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Changes to healthcare may impact students with SHIP.
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Students discuss quality of toilet paper on campus: “Chapped.”
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Boise State runs away with a 48-7 win against Wyoming.
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November 18, 2013 • Issue no. 26 Volume 26
Boise, Idaho
First issue free
Students misuse free tickets Shelby Bodine
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Students can pick up their tickets for games as early as the Monday before the game. home),” Rosandick said “I think it’s awesome there’s a
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Jade Samples is a full-time student that takes a lot of pride in being a Boise State football fan. She makes it a point to go to every home game and stay until the end. “I don’t see why more people aren’t out there supporting our football team for the entire game. I mean its college football for free,” Samples said. She also pointed out how some of her football player friends mentioned the atmosphere of Bronco Stadium lately hasn’t been up to its usual hype. “I’m not sure if it’s because we aren’t blowing teams out the water anymore or what, but it’s still great college football we don’t have to pay for,” Samples said. On the contrary, full-time student Grant Rosandick has yet to attend a game. “I’d much rather just watch the game (from
Devin Ferrell/THE ARBITER
Staff Writer
If tickets are not used, there needs to be enough time for the public to purchase an affordable general admission ticket. —Drew Vachal
program of this caliber and students can go watch great football for free. I just am not into it.” Drew Vachal runs the social media for Bronco Nation News (Twitter: @BSUBroncoNation) and said he thinks student tickets should be regulated similar to the University of Alabama, the No. 1
ranked college football program in the nation. “Boise State has some tough challenges that most schools across the country face. If 20,000+ students cannot fulfill their ticket allotment and stay for a whole game, there needs to be some significant changes,” Vachal said.
Club promotes secularism Staff Writer
After traveling abroad in European countries, Boise State Secular Student Alliance (BSSSA) President, Jake Wolford, made the observation that there is room for improvement in the United States. According to Wolford, the line between governmental power and Christianity has to be drawn. In the past, the Roman Catholic Church was the ruling body of Western Europe but there are reasons why that no longer works. Wolford explained, without separation of church and state there is a potential that governmental decisions are clouded by doctrine. BSSSA is made up of six officers and overseen by Robin Allen, an associate professor of social work. The new club’s mission is to create a safe place where students can come to express their opinions without judg-
ments. “I personally feel that a couple hundred years from now or 500 years from now people will look back like we look back on previous civilizations and think they had all that scientific information and didn’t utilize it,” Wolford said. The value of investigation and scientific reasoning is the base for BSSSA’s discussion and ideals for society. Secularization holds true to the separation of the church and state. This means, not letting government or policy intertwine with theology. “We want people to come out, those that are in the closet about their views. As an organization we want to be open about our views and we encourage people to participate. Because not everyone in Idaho is religious, even though people think so,” Wolford said. A predominantly conservative state, Idaho is often though of as being heavily religious. However, BSSSA argues that campus might not
fall under that stereotype. The BSSSA has been conducting a survey in the Quad on Boise State campus and have concluded that between 50 and 54 percent of students find religion to be harmful. “I was surprised by the number of people that are out there and not religiously affiliated despite the Idaho stereotypes,” said Anthony Loper, Boise State sophomore and one of BSSSA’s vice presidents. With the intent of creating a safe place for everyone to come and share ideals and be open about religion in politics and society, the number of students willing to talk to BSSSA members during the surveying on the Quad was noted as progressive and positive. “There are different points of view out there and it is important for people to know that,” said Daniel Calderon, Boise State junior and the other BSSSA vice president.
Understanding suicide prevention @MaddaySunn
On Nov. 22, The Crux will be hosting to an event meant to open the eyes and minds of those in attendance. Something quite a few people are uncomfortable acknowledging: Suicide. There will be a benefit concert being put on by the Suicide Prevention Action
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Network (SPAN) of Idaho. The event, “Save The One” will feature local bands who support this cause. Attendees will also be able to hear guest speakers talking about topics like mental health and suicide prevention. “Suicide prevention and mental health are topics very close to my heart,” said Tyler Shockey, a junior health sci-
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Madison Killian
Suicide prevention and mental health are topics very close to my heart. I found myself wanting to spread awareness and became involved with SPAN Idaho this year.
News
The Arbiter
—Tyler Shockey
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ence major. “I found myself wanting to spread awareness and became involved with SPAN Idaho this year.” Shockey plays drums and piano in the band A Sea of Glass, one of the bands that will be performing at the show. Shockey has a personal connection to the event, having struggled with similar issues himself. “For quite a few years, I have struggled with extreme anxiety and depression,” Shockey said. “My mind can turn into a tempest.” SPAN regularly hosts events around Idaho to help raise awareness and educate the community about mental
Features
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The spreading of ideals takes time and work, and because the club is so new there is much of both ahead. As the word gets out, there is a hope among club officers that support will follow. BSSSA hopes to influence campus in the areas of human rights and scientific reasoning. Calderon emphasized the importance of separation from religion in education and further encouraging of the use of investigation and science
to reveal all sides of issues in government. “The common reaction is to put one finger in an ear and the other finger in the other and say ‘I don’t believe what you are saying, science is false,’” Wolford said. BSSSA is a group that encourages diverse conversation and balanced opinions. Questioning authority and finding out what is really happening in society has more power when supported by investigation. For more information about how to get involved with BSSSA email boisestate@secularstudents.org.
Devin Ferrell/THE ARBITER
Hali Goodrich
Vachal also brought up the issue of wasted tickets. “If tickets are not used, there needs to be enough time for the public to purchase an affordable general admission ticket,” Vachal said. At the University of Alabama, there are two packages available for students to purchase, each with a different se-
BSSSA conducts a campus poll on religion.
illness. “I think we should start talking openly about mental illness and depression and help people find support and counseling before it’s too late,” said Gabriel Rudow, a graduate student in the Masters of Health Science program who has been helping out with SPAN’s upcoming event at The Crux. “My understanding is (SPAN) helps to raise awareness about suicide prevention and try to reduce the stigma of mental illness.” The concert will feature the bands Grand Falconer, A Sea of Glass and Spencer Rule. While the show is completely free, those in attendance are encouraged to purchase tickets will enter them into a raffle. All of the proceeds of the event will go to SPAN Idaho.
Having dealt with depression and anxiety firsthand, Shockey knows what it’s like to feel as though there is no way out. He explained his ordeal and hopes that others going through it can seek help without feeling embarrassed when doing so. “I get lost in the storm and believe that I am alone in this and I will never make it out. But it’s a lie. You can make it out. And you are not alone,” Shockey said. “We need to start talking about mental health. We need to erase the stigma that surrounds mental illnesses.” For more information on this event, visit The Crux’s Facebook page. To learn more about SPAN Idaho, and to get involved, visit www.spanidaho.org.
Arts & Entertainment
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Sports
lection of home game tickets. Once a package is purchased, it is loaded onto specialized ID cards that allow access to athletic events and no paper tickets are distributed. However, if a ticket wasn’t used for a game in the designated package that was purchased, two penalty points are added to ticket holder’s account. Every time a regular ticket is changed to a student guest ticket, one penalty point is added to the student who upgraded the ticket’s account. Once three penalty points are racked up, the ability to purchase tickets postseason and the regular season of the next year is gone and students are without Alabama Football in the fall of 2014. If Boise State were to implement changes into the policies and accessibility of student tickets it could carry both positive or negative repercussions. Paul Gerke, sports anchor, reporter, and director for KIVI and KNIN in Boise and avid Ron Burgundy impersonator, mentioned his opinion on Boise State being more than a football school. “I’d like to see more support for (Boise State men’s basketball), it’s going to be a wild season,” Gerke said.
Bates, Howard qualify for nationals Emily Pehron @EmilyPehrson
Junior Emma Bates became the first Bronco to place first in the NCAA West Region Cross Country race on Friday, Nov. 15. With her win, Bates qualified for the NCAA National Championships. Bates is the first Bronco woman to qualify for the national meet since Abby Peters in 1999. Bates’s ran the 6-kilometer course at Haggin Oaks Golf Course in 19:11. She not only clinched the victory but also beat her personal best for the 6-kilometer race by 58 seconds. Bates beat the second place runner, Shelby Houlihan from Arizona State, by three seconds. Also qualifying for nationals is senior Jeff Howard who finished seventh in a field of 187 runners. Howard is the first Bronco man to qualify for the national meet since 2006 when Forest Braden qualified. Howard’s time of 29:54 on the 10-kilometer course put him in second for the highest finish for any male cross country runner from Boise State. Senior Allan Schroeder and junior David Elliot finished fourteenth and eighteenth, respectively. Howard, Schroeder and Elliot received medals from the US Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association for their top 25 finishes. The Boise State men earned the best team score in school history. They placed fourth out of 27 teams. The women’s team placed tenth out of a 32-team field. Bates and Howard will compete on Nov. 23 in Terre Haute, Ind. for the national championship.
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