The Arbiter Vol. 35 Issue 3 9.15.22

September 15, 2022

Vol. 35, Issue 3

I NDEP END E N T

STUD E N T

VO I C E

O F

B O I SE

STATE

S I N C E

19 3 3

SUPERHUMAN PRIDE WHAT IT MEANS TO PAINT PRIDE

NEWS

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Students share the difficulties they’ve experienced while living on campus at Sawtooth Hall.

VISIT US ONLINE:

OPINION

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Idaho schools need to incorporate more Indigenous education into their curriculum. arbiteronline.com

CULTURE

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Boise Farmers Market gives the community an opportunity to support Idaho’s local food economy. @arbiteronline

SPORTS & REC

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Controversy arose after Hank Bachmeier was benched early into the football team’s season opener.

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@arbiteronline

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Editor-In-Chief Andrea Teres - Martinez editor@stumedia.boisestate.edu Online Editor Kelby Andrew onlineeditor@stumedia.boisestate.edu News Editor Brydon Black news@stumedia.boisestate.edu News Reporter Kate Jacobson news@stumedia.boisestate.edu Culture Editor Hanalei Potempa culture@stumedia.boisestate.edu Culture Reporter Naomi Priddy culture@stumedia.boisestate.edu Sports & Rec Editor Adam Bridges sports@stumedia.boisestate.edu Sports & Rec Reporter Marlei Soderquist sports@stumedia.boisestate.edu Opinion Editor Amanda Niess opinion@stumedia.boisestate.edu Copy Editor Kelly Ann Asker copy@stumedia.boisestate.edu Social Media Coordinator Becky Wilson Digital Content Manager Taya Thornton digitalcontent@stumedia.boisestate.edu

Boise State's sororities participated in Bid Day and welcomed their new members on Sept. 5, 2022.

Taya Thornton | The Arbiter

ON THE COVER:

Local Boise Ar tist Sugar May designs “Superhuman” themed ar t for this year’s Boise Pride ar t designs. Sugar May, a local ar tist specializing in pin-up and comic ar t, shares her inspiration for the theme and the empowering message behind it.

HOW TO REACH US:

Graphic Design Manager Sasha White design@stumedia.boisestate.edu

CONTACT US: editor@stumedia.boisestate.edu 208.426.6302 PHYSICAL LOCATION: Located on first floor of Lincoln Avenue Garage Suites

Graphic Designer Dorothy Martin

MISSION:

Digital Content Producer Elise Ledesma

Illustrator Alieha Dryden Distributed every few weeks during the academic school year and online daily, The Arbiter is the official independent student newspaper of Boise State University, 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 a piece at The Arbiter offices.

As a student-run organization, we produce accurate and hyper-local information through non-par tisan and socially responsible media.

MAILING ADDRESS: Student Media MS 1340 1910 W Universit y Dr. Boise, ID 83725 -1340

START THE SEMESTER STRONG With $150 from ICCU.* Open online at iccu.com/BackToSchool with promo code BACKTOSCHOOL150

*To receive $150 you must be a new member and open a checking account with a $100 minimum balance and have eBranch, eStatements, and a Debit Card. $150 to be deposited at time of signing up for eBranch, eStatements, and Debit Card in conjunction with membership and checking account. Membership required, based on eligibility. Membership at ICCU requires a Share Savings Account with minimum opening deposit of $25 and a one-time $5 membership fee. Account must remain open for minimum of six months from reward date or $150 will be debited from account at closing. Must be 18 years of age or older. Limit one reward per person, per household. Offer expires 10/31/22.

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NEWS

September 15, 2022 | ARBITERONLINE.COM

IDAHO LEGISLATURE PASSES HOUSE BILL 1 TO FUND EDUCATION

The bill has striking similarities to Reclaim Idaho’s education initiative Kate Jacobson | News Repor ter | news@stumedia.boisestate.edu

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n Sep. 1, the Idaho Legislature passed House Bill 1 during a special session called

by Gov. Brad Little to address the state’s projected record-breaking budget surplus of roughly $2 billion.

The session’s goal was to target the impacts that inflation has recently had on Idahoans by providing tax cuts and funding for education within the state. House Bill 1 was the only item set on the agenda for the special session.

“We’re calling an extraordinary session to address the crushing impacts of historic inflation on Idaho families and schools,” Gov. Little said in a press release. “The cost of basic fundamentals to live everyday life has skyrocketed, and schools are faced with the burden of rising operating costs.”

House Bill 1 has two areas of focus — tax relief and education funding. In terms of tax relief, the bill directly spends $500 million to fund tax rebates for Idaho residents who filed taxes in 2020. Individuals will receive a minimum of $300 in rebates, or $600 if filing jointly.

The bill also increases funding for public education by budgeting an additional $330 million per year for K-12 public schools, and another $80 million for higher education. This is especially needed as Idaho currently ranks last out of all U.S. states in per pupil spending, according to the Education Data Initiative.

While the bill was bipartisan, there were still a handful of legislators who were adamantly against the passage of the bill.

“I do not believe that our schools need another dime until we stop teaching critical race theory,” Rep. Heather Scott said during the session. “Until we remove the explicit sexual content from our libraries and the books in our libraries, I don’t feel

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Gov. Brad Little calls a special legislation session to address inflation and education funding.

Photo courtesy of Boise State Public Radio comfortable giving any more money.”

The bill was debated on the House floor for roughly two hours before it was finally passed in a 55-15 vote. Within the same day, the bill moved to the Senate, where it passed 34-1.

The House Bill was written in such a way that, while it has now been completely passed, it will not take effect until Jan. 3, 2023.

Reclaim Idaho, an Idaho-based grassroots organization, previously obtained enough signatures to get the Quality Education Act onto the November 2022 ballot. The Quality Education Act is very similar to House Bill 1 in many aspects, and Reclaim Idaho co-founder Luke Mayville believes that this bill “would never have happened” if it weren’t for their work

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on the Quality Education Act. The Quality Education Act aimed to increase funding to K-12 education by $323 million, with the key difference from House Bill 1 being that the Quality Education Act was funded through restoring the corporate income tax to 8%, while the Legislature lowered it to 5.6%.

“This speaks to why the governor called the sessions [and] to the likely motivations of the conservative Republicans in the legislature,” Mayville said. “[The Quality Education Act] includes tax provisions that Little and his allies don’t support, so he wanted to avoid that entire confrontation while also being able to take credit for an education funding increase.”

Reclaim Idaho made the executive decision on Sep. 6 to officially remove the

Quality Education Act from the November ballot.

“Even if the initiative were [to pass] it would be repealed almost immediately because there’s a provision in House Bill 1 that would repeal our initiative if it were to go through,” Mayville said. “So we can’t say with confidence to voters or to volunteers or donors or anyone else that this initiative will actually increase funding for education, even if you vote for it.”

Mayville expressed that the Reclaim Idaho team is calling House Bill 1 a success for education in Idaho, despite them having to remove the Quality Education Act from the ballot this year.

NEWS

FIVE YEARS AFTER OPENING, SAWTOOTH HALL GRAPPLES WITH COMPLICATIONS

Problems include faulty fire alarm systems that have left students in danger during actual fires Br ydon Black | News Editor | news@stumedia.boisestate.edu

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ccording to Boise State’s on-campus housing options, the second most expensive dorm, excluding meal plans, is Sawtooth Hall (Honors College Housing) at $7,296 per year, right behind University Suites which is listed at $7,500.

Though the dorm is on the pricier side of on-campus housing options, it isn’t free from complications.

David Bridgeman is a senior at Boise State University majoring in media arts.

Bridgeman lived in Sawtooth Hall for two years before moving to Lincoln Townhomes. He said the dorms were nice on the surface, but it seemed to him and other residents that the building was poorly constructed. Behind the modernity of the building is a list of concerns including inoperable elevators, consistent flooding and unpredictable fire alarms.

According to Bridgeman, he and his three roommates had all been stuck in the elevators at one point during their time at Sawtooth. Additionally, only two of the building’s four elevators were operational at any given time during the fall 2021

semester.

On top of the elevator concerns were the frequent fire alarms, rarely triggered by an actual fire.

“The fire alarms went off several times. I would say for the entire first semester last year, the fire alarms would go off maybe once a week, once every two weeks. It varied,” Bridgeman said. “It would go off, be on for like ten seconds and then shut itself off.”

Once, the alarm went off after a student started a fire in their dorm. Like many other residents, Bridgeman and his roommates ignored the alarm because they figured it was another false notice.

“My roommates and I walked out of our rooms and were just like, ‘Eh, whatever. It’s just another one of those things.’ Eventually we looked out into the hall, and we saw other people walking,” Bridgeman said.

After noticing others were leaving, Bridgeman and his roommates left the building. The sprinklers that followed damaged multiple rooms and left a number of students displaced, according to Bridgeman.

Despite being the second-most expensive dormitory, students have faced displacement over flooding from sprinklers in Sawtooth Hall.

Taylor Humby | The Arbiter

“I believe the malfunctioning fire alarms were kinda thrown to the side.

It was like an unspoken issue that everyone was pissed about. The fire alarms would go off in the middle of the night while I was sleeping and it was always false.”

- Ashlee Brookes, previous Sawtooth resident and sophomore at Clark College

Linda Tieck, executive director of Housing and Residence Life, said that about 20 students were displaced due to the flooding, but that the system did its job. She said the fire alarm malfunctions were due to construction on the elevator systems.

“Anytime you are doing a construction project you run the risk of fire alarms going off. Especially in the middle of the day, it can be very frustrating and very annoying,” Tieck said. “Contractors should know better as to if they are going to be working with a bunch of dust.”

Ashlee Brookes is currently a sophomore majoring in veterinary science at Clark College. She was a Sawtooth resident last year as a freshman pre-nursing major.

Brookes said that when arriving as a freshman, the broken elevators left a bad impression on her parents and that she was surprised by the lack of communication over the faulty fire alarms.

“I believe the malfunctioning fire alarms were kinda thrown to the side. It was like an unspoken issue that everyone was pissed about,” Brookes wrote in a text message to The Arbiter. “The fire alarms would go off in the middle of the night while I was

sleeping and it was always false.”

Freshman finance major Gavin Manning, a current Sawtooth resident, said that he heard the fire alarm the night of Sept.

5, 2022, and his resident assistant told him it was a glitch in the system.

Junior material science and engineering major Mason Fort also attested to these issues with Sawtooth that included constant construction on the elevators that would trigger fire alarms early in the morning and loud air conditioning.

“All-in-all, even though the internet is four times slower here at Lincoln [Townhomes], I’m having a much better time with my housing this year than last year,” Fort wrote in an email to The Arbiter.

For some students, the promise of “luxury amenities” and Tempurpedic beds were not worth the inaccessible elevators and risk of displacement over flooding.

“I feel like at this point Boise State must have spent way more money on repairing the building then they would have if they just constructed it well in the first place.”

Bridgeman said.

Tieck said that, despite people wondering if the building’s problems are due to bad materials or design, Sawtooth was constructed based on legal code that the school and the private contractors had to follow.

“Idaho has code. A lot of the time we are trying to build things better than the code.” Tieck said.

“Anytime you are doing a construction project you run the risk of fire alarms going off. Especially in the middle of the day, it can be very frustrating and very annoying.”

Linda Tieck, director of Housing and Residence Life

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NEWS

BOISE STATE RECEIVES $40,000 GRANT FOR SUBSTANCE ABUSE PREVENTION

The grant is intended to increase substance misuse educational resources on campus Kate Jacobson | News Repor ter | news@stumedia.boisestate.edu

Roughly 1 in 4 college students will experience academic consequences due to drinking at some point in their education.

Elise Ledesma | The Arbiter

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oise State University received a $40,000 grant from the Idaho Office of Drug Policy to provide substance abuse prevention resources to the campus community.

The Idaho Office of Drug Policy was established to “develop and implement strategic action plans and collaborative partnerships to reduce drug use and related consequences [in the state of Idaho].” As part of their mission, the office offers block grants to K-12 schools, as well as higher-ed institutions, in an effort to combat substance misuse.

The application for the grant was submitted by Assistant Dean of Students Kate Law and Student Conduct Process Coordinator Jillian Krulac in March 2022. The full amount was approved by the Office of Drug Policy in June.

Law explained that “a majority of [the grant] is going to fund a graduate assistant position to do primary prevention work

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related to alcohol and drugs.”

This position, titled “substance misuse prevention graduate assistant,” has already been created and filled by Boise State alum Laci McCabe. A primary role of this position, stipulated by the grant, is to put on two programming events each semester that are intended to increase awareness surrounding alcohol and substance misuse.

One of the first events for the fall semester, led by McCabe, is Boise State’s second annual dry tailgate taking place Oct. 8 on the front lawn of Taylor Hall, located in the freshman village on campus.

These events, as well as new resources, are geared toward residential freshmen because of their susceptibility to substance misuse.

“First-year incoming students are where we see a lot of the alcohol consumption happening,” Law said. “They are using it to build social connections and find a sense of belonging at the university.”

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Boise State University’s crime logs show that there have been over 100 instances of “alcohol violations” reported on campus so far in 2022. According to university policy, alcohol violations include any use or possession of alcohol that violates Idaho law, as well as any “possession, use and/or distribution of kegs, beer bongs, or any other source of mass consumption of alcohol … when the action occurs on University premises.”

This number is an increase from previous years, with roughly 60 violations reported in 2021 and less than 50 in 2020.

“Boise State has seen a rise in alcohol and drug consumption, [as well as] increased rates of DUI’s, the use of fake IDs and medical transports,” Law said.

“We need to continue educating [and] providing alternative options to drinking for students to make sure that they have resources to create a healthy and safe campus environment.”

A 2019 study published by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) shows that roughly 9% of all college students meet the criteria for alcohol use disorder, which is characterized by uncontrollable drinking.

Additionally, at least 1,500 college students die each year from alcohol-related injuries, according to the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.

Higher-ed students are especially susceptible to the dangers of substance abuse because of the “social norming” that occurs regarding underage drinking in college.

Substance misuse can quickly start to harm one’s physical, mental and academic well-being.

Law mentioned that roughly 1 in 4 college students will at some point experience academic consequences due to drinking.

Mental health and substance use are heavily intertwined with one another, according to SAMHSA, which is why Boise State is combining efforts between substance misuse prevention and suicide prevention. From Sept. 6-9, McCabe organized Suicide Prevention Week on campus alongside other Boise State organizations. “[Boise State] has been working to infuse alcohol education into suicide prevention,” Law said. “Good alcohol prevention is suicide prevention.”

Suicide Prevention Week offers events and resources to students to increase awareness regarding the importance of mental health, as well as alcohol and substance misuse prevention.

The substance misuse grant is part of a longer-term goal of establishing a substance misuse task force called Project Healthy Campus, according to Law. This board is an “aspirational space” that the university hopes to develop in the next several years — it will be a community of partners meant to unify efforts across campus to increase student success and well-being.

NEW BOISE STATE PARKING POLICIES INTRODUCE UPGRADED FEATURES

NEWS

Updates come in response to a user satisfaction survey conducted in spring 2020 Kate Jacobson | News Repor ter | news@stumedia.boisestate.edu

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he Boise State Parking and Transportation team, alongside the Department of Public Safety, have made several changes related to campus parking for the 2022-23 academic year.

These changes come as a response to a user satisfaction survey conducted by the Department of Public Safety during the spring 2022 semester. The survey was sent out via email to a random sample of 3,000 Boise State students and employees, and roughly 17% responded, according to the department.

The focus of the survey was to gauge user satisfaction with various parking and transportation services on campus, and respondents were asked to offer suggestions on how things could be improved.

“Survey results revealed several themes, including that the majority of employees and students are satisfied with parking services,” Linsey Hartke, director of Parking, Transportation and Systems, wrote in an email to The Arbiter. “Respondents voiced interest in new and expanded services including new parking permits, options to support hybrid workers and learners, and expanded shuttle services.”

One of the more notable changes this year is the addition of “scratch-off permits,” which are a single-day permit that allow the user to park in any commuter, reserve, or garage lot. These permits will cost $15 a day and are available for purchase during the Transit Center operating hours.

These permits were created after survey data revealed a demand for more flexible parking options, according to Hartke. Prior to this change, single-day permits had to be purchased two weeks ahead of time.

Students and faculty can buy scratch-off permits five at a time, and will receive the sixth permit free when doing so.

Another new addition this year is the creation of “CrossParking” permits, which are purchased in addition to a pre-existing

residential permit. On-campus residents can opt into this by purchasing a “PM” permit, which allows the driver to park in lots other than their own from 4:00 p.m. until midnight.

Parking on campus is finally merging with the technological world, as physical parking meters are going to be replaced by ParkMobile, an app that allows users to select and pay for parking.

“Survey data showed that the university community is interested in more metered parking on campus,” Hartke wrote. “To meet this demand, we will increase the footprint of mobile, metered parking on campus and remove physical parking meters over the coming weeks.”

As the physical meters are removed, they will be replaced with signs with the ParkMobile zone number listed, directing users to the app.

An email was sent out to all Boise State students, faculty and staff on Aug. 3 with an overview of these changes. The initial email stated that the threshold for an academic hold to be placed on a student due to unpaid fines would be lowered to $100, but this statement has since been retracted.

In accordance with University Policy 3200, holds will only be placed on student accounts once a student’s fines meet or exceed $500. Hartke encourages students to “pay or appeal any fines in a timely manner to prevent potential account holds.”

Students also now have the option to have their parking fines waived through Boise State’s Ticket Diversion Program.

Through this program, students may volunteer for the Department of Public Safety to cover the cost of their citation.

First-offense tickets are $35 and will be waived after three hours of volunteering.

Students can also choose to have $25 taken off of their fines by attending a bicycle safety class at the Cycle Learning Center. This class is roughly an hour and a half, and helps the commuter better understand bicycle transportation.

Boise State is replacing physical parking meters with the app ParkMobile, where users can pay for parking.

Photo courtesy of Elijah Mears The Department of Public Safety is currently working on developing a parking permit steering committee. This committee will be composed of students, faculty and staff who will work to continue assess-

ing the need on campus and determine where improvement is still necessary.

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OPINION September 15, 2022 | ARBITERONLINE.COM

IDAHO SCHOOLS NEED TO INCORPORATE MORE INDIGENOUS EDUCATION

Why students and educators should be required to learn about the five Indigenous tribes in Idaho Kate Jacobson | News Repor ter | opinion@stumedia.boisestate.edu

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ver the summer of 2022, Boise State University hosted their second annual Indigenous Voices: Building Understanding in Idaho Classrooms workshop.

The workshop’s goal is to provide Idaho educators with awareness and knowledge on Indigenous groups, including Idaho tribes that can then be incorporated into their classrooms. As with most discriminatory beliefs, creating an understanding of Native culture is key to uprooting biases often developed at an early age.

“We are trying to bring in voices from the five tribes of Idaho to help teachers understand the significance of the history,” said Karla Morton, workshop instructor and fifth grade teacher at Andrus Elementary. “We are able to bring attention to ideas from people who were living here thousands of years before we were.”

The workshop was led by educators from Idaho and surrounding states, and featured at least one representative from each of the five tribes in Idaho. Tribes in Idaho include the Shoshone-Bannock, the Shoshone-Paiute, the Coeur d’Alene, the Kootenati and the Nez Perce.

Co-instructor and junior high teacher in Boise, Gretchen Scultz, explained that the project first got started after Schultz worked with high school students from Idaho tribes and realized “just how little [she] really knew about the Indigenous groups in the area.”

The Indigenous Voices workshop addresses an important issue: widespread misunderstanding and ignorance toward Native American and Indigenous culture.

Despite Idaho having the 11th highest Indigenous population in the country, many Idahoans seem largely unaware of the rich Native history and culture in the state.

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“There’s a large variety of stereotypes and problematic conversations that happen about Native Americans,” said Toneekia Hernandez, a co-instructor for the workshop and high school English teacher on the Duck Valley Indian Reservation in Owyhee, Nevada. “Reservations existed before the whole state of Idaho, and those things aren’t necessarily talked about.”

Prejudice and ignorance toward Indigenous people lead disadvantages for these groups in nearly every area of life.

Native Americans are almost three times as likely to be the victims of a violent attack than the national average, according to the National Congress of American Indians.

Additionally, the rate of suicide for Indigenous people is higher than any other race/ethnicity in the country. Something needs to be done to protect the safety, wellbeing and culture of Indigenous tribes.

Native American tribes in Idaho deserve to consistently have input, representation and respect shown to them throughout the state, yet Indigenous voices are regularly ignored and shut down.

An unfortunate example of ignorance toward Native culture occurred in 2020, when Idaho Rep. Chad Christensen proposed a resolution discouraging the removal of Indigenous “names, images and symbols” as mascots. The resolution was a response to many Idaho high schools coming under fire for disrespectful mascots and logos.

Many high schools across Idaho currently have, or had until recently, a mascot that contains Native language and imagery.

Preston High School in Preston, Idaho, still has “Indians’’ as their mascot, with the school’s logo being an outlined Indigineous headdress. The exact same can be said

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for Shoshone High School.

The Shoshone-Bannock Tribes responded to the Idaho resolution in a press release, stating “the continued use of American Indians as mascots is not an honor, as this practice enforces the grossly inaccurate portrayal of us as ‘savages’ and uncivilized people.”

Chistensen’s resolution was eventually shut down, but the entire situation shows that biases and ignorance regarding Indigenous people are still very present across the state. Idaho needs to do better.

“Just because Boise isn’t prominent in Native American ethnicity doesn’t mean they’re not there,” Hernandez said. “We still live here, we live on our own governments, and we contribute to society.”

A lack of awareness and understanding

is a driving force behind the discrimination against Indigenous groups. Idaho only requires Indigineous culture to be taught during fourth grade history, but it needs to be an encompassing part of school curriculums. It is not enough to just teach about Native Americans during history class.

“The key word is history. It exists in history but it is not done,” Hernandez said.

“We’re still developing with the times. We are not a thing of the past.”

Idaho has an Indigenous population of over 40,000, making up just over 2% of the state’s population, according to the World Population Review in 2022. Indigenous people are an inherent part of Idaho and are deserving of being a consistent part of the state’s education, not just a singular lesson.

Allowing Native culture to be included in regular conversation is an integral part of dismantling biases against Indigenous people.

Taya Thornton | The Arbiter

OPINION

REVIEW: ‘EVERYTHING I KNOW ABOUT LOVE’

Dolly Alderton’s bestselling memoir is an essential read for those living through their 20s Hanalei Potempa | Culture Editor | opinion@stumedia.boisestate.edu

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on’t be fooled by the scribbles on the cover. Although this book is definitely about parties, friends, jobs and life, it’s also about love and the love you find when navigating your 20s.

Award-winning journalist and bestselling author Dolly Alderton presents her now international bestselling memoir “Everything I Know About Love,” which reveals embarrassing stories and fun memories, as well as her struggles with depression, anxiety, grief, heartbreak and simply being lost in her 20s.

Scattered with personal stories, recipes and recollections of bad dates and awkward therapy sessions, Alderton’s memoir provides relateable entertainment and helpful insight for every young adult.

Alderton addresses her constant struggles with her mental health and shares details of her developing and overcoming an eating disorder, her struggles with anxiety and depression and her eventual crisis of defining her life as a young adult.

“In short, you are having an existential crisis,” Alderton wrote. “You are realizing the mundanity of life. You are finally understanding how little point there is to anything. You are moving out of the realm of fantasy ‘when I grow up’ and adjusting to the reality that you’re there; it’s happening.”

Alderton begins her memoir by sharing stories from her years in university living with her best friends. She often references childhood memories that seemed brief and insignificant in the moment, but over time proved themselves very influential on her identity.

The book is laced with a very casual tone of voice that gives a profound sense of relativity, even when Alderton is sharing details of an otherwise very specific memory. This gives the book a very unique ability to give any reader a strong sense of personal connection to her stories.

She also shares her first experience

of falling in love and in turn, her first heartbreak. In her pursuit of defining “love” throughout the memoir, Alderton recognizes all the forms of heartbreak she experienced, stating, “It takes a village to mend a broken heart.”

Alderton recounts her negative coping mechanisms that led to self sabotage, her desire to remove herself from parts of her life that once made her happy and her loss of her sense of self, saying, “The external scenery had changed, but the internal stuff was exactly the same: I was anxious, restless, and self loathing.”

Alderton is consistent in revealing very personal experiences including the details of her first therapy session and her feelings of guilt, apprehension and anxiety that came from audibly sharing her difficult experiences.

When reflecting on her experiences in therapy Alderton writes, “It would be a lie to say I think I will ever be entirely free of what happened in that time, which is something no one ever tells you.”

Alderton provides insightful commentary that I found brought a sense of comfort while reading about deep emotional topics.

“Everything I Know About Love” perfectly balances humor and heart to capture the difficult yet hopeful uncertainties experienced in early adulthood.

“Yes, my twenties had been rife with anxiety, insecurity, and bad choices, but only recognized at the exit that there had been a comforting loosey-gooseyness to the whole thing. There was no specific requirement for being a twenty something–it’s what I found so disorienting about the experience.”

Even within the personal specificity that creates the unique story illustrated in the memoir, Alderton reigns consistent in casting light upon very intrinsic experiences of a young adult, which makes this memoir a beneficial read to anyone struggling in their 20s.

In her novel “Everything I Know About Love,” Dolly Alderton explores the difficulties of navigating love in your 20s.

Photo courtesy of Hanalei Potempa Alderton begins to wrap up her memoir with a recount of her 28th birthday, with which she provides a list titled, “Twenty-Eight lessons learned in Twenty-Eight Years,” which includes some staple fashion advice, interesting statistics and hopeful commentary the reader can hold onto for inspiration.

These much more insignificant and light-hearted tokens of advice paired so casually with the discussion of heavy topics illustrates the perfect balance of humor and heart Alderton achieves in this memoir.

Throughout the memoir Alderton struggles with defining her identity and who she is. She finds herself stuck between the person she is and the person she wants to be, and this crisis infiltrates every part of her life.

“Be the person you wish you could be, not the person you are doomed to be. Let yourself run away with your feelings. You were made so that someone could love you. Let them love you.”

The theme of love is of course prevalent throughout the book and Alderton’s concluding definition of love reveals an interesting perspective on the most important love you find in your 20’s.

“You have so much to gain and learn from this kind of love. You can carry it with you forever. Keep it as close as you can.”

Read “Everything I Know About Love” with an open heart and open mind to discover the presence of this love in your own life, and be prepared for both tears and laughs along the way.

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“SUPERHUMAN” PRIDE: MEET THE LOCAL BOISE ARTIST BEHIND THIS YEAR’S PRIDE ART DESIGNS PIN-UP AND COMIC ARTIST SUGAR MAY SHARES INSIGHT BEHIND THIS YEAR’S BOISE PRIDE ART HANALEI POTEMPA | CULTURE EDITOR | CULTURE@STUMEDIA.BOISESTATE.EDU GRAPHICS BY SASHA WHITE | ILLUSTRATIONS BY SUGAR MAY

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his year’s Boise Pride Festival artwork, designed by local Boise artist Sugar May, illustrates a comic book style “Superhuman” theme with a vintage twist.

Local pin-up and comic artist Sugar May specializes in creating queer and LGBTQ art with a vintage and feminine aesthetic.

In collaboration with Boise Pride, May created a design with the goal of illustrating inclusivity and empowerment for all identities, celebrating pride beyond the flag and marking this moment in LGBTQ history.

The “Superhuman” theme May revealed that she personally asked Boise Pride if she could have the opportunity to design and create this year’s Pride art.

“I actually just asked them. I just emailed them and said, ‘Look, I’m a pinup artist, I’m local, I’m queer. Can I do this for you?’” May said.

May shared that the whole idea behind the “Superhuman” theme dawned from repetitive images of people draping pride flags across their backs during last year’s pride festivities. The images gave the illusion that the flag was taking on the shape and ideals of a cape.

“We saw tons and tons of people sort of dawning these flags as capes and we thought that’s a really nice elevation to these ideas of queerness or the community, or the specific titles which can kind of alienate people,” May said. “It was just this really lovely theme that sort of presented itself to us. [It] elevated above the words and the titles and the politics of it.”

May shared that “superhumans” embody

Local artist Sugar May illustrated a “superhuman” theme for the 2022 Boise Pride Festival.

Illustration courtesy of Sugar May the archetype of hope that everyone in the LGBTQ community needs.

“I think there is something intrinsic in being a super human that means that you

have a responsibility to elevate yourself but also others, whether it’s in your community or peripheral communities,” May said.

The “Superhuman” theme, coinciding

with real life images of those part of and in support of the LGBTQ community, creates a simple yet beautifully unique theme that collaborates perfectly with May’s already comic style aesthetic.

“I think the best and most communicative themes tend to be the simplest ones,” May said. “You would know what a superhero or a superhuman is already … we’re surrounded by DC and Marvel and all of these icons that represent sort of bigger ideals than us. It’s not really about the individual necessarily, but it’s about the greater good and the greater good for everyone.”

Inclusivity in LGBTQ art May shared that as a queer artist, LGBTQ themes are consistent through all of her other art. She strives to illustrate the community in a detailed and specific manner, yet still staying true to the ideals of inclusivity in the community.

May describes her art as “pin-ups with a vintage aesthetic but with a more contemporary take on sexual energy and free flowing gender and sexual orientation expression.”

“I am primarily interested in the creative flow of sex-positive energy than I am specifically about labels or any kind of particular identity. Identity politics become very complicated very quickly and they are a very hot topic,” May said. “But I am primarily interested in creativity where we approach these things because they are forever changing. They’re on a spectrum, and I think individuation and the pursuit of identity is important and intrinsic to our human experience but I think sometimes people miss the point.”

May shared that she personally loves a more “femme aesthetic” for her art, but emphasized that the aesthetic, although individual to her, contributes to the overall concept of personal expression.

“So my objective through my art is to explore and celebrate the playfulness, the creativity and the humanity … the ability to connect to other humans through art that is joyful, elevating and uplifting and fun.”

May shared that her collaborators at Boise Pride as well as herself were initially concerned with the idea for the design being much more specific in its illustrations compared to designs from previous years.

“It’s faces. It’s bodies. It’s literal depictions of people, and while I tried to make them fairly ethereal and androgenous and kind of like shape-shifty in a way. We were aware that we might be sort of playing with fire a little bit,” May said, “because inevitably we didn’t include everybody and their specific, most very specific circumstances which are of course going to be totally individuated no matter what.”

May emphasized her acknowledgment of her inability to specifically represent everyone in the community in the design but insists that the “Superhuman” theme is one that embodies every aspect of inclusivity by illustrating an ideal of elevation for all people, extending even beyond the flag from which the design was inspired.

“I think there is something intrinsic in being a super human that means that you have a responsibility to elevate yourself but also others.”

- Sugar May, illustrator for Boise Pride 2022

“[It’s] going back to that archetype of structure, of elevation, celebration and the idea that it’s a much bigger thing than a flag. It’s a much bigger thing than a name or a title or whatever your experience, choice or condition is, it’s about elevation … the primary vector of the piece is that it’s inclusive because of our intention for everyone to feel like they are ‘superhuman,’” May said. “It’s inclusive because we believe that those ideals are sort of bigger than human, even. They are much more, I think, difficult to grasp yet more important for humanity.”

Illustrating a single moment in history May shared that she has watched as Boise Pride has grown and developed since she was a little girl. She feels that now in Boise, Pride has become celebrated in the community rather than simply acknowledged.

“I actually think that Boise Pride has become something very special,” May said.

“It’s been around for quite a long time,

but Boise has changed a lot in the last 10 years, and I think that Boise Pride is sort of an entity. It’s sort of a living, breathing thing that kind of emanates through the city, and I’m proud of it. I think it’s really special.”

In collaboration with Boise Pride, May decided to also create an analogue version of the art to act as a physical representation of this specific moment in history.

“The whole idea was that even though the poster is digital we felt like an analogue version would be really lovely to have just in the world as a piece that you can interact with … that was something that was sort of like a totem for the overall idea and the overall design,” May said.

The piece will be on display for public viewing at The Flying M downtown, a local coffee shop that May described as an important influential hub to the LGBTQ community.

The piece is also available for purchase and all proceeds go directly to Boise Pride to support the LGBTQ community and promote future Pride events.

“That money will go there (Boise Pride) so it stays in the community. It stays local, and ultimately it does what art should, and that is to serve the people, serve the community and live on beyond the artist and beyond the purchase point and beyond the event to speak to a greater trajectory and a greater future,” May said.

Inquiries for purchase of the piece may be sent directly to Sugar May. May said she is proud to present this art to the community and have the design represent this specific moment in time, saying, “It will only mark one single point in history, and it may come to a point where it is totally irrelevant or even offensive. These things come and go but it is an important marker moving forward.”

“[Boise Pride] has been around for quite a long time, but Boise has changed a lot in the last 10 years ... I think it’s really special.”

- Sugar May

C U LT U R E September 15, 2022 | ARBITERONLINE.COM

INCREASED FOOT TRAFFIC POSES PROBLEMS TO HEALTH OF BOISE FOOTHILLS

How the influx of people moving to Boise is affecting the health of the trails Naomi Priddy | Culture Repor ter | culture@stumedia.boisestate.edu

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he Boise community has the privilege of accessing its Foothills for a wide range of activities, but with an influx of out-of-state residents flocking to Idaho, a lack of knowledge about maintaining the local trails could lead to harmful consequences for their maintenance.

When walking on the Boise Foothills trails, there is an entire ecosystem of plant and animal life that are at risk if not respected and utilized properly.

The Boise Foothills are in the heart of the Great Basin Desert, and are no stranger to weeds.

Due to the desert terrain, these weeds steal precious water resources from other native plants, increase fire frequency and decrease soil health. When the Foothills are green, it’s not a sign of a blooming and hydrated ecosystem. The color is actually due to the weeds.

“Trails act as vectors for weeds,” said Martha Brabec, Foothills restoration specialist.

Among many types of weeds are goatheads. When walking in the Foothills, one might notice goatheads and other invasive species clinging onto boots or pants. When carried on clothing off trail, those invasive species are spread all throughout the Foothills. As more people utilize the Foothills, the amount of invasive plant species only increases.

In addition to people being vectors for invasive species, there is also the problem of overusing the Foothills, which leads to widening trails and more erosion according to David Gordon, manager of the Boise Ridge to River trail systems.

Remedy efforts include revegetation directly adjacent to the trail to keep trail users on the designated path.

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Proper trail etiquette is important to maintaining the health of our Boise Foothills.

“Off-trail traffic is damaging rehabilitation efforts and erosion control,” Brabec said. “Native plants are an incredibly delicate ecosystem that are prone to damage by off-trail users.”

Deserts are a biologically diverse ecosystem, and knowing how to prevent local invasive species is vital toward keeping the wildlife safe and healthy.

Trail etiquette is the first thing to know before venturing on a morning walk or taking an afternoon bike ride.

The most accessible resource to better understand the health of Boise’s trails is the daily updates on the Ridge to Rivers page, which provides trail updates as well as

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training videos on trail etiquette and how to be a sustainable user.

When utilizing the Foothills, it’s important to remember these rules: 1. If your boots leave an imprint, the trail is too wet and not sustainable for use.

Walking on wet trails results in the ground being more prone to erosion.

2. Don’t make your own trail. This not only leads to confusion but also to the fragmentation of habitats as more people follow the new trails.

3. Avoid riding or walking on the side of the trails. This is the cause of widening the trails and destroying vegetation. For walkers, walk single-file for the same purpose.

Photo courtesy of Martha Brabec 4. Clean up after your dog and keep them leashed. Dogs are responsible for the transportation of invasive species at an extremely high rate.

“Invasive species threaten the biodiversity of an ecosystem and biodiversity is essential for supporting all life on Earth, including humans,” Brabec said. “When we manage invasive species, we help facilitate more resilient and healthy natural areas that attract greater biodiversity of wildlife, insects, migratory birds, and more.”

Stay updated on Boise Parks and Recreations page for volunteer efforts available to the public for Foothills restoration projects and invasive species removal.

C U LT U R E

“A DIFFERENT FOCUS”: BOISE FARMERS MARKET AND LOCAL AGRICULTURE The market features a variety of food oriented local businesses Hanalei Potempa | Culture Editor | culture@stumedia.boisestate.edu

True Roots Organics is a longtime vendor with the market, selling herbs, fruits and vegetables farmed locally in Idaho.

The market also strives to grow new farmers in the community by providing a support system made up of already established farming vendors.

“We really believe in this market because it has just such a different focus than any of the other markets in town.”

- Soraya Mazloomi, board president

The Boise Farmers Market, located in the Midtown neighborhood, features farrming and agricultural vendors based in Boise and surrounding cities.

Taya Thornton | The Arbiter

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ocated in downtown Boise, Idaho, the Boise Farmers Market provides a food-oriented marketplace that includes local small businesses based in Boise and other nearby cities.

Boise Farmers Market, located in Midtown, is open every Saturday morning from April through October.

Boise Farmers Market manager Annie Garrett shared that the market split from the Capital City Market nine years ago to create a food-oriented market predominately made up of farm and agricultural vendors based in Boise and surrounding cities.

The market strives to create a supportive community for local food, farming and agricultural businesses.

The market’s mission statement, “Farm-

ers you can trust. Food you can trace,” is upheld by the market’s board, which is made up of its own vendors.

“One of the requirements to be on the board is that you have to be a vendor,” Garrett said. “It’s really helped with all of the decisions that we’ve made as a market to really have the vendor input, and the vendor opinion when we’re making guidelines, and writing rules and regulations.”

Soraya Mazloomi, the market’s board president, is also the owner of Acme Bakeshop, a family-owned bakery based in Garden City, Idaho.

“We really believe in this market because it has just such a different focus than any of the other markets in town,” Mazloomi said. “The people that come to shop [at] our market are there to buy food, and they’re there to support the local food

economy.”

Acme Bakeshop has been a vendor with the market since the very beginning, selling various bread products and pastries as well as utilizing local flours and produce from other venues.

Boise Farmers Market takes pride in its goals to support local farmers and participate in Idaho’s agricultural economy.

True Roots Organics owner and farmer Ian Kilgore emphasized the sense of community between vendors at the market, as well as the support from the market in promoting more business for vendors.

“Since [the market] started, they’ve grown quite a bit and so have a lot of businesses with them,” Kilgore said.

“We’ve seen a lot of businesses start out at the market that have permanent locations downtown now.”

Katie Lanni, owner of Galloping Gertie’s Goatery, shared that this is her second year selling with Boise Farmers Market.

Lanni’s business, based in Gentry, Idaho, sells goat milk products such as goat milk caramels using other local ingredients from local farms, as well as goat milk lotions, goat milk soaps and beeswax products such as lip balms using local beeswax.

“Definitely the best farmers market I’ve ever worked at. It’s a lot more professional.

People help each other out,” Lanni said.

“It’s all organized really really well and set up well. They put a lot of work into making it run, you can tell.”

Lanni also shared that during COVID Boise Farmers Market organized a drive-thru style market that allowed vendors to still sell their products despite pandemic restrictions.

Boise Farmers Market creates a space for the community to learn about food sustainability and provides the opportunity for the public to support Idaho’s local food economy.

The market is open every Saturday morning from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at 1500 Shoreline Dr. Come out and spend a weekend morning downtown supporting small local businesses!

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C U LT U R E

TAKING CARE OF YOUR MENTAL HEALTH IN A CLIMATE CRISIS Why it’s important to seek support when the future seems out of control Naomi Priddy | Culture Repor ter | culture@stumedia.boisestate.edu

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s the effects of climate change become more prevalent, younger generations might feel the tangible effects of global warming more than any other generation.

As it turns out, more than half are already facing mental health struggles.

In a 2021 survey conducted by the University of Bath, 10,000 individuals from ages 16 to 25 were asked to describe their feelings about the future in relation to climate change.

What was uncovered was frightening for the mental health of young people.

Over 50% of young adults reported feeling anxious, sad, powerless and guilty, while over 45% claimed that their fears of climate change impact their daily lives.

What was least reported: optimism.

The term “climate anxiety” or eco-anxiety has come to light as the effects of global warming have continued to affect the health of predominantly younger generations, including Generation Z. Climate anxiety is rooted in the uncertainty of the planet’s future and lack of control. This anxiety is often accompanied by guilt and shame, commonly leading to behavior, mood and cognitive difficulties.

Sarah Jaquette Ray, a professor of environmental studies at Humboldt State University, discusses the importance of addressing the guilt that comes with environmental damage when coping with climate anxiety in her 2020 publication, “A Field Guide to Climate Anxiety: How to Keep Your Cool on a Warming Planet.”

“People are profoundly disturbed by climate change, and being told that it is the fault of our own moral failings is not only demoralizing but factually wrong,” Ray wrote in her field guide. “It does not help muster the stamina to stay involved in environmental work for the long haul.

Instead, it can lead to various forms of self reassurance, or cause people to give up despair, choosing short term avoidance and apathy over long term climate justice.”

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The “existentialist toolkit,” as quoted in the book, is available through the Boise State Library as well as other local book stores such as Rediscovered Books.

In understanding that the future of climate change does not solely rest on their shoulders, students must also allow themselves the opportunity to seek support.

Saleh Ahmed, a Boise State University environmental studies professor, addresses climate anxiety in his courses.

“I talk about environmental concerns and anxiety in my class. I also highlight what can be done, and how we can contribute to that process,” Ahmed said. “My class is designed to find solutions, not just to share challenges.”

In response to how students can maintain stamina while dealing with pessimistic ideals, he maintained the following: “It’s about the approach. How are you approaching your and society’s future? Pessimistic ideals cannot give us anything extra to our life or overall life experiences. As an educator, I usually highlight the bright side of life and individual and collective capacity to achieve something better. I see optimism, passion, and excitement among students. If we can use those in the right direction, I see they can be instrumental in achieving sustainability in the short and long term.”

To help maintain the health of young people, they must change their mindset to be solution oriented rather than defeatist, while also giving themselves the opportunity to feel mental peace.

“Knowing we are part of the collective gives us permission to rest,” Ray wrote.

“We all must take care of ourselves so that we can step up when others need to tend to themselves. The perception that social change happens only on an individual scale creates defeatism.”

Most importantly, maintaining quality mental health has a lot to do with a quality community.

“I think social bonding is critical. It is

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Over 45% of young adults say their fears of climate change impact their daily lives.

Illustration by Alieha Dryden important to think not only about ourselves but also about the people around us.

If they [students] are connected socially, they would find themselves mentally healthy,” Ahmed said.

Once students are able to feel mentally at ease, using that worry to engage in political change and action, big or small, can shift the tone of climate anxiety.

“By politicizing your angst, you can

focus your energies on collective resilience and adaptation,” Ray said. “Making these stories true will require you to nourish, not deny your body and soul. Or to put it another way, reframing environmentalism as a movement of abundance, connection, or well being can help us rethink it as a politics of desire rather than politics of individual sacrifice and consumer denial.”

C U LT U R E

ALL BANDS ON DECK: MEET VISTA KICKS

The band performed at Neurolux Lounge in Boise, ID on Aug. 30 Amanda Niess | Opinion Editor | culture@stumedia.boisestate.edu

Vista Kicks lead singer Derek Thomas (left) and bassist Trevor Sutton (right).

Photo courtesy of Conner Schumacher

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he band from Roseville, California. Three friends from the playground and two sisters from Oregon.

Meet Vista Kicks.

The band’s name has no true source of inspiration, rather the combination of “vista” and “kicks” seemed to fit who these three men — guitarist and lead singer Derek Thomas, drummer Nolan Le Vine and bassist Trevor Sutton — wanted to be.

For Derek Thomas and Nolan Le Vine, jamming out was no foreign concept. The two have been playing music together since the ages of 15 and beyond.

The sisters from Oregon — singer Victoria Wymer and guitarist/singer Makayla Wymer — also known as the Hail Maries, joined Vista Kicks in March of 2022 and began touring with the band.

The two women in this supergroup seemed to be a perfect addition for what

Thomas and the band were looking for.

“We started doing vocal lessons with Derek, and then we showed him some of our songs that we had written,” said Victoria Wymer. “We came up with the name Hail Maries together, started writing, and then when they needed some extra help on tour, we hopped on.”

Vista Kicks has a new album set to come out at the end of this year. The album has yet to be titled, but the group is still thrilled to release a new sound of both male and female harmonies to their listeners after such a difficult time during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The songs are really strong and I think they have a big sound that I hope connects with a lot of people,” Thomas said.

“Thematically it’s got a more positive spin and outlook, and I think in a time where so many things are negative and changing, I don’t think it’s a bad thing. I think it’s a good thing. I think it’s a direction

toward progress.”

The band, just like any other musical group, faced many challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it did not stop the group from recording and releasing two works — their 2022 EP “Sorry Charlie” and their 2020 album “Chateau Mae Mae,” which they recorded with singer Audra Mae. “We are sort of a lucky group of people,” Sutton said. “I mean, we are really fortunate to be doing these things, especially when we don’t have a label. We’re not not funded by anything but ourselves and our ticket sales.”

With the autonomy that Vista Kicks has, they are very proud of the work they have produced and hope to reflect that upon their upcoming album at the end of this year.

“The pandemic was a trying time for us because we almost broke up,” Thomas said. “Not being able to perform and not

being able to get all that extra energy out can be a really difficult balance because seeing how the world was changing and then not being able to perform was rough, but we made it through and I think we’re better for it.”

These trying times allowed the three young men to collaborate with Victoria and Makayla Wymer and eventually add them into what we know as Vista Kicks.

Things slowly began to fall into place.

As for independent projects, Thomas publishes work under the name DRT, pronounced “dirt,” of course. Thomas wanted to conjoin his love for soil and music into one being and created DRT, which stands for his initials. With that, he was able to start a record label for which the Hail Maries could record under called “In The Drt.” “I have this analogy for soil and for people because I see it as sort of the same thing in nature, where dirt is just a medium for life to connect and then from a soil you can grow anything,” Thomas said. “I think the same with people — if I can be dirt and bring people together, then I can make a community and grow anything from that. I want to bring together musicians [and] poets.”

DRT’s newest single was released Sept.

1, 2022.

For the Hail Maries, their record “Unrequited Love Part Two” is set to hit all listening platforms in three weeks.

Vista Kicks will be touring across the U.S. until the end of October. Their new music will not be released during this time, but they will be performing new songs off their untitled album.

“I think that we would have landed here eventually, but I don’t think it would have been as seamless or fun or adventurous if it weren’t for the pandemic because it gave us time to make room for things that we didn’t have before,” Makayla Wymer said.

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S PORTS & REC September 15, 2022 | ARBITERONLINE.COM

THINKING OF TRYING CLUB SPORTS? Club sports have a number of benefits

Marlei Soderquist | Spor ts & Rec Repor ter | spor ts@stumedia.boisestate.edu

Club sports is a great way to meet students with similar interests while also gaining leadeership experience.

Mackenzie Hudson | The Arbiter

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lub sports is one of many amazing opportunities students can utilize at Boise State.

Club sports are student-run organizations for those who have a passion for a particular sport or want to try something new.

Some of the sports that are offered include baseball, golf, hockey, lacrosse, rugby, volleyball and soccer.

Students who are interested in joining a club sport can contact the club president to receive more information. After joining the team, students will be able to attend related events, join the practices and jump right in.

A few eligibility requirements must be met in order to participate in club sports.

Students must be enrolled in at least four credits, be in good academic standing, carry health insurance and submit a yearly participation waiver.

If Boise State doesn’t offer the particular sport a student is looking for, they can also establish your own.

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Club sports is one of the ways Boise State offers a way to connect with fellow students who have similar interests and passions.

“I transferred last semester and [club sports] quickly provided me with a community,” said junior women’s club soccer player Brennah Friesen. “Not to mention I feel more in tune with university sports because I am in the loop now.”

This organization also offers unforgettable moments, which Friesen attested to in sharing her fondest memory with the soccer club “[Scoring] my first goal was really exciting,” Friesen said. “First goal on the new team … It was a needed confidence boost.”

Club sports programs place emphasis on leadership, education and service through the sport it offers. Students can become a president, vice president, treasurer or secretary for any particular club.

These experiences can help build a better foundation for the future, and also cultivate leadership skills.

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VOLLEYBALL TEAM WINS THIRD GAME

Where do the Broncos stand early into the season?

Marlei Soderquist | Spor ts & Rec Repor ter | spor ts@stumedia.boisestate.edu

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he Boise State women’s volleyball team captured their third win of the season against Notre Dame on Sept. 2, putting them at a 4-1 record.

“It was good to see a response and the toughness of our team to come out and play a much better match from start to finish,” said head coach Shawn Garus after the win against Notre Dame. “I think the team is excited about where we’re at and focused on getting ready for the next match.”

Last season, Notre Dame volleyball finished 34th in the nation, while Boise State finished 78th.

With a steady start to the season, there is much more to come from Boise State volleyball.

The Broncos are set to face tough competition. Their competition includes the University of Washington, San Diego State, Air Force, Fresno State and Colorado State.

“We just played from behind early, and that’s not our style,” Garus said after their

win against Saint Mary’s. “We want to be the aggressor out there.”

As the season progresses, the Broncos look to create more rhythm on the court.

Garus started many lower classmen, including some freshmen, at the beginning of the season. With more games to play, the starting lineup will likely be solidified.

Returning senior outside hitter Lauren Ohlinger has played a key role in the Broncos’ early success in their season.

Racking up 60 kills in five games, Ohlinger is on pace to break her single season record of 405 kills.

Last season, the Broncos finished with a 24-11 record overall and won the Mountain West Championship. After securing success in the regular season and part of their post season, they lost to Brigham Young University in the first round of the women’s volleyball National Championship.

Hoping to become back-to-back Mountain West Champions, the Broncos are ready to take on the next part of their season.

The Boise State women’s volleyball team is starting the season strong and currently sits at a 4-1 win record.

Claire Keener | The Arbiter

SPORTS & REC

QUESTIONS AT QUARTERBACK: DID BOISE STATE MAKE THE RIGHT DECISION? Boise State benched their four-year starter 20 minutes into their season, leaving fans and media split

Adam Bridges | Spor ts & Rec Editor | spor ts@stumedia.boisestate.edu

Fans and media are split after Boise State benched quarterback Hank Bachmeier early into the team’s game against Oregon State on Sept. 3.

Claire Keener | The Arbiter

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here are 12 minutes left in the second quarter. Your team is down 17 points and your four-year starting quarterback threw two interceptions and lost a fumble. What do you do in this situation?

This scenario occurred on Sept. 3 when the Boise State Broncos played against Oregon State University, where they benched senior quarterback Hank Bachmeier and give redshirt freshman Taylen Green a chance on the field.

This singular personnel change turned Boise State football upside down, with fans and media split on whether or not Boise State made the right decision and what the team should do going forward.

“This is stunning,” said Bronco Nation News owner B.J. Rains on Twitter. “Still speechless Hank got pulled. Rough start,

yes? But four-year senior starter that was by all accounts team leader. Pulling him was a panic move. Now what happens? ...

Avalos has a mess on his hands.”

Fans and reporters were tweeting two different perspectives on this move all throughout the game. They were either blaming the coaches for pulling Bachmeier out too early, or praising the coaches for making the right decision.

“It’s Taylen Green time at Boise State man,” Broncos fan Liam Blutman said on Twitter. “It’s his job just let him take it already.”

Despite the backlash, head coach Andy Avalos made it clear that he firmly believes the team made the correct decision.

“Given the situation with how many turnovers we had and our lack of offensive production, we had to make an

adjustment,” Avalos said after the Oregon State game. “(Bachmeier) never got himself into a rhythm. He threw into double coverage, and he was holding the ball too long in the pocket.”

During his time on the field, Green completed 19 of his 28 passes (68%) for 155 passing yards, one interception and a passer rating of 107.2 against Oregon State. He also led the team with 102 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns after scoring on a 74-yard run in the third quarter.

“Taylen got his opportunity to go in there and we were able to adjust some things and get some drives going,” Avalos said. “One of the biggest [things] is his ability to extend plays with his legs, but we were excited he took what the defense gave him and stayed on most of his pro-

gressions.”

The performance of both quarterbacks in this game caused a position battle between the players for the starting spot ahead of their matchup against New Mexico, according to Avalos.

Prior to the start of the game against the Lobos, the Broncos named Bachmeier as their starter.

Bachmeier went 16 out of 27 (59%) for 170 yards, three touchdown passes, one interception and a 141.4 passer rating against New Mexico.

“Hank is a great guy, a great teammate and we know Hank will get the work done,” sixth-year linebacker Ezekiel Noa said. “We all make mistakes and Hank was the first one to really own up to his mistakes and it showed today in the game and in the preparation he had throughout the week.”

The team played Green for one snap but did not record any stats.

“Taylen Green gets a snap at QB ... and hands it off to Ashton Jeanty for a loss of three yards,” Idaho Press Boise State sports reporter Jordan Kaye reported on Twitter. “Hank Bachmeier comes back at QB.” Despite naming Bachmeier as the starter, fans made it clear that they believe Green should have been given more ingame opportunities.

“Does Boise put in [Green] in next half?” Broncos fan Andrew Feraci asked on Twitter. “Hank isn’t playing bad but he isn’t playing great either. Need a spark again. But at the same time [offensive line] can’t run block and there’s been a handful of times where the WR’s created separation. So this isn’t all on Hank at all.”

Boise State will play its first home game this weekend against UT-Martin with Bachmeier as their starting quarterback.

Whether the Broncos decide to play Bachmeier, Green or both throughout the season remains to be seen.

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SPORTS & REC

BOISE STATE VS. OREGON STATE

BOISE STATE VS. NEW MEXICO

Taylen Green excels despite season-opening loss

Drama-filled week leads to boring Boise State win

Adam Bridges | Spor ts & Rec Editor | spor ts@stumedia.boisestate.edu

Adam Bridges | Spor ts & Rec Editor | spor ts@stumedia.boisestate.edu

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win is a win, regardless of how boring the game was.

Despite this past week’s quarterback controversy, Boise State secured their first victory of the season against New Mexico 31-14 on Friday, Sept. 9.

The Broncos played redshirt freshman Taylen Green near the start of the second quarter against Oregon State after senior quarterback Hank Bachmeier had three turnovers in six drives.

Boise State’s freshman quarterback Taylen Green put on an impressive display despite the team’s loss to Oregon State.

Claire Keener | The Arbiter

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he highly anticipated season opener between the Broncos and the Beavers did not go the way Boise State had hoped.

Boise State suffered a 17-34 loss to Oregon State on Saturday, Sept. 3. Although the team lost, the Broncos were given hope by one player: Taylen Green.

The first half didn’t go well for Boise State. The Broncos threw two interceptions and fumbled the ball twice throughout the first two quarters.

Due to the unprecedented start, Boise State made the decision to bench senior quarterback Hank Bachmeier and play redshirt freshman Taylen Green in the second quarter.

The freshman quarterback started off with two incompletions, but then completed seven consecutive passes throughout the second quarter. Despite the flashes of arm talent, the Boise State offense remained stagnant throughout the first half.

The Broncos did not have much success on the defensive side of the ball. The team had a fumble recovery and an interception, but also allowed 233 passing yards, 35 rushing yards and four scores from the Beavers. These scores included a 47-yard and a 27-yard touchdown pass.

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The team went into halftime trailing 24-0. Boise State tried to redeem themselves at the start of the second half with an interception by senior cornerback Caleb Biggers, resulting in a field goal by junior kicker Jonah Dalmas.

Green then made Boise State’s biggest play late in the third quarter after scoring on a 74-yard run. This was Boise State’s longest run since former Boise State receiver John Hightower rushed for an 88-yard touchdown against Nevada in 2018.

The new quarterback recorded another rushing touchdown at the start of the fourth quarter, cutting down Boise State’s deficit to 10 points.

However, the offensive rejuvenation came too late in the game, and the Broncos lost 17-34.

Green finished the game going 19-28 (68%) on his passing attempts with 155 passing yards, one interception and a passer rating of 107.2. He also led the team with 102 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.

Even though the Broncos are now 0-1 on the season, fans may have something to look forward to should Green continue his promising performance as the season progresses.

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“The Boise State defense had a strong showing throughout the game after holding New Mexico to 123 yards and one touchdown.”

This decision left fans and media split on whether Green or Bachmeier should start this week. The Broncos announced that they will be sticking with their fouryear starter against the Lobos.

This proved to be a wise decision.

Bachmeier started off slow in the first quarter going three of five for 44 yards.

He gained momentum after throwing an 18-yard touchdown pass to redshirt sophomore Latrell Caples on the first play of the second quarter.

Bachmeier threw two more touchdown passes to freshman running back Ashton Jeanty and Caples in the second half of the game.

The quarterback ended the game completing 16 of his 27 (59%) passes for 170 yards, three touchdowns, one interception and a 141.4 passer rating.

The Boise State defense had a strong showing throughout the game after holding New Mexico to 123 yards and one touchdown. The team also recorded six sacks and 12 tackles for loss.

The Bronco special teams scored a touchdown on a Lobos-blocked punt for the second consecutive year as well.

The team will get ready for their first home game of the season against the UT-Martin Skyhawks on Saturday, Sept.

17.

Despite the ensuing quartback controversy after Boise State’s season-opening loss, the Broncos secured their first victory of the season.

Claire Keener | The Arbiter

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