Inside this Issue
Highlighting Outstanding Achievements | Page 2
History Made by Perserverance Landing | Page 5
Women’s Basketball Wins Championship | Page 7
The Bengal
isubengal.com 11 March 2021
Volume 46 Issue 23
The Independent Voice at Idaho State University Since 1910
A Conversation with Krystoff Kissoon Joanna Orban Copy Editor Krsytoff Kissoon came to Idaho State University for the first time as an international student from Trinidad and Tobago, a two-island country in the Caribbean. At the time, ISU was heavily recruiting international students. According to Kissoon, “I didn’t choose ISU; ISU chose me. That’s what ISU does for all of us.” Today, he holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and international studies and is working on a doctor of arts degree, also in political science. Kissoon is also working towards a master’s degree in public administration. His doctorate program is focused more on pedagogy, rather than research as Ph.D. programs normally focus on. He will be the first person in his family to receive a doctorate degree. The doctor of arts degree allows Kissoon to explore more aspects of political science and additional interdisciplinary courses, allowing him to pursue his love of history. “History was my first love in high school,” he recalled. Although his doctorate program places more emphasis on pedagogy, Kissoon is completing a doctoral dissertation. His research surrounds LGBTQ rights, particularly in his home country of Trinidad and Tobago. “I was extremely fascinated because since leaving Trinidad, LGBTQ rights have advanced so quickly.” Kissoon went on to discuss how Trinidad overturned the outdated Buggery Law in 2016. The Buggery Law was leftover from British occupation and prohibited members of the LGBTQ community from engaging in sexual activities. “It wasn’t enforced or anything,” Kissoon
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said, “But the symbolism of the law was damaging to the psyche of Trinidad.” Kissoon’s dissertation will focus on the factors that influenced LGBTQ rights in Trinidad. He will also implement comparative politics by studying if those factors can be seen in other parts of the world as well. After he graduates in December, Kissoon plans to apply for academic jobs that might be open, especially somewhere we can help students get more diverse experiences. Kissoon is also interested in pursuing public radio and podcasting. This interest was sparked by his employment at KISU, ISU’s public radio station. Kissoon became involved with KISU speaks after being interviewed for ASISU Speaks, a show that interviews members of the ISU student body. At the time, Kissoon was serving as a senator for ASISU. Kissoon eventually became the host of ASISU Speaks, serving in the position for nearly two years. After he finished his first show, Kissoon was offered the position to start his own, one that he called Navigating Diversity. “I’m not exactly sure why I decided on the diversity show,” Kissoon said. Kissoon has covered topics such as antiracism and decolonization on the show, topics that have been on the news more recently due to the rise of the Black Lives Matter Movement in the summer of 2020. Continued on page 2
Cover Photo Courtesy of Krystoff Krissoon
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The Bengal at Idaho State University
11 March 2021 • Page 2
NEWS
Logan Ramsey | News Editor Contact: bgnews@isu.edu
Highlighting Outstanding Student Achievement
Jack Sherlock Reporter Idaho State University prides itself on their wide range of opportunities for academic, professional and technical success. With over 250 programs in varying realms of interest and studies, ISU caters to the niches of thousands of students, making success reasonably attainable for many. Among the general community of the best and brightest students here at ISU, there is a special collection of exceptional students that are committed, passionate and extraordinary when it comes to their field of study -- these students are recognized for their hard work and are then made recipients of Idaho State University’s Outstanding Student Achievement Award. The ISU Alumni Association meets annually to review nominations submitted by faculty, staff and students for recognition of their fellow Bengals in all their ex-
cellence. Each recipient of this prestigious award is a graduating student who displays academic excellence, leadership experience and exceptional service to their respective colleges. This year, the Alumni Association named 13 graduating students as the recipients of the 2021 Outstanding Student Achievement Award, Claudia Yvette Maldonado Merino was one of those students. Maldonado is a first-generation college student in the College of Arts and Letters that studies as a tri-major student, pursuing degrees in political science, Spanish and global studies. A recent graduate back in December of 2020, Maldonado will continue their education this Spring to develop a complete thesis specific to one of their majors. In addition to thesis work, Maldonado is working on graduate school applications to pursue a master’s degree in international affairs or public administration,
while also considering law school as the next step. Maldonado’s ultimate goal is to become a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State. Their passion for foreign affairs and immigrant relations is the driving force behind their studies, and they’re ultimately looking for a job that combines their interests and passions into that of a meaningful career. When asking Maldonado about how they feel about their recent status as an Outstanding Student, they said, “I am incredibly humbled to be the recipient of this award.” Maldonado continues to extend gratitude by saying “I think it’s important to note that many of the opportunities and success I had are due in large part to the people I had around me. My family, along with their own incredible support, have been a great example of grit and determination. I owe much of my work ethic to them. My friends have also been a great support system and inspiration on their
own.” When asked how they got to this point or what tools they found useful, Maldonado continued to say “Additionally, I have had wonderful professors and mentors here at ISU that not only helped me develop my knowledge and interests, but motivated me to push my comfort zone, allowing me to develop the confidence to pursue some great opportunities.” Maldonado summarized by stating that they did not work hard with intentions to receive this award, but rather they worked hard for themselves and followed the advice of advisors to get to where they are now. “While I have done well in my classes and I have had some great opportunities, it’s important to note that I’ve also had some classes or assignments that didn’t go very well, and opportunities that I didn’t get,” Maldonado said. “I think it’s important to learn to bounce back from those experiences and not let them deter you.”
2021 Outstanding Student Award Winners Announced Idaho State University Press Release
Featured: Claudia Maldonado Photo Courtesy of Claudia Maldonado
Featured: Addison Biason Photo Courtesy of Addison Biason
The Idaho State University Alumni Association has named 13 graduating students as 2021 Outstanding Student Achievement Award recipients. The Outstanding Student Achievement Awards are presented in recognition of the hard work, discipline, and academic excellence exemplified by these student leaders. The recipients are graduating students who have demonstrated outstanding service to their respective college, to Idaho State University and to the community, and who also have exceptional scholastic achievement. It is our pleasure to announce the 2021 Outstanding Student Achievement Award recipients:
• • • • • • • • • • • • •
College of Arts and Letters - Fine Arts: Madison Brown College of Arts and Letters - Social Sciences: Claudia Maldonado College of Business: Nicole Milford College of Education: Drake Heithoff College of Science and Engineering - Engineering: Zakarie Macpherson College of Science and Engineering - Sciences: Delaney Moore College of Health Professions: Addison Biason School of Rehabilitation & Communication Sciences: Kathryn Chapman College of Pharmacy: John Roberts College of Technology: Bryndi Rigby School of Nursing: Katherine Estep Graduate School - Masters candidate: Laticia Herkshan Graduate School - Doctoral candidate: Ruth MacNeille
Krystoff Krissoon, Continued from Page 1 Navigating Diversity was originally just a 10-minute segment on Friday mornings. “Eventually it got to the point where I felt like I had too much good content that I was cutting to fit the ten minutes,” said Kissoon. The show was then moved to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday nights, its current time slot. The show’s Facebook page is @ diversityradio. Past episodes can be found on kisu.org/programs/navigating-diversity#stream/0. Kissoon’s show has allowed him to interview fellow graduate students, undergraduate students, faculty and staff at ISU. He also was able to interview Paulette Jordan during her run for the United States Senate in 2020. “The show has been a range of political issues, but I’ve been transitioning it, due to the pandemic, to more spiritual types of ideas,” Kissoon said. According to the Navigating Diversity webpage, the show has three main purposes, recognizing the duality in all things, finding more conscious ways to stand in our truth and help others to stand in theirs and getting comfortable with being uncomfortable. Kissoon was recently nominated for and received the 2021 Joy Morrison Award. This award was created by the Portneuf Valley Interfaith Fellowship in 2004 to honor Morrison, who was then a reporter at the Idaho State Journal. Reverend Jennifer Peek who serves as
the Consulting Minister of Pocatello Unitarian Universalist Fellowship wrote the following in her nomination letter, “Krystoff Kissoon’s personality, of deep caring concern for everyone, shines through in all his programs. I think especially in this climate of great divide among people, the message he brings of unity through building relationships makes him a uniquely qualified candidate for the Joy Morrison Award.” As a graduate student, Kissoon shared tips with students who may be interested in education, post bachelor’s degree. “Grad school is an emotional, physical, mental, financial undertaking,” Kissoon said. He recommends that students look for funding rather than be through scholarships or paid for by a company. Kissoon also recommends that students focus on the same research topic throughout their program, as it makes writing a dissertation a bit easier. “It’s a messy process and you’re going to grow emotionally, spiritually, and psychologically as you open to the experience,” Kissoon said of grad school. He also recommends that students pick a grad school with students and professors they can see themselves working with. “Cohort is everything,” He said. “If you are just open to it and do your best, people take notice,” Kissoon stated of his overall experience at ISU.
Page 3 • 11 March 2021
The Bengal at Idaho State University
NEWS
Logan Ramsey | News Editor Contact: bgnews@isu.edu
Spreading Awareness of Alternative Educational Materials Andrea Diaz Reporter A group of students and faculty from all ISU campuses have come together and are trying to spread awareness of Open Educational Resources (OER). OER are learning materials that are not under traditional copyright, and are available online for free or at a very low cost. These resources could include free textbooks from publishers such as OpenStax, course materials in OER repositories online, or even professors’ own written materials. The committee is known as the Open and Affordable Educational Resources (OAER). “Starting this past year, in 2020, the library became aware of recent research on open educational resources, or free and openly licensed course materials, showing that they could really benefit ISU students. So we formed a committee called the OAER committee, Open and Affordable Educational Resources Committee,” said Health Sciences librarian, Kristin Whitman. To recognize faculty members adopting OER at ISU, the OAER committee created the Textbook Heroes honor. “Textbook Heroes are members of the ISU community who have created or adopted low cost or free course materials, meaning low cost or free textbooks, lab manuals, study manuals,” Whitman said. Something that initiated the campaign as a whole was the statistics that came from a Florida study that outlined due to the pricing of textbooks and materials for a course that 64.2% of students have not purchased the required book for a course, 42.8% took fewer classes, 40.5% didn’t register for specific courses, 35.6% received a poor grade, 22.9% dropped the course completely. It was also discovered that Courses with OER had a 29% lower withdrawal rate than courses with commercial textbooks. One of the ways that the committee raised awareness was they held ISU Open Education Week (Feb 22-26), which
included a series of virtual events for faculty interested in adopting OER in their own courses. They also urged students to come forward about how the pricing of textbooks have affected them and their education by creating a series of video interviews. These student stories can be found on Idaho State University’s Library Youtube channel in the Textbook Tales playlist. In a particular video the students are asked what is the most expensive textbook they have purchased and oftentimes it was where they had to purchase an access code along with the textbook in order to have access to the homework. “And the particular one I bought was one of those leaflet textbooks. So that already feels silly, because why am I paying so much for leaflets? And, and then it came with its own code. And so you know, once you log into the code, and you use it, that’s not refundable. But also because it’s a leaflet and not a real actual book, you can’t resell those or anything, and you can’t return them.” said Senator for the College of Arts and Letters, Pam Pascali. The OAER also presented their campaign to different people around the campus and they have professors and faculty that are working on OER which include:Mark Mcbeth, Political Science, Amy Jo, Popa in Art, Marie Stango in History, Iris Buder in Economics, Sarah Robey in History, Zackery Heern in History, Cathy Gray in the library, and Lydia Wilkes in English. The OAER Committee hopes to continue raising awareness around campus, and they plan to work with campus groups such as ASISU student government. “I mean, progress is happening. we’re adopting a resolution of support to give to the administration that, you know, is just emphasizing how important open and affordable educational resources are for students. And then what that means for retention,” Pascali said.
Photo Courtesy of Idaho State University
ASISU ELECTIONS
March 15-19 on Bengalweb
Item 1:
Bill 572 - Graduate Studies, often referred to as Graduate School, is not a School but a College. The Graduate Studies is listed as a College organizationally, i.e., College of Graduate Studies; however, the name hasn’t changed to reflect contemporary naming practices. We, ASISU, would like to update the ASISU Constitution, ASISU Senate Rule Book, and ASISU ByLaws accordingly. This change would avoid all confusion.
Item 2:
Office Elections - Who is Running Executive Tickets Chance Hense & Derek Odgers Rachel Jensen & Brandon Reid Zane Webb & Ailie Maclean College of Arts & Letters Emma Watts Richard Odgers Carmon Napoles College of Business Isabel Juarez Jeremiah Schillz
School of Nursing Elizabeth Givens College of Science & Engineering Alex Diviney Mikayla Macaluso College of Technology Rebecca Maraquis For more information vist https://www.isu.edu/elections/
The Bengal at Idaho State University
11 March 2021 • Page 4
LIFE
Kaitlyn Hart | Life Editor Contact: bglife@isu.edu
A Petition for a Sustainable Future
Kyran Cates Reporter As our planet suffers the intensifying consequences of carbon emissions and climate change, students at Idaho State University have decided to push our campus towards joining the fight for a sustainable future. Senior Rituraj Yadav and first-year Emma Watts recently started a petition to encourage ISU’s President, Kevin Satterlee, to enact one of Second Nature’s climate leadership commitments. Second Nature is an organization dedicated to speeding up climate change action by motivating, mobilizing and organizing climate change initiatives in higher education institutions. “I call the petition #SustainableBengals. We want each and every one of the Bengals to take tangible actions in order to reduce their carbon footprint. We want them to live more sustainably and care for our planet and natural resources,” said Yadav, who is double-majoring in earth and environmental systems, and finance.
Once Watts and Yadav’s petition gains 1,000 signatures, it will encourage ISU to join numerous other universities across the state in the fight against climate change. By committing to one of Second Nature’s Climate leadership commitments, ISU will develop a comprehensive climate action plan and annually evaluate its progress. The petition also calls for a university project charter regarding sustainability on campus. Backed by students, faculty and ASISU, the sustainability petition has received 643 signatures as of March 6. If you’re interested in helping initiate sustainability changes on ISU’s campus, you can add your name to the petition at: http://chng.it/ zR8pB7FPfj. College campuses contribute significantly to levels of carbon emissions across the nation, which is why many universities have begun working to reduce their impact on climate change and serve as an example for the rest of their community. Boise State University, Brigham Young University-Idaho, the College of Southern Idaho, the University of Idaho and others
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have already pledged to reduce their carbon footprint and work towards long-term sustainability. When asked if they have seen a desire from ISU students to join Second Nature’s climate leadership commitments, Watts who is a political science and economics major said, “Yes, yes, and yes. Second Nature’s Climate Leadership Commitments encourages sustainable action and our students are calling for change.” Watts proceeded to explain, “One thing students always comment on is the inadequate number of recycling bins on campus. It’s time to increase accessibility and accountability and this commitment will help that transition.” Climate change impacts everything from agriculture to human health, soon its effects will be permanently disastrous, and survival will become impossible if serious change doesn’t occur now. It’s up to establishments like Idaho State University to do their part to slow environmental catastrophe and act as a catalyst for sustainability in Pocatello and throughout all of Idaho. 2010 to 2019 was the hottest decade since scientists began keeping a record
140 years ago, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The polar ice caps, as well as glaciers and sea ice, are melting at an alarming rate, causing ocean levels to rise and extreme flooding in low-elevation areas. “Thinking globally, Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia is sinking by an average of 11 cm each year. Meaning it will be under the water by the end of the century,” Yadav said. In the near future, thousands of people will be forced to relocate and flee from the deadly effects of climate change. In addition to global warming, climate change has led to extreme weather across the globe from wildfires, heatwaves and hurricanes, to record rainfall, flooding and droughts. While some argue that climate change is already irreversible, many more are hopeful that humans still have a chance to change our ways and counteract the destruction of our planet. “There will soon be a point when the repercussions of climate change will be truly irreversible. The time is now. Our beautiful community and world will no longer be as it is right now if we don’t take action not only within our personal lives but in our community and on the global scale soon,” said Watts. #SustainableBengals is more important now than ever, and it is time for ISU to make a commitment to the safety of current and future generations. Sustainability on campus is a crucial step towards reducing the harmful effects of climate change and encouraging others to do the same. With over 10,000 students, ISU has the ability to educate on and encourage sustainability. Rituraj Yadav expressed his hopes for the future by saying, “Our future lies in uncertainty and darkness because some people think climate change is unreal. We must fight against this. We must act. And we must do it now.”
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Page 5 •11 March 2021
The Bengal at Idaho State University
Kaitlyn Hart | Life Editor Contact: bglife@isu.edu
History Made by Perseverance Rover Landing Chloe Reid Reporter On Feb. 18, 2021, the long-awaited Perserserverance Rover landed on Mars. This landing marked the start of a longawaited moment, a moment that could potentially help the future of science, as well as help the progression of discovering life forms on a foreign planet. The rover was launched on July 30, 2020, but circulated through space for nearly 7 months before making its final descent. Known in whole as “Mars 2020”, the effort of landing Perseverance, and the new addition of a small robot helicopter named Ingenuity had several goals. According to the NASA website, the main goals of the Mars 2020 mission were to determine whether life ever existed on Mars to characterize the climate of Mars, to characterize the geology of Mars and to prepare for human exploration. The Mars 2020 mission has become the first of its kind to actively search for previous life on the planet, compared to other missions whose purpose was to simply check if the planet was habitable. Idaho’s very own Idaho National Laboratory (INL) had a part to play in this monumental landing. A large group of employees at the laboratory assembled, tested and delivered the system, also known as the Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG) that powers the rover. This system will be able to provide heat and power to the Perseverance Rover and increase its lifespan for longer endeavors. According to the INL website, this system will allow the rover to dependably roam the Red Planet over the course of many years, gathering key information for scientists back on Earth. “It’s so rewarding to know you’re one of a handful of people who had their hands on something that goes to space. That’s pretty cool,” said Jon
Bradley, a Shelley, ID native and one of the supervisors on the project. In the entire past existence of the solar system, the discovery of potential life forms on a new planet has only recently been discovered as doable. Mars, being the most similar planet to Earth in terms of habitability, and being the main planet for astrobiological studies, has long had a need for further exploration. The Mars 2020 mission is one of the first steps in reaching that need. Out of the nearly 50 spacecraft that have traveled to Mars since the 1960s, only five, one of those five being Perseverance, have successfully traveled across the surface of the planet. NASA also incorporated something new for this trip. Sending the helicopter “Ingenuity” into the air, which will attempt to scout the Red Planet, trying to find locations of interest for future trips. Although Mars is now considered a cold, hostile environment, billions of years ago it is thought to have been warmer and wetter, more suitable for living organisms. For years, Mars has been questioned by humans in terms of its capability of hosting living organisms and the potential ability to host humans in the future. The Perseverance Rover isn’t just exploring the Red Planet. If all goes according to plan, the rover should be able to take a bit of Mars back to Earth for further investigation. By undertaking such a mission, it is hoped that Perseverance will be able to search rock samples on the Red Planet and look for biosignatures that could lead to a nod towards past microbial life. If such life has been found to exist, it could put humans on the right track to deeming Mars as habitable to all forms of life in the future years of discovery. Humans have been searching Mars for years, and in the planet’s on-again, off-again search, scientists have successfully taken the next massive step towards finding if another planet could potentially be habitable. In the past year, we have been dealing with
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seemingly everything unexpected, having such a monumental start to change is truly a step in a better direction. President Joe Biden congratulated NASA on its feat and stated that such a task was a “giant leap” for America. “It’s so much bigger than landing Perseverance on Mars, it’s about the American spirit. And you brought it back. You brought it back in a moment we so desperately needed.” Biden told Mike Watkins, the current Jet Propulsion Laboratory director.
LIFE
With the future discoveries of Perseverance and Ingenuity, within the next few years of data collection and discoveries, if all goes to plan the rover should be able to bring back pieces of the Red Planet. With these pieces, researchers hope to find pieces of biology within using equipment that can’t fit into any sort of rover. Hopefully, with these discoveries, a new side of the Earth’s sister planet can be uncovered, leading science towards the future of the potential habitability of a new terrain.
Photo Courtesy of NASA
The Bengal at Idaho State University
11 March 2021 • Page 6
SPORTS
Trevor Delaney | Sports Editor Contact: bgsports@isu.edu
ISU Tennis Teams Take Wins and Losses in Stride Trevor Delaney Sports Editor
Featured: Hristina Cvetkovic Photo Courtesy of Idaho State Athletics
The Men’s Tennis team lost to Gonzaga University on Friday March 5 with a match score of 6-1, with a singles win being the only win for the match. Coming back from this defeat to Gonzaga, the Bengals managed to beat the Eastern Washington Eagles in their match on Saturday, March 6 with a 5-2 winning score. ISU took the doubles point against Eastern Washington, picking up wins in all but two of their singles. This brings the team to a 2-8 season play so far in overall matches. The Bengals play again on March 13 against Air Force Academy in Salt Lake City, Utah. The ISU Women’s team lost to the University of Montana 2-5, taking the doubles point but losing all but one of their singles. This didn’t set the Bengals back though, as they came back with a three match winning streak over their next three opponents starting with a victory against Montana State 5-2. The next two matches saw a 7-0 win for the Bengals in each, against both Dixie State University and The College of Idaho. These consecutive wins bring Idaho State up to a 7-3 overall score for the season so far. The team plays again on March 14 against the Utah State University team here in Pocatello at the Reed Gym.
Saturday Night Lights: ISU Football Back in the Holt Arena Trevor Delaney Sports Editor The lights were shining bright in the Holt on Saturday night when the Idaho State Bengals took on the Weber State Bobcats in their first football game of the season, and the Bengal’s first game played back in the Holt Arena since pandemic gathering restrictions have permitted for limited tickets to be sold at sporting event. With the seating assigned for ticketholders to enable the crowd of masked spectators to
watch the game while socially distanced, the spirit of the fans cheering on their home team was enough to make anyone remember simpler times and even start to forget about the pandemic altogether. The steel beams of the Holt take on a different meaning, with their sturdiness giving an immemorial permanence not only to the stadium itself but to the deeply rooted traditions that have grown up here in our humble hometown. As the teams prepared for the game to start, the line of fans were queued
up going out the door in the balmy late February air. Inside the Holt Arena an ambulance with waiting crew stood by on the access ramp in preparation for any potential injuries, coaches and assistants hurriedly darted about the sidelines, and the cheer teams from ISU and Weber State were both standing by to cheer on their respective teams. Benny the Bengal was out on the prowl, adding to the ISU team-spirit that was already present. As kickoff commenced with the fans in their seats, the unmistakable sensation of the
Photo Courtesy of Idaho State Athletics
true college football experience was felt again in Pocatello. Coming into the spring season from a long fall without a season, both the team and the fans were eager to be out there doing what they love best. One fan jeered at a call from the referee, another holding up an orange and black ISU flag with unwavering gusto, but both gave the game the feeling that things were coming back to a semblance of normality again. Weber State’s defense stood like a wall against ISU, and neither team managed to score in the first quarter. By the end of the second, the Bobcats were on the scoreboard with 14 points, with the Bengals offense still unable to make a scoring play. The prerecorded halftime show from the ISU Marching Band punctuated the playing with an upbeat performance that sounded nearly like the band was really there playing. The third quarter of the game saw a 28 point jump by Weber State, with ISU at 7 points for the game. Quickly swigging down a gulp of water before putting his mask back over his mouth, an enthusiastic Bengal fan rose to his feet and cheered with a passionate booming voice that rang out and melded with the growing thunder as ISU made another successful play. The game was in the fourth quarter, and the crowd still held out hope that by some miracle ISU could push past the Weber State defense and rack up enough points to win the game before the clock ran out. The game ended with a win for Weber State and a final winning score of 49-21. ISU Coach Rob Phenice in a post-game interview said he felt that his team “never gave up”, and is looking forward to playing Weber State again in their upcoming rematch to see his team’s improvement. Phenice noted that the game came down to Weber State being a veteran team and Idaho State being made up of less experienced players. He credits Weber State’s coaching for the exceptional defense that was seen in the game. Coach Phenice said that he was “glad to see the people there” at the game on Saturday. Phenice added that “the biggest win of the day was the fact that we played a football game after being told that supposedly that we wouldn’t be able to breathe on each other again.”
Page 7 • 11 March 2021
The Bengal at Idaho State University
SPORTS
Trevor Delaney | Sports Editor Contact: bgsports@isu.edu
ISU Women’s Basketball Wins Big Sky Regular Season Championship
Photo Courtesy of Idaho State Athletics Trevor Delaney Sports Editor The Idaho State University women’s basketball team just finished up their regular season in the Big Sky play, taking the regular season championship with a 15-2 score. This was a season to remember, with an undefeated home game streak of 11-0. Overall the Bengals rounded out their total season play with a score of 19-3. Now after a prosperous season, the team has its sights set for the Big Sky conference tournament “It’s great, its amazing. It feels like a dream come true”, said Estefania Ors. “Everything happened for a reason, you know? I had to injure myself to play this
year” said Estefania Ors about how her injury led her to be able to come back to play this season. “You definitely gotta appreciate the work you put in, you know, and what came out of it” said Delaney Moore in a post-game interview. “But when we wake up tomorrow morning, there’s a new goal. We gotta put that behind us, we guaranteed a seat and now there’s a new focus and a new goal now.” “I think any game is a hard game, any game in the Big Sky, you know?” said Delaney Moore. “You gotta battle for it, you gotta come out with energy. And so it doesn’t matter who we play, we gotta play like us. We have to come with the same energy.”
Coach Seton Sobolewski proudly held the 2020-2021 Big Sky regular season championship trophy in an interview about the championship victory. When asked how he plans to take on the upcoming Big Sky tournament, Sobolewski said “Well, you just take it a game at a time. You don’t look too far ahead, you don’t get too carried away with anything.” “You don’t try to reinvent the wheel” Seton said, “We try to do what we do, and do it at the highest level possible in the conference tournament.” “Reed Gym showed another level to its magic” quipped Coach Sobolewski, “I always call it Reed Gym magic. It’s the fans that I really thought made that, and they do. But it was interesting this year even without
fans, how comfortable and well we played at home. It’s just a great basketball venue.” Sobolewski has been selected by the Big Sky Conference as the Co-Coach of the Year for Big Sky Women’s Basketball, sharing the honor with Coach Tricia Binford from Montana State. The Big Sky Conference also announced that Idaho State players Dora Goles and Diaba Konate have been named to the first and second All Big Sky teams respectively. The team will start out the Big Sky Tournament play facing off with Portland State or Eastern Washington on Tuesday, March 9, with the Bengals playing their opponents at the Idaho Central Arena in Boise. Limited tickets for the tournament are available for purchase through Idaho State Athletics.
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The Bengal at Idaho State University
11 March 2021 • Page 8
OPINION
Jacob Gutridge | Editor-in-Chief Contact: bgchief@isu.edu
How to Talk About Race Lesley Brey Reporter Henry Evans, who holds a PhD in Sociology, is the Associate Director of Idaho State University’s Office of Equity and Inclusion. He is also adjunct faculty for both the Political Science and Sociology departments. The Bengal Newspaper sat down with Evans to discuss talking about race in the United States. Reporter: Why is it important that we talk about race? Evans: The failure to talk about race keeps us in a place where we can’t move forward. Ultimately, I think we need to have difficult conversations to try and find where we stand, where others stand and ultimately why we think the things that we think about ourselves and others. These conversations give us the opportunity to unpack how it is we come to understand ourselves and others and why we value somethings over others, or some people over others. Reporter: When is the right time to approach these conversations? Evans: I think that we need to acknowledge, if you feel as though there’s an issue of race, then it’s important to ask that question right? If you think that there is an issue revolving around race or bias, it’s important to flesh that out, because other people are probably sensing it as well. I think a lot of people are concerned about how to have that conversation or how not to sound as though they are insensitive, or on the other side, [they are worried about taking] over a conversation that they may not feel that they have license to be in. “Okay, so I think that this is an issue, I think that this is a concern, but I’m not sure that I’m the one to have this conversation because, I’m not a person of color, I’m not a particular category of person that is the topic of the potential rupture in this context.” But if it bothers you, or you’re concerned about it, I think what you need to do is stop and have the conversation. Reporter: When we say “talk about race” what specifically are we talking about? Evans: I think we’re all trying to navigate basically what it means to be a person, of whatever social grouping in a society. When we are talking about race, we’re talking about how we group people according to phenotype, and then whether or not those groupings are even a valid category. Biologically, race is a dubious
concept. So you can have the conversation about why it is that we are relating to people and engaging in actions and reactions based on something that is a biological dubious concept. On the other side, in terms of social reality, race is incredibly significant, and it for many reasons is a marker of status and potential. When we’re talking about race we’re talking about how it is that people have access or don’t have access potentially, or how people understand themselves and others in a society where that’s important. Why is it that this seems to be such a central facet in some people’s lives? How is it that some people have had a more difficult time navigating society based on something that in a lot of ways is kind of arbitrary. Just because we see difference doesn’t necessarily imply that there is some inherent differences in these groups. It’s the meaning that we ascribe to these perceived differences, these phenotypic differences. We’re talking about how we organize, and about how people’s life chances are affected by that.
of a number of ways of being in this society where race, gender, whether you’re differently abled, or whatever is not as important or is not as determinative as it may be today. How do we create these spaces? I think we have to be willing to entertain the possibility that we don’t know and then be willing to engage in conversation. So if you feel as though you want to have this conversation about race because there’s something you’re trying to figure out about a particular interaction or a particular social organization, or policy or whatever, then you’ve got to be able to then say “I don’t know it all,” and try not speak as an expert on this. All you can do is try to have this conversation and contribute what you think is going on, and hopefully learn from
somebody else. We need to position ourselves to have dialogue about these things rather than, I think unfortunately a lot of the time what happens is that we have these competing monologues. It’s the “I want to talk to you because I want to show you that you’re wrong.” To have these conversations require a certain amount of humility and a certain amount of courage. You have to be courageous enough that if there’s something that you feel that you want to understand to say “okay I would like to have this conversation.” In having that conversation you may say something incredibly offensive, but then you have to be humble enough to accept correction.
Reporter: How do we actually go about having the conversation? Evans: First of all, I think it’s important to [remember] that everyone is engaged in trying to figure this out. It’s not just a white person’s problem. Conversations about race are certainly complicated, but what I want people to know is that we’re all in this together. I sincerely believe that what we need to always do is put ourselves in the position to ask ourselves “How is it that,” and “why is it that” we believe the things do. Before we can have a conversation about race with anyone, you have to take some time to reflect on these questions of “Who am I?”, “What do I value?” and “Why do I value the things that I do?” Then you have to be willing to ask yourself how it is that perhaps the things that you value are a function of a larger conversation about race that has potentially contextualized our lives in this society. Everybody is confronted by that. As a middle-aged black guy I’m confronted. That’s part of the condition that we’re in when trying to figure out how to move our society forward and find commonality. I lean more towards race as a component of equality. That it’s about recognizing that you don’t know it all. I’m teaching a social diversity class this semester, and the conversation is really about this. How is it that we can question these kinds of received ideas about what it means to be a particular kind of person in this society? How can we reimagine or imagine a different way of people being in this society that is more equitable, or that allows for the expression
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Featured: Henry Evans Photo Courtesy of Idaho State University
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