WHAT’S INSIDE
NEWS 1–2
OPINION 3
SPORTS 4–5
CULTURE 7–8 I SSU E
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The Independent Student Voice of Boise State Since 1933
Volume 23
First Issue
F R E E November 8, 2010
Climate change making Alaskan island erode day-by-day Samantha Royce Journalist
Elizabeth Marino is studying an island that's about to fall into the ocean. Marino, a guest lecturer from the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, gave a lecture Nov. 5 about climate change and environmental migrants. “When a profound ecological disaster occurs, very often people leave,” Marino said. Marino said there are more environmental migrants than refugees in the world. Very often these displaced people end up in inner city slums. They have no place else to go. Marino used Shishmaref, Alaska as an example of the impact of climate change. Shishmaref is a barrier sand island on the western coast of Alaska. It is home to about 600 people, most of them Alaskan Natives. Shishmaref is just half a mile wide and has been losing 10 feet each year due to erosion. One night during a bad storm, it lost 30 feet. “The Army Corps of Engineers has said in 15 years this place is going to be uninhabitable,” Marino said. “And that was four years ago.” One of the reasons for the rapid erosion is the ice that normally protects Shishmaref’s shoreline during the winter has been freezing later and later in the year. This makes the island more susceptible to winter storms which strip away some of the island each year. This in turn makes the island more prone to floods. “There are no flooding stories before about 1950,” Marino said. Now, large floods are a common occurrence. The island’s inhabitants have been petitioning authorities for relocation since the 1970s. More than 30 years later, the people are still there. The lecture, “Losing Ground: Understanding Environmental Relocations and Climate Change Response in Alaska and Throughout the World,” was held in the Jordan Ballroom in the Student Union Building. One reason for this problem is the high turn over rate in governing positions. With so many officials coming and going in a short amount of time, it is easy for the small island to be ignored. Another difficulty is that Shishmaref’s inhabitants want to be relocated to their traditional lands on the mainland. The spot they want to go to is very remote. It would cost about $180 million to relocate them. For now, the residents of Shishmaref are just stuck where they are, moving their houses closer to the center of the island or building new ones as they fall into the ocean. Shishmaref isn't the only place experiencing difficulties with erosion. There are 213 Alaskan villages, of them, 184 (86 percent) face erosion-related problems. The Sahel region in central Africa and the Mekong River Delta in eastern Asia are also experiencing a lot of climate change. Many environmental migrants are from these areas. Marino estimated that by 2050 there will be 200 million environmental migrants. The Basics A small Alaskan village is just one of almost 200 being hurt by climate change. The villagers will eventually join the ranks of the world's millions of environmental migrants.
The Army Corps of Engineers has said in 15 years this place is going to be uninhabitable, and that was four years ago. -Elizabeth Marino, University of Alaska guest lecturer
BSU in driver's seat for WAC title
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Day of the Dead bleeds life in art
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Promote parties, not patrol
ARBITERONLINE.COM
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Women and nails
Two construction management majors grab trips to national seminar in Omaha Edina Macic Journalist
Traditionally known as a maledominant field of work, women are being recognized for their skills in construction management. Out of 50 applicants who were selected to go to the third annual Women's Construction Leadership Seminar, Natani Gorneau, 30-year-old junior from Boise and Kristin Schmidt, 24-year-old senior also from Boise, were chosen based on their perspectives on the field of construction management and their value of leadership. The seminar will provide women with a new idea on construction management and what it means to be in this type of field. "I want to be in an environment with other women that are looking into a career just like I am," Gorneau said. "Going to school, there are few women." Construction management is hands-on work. One of the important things in construction management is seeing the end result of a project. "The work I'd be putting in, would be a visual and physical product," Gorneau said. "Everything I would work for would have an outcome that would serve society." She said everything would serve a purpose, including bridges and facilities. Construction is a difficult field for women to enter because of the
Mitch Esplin/THE ARBITER
Natani Gorneau was one of two female construction management students to be selected to attend the Women's Construction Leadership Seminar in Omaha Nov. 11-12. male dominance and the area a project can take place. "I think there should be more women in construction, but I think it takes someone with the right kind of strength to be successful at it," Schmidt said. According to Gorneau, she thinks the guys in class know women are just as confident and able as men, but like the challenge of doing something different. "If you want field experience in this industry, you want to be able to move," Gorneau said. "It's expected, I would say, at least for the first five years of your career if you really want good field experience." Students in the construction management have a great reputation particularly in the west coast, according to Tony Songers, chair of the Department of Construc-
tion Management. "Construction management is a business-oriented field," Songers said. "Generally the industry is known for moving from project to project. If you are willing to move, companies are hiring our students. There are good opportunities in our field for women." The Construction Management Association is active in the community and the construction management students get to create their own job titles when participating. "We do a lot of community-oriented projects with Bogus Basin, Boise Zoo and the Botanical Garden," Songers said. The Boise State construction management program is making a name for itself, both within the community and at the national
level. The program is celebrating its 30-year anniversary this year. According to Songers, being invited to the seminar Nov. 11 and 12 in Omaha, Neb., is a compliment to the students. It also shows how well the students are educated. The seminar will be hosted by Kieweit Corporation which is a Fortune 500 contractor, and one of the largest contractors in the world. Kieweit will fund the entire event for all 50 of the women going to Omaha. The two-day event will be on a tight schedule with presentations, discussions and the women learning the different fields construction management has to offer them. "This is great exposure for Boise State to a national audience," Songers said.
Two ASBSU philosophies: 1. Let's help spend the money we have 2. Don't give out funding 'like candy' Stephanie Scheibe Journalist
This year, each full-time Boise State student paid $7.80 toward funding the Associated Students of Boise State University. While last year a large amount of the fees incurred by student tuition built up in the ASBSU bank accounts, this year there is a conscious effort to define new spending philosophies for ASBSU. "There’s a very real reason to think that the more money that you put in your savings account as an individual the better you’re doing," ASBSU President Stephen Heleker said. Heleker is a senior philosophy major from Twin Falls. "But that’s 100 percent opposite of what’s true for us. We need to be using our budget every year in order to provide the most services we can to student organizations." Trevor Grigg, 2009-10 ASBSU president and Boise State alumnus, doesn’t agree with the spending increases. Last year ASBSU took a voluntary fee cut, which lessened the fees students were required to pay as part of semester tuition and fees. “Why should we charge a fee?' Grigg said. "Let people keep their money. That’s a part of being a club is going out on your own, recruiting people, getting real-world experience and raising money on your own -- not enabling people by just handing out freebies to everybody.” Sen. Evan Bashir chairs the Budget and Finance Committee and believes that the money is in the account to use it. “People see it as like, 'Oh they’re spend-
ing money, that’s such a bad thing and just throwing it away,'" Bashir said. "No, that’s not it. We are using it for the students' benefit. I’m proud of that.” Bashir said not using the money is more fiscally irresponsible than saving it. “It’s in this free-floating account that doesn’t earn interest -- it just rots there," Bashir added. Justin White, former ASBSU senator, sees club spending only justifiable if the attendance is high. "What we are seeing now is that so many people are just spending all the students' money for small groups and little programs," he said. "There’s been clubs and organizations that didn’t use any money from us and had twice the attendance of students without even having to use student fees." He also disagrees with ASBSU’s spending increases this year. “There is a lot of wasting going on. What they should do is not just give it [money] out like it's candy.” He said that a lot of last year’s philosophy surrounded the choice of the students. “We would encourage people [ASBSU] not to spend big amounts of money on things that affect a small group of people," White said. "But let the people who are paying the student fees decide where that money goes.” ASBSU changes funding setup Last year there was a Senate Discretionary fund and an Executive Discretionary fund. Neither of these two funds exist, but a third fund exists in their place -- the Special Projects fund. The fund is used the meet the same needs as the previous funds, but
Mitch Esplin/THE ARBITER
Steven chairs the Budget and Finance committee of ASBSU. They have come under increased criticism for its increased spending this year. is now subject to both Senate and executive approval, according to Heleker. The Senate Discretionary fund at the beginning of last Fiscal year had $25,000 in funding available. By the end of the year only $8,905, or 35 percent of the funding had been spent. The Executive Discretionary fund had $10,000 available, and $7,911 of that was spent. This year, 78 percent of the Special Projects fund has been used. Though 78 percent may seem like the majority of ASBSU’s funds, Heleker, said the fund only represents two percent of the ASBSU budget, and is intended to be used for special projects. Despite it only representing a minute amount of available funding, the overall spending philosophy according to Heleker, has seen a big change since last year. ASBSU is now focusing on allocating money rather than letting it build up in the account.
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