." Another large piece of the exhibit is an old neon sign from a club that used to be a major college hang-out,
Editors note: We don't like using anonymous sources, but to look into this story we had to allow students to stay anonymous so they could keep their jobs. In order to ensure our information was accurate, we corroborated it between several sources. Things we couldn't match up, we didn't run. We included employees with other restaurant experience because we think it gives them a level view of the food-service industry. Student worker 1: A current employee with a lot experience in the restaurant industry and has worked at the BRC for more than a year. Student worker 2: A former employee, with experience in the restaurant and food industry before coming to work for Aramark, worked at the BRC for several years. Student worker number 3: A current employee and has worked there for more than two years.
Archaeologists from idaho will dig into campus This weekend Stephanie Scheibe Journalist
Suzanne Criag/THE ARBITER
"Lost City" is a new exhibit that will showcase old relics from downtown Boise before urban renewal. The exhibit will open Oct. 7. The Cub Tavern. "That sign is my favorite part, I just like the old neon," Shallat said. "And we get people who see the sign and just walk in and start telling stories about how they used to go there when they were in college; who put the bullet hole in it, how sleazy it was. It is just really neat to get all of that history from people who had sort of forgotten about it." The exhibit also has a small lounge area near the front where there are books about
Idaho and its history, as well as its future and Boise's own future as a growing metropolitan area. On a wall right next to the door are panels that describe the common architecture of the era, lent to the exhibit by the Smithsonian, which features local sights such as the Ada Theatre and its Egyptian theme. The future of the exhibit is one that looks to put historical markers and signs around the Downtown area, hopefully sparking its own cultural renewal by explor-
ing the past of Boise all the way back to its founding as a camp for Union soldiers in the Civil War. "The idea is to put some of the Boise in Boise State," Shallat said. "We've always been a part of the city, and this just serves to emphasize that." The exhibit is located BSU's Center on Main in the Alaska Building at 1020 W. Main Street. It opens Oct. 7 during a grand opening celebration at 7 p.m. The exhibit will be there until at least January.
Stacey Camp, University of Idaho’s assistant professor of anthropology will speak Saturday for the Idaho Archaeological Society’s 37th annual meeting about a Japanese Internment Camp in remote North-Central Idaho. Hosted by Boise State’s Department of Anthropology, the day-long conference will provide an opportunity for local and regional archaeologists to share and present results from recent archaeological investigations. The keynote speaker, Camp, will report her recent findings at Kooskia Internment Camp. Camp led an archaeological field school hoping to uncover the mysteries of the Japanese Internment camps. “I did research there this summer along with a group of six University of Idaho Students,” she said. “We went out and did some preliminary archaeological research to learn more about the men who lived there.” Among the estimated 10,000 artifacts, Camp and her team uncovered game pieces, calligraphy pens and buttons with military insignia. “They can tell you a lot about the everyday life of the internees that often aren’t mentioned in the archives,” she said. As the first internment labor force, the Japanese internees completed the construction of U.S. Route 12 (located between Idaho and Montana) according to Camp. The ongoing research and restoration will allow a better understanding of the personal lives the men led at the isolated and once forgotten Japanese interment camp and emphasize its importance as the product of America’s first attempts to create a work force through internee labor, according to the University of Idaho. Additional Information The conference will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Room 110 of the Engineering Technology Building at Boise State. It’s free and open to the public. Free parking will be provided at the south side of the building.
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