The Arbiter 10.14.21 Vol. 34 Issue 4

Otcober 14, 2021

Vol. 34, Issue 4

I NDEP EN D E N T

NEWS

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In anticipation of flu season, flu vaccines are now available at the Boise State Vaccination Clinic.

VISIT US ONLINE:

STUD E N T

OPINION

VO I C E

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Students are concerned that Boise State is prioritizing profits over health and safety of community. arbiteronline.com

O F

B O I SE

STATE

CULTURE

S I N C E

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Student clubs are navigating COVID guidelines to resume in-person meetings and activities. @arbiteronline

SPORTS & REC

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Boise State Athletics to review and update sport facilities despite previous fiscal and budget concerns.

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@arbiteronline

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Editor-In-Chief Blake Hunter editor@stumedia.boisestate.edu Online Editor Ashley L. Clark onlineeditor@stumedia.boisestate.edu News Editor Andrea Teres - Martinez news@stumedia.boisestate.edu News Reporter Fenix Dietz news@stumedia.boisestate.edu News Reporter Alaina Uhlenhoff news@stumedia.boisestate.edu Culture Editor Amanda Niess culture@stumedia.boisestate.edu Culture Reporter Julianne Gee culture@stumedia.boisestate.edu Sports & Rec Editor Lexi Almeido sports@stumedia.boisestate.edu Sports & Rec Reporter Adam Bridges sports@stumedia.boisestate.edu Opinion Editor Paige Wirta opinion@stumedia.boisestate.edu Copy Editor Kelby Andrew copy@stumedia.boisestate.edu Social Media Coordinator Becky Wilson Digital Content Manager Claire Keener digitalcontent@stumedia.boisestate.edu Digital Content Producer Corissa Campbell Graphic Design Manager Sasha White design@stumedia.boisestate.edu Graphic Designer Cassie McGarty 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.

Boiseans participate in the long-held tradition of extravagant Halloween decorations on Harrison Boulevard.

Photo by Corissa Campbell | The Arbiter

ON THE COVER: Graphic by Alieha Dryden

Local high school students are working to pass a "Green Schools" resolution that commits Boise School District to sustainability measures, like a 100% clean energy plan by 2035 and a reduction in energy emisions.

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

MISSION:

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

ADULTING IS HARD ICCU MAKES IT EASIER WITH $150 Life comes at you pretty fast in college. ICCU proudly supports Boise State University by offering a wide range of services to help you make managing your money easier. Plus, we’ll give you $150 when you open a new membership with checking.* + Online and Mobile Banking + Apple Pay®, Samsung Pay®, and Android Pay® + Totally Free Checking + Low-Rate VISA Cards + Auto Loans, and more

Apply 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 10/31/21.

WE BELIEVE in the home team.

NEWS

October 14, 2021 | ARBITERONLINE.COM

ARAMARK RESPONDS TO ASBSU

BIG CITY SUES BSU FOR $10 MILLION

The food vendor has partially met student demands

Latest in controversy involving Big City Coffee

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Blake Hunter | Editor-in- Chief | editor@stumedia.boisestate.edu

Fenix Dietz | News Repor ter | news@stumedia.boisestate.edu

early three weeks after the Associated Students of Boise State University (ASBSU) voted to condemn Aramark due to a lack of dining options on campus, the university’s food service vendor has finally responded.

On Oct. 4, an email was sent by Jodi Hecimovich, a regional marketing director for Aramark, to ASBSU leadership.

Attached to this email was the official response made by the company to ASBSU and, by extension, the student body.

To conclude, Aramark laid out what they have done specifically to alleviate the situation for students on meal plans.

These include giving students a reusable to-go box, sending $100 in flex credit to student accounts, partnering with Crave Delivery, providing five additional meal equivalencies per week to students on a mandatory plan, allowing food trucks on campus to accept Flex Dollars and allowing for Poppy Seed Café and Tree City Juice and Smoothies to accept meal equivalencies.

Aramark has also committed to donating $10,000 worth of food to the Campus Food Pantry for the fall semester.

The day this response came out also coincides with the official re-opening of the SouthFork Market, located in the Honors College Building.

It is also worth noting that Aramark’s response only fulfilled one of the three forms of damages that ASBSU had asked for within Resolution #1, that being, “Provide additional meal equivalencies that can be used at all retail locations.

Basic 14 Meal Plan holders with five meal equivalencies.”

The other two demands included $25 additional flex dollars per week and a 50% refund to weekly meal plan holders

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for every week affected by closures or limited hours.

Aramark acknowledged the concerns made by ASBSU in regards to the lack of employmees and closures of various dining services on campus.

Aramark stated that they “understand that this has been a non-traditional start to the semester for meal plan holders given the supply chain challenges and labor shortages that are being experienced in all industries across the nation.”

The statement then went on to explain that Aramark “is working closely with its suppliers, leaning on constant communication, nimble decision making and flexible menus to keep up with our needs.”

Aramark cited data from the Idaho Department of Labor, showcasing the unemployment rate as of Sept. 21. Aramark claimed that, to combat the low employment rate for their on-campus dining, they have “spent over 280 hours implementing efforts related to recruiting on campus and will continue our strong recruiting efforts to actively fill open positions.”

“[Aramark] is working closely with its suppliers, leaning on constant communication, nimble decision making and flexible menus to keep up with our needs.”

- Aramark statement, Oct. 4

The Arbiter will continue to report on the conflict between Aramark and ASBSU in the coming weeks.

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ocal coffee shop and cafe Big City Coffee has filed a $10 million lawsuit against Boise State in the latest development of a months-long debacle that helped fuel a conservative backlash against the university.

Big City Coffee owner Sarah Fendley is suing the university and demanding a jury trial, alleging that university administrators removed the small business from campus solely because of Fendley’s support of police. According to Fendley’s attorneys, this perspective is in opposition to the university’s “aggressive social justice agenda.”

Specifically, the plaintiff is suing President Dr. Marlene Tromp, former Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management Dr. Leslie Webb, Vice President for University Affairs and Chief of Staff Alicia Estey and Vice President for Equity Initiatives Francisco Salinas.

The suit accused the defendants of violating Fendleys’ First, Fifth and 14th Amendment rights, as well as the Idaho Consumer Protection Act, largely for “fraud by omission.”

According to the lawsuit, Fendley was unaware that some students disapproved of the business’ open support of police until the day the contract was ended, when she claimed to have been “ambushed” by Estey and Webb. Had she known about the “firestorm,” she would not have opened the satellite location at Boise State, her attorneys wrote.

Big City Coffee occupied the first-story cafe storefront in Albertsons Library, which is now occupied by Guru Donuts, for several months during the fall of 2020 after Starbucks moved out.

In late October 2020, the cafe’s contract with the university ended.

Fendley has said she was removed from campus, citing a lack of public support from the university after some students voiced disapproval of the cafe owner’s prominent support of police and displays of the Thin Blue Line flag as evidence.

The university has claimed that administrators did not force Big City Coffee out, but rather that they honored Fendley’s decision to sever the contract after they refused to silence students or defend Fendley against students publicly, per Fendley’s request.

Boise State spokesperson Mike Sharp declined to comment on the suit last week, saying that the university does not comment on pending litigation.

The Big City Coffee incident was one floodgate among many that have swamped the university in political controversy in the last several years. Tromp has been bombarded by far-right legislators in Idaho since before she took office, and the distaste for the university’s “social justice” programs rose to a crescendo in spring of 2021, when legislators cut $1.5 million in public funds from the university’s budget.

The Big City lawsuit was first reported

by Idaho Ed News on Oct. 2, via confirmation from Fendley’s attorney. It first appeared on the Idaho Freedom Foundation’s (IFF) website, a far-right conspiracy theory organization that — among many other things — aims to defund public education and has many loyal supporters among the Idaho Legislature.

The organization has also recently said that hospitals should stop “bitching and moaning” over crisis standards of care due to COVID-19, and has made headlines for their politics and targeted departments at Boise State and other universities for years.

STUDENTS FACE HOUSING CHALLENGES AMIDST IDAHO SHORTAGE

NEWS

Both on and off-campus students struggle to find housing, straining resources and attention to education

Alaina Uhlenhof f | News Repor ter | news@stumedia.boisestate.edu

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oise State students are facing housing challenges amidst Idaho’s shortage of affordable housing that has increased for the last several years and increased exponentially during the pandemic.

The Hope Center for College Community and Justice at Temple University surveyed Boise State students in 2020, and 43% of the 3,862 students who responded reported experiencing housing insecurity in the last year.

The Treasure Valley has received national coverage in the last year for its booming population growth and climbing housing prices, resulting in competitive housing options among students.

Additionally, the most recent study from ApartmentList.com found that, as of September, the median Boise rent had increased by 39% since March 2020, more than any other city in the nation.

“We’re in one of the fastest-growing cities in the fastest-growing state in the country,” said Boise State President Dr. Marlene Tromp in a podcast interview with BoiseDev from May 2021. “What that means is the entire university needs to grow.”

According to Tromp, demand for housing on campus is high, a concern which has discouraged potential students from attending Boise State.

Boise State’s next housing project is likely to be focused on first-year students who want an active campus experience, according to Tromp.

“We know we’re losing talented students because we don’t have enough housing capacity for them, so we know that there’s a current demand,” Tromp said. “But we also have goals for the future, and that’s thinking about the growth of Boise and the potential growth of Boise State.”

Kai Hart is a third-year sociology major at Boise State who has lived both on and off campus while attending Boise State. On top of classes and work, housing has consistently posed serious

Boise and the Treasure Valley are some of the fastest-growing areas in the nation, driving housing market prices up.

Claire Keener | The Arbiter problems for Hart.

“It’s gotten increasingly hard to find somewhere to live,” Hart said.

Hart moved back home to save money after living on campus for a year, before eventually moving to off-campus housing that was more affordable. Hart now commutes from Mountain Home twice a week to attend classes in person.

“I really liked living on campus, I would just say it was definitely way too expensive. My first year I was a full-time student, and pretty much just to afford my bills and food I was working about 35 hours a week on average,” Hart said.

Hart believes Boise State urgently needs more housing options, and should invest in more kinds of housing on and off campus that meet a broader base of student

need, with an emphasis on removing barriers for students in minority groups.

“It’s really important that states and cities have housing that is safe, decent, affordable and accessible for people up and down the economic spectrum,” said Dr. Krista Paulsen, an associate professor within Boise State’s School of Public Service who specializes in housing research.

Markets are not always the best way to provide a variety of housing, according to Paulsen. She explained it is often more profitable to build higher-end housing, and so developers may want to produce more expensive options.

“It’s not always about building more housing. One of the challenges is to preserve the existing affordable housing,” Paulsen said.

According to Paulsen, solving housing problems holistically will maximize benefits for all Treasure Valley residents, including Boise State students.

“Some people think about housing as infrastructure. You can certainly think about it [as] filling certain kinds of basic needs for shelter or privacy, but home is more than that,” Paulsen said.

What one considers home is also part of identity formation and contributes to a sense of normalcy and community, according to Paulsen.

“If we are committed to solving the housing crisis here, that will mean building more housing and it will mean building housing of various types,” Paulsen said.

“And it will mean building that housing in many kinds of neighborhoods.”

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NEWS

FLU SHOTS AVAILABLE ON CAMPUS

SURVEY SHOWS HIGH VAX RATE AT BSU

Kelby Andrew | Copy Editor & Staf f Writer | news@stumedia.boisestate.edu

Andrea Teres- Mar tinez | News Editor | news@stumedia.boisestate.edu

FAQs about getting your flu shot this season

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t’s officially October, and you know what that means. Spooky season is upon us, that wonderful time of the year filled with all the spooky scary skeletons your heart could ever desire.

Although the typical line-up of Halloween novelties is undoubtedly frightening spectacles, something else ought to give you shivers down your spine — the upcoming flu season.

Flu shots are now available through University Health Services, located on the second floor of the Norco Building.

But before making that quick trip across campus, here are a few things you should know about flu shots and the spooky flu season ahead.

How much does a flu shot cost through Health Services?

Most insurance providers cover the entirety of flu shot expenses. Without insurance coverage, a shot will cost $38.

It’s also important to note that individuals under the age of 19 will be required to pay the $38 fee, as Health Services isn’t an established child immunization clinic.

What do I need for my appointment?

Don’t be intimidated by the word “appointment.” Walk-ins are welcomed!

Better yet, there are only two things you

must bring: your Bronco ID card and your insurance card or an alternative method of payment.

Where else can I receive a flu shot?

The Boise State COVID Vaccination Clinic, located at the Campus School Building, will host a pop-up flu clinic on Oct. 20 from 8-11 a.m. Most local pharmacies also provide flu shots, though pricing will vary by location.

What can I expect for the upcoming flu season?

CDC flu statistics from last year reported an abnormally mild flu season likely due to collective “COVID-19 mitigation efforts” such as mask-wearing, hand washing and social distancing, which also protect against the flu.

However, Rush Content Hub states that the upcoming flu season has the potential to be more severe due to a prolonged lack of exposure to influenza, which may have triggered a dwindling immunity to the virus.

So, ‘tis the season, Halloween-goers!

Grab your broomsticks, light those jacko-lanterns and get your flu shot today.

University Health Services Website: https://www.boisestate.edu/ healthservices/ Phone number: (208) 426-1459

Claire Keener | The Arbiter

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88% of voluntary respondents have at least one dose

The university-wide survey had a 51% response rate, with the lowest rate of vaccination among on-campus students.

Photo courtesy of Robyn Beck

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he Boise State Public Health Office sent out an institution-wide survey back in September to assess the vaccination status for COVID-19 among members of the Boise State community.

The voluntary survey received a 51% response rate, with the incentive that those who participated could enter a drawing for a new iPad. Students enrolled exclusively in online programs and concurrent enrollment were not included in the survey.

The survey indicated that out of a total of 10,478 students and employees who responded to the survey, 88.2% have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. The other 11.8% was split between 9% who answered saying they had not been vaccinated, and 3% who were unsure or preferred not to answer.

Survey participants who said they had not received a vaccine were referred to a second set of questions, where 21% said they were considering receiving the vaccine and 3% expressed interest in scheduling an appointment at the campus clinic.

Those indicating they weren’t con-

sidering receiving a dose of the vaccine attributed their decision to a desire for more information (38%) or concerns over the safety of the vaccine (57%).

In terms of the division between students and faculty, Boise State employees hold a higher vaccination rate at 94.5% compared to students at 86.6%. The data also shows that students living off campus have a higher vaccination rate than those who live on campus (87% to 84.9%).

Because Boise State continues to promote that vaccination is the most effective way to protect oneself and the community from COVID-19, the Public Health Office announced a new vaccination incentive on Oct. 7.

Between Oct. 1 and Oct. 22, students and faculty who complete their vaccination series will be offered a chance to win one of two $222 prizes. The incentive, titled “2 by 22 October,” requires students interested in participating to “receive their second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine or their first and only dose of Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine during the incentive period,” according to a post on Boise State’s COVID response page.

NEWS

BOISE CITY COUNCIL ELECTIONS: MEET THE CANDIDATES FOR DISTRICT 5

Four candidates are running for Boise City Council Seat 5 this year under new regulations Jaelyn Quisel | Staf f Writer | news@stumedia.boisestate.edu

Candidates for District 5 (L-R): Crispin Gravatt, Holli Woodings and Katie Fite.

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he City of Boise’s District 5 has four candidates seeking city council Seat 5 this year on election day, Nov. 2. District 5 covers Boise State’s campus and the immediate surrounding area.

Due to new legislation, the city recently transitioned to a district system for electing council seats, meaning candidates run in the districts they live in, and are only elected by residents of their district.

Holli Woodings currently holds the District 5 seat and is seeking re-election against Crisping Gravatt, Katie Fite and Steve Madden.

Holli Woodings Woodings has served on the Boise City Council for the past four years.

Woodings was introduced to local government by her first job with a renewable energy developer, where she educated lawmakers on renewable energy. Woodings also served as an Idaho State Representative from 2012-2014.

“In my time on city council, I’ve always focused a lot on sustainability and build-

Photos courtesy of candidate’s campaigns

ing a more environmentally resilient city,” Woodings said.

During her first term in Seat 5, Woodings helped pass a clean energy plan for Boise, committing to 100% clean energy in city operations by 2035 and carbon neutrality.

Woodings has also begun work on rewriting zoning codes for the city and addressing the issue of homelessness.

Wooding’s platforms for re-election include affordable housing, sustainability and planning for future growth in Boise.

“I really want to build a Boise where people can live and work in the city, and be able to afford to do that,” Woodings said.

Learn more about Wooding’s campaign at https://woodingsforboise.com/.

Crispin Gravatt Gravatt works as a research and data analyst at the Idaho STEM Action Center and also serves as the chair of the Public Works Commission for Boise.

Gravatt first ran for city council four years ago after getting involved in local government in college. A gender studies course introduced Gravatt to working with

organizations to testify for human rights at the Idaho Statehouse. Gravatt later began research with the Boise Bicycle Project to help inform public policy.

Gravatt’s platforms include climate policy, affordability, protecting human rights and improving public engagement.

Gravatt’s biggest priorities are securing clean air and water and access to open spaces, as well as improving housing and wages in Boise.

With a background in human rights work, Gravatt wants to ensure that the city council considers human rights when making decisions that impact individuals.

“We need someone who has a sense of urgency,” Gravatt said. “I’m impacted directly by the decisions that we’re making on climate, on policing, on housing, and that’s not a perspective that we really have.”

Learn more about Gravatt’s campaign at https://crispin4boise.com/.

Katie Fite Fite is a public lands advocate who has spent years working for environmental groups for clean water, fish and wildlife

habitats and wildlands protections.

Fite took an interest in government five years ago, when she started by participating in planning, zoning and preservation meetings. Fite has also participated in larger projects like defending environmental and health concerns after the city proposed building a trucking terminal and fuel station next to Blue Valley Mobile Home Park.

In her run for city council, Fite seeks to protect open spaces and public land, as well as increase transparency in government, promote affordability in all areas and protect the Boise zoning codes.

“The main focus is Boise’s livability given the housing crisis and the affordability crisis,” Fite said, “and it’s also the sustainability of our city, the natural environment and the community as a whole.”

Fite has also talked about improving transportation in Boise to ease congestion and maintaining trees in the city.

Learn more about Fite’s campaign at https://www.fiteforboise.com/.

Steve Madden With a background in building and carpentry, Madden wants to make local government more transparent.

If elected to the city council, Madden plans to push transparency by publishing the City of Boise budget, allowing voters to approve or deny eminent domain powers and boosting public engagement.

On his campaign website, Madden states, “I promise to treat the people and businesses of Boise, Idaho as citizens and not subjects.”

Madden declined The Arbiter’s request for an interview, saying that he would use the student organization Campus Republicans as his voice at Boise State.

Learn more about Madden’s campaign at https://maddenforboise.com/.

Early voting is open Oct.18-29, and election day is Nov. 2. Read the extended version of this article online for more information.

OCTOBER 14, 2021

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OPINION October 14, 2021 | ARBITERONLINE.COM

WE NEED TO STOP WHITEWASHING HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH Celebrating Latinx history should mean talking about both the good and the bad

Andrea Teres- Mar tinez | News Editor | opinion@stumedia.boisestate.edu

Learning the histories behind various cultures is one important step in acknowledging members of our local community.

Photo courtesy of Rodnae Productions

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he majority of people who wish me a happy Cinco de Mayo every year don’t know what the day actually celebrates. Instead, they see it as an excuse to seek out deals at Mexican fast food chains and make a post on social media about their love for tacos.

They don’t know that the holiday celebrates the Mexican army’s unlikely victory over the French military at the Battle of Puebla in 1862, which took place during a war never mentioned in any of my world history courses.

This consumerist view of Hispanic celebrations doesn’t only happen in May. Every year, it also shows up from Sept.

15 to Oct. 15, otherwise known as Hispanic Heritage Month.

The city of Boise is no stranger to this celebration. Different events and promotions have been hosted by Boise organizations to celebrate Hispanic heritage,

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including live music and performances.

While these events are typically organized with good intention, many of them ultimately feel like “hispandering,” a term referring to the pandering of Hispanic communities by politicians or corporations to gain their favor without actually providing any measurable level of support.

The best way to support members of the Latinx community — and offer honest representation — is through treating the month as an opportunity to learn and educate oneself on the accomplishments, struggles and history of Latinx people.

Being Latinx myself, I’m surprised by all the history I never learned about my own country. While I recognize that there is too much history in too many countries to be concisely taught in our primary education, the fact that 13% of Boise residents identify as Latinx makes

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it all the more relevant to include more Latinx history in academic curriculums.

Up until 2021, I didn’t know about the lynch mobs in the American West that killed thousands of Latinx people and children from the 19th century through the early 20th century. I didn’t know that seven years before Brown v.

Board, California had separate schools for white and Mexican students. I didn’t know that Justice Sonia Sotomayor was the first Hispanic-American to serve on the Supreme Court.

To make matters worse, it’s not just me; many of my Latinx peers also don’t know a lot about these historically significant events, and my Latinx peers are far more likely to know about them than anyone else.

Making Hispanic Heritage Month more commercially viable shouldn’t have to mean ignoring the history that inspired the month to begin with. Stories of prejudice, triumph and oppression shouldn’t have to be whitewashed or filtered for the sake of the listener. History doesn’t get to discriminate between the good and the bad.

Hispanic Heritage Month events highlighting Latinx authors, inventors, artists and accomplished political leaders are often the ones that teach me the most about Latin American people and their cultures. The Idaho Commission on Hispanic Affairs has hosted events like these before, such as the Hispanic Latin Leadership Roundtable Conversation.

Additionally, while Hispanic Heritage Month is the perfect occasion to become more active and informed about Hispanic history and culture, this effort should not be reserved solely for those 30 days.

Focusing on the awareness of the lives,

history and culture of Latinx communities during Hispanic Heritage Month is only part of the solution. The next step is to incorporate more of this history in Idaho’s academic curriculums, an idea that has been proposed in multiple schools nationwide.

Of course, it’s good to enjoy the discounts on Mexican food and appreciate the shows and displays of Latinx culture, despite potential consumerist intentions.

However, when it comes to a community that is so present, vibrant and somehow underrepresented in our community, I say let’s take it one step further.

Alieha Dryden | The Arbiter Let’s go out of our way to learn about Hispanic history. Let’s celebrate Latinx residents in Boise who have helped shape the city and make it a better place, such as Judge Sergio Gutierrez, who became Idaho’s first Latino judge, or Ismael Fernandez, one of the three council members in Idaho’s first all-Latino city council.

Let’s learn more about a crucial part of our own community that is so often swept under the rug.

OPINION

IS BOISE STATE PRIORITIZING PROFITS OVER STUDENTS’ HEALTH AND SAFETY?

Athletic, philanthropic and social events are still being held despite mixed messaging amid pandemic Guest Submission | opinion@stumedia.boisestate.edu

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hroughout our time at Boise State University, we have felt, for the most part, cared for and supported by our professors and administrators. However, this feeling has slowly ceased over the past year.

The COVID-19 pandemic hit everyone hard in some way, and it certainly put a dent in our education systems nationwide. But never in our lives did we think our health and safety would be sacrificed for the sake of athletic or social events.

On Sept. 17, Boise State University sent out a press release announcing that those attending the home football game had to show proof of a first-dose vaccination or a negative COVID test result. This came after extremely low mask wearing during the first home football game, despite a campus-wide mask requirement in indoor spaces and crowded outdoor spaces. The announcement, signed by Boise State President Dr. Marlene Tromp, among others, was essentially revoked the following week.

No requirements were asked of attendees of future football games.

This was done in an effort to preserve COVID-19 tests in the area, but to us, something more had to be behind this new statement.

Treefort held their ninth music festival a few weeks ago over the span of five days. Vaccination records or a negative COVID-19 test were required from those who wished to attend the festival.

So why did Boise State revoke their same requirement? Were they getting backlash from the first announcement regarding the requirement of vaccination or negative test? Or did they just back out, knowing the demographic of this state, in order to maximize profits?

In comparison, the environment at Treefort felt significantly safer, even with the festival’s large audience. Everyone in attendance was either vaccinated

or had shown a negative COVID test, and people were actively complying with the mask regulations.

After Treefort, Parent and Family Weekend was quickly approaching, and families soon be swarmed our campus — some of whom certainly had divided opinions on the COVID-19 pandemic, along with the vaccine and mask mandates that controversially accompany it.

Students and staff have the autonomous decision to attend these sporting events at their own risk, no matter their vaccination status. However, there is something to be said about the way these events are held.

Being vaccinated, I felt secure participating in events throughout the weekend with my family. However, going to my first Boise State football game of the season felt surreal.

The irony of this crowd in relation to the pandemic’s severity in Idaho was comical. Not one person was wearing a mask in the rows surrounding my family and I, and this was largely true among the remaining tens of thousands of fans. Instead of enforcing mask-wearing protocols, the university awarded people who happened to be “properly wearing a mask over their nose and mouth.”

So, that’s where we’re at now. Incentivizing a few folks out of tens of thousands in an effort to increase mask compliance instead of enforcing something that will keep people safe.

Boise State is unfairly profiting off the student body, staff and alumni population — while hospitals a few blocks away are filled to the breaking point with sick, unvaccinated COVID patients — and the university’s policy insinuates that nothing can get in the way of football.

On the other hand, student social events like Bronco Night have been canceled — rightly so — due to low rates of mask wearing.

In the 2018-19 school year, our last

The universty is holding profitable events, even as hospitals fill with unvaccinated COVID-19 patients and student events are cancelled. Claire Keener | The Arbiter “normal” year before the pandemic, the Bronco football team accumulated a total of $5,662,146 from ticket sales. The football team generated $24,683,041 in total for the 2018-19 season.

As students at Boise State, we often pay our tuition and go on our way without stopping to think where our money is going. This also applies to where the university is getting its money.

Boise State gets millions in philanthropic donations every year: 83,000 gifts from 24,500 individuals, corporations and foundations. The school has received more than $7.6 million in support so far this year, making the institution’s philanthropic support this year $41.8 million.

Donors have given $8.6 million for immediate use this year, and $2.2 million of it went to student-athletes.

The donations granted about 63% of students financial help.

The university will soon be holding its fourth annual Bronco Giving Day, which is a 36-hour event where donors can choose which area of the university

they want to give to.

The Lyle Smith Society was created to help provide student-athletes with resources to succeed in the classroom, on the field and after graduation. Over the past two years, the society has brought in a whopping $5.5 million to Boise State athletics.

These two events alone contribute to the whirlwind of unnecessary athletic donation buckets that the university continues to profit off of every year and indicates that the reason for the university’s hypocrisy and carelessness is simply to make more money.

As we’ve seen, there is a whole world out there dedicated to putting millions of dollars into student athletics.

I cannot deny that sports are important to the school as well as the athletes and I still enjoy watching the Broncos each weekend. However, sporting events and alumni donations are still crutching Boise State’s fiscal profits and they are jeopardizing the health and wellness of the student body.

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l most four years ago, Boise School District (BSD) Superintendent Coby Dennis came to district administrators with a vision: create a sustainable learning environment for all students.

This vision planted the seeds and has since been altered by current high school students who seek a change in their district’s sustainable energy plan.

Boise High School juniors Shiva Rajbhandari and Flannery Streiff, along with Timberline High School senior Sneha Sharma and other students, have come together to create a resolution pushing for a commitment from BSD to 100% clean energy by 2035 and a goal to reduce transportation and thermal energy emission by 2025.

The result is an intergenerational effort among students and educators — from elementary schools to Boise State — to create a plan for BSD’s place in the city’s efforts to curb climate change, in the name of the students whose lives it will affect most.

Streamlining sustainability Clean energy starts within each school building in the BSD, promoting the establishment of Green Schools. Green Schools is a project that aims to conserve energy, eliminate waste and save taxpayers money.

BSD’s science and sustainability supervisor, Chris Taylor, has been part of the Green Schools Project for four years and has worked with Boise State to create a plan that entails both student involvement and focus groups. Taylor is also working on his doctorate at Boise State University, in which he has been able to make connections with professors on the topic of climate change and Green Schools.

Taylor has encouraged student leaders to use their voices and influence their generation and those younger than them to

continue the climate change conversation.

“One of the biggest projects that we’re working on this year is getting more green teams, which are sustainability clubs at our schools,” Taylor said. “We have 50 schools and we have about 20 green teams right now, but most of those are in our secondary schools.”

With this power and enthusiasm, this group of teams is also working to streamline the idea of this resolution to primary schools within the district.

“My biggest goal is to get the elementary schools involved, because kids, like Shiva, are going to graduate very soon, and I just need that pipeline to continue,” Taylor said.

Building a coalition of students Shiva Rajbandari created the Green Club at his former junior high school, then founded it once again when he entered high school, to pipeline climate change conversations and enact change within the school district.

“In order to achieve this clean energy future that we’re all talking about, it starts with local action and it starts in schools,” Rajbhandari said. “So we have a coalition of students from all four Boise high schools working towards getting a resolution passed, hopefully by the end of this year by the Boise School District Board of Trustees.”

The committee behind the resolution and the Green Schools Project includes more than just Taylor and his faculty members. In the beginning, they only had three people attend a meeting. Just last week, according to Taylor, they had over 40 people show up. This group consisted of Boise School District staff, custodians, community members and Boise State professor Dr. Jen Pierce.

Taylor, however, credits the students who have become more involved over the past four years.

“The biggest piece is the students. The

students are really the ones I want to empower to drive our direction,” Taylor said.

In addition to the Green Clubs across the district, Rajbhandari and his peers have been involved in the Idaho Climate Justice League, a program of the Idaho Sierra Club and the Sierra Student Coalition.

At just 6-years-old, Timberline High School senior Sneha Sharma realized that climate change was affecting more than just her Boise community, but also her family’s community in India. She never got to experience her family’s farm in the state of Rajasthan for what it once was, with running water and abundant crops.

Instead, local water management, pollution and alternating droughts and floods took that opportunity away.

Aside from her adolescent realization of climate change’s reality, Sneha Sharma has also been involved in creating this resolution towards clean energy. Sharma has faced many uphill battles since joining forces with Rajbhandari and other students and staff of the Boise School District. But, for her, this is only the beginning.

“Through this organization, I’ve really seen how much of a difference youth voices can make.”

- Sneha Sharma,

Timberline High senior

“Through this organization, I’ve really seen how much of a difference youth voices can make,” Sharma said. “Our club is mainly high school students, but we’ve been trying to get elementary school students involved and it’s crazy to see how much we can do at a young age. We have a lot of power.”

Since the spark of this resolution and the project as a whole, many successes

have come about within the district. Chris Taylor has seen a lot of change from the four-year sustainability dedication he has put forth.

“We’ve saved over six and a half million kilowatt hours, which in money, converts into close to $400,000,” Taylor said. “The amount of metric tons of carbon that we’ve saved just in these four years for these 10 schools is close to 2,000 metric tons of carbon that we haven’t put in the atmosphere.”

These savings are being recognized, and voices are being heard. There have been many positive outbreaks of progress towards a cleaner future, which reinstates hope back into the minds of these optimistic high school students.

“Because of the work we’ve done, we [received] a national award from the U.S. Department of Energy called the 50001 Ready, and our 10 schools that are part of this program actually got this award last year for doing that work,” Taylor said.

With the momentum of the resolution, students and staff who are involved are hopeful to see change within the town that they grew up in.

Boise High junior Flannery Streiff is yet another student involved in this project.

Streiff found inspiration to voice her opinions from kids her age like 18-year-old Swede Greta Thunberg, who is known for her activism in environmental crises and climate change mitigation.

“I think my generation might be kind of unique in that everything that happened with Greta Thunberg seemed to coincide with the time that I was learning about climate change in school,” Streiff said. “So developmentally, we have just grown up with the climate awareness movement, and that’s what sparked my interest.”

Flannery and those of her age group were among some of the students who learned about climate change in

creating greener futures

How a group of local students are urging their district to commit to sustainability 10 10 Niess | Culture|Editor | culture@stumedia.boisestate.edu Amanda SEPTEMBER 9, 2021

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Graphics by Sasha White, Illustrations by Alieha Dryden | The Arbiter

school before the Idaho Legislature removed it from the K-12 curriculum plan.

“I was lucky enough to be taught about climate change, but that’s not a privilege that a lot of kids are going to have moving forward.”

- Flannery Streiff,

Boise High junior

This is yet another example of how the state of Idaho has remained silent on the topic of climate change, but this still serves as a large source of motivation for these students to present this resolution and create more Green Schools.

“I was lucky enough to be taught about climate change,” Streiff said, “but that’s not a privilege that a lot of kids are going to have moving forward.”

The Resolution The long-term goals of this resolution will benefit more than just the current students within the district, but will also benefit those who will attend these schools for years to come.

This

resoslution also aims to save money for each of these schools.

“We’re asking the board to assemble a committee that would draft this plan within the next year,” Rajbhandari said. “And the reason this sustainability plan is so important is because this is actually where the money-saving comes from.”

At this point in time, these students and their faculty mentors are working to build a following behind their resolution and to build a plan to create more Green Schools across the BSD. “We are working to find teachers to help talk to their district coordinators and we’re working with our school administrators … because really, the way the Boise School District works is in a bureaucracy,” Rajbhandari said. “We’d really like to secure means with those people and that comes through working with administration and teachers and having really engaging conversations.”

As Rajbhandari, Sharma and Streiff all men-

tioned, without these connections and conversations, nothing will get accomplished. With the help of their mentors, these these students have the ability to influence the aforementioned bureaucracy that is the district.

“Chris Taylor actually has been a really great mentor for me, a lot of my teachers have because, you know, they help navigate this bureaucracy and help connect me with other student leaders across the district to make a change,” Rajbhandari said.

For these students, there have been some frustrations and challenges along the way.

Patience is a key factor to this journey to the district office, and the students still feel as if they are not being heard, despite their efforts.

“Because we’re students, it’s definitely been hard to be paid attention to sometimes, which has been frustrating,” Streiff said. “These are deadlines that need to get done and can’t wait.”

Taylor mentioned that the students’ ambitions can clash with the expected

expediency of their goals at times, but education remains at the forefront of this whole journey.

Gaining a following among teachers and administrators with power behind their voice is what these high school students strive for.

“It’s about making connections and getting teachers [and parents] on our side,” Sharma said. “We can really show the district that everyone is impacted by climate change and outreach is huge when getting your voice heard. More voices are stronger than just one person.”

This is, and has been, a long road for these ambitious students, but their resiliency and well-thought-out resolution will make the journey that much more valuable.

Little by little, their voices are being heard by board members and those involved in the decision-making for the BSD. “The district’s motto is ‘educating today for a better tomorrow,’ but I’d like to see the Boise School District also make a commitment to take action today to protect tomorrow,” Rajbhandari said. “I’d also like to see a dedication to making sure that students have a livable future and that we have something to grow up in and have a world that’s still intact by the time we’re able to create that better tomorrow.”

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October 14, 2021 | ARBITERONLINE.COM

CAMPUS CLUBS WORK WITH COVID GUIDELINES TO RESUME IN PERSON

Student clubs are finding new and innovative ways to stay connected Patrick R. Kaufmann | Staff Writer | culture@stumedia.boisestate.edu

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any students come to Boise State in pursuit of intellectual and personal discoveries. One way for students to enrich their experience is to engage with student clubs and organizations that match their interests.

Nearly 200 student clubs serve interests as diverse as the Artificial Intelligence Club, the Nuclear Engineering Club and the Dungeons and Broncos Club.

As the campus community adjusts to social distancing requirements, finding other students with similar interests can be a challenge. Some clubs are exploring new and innovative ways to pursue their organization’s interests.

The Theatre Majors Association (TMA) is one organization that is committed to creating a community of student artists with a shared passion for theatre outside of the university classroom.

“Our organization is rooted in performance, and since the rise of COVID we have had to pivot and change what we bring to the community,” said Zoe Kelly, TMA publicity manager and junior theatre arts major.

Kelly noted that Broadway’s closure in March of 2020 was an early indicator of the coming changes for theaters around the world.

“In the past we performed one-act shows in the Danny Peterson Theatre,” Kelly said.

“But after the university closed in early 2020 we had to mimic what we saw in the professional industry to do fully costumed Zoom performances.”

While the Zoom performances were difficult, they were also very rewarding and also necessary, Kelly said. Now, with the university more open, the TMA is returning to meetings inside the Danny Peterson Theatre.

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Coordinating in-person events both on and off campus forces student clubs to navigate the balance between the university’s health guidelines and their own organizational goals.

Senior computer science major John Koenig leads the student organization College Republicans at Boise State. The College Republicans hold tabling events on campus to share their conservative values and connect with new students. Over the years, they have also attended political events like the Lincoln Day Banquet or the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), which they’re also planning to attend this year.

“We had to secure private funding to attend CPAC in Florida because the school The Student Involvement and Leadership Center (SILC) is located on the second Patrick R. Kaufmann | The Arbiter wasn’t funding trips that were out of state,” floor of the SUB above the BRC. for student organization engagement at is to schedule their meetings at outdoor Koenig said. the Student Involvement and Leadership locations like the Centennial Amphithe“We have a lot of student clubs Center (SILC), understands how Zoom ater, where students can social distance and meetings and social distancing can affect remove their masks. who are eager to do events student clubs.

“The last thing that students want to do in person, and we encourage “It’s harder for students because they’re after a day of classes is to come to an hourfrustrated with virtual events and having long meeting and wear masks,” Koenig said them to follow the university to be online,” Johns said. “We have a lot of of students in the College Republicans. and public health office guidestudent clubs who are eager to do events in Johns said that student organizations person, and we encourage them to follow who are interested in finding meeting spaclines and to be safe.” the university and public health office es like an academic classroom or a room in Tebraie Johns, senior guidelines and to be safe.” the Student Union Building can reach out coordinator for student Uncertainty about how the universito the SILC. ty might be forced to respond to future “You can never bug us enough,” Johns organization engagement at the COVID outbreaks is a persistent factor in said. “We’re here to support students to Student Involvement and how student clubs and organizations plan adapt to changing conditions, and we Leadership Center (SILC) their activities. trust them to make good decisions when it Kelly said that the TMA’s contingency comes to guidelines.”

Public contention over social distancing plans include a return to online meetings Students who have questions about how can also make it difficult to attend events to apply social distancing guidelines in their that don’t follow Boise State’s social distanc- and performances.

“Those Zoom meetings were really clubs can visit the Student Involvement and ing guidelines.

Leadership Center, located on the second “We can’t always control the way an event important during COVID as a way to get floor of the Student Union Building, above operates off campus, so that’s been a serious together, to hang out and decompress and have a snippet of normalcy,” Kelly said. the BRC, or find information on their challenge,” Koenig said.

One way that some clubs have adjusted website at boisestate.edu/getinvolved.

Tebraie Johns, the senior coordinator

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UNDERGRADUATES SHOWCASE CREATIVE WRITING AT STORYFORT

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Students gain vital experience in the only Treefort event organized entirely by Boise State students

Andrea Teres-Martinez | News Editor | culture@stumedia.boisestate.edu

lives where we are all so connected and focused together on what we’re studying so that’s so incredible,” Lotz said. “I would love to see more events like that from Boise State.”

Especially when it comes to a festival as big as Treefort, sharing one’s work can be a transformative part of the undergrad experience, not only gaining experience in performing and reading, but also meeting other artist locally.

“I’m really excited that I was chosen and I’m honored to be a part of it because this is a big deal,” said Isabel Emerson, an undeclared, non-traditional student.

“It really warms my heart to be able to see this happening, undergrads don’t get a chance to read that often but this is where it starts.”

- Joe Davidson,

The undergraduate writing showcase was hosted in downtown Boise in the new Cherie Buckner-Webb park, off Bannock and 11th Street near the Treefort Music Fest’s main stage.

Fenix Dietz | The Arbiter

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toryfort — the storytelling program track at Boise’s Treefort Music Fest — hosted a creative writing showcase for Boise State undergraduate students on Friday, Sep. 24.

The event featured a collection of poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction read by students whose works were selected from a pool of submissions. On their website, Storyfort called them “writers who are shaping the future of the written word in Boise and beyond.”

The outdoor reading was held at the new Cherie Buckner-Webb Park, where Treefort attendees and other Storyfort performers gathered to hear the stories of the diverse group of students.

A total of nine students presented work at the event, with topics ranging from poems about love and loss to excerpts about addiction and vampires.

Ryan Marsh, a junior creative writing major, organized, promoted and recruited readers for the event. Wanting to ensure the Boise State community had as much involvement as possible, many of the judges selected by Marsh were either professors at the university or literaries in the Boise community. “[The showcase] has been done before but it hadn’t been done in about three or four years,” Marsh said. “I just had the idea to try to put on something with my friends and, you know, share their art because it’s a scary thing to do.”

After contacting Storyfort Director Christian Winn with his idea, Marsh began interning with Storyfort and organizing the event.

“I was super nervous,” Marsh said.

“Honestly the night before was the first time I spoke into a microphone in front

of people.”

Just as hosting was a new experience for Marsh, many of the students presenting that day had never publicly presented their work before.

“I was definitely pretty nervous, I’d never done a reading before,” said Katie Lotz, a senior narrative arts major, who read a nonfiction piece about her family’s experience with addiction. “Once I got up there and I started reading and got into the flow of everything, it got a little bit less scary.”

According to both Marsh and Lotz, engaging with the Boise community beyond the university can be a great way to network, find out about cool opportunities and grow in one’s craft.

“I totally think that [student involvement] is so important, especially because college is such a cool time in all of our

assistant director for Storyfort

Joe Davidson, assistant director for Storyfort, closed out the event with a few words on the significance of hands-on experience for undergrad students, especially for young writers.

“It really warms my heart to be able to see this happening, undergrads don’t get a chance to read that often but this is where it starts,” Davidson said.

Future collaborations between Boise State and Storyfort are expected to occur throughout the next year, with another undergraduate showcase being held in March 2022, with more information to come. Additionally, Marsh hopes to put together another undergrad showcase in January for Boise State students.

“These people are learning their craft, they’re doing amazing work and someday their names are the ones you’re going to be seeing on books and in magazines out there in the public, so remember that,” Davidson said.

OCTOBER 14, 2021

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C U LT U R E

ALL BANDS ON DECK: VEMM

MOVIE REVIEW: ‘CANDYMAN’

Check out these local musicians and Boise State students

‘Candyman’ invokes the real horrors of anti-Blackness

Amanda Niess | Culture Editor | culture@stumedia.boisestate.edu

Paige Wirta | Opinion Editor | culture@stumedia.boisestate.edu

VEMM member Elias Willerup, also a Boise State student, performs at Treefort Music Fest in September.

Photo courtesy of Preston Valles

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Teyonah Parris lead “Candyman” with intense emotional scenes and vulnerable storytelling. Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures & MGM

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rom house shows to performing downtown at The Shredder to making it big at Treefort Music Fest, this band has done it all. Meet VEMM, a local band from Boise, Idaho.

The band started two years ago thanks to guitarist Michael Prolly. Prolly slowly started collecting the members one by one to initially just play music together. Their occasional jam sessions eventually turned into VEMM. Band members Elias Willerup and Myles Stauffer happen to be full-time Boise State students. Willerup, a junior GIMM major, and Stauffer, a sophomore visual arts major, find inspiration from bands like Peach Pit and Hers.

In the beginning, Willerup only knew how to play the drums, but thanks to his musical influences, he was able to pick up the bass.

“Bass is actually a very new instrument for me,” Willerup said. “I started out on drums when I was really young and I only picked up the bass like three or four years ago.”

Stauffer shared different reasons as to how he started playing the drums. In middle school, there were too many percussionists in his band class, so his teacher made him pick up a new instrument: the saxophone.

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When Stauffer moved on to high school, he immediately asked his band teacher for permission to pick up the drums, reverting back to his favorite instrument. Now, Stauffer plays the drums for the band.

Aside from the instruments they play and the inspirations they look to, Willerup and Stauffer expressed on behalf of the band that their music is more than just an after-school hobby.

“As students, we’re all really stressed out and anxious, and nobody really shows it,” Willerup said. “Just being able to play shows and go to shows is such a good outlet and such a good release for that, being able to forget about all the homework assignments and the future planning that we have to do.”

As the band has gained more experience, they have also taken advantage of more opportunities, like playing at Treefort in September, where they were able to reach more listeners than ever.

“It feels good knowing that people are getting something out of it,” Stauffer said, “whether it’s like just fun or getting rid of their stress from school or whatever.”

Expect much more from VEMM this year and possibly a new album. For now, check VEMM out on Spotify and other streaming platforms.

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s an avid horror fan, any film produced and written by Jordan Peele is sure to get my excitement up, especially a new release leading into the fall season.

Directed by Nia DaCosta, “Candyman” joins Peele’s previous projects “Us” and “Get Out” as both a thought-provoking horror film and an important social commentary.

A sequel to the 1992 film, several members of the original cast come back to deliver gut-wrenching scenes guaranteed to send goosebumps up your arms.

The 2021 follow-up features a similar storyline and returning characters that tie together two amazing films. An up-andcoming Black artist, Anthony McCoy, is desperately searching for his next big project, and his growing interest in the local Candyman legend seemingly puts himself and his loved ones in danger.

With an intense focus on racial injustice, “Candyman” reminds viewers of the importance of preserving Black culture and calling out gentrification. McCoy’s art comments on a number of issues like police brutality; akin to “Get Out” and “Us,” “Candyman” forces viewers to assess their own biases while reveling in Peele’s intense horror.

The character of the legendary Candyman originates from a 1985 short story,

“The Forbidden,” by Clive Barker. The film does a wonderful job of interlacing mythology from “The Forbidden” and the 1992 “Candyman” without spending too much time in the past.

In fact, the storytelling in the movie occurs as a creepy, two-dimensional puppet show, adding to the tension building up throughout the film. This art style is what kept me in my seat as the credits rolled, watching other interpretations of the Candyman myth play out as stark paper figures moving across the screen. The scene throughout the credits was honestly emotional, leaving me with an aching heart even after the film ended.

Horror fans far and wide tend to agree that the best way to experience a horror film is in the cinema, and “Candyman” is no exception.

With a chilling score composed by Robert A.A. Lowe, the soundtrack is best heard seated among other horror fans gasping in fear. Lowe transports viewers to a gentrified Cabrini-Green, leaving them leaning forward, waiting for the scares and reveals.

As we enter into the fall season, horror fans are starting their scary movie watch lists. If you’re a Peele fan or enjoy mythology based films, adding “Candyman” to your list is a great choice.

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INTERNATIONAL STUDENT PODCAST BEGINS SECOND SEMESTER

‘Around the World’ hosts Manon Preteseille and Johann Vargas aim to be a resource for students Becky Wilson | Staff Writer & Social Media and Outreach Coordinator | culture@stumedia.boisestate.edu

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ith multimedia production on the rise, podcasts and other streaming services enable communities to connect, especially communities on school campuses like Boise State.

“Around The World” is a weekly podcast created by Boise State international students for international students.

The podcast is a resource for international students to get information about events on campus, as well as tips and tricks for navigating Boise life.

Listeners can tune into the podcast every Thursday at 4:00 p.m. on University Pulse Radio or listen to past episodes on Spotify.

Manon Preteseille, a junior French secondary education major, hosts the weekly podcast with her co-host Johann Vargas, a junior Bolivian computer science major.

The two started the podcast during the 2021 spring semester and have resumed again with the fall semester.

The first episode of “Around the World” aired on Sept. 9, 2021.

“The first one was about coming back,” Preteseille said. “So much happened over the past few weeks so we just wanted to go over all these events and do a quick summary of what’s going to come up.”

Preteseille, Vargas and International Student Coordinator Keith Quartraro sat down in February of 2021 to discuss plans for the 2021 fall semester.

Keith Quatraro works at International Student Services under the Center for Global Education, and serves as the supervisor for the international peer advisors.

“We were still doing all virtual events and we wanted to provide interactive, engaging and informative events for students,” Quartraro said. “And it was just a thought that we should try a podcast because podcasts are popular.”

Vargas and Preteseille are also peer advisors at the International Student Services Office, where they work to provide on-campus resources for international students.

“Keith had this idea of hosting a student podcast for international students,” Preteseille said. “They always have questions that I want to share so we thought it’d be fun to just have something related to Boise State but talk about international student stuff.”

Even though Quartraro had a big part in the creation of “Around The World,” he takes a more hands-off approach and lets the student hosts take the reins of the podcast.

“I just get our peers in the room and we start talking about ideas,” Quartraro said.

“I don’t want to take any credit for it because I feel it’s [up to] Manon and Johann, in particular.”

Quartraro hopes to build an engaged audience that will keep coming back every Thursday to hear more about international students’ experiences and provide resources for other international students.

One way that Preteseille and Vargas build an audience is by having different guests on the show every week.

“Usually we try to have guests just because it’s more interesting,” Preteseille said.

On the podcast, Preteseille likes to talk about topics that are based on American culture. She has a particular interest in Greek life.

In June, Preteseille and Vargas had senior sociology major Elizabeth Peterson, president of her sorority, Alpha Gamma Delta, on the show.

Greek life is one way for international students to get involved with campus culture. The show allowed for Peterson to share her experiences with Greek life and to encourage both international and domestic students to participate.

“The podcast was a great way for Greek life to get out there and for some of the other organizations to be able to support communities that we typically don’t interact with on a regular basis,” Peterson said. “Every Boise State student should feel included in everything on campus.”

The show creates a space for interview-

ees to build a bridge between themselves and the world of students in the Boise State community.

“I thought it was great and that it was a cool experience,” Peterson said. “And then being able to see all the other people they’ve been interviewing and their experiences with Boise State was pretty cool.”

Preteseille and Vargas have done 14 shows so far and have big plans for the upcoming year. The hosts hope to see the podcast flourish over the next couple of years.

They also hope that the podcast can not only help international students get connected, but also help domestic U.S. students discover different perspectives.

“That’s the goal,” Preteseille said. “To be something more serious and to have people know us.”

Students can interact with one another through International Broncos on Instagram to learn more about the podcast or to ask questions about international communities on campus.

Listeners can tune into the weekly podcast on Thursdays at 4 p.m. on University Pulse Radio, or find past episodes on Spotify.

Claire Keener | The Arbiter OCTOBER 14, 2021

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SPORTS & REC October 14, 2021 | ARBITERONLINE.COM

ATHLETIC FACILITY UPDATES TO CONTINUE DESPITE BUDGET CONCERNS Boise State Athletics is partnering with AECOM to update athletic facilities across campus Lexi Almeido | Sports & Rec Editor | sports@stumedia.boisestate.edu

the school year began. This decision was anticipated to reduce the university’s budget by $2.3 million according to former Athletic Director Curt Apsey.

“Boise State is a national brand, and I am excited to partner with a national firm that understands who we are and where we want to go.”

- Jeramiah Dickey, athletic director

AECOM’s comprehensive review will result in recommendations by the end of 2021, with implementation set to begin in 2022.

Graphic by Sasha White | The Arbiter

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thletic Director Jeramiah Dickey announced on Aug. 5 that Bronco Athletics has partnered with AECOM’s sports practice to conduct a complete review of all current athletic facilities across campus. The review process will take place over the course of the next four to six months.

AECOM is the industry’s only fully integrated sports consultancy. They specialize in facility assessments, economic impact, revenue analysis and full design services.

“From a facilities standpoint, this is our first step in determining what our programs need in order to be successful,

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and to be able to recruit and compete at a national level across the board,” Dickey said. “From there, we will prioritize and chart the course for the future of Bronco Athletics. This process will position our programs for long-term success and assure we are providing the best student-athlete experience we can offer.”

According to Boise State Athletics, the company has worked with Bronco Athletics over the last decade on multiple projects.

After conducting a complete review of the athletic facilities, AECOM will make suggestions about the facilities all while including student-athlete impact, the

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university’s budget and project timeline.

“Boise State is a national brand, and I am excited to partner with a national firm that understands who we are and where we want to go,” Dickey said.

Throughout the 2020-2021 school year, furloughs and compensation reductions were implemented for Boise State Athletics staff with an annual salary of more than $40,000.

According to an emailed press release, these measures would result in savings of roughly $1.8 million for the department.

Along with furloughs and salary reductions, the Boise State baseball and swim and dive programs were cut before

“The university had already been working closely with athletics to create a sustainable budget,” said Boise State President Dr. Marlene Tromp in a video conference after the announcement on July 2, 2020. “The pandemic has made a challenging financial situation unsustainable. Ultimately, the reduction of the number of sports in which we compete allows Boise State a better chance of remaining competitive at the highest level and provides a more realistic roadmap to a sustainable future for the university and athletic department.”

Since then, Boise State Athletics has exhausted multiple ways for the department to bring in money. These include a push for ticket sales during football season, alcohol sales within Albertsons Stadium and asking for donations from sponsors and members of the community.

Just over a year later, Boise State Athletics announced their plan to upgrade athletic facilities across campus which ultimately will introduce new costs. No set amount has been estimated for this project, but the department will begin implementing plans in December 2021, according to Dickey.

SPORTS & REC

INTRAMURAL SPORTS AT THE REC

BSU RECOMMITS TO MOUNTAIN WEST

Mat thew Valento | Staf f Writer | spor ts@stumedia.boisestate.edu

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

The Rec Center offers an array of intramural athletics AD Jeramiah Dickey reverses conference change talk

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he new school year is underway, which means a new season of intramural sports has begun. This provides an opportunity for any student to play their favorite sport.

Intramural athletics is one way for Boise State students to get involved in a community and be active outside of school. There is a vast range of sports students have the ability to sign up for, courtesy of the Campus Recreation Center (the Rec).

Alexandra Sanchez, coordinator of Rec Sports, explained the process for students to get involved.

This year, students must purchase an intramural sports play pass, which can be done in person at the Rec or through the Rec Center website. There is a onetime $25 flat fee that allows students to play all the intramural sports they want up until May. After purchasing a play pass, students can go to Boise State’s IMLeagues page and register for the sports they want to participate in.

Some sports are in high demand. The most popular among students are flag football, sand volleyball, basketball and soccer.

“Those are the sports that we have as a league and also sometimes as a tournament because of how popular they are,” Sanchez said.

While Boise State offers a wide range of intramural sporting options, the Rec Center also has plenty of other programs for students, including the general Rec Center facilities and the Outdoor Program in the Rec. Jared Cox, associate director of programs and communication for the Rec, explained the variety of programs offered at the center.

“We have informal recreation at the Student Rec Center, so you can just drop in and play pickleball, badminton, racketball and volleyball,” Cox said.

Cox also mentioned the club sports the Rec Center offers. These include hockey, lacrosse, soccer and rugby.

According to Cox, these are other big recreational activities that students engage in at this time of year.

“If you’re interested in something, just come to the Rec Center and learn more about what we have to offer,” Cox said. “But, if you want to get fit or work out, we have fitness classes. Another really popular option for students looking to do something recreational and meet friends is the Outdoor Program, where we have a climbing gym, outdoor trips, rental center [and] some team-building things as well.”

There are no shortages of opportunities for students to get involved and active on campus.

The Rec Center offers a range of intramural sports.

Adam Bridges | The Arbiter

Bronco Athletics remains optimistic in MWC.

B

oise State will remain in the Mountain West Conference (MWC), for now.

Boise State Athletic Director Jeramiah Dickey released a statement assuring Boise State’s commitment to the MWC on Friday, Oct. 1. This statement came as a surprise, following a Sept. 10 statement in which Dickey remained hopeful about Boise State’s admittance into the Big 12 Conference, despite their rejection this fall.

In that statement, Dickey assured fans that Boise State’s future is still “extremely bright” despite not making it into the conference. Dickey also stated that Boise State has “a lot to be proud of ” moving forward.

The recent statement from Dickey is in response to rumors of Boise State switching conferences.

“I have consistently stated since arriving at Boise State that our institution is a proud member of the Mountain West, but we will always do our due diligence in regards to what is best for our department and university,” Dickey said.

Mackenzie Hudson | The Arbiter

“While our on-field successes and positive trajectory of the University have created opportunities for us, we remain committed to the Mountain West.”

Dickey reiterated his comment about Boise State’s current conference status and future trajectory.

“Boise State is committed to excellence in all aspects of our University, including our athletics programs and our commitment to — and investment in — our student-athletes, coaches and staff will only grow stronger,” Dickey said. “We will not rest on our past successes. We will continue to build upon them in order to achieve epic results.”

Although Dickey clearly states Boise State’s commitment to the Mountain West, he did not say how long that commitment will last. This still keeps the possibility of Boise State changing conferences in the future on the table.

With a recent win over No. 10 Brigham Young University (BYU), who was recently accepted into the Big 12, anything seems in the foreseeable future for Boise State.

OCTOBER 14, 2021

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ARBITERONLINE.COM

17

SPORTS & REC

FORMER BRONCO BASKETBALL PLAYER LEXUS WILLIAMS TO ASSIST LEON RICE

Williams, a standout from the 2017-2018 season, is stepping into a brand new position in Bronco Athletics Ceirra Williams | Staff Writer | sports@stumedia.boisestate.edu

right back where it really started,” Williams said. “I originally came to Boise State to get a master’s degree that could help propel me into a career in athletic administration. It’s not something I did just to check a box. Boise State’s [Master’s of ] Athletic Leadership program prepared me for this. To be using that graduate degree to advance the university that I earned it from is special.”

“I’m excited to embark on this journey right back where it really started.”

- Lexus Williams, assistant to

Boise State men’s basketball head coach Leon Rice

Williams is returning to Boise State’s basketball program with a new master’s degree in athletic leadership.

Photo courtesy of Bronco Athletics

B

oise State men’s basketball head coach Leon Rice announced on Aug. 25 that Lexus Williams, a former Boise State student-athlete, would be coming back to Bronco Athletics as the assistant to the head coach.

“I’m forever indebted to coach Rice and the rest of this staff. He’s been trying to get me back since I left and I can’t wait to get started,” Williams said. “There are a lot of new faces at Boise State, but the energy and momentum of this department is something I want to be a part of and help move forward. Whatever is needed, I will help get it done.”

This new position was created upon

18

OCTOBER 14, 2021

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Williams’ arrival. Rice mentioned that this position will help players with their journey through college, academic guidance, career development and personal brand building.

“Having coached Lexus as a player, I always felt like he had a natural ability to lead,” Rice said. “He will be a terrific mentor for the young men who come through our program. This was a much-needed position, and Lexus’ leadership qualities and work ethic will be a great addition to not only our program, but our entire athletic department. I want to thank Jeramiah [Dickey] and our administration for sharing that vision and making this possible.”

ARBITERONLINE.COM

Williams started in all of the 32 games during the 2017-2018 season, earning him an honorable mention for the All-Mountain West accolades.

“I remember Williams during his season and his performance in their game against Utah State, it was kind of hard to miss him,” said Jesse Geary, a Boise native and fan of Boise State basketball.

Williams was drafted by the Texas Legends in the second round for the NBA G League, but his time was cut short by the pandemic. He has since worked as an accountant for the Jones Lang LaSalle real estate firm.

“I’m excited to embark on this journey

According to Boise State Athletics, Williams left a long-lasting impression as a Bronco. His ability to connect with everyone he came in contact with was an added factor in choosing him for this position.

“I think it’s great anytime a former player of Boise State gets to come back and coach the current athletes at BSU,” Geary said.

Williams will experience his first game as an assistant when the Broncos go head-to-head with Utah Valley on Nov. 9 in the Extra Mile Arena.

“Having coached Lexus as a player, I always felt like he had a natural ability to lead. He will be a terrific mentor for the young men who come through our program.”

- Leon Rice, men’s basketball head coach

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