The Signpost Thursday | February 21, 2019 | Volume 89 | Issue 49

Thursday | February 21, 2019 | Volume 89 | Issue 49

AUBREE ECKHARDT | The Signpost

NEWS » PAGE 8

STUDENTS WOULD RATHER STARVE THAN MISS SCHOOL

COLUMN » PAGE 10

ECOLOGICAL DISASTER CREEPS EVER CLOSER

a. A flaming portable toilet b. An active shooter c. A wild dog

By NIC MURANAKA Desk Editor

1. Which political figure just launched his bid for presidency on Feb. 19? a. Former Vice President Joe Biden b. Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy c. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders 2. Which Trump-proposed measure or organization did the

White House walk back on Feb. 19? a. Banning transgender people from the military b. Space Force, the proposed entity for fighting threats in space c. The border wall, again, following the deal for lessened funding in order to keep the government open 3. A man died after running away from who or what in the M&T Bank Stadium parking lot in Baltimore on Feb. 17?

Other Side of the Hill

23RD

A N N UA L

WSU Storyteling Festival Feb. 26

4. A sixth-grader in Florida was arrested earlier this month.

Initial reporting said he was arrested because he refused to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. The reason for his arrest was officially released.

What was it? a. He solely was arrested for refusing to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance b. He was arrested for causing a disturbance in the classroom c. He was arrested for taking a swing at the teacher 5. Karl Lagerfeld, the German designer credited with making Chanel a global phenomenon,

died at 85 on Feb. 19.

Lagerfeld was known for making controversial comments regarding women. Which of the following statements did Lagerfeld famously make? a. On accusations against a creative director accused of pulling models’ underwear down during photo shoots, “If you don’t want your pants pulled about, don’t become a model!

Join a nunnery.” b. On Adele, “She is a little too fat, but she has a beautiful face and a divine voice.” c. On curvy women, “No one wants to see curvy women.

You’ve got fat mothers with their bags of chips sitting in front of the television and saying that thin models are ugly.” d. All of the above

ANSWERS ON PAGE 14

by BC Sterrett

STORYTELLING SEMINAR

STORYTELLING SYMPOSIUM

Creating Culturally Appropriate Thai Stories: Lessons Learned

A Land Twice Promised: An Israeli Woman’s Quest for Peace

Shepherd Union Building, Sky Room, 4th Floor

Shepherd Union Building, Wildcat Theater

1-2 p.m.

3:30-5:30 p.m.

For a full list of events: weber.edu/storytelling

MyWeberMedia.com| February 21, 2019 | 3

SPOTLIGHTING JAZZ AT WEBER STATE

By LANDIN GRIFFITH

Reporter

Weber State University orchestrated its third annual jazz festival at the Val A. Browning Center on Feb. 16.

The festival highlighted performances from a few of northern Utah’s middle school and high school jazz bands, including bands from Ogden, Layton and Clearfield. The performances were followed by Weber State’s own jazz ensemble later that evening.

Daniel Jonas, director of Weber State’s jazz ensemble, said when he first began the festival two years ago, he wanted to bring in an outside talent each year to contribute and work with the performers.

“It’s important that we feature a guest artist,” Jonas said. “We need someone who is not only an incredible performer and musician but also an incredible educator who can get students excited and passionate about jazz music.”

This year’s guest artist was Ben Markley,

director of jazz studies at the University of Wyoming.

Markley has received critical acclaim for his recording project Clockwise: The Music of Cedar Walton, which was selected as one of the best four-star rated albums of 2017 by DownBeat magazine.

Weber State’s jazz ensemble performed eight songs, including an original composition by Markley, “But this time I mean it,” as well as compositions from jazz musician and big band, Cedar Walton and Count Basie Orchestra.

Markley complimented Jonas and the Weber State jazz ensemble for their work during the band’s rehearsals.

“It was a real pleasure to work with the students at Weber State,” Markley said.

“They showed a true reflection upon their great director.”

Jonas acknowledged difficulties that come with writing a composition.

According to Jonas, the most difficult challenge a composer is tasked with is to successfully arrange a ballad, an intimate

and melodic song that tells a story without lyrics being sung.

Weber State jazz ensemble performed the ballad “All of Me” by Cedar Walton, which highlighted some of the key factors Jonas described.

“A ballad must be slow, challenging and make use of all its time,” Jonas said.

The festival also attracted new faces to the world of jazz.

Weber State student Ben Moore said this was the first jazz concert he had been to.

“Compared to the music I listen to, jazz music is unlike anything that I’ve ever heard before. I was impressed with how the various jazz instruments were able to work together,” Moore said.

All of the band members of the Weber State jazz ensemble were given the opportunity to perform a solo, which signified the importance and distinct characteristics of each jazz instrument in a band.

Saxophones, trumpets, trombones, drums, pianos and cello were instruments

played by the Weber State jazz ensemble.

“It’s a great time to be a fan of Jazz music in Ogden,” Jonas said.

Jonas acknowledged 100-year-old jazz legend and Ogden local Joe McQueen, who continues to perform with his band, The McQueen Quartet, at venues in Ogden.

The McQueen Quartet will perform at the Gallivan Center in Salt Lake City on May 29.

In Ogden, monthly jazz sessions are held every third Thursday of the month at the Kaffé Mercantile on 26th street and Harrison Blvd.

After working with the Weber State jazz ensemble and the middle schools and high schools who performed at the festival, Jonas is optimistic about the direction jazz is headed.

“The future of jazz is secure,” Jonas said.

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MARCH 1, 2019 // 6:00 - 9:00 PM WSU DAVIS CAMPUS D3 BALLROOM 2750 UNIVERSITY PARK BLVD., LAYTON, UT 84041 TICKETS: $10 students // $15 general admission TO BUY TICKETS ONLINE, VISIT TINYURL.COM/WSULUNAFEST19

4 | MyWeberMedia.com| February 21, 2019

By ASHLYND GREENWOOD Reporter

During this year's state legislative session, high school and university students are intensifying their efforts to ban the underage use of e-cigarettes and other non-nicotine tobacco throughout the state of Utah.

Spearheading the movement is Students Against Electronic Vaping, a coalition comprised of students from 32 different high schools and five universities across Utah. The organization was founded in 2015 by Davis High School student Cade Hyde.

“We formed SAEV because use of e-cigarettes by Utah youth ages 13-17 was increasing exponentially, with more than 22,000 kids grades eight through 12 using e-cigarettes on a daily basis in 2016,” Hyde said in a press release.

Members of SAEV plan to eradicate

e-cigarette use through petitioning legislation and public policy while also educating community members on nicotine addiction, health effects and economic impacts of vaping.

The organization is working with House of Representatives member Paul Ray of Clinton to support House Bill 252 in the state legislative session.

The bill attempts to put the same legislation currently in effect on tobacco products also on e-cigarettes. Its main emphasis is to place an 86 percent tax on e-cigarette products.

The reason SAEV insists on this method of action is because, through microeconomic theory, for every 10 percent increase of a product's price, 6.5 percent of users will stop using it.

"The tobacco industry is marketing our youth through e-cigarettes to further these addictions,” Vice President of SAEV McGyver Clark said. “In 2013, only five percent of our youth were using e-ciga-

rettes. In 2017, this is up to 11.2 percent.

If it takes another two to three years to pass this bill, up to 30,000 teens total ages 13-17 will be using e-cigarettes in Utah."

If SAEV accomplished its tax raise to 86 percent, the probability states that within the next year, 50 percent of users will quit using e-cigarettes simply because the product no longer falls within their desired price point.

“In 2010, when tobacco tax raised by $1 per pack, in 2011, half of youth quit using tobacco,” said Clark.

According the IBIS, Utah's public health data resource, e-cigarette use has doubled in the last four years in Utah and tripled in the last year on a nationwide scale.

“What we are seeing now is that e-cigarette use is detrimental to our society," Clark said.

According to Clark, research indicates that youth who use e-cigarettes are four

times more likely to use actual cigarettes than non-users, with an average of 37.5 percent taking up cigarettes within two years of initially vaping.

“It is very difficult to pass any legislation in regards to tobacco because what everyone needs to understand is that the tobacco industry is the e-cigarette industry,” said Clark.

House Bill 252 will be put through committee in the next week. Those interested in supporting this legislative session are encouraged to contact their local representatives.

SAEV also invites any student to stand on Capitol Hill the day of legislation in support of the bill. According to Clark, they are looking for roughly 500 Utah students to attend.

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AUBREE ECKHARDT | The Signpost

MyWeberMedia.com| February 21, 2019 | 5

WHO DOESN'T LOVE LOVE?

By ALEXA NIELSON

Reporter

Normally, the practice of giving out Valentines on Valentine's Day ends after elementary school. At DaVinci Academy, though, the tradition lives on.

DaVinci Academy is a charter school focused on the sciences and arts in Ogden.

Every year, the Weber State University Chair of Service for DaVinci Academy puts together Valentines for the students. This year it was Jenna Thoits who cut up and wrote on over 1,000 hearts and got candy to give out to students.

The WSU Service Team began the event to give everyone the opportunity to feel loved and still get a valentine, even if they're in high school. The event partners with Done in a Day so students can receive service credit. The event also gives DaVinci the chance to promote WSU to its students.

Last year, the event was held in the DaVinci elementary school, with the valentines stuck to students' lockers. However, the sixth graders were taking all the candy so none of the younger students would get any, leading to the change to the high school this year.

“I like doing this event at the high school because students are more understanding and appreciative of the Valentine’s Day aspect," Thoits said. "They still get the elementary aspect of getting Valentines again but without having to make them, and everyone still gets one.”

Thoits had two tables set up on in main hall of DaVinci Academy with two volunteers, Gabrielle Tsosie and Carly Johnson from WSU there to help her. The tables were covered in paper hearts with positive messages on them such as, “WSU loves you!”, “Happy Love Day!” and “You are special!”

Students could come by and pick up Valen-

tines to give out or keep for themselves.

“I think this event is just cute and adorable," Tsosie said. "I can see girls putting them in students’ lockers for their friends, and it is the most adorable thing I’ve seen high schoolers do."

Miah Lamere and Elizabeth Evenhuis are two eighth graders at DaVinci who decided to take a bunch of the hearts and put them into their friends lockers.

“When I see my friends and they’re sad, I like to see what I can do," Evenhuis said.

"Putting the hearts in the lockers gives them something good to make them happy, especially if they’re having a bad day.”

Lamere said she thinks it's nice to receive surprises and the idea is creative. She appreciated that it just seeks to make people's days better.

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ALEXA NIELSON | The Signpost

ALEXA NIELSON | The Signpost

Institute of Religion at Weber State University - Ogden Campus

Presents:

Ryan Dunn

WSU professor of Family Studies "All for One, and One for All:

How our focus on the two great commandments brings us closer to God and Man "

Wednesday Devotional February 27, 2019 12:30 - 1:15pm Institute Chapel

6 | MyWeberMedia.com| February 21, 2019

WILDCATS POUNCE

ON ANTELOPES

FOR VICTORY

By CHRISTIAN JOHNSON Reporter

What was supposed to be a full day of Weber State University tennis on Feb. 16 was cut in half for the men’s team, who was supposed to host the University of California Irvine, but the match was cancelled due to WSU injury concerns.

However, the women’s tennis showdown against the Grand Canyon University Antelopes went on as scheduled, with Weber dominating in a 6–1 victory.

WSU came into the match winless at home in two tries but held a solid 5–3 overall record. On a bitterly cold day, the ‘Cats racquets were on fire on the indoor court.

Returning home from a tough loss in Las

Vegas against a strong University of Las Vegas team, Wildcats head coach Mark Roberts looked to his seniors to help keep his team focused going into this match against GCU. “It helps a lot. I’ve spent the last three years building those seniors up,” Roberts said. “Really, now they are leading the team.”

Any doubts to be had about Weber’s focus and readiness were quickly dispelled as they claimed victory in all but one of the singles matches. WSU freshman Cali Fuller, Megan Lombardi and Yuuna Ukita showed that youth is not a problem when they all won their respective singles matches.

The doubles matches saw more success

JOSHUA WINEHOLT | The Signpost

Freshman Yuuna Ukita swings to return the ball against GCU.

MyWeberMedia.com | February 21, 2019 | 7 JOSHUA WINEHOLT | The Signpost

Head coach Mark Roberts talks to the team before the tournament.

JOSHUA WINEHOLT | The Signpost

Senior Emily Tanner returns the ball against Grand Canyon University.

for the Wildcats as the freshman duo of Fuller and Lombardi beat the the Antelope pair of Celia Morel and Autum Prudhomme 6–3 to give Weber yet another victory on the afternoon.

The senior-sophomore pairing of Sara Parker and Pei-Hsuan Kuo made easy work of Grand Canyon’s Martina Lo Pumo and Ludovica Infantino, dominating them in a 6–1 triumph.

The Wildcats improved to 6–3 with their first home win of the season but suffered a setback the following morning. In the opener of Big Sky Conference play, Weber State fell to the University of Idaho Vandals by a final of 5–2.

The ‘Cats will take this coming weekend off before resuming action when the calendar flips to March. WSU will host Portland State University, Eastern Washington University and Western Michigan University on three consecutive days from Mar. 2-4. All matches will be at the Ogden Athletic Club.

As for the men, they will aim to start their turnaround from a 2–7 start to the season as they host EWU on Feb. 23 at 12:30 p.m.

The Eagles will be followed into Ogden by another conference foe as the University of Northern Colorado Bears visit on Feb. 24 at 11 a.m.

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EVERYONE’S GOTTA EAT

8 | MyWeberMedia.com| February 21, 2019

By NIC MURANAKA Desk Editor HARRISON EPSTEIN Editor-in-Chief

Back in 2016, the U.S. Government Accountability Office was reviewing Department of Education reports when they found that 2 million students potentially eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program simply weren’t reporting that they were receiving the benefits of the program.

In other words, these 2 million students were going hungry when they did not need to.

In their report, published last December, the GAO said the biggest factor contributing to students experiencing food insecurity is income. Low income students tended to exhibit other risk factors, such as being a first-generation student or single parent.

“College hunger is widespread among low-income students and first-generation students, as well as college students who are raising children,” Senator Patty Murray said in a conference call for student journalists.

Murray, who requested the report from the GAO, has been working with Senator Lamar Alexander to re-tool the Higher Education Act so it shows the true cost of attending college.

Reworked, the Higher Education Act could show potential students the costs of attending college beyond paying tuition and fees.

On the most basic level, this change would allow students to better prepare themselves for attending college. Currently, some universities, like Weber State University, actively encourage low-income students to attend.

The Dream Weber program targets low-income students. Full-time students with a household income of less than $40,000 annually who qualify for Pell Grants can receive full tuition and general fees through Dream Weber. Dream Weber gets these students in the door, but students still need to pay for food.

If they live on campus in Wildcat Village, they’ll have to pay for a meal plan. According to Jessica Alford, general manager of Sodexo (which provides all the food for WSU), currently 425 students pay for meal plans, the most popular of which costs $1,200 per semes-

ter. Coming up with that money, along with tuition and fees, can be a real problem for many students.

Now, this is not a new problem. Dr. Sara Goldrick-Rab has been working on food insecurity in colleges since 2008. She said she had been having a conversation with students when an undergraduate mentioned they hadn’t eaten in two days.

Goldrick-Rab estimates that somewhere between 9 and 50 percent of students attending college struggle paying for food. At community colleges, the number of students facing food insecurity rarely falls below 40 percent.

In late January in a story by Temple Now, Goldrick-Rab noted the number of food-insecure students at community colleges appears to be sitting at approximately 56 percent. A national study by Temple University, where Goldrick-Rab works, estimated that approximately half of undergraduates experienced food insecurity while pursuing their degree.

WSU doesn’t have exact figures on the numbers of students struggling with food insecurity, which is unsurprising. The difficulty in reporting hard statistics about hungry students lies in pinning down hard numbers.

Department of Education national studies typically cost in the ballpark of $30 million, only happen every four years and, according to Goldrick-Rab, rarely include questions related to food insecurity.

Information from the Dream Weber program shows that in the 2018-19 academic year, nearly 15,000 WSU students applied for federal financial aid. Total, almost 3,000 students enrolled under the Dream Weber program. Keeping in mind that the GAO report the biggest factor for food insecurity is low income, WSU likely has at least 3,000 students who are at risk for food insecurity. Whether these students know of the resources available to them is a different question.

The GAO put out their recommendations following the report, which focused on clarity and access to information. They argued that the Food and Nutrition Service should make the rules for eligibility for SNAP benefits more clear, so students can better understand if

they qualify and how to receive the benefits.

Director for MAZON Samuel Chu uses the USDA definitions of food security when discussing the problem. The USDA grades food security and insecurity on a scale where one reports on his or her food accessibility, quality and intake. High food security equates to no problems accessing food, and marginal food security equates to small anxieties about access to food or having food in the home. Low food security equates to reduced quality in food but little to no reduced food intake and very low food security equates to repeated, reduced food intake.

Chu agrees with Murray and Alexander that the next step in fighting food insecurity is updating the Higher Education Act. He believes colleges need to make a change where students are encouraged to look into food assistance instead of assuming they aren’t eligible.

National studies show colleges taking countermeasures to fight food insecurity. The GAO reported that, since Sept. 2018, more than 650 colleges said they have a food pantry on campus.

WSU’s Weber Cares Food Pantry has been open since 2011. The pantry is staffed by volunteers and stocked by donations from students and organizations. Food Pantry Chair Andrea Hernandez often collaborates with Clubs and Organizations on campus in order to bring in donations as well.

During the 2017-2018 academic year, Weber Cares Food Pantry distributed just under 5,000 pounds of food: on average, 12 pounds of food per student.

For Chu, however, food pantries are not the end-all, be-all solution. Rather, they’re just a beginning point.

“Starting a food pantry, while it’s not enough, is a good first step,” Chu said.

As far as good first steps go, the Weber Cares Food pantry works hard to ensure students have access to food when they need it.

Alford noted Sodexo works closely with the food pantry, donating multiple times a week in order to ensure students can get what they need. All fundraising efforts through Sodexo go toward the pantry as well.

“We also work with CCEL to provide food

vouchers for students in urgent need,” Alford said.

As part of addressing the greater problem, Chu emphasized that administrators in contact points could be trained to help students with food insecurity. Again, the problem circles back to an issue of information access.

Chu argued students should be encouraged to look into food insecurity solutions instead of assuming they aren’t eligible.

According to Provost Madonne Miner, Academic and Student Affairs talk food insecurity when they discuss ways to ease the financial burden on students. Of course, with the difficulty in identifying how widespread the problem is, direct measures to counter food insecurity are difficult to deploy.

MyWeberMedia.com| February 21, 2019 | 9

“So we assume that it is our job to make WSU as affordable as possible by taking measures to keep costs down,” Miner said. “And, by taking these big steps, we hope we improve life affordability for all our students.”

Recent measures at WSU include changing one-year scholarships to guaranteed four-year awards, looking for ways to decrease the costs of textbooks and an increased advising presence, which all aim to ease the financial burden of attending college for students. Therein lies the crux of the matter: these people struggling to eat are students, after all, who have to pay for school and food, often for families.

Ideally, then, these measures help students eat, too.

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MONIKA CLARKE | The Signpost

10 | MyWeberMedia.com| February 21, 2019

AS ICE GLACIERS MELT, DENIALS OF CLIMATE CHANGE HEAT UP

DARYN STEED Columnist

I was standing in front of the Sólheimajökull glacier in 2018, lacing my boots before we started our climb to a wall a few hundred yards up the ice.

Our guide was telling us the height of the glacier, the relative age, the amount of visitors each year. As we reached the first step onto ice, he looked back longingly to where we had come.

“The mountain gets smaller every year,” he said.

Years ago, the country paved a road to the start of the glacier. By the time I was standing there, Sólheimajökull was a couple hundred feet from the end of the road, the most glaring evidence of global warming I’d ever seen.

According to NASA’s report on climate change, increased carbon dioxide and other man-made emissions have caused the planet’s average surface temperature to rise 1.62 degrees Fahrenheit.

The oceans have absorbed most of this heat. As temperatures rise, ice sheets and glaciers melt. Between 1993 and 2016, Greenland lost an average of 281 billion tons of ice per year. Antartica lost 119 billion tons per year during that period. In the last decade, Antarctica ice mass loss has tripled.

NASA estimates there is more than a 95 percent chance that human activity is to blame for the shift in climate. Earth’s climate is changing in response to rising greenhouse gas levels.

In the last hundred years, global sea level rose about eight inches. In the last ten years, the rate has nearly doubled and accelerates more every year.

According to a climate change report from The New York Times, in the next 30 years, weather will continue to warm, with increasing extreme weather. Coral reefs and other oceanic habitats are dying.

Climate effects could precipitate the sixth mass extinction of plants and animals in the

Earth’s history. Ice caps will melt, causing seas to rise high enough to flood most of the world’s coastal cities.

And our actions will be the trigger for all of those disasters to unfold.

We don’t even have to look to the future to find devastating consequences of global warming. Because of sea level rise, 83,000 residents of New York and New Jersey were flooded during Hurricane Sandy who otherwise would have been safe in a stable climate.

Tens of thousands of people across the globe are dying from heat waves. Climate change has disrupted refugee flows and destabilized global politics.

And as with every social problem, poor people are being hit first and hardest. Poor people will continue to pay the price for the mistakes we make now.

In order for us to stave off the worst effects of global warming, human emissions must be reduced to zero. The good news is that many countries have significantly dropped their emissions by creating programs like fuel-economy standards for cars, stricter building codes and emissions limits for power plants.

But in order to enact real change, energy transition needs to accelerate dramatically.

An immediate concern is the volume of single-use plastics in our oceans. According to oceancrusaders.org, there are 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic debris in the ocean.

Eight million tons of plastic trash flow into the ocean every year.

Ninety-one percent of America’s plastic is not recycled and instead ends up in landfills or the ocean.

A study done by World Economic Forum estimates that plastic trash will outweigh fish in the ocean by 2050. Ninety-nine percent of all seabird species will have ingested plastic.

One hundred thousand marine creatures die every year from plastic entanglement — and that’s just the number we find. Additionally, 1 million sea birds die every year from plastic.

Worldwide, shoppers use approximately 500 billion single-use plastic bags per year.

That means we’re using one million bags every minute. On average, each person contributes 150 bags per year.

Most grocery retailers offer reusable

shopping bags for $.50 or $1. Once you’ve made the switch to non-plastic shopping bags, it’s time to invest in a reusable water bottle.

Consider this. Around the world, more than a billion people don’t have access to safe drinking water, according to a report from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

People in these countries have good reason to drink from safe bottled water.

But the vast majority of plastic bottle consumption comes from countries with quality tap water.

Americans alone consume 8.6 billion gallons of bottled water annually. Of these, only one in five are recycled. Every year, 17 million barrels of oil are used to produce bottled water — enough for 340 million gallons of gasoline.

Other plastic goods are contributing to our oceanic crisis. On July 1, 2018, Seattle became the first American city to ban the use of plastic straws. Other states have introduced legislation to ban plastic straws by 2020.

Americans alone use 500 million plastic straws every day, according to the National Park Service. Most of those end up in the ocean. Straws are too light to make it through the mechanical recycling sorter, so they drop through sorting screens and usually end up getting disposed as garbage.

Plastic straws contribute to nearly 10 percent of our plastic waste. There are nearly 7.5 million plastic straws on America’s shorelines. There are an estimated 900 million plastic straws on the world’s coastlines. And since they’re not biodegradable, these unnecessary utensils aren’t going anywhere.

Because straws are so small, they’re extremely dangerous to marine life. Straws entangle animals and are consumed by fish.

According to The Washington Post, polar bears are some of the most at-risk animals.

By 2050, more than two-thirds of the world’s polar bears will die. By 2060, the species could be extinct.

In 2015, countries reached a landmark deal in Paris to help speed up energy transition. The reductions are voluntary and don’t do nearly enough to head off severe climate change effects. Still, the agreement will the-

oretically be reviewed every couple years for countries to ramp up their commitments.

Unsurprisingly, President Trump announced that he would be pulling the U.S. out of the deal in 2017, likely because he’s a climate change denier who received $107 million from oil and coal companies for his presidential campaign, as reported by Inside Climate News.

In the past, Trump has called climate change a “Chinese hoax” and accused scientists of trying to fool the public. He cites information like record-low temperatures to undercut scientists’ claim of global warming, which is an interesting strategy, considering we wouldn’t know record-low temperatures without scientists.

Thankfully, more logical leaders from other countries have ignored President Trump and said they would go forward with the Paris treaty regardless of American intentions.

A host of countries have already banned plastic bags, including China, Kenya and Rwanda. France has banned all plastic utensils, plates and cups.

According to a report from the New York Times, climate denialisms’ arguments are so loosely based in reality that even coal and oil companies have distanced themselves. Of course, these companies still donate to the campaigns of politicians who deny climate change.

What are we paying attention to, if not this? Forget Trump. Forget Kanye. Forget Kavanaugh and the next season of Game of Thrones and increasing gas prices. If we don’t fix this, generations to come won’t care about gas prices because they won’t have anywhere to drive.

Next year, Sólheimajökull will be a foot farther from the road. 100,000 more marine animals will be dead. A billion more plastic straws will litter the ocean — that is, unless we do something about it now.

Invest in your city’s recycling system. Buy a reusable water bottle. Cut the plastic balloons from your birthday celebration. Have your soda without a straw. You may just be one person, but nothing will change unless enough people realize their individual power and commit to making the world better.

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MyWeberMedia.com | February 21, 2019 | 11

AUBREE ECKHARDT | The Signpost

THE LEGO MOVIE 2

ISN'T IT ROMANTIC ALITA BATTLE ANGEL

THE ‘80S REVISIT

WEBER STATE’S

VALENTINE’S DISCO DANCE

february 22

9PM

By KIERSTYNN KING Reporter

Earthworm & Folk Hogan february 23

9PM

Mama Longlegs

WEEKLY EVENTS SUNDAY

Texas Hold’em

MONDAY

Comedy Open Mic

TUESDAY

Poker Night

WEDNESDAY

Bingo & Trivia Night

Thursday

Karaoke Night

february 22

Scott Rogers at 7PM february 23

Katie Ainge at 7PM

Students at Weber State University had a totally tubular time at the school’s ‘80s-themed Valentine’s Day dance on Feb. 15.

The dance included various non-traditional festivities, including mini-golf, roller-skating and a photo booth.

Tim Fogleman, the dance chair for the WSU Student Association, said when he was first asked to host the Valentine’s dance, he was nowhere near thrilled to be a part of it, let alone plan it.

“When you think of a dance, most people think of a boring, simple, traditional theme. Valentine’s day has become one of those simple themes that’s corny and overdone,” Fogleman said.

To change things up this year, Fogleman said he chose the ‘80s theme because most people enjoy the music, clothing and ambiance from the decade.

“Most of us weren’t around during that time, but it still seems fun. The

music was fantastic and the movies were excellent,” Fogleman said.

“Themed events like these are always successful.”

Although each activity was a hit for those in attendance, the major attraction of the night was the portable roller-skating rink.

“Weber’s never done something that crazy for an activity before. It took a ton of work making sure everyone involved from facilities to risk management was okay with having this rink set up,” Fogleman said.

“Valentine’s day has become one of those simple themes that’s corny and overdone.”

TIM FOGLEMAN WSUSA DANCE CHAIR

Amidst the planning and preparing, Fogleman wanted to make sure there was something for everyone at the dance.

“Inclusivity is a big reason why events like these are so important; they help students feel a little more grounded and give them a chance to get to know people and figure out what type of events they like to come to,” Fogleman said.

The event attracted students who don’t regularly attend school events. Weber State student Victoria Lambert attended the dance just to hang with one of her friends.

“I don’t really come to dances, but I’m very impressed by how it looked. You don’t often see portable mini-golf, so that’s pretty cool,” said Lambert.

Between dancing and roller-skating, students could enjoy a quick and tasty treat from the cookie and ice cream sundae bar at the event.

“I’m not a big dancer. I mostly just come to hang out with my friends, but I also thoroughly enjoy the food. The ice cream and cookie bar was a good choice.

I’m also impressed with the mini-golf and the roller-skating rink,” Bourne said.

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MyWeberMedia.com | February 21, 2019 | 13

WILDCATS OUTLAST MONTANA STATE IN A HIGH-SCORING AFFAIR

Reaching for the basket, Jerrick Harding makes a shot while jumping over fallen MSU Player. (Marissa Wolford/The Signpost)

By RAYMOND LUCAS Reporter

The Weber State University Wildcats welcomed the Montana State Bobcats into the Dee Events Center on Saturday night. The Wildcats fought and got the best of MSU, winning 94–82.

Head coach Randy Rahe said, “I’m really proud of the guys. This is a good win for us, and based off everything, Montana State has been as hot a team of anyone in our league. They are the hardest team in our league to guard.”

The Weber State scoring barrage was led by junior Jerrick Harding, who lit up the Bobcats for 28 points. Junior Cody John pitched in 18 points, five assists and five rebounds. Senior Brekkott Chapman made an impact, as well, scoring 14 points and pulling down 14 rebounds.

WSU was without senior Zach Braxton and sophomore Ricky Nelson while they continue to work their way back from injuries, forcing the younger players to step up.

“We got guys that are banged up and they keep fighting and scratching,” Rahe said. “I was really pleased with our

guys tonight.”

The Wildcats started the game with a groove as they poured in 16 points in the first five minutes while holding the Bobcats to only four. The tempo for the ‘Cats was electric, and defensively, the Bobcats were being smothered.

The Wildcats lead grew to 22–9 before Montana State finally found baskets and cut the lead to 24–19.

“We started out on fire, and I could see that in our guys,” Rahe said. “But they are so good of an offensive team that they are hard to guard and you really are not going to get away from them because they just score so easily.”

Midway through the opening half, what seemed like a WSU blowout was now a fight. Montana State continued to find the bottom of the net, and with 5:27 left, they trailed 32–28.

At halftime, Montana State held at 40–39. The Wildcats came out on fire but cooled off, allowing the Bobcats to find a groove of their own and fight back, eventually earning them a lead.

When it comes to offensive efficiency, WSU and MSU could not have been any

closer. Weber State made 15-33 of their shots, good for 45 percent. They also knocked down 6-14 three-pointers and three out of five of their field throws. For Montana State, they knocked down 1532 of their shots which is 46 percent. They went 6-15 from three-point distance and sunk four out of five of their free throws.

In the second half, neither team was able to create separation through the first five minutes. The teams matched each other’s scoring, defensive stops and turnovers.

With under ten minutes left in the half, the Wildcats woke up. Suddenly, the lead was 75–65 after a three from freshmen guard Caleb Nero who finished with 19 points.

“My team needs me to be aggressive,” Nero said. “I’ve been in a slump these past few games, so I’ve been trying to hang in there and get the team wins.

The Dee Events Center was rocking, and the team was feeling the energy.

After an MSU basket, Chapman nailed a three-pointer and gave the Wildcats an 11 point lead.

The referees were subjects to boos from the Wildcat fans as lots of questionable

calls began to become a thing in the second half. With 3:55 left on the clock, the Wildcats had six more fouls than the Bobcats, but WSU was still winning the game by a score of 78–73.

Harding had a one on one with his defender and smoked him on a short stepback jumper to push the lead to seven and give him 26 points of the night. The Bobcats called a timeout and Weber State chants echoed around the arena.

With a minute remaining, John knocked down a contested three-pointer to give the Wildcats an 87–75 advantage and pretty much securing a victory.

When the final buzzer rang, the Wildcats were the victors as they snapped a Montana State four-game winning streak.

The Wildcats won by a tune of 94–82 after an electric atmosphere inside the Dee Events Center.

Weber State will hit the road against the Hornets of Sacramento State on February 21, and return to take on Idaho and Eastern Washington during spring break before the Big Sky Tournament.

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14 | MyWeberMedia.com | February 21, 2019

QUIZ ANSWERS FROM PAGE 2 1. c. Senator Bernie Sanders entered the ring on Feb. 19, adding himself to an already-lengthy list of potential Democratic candidates. According to the Los Angeles Times, Sanders announced his candidacy on a radio broadcast on Vermont Public radio and by emailing supporters, decrying President Donald Trump in the process.

2. b. A Space Force independent from the Air Force may be no more after administration officials said on Feb. 19 that the plan is now to consolidate Air Force personnel and space operations, according to NPR. Initially, Trump had proposed a distinct branch of the military for Space Force, supposed to protect U.S. interests in space from other nations. However, NPR reported that critics of the program said it would further complicate military bureaucracy. On Feb. 19, Trump signed a directive consolidating Space Force into the Air Force.

The Baltimore Sun. A M&T Bank Stadium security guard spotted the man and called authorities. By the time the fire department arrived, the man was reportedly dead, and three portable toilets were on fire. The cause of the fire is still unclear.

4. b. The official reason the student was arrested was for causing a disturbance in the classroom, according to the Tampa Bay Times. The boy had refused to participate in the Pledge of Allegiance, but that wasn’t the reason for the arrest, according to police reports, because students in Polk County Public schools are not required to stand for the pledge.

5. d. Lagerfeld made all of those comments over the past 10 years, according to New York Daily News. Lagerfeld also famously took shots at Kate Middleton, Middleton’s sister, and Heidi Klum over the years.

3. a. A man died after being engulfed in flames, running away from a portable toilet that was also on fire, according to

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Tribune News Service

National security adviser John Bolton listen to U.S. President Donald Trump about the new directive centralizing all military space functions under a new Space Force, which will be overseen by the Department of the Air Force, in the Oval Office of the White House on Feb. 19, in Washington, D.C.

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MyWeberMedia.com | February 21, 2019 | 15

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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.

MyWeberMedia.com | February 21, 2019 | 16

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