The Arbiter 1.22.2015

I nd e pe nd e nt

St u d e nt

V o i c e

o f

B o is e

S tat e

photo by Tyler paget/THE ARBITER

design by jovi ramirez/the arbiter

A presidential approach, p. 4

January 22, 2015 Vol. 27 Issue 37

S i n c e

1 9 3 3

hoots & giggles

“It always seems impossible until it is done.” - Nelson Mandela Comic Strip crossword puzzle FOR RELEASE JANUARY 22, 2015

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis

sudoku

Pg 2

ACROSS 1 Modern “Keep in touch!”

7 Ann’s sister 11 Extras may comprise one 14 Tennis star Gibson 15 The real thing, so to speak 17 Riddles 18 Regretting a wild night, maybe 19 *Beginning 21 Field of study 24 “We __ Family”: 1979 hit 25 Tamper 26 *They carry remainders 31 Org. where weight matters 32 Without __: riskily 33 On a streak 36 Capp and Capone 37 Syr. neighbor 38 Jueves, por ejemplo 39 Natural resource 40 Tease 42 Vibrater in a wind 43 Like Gen. Powell 44 *Bike safety device 47 __ Men: “Who Let the Dogs Out” band 49 Edible Asian shoot 50 Greek mount 51 *The rest 56 Burns poem that starts, “Wee, sleekit, cow’rin, tim’rous beastie” 57 Time of your life 61 Marching band instrument 62 Mill around 63 Passing stat.

64 Egyptian symbols of royalty 65 Both words in each answer to a starred clue begin and end with the same one

1/22/15

By Don Gagliardo

DOWN 1 Keep time, in a way 2 Symphonic rock gp.

3 Cadillac sedan 4 Store to “fall into,” in old ads 5 Scant 6 First word of the chorus of “The Sidewalks of New York” 7 Parched 8 Dark-haired guy 9 Cask stopper 10 Safecracker 11 Some Cannes films 12 They have hoods and racks 13 Cold-water hazards 16 Was impending 20 Perp subduer 21 Egyptian dam 22 100 kopecks 23 Parts opposite points 27 First name in women’s boxing 28 Racing family name 29 Bay window 30 Aptly named novelist

Wednesday’s Puzzle Solved

©2015 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

34 Easily crumbled cookies 35 Betta tankmate 38 “Colonel Jack” novelist 41 “Oh, my!”

42 Uses, as credit card rewards 45 Amasses 46 Work on together, in a way

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47 LPGA great Rawls 48 Stay clear of 52 “The boy you trained, gone he is” speaker 53 Sharing word 54 Relax 55 Blackthorn fruit 58 QB’s stat 59 Turn right 60 Go wrong

01/22/2015

IN THIS

Emily Pehrson

editor@ arbiteronline.com Justin Kirkham

managingeditor@ arbiteronline.com

NEWS EDITOR

Alx Stickel news@ arbiteronline.com

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR Eryn-Shay Johnson & Sean Bunce news@ arbiteronline.com

SPORTS EDITOR

Nate Lowery sports@ arbiteronline.com

ISSUE

Vaccinations: our medical safety belts

6

15

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

boise state media relations

Brandon Walton sports@ arbiteronline.com

CULTURE EDITOR Patty Bowen arts@ arbiteronline.com

alx stickelt/THE ARBITER

MANAGING EDITOR

8 Irfan Khan/mct campus

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

ASSISTANT CULTURE EDITOR August McKernan arts@ arbiteronline.com

The Gymnastics team vaults to new heights

Citizens march for equality

PHOTO EDITOR COPY EDITORS

Brenna Brumfield Leslie Boston-Hyde

13

design manager Jovi Ramirez

GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Ted Atwell Jared Lewis

NL News Director Farzan Faramarzi

Contact Us

arbiteronline.com 1910 University Dr Boise, ID 83725 Phone: 208.426.6300 Fax: 888.388.7554

Bring out your spirit animal

charles fox/mct campus

BUSINESS MANAGER MacArthur Minor business@ arbiteronline.com

10 patty bowen/THE ARBITER

Tyler Paget photo@ arbiteronline.com

To shave or not to shave: the social Question

Distributed Mondays & Thursdays during the academic school year. The Arbiter is the

official independent student newspaper of Boise State University and a designated public forum, where student editors make all content decisions and bear responsibility for those decisions. The Arbiter’s budget consists of fees paid by the student body and advertising sales. The first copy is free. Additional copies can be purchased for $1 apiece at The Arbiter offices.

NEWS

Obama touts education and innovation

Sean Bunce Eryn Shay Johnson Asst. News Editors

President Barack Obama spoke to Idahoans at the Caven-Williams Sports Complex on Jan. 21.

For those who watched President Obama’s State of the Union Address Tuesday 20, not much seemed different from his speech to Boise State University.

In his address, President Obama outlined a three part plan which will help Americans prepare for the next 15 years.

The second part of this plan called “middle-class economics,” focuses on preparing hardworking Americans to earn higher wages.

This includes: making two years of community college free for responsible students, preparing all students for success in college and careers, simplifying education tax benefits for all students and families, simplifying student aid forms so more students take advantage of financial aid and partnering with industry to create more apprenticeship and on-thejob training opportunities so workers can learn the skills they need for a better, higherpaying job.

“By the end of this decade, two in three job openings will require some higher education,” Obama said in his State of the Union address. “And yet, we still live in a country where too many bright, striving Americans are priced out of the education they need.

It’s not fair to them and it’s sure not smart for our future.”

In his speech to Boise State, Obama defended this new plan against Republican

Pg 4

President Obama tosses the political gauntlet. skepticism that raising taxes on the rich won’t work.

“As Americans we don’t mind paying our fair share of taxes as long as everyone else does,” Obama said. “The top 1, or 0.1, or .01 percent of Americans are only paying certain taxes. We can use that money to help more Americans pay for college and child care and give the opportunity for the vast majority of Americans to get a leg up on life.”

This, he believes, is an investment toward American futures and challenges the Republican Party to create a different solution to funding these initiatives.

“I know Republicans disagree with my approach, I can see that from their body language,” Obama said. “If

they do disagree, I look forward to hearing from them, how they want to pay for things like RND and infrastructure.”

Those who attended Obama’s speech were excited both for the opportunity to see the President and also hear what he had to say about his plans for education.

Audrey Brassil, sophomore double majoring in criminal justice and psychology, felt her education was worth putting on hold by skipping class for the chance to see the president.

“I’d like to hope there’s a possibility that we can all come together and figure it out...” Brassil said. “After the reaction of last night I don’t think (it will happen), not right away. But hopefully

they listen to him and realize that it’s not just about politics, that we’re all here together. It would be nice for things to get done.”

President of Boise State Bob Kustra, was also enthusiastic about the presidents visit. He explained that he felt it was important for Obama to underscore the importance of community college.

“I don’t know how this whole plan will look, if it will be completely free or not,” Kustra told The Arbiter. “But at the present time based on the CWI experience, Boise State stands in support of community colleges in any way the president and others can support them.”

Outside a crowd stretched past Albertsons Stadium.

Among those waiting to

enter were members from the Calvary Chapel church, distinguished by their florescent green shirts which read, “#SaveSaeed;” a local pastor imprisoned for his faith in Iran the past three years.

“We’re here to raise awareness and basically support Abedini,” said Kristie Hepworth, a member of the congregation. “A lot of us go to his church and do whatever we can to help get him free.”

Hepworth was hopeful their signs and shirts would catch the President’s attention while he discussed middle class economics and education.

The last two years Abedini’s wife, Naghmeh, has traveled to Washington D.C. hoping the president would meet with her and help her

husband get released.

Naghmeh Abedini wrote a letter to Obama upon hearing of his visit to Boise, which requested he meet with her.

The request was granted.

“I was overjoyed when I heard President Obama wanted to meet with the kids and I during his short visit here in Boise,” Abedini said in an article by the American Center for Law and Justice.

“I have tried to meet with the President or even get a phone call from him without success. It is truly an answer to prayer that he is coming to Boise and it is a miracle that he is meeting with us.”

After he met with her and toured the College of Engineering, Obama delivered his speech to students, faculty and members of the public.

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NEWS Sean Bunce

Asst. News Editor

After standing in line for an hour John Smith, a staff member whose name has been changed on request, finally reached the front of the line to get his ticket to see President Barack Obama speak.

He was promptly turned away because he showed up at the wrong time.

Smith received an email Sunday night addressed to faculty and staff directing him to show up from 2 to 4 p.m.—the designated time all faculty and staff were allowed to get their tickets. In addition to teaching, Smith

also takes multiple classes at Boise State, which makes him a student, yet he only received the staff email telling him what time to pick up his ticket.

He explained that he had no idea which time students were supposed to receive their ticket because of this.

“It’s kind of a big deal when the president comes and I get this email saying do this,” Smith said. “Part of it is that I waited an hour in line and they wouldn’t even give me two minutes to work it out. I mean they had tickets, it wasn’t like they were scanning cards or anything.”

According to Sage Migel,

information desk attendant, when faculty or staff are taking classes they qualify as a student. They are issued a student identification card because students have more privileges allowed to them, such as access to the Rec Center, print money and free tickets to football games.

“Some people were very upset because they’re taking classes but they’re also faculty members,” Migel said.

She explained that those people wanted to come during the faculty time because it was more convenient than coming at the student designated time from 8 to 10 a.m.

“We’ve told them before

that they’re qualified as students first and then employees,” Migel said. “There were a lot of student employees who came as students and they knew their student status. I’m a student employee here and I wouldn’t be able to come to the faculty one.

I would come to the student (ticket time).”

Because of the confusion, Migel said there were a few people who showed up outside of their designated time.

Smith was most frustrated that when he reached the information desk, he was just turned away.

Tyler paget/THE ARBITER

NO-Bama for you: Email directs incorrect ticket time

People waited hours for tickets.

“Even if there’s just three or four of us, (they could have) given us the benefit of the doubt. Instead of treat-

ing us like we’re just errant students who are just out of luck, which is really what I kind of got from that.”

Study tip: good notes, less stress Maria Shimel

Online Testing Center Courtesy

With a fresh semester ahead of us, it is a great opportunity to perfect your note-taking techniques and tackle Spring 2015 with organized efficiency.

A good first step is to set up a separate notebook for each class; have fun with it and make each notebook unique and useful with color-coding, post-it notes and any other creative additions you can think of.

By having a specific notebook for each class, you are less likely to lose note pages or accidentally mis-order the notes.

Before each class be sure to do the assigned reading and leave yourself extra

01/22/2015

space around the reading notes to add lecture notes later. By following this method, you are creating stronger memory associations with the information and unintentionally reviewing the reading notes that you already took!

Your notebook is also a great place to write down any questions about the

reading or lecture too.

When you get a chance to ask the professor about the confusion, you can use the content around the question to assist in understanding.

And, as always, remember to go over the previous class notes to re-familiarize yourself with the subject before each lecture.

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NEWS

Alx Stickel News Editor

Boise State students and the community marched to the Capitol in solidarity of Martin Luther King Jr. Day continuing the call for social justice.

About 150 students, children and adults gathered in the Student Union Jordan Ballroom to make signs and learn rally chants before the walk to the Capitol. During the march, community members joined along the way, making the mass of people close to 300.

As Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”

For Jasmine Herrick, director of Multicultural Stu-

dent Services’ Tunnel of Oppression, that silence sends a strong message.

“It is our right to stand up for ourselves,” Herrick said during her speech on the Capitol steps. “Unfortunately, when we remain silent, we send the message that our lives can be brutalized without consequence.”

The constant chanting for social justice grew louder as the participants approached the Capitol.

“Two, four, six, eight, Boise State’s too great for hate!”

“The people, united, can never be divided!”

“Ain’t no power like the power of the people, ‘cause the power of the people don’t stop!”

Andrew Geske, Boise State graduate and student

support coordinator for MSS, hopes that power is exercised after the holiday.

“I’m hoping it’s not just like church Christians who show up on Christmas and Easter and forget about it the rest of the year, that these people take time out of their everyday lives to evaluate if their acts may be racist or sexist or homophobic,” Geske said.

To conclude the speeches, Francisco Salinas, director of Student Diversity and Inclusion, reminded participants of their responsibility in contributing to social change.

“I’m reminded over and over every year that while Dr. King’s dream is not yet reality ... we’re still marching,” Salinas said. “Every

alx stickel/THE ARBITER

MLK rally calls for social action

sTUDENTS MARCH TO boISE cAPITOL TO HONOR mlk. year I get reminded when I work with these great students and the people in my community like you, people

that show up, people that stand out and stand up that Dr. King’s dream is very much alive today. I am re-

minded that I am not alone. I am reminded that others like me believe that if this dream is to be, it is up to me.”

Students mimic brains with computer memory Justin Kirkham Managing Editor

Will Smith may be able to reprise his “I, Robot” role once again.

Artificial intelligence and computer learning might generally seem like concepts of the far future, but members of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department are making them ideas of the present.

Led by professor Kris Campbell, students are designing, building and programming special resistors that mimic the synapses of

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human brains. These devices are unique because their resistance levels can be programmed by changing the voltage level between the two electrodes in the resistor. If they are programmed with low resistance, the connection becomes stronger and more similar to the connections between neurons.

“Any neuromorphic computing projects like this aim to do anything that the brain can do,” Campbell said.

“We’re aiming for something to make decisions, which takes the human involve-

ment out of it all.”

According to electrical engineering graduate student and project participant Kolton Drake, these resistors mimic only one synapse, and, though the potential behind them is powerful, “I, Robot” is a long way off. In order to create an AI with basic biological functions, thousands of synapses would be needed.

But, beyond thinking machines, these devices have an array of potential uses.

Campbell aims to have students produce and indi-

vidually characterize these resistors for interested businesses. Depending on what uses they aim to get from the devices, students will be able to reprogram and test new “memristors.”

“Computational problems, such as image recognition and speech recognition, can be solved with less overall computing power when using neuromorphic architectures,” Drake said.

With an increase in computational efficiency, Drake believes that complex problems can be more easily solved. This in-

cludes protein folding for cancer research and energy efficient smart housing.

The project began in 2008 and has been slowly garnering attention and funding from the Air Force.

In an announcement from the High Performance Systems Branch regarding the project’s innovation in an Air Force showcase, Boise State and other universities working on similar projects were noted as “world-class partnerships in memristor and neuromorphic systems development.”

Campbell found that, in a university setting, students are more fully able to experiment and think outside of the box than in a business setting. This, coupled with the resources offered at Boise State, including an on-campus clean room, has led to the project recognized success.

“Here we get to work on high-risk projects,” Campbell said.

“Companies can’t afford to take risks or take the time to explore something properly. At a university, students can bring in those fresh perspectives and new ideas.”

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Citizens have the responsibility to get vaccinated Toxic

Poison

Autism

Too many

Unnecessary

Uneffective

Sickness

opinion

Leslie Boston-Hyde Copy Editor

Vaccines have transformed the world of medicine. They protect society from infectious diseases that would otherwise kill millions.

Despite the many benefits that they bring, there’s still strong opposition from the general public. People ignore pushes for vaccinations against preventable diseases such as influenza, chicken pox and whooping cough.

Getting vaccinated is a crucial citizen responsibility.

Myths Pg 8

ted atwell/THE ARBITER

Role of vaccines

“Vaccines are one of the most important medical advances of the century,” said Juliette Tinker, biology professor at Boise State and current vaccine researcher.

It’s no different than wearing a seatbelt in a car. It’s a precaution.

Not everyone who doesn’t wear a seatbelt will get in a car accident. If something were to go wrong, however, the risk is much higher if the precaution is not taken.

The same applies to vaccines.

Not everyone who doesn’t get vaccinated will become sick, however, if they do, there’s a chance of fatality.

Children are suffering from the consequences of not getting vaccinated because parents are ignoring the facts. In 2012, a large whooping cough outbreak occurred in the U.S. The Center for Disease Control reported at least 48,277 cases of whooping cough, the most since 1995.

The CDC linked the outbreak to the lack of vaccinations

against the disease.

Hindering myths

Many times, people refuse to get vaccinated due to their lack of education of how they work, their role and importance.

Lots of myths have been built around the issue.

Dr. Andrew Wakefield published a study in “The Lancet” in 1998 stating that there was a link to an increase in autism and the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. The study cut corners, jumped to conclusions, used a biased sample group and had questionable financial ties to the trial lawyers.

Since then, there have been over 100 studies disproving the claim that autism is linked to the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, and there’s still ongoing research looking into the issue.

Ten out of the 13 original researchers have withdrawn their names from Wakefield’s study.

Despite the proof, people still beat the dead horse and use it as an excuse to avoid vaccinations.

Another common myth is that vaccines will cause someone to get sick with the illness.

This claim couldn’t be more wrong.

Why vaccines work

Many vaccines carry either the dead pathogen or antigenic fragments that elicit an immune response within the body. Dead pathogens cannot replicate— they are already dead. Antigenic fragments can’t either because they are only a portion of the pathogen. They can’t replicate and cause illness because they don’t have all the necessary components to replicate within the body.

Attenuated or live vaccines

do have a live microbe, however it is weakened. Only a small number of the weakened pathogen is injected, just enough to cause an immune response but not nearly enough to cause illness.

Even though the virus (or bacteria) is injected into the person, it is done in a way that won’t get the person sick.

Scientists and researchers spend years developing a vaccine. On average, it takes 10 to 15 years to receive a licensure for a human vaccine to be used in public health. This includes an exploratory stage, preclinical trials with mice, clinical trials with humans, regulatory review and approval, manufacturing and quality control.

Even after the vaccine receives approval, it undergoes continuous research to ensure its effectiveness.

“I think it’s really important to understand how long of a process it is to make a vaccine, and how there are really a lot of safety nets in place,” Tinker said.

Getting vaccinated is crucial for a healthy society. Not only are those who get vaccinated protecting themselves, they protect others from getting infected. This is vital for those who might be immunocompromised from an autoimmune disease or receiving chemotherapy. The less people who are carriers of the illness, the better. It protects those who can’t get vaccinated.

Take one for the team and get vaccinated. A small prick from a needle to protect lives is well worth it.

01/22/

opinion

Atsushi Nishijima/mct campus

Letter to the editor: New kids on campus

‘Selma’ fitting tribute on Martin Luther King Day Darryl Lorenzo Wellington

Tribune News Service MCT Campus Wire

On this Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a new movie couldn’t be more appropriate.

“Selma” is an effective recreation of the politics behind King’s nonviolent movement, as well as the toll King’s mission took on his marriage and his personal life. The movie, directed by a black woman, Ava DuVernay, focuses on events leading up to King’s successful march in Selma, Ala., that galvanized public support behind the Voting Rights Act President Johnson ushered into law in 1965.

“Selma” is rendered poignant by David Oyelowo’s extraordinary performance, which captures King’s style, inflections and persona to perfection. You could al-

/2015

most believe King was portraying himself. It’s criminal that Oyelowo was unfairly overlooked in the Oscar nominations for best actor, as was DuVernay in the best director category. Though “Selma” did get a couple of nominations, it deserves many more.

The events portrayed in “Selma” should be a standard part of the education of every American high school student, yet 50 years later it is sometimes still contentious to bring civil rights history into classrooms. King is indisputably a seminal figure in American history. Extraordinarily, “Selma” is the first major Hollywood biopic devoted to him.

During his lifetime, King was the country’s premier civil rights leader. But while he was beloved internationally, he was also despised by millions in his home country. He was under continual

surveillance by the FBI, and lived under the constant threat of assassination.

King did not live to see the daywhen politiciansfrom both major parties sing his praises.

King’s legacy has two major aspects. America remains significantly more comfortable with one aspect than the other.

It’s popular to honor King for his personal courage and his nonviolence.

The passage of time reinforces the fact that King’s moral convictions were entirely on the right side of history. Martin Luther King Day commemorations have sometimes become happy, celebratory occasions by emphasizing King’s benevolence.

What’sharder to swallow for some people is how wrong America was during his time. American values were so distorted that a lot of white Americans sup-

ported legal segregation.

It remains problematic for many patriotic Americans to acknowledge how deeply the country betrayed its own stated ideals.

King’s legacy still compelled political battles through the 1970s and ‘80s.

Americans with guilty consciences abhorred the duty to honor him. President Reagan reluctantly signed the federal holiday honoring King into law in 1983.

The last state to sanction King Day was South Carolina in 2000.

“Selma” provides an opportunity to look back. But this Martin Luther King Jr. Day in particular, we also have to look at current injustice. The movie arrives at a time when the country has been riveted by a nationwide movement against police brutality. No one can doubt on Jan. 19 that King remains relevant—and his work unfinished.

Harry Penate is a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity on campus. He is a junior English: Creative Writing major.

As spring semester gets underway, the new Phi Delta Theta fraternity enters its first full semester at Boise State.

The fraternity, formed in early October, has been attracting new members with its low fraternity fees, campus involvement events and diverse group of members.

The fraternity president, J.R. Rasmussen, already has his policy planned out for this semester: “as many socials and student organization events as possible.”

Last semester the fraternity was able to have a group trip to Lucky Peak, go skittles bowling for Halloween, and build gingerbread houses with the sororities on campus.

Phi Delt is also a very diverse group of students who have all different kinds of interests and hobbies. Freshman Michael Duke raps at places such as The Crux, Revolution House and Powerhouse. Junior Colton Ankeney is an avid skydiver.

Junior Harry Penate performs stand-up comedy downtown at Liquid Laughs. Sophomore Colby Hall is a member of the Army ROTC program and the Idaho Army National Guard, as well as plays on the BSU club rugby team.

Phi Delt has members from all over, from New Jersey, California, Oregon, Washington, even Vietnam. Freshman Tu Huynh came to BSU from Vietnam and was one of the original founding fathers.

When asked about what joining the fraternity meant, he told me “I was a little shy at first, once I moved to Boise State, but after joining Phi Delt it boosted my confidence like no other! I’m being myself around everyone, which helps me meet new people.”

If becoming the best version of yourself meeting many new friends, and getting involved on campus sounds like something you want to do, look for the Phi Delta Theta members at social events or look for the best-dressed men on campus on Sunday evenings.

Submit your letter to the editor by emailing it to editor@arbiteronline.com.

Submissions should be between 300-500 words. Your submission will be edited for grammar, spelling and space. The Arbiter reserves the right to resfuse any submission.

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Culture

Release your inner beast Patty Bowen Culture Editor

#Fierce gets a new meaning with the Animal Face app.

The app lets users replace their own face with a furry or feathery face from Animal Face’s large selection of well cropped animal faces.

Animal Face is fairly easy to use. Users can choose to take a photo or pick from their phone’s photo gallery.

After cropping the photo

to a perfect square, users can choose from over 20 free animals faces. Because it can be a bit difficult to get animal faces to fit flawlessly with all photos, Animal Face has several editing settings allowing users to adjust the contrast and exposure of the chosen face as well as flip the face or erase misfitting edges.

To class up photos, Animal Face also has a frame feature that adds one of several arguably classy borders

to the photo.

There are also a filter setting with class options like pixelation, sobel edge detection, Gotham and hipster when blocking out a user’s face just isn’t enough.

Although there isn’t a utilitarian use for Animal Face, it is a wonderful way to create borderline artsy selfies without worry of blemishes or lack of natural beauty.

In addition, it makes it easy to edit a student’s face out of shameful but ab-

solutely necessary nudes, freeing them from any of the nagging fears that are attached to said act.

Animal Face is convenient for social media consumers as it allows users to share their photos creations straight to Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or Flickr.

Downloading more faces is fairly cheap and easy to do.

Overall, Animal Face is worth a try for the vain or curious Android and iOS owner.

Patty bowen/THE ARBITER

The Animal Face app allows users to exchange human faces

Arbiter Online

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01/22/2015

Culture

This is the franchise you are looking for

Marvel releases the first issue of the new Star Wars comic book series Patty Bowen Culture Editor

We might have found a situation where the iconic phrase “It’s a trap!” doesn’t fit.

The first edition of the new “Star Wars” comic book series was released Jan. 14

by Marvel Comics after a year of anticipation following the announcement that Star Wars was licensed to Marvel.

“They’re rebooting the franchise so they’re bringing in different artists, different writers; they’re trying to start back where the movie was,” said Nikki Lake, manager of Captain Comics and junior kinesiology major.

“Dark horse did a lot of the same things. It’s just going to be different stories.”

According to Lake, the new series starts after “Star Wars: Episode IV” and

brings readers new stories and angles of the Star Wars universe. “(The comic will be) bringing all the same iconic characters in,” Lake said.

“It’s mainly about the rebels, but I think they’ll expand on the universe in a different way.”

Although development of everyone is exciting, writer Jason Aaron is especially excited to unravel Han Solo’s character.

“I think Han’s in an interesting spot at this point in the timeline. He’s hooked up with the rebels in some capacity,” Aaron said. “I think it’s still a question mark for him at that point as to what is his role in this rebellion and how much of a role does he want to have?

How long is he even going to stick around?”

Marvel will also place a large emphasis on Princess

Leia and Darth Vader with the announcement of two spin-off comic book series “Star Wars: Princess Leia,”

by Mark Waid and Terry Dodson to come out March, and “Star Wars: Darth Vader,” by Kieron Gillen and Salvador Larroca to come out February.

The first issue brings in lots of running jokes and references to the movie, making it easy starting place for students unfamiliar with the comic book series.

Lake comments that despite the popularity of the first issue, fans are a little worried about the affiliation that Marvel has with Disney.

“Some people are kind of concerned because its Disney the ones who are dipping their toes in it,” Lake said. “I think if they get good writers and artists everyone will be happy.”

New Star Wars trailer blasts onto movie screen August McKernan Asst. Culture Editor

The camera opens on a desert landscape. A deep, disembodied voice says, “There has been an awakening. Have you felt it?”

Star Wars fans awoke to a new teaser trailer Nov. 28.

Events in the seventh installment of the sci-fi saga, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, occur about 30 years after the events of Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi.

The film series’ newest addition is expected to hit theaters Dec. 18.

“I think George Lucas’ decision to sell the franchise to Disney for the making of the prequels was a financial & creative decision. Filmmakers know that a safe bet for return on investment for big budget films is to go back to “tried and true” story formulas that already have a proven track record at the box office,” said Theatre adjunct faculty Anne Allen.

Directed by J.J Abrams, the newest Star Wars movie will feature three new leads as well as returning cast members Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill. Little is known about the plot.

Avid Star Wars fan junior Keegan Trundy enjoyed al-

most every aspect of the new trailer but especially enjoyed that it only hinted at the plot of the movie.

Trundy’s love for Star Wars was passed down to him by his father.

“I’ve been a Star Wars fan since I was six or seven when my dad showed me the fourth episode and started getting me involved in general Star Wars canon,” Trundy said.

Though Trundy’s love for Star Wars began with his father, he stuck around to see more of the franchise’s famous weapon: the lightsaber.

“I was always a big fan of lightsabers and general hand to hand combat,” Trundy said. “Hand to hand combat isn’t something you usually see in a futuristic landscape.

You generally see blasters and rifles and things like that, ranged combat weapons. The idea of having melee combat in a futuristic setting always seemed very unique to me.”

The new trailer featured something never seen before in any Star Wars film: a crossguard lightsaber. This particular lightsaber functions and looks like any other lightsaber, except for the two additional smaller

lightsabers poking out from the base of the hilt.

“My initial reaction to the Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens was excitement—just hearing the infamous theme music reminded me of seeing the first film in a movie theatre with my dad when it was released in 1977,” Allen said. “Seeing the use of a light saber in the trailer reminded me of how successful Lucas was at creating images that convinced audiences ‘these people and this universe’ were plausible.”

Since the reveal of this new weapon, there’s been tons of speculation about its use. Popular theories include that the additional lightsabers are there to protect the users hand and that this new lightsaber was created to create or accommodate a new fighting style.

The sequel trilogy is expected to do well in theaters for a variety of reasons.

“Regardless of critics’ reviews, which will likely be harsh, the new trilogy stands a chance to do very well at the box office due to a viewership/fan base that spans multiple generations—larger than the fan base of the Harry Potter series,” Allen said.

jared lewis & ted atwell/the arbiter

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Culture

In the nick of time Shaving expectations evolve over the ages

STUDENT DEALS

August McKernan For many, shaving comes with a sense of cleanliness and professionalism. But for Tiffany Watkins, the process brings nothing but physical pain.

Lecturer and the advising coordinator for the Physics Department, Watkins hasn’t shaved her legs or armpits since ninth grade.

“I would say I first remember wanting to shave or even shaving in the third grade. I shaved my legs and cut myself so horribly right along my shin” Watkins said.

“Shaving was always uncomfortable. I’d get razor burns on my armpits after shaving and then I started asking myself if the pain was worth it. In ninth grade, I was like, ‘Ugh this is horrible’ and I stopped shaving my armpits and my legs and I haven’t ever since.”

Current state of shaving in the United States

Each gender is expected to abide by its set of social norms when it comes to shaving.

Women are expected to shave their legs and underarms regularly to prevent hair from growing too long. In some settings, like the work place, men are expected to come to work with their face clean-shaven.

“The norm for American women involves much more time with a razor than American men—societal expectations for shaving for women in particular appears to be alive and well. Men, for example, aren’t expected to shave their

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jared lewis/THE ARBITER

Asst. Culture Editor

legs or underarms unless you’re a competitive road biker or swimmer,” European history lecturer Erik Hadley said.

Movements defying shaving norms

Wherever social norms exist, people who do not agree or choose not to abide by these norms also exist. This has led to movements like No Shave November and Free Your Pits.

According to the No Shave November website, the movement’s goal “is to grow awareness by embracing our hair, which many cancer patients lose, and letting it grow wild and free.”

The website asks participants to, “donate the money you usually spend on shaving and grooming for a month to educate about cancer prevention, save lives and aid those fighting the battle.”

It is becoming increasingly popular to defying shaving norms by growing out armpit hair for bold dying purposes.

Because of this, many women are beginning to sport blue or technicolored armpits.

History of shaving

According to Hadley, One of the first recorded instances of shaving appeared around 2000 B.C..

“We can see in art that the Egyptians practiced shaving very early on, probably before 2000 B.C. As a Western practice, Greeks in the Age of Alexander appear to have shaved, and the Romans certainly engaged in the practice.

And that’s just some of the early Western practices—from a global perspective, many cultures practiced shaving,” Hadley said.

Each culture had a different reason for incorporating shaving into their society. Some shaved as a way to flaunt their status. Others shaved for more practical reasons.

“The Romans may have done so as an act to distinguish themselves from surrounding cultures—a means of defining their version of ‘civilized.’ Concerns over hygiene or defense (beards could be grabbed in hand-to-hand combat) may have also motivated certain cultures to adopt shaving practices,” Hadley said.

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SAVE MONEY WITH STUDENT DEALS

Sports & Rec

Leslie Boston-Hyde Copy Editor

The women’s tennis team is already on the rise this season after winning two matches this past weekend against Eastern Washington and Lewis-Clark State.

The Broncos had a large crowd, totaling 247 attendees ready to support the team.

Junior Megan LaLone felt fans played a major role in the win.

“It was a great atmosphere to start the season with,” LaLone said. “It was just awesome to have all those

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fans out there and be able to pull out a win.”

The doubles point was a battle in the match again Eastern Washington. While Lalone and Milena Tovesa fell 6-2, Bobbi Oshira and Sammie Watson pulled through 6-3. This left the point to be decided by freshmen Naomi de Hart and Arianna Paules Aldrey.

The situation looked bleak when the Broncos were down 5-3. However, the freshmen duo pulled through with four straight points to top Eastern Washington and secure the doubles point.

“To see them respond the way they did and pull out four straight games to win that set 7-5 speaks volumes to the kind of competitors they are and how coachable they were during that match,” head coach Beck Roghaar said.

After ending the match 6-1, the Broncos were ready to continue their winning streak against Lewis-Clark State on Jan. 18.

Freshman Nancy Menjivar debuted in the match and proved that she can dominate on the court. She clinched the final match point by winning her single

6-0, 6-1. The Broncos were able to sweep Lewis-Clark State 7-0.

With the two wins under their belt, the team will only improve in their first away match against Washington State on Jan. 24.

“I’m confident about my team,” Tovesa said. “I see them play every day and racqueting the ball so well.

There’s no doubt that we’re going to do well.”

Since the MW championship will be in New Mexico this year, Roghaar sees the away game as an opportunity to test the team’s skills and mentally prepare for

Devin Ferrell/THE ARBITER

Women’s tennis starts strong

Milena tovesa during 2014 season. the bigger matches of the season.

“To be the best, you have to beat the best. I think for us to do that right now, part of

that’s going to entail beating them on the road,” Roghaar said. “I think we’re ready to go up there and throw the kitchen sink at them.”

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boise state media relations

Sports & rec

boise state media relations

the Beauty and the beast meet.

Krentz Competes during the past season.

Krentz takes Broncos to new heights Brandon Walton

Asst. Sports & Rec Editor

Boise State junior Maddie Krentz has vaulted to a hot start in the 2015 season, and she doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon.

Co-head coach Neil Resnick says it is a nothing but a pleasure to coach Resnick.

“For me as a coach, when you look forward day in and day out to working with someone, it is the best feeling,” Resnick said. “She not only works hard and does everything that we want her to do, but is really fun to be around.”

Krentz started her season off with a bang by earning the MRGC Specialist of the Week award. She earned it in vault with a 9.925 score.

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“The vault that I did was the highlight of my gymnastics career,” Krentz said.

She has had two tremendous seasons for the Broncos already, including a WAC Freshman of the Year award. This season, along with seniors Ciera Perkins and Kelsey Morris, Krentz was chosen as the third captain.

“I feel really grateful that people saw me like that,” Krentz said. “I just want the team to realize their potential and how great they are.”

Krentz came to Boise State by way of Cave Creek, Arizona. When she decided on Boise State, the coaches knew they had hit the jackpot.

“We knew when she got here that she would have this

type of impact for us,” cohead coach Tina Bird said.

“She just continues to get better and better.”

What sets Krentz apart from other members of the team is she competes in every event.

“It is definitely a lot of work but I love it a lot,” Krentz said. “If I didn’t train all four, I would probably get a little bored.”

Krentz has been competing in gymnastics since the age of two.

“I was just jumping off of everything and had a lot of energy. My mom figured what better way to get it out than by taking me to do gymnastics,” Krentz said.

“That’s where it all started for me.”

While Krentz credits the

team in helping her achieve all of her accomplishments, she owes much of her success to her mother.

“My mom has been the biggest supporter of me inside and outside of the gym,” Krentz said. “She has always told me that whatever I wanted to do, I could accomplish it.”

Krentz is hoping to follow in the footsteps of both Perkins and Morris who both went to the NCAA Championships last year. Krentz wants to take the entire team to new heights, however.

“I just want to be a constant good scorer for the team,” Krentz said. “I want my whole team to know that I am going to hit and provide for them when it all comes down to it.”

Gymnastics drops season opener Brandon Walton

Asst. Sports & Rec Editor

The Boise State women’s gymnastics team didn’t quite open the season the way they wanted to.

The Broncos finished third at the Utah Quadrangular behind Southern Utah and Utah with a score of 194.525.

Sophomore Diana Mejia thinks the Broncos have plenty of work to get done during practice moving forward.

“I think overall it was a good starting point but there is definitely a lot of room for improvement,” Mejia said.

The team didn’t get off to the best start in their opening event, the floor exercise. The team only scored a 47.850.

The opening score ultimately cost them the meet.

“That is an area we have to improve on,” co-head coach Neil Resnick said. “It was one of the lowest scores that we have put up in recent history.”

While the team knows they could have done better, they were happy to finally be competing again after a long off-season.

“It is a good feeling because preseason gets a little long,” sophomore Paige Urquhart said. “It’s great to finally get to show people what we have been doing all year.”

The Broncos will now turn their attention to the annual Beauty and Beast event where they compete side by side with the wrestling team.

It will also mark their first home meet of the season.

“There is no place like home,” co-head coach Tina Bird said. “Beauty and the Beast is the best. We get to come home to our biggest crowd of the season and get the ball rolling.”

The team will also get another crack at Southern Utah at the event, a team that has become their rivals in recent years.

“It’s extra motivation especially now because we will be on our own home turf now,” Mejia said. “It’s a chance for us to show off and say, ‘you are not going to get us this time.’”

Beauty an Beast will be this Friday, Jan 23. at 7 p.m. at Taco Bell Arena.

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hoots & giggles

maze Start at the RED or BLUE

Make it to the Opposite color Red goes to Blue, Blue goes to red

Da riddles 1. If you are running a race, and you pass the person in second, what place are you in?

2. I know a word. six letters it contains. Take away one. And twelve is what remains.

january recipes How To Make A Beach Club Sandwhich Ingredients: French bread slices, guacamole spread, bacon strips, provalone cheese, tomatos, deli turkey meat, and cucumbers.

Directions: Layer ingredients on bread and consume.

3. I am the beginning of the end, and the end of time and space. I am essential to creation, and I surround every place. What am I?

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Da riddles from monday 1. owl 2. A shoe 3. A map

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