The Arbiter 11/18/2010

Issue no.

28

Volume 23

First Issue

FREE

November 18, 2010

arbiteronline.com

The Independent Student Voice of Boise State Since 1933

Sports

culture producer- glennlandberg@stumedia.boisestate.edu

culture editor- culture@stumedia.boisestate.edu

Boise State begins long stretch of tough games with Fresno.

page

7

News English professor Mitch Wieland wins Idaho Book Award.

page

3

Opinion

Photos by nik bjurstrom/THE ARBITER

Boise State defensive end Jarrell Root pours drinks for patrons at the Red Bull Barmasters competition Tuesday night at the Main Street Bistro. Reigning barmasters Andy McCutcheon and Tony Anderson bested their celebrity opposition. The competition included Boise State football players Austin Pettis, J.P. Nisby and Brandyn Thompson for the Barmaster title.

Broncos compete for Barmaster title Football players, students make a splash behind the bar

5

Video Join The Resistance! Go to arbiteronline. com to watch a video detailing what The Resistance is how to partner with the movement.

Bitter taste of defeat

“

Although his team lost the competition, Jarrell Root, an enthusiastic member of the Boise State football team, pours drinks with arguably the same kind of zest he brings to the field. The competition was sponsored by Red Bull and brought an unusually large turnout to downtown Boise, considering it was a Tuesday night.

“

page

“

Black Friday has become the antithesis of the holiday spirit.

“

Knitting Factory Concert House.

The bar was buzzing as the popular Our main strategy band kept a low profile.

Online Sports Editor The entertainment continued was good looks and “If Teen Wolf was a bartender, at the bar with special drinks conhaving a good-lookhe’d wish he’d have this going on,” cocted by the different teams. The two-time Barmaster Champion bar’s most talked about favorite? ing bartender.

Andy McCutcheon boasted after The Big Hoopty -- a drink con-cornerback Brandyn his Tuesday night victory. jured up by Root and Nisby. The Thompson Not only did McCutcheon, a sedrink brought a crowd of followers nior with a mass communication/ thanks to its unique concoction public relations major, and his compadre Tony An- which included 151 Vodka and was made extremely derson repeat as champions, they handed some Boise stiff with little measuring done.

State football players their first loss of the fall. The Red Over on the other side of the Bistro, McCutcheon Bull Barmaster Competition at the Main Street Bistro and Anderson were tossing loyal followers creative pitted the reigning champs against Boise State stand- drinks of their own. Too-Slow Joe came with mixed out wide receiver Austin Pettis and his teammate, reviews because once it was poured and set on the bar 2010 Fiesta Bowl Defensive MVP Brandyn Thomp- the Barmasters threw back the shot in one big gulp son. The third Barmaster team consisted of Boise State while yelling, “Too slow, Joe!” defensive linemen Jarrell Root and J.P. Nisby.

The reigning Barmasters also had the most unique “Our main strategy was good looks and having a look of the night said to be derived from “1985 circa good-looking bar tender,” Thompson said.

Vogue magazine,” claiming their loyal followers called The strategy didn’t play out the way Pettis and for it. Whatever they did seemed to be working as they Thompson hoped when winners were announced and ran away with the competition. they came in second place.

“Pretty much what happened is we’re too awesome “All we do is win, to take a second place kind of hurt for our own good,” McCutcheon said. “We tried to the soul. I haven’t taken a lot of second places. It hurts keep it under wraps, trying to be good sports but we a little bit but we’ll bounce back,” Thompson said. knew we were going to win all along.”

Early on in the night, people were buzzing about Beating the Broncos has proved to be a challenge Root and Nisby, who started pulling away with a win, over the past few years that few have been able to but then the rules were made clearer. The drink tallies claim as an accomplishment on the football field, could only be counted if they were Red Bull drinks, and McCutcheon and Anderson knew it would be a which sent Root and Nisby’s total drink tally crashing tough task. to the bar floor.

“Here’s what it was: we kept trying to tell ourselves “We are newbies. We are no Picasso we are just ‘We got this, we’ve got the networking in Boise.’ But new at this craft,” a defeated Root conceded. “I’m it’s the BSU Broncos right here, I mean, you can’t mess competitive and I’m bummed and I really want to do with that,” McCutcheon said. this again.”

The Barmasters not only have bragging rights beWhile the bartenders for the night were busy sling- hind the bar, but they could possible have a lone vicing drinks, the crowd was entertained by breakdanc- tory over an undefeated football powerhouse this fall. ing, Sector 17’s body artwork and a competitive beer “There’s just no trick plays in bartending which pong tournament taking place. The excitement of the is a bum-out for the football players,” McCutcheon night was not to be outdone by the surprise appear- said pointing out the football teams famous liking for ance of 3OH!3 after their earlier performance at the trick plays.

Brittney Johnson

Pretty much what happened is we’re too awesome for our own good.

-two-time Barmaster Champion Andy McCutcheon

Barmasters of the 2010 fall season

Head to arbiteronline.com to watch a video rundown from the Barmasters event that took place Tuesday.

Culture News Opinion Sports

What’s Inside

The Arbiter

page 1,2 page 3,4 page 5 page 7, 8

“

Senior Andy McCutcheon (left) and his partner Tony Anderson repeated as champions Tuesday as they handed some Boise State football players their first loss of the fall.

And she had these postcards made. And some of them, like, she’s not wearing clothes.

—Mitch Wieldand, English professor

News page 3

Weather

Today

51º high

Tomorrow

Cloudy w/ rain

chance of precip: 50%

41º high

Saturday

Rain and snow

chance of precip: 50%

41º high

Rain and snow

chance of precip:50%

arbiteronline.com

2

November 18, 2010

Culture

Come Together

The Saucy

{STUDENT

‘It Gets Better’ rally helps speak up for LGBTQ students

Is the smoking ban working?

Lauren Hooker

Alina Trimble

Journalist Over two hundred people braved the chilly forty-degree Tuesday evening at the “It Gets Better” LGBTQIA (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender-transsexual, Questioning, Intersex, Ally) anti-bullying rally, march and vigil.

In an attempt to bring awareness about the pain and suffering discrimination brings, people of all ages and orientations gathered at the steps of the Capitol building to show their support.

The rally kicked off with three guest speakers who shared their stories, including a senior from Centennial High School who helped plan the first gay prom, Boise State student Justin Baxter and Senator Nicole LeFavour.

For the past five years, LeFavour has worked to pass sexual orientation and gender identity legislation.

“It breaks my heart that people face harassment in school because too many people are silent,” LeFavour, who came out in her thirties, said. “We as a state need to stand up for people who live in fear.”

As the sun set, participants applauded the guest speakers and

Misadventures

VOICES}

Journalist

Melanie BURKE/THE ARBITER

Left to right: Brandon Bjornn, Brian Morris and Bri Green proudly hold signs at the anti-bullying vigil. prepared to set out on their march down Capitol Boulevard. Brandishing signs with messages such as “Stop The Hate, Gays R Great” and “I Want To Hold Your Hand,” the group received several honks from cars passing by.

“I’ve wanted to be a part of a rally of something that affects me,” said Brian Morris, who attended Boise State last semester. “I don’t just want to stand here.”

By the time supporters reached the Quad, the sky was dark and candles illuminated the group as they stood in a silent vigil for those who committed suicide or attempted suicide due to hate crimes, bullying and violence.

People came forward and shared their respective stories.

The atmosphere was filled with a mix of emotions: tears were shed, laughter was shared and there was an air of seriousness

as people opened up about their experiences.

According to the No H8 campaign, nine out of ten LGBT students have been bullied this year. In fact, LGBT students are six to nine percent more likely to attempt to commit suicide than their heterosexual peers.

“Nobody should have to feel they don’t matter. It shouldn’t matter if you’re different,” said freshman Jayla Price, an English major. “Differences are what make us all the same.”

The Gender Rights Network and BGLAD sponsored the event.

If you are interested in getting involved and making a difference, there will be a community meeting Dec. 7 at 5:30 p.m. in the Student Union Building to help with legislation on the Idaho Human Rights Act for sexual orientation and gender identity.

Boise State has officially been a “smoke-free” university since fall semester 2009. At the time, the decision to forbid smoking on all university-owned property was controversial. Proponents of the ban said secondhand smoke was unhealthy and the ban would make the air cleaner and healthier, while opponents maintained that smoking is a perfectly legal right for adults and as such, should be allowed. A year later, student opinions on the ban and its efficacy still differ.

Jenny Fothergill

senior, English major “I think college is a place for adults. Why is there a ban on something legal for adults?”

JC Sam

sophomore, mechanical engineering major

“I guess, I haven’t seen many people smoking recently. I don’t smoke but then again I don’t have a problem with people smoking. I guess it’s working, no opinion on if it should continue.”

Mason Harp

freshman, pre-med major

“I think it’s working, I mean I don’t see as many people smoking on campus.

I mean I see people smoking on the edge, it really doesn’t bother me.”

Justin Azevedo

sophomore, undeclared “I think it’s kind of working. A lot of people smoke anyway even though they’re not supposed to.”

Lexi Rypma

sophomore, psychology major “I personally like it a lot.

I don’t think it’s working all that well. I still see people smoking on campus a lot and it frustrates me, especially walking on the Greenbelt.”

PROMOTIONS

Sunday 11/21

guide to:

My-sexuality Sherika Martinez Columnist In my last column I informed you all that I, the relentless love cynic that I am, fell head over heels for someone special. And allow me to assure you, it takes a very special individual to make me wax poetics about love. Usually when the subject of love comes up I’m a literal fount of sarcastic one-liners and derisive remarks but lately I’ve gotten into this disgusting habit of being all optimistic and hopeful about love and nobody is more weirded out by it than me.

But this time, I’m trying something different. In typical Sherika fashion I save the best details for last, just to keep my faithful readers on their tippy toes, so prepare yourself because the plot is about to thicken to a rather saucy degree.

The person I’m seeing is a woman.

For the first time, I’ve fallen in love with a woman. Call me queer, judge me, label me, hate me or praise me, whatever your reaction is, I really don’t care.

For me being in love with someone has everything to do with a soul connection that can only be felt and never described. It’s not a matter of being straight versus gay, preferring dick or vaj more (p.s. they both have their endearing qualities) or labeling myself as bi-sexual. I’m MY-sexual. I am attracted to who I’m attracted to and I can find those bewitching love-and lust-inducing qualities in different people regardless of their exterior packaging. It just so happens this woman has the right mix of masculine and feminine energy, a personality that dazzles and a sexy swagga that holds me enthralled in an oh-my-gosh-I’vegone-utterly-mad kinda way. The fact that she’s an amazingly hot blonde chick who’s comfortable in the woods and enjoys extreme sports is simply the cherry atop an amazingly DUH-licious ice cream sundae.

My-sexuality is the new term for those of us who consider gender as significant as race when it comes to with whom we fall in love. Man or woman, white or black -- you fall in love with who you fall in love with and as I pointed out in a previous column, love and friendship are on the same spectrum line that makes up loving relationships, to slide from one to the other isn’t that unrealistic of a move to make.

Dating a woman versus dating a man is a VERY different experience. Both have their pros and cons, both are beautiful in different ways. I can’t say that I’m lesbian nor can I say that I’m straight and furthermore, I don’t need to.

I strongly believe that each person has within them both masculine and feminine energies, exuding traits of both -- Webster’s calls them androgynous, I call them my-sexual. My body, my life, my desires, my needs, my turn-ons, my boundaries, my standards, my choices, my love to give.

I am not defined by my sexuality, although it does contribute to my being and if people want to judge me as some already have, I cannot help the way they feel and frankly it’s not too high on my todo list. What is high on my to-do list is a certain hot blonde with a fondness for adrenaline rushes and adventure-taking. Deal with it.

Thursday 11/18

Friday 11/19

Little Big Town

Sara Bareilles

Randy Montana

Cary Brothers

Big B, Slaine

Black Veil Brides

Primalodic

Holly Conlan

Knothead

Dommin

The Forgotten

Thursday 11/18

continued...

Saturday 11/20

Eternal of the

S.O.D. Public Intoxication

Margot &

Jookabox and

Wu-Tang Killa Bees

Soulla Thugz

The Nuclear

Burnt Ones

Kottonmouth Kings The Birthday Massacre

Wednesday 11/24 Abrupt Edge

continued...

So and So's

Randy Montana

The Arbiter

Saturday 11/20

The savvy girl’s

Thursday 11/18

Saturday 11/20

Circle Pit

Sole & The Skyrider Band

Therapy OD

Egadz

Hot Dog Sandwich

oso negro

arbiteronline.com

News

3

ARBITERONLINE.COM

News Editor

news@stumedia.boisestate.edu

News Producer

November 18, 2010

mitchesplin@stumedia.boisestate.edu

Interviews and illustration by Arbiter journalist Gabrielle Brandini

Publishing

Do’s and don’ts Don’t: “People will make sta-

tionery where it’s their picture and the envelope has their picture,” Wieland said. He thinks it’s a bad idea, and a little creepy.

helps if you, you know, actually look at the magazine before you send your story off. Wieland said a lot of submissions he gets are from people who have never seen the Idaho Review and don’t even know the journal. “And they send material that is like, stuff that we probably wouldn’t publish,” Wieland said. “Like a horror story or something more genre-like.”

Oh, and Do: OK, no stationery with my Don’t: nude photographs.

face on it. So what’s the right way to submit a story? “What I recommend … is just very simple and plain, just like a business letter, you know,” Wieland said.

“Like a kind of formalish cover letter and the story’s not on, you know, special purple stationery or parchment.”

Don’t: Cutesy gimmicks like

that scream “trying too hard.”

“If you try too hard you get noticed,” Wieland said. “It kind of turns (the editors) off.” It also

help.

don’t send It doesn’t

&

Answer Wieland talks teaching, business, publishing Q: What was the first thing

you ever published?

Wieland:

Wow … I actually started writing in Japan … and I sent, I wrote a story about, loosely based on my grandfather, who was a coal truck driver in rural Ohio ...

And so I wrote this story about him, and sent it to a small literary magazine in Tokyo which was English, the English magazine run by … a group of expatriates. I think it was called Hedge Magazine. And so they published it and so that was my first one.

That would have been in the, probably in the ‘80s, late ‘80s I suppose.

Q: How did you become a writing professor?

C

Nov 4 - Nov 10, 2010

RIME

Wieland: Through a lot of luck, I think. I went to the University of Alabama for my MFA ... And in my field, to actually be eligible for a job at a university you first have to publish a book. That’s a huge hurdle, right, for writers. And so most of, I mean I think it’s very common for an MFA student to graduate and many of them don’t ever publish a book, right. And the average length for those that do is often

AMPUS

Journalist Boise State writing professor Mitch Wieland won the Idaho Book Award for his 2009 novel God’s Dogs.

“I think it’s priceless, to get

this kind of recognition and that kind of attention,” Wieland said.

The Idaho Book Award was established in 1984. It is granted each year to the most outstanding book that has Idaho as its subject or theme. God’s Dogs is set in Owyhee County.

Bottom line: Write a polite cover letter, print your story in a normal font on normal white paper, and research different magazines and journals before you submit. Then don’t get discouraged if you get rejected many times. It happens even to the best writers. “You have to keep thinking, well, I only need one editor, I only need one person to like this story,” Wieland said.

Question

The Arbiter

Samantha Royce

Mitch Wieland/Prof. guy

“

“I wasn’t engaged or anything,” he said. “I wasn’t passionate about case studies of Walmart and things like that.”

seven, eight, 10 years ... And the fall before I was up to graduate, all the job lists come out and I got a call from an editor at SMU Press and they had accepted my novel Willy Slater’s Lane.

This is while I’m still a student. So I quickly put that on my resume and sent it out and Boise State called me for an interview. So I was interviewing here on graduation day in Alabama. So I literally got this job right out of college.

“

Boise State English professor Mitch Wieland knows a lot about publishing. He’s written two novels and is the editor of the literary journal The Idaho Review. He’s seen enough weird submissions to write a book about them.

Writing professor wins Idaho Book Award

—Mitch Wieland, writing professor

a second language and started writing there, you know. And that totally switched my direction. So when I came back from Japan I had a whole bunch of money, I mean I had like $100,000.

So I wrote my first novel, just took like a year and a half, didn’t work at all, just wrote it. And then after it was finished then I went and decided I should get an MFA degree.

Q: What’s your favorite Q: You studied business part of your job?

as an undergrad. You decided you didn’t like it?

Wieland: Yeah, that’s totally what I did. I didn’t like it while I was doing it, for one, you know, cause I’d always just been a book reader and all of that. But I thought well, I’ll do a practical approach, you know, and study business … So when I graduated I actually worked in retail for like six months. I worked at a place kind of like the Home Depot ... And I was on track to be the assistant manager. I just flat quit and sold my car for the money, and that’s how I went to Japan. Just took the money from the car, got on the plane, got off and looked for a job and stayed there for four years.

And kind of figured out what I wanted to do and I taught English as

Wieland: Absolutely the teaching. That’s the part we all I think live for. Teaching is so satisfying, you know, it’s almost enough, you know, for a lot of writers cause it’s very, you know, thrilling to go in and you’re always working with smart people, right, that are excited about what you do, right.

They’re excited about fiction.

So you write fiction often in the morning, right, and then you go in and you meet with people who like fiction or love it like you do and want to learn it. So it doesn’t even feel like work half the time, cause you’re just talking about what you do for a living anyway, you know, with people who care.

And so it’s just really exciting. And then to watch students get better and watch them publish … So that is really

Editors note: No idea how a DoubleTree hotel made it into the crime log, even if Boise State students were present. Does that mean if a student gets in trouble with the law anywhere in town, they’ll show up on the Boise State crime log simply because they’re carrying their Bronco ID? We don’t know, but we’re on it.

Nov. 10: 10:33 p.m. Citation: Frequenting a place where drugs are used, the DoubleTree Club.

Individuals were present in a Boise State housing

Wieland said he wrote the book as a response to Idaho, his adopted state.

“When I first moved here, the high desert landscape really had a strong kind of impact on me,” Wieland said. “I mean I responded really kind of physically, viscerally to the power of this kind of landscape.”

Wieland has been teaching writing at Boise State for 14 years. He earned his undergraduate degree in business but didn’t like it.

“I wasn’t engaged or anything,” Wieland said. “I wasn’t passionate about case studies of Walmart and things like that.”

He quit his retail job soon after graduating and went to Japan. He taught English there for several years.

When he came back to America with about $100,000 he worked on his first novel for more than a year before earning a Master of Fine Arts in writing.

He got his job at Boise State right after he graduated.

God’s Dogs, his second book, is a novel in stories. Instead of chapters, the book is made up of separate short stories about the same characters. Each story has its own plot, but together they contribute to a bigger story arc.

“My stories almost operate as individual chapters,” Wieland said. “And often people that read it don’t even know they’re

rewarding to watch them publish their own work and stuff like that.

Q: Do you have a current writing project?

Wieland: I do, yeah. I’m working on a big novel set in Japan. So it’s 450 pages long right now. I’ve actually been working on it for four years.

It took me two years to right the first draft and then another two years to revise it once. And now I’m on the third and hopefully final revision. And I’m on sabbatical which really helps, that’s all I’ve been doing. It’s so slow though, I mean you’ve got to be so patient. I think I’m up to (page) 115 now ... I’m radically revising the scenes.

I think that on this final edit, by next spring, that’s what I’m hoping for, get it done. Just like everybody, cross my fingers.

Q: You’re the founder and editor of the Idaho Review.

Could you tell us a little about the journal?

Wieland: We started in late ’98.

The first issue actually came out early ’99 and so we’ve done ten issues, we’re an annual.

room where drugs had just been used. Citations issued and a report was taken.

stories or think of them as stories, they think of them as chapters.”

There are 10 stories in the novel. They were printed in various literary journals before Wieland published them in novel form. One of the stories was reprinted in the prize anthology Best of the West alongside famous writers Annie Proulx and Joyce Carol Oates.

“When my first book came out in ’96, you know, everything was still in place, you could get great reviews,” Wieland said.

“And then I didn’t pay much attention to the industry over the years, you know because you’re teaching and writing. When this book came out I was really amazed at how there are so few book reviews.”

The Idaho Book Award helps fill the gap left by book reviews.

God’s Dogs was also a finalist for the 2010 John Gardner Fiction Book Award.

Wieland is also the founder and editor of the Idaho Review, an annual literary journal.

“We’re up to 19 stories that were shortlisted by the prize anthologies, like top 100 list or special mention or something like that,” Wieland said. “I’ve told Dr. Kustra, it’s like winning the Fiesta Bowl every year.”

Wieland was unable to make it to the Idaho Book Award ceremony in Post Falls on Oct. 7 but is still happy that he won.

We do fiction, poetry, and nonfiction, creative nonfiction, sometimes interviews. And we get submissions from all over the country and from other countries as well. So out of those ten issues we’ve done we’ve had, we’re up to 10 stories that were reprinted in the prize anthologies.

Q: What are some of the weirdest cover letters and submissions you’ve received at the Idaho Review?

Wieland: One of the weirdest ones was someone asking me if I was related to Scott Weiland of the Stone Temple Pilots, right. And you know, the spelling’s different, right, but it was like, and the cover letter was super casual. It was like, “Hey dude, are you related to Scott Weiland? Or are you Scott Weiland? Anyway, here’s a story.”

It was just kind of strange, right?

And then … we had one where this woman had submitted, oh I know, she had submitted poems, and she had done like these, a group of black and white photographs of herself. And she had these postcards made. And some of them, like, she was not wearing a lot of clothes. So I open this up and there’s her poems and they, like, it’s like, this is weird. Very strange.

taken.

Nov. 6: At about 3:45 a.m. it was reported there

between 1-3 pm. A report was taken.

was illegal consumption of alcohol by a resident of Taylor Hall. The subject was found passed out outside Chaffee Hall. According to the police report, he ran from people trying to help and was later transported by Emergency Medical Services to St. Luke’s for possible alcohol overdose.

Nov. 7-8: Security screws were found in the passenger side of a police patrol car, a report was

Nov. 4: A bike was stolen from Keiser Hall after its lock was cut. A report was taken.

Nov. 9: A student ID was stolen from Albertsons

Library and a report was taken.

Nov. 6: A bike was stolen after its lock was cut

arbiteronline.com

4

November 18, 2010

News

Alumnus builds city’s first hostel downtown After traveling on his own, one entrepreneur aims to bring more travelers to Boise.

Suzanne Craig Journalist

Mitch Esplin/THE ARBITER

Boise State alumnus Andrew Mentzer opened Boise’s first hostel in September. The hostel offers cheap rates and a cool location downtown on 8th Street. Mentzer said you can stay a week in a hostel for the cost of one night in a hotel.

human security in an insecure world

JODY WILLIAMS Nobel Peace Prize recipient and founder of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 1

7 p.m. (doors open at 6 p.m.)

Morrison Center, Boise State University FREE: No tickets required Seating is limited and available on a first-come basis; free parking

For more information, please visit www.boisestate.edu/distinguishedlectures/

Idaho’s news source

The Arbiter

Since 1864

Downtown Boise is home to most of the cultural life of the city and a popular hangout for students. A recent graduate from Boise State decided to give more people the opportunity to experience downtown by providing an alternative to the formidable hotel prices. Idahostel offers more affordable rates and a prime location, tucked in the restaurant district in the same building as Thomas Hammer Coffee.

For $21 a night you can get a bed in a dorm style living with up to four people in a room.

Andrew Mentzer, owner of Idahostel and Boise State alumnus, said their main demographic is students.

“We had a student in September, he was here for a month, he was doing nanotechnology research for materials engineering, and he was from Japan. Super cool guy, he’d take his bike and commute to campus and do his research, then come back and hang out with us,” Mentzer said.

Hostels are generally cheaper than hotels and are common worldwide. Mentzer got the idea from both his extensive travels through more than ten countries and the lack of one in Boise.

Mentzer said that he’d lived in a lot of places, and when he came back to Boise the economy slump was making it hard for him to find a job in commercial real estate development.

“I decided it was time for me to go do something that was a little more real application in the long term,” Mentzer said.

After gathering data from the Idaho Department of Commerce and crunching some numbers,

the Idahostel concept was born.

“It took a lot of money and a lot of time, and it was a bit of a struggle from time to time, there were a lot of roadblocks, but this was one of those things that worked out, knock on wood,” Mentzer said.

The Hostel opened Sept. 1 and has done very well, according to Mentzer. The hostel had a 281 percent growth in the first months, and in November a 70 percent growth; hopefully this pattern will develop into a sustainable growth rate.

Mentzer encourages guests to book in advance, particularly long term guests so they can get a discounted rate.

Dorm style living is cheapest, but private rooms and lofts are also available, though the bathrooms and kitchen are common for all guests.

“I heard about this (Idahostel)

on the elusive Craig’s list, the not so dark side of it,” said Chris Cohen, a 24-year old-traveler from Chicago. He arrived on Monday and came to Boise to visit friends.

Idahostel shows its support of the local artistic community with original murals covering the walls and there is still one wall panel available for artists.

“Some of the furniture, like that fridge, is fair game too,” said Courtney Allen, a fourth year Boise State student majoring in graphic design and a minor in Japanese.

As live-in house manager, she’s in charge of checking people in, cleaning and providing movie nights. She tries to establish a sense of community between the guests of the hostel.

More details, booking and contact information are available on their website, http://www.idahostel.com.

Mitch Esplin/THE ARBITER

Andrew Mentzer, owner of Idahostel has used local artists to an edge to the downtown Hostel.

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Opinion

ARBITERONLINE.COM

Opinion Editor

letters@stumedia.boisestate.edu

Opinion Producer

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November 18, 2010

True meaning of the holidays abandoned

People or possessions

Americans have discarded the family values of the holiday season and replaced them with an obsession for materialistic things.

The Weekly Buzzkill

Transgender Day of Remembrance

Christine Ritchie Journalist The average person will spend an estimated $688.87 this year on holiday-related purchases according to the National Retail Federation. In the months of November and December, retailers are estimated to receive $441.7 billion in sales.

This is appalling. These numbers represent the skewed perspective people have about the value of the Christmas season.

Whatever happened to Thanksgiving? To actually celebrating the winter holidays as a family? The moment the world wakes up on Nov. 1, everyone begins planning out maps for Black Friday and ignoring the main point of a great American celebration. Thanksgiving is a chance to spend time with family and be thankful for everything they’ve been fortunate to receive.

Retailers, on the other hand, see only one benefit to this day and that is to rake in as much money as possible by keeping their doors open and shamelessly promoting their deals.

It is ridiculous that people have become so obsessed with not-so-great sales. A cheap, shiny new TV was not worth the life of the man who was trampled to death in 2008 by crazed Black Friday shoppers. When did saving money become more important than human life?

Junior English major Chris Siegmund has noticed from his experiences working at Best Buy that Black Friday is mostly associated with Christmas rather than Thanksgiving.

“Thanksgiving is more about people coming together and that’s not a priority anymore,” Siegmund said. “Customers want to buy things they can’t afford for loved ones and these people, you would think, would be thankful for receiving anything but our society says through commercials that this isn’t true.”

The meaning of Christmas has also been horribly distorted. Dec. 25 was originally a primarily Christian holiday which began as a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Over time, this day has come to be regarded as an opportunity to gather with family and friends, give them gifts, have fun and be happy.

Unfortunately, more recently the moneyspending aspect of the holiday season has become the primary focus. People camp out at ungodly hours of the morning to get

Black Friday injuries

2007: Cecelia Brannen of

Jacksonville, Fla., suffered a concussion, back and neck injuries and memory problems. She still walks with a cane and is “in constant pain” after being trampled at a Walmart in an effort to get her daughter a new laptop.

2008: Walmart temporary employee, Jdimytai Damour, was trampled to death by a crowd of shoppers rushing to purchase HDTVs and other items in a Long Island, N.Y. Walmart.

2009: 78-year-old Terry Borowsky was shoved to the ground in a Toys ‘R’ Us in Colorado. No major injuries were reported, but she claimed that her hip, thigh, and shoulder were hurt in the incident.

Josh Gamble Online Editor

Illustration by Ryan Johnson/THE ARBITER

the best deals on Black Friday.

The focus should be on family. Rather than spending copious amounts of money -- which they probably don’t have -- these shoppers would be better off spending a little to help others who are in need.

The good old-fashioned family values of being around loved ones have diminished. Yes, it is wonderful to give people presents. It’s a way people can express their appreciation or love for one another but this materialism has been taken too far. People are trying too hard to buy each other’s affection and attention. There seems to be a competition to see who can spend the most money. After all, the one who dishes out the most dough obviously loves the most.

Fortunately, there are still some people in the world who are selfless enough to look outside themselves and focus on giving to those in need.

Senior Rochelle Overstreet, communication

with PR certificate major, has been involved in a service project called Holiday Hope for the last two years and will be running the program again this year.

“I am working in cooperation with the Student Union to give Christmas to student families who can’t afford a Christmas this year,” Overstreet said. “We coordinate departments and individuals on campus to sponsor these families.”

This is a great project. It is admirable that students -- most of whom are struggling financially themselves -- are giving time and money to provide a happy Christmas for those in need.

Some of that near $700 estimated to be spent on presents by each person could be allocated to charity this year.

Energy should be focused on family, friends and helping others during this wonderful holiday season. It’s time to put down the credit cards and break out the family photo album.

Where else could the money go?

According to the Center for American Progress there are currently 37 million Americans living below the poverty level, 12.6 percent of the total population.

The average person will spend $688.87 this year on holiday related purchases. $688.87 could: • pay for 420 meals at a soup kitchen for the poor.

• buy 1,969 diapers for a needy family.

• purchase 13 textbooks for a college student.

Retailers are expected to receive $441.7 billion in holiday sales this year. $441.7 billion could: • pay for 55,212,500 college tuitions.

• build 43,549 hospitals.

• drill 147,233,333 wells to provide African villages with clean water.

E ditorial S taff

E ditor - in -C hief Bob Beers

M anaging E ditor Kirk Bell

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P hoto E ditor

N ews

Editor Producer

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S ports

Editor Producer

Josh Gamble

When people talk about LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual) issues, you hear a lot about gay and lesbian issues, with bisexuality falling under the LG umbrella. The people you don’t hear much about are the members of the transgender community. Why? People don’t like them. The idea of something other than binary gender roles freaks out most Americans.

Transgender means that the gender a person feels inside doesn’t match up with their biological sex. This can take a few forms, including androgyny, meaning someone who doesn’t identify as either gender; gender fluidity, where a person oscillates between male and female; and maleto-female (MTF) or female-to-male (FTM) transgender, where someone is born as one gender, but identifies internally as the opposite gender. Sometimes MTF and FTM transgender people have gender-reassignment surgery, aka a sex swap.

For clarification’s sake, drag queens, feminine men, butch women and cross-dresser fetishists aren’t transgender. They may have personality traits and fashion tastes of the opposite gender but if they like their junk the way it is. They’re what’s called cisgender, same as straight people.

Okay, now we have the basics down. Let’s talk about why you should care. Well first of all, they’re human beings and deserve to be treated as such, but we all know that doesn’t really matter. Actually, they have a special holiday coming up, and we all know how the privileged classes love co-opting holidays. Actually, you may not want this one.

The gay community gets Pride Day. Straight, cisgender people get every day. But the transgender community gets a bleak November day on which they remember their dead. That’s right, instead of the Pride Day’s “We’re here, we’re queer, get used to it,” Transgender Day of Remembrance’s (TDOR) slogan is more like “Stop killing us, please?” In the past year, 14 transgender people have been murdered in the U.S., along with countless assaults and incidents of harassment, including rape and death threats.

Transgender people are frequently denied health care, housing, credit and even police protection because they’re not a legally protected group in 39 states.

Even the so-called liberal media has an antitransgender bias. 33 percent of transgender high school students have attempted suicide, 55 percent have been physically attacked and 74 percent report having been sexually harassed at school. We never hear any of this on the news.

Is it too ubiquitous to even be newsworthy? The entertainment industry is even worse. While it’s estimated that 2 percent of the population lives with gender-dysphoria, the only transgender characters in movies or TV are hookers or the hot woman who the protagonist almost sleeps with before realizing hilariously that she has a penis and then beating her to death. (Oh wait, they don’t show that last part.)

The transgender community is one of the most marginalized and hated groups in the nation. Since Saturday, Nov. 20 is Transgender Day of Remembrance, why don’t we start with baby steps? Make a resolution to avoid harassing, threatening or murdering a transgender person. They’re actually people, believe it or not.

Hell, if you really want to go out on a limb, you could talk to one. Or you could go on letting your archaic biases spill over and stain the lives of other people who are just trying to get by. Either way, I guess.

Haley Robinson Jessica Swider

Rebecca De León Editor Producer Glenn Landberg

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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.

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6 Classifieds

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BLUE TURF

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Other Receptionist needed Must be enrolled in at least 12 credits at Boise State. Must have work-study.

Will be answering a multi-phone line phones, making appointments using Google calendar, sending emails and performing general office duties as required. Experience with Macintosh preferred. Deadline for all applications are Friday Dec. 3rd 2010. E-mail your resume to Jobs@ arbiteronline.com

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2. E-mail ad requests to classifieds@arbiteronline.com.

Include your name, phone number and ad text.

11/18 - 11/22

Calendar Thursday, November 18, 2010

9:00 AM - 12:00 PM Boise Law School Fair Location: SUB Jordan Ballroom 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM HIV Testing Location: University Health Services,

Norco Building 4:30 PM - 5:30 PM Nutrition Q & A Location: Student Recreation Center Friday, November 19, 2010

7:30 PM Bronco Football vs. Fresno State Location: Bronco Stadium Saturday, November 20, 2010

2:00 PM Boise Philharmonic Youth Orchestra Location: Morrison Center 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM Triumph of the Human Spirit Location: Morrison Center Monday, November 22, 2010

2:00 - 5:00 PM HIV Testing Location: University Health Services,

Norco Building November 22, 2010 - November 26, 2010

THANKSGIVING BREAK

Videos

This weeks video event brought to you by

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Club Organization Contact classifieds@stumedia.boisestate.edu to place club ad

THE RESISTANCE “The evils of tyranny are rarely seen but by him who resists it.” –John Hay, 1872. Join the Resistance! Help bring down the tyranny of the BCS. The Arbiter

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7

November 18, 2010

A November to remember

Trent Lootens/THE ARBITER

ROBBY MILO/THE ARBITER

The No. 4 Broncos (9-0, 5-0 WAC) can’t clinch the Western Athletic Conference Championship if they don’t finish strong by defeating Fresno State, Nevada and Utah State.

Fresno State up next during brutal stretch for Broncos TRENT LOOTENS Sports Editor Boise State junior quarterback Kellen Moore compared the Broncos’ November Western Athletic Conference slate to high school football playoffs earlier this week.

“I like it this way. Late in November, it’s kind of the exciting time in college football. You play some big time games late,” Moore said. “It’s kind of like high school in a way where you’ve got a playoff system for the WAC championship. You’ve got a few big opponents and you can take it one game at a time.”

Fresno State (6-3, 4-2 WAC) waits patiently for its chance to knock the Broncos out of the WAC playoff Friday. The No. 4 Broncos (9-0, 5-0 WAC) can’t clinch the WAC Championship if they don’t finish strong by defeating Fresno State, Nevada and Utah State.

FSU has all the motivation it needs coming into Bronco

Stadium to take on one of the nation’s top teams.

The Bulldogs nearly knocked off No. 18 Nevada last week in Fresno, Calif., losing 35-34. FSU held a 34-28 lead late in the fourth quarter but squandered it after Wolf Pack senior running back Vai Taua scampered 24 yards into the end zone with only minutes remaining in the game.

Fresno media said it was the most dejected it has seen the Bulldogs’ players and coaches after a game.

The Broncos don’t expect to see anything but Fresno State’s best on Friday. In fact, BSU thinks the Bulldogs will play better and be motivated by the heartbreaking loss.

“I can see them giving us their best shot,” BSU junior safety Geroge Iloka said. “You may see a better Fresno (State) than the one people saw playing Nevada. They’re going to come with it.”

The Bulldogs’ offense can put up points in a hurry due to a barrage of weapons at FSU senior quarterback Ryan Colburn’s fingertips. Colburn is having one of his best seasons as a Bulldog, completing 64 percent of his passes.

Fresno’s most valuable asset is sophomore running back Robbie Rouse. This sophomore can do it all and has proven it in the past two games against Louisiana Tech and Nevada.

He had more than 200 yards on the ground in those games and has 944 rushing yards on the season.

Boise State lost junior middle linebacker and powerful run-stopper Byron Hout for the season during the Idaho game. With Hout sidelined with a broken foot, Fresno State will try to use Rouse to exploit BSU’s linebacker corps.

Bronco’s head coach Chris Petersen feels confident in the backup linebackers during Hout’s absence. Seniors Derrell Acrey and Daron Mackey should fill the void well at middle linebacker.

“The next guys up, they’ve got to carry the flag and you know it’s a tough loss because Byron is playing so darn well,” Petersen said. “He’s not only a good player, he’s also an emotional leader for us so it hurts.”

BSU will play its fourth-straight game on an ESPN network Friday at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN2.

Welcome to Las Vegas Boise State volleyball heads to WAC Tournament

Justin Dalme Journalist

nik bjurstrom/THE ARBITER

Women’s basketball head coach Gordy Presnell earned career win No. 100 at Boise State Tuesday night.

Broncos edge T-Birds in shoot out 3-point shooting lifts Boise State women against Southern Utah.

John Garretson Journalist “I think everybody knew it was that close of a game, but we all knew that if we executed our plays and buckle down on defense, we’d be alright,” junior guard Kati Isham said following Boise State’s victory over Southern Utah University.

Isham and the Boise State women’s basketball team (2-1, 0-0 Western Athletic Conference) did exactly that as SUU (0-2, 0-0 Summit League) was breathing down their necks in a close 91-80 win on Tuesday night at Taco Bell Arena.

Everything started off strong for the Broncos, going into halftime with a 47-33 lead over the Thunderbirds and capitalizing on three-point and free throw shooting against SUU’s zone defense.

The second half did not turn out as planned for the Broncos as their lead slowly diminished. It was the Thunderbird’s eight unanswered points early in the half that eventually closed the gap on the Bronco stronghold from 14 points all the way down to six.

“I thought we went flat. The first half we scored a bunch of points, but we didn’t really establish post play we just hit some really good shots from the outside so we didn’t

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really establish anything,” head coach Gordy Presnell said. “Those outside shots go away with fatigue and adjustments from the defense so we didn’t establish anything and they creeped back on us.”

Presnell earned win No. 100 as coach of the women’s basketball team.

Turning over the ball frequently, not establishing paint presence and not providing a defensive force was going to provide a Thunderbird upset against the Broncos on their own home court. But, BSU rekindled that offensive spark seen in the first half that ignited the Broncos to a close-marginal victory.

“I definitely think we started off a little flat and then came back and made a pretty good run,” Isham said. “At halftime, hats off to them because they really came back and pushed it hard. I just thought we showed a lot of character stepping up and hitting shots when we can.”

Isham, who consequently fouled out with 4:27 left in the second half, ended the night leading Boise State with 21 points, 3-4 in three point shooting, three rebounds, two assists and a steal. Sophomore guard Julia Marshall tallied a career high 19 points while senior leader Janie Bos led the Broncos in rebounding with 13 complimented by 10 points and four assists.

The Broncos rounded out their regular season Monday night, beating San Jose State 3-1 (23-25, 25-15, 25-18, 2522). The win cements Boise State (21-11, 8-8 Western Athletic Conference) a spot in the WAC Tournament, which will be held in Las Vegas Nov. 22-24.

The Broncos started slow, getting behind the Spartans early, and eventually losing the first set. BSU came back, dominating SJSU during the second and third sets, beating the Spartans by ten and seven points respectively.

The fourth set was a different story as the Broncos had to dig and claw to take game.

The girls were out of sync and fell behind early. Down 4-9, head coach Shawn Garus called a timeout and pounded the floor to get his point

across.

“We didn’t execute. We were giving up free points and that style of play is not successful against any team,” Garus said.

“San Jose (State) didn’t come to celebrate our senior night, they came to beat us. I felt like we needed to pick it up on our side because we were just giving away free points.”

The Broncos were able to fight back, tying the set 19-19 and eventually winning 25-22 to take the match.

“It was great to win tonight, we kind of won ugly, but we’ll take the victory,” Garus said.

Before the game, seniors Lauren Hamm, Sadie Maughan and Alisha Young were honored prior to playing at Bronco Gym for the last time.

“It feels great, it makes (the game) that much bigger and that much better. We still have more WAC play, but it feels good to be here at home and get a final win, a last memory I

guess,” Young said.

Young was also named the WAC Player of the Week for the first time in her career.

“It was a goal that I had set, that I had always wanted and had never gotten before this time. It took till one of the last weeks of my senior year, but I was really excited to accomplish a goal that I had been working towards,” Young said.

A scary moment came after the junior Breann Nesselhuf collided with a teammate. She was hit in the mouth hard during the second set.

Nesselhuf, who leads the team in assists, left the game and replaced by freshman Casey Rose.

“She came out in the middle of the game and went straight to the hospital for a dislocated jaw, is what the trainers were projecting,” Garus said.

Rose finished the game at the setter position. It was her first full college match.

“I wanted to bring the team

together and keep it going for Bree. I just wanted to be strong and do what I could do,” Rose said.

The Broncos hope to have Nesselhuf back for the WAC Tournament and will need her if they plan to improve upon last year’s third place finish.

Boise State will have to play more consistently, as well.

“You see some ups and downs,” Young said. “We have some incredible moments and then we’re kind of down for a little while. We just want to get as consistent as we can and always outwork the other team.”

The Broncos could finish anywhere from No. 3 to No. 6 in the final WAC standings, but no matter what seed they enter the tournament, the Broncos will be ready.

“Whatever we get, we’re going (to the tournament) and we are going to perform the best we can,” Young said.

nik bjurstrom/THE ARBITER

The Boise State volleyball team qualified for the WAC Tournament in Las Vegas, Nev. beginning Nov. 22.

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8

November 18, 2010

Sports

Student-Athlete

Sophomore volleyball player Liz Harden exemplifies achievement Justin Dalme Journalist Liz Harden, outside hitter for the Boise State women’s volleyball team, was recently named to the 2010 CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine’s AllDistrict volleyball third team. To be eligible for the award, a studentathlete must maintain a 3.30 G.P.A., be a sophomore in athletic eligibility and play in at least 50 percent of the team’s games as a starter or important reserve.

Harden has started 24 out of 27 matches for the Bronco’s this year, compiling 227 kills, along with 71 blocks and 59 digs. All that time, she has maintained a 3.46 G.P.A in Business. But, excelling in the classroom and on the hardwood is nothing new for Harden.

Last year, Harden was named to the Western Athletic Conference All-Academic team, as well as the All-Freshman team. She also made the Principal Honor Roll throughout high school while playing on the varsity volleyball team for three years.

Harden commented on receiving the honor, how she balances school with sports, and college life.

How does it feel to receive a national honor?

Liz: It’s pretty cool. It’s a good

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accomplishment and a good step in my future. I was kind of shocked that I got it.

How do you balance academics and playing sports?

Liz: It’s pretty hard. I just have to stay on top of my school work and not procrastinate. Before road trips, just get all your stuff done before you leave. Stay on top of it, talking to your teachers, getting all of your assignments, and basically not having a social life, just sports and school.

That’s my life.

What do you plan to do with a Business degree?

Liz: I’m thinking about doing accounting or marketing. I don’t even know if Business is going to be my major for sure.

When did you start playing volleyball?

Liz: I started playing at the end of sixth grade, and I did my first year of club in seventh grade. So I have been playing for 9 years.

Did you play any other sports?

Liz: Growing up I played soccer.

I did swimming my freshman year of high school, but then it got too hard with club volleyball and swimming, because swimming was also in the spring. So, I quit swimming after freshman year. I also played a little bit of water polo.

What made you decide to choose volleyball?

Liz: Volleyball just came more naturally to me, I mean my height, and it’s more of a team sport. It was fun getting to know people through club (volleyball) in high school, and having a group of friends, kind of like my sisters Has it been difficult being tall?

Liz: No, I’ve gotten used to it.

Some people in public are like “How tall are you?” or “Do you play basketball?” No, I play volleyball, but it’s fun being tall.

Are you the tallest out of all your siblings?

Liz: I think so. My brother is stilling growing; we’re all late bloomers in the family. He says that he is going to pass me up, but I don’t think so.

Do you have a team that you especially dislike?

Liz: I always dislike Idaho because they are our biggest rivals, and also Fresno. We lost to them twice and we shouldn’t have, that was stupid. So, I don’t like them either.

Other than that I just want to beat everybody.

What was the last movie you saw?

Liz: Paranormal Activity 2. I saw that, it was scary. I saw it with my roommate. I couldn’t fall asleep that night, don’t tell coach, but until like

2:30. I saw it on opening night.

What is your biggest petpeeve?

Liz: My biggest pet-peeve is when people wear jeans with running shoes. Or when people smack their gum, and when girls wear uggs with shorts.

What is your favorite food?

Liz: I like grilled cheese and I like spaghetti. I’m a pretty picky eater for the most part. I’m learning to cook.

I made lemon chicken for my roommates last night, with mashed potatoes, so I’m stepping it up a little.

What are your plans for the rest of the season?

Liz: To win, make it to the WAC tournament, and kill everyone we play. Stay focused; one game at a time, one opponent at a time, one point at a time, and finish all the way through, finish hard.

Photos by nik bjurstrom/THE ARBITER

Liz Harden, a sophomore outside hitter for the Boise State women’s volleyball team, was recently named to the 2010 CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine’s All-District volleyball third team. She also maintains a 3.30 G.P.A.

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