The Signpost: WE’VE GOT IT MADE IN THE SHADE - BROWNING CENTER GOES RED IN SUPPORT OF ARTS - RE-OPEN

Friday | September 04, 2020 | Volume 93 | Issue 4

WE’VE GOT IT MADE IN THE SHADE >>>PAGE >>>PAGE 22

ISRAEL CAMPA | The Signpost

NEWS » PAGE 11

NEWS » PAGE 09

BROWNING CENTER GOES RED IN SUPPORT OF ARTS

RE-OPENING THE FOOD PANTRY DOORS

CAITLYN NICHOLS | The Signpost

MARISSA WOLFORD | The Signpost NIKKI DORBER | The Signpost

02 | MyWeberMedia.com| September 04, 2020

By MARISA NELSON Section Editor

The Energy and Sustainability Office, along with WSU Sustainable Clubs, will hold Sustainable Action Webinars this fall semester that will allow students, faculty and staff to discuss sustainable topics to improve the community.

The first of these webinars occurred on Sept. 2, focusing on Energy and Climate, including topics such as energy saving tips you can do at home.

October will focus on Social Sustainability, with ways to support diversity as well as discussion on registering to vote.

November’s webinar will cover Food Sustainability.

This meeting will define food insecurity, and attendees will learn about the monthlong food drive.

December will center on Waste and Purchasing with focuses on holiday waste and sustainable purchasing. The webinar will also include information about the upcoming waste-reduction workshop.

“The goal and hope of this series is to

pikist.com

teach participants a few ways on how they can take sustainable actions at home to help save money and lower their environmental footprint,” said Kyia Hill, Sustainability Coordinator and Green Department

Certification Program manager.

Hill added that this series was created because they knew meeting in person and interacting with people on campus would not be possible.

When asked whether she thought the virtual format would be more effective, Hill said the format has its pros and cons.

But recording and saving the presentation is a great resource allowing those who couldn’t attend to still gain the information.

Those who attend will receive helpful tips and active advice to help improve the community around them, and will be eligible to win a gift card by participating in at least one of the actions discussed in the meeting. Hill said this is to help push participants to try something new.

The remaining webinars will be held on Zoom at 12:30 p.m. on Oct. 7, Nov. 4 and Dec. 2. Those who wish to attend must contact Kyia Hill 24 hours before the meeting to obtain the Zoom link.

Comment on this story at signpost.mywebermedia.com

Join us for virtual and in-person events and involvement opportunities the first four weeks of school!

weber.edu/wildcatwelcome

MyWeberMedia.com| September 04, 2020 | 03

By JOSHUA KAMP Reporter

While many students attend classes remotely this fall, those who visit campus may be surprised to see the new solar panel array by the northwest entrance, which completely covers parking lot W10.

Construction on this seemingly-overnight project began in June and completed just before the start of fall semester. The structure adds 1,400 solar panels to the existing 6,500 total panels across all of Weber State’s campuses. This solar panel array will be the first of many of this kind, with a total of 10 planned, according to the university’s Energy and Sustainability office.

The new structure houses solar panels that feed energy to Lindquist Hall and the campus electrical grid. The panels provide about 80

percent of Lindquist Hall’s energy use, according to the WSU website.

The solar panels bring Lindquist Hall closer to carbon neutrality, working in tandem with a previously-installed energy and sustainability project: the ground source system for Lindquist Hall’s heating and cooling.

The groundsource system, a large network of pipes deep below the northwest area of campus, works as an underground heat exchange field to control the building’s temperature. Heating and cooling are main energy concerns in any campus building.

This is all part of the university’s rapidly-progressing energy and sustainability agenda.

WSU pledged in 2007 to become carbon neutral by 2050. According to an Aug. 24 press release from Weber State, the university is on track to meet that goal at least 10 years ahead of schedule.

“Since 2007, WSU has reduced its con-

ISRAEL CAMPA | The Signpost

The new solar-paneled parking cover is located at lot W10.

sumption of electricity by 32 percent, natural gas consumption by 30 percent and total greenhouse gas emissions by 22 percent,” the press release stated. “WSU has reduced energy costs by 47 percent in the process, saving more than $13.6 million in the last 10 years.”

As sustainability projects continue, the university plans to retrofit other existing campus buildings to employ solar and groundsource technology as well.

Weber State has bragging rights as a leader in energy and environmental issues, but it isn’t the only university around with plans to go green. According to Utah State University’s website, they also are committed to a 2050 goal of carbon neutrality. Utah Valley University also commits to “develop a plan to become carbon neutral by 2050.”

However, WSU’s solar lot does double duty: the structure also saves the university on costs

related to pavement maintenance and snow removal. Plus, students who park there in the winter won’t need to get out their ice scrapers.

“I always have several little energy projects going. The next big ones will be ground source and solar as part of the Noorda building,” WSU energy manager Justin Owen said, referring to the current construction of a new addition to the Ogden campus. The Noorda Engineering, Applied Science and Technology building is expected to open in December 2021.

For students wondering about the effects of the new solar-covered array on campus parking, Owen assures them not to worry.

“I’d like to emphasize that the solar array did not take away parking spots, nor will it affect permit prices,” Owen said. “W10 will stay a student lot.”

Comment on this story at signpost.mywebermedia.com

04 | MyWeberMedia.com| September 04, 2020

LAYTON CAMPUS

LOCKDOWN

By JENNIFER GREENLEE Editor-in-Chief

The Northern Utah Academy for Math, Engineering and Science high school received threats of violence through the SafeUT hotline.

The man suspected of making these threats, now identified as David Neilson, was arrested at 11:30 a.m. on Sept. 1 by the WSU, Layton and Roy police departments without incident.

Neilson was located by the IP address the messages were sent through. The messages alleged to have been sent by Neilson stated that the sender had an AR-15, a glock, a shotgun and two Molotov cocktails.

The messages also said that he had friends on campus who would help him lock the doors but not help him with the “cool stuff,” according to the Probable Cause Affidavit filed with the District Court in Davis County.

The Davis Campus and NUAMES remained

on a “soft” lockdown for about one hour after the arrest of Neilson, according to WSU Public Relations Director Allison Hess. At that time, the outside doors were locked and those entering were monitored by administrators.

Police remained on campus and patrolled during the lockdown.

Neilson, 19, was a former student at NUAMES but had been expelled. According to the Affidavit, Neilson’s alleged messages also stated that “everyone there is an asshole,” and he

wanted them to “see their friends die.”

Neilson has been was booked in Davis County Jail after his arrest and was charged with disrupting the operation of a school and threats again a school. Neilson has been authorized to post bail for the amount of $2,650.

Comment on this story at signpost.mywebermedia.com

SCAN

WITH YOUR PHONE CAMERA FOR A CONTACTLESS MENU!

(6) lunch Specials with drinks $9.99 10% off weber for all students Open from 10 am to 9:00 pm.

Weber Rec

MyWeberMedia.com| September 03, 2020 | 05

Fall 2020

We’re ready for you!

Virtual and in-person services and engagement opportunities WEBER REC For more information go to Weber.edu/CampusRecreation or contact us at CampusRecreation@Weber.edu

weber.edu/keepingconnected

COLLEGE CAMPUSES STRUGGLE TO CONTAIN COVID OUTBREAKS 06 | MyWeberMedia.com| September 04, 2020

Weber State University

2020 block party cancelation, due to social-distancing requirements and campus safety precautions.

By DARYN STEED Managing Editor

As students return to college campuses nationwide for the start of a new school year, they are testing positive for the coronavirus by the thousands.

According to a New York Times survey of more than 1,500 American colleges and universities, more than 26,000 cases have surfaced since the pandemic began.

Of the 1,500 colleges in the New York Times survey, approximately 150 have reported zero cases since the pandemic began.

This number is likely on the low side, as the

Times notes that without a national tracking system, colleges are improvising their own ways to tally cases. Many students are using home addresses or have recently moved, making it tricky to accurately count campus cases.

Since campuses reopened in recent weeks, many colleges have reported spikes.

Universities are struggling to enforce policies meant to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and contain outbreaks. Fraternities and sororities are hotspots for spikes in cases, and students are being suspended nationwide for violating preventative measures.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel

Hill sent a majority of their undergraduates home after an outbreak in campus housing.

Notre Dame delayed the start of in-person classes as students tested positive by the hundreds. Many Division I universities reported cases in their athletic departments, including Clemson, Baylor and Louisville.

The University of Alabama has reported thousands of cases since classes began; more than any other campus. The school responded by asking the mayor to close bars in an effort to dissuade students from going out.

After a party at SUNY Oneonta in upstate New York, hundreds of students tested posi-

tive. SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras responded by suspending three campus organizations and five students for holding parties against the college policy.

Georgia College, a public college in a rural town, became one of the state’s biggest hot spots, with more than 500 students testing positive — nearly 8 percent of its student body.

After the breakout, members of the college’s employee union held a die-in featuring masked and socially distanced students and employees carrying signs such as “I can’t teach if I’m dead.”

They demanded online learning options,

MyWeberMedia.com| September 04, 2020 | 07

ROBERT LEWIS | The Signpost

Students play chess at the Block Party on WSU main campus, pre-coronavirus update.

contact tracing, hazard pay, more testing and security from layoffs. The union said neither testing nor quarantine housing has been provided by the university. A third of the students are currently in quarantine.

Nearly 300 students at Utah State University are in quarantine after elevated levels of COVID-19 were found in wastewater samples.

The university is working with the state Department of Health to organize testing for the 287 students. Until they receive results, the quarantined students must stay in their rooms, where the university is working out food deliveries, academic accommodations

and other resources.

USU joins a small number of schools safeguarding against a COVID-19 outbreak using wastewater sampling. University of Arizona was likely able to stop an outbreak on their campus using this method.

UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Kevin M. Guskiewicz realized it was unrealistic to expect all college students to stay in their dorms for the semester. They announced that all undergrad classes would go online for the rest of the semester and stopped penalties for cancelling dorm room leases.

College students, many of them away from home for the first time, are particularly

susceptible to homesickness and loneliness.

With access to campus community mostly cut off, students are suffering from boredom and isolation.

Attending parties or going to bars is certainly irresponsible behavior, but the reality is that young students often prioritize the wrong thing. Going to parties on weeknights used to just affect test scores; now it endangers lives.

As numerous universities are figuring out, outbreaks can’t always be traced to a singular reckless event or student. The coronavirus thrives with groups of people living in close quarters, which makes college dorms partic-

ularly vulnerable.

After 263 students tested positive in one week, East Carolina University switched entirely online. Chancellor Ron Mitchelson acknowledged there wasn’t anyone to blame.

Mitchelson said in a video statement to the community, “The decision to pivot in large part was the disease. It’s a horrible pandemic that we face. We couldn’t stand by any longer.”

Since Jan. 1, Weber State University has had 35 coronavirus cases, including 15 cases in the last 14 days.

Comment on this story at signpost.mywebermedia.com

08 | MyWeberMedia.com| September 03, 2020

Will you be outside your personal vehicle?

No mask needed Are you going inside a building?

Are you outside?

Will you be in a classroom, hallway, bathroom, lobby, study space, office, stairwell, elevator or lab?

Are there people around?

Can you guarantee that?

Bring a mask just in case

WEBER CARES PANTRY GOES VIRTUAL FOR FALL SEMESTER

MyWeberMedia.com| September 04, 2020 | 09

By KIERSTYNN KING Reporter

“This is just our way of keeping things safe and distant,” Martinez said.

Pickups will still be on the fourth floor of the Shepherd Union building. The center will contact students to confirm if such a meeting is possible. If not, the pantry will work to find other options.

Same-day pick up is not an option this semester.

“Our office right now is very understaffed, and we want to make sure we meet the needs of everybody, so our best way to do that is get the order ready the day of and set a later-day pickup,” Martinez said.

Orders placed on Monday will, more than likely, be available Tuesday. Those who place orders on Friday will not be able to get their order until Monday. Pickups will be available

anytime during the day until 5 p.m.

“If there are emergency food needs, we have the ability to provide our food voucher system, which is a $10 voucher to any of the food locations in the Union,” Martinez said.

Donations are still welcome as long as they are non-perishable items. Those who would like to donate should call or email the center beforehand to coordinate the pickup. All donations will be put in a separate room for 24 hours before being stocked in the pantry.

Monetary donations will also be accepted, and can be given through the website.

Comment on this story at signpost.mywebermedia.com

Marissa Wolford | The Signpost

WSU’s Weber Cares Pantry reopens Sep. 8 with a new virtual system and procedures for cleaning.

The Weber Cares Pantry is a food-assistance service that gives out non-perishable goods to anyone with an active W number. However, the food pantry is only offering online ordering this semester.

“Students will go to our website and put in their online order for the pantry,” said Teresa Martinez, Student Engagement Coordinator at the Center for Community Engaged Learning.

The online-ordering system allows users to see all the available items in the pantry for that

day. Students can then select up to ten items per bag to check out. Martinez said students can still fill up to two bags of food a week.

The system also asks users a series of optional questions for the pantry’s data.

“These questions help us understand how we can better service our students, in terms of what types of food to provide,” Martinez said.

“We’ll also be giving the option, if they don’t see anything in their online ordering that they would like to see in the pantry, to provide feedback. They can also specify any dietary needs.”

Martinez said she and the CCEL staff want to make the pantry as accessible as possible; however, students cannot walk up to the pantry and grab food. The pantry will help students who show up in person fill out a form so they can pick up food at a later date.

Weber Cares Food Pantry.

10 | MyWeberMedia.com| September 03, 2020

It’s Almost Here.

Young Adult Pass Just $619 Prices Increase Sept. 9th

CAITLYN NICHOLS | The Signpost

MyWeberMedia.com| September 04, 2020 | 11

The Browning Center was lit by red lights on the evening of Sep. 1 in support of the performing arts.

By CAITLYN NICHOLS Section Editor

The Browning Center shone red on campus the evening of Sept. 1 in support of the national #RedAlertRESTART and #WeMakeEvents movement.

The organization #WeMakeEvents started the #RedAlertRESTART movement to shine a light on the detrimental effects of COVID-19 on performing arts companies and professionals everywhere.

To raise public and media awareness and support, they organized the lighting in red of ven-

THE SIGNPOST TEAM

ues, homes and cities nationwide on Sept. 1.

Weber State Arts shared on Twitter on Aug. 31 that they would participate in #RedAlertRESTART by lighting up the campus performing arts building in red.

Another Twitter post on Sept. 1 showed the Austad Auditorium and Allred Theater were also lit in red.

“We support performing artists and technicians locally, regionally and nationally,” said a post on Weber State Art’s Twitter page.

The same post on the Twitter page also said that performing arts were one of the first indus-

tries to shut down during the pandemic, and will be one of the last to reopen.

The #WeMakeEvents organization’s website lists some of the facts of the COVID-19’s impact on the performing arts: according to the website, 95 percent of live events have been canceled, 96 percent of companies have cut staff and/or wages and 77 percent of people working in the industry have lost all of their income.

The organization encourages all fans of live events to participate by contacting their congress representatives through resources provided on the website, and

Editor-in-Chief Jennifer Greenlee jennifergreenlee@mail.weber.edu

Photo Editor Robert Lewis robertlewis7@mail.weber.edu

Sports Editor Raymond Lucas raymondlucas@mail.weber.edu

Managing Editor Daryn Steed darynsteed0@gmail.com

Asst. Photo Editor BriElle Harker brielleharker@mail.weber.edu

Asst. Sports Editor Miles Shaw milesshaw@mail.weber.edu

Chief Copy Editor Nic Muranaka nicholasmuranaka@weber.edu

Culture Editor Caitlyn Nichols caitlynnichols@mail.weber.edu

News Editor Marisa Nelson marisanelson@mail.weber.edu

Social Media Manager Kalli Prendergast kandidkalliP@gmail.com Webmaster David Morris david.lee.morris@gmail.com

Design & Graphics Editor Aubree Eckhardt aubreeeckhardt@mail.weber.edu Asst. Design & Graphics Editor Alli Rickards alexandrarickards@mail.weber.edu Videography Editor Sarah Earnshaw sarahearnshaw@mail.weber.edu

Asst. News Editor Francia Henriquez Benson fhenriquezbenson@weber.edu

then by sharing a red-tinted picture of their favorite live performing arts event on their social media with the associated hashtags.

The hope, according to the website, is that mass participation will “jump-start relief for the live events industry.”

Comment on this story at signpost.mywebermedia.com

Adviser Jean Norman jeannorman@ weber.edu Ad Manager KC Sanders kcsanders@weber.edu The Signpost is a student publication, written, edited and drafted by Weber State University students. Student fees fund the printing of this publication. Opinions or positions voiced are not necessarily endorsed by the university. The Signpost reserves the right to edit for reasons of space and libel and to refuse to print any letters. Letters should be submitted online to thesignpost@weber.edu and read letter to the Editor in the subject box. Letters should not exceed 350 words.

12 | MyWeberMedia.com| September 03, 2020

OGDEN.FLYHIGHTRAMPOLINEPARK.COM

THURS:

COLLEGE NIGHT 5PM-9PM Show us your college student ID and get $4.00 OFF

FRI/SAT:

FLIGHT NIGHT 7PM-10PM Jump from 7PM-10PM for $20!

Cannot be combined with

Jump Socks

other offers or discounts.

$3.00 per pair

Must bring in Student ID. Jump socks required.

WEBER STATE UNIVERSITY

SAVE LIVES AND MAKE UP TO $430 IN YOUR FIRST MONTH OF PLASMA DONATION There are 3 local donation centers for your convenience!

VISIT WWW.GRIFOLSPLASMA.COM FOR MORE INFORMATION!

Biomat USA Ogden 3073 Harrison Blvd.

Ogden, UT 84403 (801)392-2296

Biomat USA Clearfield 375 South State St. Clearfield, UT 84015 (801)825-1195

Biomat USA Roy 1951 W. 5400 S. Roy, UT 84067 (801)825-0111

Weber State Students! Make a difference in the lives of people who need plasma derived medications to live and make some extra money for your time!

THE D A LO N W O D

E E FR

CAMPUS

CASH

APP H S A US C P M A C • Featured Live Feed Deals

NEW EVERY DAY!

• All the coupons from the booklet!

• Filter deals by category!

• Map view for what’s around you!

NEW!