The Signpost: THE WILDCATS SHARPEN THEIR CLAWS, WAITING TO RETURN TO THE GRIDIRON

Tuesday | October 06, 2020 | Volume 93 | Issue 13

NOT LEAVING HOME FOR HOMECOMING >>>PAGE 8

The Signpost Archives

OPINION » PAGE 4

SCIENCE » PAGE 7

DANCING ON HER GRAVE BEFORE SHE’S IN THE GROUND

SHOW STEM THE MONEY MCT DIRECT

WEBER STATE UNIVERSITY

02 | MyWeberMedia.com| October 06, 2020

DO YOU KNOW YOUR NEWS?

By MARISA NELSON

5.) With October being ________________ month the d. time Weber State Women’s Center will b. Assault of a police officer, burhold virtual events to help bring glary and criminal mischief 4.) Ogden School District has be- more awareness to the community. come more concerned that students c. Burglary, assault and drug pos- are not getting tested for COVID-19. a. suicide awareness session The school board has decided to increase ________________ to b. Hispanic Heritage d. Harassment, identity theft and hopefully encourage those with vandalism symptoms to get tested. c. breast cancer awareness a. Murder, burglary and indecent exposure

Section Editor

1.) After the news of President Trump’s positive COVID-19 test, the president was admitted to the hospital for observation. Dr. Mark Meadows said he is optimistic that Trump will return to the White House soon. a. True

3.) With Trump sidelined with COVID-19 the _________ for the upcoming debates, especially the 2.) An Ogden man was charged Oct. 7 VP debate, has increased. with what three crimes Sept. 30, after he was found in AAMCO that a. pressure morning? b. excitement b. False

c. joy

a. funding in the school

d. domestic violence awareness

b. mask wearing c. education on the virus d. contact tracing

ANSWERS AND EXPLANATIONS ON PAGE 15

WEBER CAMPUS COVID CASE UPDATES 7 days: 22 14 days: 34 total: 88

By JENNIFER GREENLEE

DAVIS COUNTY

WEBER COUNTY

7 days: 555 total: 5,649

7 days: 292 total: 4,670

COVID CASE UPDATES

CORRECTIONS:

COVID CASE UPDATES

UTAH total: 77,630

WEBER CAMPUS COVID CASE UPDATES

Editor in Chief

The Signpost article “Home for Homecoming,” published online on Sept. 30 and in the online edition on Oct. 2, contained incorrect information about the Homecoming Recycle Run. The article stated that there would be a usage fee of $150 dollars; however, students will only need to pay $10, alumni $15, faculty/staff $20 and $25 for community members.

Additionally, the story stated there were three options for racing: a 1 mile race, a 10K route and a triathlon. There is only a 5K virtual fun run for the Recycle Run. Students can register here to join.

MyWeberMedia.com| October 06, 2020 | 03

MASK

UP Face coverings are REQUIRED at all WSU locations.

Cubiertas faciales (o cubrebocas) SON REQUERIDAS en todos lados de WSU.

visit

weber.edu/coronavirus

for more info and updates

HELP KEEP US ALL SAFER ON CAMPUS. AYUDE A MANTENERNOS A TODOS MĂ S SEGUROS EN EL CAMPUS

AMY CONEY BARRETT WILL

04 | MyWeberMedia.com| October 06, 2020

MCT Direct

SLAM THE DOORS RBG OPENED

Vice President Mike Pence and second lady Karen Pence pay respects as Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg lies in repose under the Portico at the top of the front steps of the Supreme Court building on Sept. 23, in Washington, D.C.

DARYN STEED Columnist

It’s 1948. Amy Coney Barrett is 18-yearsold and venturing into post-high school education. For women, options are limited. She wants to be a lawyer, something her conservative father scoffs at. She belongs at home.

We’re in an alternate timeline where Ruth Bader Ginsburg did not enroll at Harvard Law School as one of only nine women in her class.

She did not graduate from Columbia, did not begin work as a law clerk and did not co-found the Women’s Rights Project at the ACLU.

Women can’t work overtime. Women have to take credit cards out in their husband’s name. Women can’t fly military cargo planes.

Women can’t work in mines. In short, RBG did not change the way the world sees gender.

There are still 170 laws that discriminate on the basis of sex.

So, Barrett won’t open a bank account (she can’t without a husband), she won’t apply for a mortgage (she can’t without a husband) and, most importantly, she won’t go to law school.

There’s only one woman serving on a federal appellate court. It’s not a reasonable career for a woman, her father says. She ends up teaching instead.

Today, Barrett is who she is because of RBG. Ginsburg helped blaze the trail for female lawyers, judges and scholars. After walking through every door Ginsburg opened for her, Barrett is poised to close them for women to follow.

We’re facing a Supreme Court set to undo

years of work by feminist activists. As a queer woman, decisions made by these justices will be actively harmful to me. Conservatives will almost certainly target Roe vs. Wade in an effort to undermine female autonomy, even though male autonomy has never been questioned in this country.

There have never been more than two women on the Supreme Court at the same time.

Women are not adequately represented in business, education or politics.

For every woman in Congress, there are three men; only eight percent of elected Republicans are female.

One-third of America’s national judges are women. Only three of 15 judges on the International Court of Justice are women.

The idea that we have established gender equality is a fallacy. Most people in poverty globally are women and children. On average in America, women earn 75 cents to a man’s dollar. More than a third of women have expe-

rienced sexual harassment in the workplace.

Only seven percent of Fortune 500 CEOs are women.

The situation is even more dire for women of color. According to the National Women’s Law Center, Black women earn 63 cents to a white man’s dollar. Hispanic women earn 55 cents.

Laws discriminating based on sex still exist.

Women in Utah cannot get a hysterectomy before they are 35 without their husband’s permission. In Massachusetts, birth control can’t be advertised through mail. In North Carolina, women cannot withdraw consent.

Women cannot wear sleeveless tops or dresses in Congress. Rapists have parental rights in seven states.

It’s not enough to just nominate or elect women. Trump has selected Barrett as his nominee for a reason. She’s able to do more harm to women than a male nominee could.

It’s no coincidence that he replaced RBG, an

MyWeberMedia.com| October, 06, 2020 | 05

Sen. Ted Cruz said, “It has been 80 years since a Supreme Court vacancy was nominated and confirmed in an election year. There is a long tradition that you don’t do this in an election year.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham said, “If an opening comes in the last year of President Trump’s term, and the primary process has started, we’ll wait to the next election.”

Sen. Marco Rubio said, “I don’t think we should be moving on a nominee in the last year of this president’s term. I would say that if it was a Republican president.”

In her final message to the public, just days before she died, Ginsburg dictated this statement to her granddaughter: “My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed.”

Trump offered Barrett her spot less than 72 hours after Ginsburg’s death.

Women had a responsibility four years ago to stop this from happening. We didn’t show up. Now we will watch the most important feminist lawyer in American history be replaced by a women belonging to a religious group that subjugates women.

AUBREE ECKHARDT | The Signpost

activist who worked for gender equality her entire life, with a conservative woman guaranteed to overturn Roe v. Wade. It’s a purposeful attack against Ginsburg’s legacy.

In the first presidential debate on Sept.

29, Trump defended his rushing of the Court nomination by declaring Democrats would do the same thing.

But Democrats have never claimed otherwise. In 2016, Obama indeed nominated a Justice during an election year. It’s the hypocrisy of Senate Republicans that has outraged so many.

We have no way of knowing what’s coming in the months and years ahead. Should Trump win re-election, it’s no exaggeration to say our democracy is in jeopardy. Human rights have been violated already, but with a stacked Supreme Court, a Congress unwilling to hold him accountable and an American people either too apathetic or too exhausted to care, there’s no telling what he could do.

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MyWeberMedia.com| October 06, 2020 | 07

NEW FUNDS STEM FROM NEW PLACES

By JOSHUA KAMP

Reporter

Weber State University is launching a new program in fall 2020 aimed to help disadvantaged students — low income students, first generation students and students with disabilities — in science and math complete their degrees.

The university was awarded $1.3 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Education in August. These funds will go to 120 students per year for five years, according to a WSU press release.

The new grant, named SSS - STEM, is a new part of a group of federal educational grant

programs called TRiO, administered, funded and implemented by the Department of Education.

The program offers financial help to disadvantaged students in order to increase their odds of success, according to the Department of Education website.

It is more difficult to receive funding for a new program than to refund existing ones, but now Weber State offers the highest number of TRIO programs of any college-level institution in Utah, according to a WSU press release.

WSU has five of the eight federal TRiO programs in total, including Student Support Services, Upward Bound, Veteran’s Upward

Bound and Educational Talent Search.

Student Support Services, the preexisting SSS program, serves 285 students each year of any major with $2.4 million awarded by the government for 5 years. The new SSS – STEM grant, however, supports only those degrees of its acronym: science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

The federal TRiO programs were created in the ‘60s by President Lyndon B. Johnson as part of his administration’s efforts to combat American poverty, but the STEM grant seems to be focusing on keeping America up to par with our international science and tech rivals.

In Dec. 2018, the committee on STEM Education of the National Science and Technolo-

gy Council released a report titled “Charting a Course for Success: America’s Strategy for STEM Education,” which outlined a vision for the improvement of American education in those four key areas.

“It represents an urgent call to action,” according to ed.gov.

The report stressed the importance of STEM education in the future success of the United States as a global leader.

Students majoring in science, technology, engineering or mathematics can find out more information about the grant through the school’s financial aid office.

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WSU

Mykala Spangler works on her computer in the Student Support Services offices at Weber State University on Sept. 10. Student Support Services at WSU recently received two TRiO grants from the U.S. Department of Education. The grants fund programs that support low-income, first-generation or disabled Weber State students. Students, including Spangler, are provided with an advisor, tutoring, and sometimes direct financial support, among other services.

THE WILDCATS 08 | MyWeberMedia.com| October 06, 2020

SHARPEN THEIR CLAWS,

WAITING TO RETURN

TO THE GRIDIRON

By MILES SHAW

Asst. Section Editor

Homecoming Week has arrived for the Wildcats. The week usually consists of festivities draped in Weber State purple and a hard-hitting Wildcat football game capping off the week, but due to the pandemic it will be a bit different this year.

One major difference is the missing gridiron battle this fall, and along with it the absence of Wildcat fans cheering along their team as pads and helmets crash together in the pursuit of a Wildcat win.

Instead, the only sound will be the deafening silence of Stewart Stadium as it sits empty, awaiting football’s return.

However, even with no games this season, victory is no stranger in Stewart Stadium. As the Wildcats work to get better each and every practice, victory is always the goal.

Associate head football coach Brent Myers said the team did their normal summer workouts in June and July, but they trained following COVID-19 protocols.

The team has protocols to follow, but they were still able to complete 10 walkthrough

this summer while following guidelines set by the NCAA, even though their spring was cut short due to the pandemic.

“The kids were so excited to get into spring ball, and continue to practice and get better, and then when we had spring athletics canceled; that was definitely a disappointment,” Myers said.

During the last week of September, the Wildcats opened “fall ball,” which is the equivalent of spring practice, but in the fall.

It consists of 15 practices in about a 30-day period.

“The NCAA rules and the Big Sky Conference are allowing teams to practice in restricted numbers and groups, so we’re getting the opportunity to do that in the fall, and we decided as a staff to do that in September and October so we could get decent weather,” Myers said.

With the team in the midst of “fall ball” right now, Weber football is also in unprecedented territory, as it’s the first time in school history that a whole football season has been postponed.

While history has been made in a negative way, there are plans being put in place for the

season to be played.

Big Sky Conference Commissioner Tom Wistrcill recently spoke with the Weber State Athletics ‘Cat Tales Podcast about the upcoming season and the plan in place for it to begin.

“At this point we’re working off some different models, but we’re looking at eight games, conference only, starting around Feb. 20.

We’ll be trying to fit those eight games over nine weeks,” Wistrcill said.

With the Big Ten and Pac-12 Conferences announcing schedules beginning in late October, the Big Sky Conference still only has plans for playing in the spring.

“To me, it’s not about the possibility, it’s about the opportunity. Our opportunity is in the spring, we’ve made that decision. We’re ready to move on and we’re looking forward to a great spring schedule,” Wistrill told 406 MT Sports last week.

At the Pep Rally on Oct. 5, Jay Hill announced to cheering fans the potential return of WSU football in February 2021. When the season does arrive, victory will be on the minds of Wildcat fans: it’s been a common occurrence for the Wildcats.

They have won the Big Sky Conference the last three years, while also only losing two games in Ogden in the last two seasons.

“We had such a good season last year, I think the kids are feeling pretty good about the fact we’re going to have a spring season. I think there’s a little renewed hope that everything will work out,” Myers said.

While Weber State’s football season and the rest of the Big Sky Conference is cemented in the spring, and with major Division I Conferences like the Pac-12 and Big Ten beginning play at the end of October, there’s hope the scheduled Big Sky season will kickoff as planned.

Of course, just as the NFL, the highest level of football, is experiencing schedule interruptions, changing plans due to COVID-19 is always a possibility.

All Wildcat fans can do is wait and be ready to cheer on Weber State when they return to their lair at Stewart Stadium for an opportunity to defend their back-to-back-to-back Big Sky Conference titles.

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WSU’s fans cheer on the football team at the 2019 Homecoming game.

NIKKI DORBER | The Signpost

MyWeberMedia.com| October 06, 2020 | 09

The 22nd Annual WSU Diversity Conference featured a panel on the social climate of 2020.

By KIERSTYNN KING Reporter

The 22nd Annual WSU Diversity Conference was held virtually Oct. 1 and 2. The theme focused on connections and disconnections in society with oppressed populations.

There was an opening keynote presentation by Pepper Glass, an associate sociology professor at WSU, who has published research on many topics such as racial inequality and social movements.

There were several sessions and presentations given by WSU faculty and people who work around Ogden. The closing keynote presentation was from Tim Wise, a public speaker who goes around high school and college campuses to talk about systemic racism and

how to dismantle it.

According to the diversity program’s website, the events were chosen with intent to “explore ways and opportunities where we can align what we say with what we do, and look for the connections or disconnects that allow things to happen.”

One of the discussion events, Being a Person of Color in 2020, was presented by Juancarlos Santisteban and Greg Noel, who are both counselors at the WSU Counseling & Psychological Services Center.

Noel says the focus of the panel discussion was on the social climate of 2020, and then looking at that climate from the lens of Black, Indigenous and people of color.

Participants were encouraged to share their

experiences about everything that has happened so far in 2020.

“Greg and I both believe that conversing about these things is how we start our healing, and having conversations about this is what helps create understanding, clarity and eventually unity because it brings us all together,” Santisteban said.

Participants shared their experiences and then gave advice to one another throughout the discussion.

Other topics in the discussion were engaging with one another, showing up with one another in spaces, discrimination, being your authentic self, being an ally, empathy and learning and growing.

“The more we create these spaces where

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10 | MyWeberMedia.com| October 06, 2020

we can have these conversations, that’s where we’re going to gain understanding and we’re going to start to see each other and see each other’s hearts,” Santisteban said. “At the end of the day our hearts all pump the same way.”

At the end of the discussion, Santisteban encouraged participants to continue tapping into their courage to continue having these conversations.

“This is how we’re going to heal, understand and create unity — by continuing to have these conversations,” Santisteban said.

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MyWeberMedia.com| October 06, 2020 | 11

12 | MyWeberMedia.com| October 06, 2020

Senior Reporter

With the continued stress COVID-19 has caused students, faculty and staff at Weber State University, international students have had to push through the semester all while living away from their families, friends and culture.

WSU’s International Student & Scholar Center encourages students to continue their education despite the pandemic.

Since the pandemic hit, ISSC has been able to keep all of their resources and add more.

Senior International Officer Yimin Wang said the center teamed up with Financial Aid and Student Affairs to provide scholarships and emotional support for international students.

On top of health concerns, the virus has also caused financial strain. Mary Machira, director of the ISSC, said the virus caused international students to lose internship and job opportunities, including their on-campus jobs and overall involvement at WSU. The center has been working to resolve these problems for those affected. Loss of internship and job opportunities has been a common setback for students whose main source of income to pay for schooling came from these jobs.

Another resource the center has provided in the past couple of months was holding frequent town hall meetings to help answer international students’ questions and concerns.

Of course, COVID-19 itself has been a stressor for international students, so the center offers individualized support.

“Academics, finance, travel, etc. — some of these areas of stress are common to all students and some are more unique or more intense for international students,” Wang said. “Being thousands of miles away from home can make some of these challenges feel more overwhelming at times.”

Even before the pandemic, international students often struggled to feel like they belonged. They immerse themselves in a different culture far away from their home, all while attempting to fit in at WSU. Machira encourages international students to visit the center, which hopes to help orient them at the university.

“It is important for students who come to our university to have a place that serves as a landing pad,” Machira said. “The process of becoming an international student is filled with uncertainties, anxieties and different cultural expectations within the new environment.”

COVID-19 negatively affected international student Renato Romero, from Brazil, because of the uncertainty in his academic future. The virus caused financial strain for him and his peers as well.

“The emotional load has been heavier than before,” Romero said.

Romero noted the ISSC’s work toward more partnerships with the university to reduce tuition and fees and to make scholarships more accessible to international students at this time.

International students who choose to stay in the United States for schooling are required to maintain a full-time status.

There are also international students who are continuing their education at

WSU online from their own home countries. Wang said she was proud of these students because of the potential technological constraints and time differences they are facing and overcoming.

Wang said the ISSC advisors are always open and willing to listen to international students’ issues and address their questions and concerns. Especially now, students need resources from a place they feel comfortable visiting.

“We continue to work with campus partners to provide engagement opportunities for international students because they are an integral part of our campus and our classrooms,” Wang said. “They bring the whole world to Weber State.”

WSU currently welcomes international students from 60 different countries, according to the ISSC’s website.

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BLYTHE EVANS | The Signpost

By ALLY NELSON

The Signpost Archives

MyWeberMedia.com| October 06, 2020 | 13

WILDCAT GOLF HOPES FOR THE PANDEMIC TO SOON BE ON THE BACK NINE Weber State University hosted the 15th Annual Alumni Golf Classic at The Barn Golf Club

By JACE COOK Reporter

About this time last year, the Weber State men’s golf team was competing in the Ron Moore Intercollegiate tournament. Now, during COVID-19, the team can’t play at all.

Head coach of the men’s golf team Scott Erling offered insight on the team’s status during the pandemic.

“Right now, we are practicing and doing everything like we normally would,” Erling said.

They have not been able to play in tournaments, but that has not stopped them from working to improve their skills.

The team also does not want to spread COVID-19, but, they find it easier to follow guidelines than other sports.

“Golf is a great sport as far as that goes,”

Erling said. “We have small numbers. We’re outside. You can easily socially distance.”

While many other sports require close encounters with other players, golf players can easily stay at least six feet away from others, a regulation much more difficult to follow in sports like football and basketball.

Golf also differs from other sports because it is played both in the fall and the spring.

“Normally, we would be playing right now, but due to COVID and stuff our fall competitions were canceled,” Erling said. “Now, we’re just trying to prepare. Hopefully, get ready to play this spring.”

The golf team’s first spring tournament of 2020 was the Pizza Hut Pat Hicks Invitational.

The tournament started on Feb. 11 and ended on Feb. 12. This tournament can give an idea

of when the spring season might start because there is no official schedule yet.

“We’re hopeful to get playing again in February where our normal spring season would start,” Erling said. “We’re preparing for that and hoping we get the opportunity.”

The golf season consists of multiple tournaments throughout the year. There are many that the team can compete in when COVID is not a problem.

“Golf is a different sport than most sports,” Erling said. “All the tournaments with the exception of our conference championship are invitationals. So, you can get a hodgepodge of schools from all over the country. Generally speaking, you can have anywhere between eight teams to 20.”

The team only played in seven tournaments

last school year. Three of those tournaments were in the spring before COVID affected their schedule.

“Our number one goal for golf is to win our conference championship, which will be in the spring,” Erling said.

The team wants to be the number one team in the Big Sky Conference.

“We want everyone to get better,” Erling said. “We want everyone to maximize their ability. And we want everyone to have a great experience at Weber State.”

The team’s goals focus on player development and becoming a successful golf team that represents Weber State.

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14 | MyWeberMedia.com| September 08, 2020

Join us as we keep the tradition alive and hike to the top of Mount Ogden!

When: October 3, 2020 | 8:30 a.m.

Where: Mount Ogden - Starting from the base of Snowbasin Resort Price: FREE Pre-Registration Required | Weber.edu/Outdoor

Mount Ogden Hike HOMECOMING

MyWeberMedia.com| October 06, 2020 | 15

DO YOU KNOW YOUR NEWS? QUIZ ANSWERS FROM PAGE 2

1. The correct answer is A, true. According to The Washington Post, the decision to discharge will be made after the early morning meeting on Oct. 5.

3. The correct answer is A, pressure.

According to The New York Times, Pence and Harris will face more scrutiny about how their presidential candidate will approach the pandemic and what this means for an anxious country.

2. The correct answer is B, assault of a police officer, burglary and criminal mischief. According to KSL, the man was caught after a customer of AAMCO noticed broken glass and called the cops.

4. The correct answer is C, education on the virus. According to The Standard Examiner, families in the school district

often fall below the poverty line, are immigrants or don’t trust the government.

All of these factors could play into children not being tested. The school board hopes education on the virus, emails to parents and other measures will encourage people with symptoms to be tested.

5. The correct answer is D, domestic violence awareness month. According to ABC4 the Women’s Center on campus said that domestic violence is a growing issue, especially with more people staying home due to COVID-19.

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An Ogden man was arrested for assaulting a police officer, burglary and criminal mischief.

THE SIGNPOST TEAM

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

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.

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L A I T DEN

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Safe@Weber Advocacy Services provides confidential support for survivors needing help in any aspect of life impacted by sexual assault, sexual harassment, domestic or dating violence and stalking.

WE ARE HERE FOR YOU

801-626-6090 | SU 323 safeatweber@weber.edu

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