Abi Stomberg | Argonaut
Robin Baker, a University of Idaho Junior, cleans up after her Biology lab Wednesday afternoon. Robin is a Biology major on track to graduate next year.

“Hey, Robbie,” I say, closing the door.

She’s rifling through the fridge and doesn’t turn around, so I walk toward the hall. I’ll talk to her when we’re face-to-face. But as I pass the kitchen she turns, and my sudden presence catches her by surprise.

She points to her wet red hair.

“Sorry, I don’t have my ears in.”

We exchange a thumbs up and a clearly articulated, “Goodnight,” then part ways.

Robin Baker entered the world Jan. 14, 1992, and for nine months she got to know it as a silent place. She was one of the 2 or 3 in every 1,000 babies born deaf, and part of the 90 percent of those born to hearing parents.

Her father, University of Idaho Provost Doug Baker, remembers noticing his youngest daughter’s hearing impairment when she was 7 or 8 months old.

“I went into her room and made a loud noise — she didn’t even flinch,” he said.

Robin had moderate-to-severe hearing loss in one ear and severe-to-profound loss in the other. She was fitted for her first hearing aid at 9 months old and a second one a couple of months later. Baker and his wife, Dana Stover of UI’s business college, began speaking and reading to Robin, trying to make up for lost time in essential language development. She entered special education after her first birthday, but the next two years of intensive speech therapy were nearly fruitless.

“She just wasn’t learning to speak,” Baker said. “At 3 she had almost no language — she had sign language, but she didn’t have any oral language.”

Baker consulted their audiologist, who confirmed Robin had enough hearing to pick up spoken English, but she was learning American Sign Language instead.

“This is a fork in the road for Robin,” Baker said. “She’s either going to be a signing kid or she’s going to be an oral kid.”

Parents must choose how children with hearing impairments will communicate for the rest of their life, and it all starts with schooling. Baker called the three options “camps — they’re almost cults.”

Children who attend state-run schools for the deaf learn ASL and subscribe to deaf culture. Those enrolled in mainstream public schools often use technological classroom accommodations and function as hearing students.  Special education programs offer Total Communication — a mash-up of sign and oral education that simultaneously delivers lessons in ASL and spoken English.

“Each believes deeply in what they’re doing and each cares a great deal about their kids and each feels theirs is the right answer,” Baker said.

Being the academics they are, Robin’s parents went to work studying each path’s potential effect on their toddler’s future. Following a careful review of the available literature, the Baker family relocated to Vancouver, Wash., and Robin entered the Tucker-Maxon Oral School in Portland.

“That was cold-turkey no ASL,” Robin said. “I went into Tucker knowing, at most, only about 10 words intelligible — I was about 3 or 4 — and came out having surpassed the vocabulary of my peers.”

Robin left Tucker-Maxon at 6 years old in the 90th percentile for language. Her father couldn’t have been more pleased. The family moved back to Moscow where Robin enrolled at Lena Whitmore Elementary, which may not have encountered a deaf student before her arrival.

“They were completely supportive of it,” Robin said. “They got me set up with a FM system … so I had that all through middle school.”

FM systems transmit sound from a microphone into a hearing aid using radio frequencies and are widely used in public schools. UI Disability Support Services loans out up to 10 of the transmitters.

Robin also used TTY systems, which connect a telephone with a keyboard. People with hearing impairments type their message and an operator relays it to the listener. UI’s Deaf Services Coordinator Gloria Jensen said the advent of TTY, short for teletype, systems in the 1970s made independence possible for people in deaf culture.

“You couldn’t even order a pizza before,” Jensen said.

She said in-person communication was the only option before TTY systems. FM microphones and pick-ups have also evolved from their clunky early models to tiny microphones and receivers students use today.

Technology has also come a long way in the realm of cochlear implants, in-the-ear devices that imitate sound and transmit it to the brain as electrical signals. Robin had hers installed after a sudden drop in her hearing between fourth and fifth grade.

“Her hearing just went down the tubes,” her father said.

Robin’s poorly formed cilia, tiny hairs in the inner ear that vibrate with sound, made her a fitting candidate for the cochlear implant that lies on top of the hair cells.

Anatomical posters of the inner ear hang in doctors’ offices and science classrooms across the country, but those peach and purple diagrams portray organs that change lives.

“So you have your eardrum and three tiny bones attached to it — little tiny bones,” Baker said.

He knows the set-up all too well. Those bones hook to the cochlea — a miniature snail shell filled with fluid and lined with cilia. Sound waves wash through the cochlea, tickling the cilia at different frequencies like wind across violin strings.

“In Robin’s case the hairs were damaged and then many of them died as she was growing up,” Baker said.

Cochlear implants begin with a hole in the skull to install the interior mechanics. A wire outfitted with 16 electrodes snakes into the cochlea and electrically simulates vibrations of cilia. The exterior part is a receiver about the size of two quarters affixed to the head with a magnet and receivers behind each ear. Sound information is transmitted as electrical signals and decoded by the audiotic nerve.

“All that kind of creeps out a lot of people in the ASL community that think it’s kind of a Frankenstein thing to do to kids,” Baker said.

But he’s an avid proponent of oral education because of Robin’s success in the hearing world. After a year of interpreters and captioning and a month of recovery, Robin heard her cat Lizzy purr for the first time.

“My dad is pretty dogmatic that oral is the best option and I agree with him for the most part,” Robin said. “If you need ASL it should always be available for you, but I feel like being oral gives you a chance at a richer life.”

An aid sat in the back of Robin’s class to provide real-time captioning services until eighth grade when Robin took control of her Individualized Education Plan. All special education students have an IEP, and until high school Robin’s included a captionist and an FM system. She said teenage rebellion hit and her still present independent streak surfaced.

“I was just like, ‘Screw this, I want to be alone. I don’t want to have that aid with me. I just want to be independent,’” Robin said.

So she ditched her captionist and FM system during high school and relied on her friends and her implant-boosted ears. She sat in the front row and used a notetaker. Her father called her smart and independent. He is proud of her.

Robin is a National Merit Scholar and a member of the University Honors Program. She received her only B in organic chemistry and plans to graduate May 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in biology and minors in statistics and natural resources. She will intern at the aquarium where she fell in love with the ocean, and looks forward to serving a non-profit organization as a marine biologist.

“My dad likes to give me a big head and say I’m the poster child for the oral debate because it shows you really can have a hearing impairment and be fully integrated into general society … I think I’d always grown up believing that,” Robin said.

Nol Gordon, a senior English major with a cochlear implant, also calls himself a member of the hearing world. He was born with perfect hearing, but carried a virus that caused severe hearing loss by age 2. Gordon’s parents enrolled him in public school from the outset and starting in third grade, he had a constant companion in his ASL interpreter. He became profoundly deaf at 12, and after two years in the silence Gordon opted for a cochlear implant and regained 85 percent of his hearing.

“I decided I didn’t want to be deaf anymore,” Gordon said. “It changed my whole life.”

The added awkwardness of an interpreter made middle-school socializing a struggle for Gordon. He said his peers had little experience relating to people who used ASL, and they often spoke to his interpreter instead of him.

“I was pretty isolated in middle school,” he said. “Kids … weren’t sure how to talk to me — they weren’t sure how to address me.”

Jensen said many students with hearing impairments, especially signers using an interpreter, feel isolated in hearing schools. Gordon communicated through competition. He played sports with his hearing peers and did well academically, but his cochlear implant opened doors outside the classroom.

“The hardest part of the high school experience being deaf wasn’t being able to do school work, it was being able to fit into the social hierarchy,” Gordon said. “When I got my implant that changed a lot. I was able to communicate and assert myself and make more friends.”

He traded his interpreter for a notetaker during high school and his first two weeks of college. He hasn’t visited DSS since then. Robin also functions independently at UI. She asked about accommodations during her college search, but has yet to visit the DSS office.

Baker said students with hearing impairments who communicate orally tend to be better off academically as well as socially. He said children who communicate primarily through ASL struggle with the complex grammar and sentence structure of spoken English. ASL is constructed in noun-verb sentences with abbreviations and few conjunctions, prepositions or articles.

“Kids who are signers graduate from high school with fourth-grade reading levels because spoken English is a second language,” Baker said.

Jensen said the state School for the Deaf often teaches more remedial English because its students have to learn the language without hearing it. She compared their experience to an English-speaker trying to learn Japanese from inside a sound-proof booth.

The Idaho School for the Deaf and Blind has its main campus in Gooding, a city of 3,500 about 100 miles southwest of Boise. Baker said the out-of-the-way campus almost closed so the state could better support isolated school districts.

Idaho’s widely distributed population makes it difficult to reach students in rural areas, Baker said. Many students with hearing impairments in Idaho’s public schools are alone in their district, Jensen said, so they only interact with hearing people. Robin was one such student.

Deaf culture thrives in state schools, Jensen said, but is dwindling on a larger scale because technological advances in cochlear implants and hearing aids divided the deaf world.

“Now we have the culturally Deaf who have been raised with sign language and have been using it their whole life,” she said. “Then we have this other group of people who are also deaf — you take out the batteries and they’re deaf — but they have a cochlear implant and they function as hearing people.”

Doctors have begun implanting infants, which the National Association for the Deaf stood solidly against at first, though Jensen said its stance has softened. NAD leaders believe children have a right to be deaf. According to deaf culture, there is nothing wrong with deaf babies and they do not need to be fixed. Cochlear implants were stealing generations of a cultural and linguistic minority.

Baker encountered such an attitude at the Washington School for the Deaf, where students learn in ASL. Administrators felt that people who are deaf should embrace deaf culture rather than try to be something they’re not. Baker rejected that paradigm and put Robin in a position to communicate with the hearing world instead of her deaf peers. He credits past oppression with the deaf community’s strong culture.

“They’re very defensive about it and you can see why, I mean they’ve been discriminated against forever,” Baker said. “The old schools that were founded were called ‘schools for the deaf and dumb.’ That’s the kind of prejudice we had against deaf people.”

Today’s deaf culture is more concerned about dropping numbers with the rise of technology. Jensen said Deaf communities have opened to people with cochlear implants and hearing aids in hopes of bolstering their dwindling populations.

Gordon said he remembers being maligned by some of the culturally deaf people he met who disagreed with his use of bulky technology. But his one-week attempt at ASL education was enough to convince him of his place in the hearing world.

“When you go to an all-deaf school for most of your life, you don’t know how to function in a hearing community to the extent that you need to,” Gordon said. “They just don’t give you the prerequisite skills.”

He said sending a deaf student to a deaf school would simplify his or her social interactions, but culturally deaf people are too few and far between in Idaho to make the trade worthwhile.

“I’d rather be isolated but educated than be educated at a sub-par level and feel like I could never fit in the hearing world,” he said. “My parents … felt like public education was the best route to go and so far it has been.”

Fitting into the hearing world is a challenge for people with hearing impairments of every degree. Jensen said people who are hard of hearing tend to struggle more than those who are entirely deaf because their hearing ability changes with their environment. The size of a room, how many people are in it, the frequency of a voice, the direction sound is coming from, and background noise affect their ability to hear someone sitting across the table.

More and more learning takes place in small groups where students talk over one another, speak without raising their hands and sit in clusters. Students with hearing impairments may have trouble tracking such conversations. Robin said lecture halls create a more suitable learning environment for her, while discussion classes present a challenge.

“I can focus on a teacher and hear her fine,” Robin said. “But if it’s a discussion, I don’t know who’s talking or what they’re saying.”

Daniel Bechtel, a senior in public relations with moderate-to-severe hearing loss, was apprehensive about UI’s packed lecture halls. His hearing aids amplify every sound, making shuffling papers, tapping feet and whirring fans a huge distraction. Bechtel said he gleans about 90 percent of information through lip-reading, so every time he looks from teacher to tabletop he misses information.

Unlike Gordon and Robin, Bechtel makes full use of DSS resources. He uses real-time captioning and sometimes borrows a LiveScribe SmartPen, which syncs recorded audio with written notes. Jensen said the pens go for $100 apiece at the VandalStore. DSS owns 80 of them.

Bechtel had flawless hearing until age 3 when an inherited gene from his father took effect and he received his first set of hearing aids. He used an FM system at each of his three elementary and two middle schools. Since his time at UI, though, Bechtel has come to rely on real-time captioning to keep up in class. He said the service is irreplaceable and advocates for its integration into all levels of education.

“It’s probably the best thing that’s ever happened to me as a hearing-impaired student in the public school system,” Bechtel said.

Captioning services arrived at UI seven years ago when a junior studying education lost the rest of her already impaired hearing.

“She came to me in the spring saying, ‘It is going, it is almost gone, what am I going to do?’” Jensen remembered.

It was the perfect opportunity to instate a program Jensen had been dreaming about for years. Trained captionists weren’t interested in relocating for a part-time position, so Jensen hired Teresa Davi as a trainee. Davi spent three months self-teaching, and by fall she was in class captioning for the student whose need sparked the program.

“That was capstone,” Jensen said. “My dream was to have five captionists — we now have 16 and every year it grows.”

Jensen estimated about two-thirds of the 30 or 40 students who use hearing accommodations at UI use captioning. Students such as Gordon and Robin aren’t part of that count because they don’t use DSS resources.

“I’ve made every effort to assimilate myself into the hearing community,” Gordon said. “I’ve had to work, I’ve had to play sports, I’ve dated hearing people — my world has always been hearing and I’ve had to adapt to it as best as possible.”

Gordon has interacted with other students who have cochlear implants and remind him how the deaf world is divided. A girl he went to high school with hated hers and never wore it, opting for ASL instead. But a man he met at UI loves his implant and swears by its positive impact. Robin said she hasn’t interacted with deaf students since her time at Tucker-Maxon, except at special summer camps and seminars.

“I always wondered what it would be like if I was in a bigger city with more deaf kids instead of just being by myself in Moscow,” she said. “Sometimes that would have been nice to have that support system, just to be like, ‘Man, being deaf is hard sometimes.’”

She said being on her own doesn’t bother her, but she’s glad her audiologist gets it. During her Semester At Sea, Robin met a woman on-board who was deaf and used an ASL interpreter. Robin said her ability to socialize through ASL made her think signing might not be so bad.

“But I’m still glad my parents made the choice they did,” she said.

Robin remembered attending a deaf and hearing symposium with her dad and learning that some people whose parents chose the oral route resented being stuck between two worlds — never fully embraced by one culture or the other.

“It’s a weird mix of wanting to be recognized deaf and not really caring about it,” Robin said. “It is true because I’m not totally hearing as much as people think I am … but it’s still so much better.”

Philip Vukelich | Argonaut
Seniors Stacia Mattson, Tristen Schneider and Cain Sanchez are among 1,774 students statewide who make up University of Idaho’s class of 2013. Line-up for Spring Commencement begins at 8:15 a.m. May 11 and commencement will start at 9:30 a.m. in the Kibbie Dome. The ceremony will last approximately 2 1/2 hours.

She said her time here has made her realize that learning is a process that continues after graduation.
“The more I learn, the less I know. College has taught me that there is so much more out there to learn about and I never want to stop learning,” Mattson said. “I’m just done with learning in a classroom setting.”
Looking back, Mattson said  her most challenging class was Math 143, a course which most students are required to take.
“The most difficult thing I had to do in my college career at UI was go to the Polya math lab and pass Math 143,” she said. “Seriously, that class has a ridiculous amount of work for being a 100-level math class.
Mattson said her favorite experience here was participating in an Alternative Service Break trip during the spring break of her junior year.
“Going to Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, was probably the best decision of my life so far,” Mattson said. “Helping people is so rewarding. This opportunity changed my viewpoint on life and made me realize how truly blessed I am to have so many opportunities available to me.”
As for her future, Mattson said she doesn’t know what she wants to do, but is going to take it one step at a time.
“I have a job for the summer as a horseback trail guide for a ranch/bed and breakfast,” she said. “After that, who knows? Time for some adventures, I’m free … too bad nothing else is.”

Cain Sanchez – Spanish/Latin American Studies
Wanting to experience university life, Cain Sanchez came to UI as a transfer student from North Idaho College in 2010. He will graduate this May with degrees in Spanish and Latin American studies.
Sanchez said his junior year was spent in South America through a study abroad program in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
“Since I study Latin American studies, it was interesting to actually see firsthand the cultures, traditions and how language changes from country to country,” he said.
Sanchez said because UI gave him the opportunity to study abroad, he has grown as a student, a community member and as a person.
“It really opened my eyes to see the world in a different view,” Sanchez said. “Some people don’t appreciate what we have, but I feel like until you go abroad and see how people live who are less fortunate than you, you won’t fully appreciate what you have.”
When Sanchez returned from South America he said he kicked off senior year by getting involved in various university programs.
“I joined the Student Alumni Relations Board, started working as a mentor for the internationals office, and I became an ISA global ambassador — which is the International Studies Abroad program,” Sanchez said. “And whenever I can, I volunteer here and there.”
This summer, Sanchez said  he has locked in an internship with NIC in the student development department.
“I’m in charge of coming up with better strategies for student organizations, planning the retreats for the organizations in the fall and implementing diversity programs for the students,” he said.
After that, Sanchez said he plans to work for AmeriCorps and then return to school to get a master’s degree.
“I recently have applied to some AmeriCorps positions, I have been accepted into one of them, but I am waiting to make my final decision,” he said. “And then I plan to go back to grad school to get my master’s in either student affairs or counseling, just because I have such a passion for working with students and helping them.”

Tristen Schneider – History
Graduating with a degree in history, Tristen Schneider said choosing UI for his education is one of the best decisions he has ever made.
“In my time here I have made great friends, met the woman of my dreams and learned from professors who have changed the very foundation upon which I have based my understanding of the world,” Schneider said.
Schneider said the most valuable takeaway from his college experience is the friendships he has made during the last four years.
“There is nothing like making friends who will be with you for life,” Schneider said. “Who grow and learn alongside you at every turn.”
Schneider said he chose to study history because it was a subject he had enjoyed for as long as he could remember and that would give him the foundation needed to understand the environment around him.
“History has taught me that there is no such thing as coincidences in this world,” he said.
In the future, Schneider wants to help people in any way he can, starting with getting involved in serving his community.
“I’m not immediately going back into academia or into the history field,” he said. “I’m going to enroll in a firefighting academy and do my best to help those around me.”

Ray Lyon- School of Journalism
Ray Lyon is in his fourth year at UI and will  graduate this May.
Lyon, 22, is majoring in broadcasting and digital media.
Lyon, from Coeur d’ Alene, said  one of the reasons he chose UI is the in-state tuition.
“I didn’t have any sort of innate desire to go to some prestigious university because I think that ultimately the education is the same,” Lyon said.
Broadcasting and digital media is in the UI School of Journalism and Mass media and focuses on video and audio production.
“I’ve always been into video production, so it has always been something that’s interested me,” Lyon said.
He said in the program, students can go one of two ways — traditional broadcasting or short, narrative films.
Lyon chose the latter.
“The U of I focuses heavily on journalism so there weren’t that many hands-on video production classes,” Lyon said. “However with the professors I had, particularly Denise Bennett, I feel like I’ve improved an incredible amount.”
Because Lyon graduates next week, the biggest question is: what’s next? He said he will stay with his girlfriend in Moscow for another year, but this summer he’s doing an internship.
“It’s with a small, non-profit organization called Tisbest Philanthropy,” Lyon said. “They want a video presence online, so that’s what I’ll be doing.”
The company sells gift cards, but not in the traditional sense. They sell gift cards that go toward charity foundations.
“They’ve been around for about four years,” Lyon said. “They market toward big companies who will give these gift cards to their employees.”
Lyon is excited for the next chapter in his life and said he’s glad he graduated on time.

Dara Heiple-School of Music
Dara Heiple is graduating with a degree in applied music.
“Part of the degree is American Indian Studies,” Heiple said. “But most of it is percussion performance emphasis, music composition and voice studies.”
Heiple, 22, said she was satisfied with UI’s music department.
“I think it ended up giving me the best education for what I’m looking for,” she said.
While her major mostly focused on music, Heiple said her main passion and love is for American Indian studies.
“I just love American Indian studies,” she said. “Because it’s so important to me I’m thinking I should just focus on that rather than my music.”
Heiple is a transfer student who came here from Whitman College. She came to UI for a concert and was approached by the music department.
“I was really impressed with the teaching methods here,” she said. “And talking to the students, they all seemed to really love the program.”
Heiple said that next she wants to go to Alaska.
“My big dream is to bring music performance to places that don’t normally get that,” she said. “Which is especially villages in Alaska, and a lot of reservations don’t have music programs.”
Amber Emery and Aaron Bharucha can be reached at arg-news@uidaho.edu

Amy Asanuma | Argonaut
The University of Idaho College of Law Courtroom is a place where students can hear lectures and presentations from law professionals. UI is looking to bring the same curriculum and focus of the Moscow campus to the state capital, where they hope to expand the law program for future years, despite funding road blocks.

“Boise is Idaho’s major center of population, commerce and government, a plurality of Idaho law firms and practitioners are located in Boise. Many of the other careers that the JD degree holders follow such as business, work in non-profits and social services have a lot of potential employment opportunities in the Treasure Valley area,” said Don Burnett, dean of the UI College of Law. “The subject fits in Boise as far as business law, entrepreneurism, intellectual property — those are real advantages.”
Burnett is an outspoken proponent of expanding the UI law program in Boise. With a third year law program established in 2010, Burnett proposed adding a second year law curriculum earlier in hopes of moving toward a full three-year law program in Boise.
Last fall, the Idaho State Board of Education approved the second-year program by a 5-4 vote after rejecting a proposal for a complete law program in Boise in 2008.
The decision to fund the newly approved second-year program fell to Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter’s office, which did not include funding for a second year program in the state budget released earlier this year.
In January, Burnett and UI President M. Duane Nellis appeared before the Joint Finance Appropriations Committee in Boise to talk about adding funding for the second-year program in Boise.
Rep. Shirley Ringo of Moscow, a JFAC committee member, said there was not a negative reaction from the board, just a matter of priority. She said there is not a lot of deviation from the governor’s budget on high price tags like the law school is asking for with a second-year program.
“Don Burnett presented a very good case … we do see the merit of it — it being so close to the seat of government,” Ringo said. “Location is a major thing — and then the subject matter fits for business law, entrepreneurism, in the future intellectual property, those are real advantages in Boise. Then finally, being able to finance your legal education partly through earnings as opposed to living on borrowed money which many students do in Moscow.”
When the legislature adjourned April 4, the JFAC committee did not approve funding for a second-year law program.
Sen. Dan Schmidt of Moscow, along with Ringo and King, were all in support adding a second-year law program in Boise, however budgetary priorities prevented the second-year from being funded.
“The division of financial management, which is the governor’s financial recommending and supervising agency, made recommendations of a maintenance budget. There were just very, very few new recommendations that they supported and that’s why they did not support the (law school),” Schmidt said.
Burnett said business and personal property tax was a big constraint on the budget and that if the budget had been more flexible the JFAC committee might have taken a look at the second-year law program.
“That was very much on the minds of JFAC members, right down to the very end of the session. I think it was very much on the governor’s mind also because he put some things in the proposed executive budget and did not put others in,” Burnett said.
SBOE member Richard Westerberg raised concern about funding the second-year program back in October 2012 when the board had a vote on whether or not to approve the curriculum for a second-year law program in Boise.
“For me it wasn’t just a discussion about whether there ought to be a second year law school program in Boise, for me it was a funding priority issue, and I was unwilling to commit  $400,000 on an ongoing basis to the project when I thought there were more critical needs for the state and even for the UI,” Westerberg said. “Specifically the funding of more medical seats … we’re critically short of doctors in the state of Idaho — I don’t believe we are critically short of lawyers in the state of Idaho. For me it was strictly a funding perspective issue, I could not support the request for supplemental funding for the second year in Boise.”
Even though Westerberg did not vote to approve the second-year curriculum he is still in support of adding a second-year in the future.
“I have absolutely nothing against the second-year in Boise, in fact I think it makes sense,” he said. “It will be a question of whether or not there are more critical needs for the funding.”
Burnett said that not getting the funding was disappointing but it was understandable because this was the first year of the proposal.
“I think folks realistically understood that it sometimes takes more bite of the apple so to speak in order to get something approved,” Burnett said.
However, there is strong support for a larger law school program in Boise.
“I was on the SBA counsel, the majority of questions we had from [students] was ‘Is the second year program available yet?’ ‘Will it be available for our next year?’ and so that alone tells me that there’s a great interest,” said Shayne Nope, co-vice president of the UI Student Bar Association and future third year Boise student. “The Boise market is a great market for our students and it would be a shame if the UI did not help get its footprint there before other schools do.”
Nope said many students support the expansion of the Boise program because it gives students a chance to network and get their names out there but also work in a variety of business oriented clinics to get real experience.
Future third-year Boise student Tori Osler said because the majority of Idaho attorneys are in Boise, the program provides students an opportunity to meet with attorneys on a regular basis.
Osler said the third-year Boise program was a factor in her choice to attend UI and if a full law program were to be set up in Boise, it would open opportunities to work with federal and state courts.
There is some concern about the effect a larger law program in Boise would have on the resources at the Moscow campus. Nope said he has thought about the possibility of the Moscow campus losing resources to a larger Boise campus, but said it would not take away from the specialization in Moscow.
“That concern certainly exists, but the subjects of natural resources, environmental law, dispute resolution, Native American law — these are all very topical areas in Idaho and they are going to hold a number of students,” Burnett said. “Recognize this is the 21st century, people can operate in more than one location and let’s do it where it’s best for the students. Both from their financial standpoint and personal standpoint and as well where their curricular emphasis lies.”
As for the future of the law program in Boise, Burnett said he expects there will be another proposal submitted to the SBOE next year that will be more refined and include a sharper focus on the business emphasis in Boise and what it can offer students.
Ryan Tarinelli can be reached at arg-news@uidaho.edu

Back to the beginning
So long and thanks for all the fish.
—Kasen
Amrah, out
I’m passing the Photo Bureau reins to Tony Marcolina after three years at Student Media. It has been very rewarding, both professionally and personally, to have worked alongside such dedicated Vandals in SUB 301. I have made life-long friends at The Argonaut and at the university as a whole — friends who have watched and helped me grow to my fullest potential. Time to kick finals in the butt and get that degree.
—Amrah
I love you all
Thank you for making a difference in my life. Without The Argonaut, I would be a lost soul.
—Lindsey
Thank you
From my Alpha Phi family to my Argonaut family, to my ASB family, and all of my incredible friends, professors and advisers in between: each and every one of you helped shape my college career and have impacted my life forever. Words cannot express how grateful I am that our paths crossed.
—Britt
Here’s to you, and here’s to me …
Forever friends, we shall be …
But if we should ever disagree …
f*** you and here’s to me
—Molly
Thank you
To all the seniors who are leaving this paper. The last two years, you have all been mentors to me, but more importantly, good friends.
—Sean
In good hands
I think my favorite aspect of working at The Argonaut is not being editor-in-chief, but watching the people I worked with mature into incredible journalists to where I am no longer needed. Good luck to the incoming editors — I know my paper is in loving and capable hands.
—Elisa
Pinterest advice
“Do more than exist.” To all The Argonaut graduates, I will miss you but I know you are all headed off to do great things. Each of you has inspired me with your grace, determination, compassion and hard work. Thank you for being the wonderful people that you are.
—Kaitlyn
Farewell
Speeches at the end of things aren’t about lasting messages, but thanking the people who left a lasting impression. Thanks to the people of The Argonaut, Blot and KUOI; UI’s ruggers; every resident this RA ever had, even Joe Quiner, every friend — living or gone; professor and adviser; and all the rest. I bid you all a very fond farewell.
—Dylan
One more year, one more year, one more year
All of my fans will be pleased to know that I haven’t decided to forgo my senior season. I have some unfinished business left at The Argonaut and will be returning to the University of Idaho. It was a hard decision, but after spending weeks contemplating with my family, it felt like the right decision. To all those Argonauters graduating, thank you for all the work you’ve put in. You will be missed.
—Theo
Tears
I’m really going to miss you all. But I’m happy knowing I’ve made life-long friends who all have the same passion for journalism that I do. Don’t worry about the Arg — we’ll continue to make you proud.
—Kaitlin
It’s true
Chris Crisman, a Philadelphia-based advertising and editorial photographer who just happens to be pretty much my favorite photographer ever, complimented my photography and mentioned the possibility of working with him this summer. Fingers crossed! Google him. His photos are legit.
—Phil
No words
I can’t express how much my time at The Argonaut has meant to me. All I can do is say thank you. I couldn’t have asked for a better family.
—Katy
Dream big, work hard
If you don’t build your dreams, someone will hire you to help build theirs.
—Robert Taylor , Assistant Student Media Adviser

Incoming editors
Excitement
As the new Broadcast Editor I’m excited for my take on KUOI News to be heard throughout the cosmos. What’s that? The signal starts to fade out in Pullman? So much for those interstellar listeners, but I’ll be happy to be heard by the greater community of Moscow, Idaho.
—Andrew, Broadcast Editor
Sleep
I can’t wait to get back on a somewhat regular sleep cycle.
—Stephan, Sports Editor
Argonaut confessions
Britt and Katy: I’m going to miss your sass.
—Ryan, Opinion Editor
Where has the time gone?
I turn 21 today. It seems like just yesterday that I graduated from high school and started college.
—Rick, Web Editor
Summertime
Everyone is just beginning their summers. I’ve been on summer vacation since spring break … kind of.
—Tony, Photo Bureau Manager
Highlight of my week
Watching Grey’s Anatomy and finding out my favorite doctor has the exact same coffee mug as I do.
—Emily, rawr Editor
Big thanks
I would like to thank the weather this week for reminding me that in Idaho, sometimes every season happens in one day.
—Aleya, Copy Editor

The Vandals had a solid first round performance with a 294 on Monday and were tied for fourth at the end of the first day, but things went south for the Vandals in the second round when they shot a 313 to put them in seventh place heading into the third and final round. On Wednesday, the Vandals recovered with a 303 to bounce back and finish the tournament in fifth.

New Mexico State took home the WAC crown, finishing six strokes better than second place Texas-Arlington. The Aggies blazed through the first round with a 286 and never looked back. New Mexico State finished every round in first place. San Jose State took third and Texas-San Antonio took fourth, finishing seven strokes better than Idaho.

UTA’s Paul McConnell took home the individual medal with a two-over 218, finishing just two strokes better than New Mexico State’s Kenneth Fadke. There was a tie for third between San Jose State’s Landon Polterock and New Mexico State’s Justin Shin.

Idaho senior Gordon Webb was Idaho’s top finisher and was part of a six-way tie for fifth at five-over. Sophomore Aaron Cockerill was next for Idaho and continued to have a stellar season with a tie for 16th at 11-over. Cockerill was also awarded second-team All-WAC honors.

Sophomore Zach Wanderscheid came in 26th after a solid final round of 72, sophomore Sean McMullen came in 33rd at 18-over and freshman Dylan Baker rounded things out for the Vandals with a tie for 38th with a 20-over 236.

The tournament concludes an up and down year for Idaho. The good news for the Vandals is that they will be bringing back all but two athletes from this year’s roster. This young team showed flashes of its potential at times, but struggled with consistency.

Kevin Bingaman can be reached at arg-sports@uidaho.edu

It didn’t take Idaho’s distance specialist long to engrain her name into the school’s all-time books. Now after excelling on both the course and track for three consecutive years, Hannah Kiser leaves you thinking, “She’s still just a junior?” Yes, a junior who has already begun chipping away on her own school and conference records. But during the fall cross-country season, Kiser did come away with a career first. The junior won her first individual WAC Championship at the conference meet in Ruston, La., crossing the finish line in 17:05.03, 10 seconds better than the second-place finisher from New Mexico State. The team’s WAC title was Kiser’s third and the third for the Vandals’ core group of juniors who have had an immeasurable impact on the cross-country program. Kiser’s domination on the trails translated onto the track and during the indoor season she went on to set multiple WAC records. At the indoor WAC Championships, Kiser won both the 3,000 meter events, finishing in 9:40.35 while beating her previous conference record by five seconds. Though she didn’t compete in the mile at the conference meet, Kiser snapped the WAC record in the event at the UW Qualifier meet, finishing in 4:37.55. She qualified for the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships hosted in Fayetteville, Ark., where she finished fifth in the 3,000. Kiser was later named a USTFCCA All-American. In the outdoor Mt. SAC relays, Kiser shattered the WAC and school record in the 5,000-meter race, finishing in 15:44.06. The time is 26 second better than the previous Idaho record and 17 seconds better than the previous WAC record.

Kyle Barone — men’s basketball

When Deremy Geiger, Landon Tatum and Djim Bandoumel graduated a year ago, there was a sense of urgency within the men’s basketball team — an urgency to sign any number of junior college transfers and an urgency to replace the trio that led Idaho to a third-place finish in the WAC regular season. Don Verlin wasn’t able to do exactly that, but it was Kyle Barone who would step up and fill the leadership void the others left. Not only did he do that, but he filled Geiger’s scoring void and Bandoumel’s rebounding/blocking void. Barone asserted himself as the team’s primary leader — as well as scorer and rebounder. He was named the conference’s player of the year and there surely wasn’t much of a debate surrounding that conversation. When Utah State’s Preston Medlin went down early in the season with an injury, the POY award was Barone’s to lose. He wouldn’t lose it. The best post player in program history capped off a remarkable career by being named an AP All-American honorable mention and was recognized as the nation’s 14th most efficient player. During his senior year, the Garden Grove, Calif., native averaged nearly double-double figures, posting 16.6 points per game and 9.5 rebounds per game. He was invited to play in the postseason Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, which compiles the nation’s elite seniors for NBA and other professional scouts.

Bobby Cowan — football

It looks as though the Vandals have just replaced the lone punter on Idaho’s 2012-13 roster. They’ll have big shoes to fill as the program’s best punter has moved on to bigger and better things — the Oakland Raiders. Cowan came to Idaho as more of an athlete type having played quarterback, punter and a few other positions at Evergreen High School in Vancouver, Wash. He left Moscow as a two-time Ray Guy Award watch list nominee and one-time Ray Guy semi-finalist. Though Cowan may have

been on the field too much for Robb Akey’s liking, he seemed to drop jaws with his thundering Kibbie Dome bombs. Cowan left Idaho as the program’s all-time leading punter and holds the single season record for punting yards with 4,084. After being named a Football Writers Association of America All-American in 2011, Cowan came back with a vengeance and averaged 43.1 yards-per-punt during the 2012 season. He punted nine total times in games against Eastern Washington and San Jose State and had a season-long punt of 61 yards in Idaho’s season finale against Utah State. In six different games, Cowan averaged more then 45 yards-per-punt and the senior had just two of his 70 punt attempts blocked. His quarterback skillset came in handy during the Vandals’ Nov. 17 game against UTSA , when Cowan launched a 64-yard pass to Camryn Harris on a fake punt call. Cowan will compete for the Raiders’ starting position after longtime Oakland punter Shane Lechler departed for Houston.

Allison Baker — volleyball

Her Idaho career came to an early end after Baker opted to forgo her senior season, but the outside hitter from Othello, Wash., certainly left her mark on a thriving Vandal volleyball program. The senior-laden Vandals came up just short of a Western Athletic Conference title but may not have made it even that far if it wasn’t for Baker’s heroics. The three-time All-WAC First Team selection finished her final season in Moscow second in the conference in both kills and points, second only to conference player of the year Meredith Hays of New Mexico State. Idaho entered the WAC Tournament with momentum, having deafeated eventual tournament champion NMSU 3-0 in the last regular season game. With the absence of sophomore blocker Alyssa Schultz, Baker carried a hint of extra pressure. That pressure transformed into flawless execution on the conference’s biggest stage. Baker notched three double-doubles in three tournament matches beginning with a 3-1 victory against Texas State. Baker accumulated 13 kills and 11 digs in the quarterfinal match-up before matching her career high kill tally (29) in a tightly contested semifinal.

But her clutch actions would prove more valuable to the team in a 3-2 win over hosts Texas-San Antonio. Trailing 14-13 in the deciding fifth set, Baker pulled out a kill, a block, then another kill to help the Vandals escape with the 16-14 win. Despite Idaho’s championship game loss, Baker was able to tally 28 kills and another 12 digs in her final game wearing a Vandal uniform.

Paige Hunt — swimming and diving

Hunt, the WAC’s “platform perfectionist,” was named the conference diver of the year after excelling at the WAC Championship meet while also impressing on the national stage at the Zone Diving Championships. Just more than a year ago, Hunt had set brand new school marks in all three diving events. The Mesa Community College transfer improved upon those efforts this season, finishing first in the 3-meter event, second in the 1-meter event and third in the platform dive during the conference meet held in San Antonio. The WAC meet saw Idaho break 12 program records, one of those being Hunt’s platform record, which was set after the junior recorded 234.30 points. Hunt, not content with simply topping her previous school record, shattered it during the Zone Championships. At the Air Force Academy, Hunt reeled off a score of 397.45, more than 100 points better than her previous record. At this point of her career, Hunt is refreshing records she’s set during past seasons, having topped all three of her school records during her junior season. Regardless, it’s safe to say her name will grace the record boards in the university swimming and diving center for years to come.

Dmitry Perevoschikov — men’s tennis 

Idaho’s sophomore transfer took an extended break from competitive tennis before arriving in Moscow two years ago. He returned to his home country of Russisa before trekking back to Idaho in the spring for his first year of eligibility. During that time, Perevoshchikov went from WAC newcomer to All-WAC First Team honoree. Easing his way into the team’s No. 2 singles position, Perevoshchikov won his first Division 1 match in three sets.  Three matches into the season, he was No. 1 singles good. Perevoshchikov took a 15-match unbeaten streak into a March 22 match against Southern Mississippi before he was finally dethroned by the Golden Eagles’ Matt Frost. In his next match, Perevoshchikov continued to battle a season-long foot injury and lose to Andrew Bettles of Boise State, the nation’s 30th-ranked singles player at the time. It was a battle from there on out dealing with injury for Perevoshchikov. Still, the Izheusk, Russia, native put together a season that earned him a midseason appearance in the national singles rankings, as well as All-WAC and All-WAC Tournament honors. Partnering with three separate teammates, Perevoshchikov went on to win five of his last eight doubles matches, including two at the WAC Tournament when he played at the No. 3 slot with Cesar Torres. His efforts helped lead Idaho to its second straight WAC Tournament championship game appearance, though the Vandals lost to Denver 4-0.

The season isn’t over yet but the Vandals have already claimed three school records and are close to grabbing several more.

The first Idaho record to fall was senior Jeremy Klas’ 2010 pole-vault record. Sophomore Matt Sullivan stole his teammate’s record with a vault of 17 feet, 5 inches on April 6, at the Sun Angel Classic. Sullivan was just the fourth Vandal to ever clear 17 feet and one of those guys, Klas, is still on the team. Idaho coach Wayne Phipps said Klas, who has always been a better indoor vaulter, has the potential to take his record back. Klas and Sullivan are sure to be battling for the record until the conclusion of the outdoor season.

Sophomore Hannah Kiser captured the next Idaho record with her 5000-meter time of 15 minutes, 44.06 seconds at the Mt. SAC Relays on April 19. Kiser’s time not only crushed the Idaho record by 26 seconds but also beat the WAC record by 17 seconds. Kiser’s time broke a 19-year-old Idaho record.

The latest Idaho record came at the hands of senior Ugis Svazs’ javelin throw Saturday at the Duane Hartman Invitational. Originally, Svazs didn’t think much of his throw, but after he heard his mark of 240-7, he knew he had the school record.

Svazs and senior Mike Marshall have been battling each other their whole Idaho careers. Last year, Marshall had the better marks but this year, Svazs was the first to break the school record. The duo will continue to battle into and past the WAC Championships.

Idaho also has several athletes who have come close to beating school records. Phipps said senior Barry Britt, senior Liga Velvere, senior Lauren Schaffer and Idaho’s 4×400-meter team all have the potential to achieve the feat this season.

NCAA National Championship bound

Athletes in the top 48 in either the East or West regions at the end of the season qualify for the NCAA Preliminary Rounds,  split between the East and West. The top 12 from the preliminary rounds advance to the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

Several Idaho athletes are well within the 48-person range while there are still some Vandals on the fringe of getting in.

In the men’s 400-meter dash, sophomore Ben Ayesu-Attah ranks 39th in the West. Teammate Andrew Bloom is just out of reach of the top 48 by a few tenths of a second.

In the men’s 400-meter hurdles, sophomore Jesse Villines ranks 49th in the West — just one spot away from NCAA qualification.

In the 5000-meter run, junior Hannah Kiser rests easily at fourth on the women’s side while senior Barry Britt ranks 45th on the men’s side.

The Vandals also have several throwers

well within the 48-player limit. Senior Ugis Svazs ranks fourth in the javelin, senior Mike Marshall ranks 17th in the javelin and junior Kyle Rothwell currently sits at 17th in the hammer on the men’s side.

On the women’s side, senior Ellen Rouse ranks 23rd in the javelin while teammate Taylor Feinauer ranks right at 48th place.

Back on the track, Lauren Schaffer ranks 26th in the women’s 800-meters while senior Liga Velvere is currently at 41st. Velvere is also ranked in the 400-hurdles at 25th.

Idaho’s pole-vault duo of Matt Sullivan and Jeremy Klas rest easily in the men’s pole vault while their teammate Dylan Watts is still on the fringe of qualification. Sullivan ranks 19th, Klas ranks 27th, and Watts, who has struggled with injuries this season, is still looking to propel himself into the mix.

Other Vandals on the fringe include senior Rendel Jones in the men’s triple jump (just two spots out), senior Kristine Leonard in the women’s shot put and discus and sophomore Johanna Hocketstaller in the women’s shot put.

Jesse Hart | Argonaut
Freshman hurdler Nicole Dorsey practices Thursday at the Dan O’Brien Track & Field Complex. The Vandal track team will compete Friday and Saturday at the Vandal Jamboree and Friday at the Oregon Twilight meet, hosted by the University of Oregon.

“For the most part, we’ll have everybody competing at home,” Idaho coach Wayne Phipps said. “But we will most likely be taking a select few over to Oregon … for a chance to bump up to that top 48 to qualify for nationals.”

At the time of the interview, Phipps said he didn’t know which Vandals would travel to the Oregon Twilight for their last meet.

The Vandals have had only one regular season home meet the last two seasons, but they took full advantage of the chance to compete at home last season. Last year, Idaho earned eight victories while also posting six all-time top-10 marks at the Vandal Jamboree. Returning victors from last year include Kyle Rothwell (hammer), Mike Marshall (javelin), Jason Lorentz (long jump), Ailene MacPherson (5000-meters), Dylan Watts (pole-vault) and three participants from the women’s 4×100-meter team, of Mercedes Blackwood, Allee Cooper and Kelly Jacka.

Having a home meet at the end of the season offers several advantages to the Vandals. Not only do the athletes get to stay home and focus on finals, but they also get to compete in front of family and friends for their last meet of the regular season.

Idaho senior Ugis Svazs said his teammate Mike Marshall will have both friends and family at the Vandal Jamboree and Svazs expects to have some friends come out for the meet as well.

“It’s a nice opportunity to compete at home with good weather on an awesome track, (while) not having to travel during finals just before a big trip to conference,” Phipps said.

The Vandal Jamboree and Oregon Twilight are Idaho’s last preparation for the 2013 WAC Championships in Arlington, Texas. The indoor championships showed that the new WAC is harder than ever with Texas schools sweeping both the men’s and women’s championships. Texas-San Antonio won on the men’s side while Texas State claimed the women’s title.

“As a team, I hope everybody will get at least close to (personal records) so we can

compete with the Texas schools as I heard they are pretty strong,” Svazs said.

The Vandals head into the WAC Championships as underdogs but Phipps said Idaho is a better outdoor team than indoor team this year. The Vandals took home the conference title at last year’s outdoor WAC Championships.

“Our goal is always to do our best and have our best team performance,” Idaho coach Julie Taylor said. “We have a lot of good kids that are sitting in good position as far as overall rankings. Hopefully we come away with some titles and we’ll try to do our best to compete at our highest level there.”

Stephan Wiebe can be reached at arg-sports@uidaho.edu

University of Idaho junior Joe Osborn climbs the bouldering wall at the Student Recreation Center. Osborn was part of the UI climbing team that competed in the Northwest Collegiate Climbing Competition last weekend. The team placed fifth overall.

The NC3 is a circuit competition consisting of teams from 11 different northwest universities and hosted at eight different university climbing gyms, including the University of Idaho. The circuit started in 2006 with three universities and has since grown to one of the largest collegiate competitive climbing series in the country.

The competition ended on April 27 with the Whitman College Sweet Onion Crank with 344 competitors competing from 15 different schools. The University of Idaho finished the season in fifth place after struggling to stay competitive throughout the year.

The Idaho climbing team is made up of student climbing enthusiasts who get together on their own time to climb and practice together.

“We are supported by our club fees and the little money that we get from being a university club,” senior climber Chelsea Murn said.

Murn, who was one of the unofficial leaders of this year’s team, finished the season 14th overall despite only competing in three of the eight competitions due to injuries. Murn said she thought the year’s best competition was the Palouse Climbing Festival hosted by UI for not only herself but for the team as a whole.

This year’s 11th annual Palouse Climbing Festival was the fourth stop of the NC3 circuit this year and arguably the best competition for the Idaho team this year. Two Vandal climbers finished in the top three for their heats this year. Senior Andy Gonzalez placed second in the men’s open and Murn finished first in the women’s open, putting up her best score of the year.

Murn expresses high hopes for next year’s team despite not being able to compete after graduation.

“I have faith in them, they need to choose a good team leader and compete well next year, but I know they will do well,” she said.

One of those climbers who will be continuing to compete is Junior Joe Osborn. This year was the first year that Osborn competed in the NC3 and he said he has high hopes for the upcoming season and the team.

Osborn said that the club is always open to new members and they do not require experience. He encourages anybody to come and try out for the team, no matter what their skill level is.

“We are always open to new members and we need more people to compete so we can do even better next year. Just come on out,” Osborn said.

Murn and Osborn both expressed their suggeston for potential team members for next year to get out there and just climb.
“It doesn’t matter if you are climbing in the gym or go out to climb real rock. It is all practice and will improve yourself,” Murn said.

Curtis Ginnetti can be reached at arg-sports@uidaho.edu

UI Faculty Senate Chair Kenton Bird said a low response rate raises concerns among some faculty members about the accuracy and usefulness of the evaluations.

Until 2001, evaluations came in paper form and were administered during a specific week each semester.

Rates were higher when evaluations were done on paper, in class,” he said.

Bird said other faculty members are concerned about “outliers” in evaluation score averages.

“Other faculty members have been concerned that one or two students who have had a bad experience in the class can unfairly skew the results by giving a zero or one, when the rest of the class rates a class or instructor at a three or four,” he said.

The committee is required to review the evaluation process every five years — the last review was in 2008, so this spring marks the end of the fifth year.

TEAC presented its report to the faculty senate during an April 26 meeting, which included current research regarding the best practices for higher education teaching evaluations, compiled by undergraduate committee member Shannon Gill.

Research concluded that in order for the evaluations to be successful, teachers and students must understand the purpose and uses of them and questions are best if they refer to specific teaching behaviors — overall ratings do not provide an accurate representation and are easily influenced by mood or potential biases.

The committee also provided suggestions in its report. Bird said one is that TEAC provides a set of recommendations to faculty about ways to administer evaluations, with the end goal being more responses and meaningful comments that can be used to improve the quality of teaching.

Bird said the committee’s main suggestion is to designate one specific week of the semester for evaluations, as was done with paper evaluations.

No final decisions have been made. Bird said the conversation will continue next fall and include faculty and students.

Britt Kiser can be reached at arg-news@uidaho.edu

More Info:

To read a full summary of the Teaching and Advising Committee’s report visit: http://tinyurl.comcxqcqpq.

The University of Idaho took the lead in the annual Western Athletic Conference Commissioner’s Cup standings. The Vandals, with conference titles in women’s basketball and women’s cross country, have a 2.5 point lead over Utah State and are 6.75 points ahead of UTSA in third. Idaho has teams competing for three more 2012-13 championships — men’s golf and men’s and women’s outdoor track and field. Points are awarded for each team in every sport based on the number of teams competing in the sport. In addition to nine points from both the championship teams, the Vandals earned 8.75 from volleyball, 6.75 from women’s tennis, 6.00 from men’s tennis and swimming and diving, five from men’s cross country, 4.75 from men’s basketball, 4.25 from soccer, three from women’s golf and each of the indoor track and field teams and two from football.

Men’s and women’s tennis bring home Western Athletic Conference tournament honors

The Idaho men’s and women’s tennis teams earned several honors last week during the WAC Tournament in Denver.

Jose Bendeck and Dmitry Perevoshchikov both earned all-tournament spots for singles play, while teammates Abid Akbar and Marius Cirstea earned a spot on the all-tournament doubles team. On the women’s side of the tournament, Victoria Lozano was the only Idaho women’s player to get selected for the all-tournament team.

The men’s tennis team made it to the finals of the tournament where it lost to Denver 4-0, while the women made it to the semifinals where they lost to the Denver women 4-0.

Suicide is difficult to talk about — a long-time taboo topic — but it can touch anyone’s life at any moment. In 2008, there were a total of 37,000 deaths by suicide in the U.S.,  an average of one person every 15 minutes.

Suicide education 

Daily activities, environment and habits are all strong influences on a student’s emotional and psychological behavior, UI Health Education Coordinator Shannon Haselhuhn said. To improve students’ mental and physical health, she hopes to also improve the environment in which students are living and learning every day. To do this, Haselhuhn said the university has established an educational program to enhance “bystander intervention” — the beneficial involvement and effect students can have when it comes to campus-wide health issues.

In September of last year, the UI Campus Safety Committee initiated a campus-wide UI Safety Week. With it, professionals brought various breeds of programming to educate students about self-defense, LGBTQA health and safety, alcohol awareness and information on healthy relationships.

“When we looked at Campus Safety Week and what a lot of other campuses were doing, we (wanted to) put less of a focus on safety itself, and more on ‘let’s create an environment in which people are really looking out for each other,’” Haselhuhn said.

Encouraging students to look out for each other quickly became one of the main messages of the Campus Safety Week. The university also prompted “I Got Your Back,” a
program to encourage bystander intervention.

Students listen to each other — peer-to-peer communication is really effective,” Haselhuhn said. “Peers are on the front lines — whether it’s at a party or in the dorms, just being around somebody every day … (peers) see behavior first-hand.”

Haselhuhn hopes this programming will empower students to look out for each other, and in turn encourage students to speak up for other students when they notice a change in behavior or the exhibition of dangerous, risky or
violent behavior.

“Bystander intervention is a real best-practice on college campuses,” Haselhuhn said. “‘I Got Your Back’ turned into that campaign and the message behind some of the bystander intervention trainings we had (within) the campus UI Safety Week.”

The importance of bystander intervention on college campuses began with a safety program introduced by the National Collegiate Athletics Association and the University of Arizona C.A.T.S Life Skills Program called “Step Up!” Haselhuhn said students have the power to play a unique role in the health and safety of their peers, and the “I Got Your Back” programming emphasizes that.

Sharon Fritz, UI psychologist and professor, leads a training program for university faculty and staff members to advocate intervention from an administrator’s point of view. Haselhuhn said the program, called “Mental Health First Aid,” is offered multiple times a year and gives faculty and staff members tips on how to pick up signs
from students.

“It’s training people to be first responders, to notice when something isn’t quite right and to help somebody get to the help they need,” Haselhuhn said. “That training is super effective.”

Haselhuhn said the Mental Health First Aid classes show professors and university administrators how to tune into signs students may be exhibiting. From apparent depression, anxiety or eating disorders, professors can become
the necessary vehicles students need to get to the resources available with the help of the Mental First
Aid class.

According to the Idaho Council for Suicide Prevention, Idaho is 51st in the nation in spending on mental health,
spending only $33 dollars per capita.

“There are a lot of pressures here, coming in (to university life), and that can be really scary and it can affect the decisions you make, and they can really affect your life,” Haselhuhn said.

From drastic changes in a daily routine or living environment, stressors can come from homework, expectations from classes
or even perceived pressure to fit in with a particular group of friends.

“It’s important for incoming students to have the necessary important information to be successful here,
and some of that is lifestyle components (and) adjusting to college life,” Haselhuhn said. “The idea is that we’re taking care of
each other.”

Peering into university protocol

Psychologist, professor and Director of the UI Counseling & Testing Center Joan Pulakos said circumstances of suicide are tough issues that often require intense communication, even when speaking up may
be difficult.

“What we want to do is just understand what’s going on, how the individual is feeling, where there are areas of concern,” Pulakos said. “The first step is to simply get to know somebody, to kind of get a broad picture of who they are and what’s going on. In that sense it’s similar to when anybody comes in for counseling, it’s about finding out some of those issues.”

Pulakos has been working in the UI CTC since 1983 and has had the opportunity to observe the changing landscape of students at the university. She said highlighting stressors found in the daily routine is an important part of dealing with suicidal thoughts.

“We’ll talk about … particular stressors going on right now, particular things that are contributing to (the suicidal feelings), if it’s been a long-standing issue, or is it sort of recent in terms of issues or … thoughts they’ve been having,” Pulakos said.

“Many folks have suicidal thoughts in their life (and) a large percentage of students will have those thoughts in their lives,” Pulakos said. “They vary in terms of severity — sometimes it’s just a passing thought, not necessarily considered ‘severe’… while others think about it more, so it’s a progression of how serious it is and how much people have actually thought about it.”

Pulakos was involved in the early stages of introducing the university’s current protocol.

UI has a particular protocol when dealing with suicide.

The protocol, called the Suicide Behavior Response Plan, is set in place after a student has exhibited “some level of suicidal behavior,” Pulakos said.

If a student comes into the Counseling Center and reports having suicidal thoughts, then the program wouldn’t be kicked in because whatever comes into the Counseling Center is confidential. But, according to the university, “faculty and staff have a right and responsibility to confront disruptive behavior.”  Confronting that behavior can include breaking codes of confidentiality when necessary, as defined by the legal qualifications of the CTC.

“Because of the CTC’s confidentiality legalities, the reports are funneled through the Dean of Students,” Pulakos said.

This process gives the university more flexibility to adequately treat students. But when a student could present a violent threat to either themselves or the campus community, the appropriate action must be taken.

As part of the university’s protocol when dealing with any suicidal ideation, the CTC and Dean of Students work to promote the use of Suicide Behavior Reports as a way to document and study suicidal behavior in the campus community.

Reports come from various places — some students will call in with concern for a friend, some professors will come in with concerns for a student, from residence life or from Greek life. These behavior reports are sent to the Suicide Behavior Assessment Team to evaluate whether the behavior discussed crosses the established “threshold” for suicidal behavior.

From suicidal ideation and expression of future suicidal attempt to increasingly dangerous behavior and suicidal threats, Pulakos said the suicidal feelings may fluctuate in terms of frequency and where they exist within the threshold’s spectrum of behaviors.

“Our role is doing the counseling and working closely with folks, and it’s very important that people feel safe and they feel it’s an opportunity to talk about whatever they need because we can’t share information with professors or with parents,” Pulakos said.

While suicide is currently the second-leading cause of death between the ages of 15 and 34 in Idaho, especially for teenage males, the Suicide Prevention Action Network of Idaho works to lower the state’s suicide rate through advocacy, education, collaboration and the spread of best-practice solutions to handle suicide-related situations.

According to SPAN, Idaho was the first state in the country to initiate an affiliate of the National Suicide Prevention Action Network in 2002, otherwise known as SPAN USA.

Psychiatric and mental health professionals from the Adolescent Suicide Task Force and the cluster of Idaho Suicide Prevention Services wished to establish a formal organization to gather data and document the state’s suicide patterns, in hopes to seek clarity on the convoluted subject.

According to SPAN’s most recent data, gathered in October 2012, Latah County had a rate of 12 suicides per every 100,000 over a five-year period from 2007 to 2011.

Idaho is consistently among the states with the highest suicide rates. SPAN said Idaho’s 2010 suicide rate ranked 6th–highest in the country — 49 percent higher than the national average. On a university scale, Pulakos said the suicide rate on national campuses didn’t have that large of a margin.

“The goal of this plan is if something happens … in the university community, is to help facilitate students to get access to the assessment we want them to have,” Pulakos said.

Suicide in the media

University of London psychologist Alex Mesoudi urged reporters to “keep the word ‘suicide’ out of the headline, don’t release details or romanticize the death, limit the number of stories (on the topic), and bury whatever stories you run in the middle of the paper or the broadcast.” But, these guidelines, as also supported by the World Health Organization, can seem outdated in today’s media landscape.

With primary duty to the public, yet the imperative sensitivity to surroundings of the suicide as well, how is a reporter supposed to navigate through the muddled waters of social and professional responsibility?

“Given certain circumstances, those things shift,” said Steve Smith, UI clinical assistant professor and instructor of the UI mass media ethics courses.

Considering the ever-evolving face of media, the reporter’s responsibility to cover suicide comes with many complicated ethical issues.

He said navigating through the ethics of reporting suicide is difficult.

“I imagine it to be much like riding a unicycle between cars on the freeway — so many directions and considerations, and even more ways one can crash and burn,” he said.

While it would be easier to instill a company policy to never report on suicide, he said, journalists must continually carry on with their public duty but with increased sensitivity and appropriateness in mind.

Smith said mainstream media isn’t generally concerned with covering suicide in hopes to give peace and privacy to those affected.

“Under most circumstances, it’s not viewed as being of significance to the public — reporting a suicide doesn’t point to large social problems, and it generally doesn’t signify a large social problem as a whole — it’s a private matter,” Smith said.

But while there are no hard and fast rules as to how to cover journalism, Smith said there are many guidelines that, in spite of their importance in a journalist’s gamut, contradict themselves. Mainstream media will honor their code of privacy unless the suicide intersects with a local or national public issue.

In January, when a student in the Wallace Residence Center shot himself, many issues came to the surface. Not only was the campus community mourning the loss of a student, but the issue of gun violence on campus was also on point. Suicide by firearm as well, for that matter; 63 percent of Idaho suicides involved a firearm — 13 percent more than the national average.

“There’s still, on one hand, the issue of privacy for the victim and the victim’s family and friends,” Smiths said. “But, the nature of the incident and the importance of the issue shift the responsibility of the journalist or reporter from the family and privacy to the responsibility of the public, and that’s a hard issue for some people to get past.”

How much privacy to give is an overwhelming issue for some news publications. Some publications continue to give privacy in efforts to protect those affected from prying eyes while also trying to protect the public and cover suicide minimally. Others, Smith said, cover suicide brazenly in efforts to bring attention to public mental health issues.

“There are people within the medical and psychiatric community who say you should report them all because: a) it removes the stigma and b) it shines a light on this problem,” Smith said.

The stigma associated with suicide, Smith said, is one that is changing and evolving right along with the landscape of media.

“At that point, our responsibility (as journalists) is no longer with either the family or the victim — bless their hearts, we mourn with them — but our job at that point isn’t to make the community feel better,” Smith said. “It’s to inform the community in a way that helps people understand what happened, why it happened, and questions need to be answered and resolved.”

Chloe Rambo can be reached at arg-news@uidaho.edu 

Steven Devine | Argonaut
With temperatures rising summer session is just around the corner and while some students will take the time to be away from school, classes are still available for those who stay.

“They can take general education requirements over the course of the summer term, which would then allow them to start on their degree requirements in a timelier manner,” Gollberg said.

Gollberg said summer session also helps students graduate on time, even graduate early.

“It’s helping them graduate on time and in some instances they can even graduate early if they arrange their schedule thoughtfully,” Gollberg said.

Gollberg said there are many benefits of taking summer session, for example there is no out-of-state tuition, courses and credits are the same, classes period are shorter and smaller so students can get more personal attention.

“There is no out-of-state tuition in summer. Everyone pays the same per credit hour fee so that could provide cost saving for out-of-state students — $311 per credit hour for undergrad courses plus any special lab or course fees,” Gollberg said.“You could take a four-week or a six-week or an eight-week class and be done with it and still have time for an internship, a summer job or vacation with family.”

According to UI Institutional Research and Assessment, 4,599 students were enrolled in summer session 2012. More than 44 percent was degree-seeking undergraduate students and about 28 percent were undeclared or non-degree students.

More than 75 percent were students who attend the UI main campus in Moscow. Even though the overall enrollment number has gone down, the number of students attending the Moscow campus has gone up since 2008.

Gollberg said UI has been successful in stabilizing summer session offerings so students can count on certain classes being available every summer. She also said enrollments will continue to grow as approaching the beginning of summer session.

Gollderg said she hopes  students — particularly freshmen and sophomores — will take advantage of the opportunities UI offers to get into high demand courses, save money and time and keep on track for their graduation.

Yunyi Zhang, UI student majoring in Marketing, said he will take some business classes in the summer — six classes with a total of 17 credits. He said the main reason of taking summer session is to graduating early.

“This is my second time taking summer classes. Last year, I took 12 credits,” Zhang said.

Zhang, who is also an international student from China, said tuition is cheaper in the summer than regular semesters. Because of summer session, he is on track to graduating fall 2014.

“Summer courses are pretty good. It helps people graduate early,” Zhang said. “It’s fast and effective so it’s easier to get good grades.”

Nurainy Darono can be reached at arg-news@uidaho.edu

The JAMM department sent a team to compete in the American Advertising Federation’s District XI Student Advertising Competition where it took first place.

“I am extremely proud of this team,” said Team Adviser Justin Barnes. “Every bit of credit should go to them, they did all the work.”

Barnes said for the competition every team was assigned the same client to create an ad campaign for.

“Our client was Glidden Paint,” Barnes said. “We had to advertise it for Wal-Mart. This was a challenge because usually people don’t go to Wal-Mart for paint, they usually go to places like Home Depot.”

Barnes said the team came up with a theme praised by the judges. He said one judge commented by saying “you guys found the nugget.” The theme was titled “Reflect Life’s Colors.” Barnes said the theme was simple, but had so much to work with.

“We were thinking color is a big part of our life, like with what we wear and what we see,” Barnes said. “We wanted to never lose sight of our campaign.”

Lana Schwartz, team leader, said the time leading up to the first place announcement was nerve racking.

“All we could do was sit around and hold hands, and our heart were beating so fast,” Schwartz said. “When they said we won I wasn’t sure if I should scream or laugh or cry so I just kind of did all three.”

Schwartz said the creative team worked on the visuals and later joined with the rest of the crew to create the tagline.

“There were some creative differences, but once everyone saw how it all came together people were able to let that go,” Schwartz said.

Schwartz said this competition created bonds between the team members.

“We are definitely professional colleagues but we have developed friendships as well,” Schwartz said.

By winning first place at the District XI competition, the team qualified to compete at the national competition June 5-8 in Phoenix, AZ.

“I am so excited to go to Phoenix,” Schwartz said. “We are excited to go compete and represent the University of Idaho.”

Barnes said the team is holding fundraisers to gain some extra funds, and is doing practice run-throughs to make sure all the bases are covered.

“We presented to the Mass Media and Advisory Board this last Friday and they were blown away,” Barnes said.

Schwartz said the team isn’t allowed to change its presentation, so they are polishing up their individual skills.

Barnes said multiple ad agencies will be scouting college students at the national competition for potential employees.

“Our unofficial goal is to find job opportunities,” Barnes said. “My goal as an instructor is to make sure these kids find jobs.”

Schwartz said they are is preparing themselves so they can be “marketable” to the possible employers attending the competition.

Erik Fink can be reached at arg-news@uidaho.edu

Hayden Crosby | Argonaut
Stephanie Rexus is one of many to walk to class up the marble staircase in the University of Idaho Administration Building. Brian Johnson, assistant vice president for facilities, said the staircase is one of the main priorities for repair because they do not meet the current safety regulations.

“It was odd to have buckets catching drips in the Dean’s Office when prospective students and their parents came in,” Pregitzer said. “But you have to wait until the issue reaches the top of the list before they are able to fix it. They’re limited in the support they get for these maintenance problems.”

The deferred maintenance list — which included the roof over the CNR Dean’s Suite — is a wish list comprised of about $228 million in maintenance projects that UI administrators know need to be completed but haven’t been able to afford.

The nearly 200 projects include things such as replacing roofs on buildings across campus, updating HVAC systems and renovating historic buildings to meet modern safety codes.

Brian Johnson, assistant vice president for facilities, said needs lists like the one at UI are common at all state funded institutions with a large plant of facilities, such as higher education institutions and state prisons.

“What you find are a lot of projects like ‘gee, it’s time to replace this roof,’ or ‘this air handling system needs to be upgraded or repaired in a major way’ and so, like all those other major institutions, UI has a list of needs and typically our only outside fund source is to look to the state,” Johnson said.

The process for obtaining state funding for maintenance projects requires institutions like UI to present a list of their top projects every year to ask for funding. Johnson said UI typically compiles a list of about 25 projects from the overall deferred maintenance list and the state then chooses projects from that list that they are able to fund. He said the state has given anywhere from $2 million to $3.3 million in any given year — but are unlikely to fund projects that cost more than $1 million each.

“The state sort of has this unspoken limit of about a million dollars, so we typically try to break a bigger project — if it can be broken — into multiple phases, ideally not more than $1 million each,” Johnson said.

He said the list also includes smaller projects so that if the state has selected two larger projects and still has a little money leftover they might be able to fund some of UI’s smaller projects such as renovating entry steps or patching roofs. Johnson said the projects on the submitted list are ones with the greatest urgency, but the size and types of projects also depend on how much money the state has to fund every institution in a given year.

“You’re not going to ask for a $6 million project if they only have $2 million to give you,” Johnson said.

University of Idaho Director of Planning and Budget Keith Ickes said in FY14 UI will leave another $3 million in maintenance projects unaddressed while the state will fund $2.19 million.

“I’d say the real number is a whole lot bigger than $3 million. In my opinion, in any given year it’s a whole lot more than $3 million that we’re falling behind,” Johnson said.

He said the reason for this is that the cost estimates attached to each project on the list submitted to the state are simply that — estimates. He said typically projects end up costing more than anticipated.

“If I had to guess, our guesses are low,” Johnson said. “So if we tell the state we need $1 million to repair the HVAC system in Building X, by the time you actually do the engineering design you find the real estimate is $1.6 million and we end up breaking that project into two phases often and we get enough money to do part of the project in a given year, and then three to five years later we might be able to get money for phase two.”

Johnson said UI’s deferred maintenance list is so long and with new things added each year it would be difficult to get to the things UI wants to do versus the things that need to be done. He said as a result certain things — such as beatification outside buildings — are mixed into the list proposed to the state.

“If you chose for example only life-safety issues for every project that you wanted you’d never get anything else done,” Johnson said.

Ickes said issues such as the roof leak in Pregitzer’s office are things that should have been maintained a decade ago and simply weren’t due to lack of funding.

“We just have lots of issues around the campus where things break and we should have replaced them earlier but we just don’t have the money to get it done right now so they get fixed when they become absolutely critical,” Ickes said.

Johnson said if every state agency presented their entire needs list there’s no way the state would ever be able to allocate enough to give everyone as much funding as they feel they really need.

“A common outcome of not getting everything that you need is not fixing everything that needs to be done in a building,” Johnson said. “So although the roof needs to be replaced … you can do some quick patches and you can get a few more years out of it and you end up deferring … you defer and delay a variety of needs.”

Johnson said UI administrators and state officials have to make a judgment call about what safety issues are the most pressing, and which issues are things they’re trying to preserve or enhance at UI.

“If I’ve got a roof leak over a lab versus over a classroom versus over a staff member office space, you tend to fix the lab and the classrooms first,” Johnson said.

Johnson said UI will soon submit their proposal for FY15 maintenance funding with the hope of obtaining enough money to fix safety and restoration issues in the Administration building as well as finish phase three of the Jaansen Engineering HVAC system — roughly $3 million in total expenses, but that funding won’t be available for at least one more year.

“You just chip away at it and fix the essentials first,” Ickes said.

Kaitlyn Krasselt can be reached at arg-news@uidaho.edu

In the past, and even now conservatives, in general, have fought against the legalization of same-sex marriage, saying that it is immoral, unnatural and not in the best interests of America. Conservatives, like Sen. Rick Santorum have also claimed that same-sex marriage will inevitably lead to the legalization of other immoral and unnatural unions such as polygamy.

Well, they were right on target. Though small in number, Americans are emerging in support of polygamy.

Jillian Keenan of Slate Magazine wrote a piece April 15 entitled “Legalize Polygamy! No. I am not kidding.” In the article, Keenan argued that legalizing polygamy is the “constitutional, feminist, and sex-positive choice.” She added that polygamy would “help protect, empower and strengthen women, children and families.”

Additionally, Keenan pointed out that such freedom, which is being extended to same-sex couples, must be extended to everyone, even polygamists.

“Though polygamists are a minority — a tiny minority, in fact — freedom has no value unless it extends to even the smallest and most marginalized groups among us,” wrote Keenan. “So let’s fight for marriage equality until it extends to every same-sex couple in the United States — and then let’s keep fighting. We’re not done yet.”

We’ve heard this refrain before from liberals, as it was being used to defend same-sex marriage. Now, we have Keenan bringing in the exact same argument to defend polygamy. Who are the liberals to refuse?

This is not to say that proponents of same-sex marriage necessarily want to join the cause for polygamy. However, with their acceptance of the redefinition of marriage, can they morally oppose other forms of “marriage?”

After all, there is a slowly changing attitude toward polygamy. According to a 2009 Gallup poll, 91 percent of Americans were morally opposed to polygamy. This percentage has since dropped to 89 percent in 2012.

Isn’t it time to stop discriminating against polygamists? Where are the liberals on this?

Same-sex marriage may not directly lead to other forms of “marriage,” but it is obvious that redefinition of such a sacred institution does. If we do not hold ourselves to a moral standard and stick to it, how can we morally stand against polygamy? If we throw out the standard for marriage, how can we throw out others without being hypocritical?

A line cannot be drawn unless there is something with which to back it up. Same-sex marriage proponents do not have any backing, morally or otherwise, to refuse passage for legalizing polygamist lifestyles.

Fellow Americans, acceptance of immorality only leads to further immorality. What we are deciding today is changing our culture, and not for the better. I urge you to be careful, and choose America’s path wisely.

Andrew Jenson can be reached at arg-opinion@uidaho.edu

Ricky Scuderi | Argonaut
Jeanie Lewinski, front, from the University of Idaho Financial Aid Office explains different options for repaying student loans to Richard Wilson, a senior in Architecture, in the Silver and Gold room in the Student Union Building. On Tuesday, the Financial Aid Office hosted a workshop helping graduating students understand their loan repayment options. It included everything from consolidation to forbearance.

Richard Wilson, a senior graduating in architecture, was the only one to attend the workshop Tuesday, but Jeanie Levinski and Michael Placke of the University of Idaho’s financial services, said they hope attendance will rise for the remaining workshops.
These workshops will take place between now and May 15. Levinski and Placke hope to remove the mystery from student loan repayment plans, and with that, also remove the pressure seniors feel as graduation draws closer.
Levinski and Placke spoke with Wilson about options students have after they graduate with repaying the loans they took out that allowed them to attend school. There are several student options and payment plans, but knowing which one works best for you is the most important part, said Dan Davenport, UI Director of Student Financial Aid Services.
“The biggest mistake students can make is not taking care of their student loans to make sure they do something when they’re out of school,” Davenport said.
Davenport said picking a payment plan is an easy thing to do and there are resources for students on campus, such as these workshops.
“Then you don’t default, and it doesn’t ruin your credit status, and then you don’t get any other charges,” Davenport said. “Even if you’re not making much, you can make some small payments to stay out of default.”
Placke emphasized the importance of keeping your addresses up to date so you can actively interact with the student loan repayments. Just taking care of it and exploring options helps avoid trouble.
The best advice Davenport said he could give to students is to stay informed and do anything to stay in contact with repayment options.
Part of staying informed could come in the form of attending these workshops that the university offers. They go through the steps toward repayment after college and help students manage their decisions, Davenport said.
Placke and Levinski covered recent loan changes, loan types and repayment plans, as well as vocabulary explanations such as deferment, loan consolidation and forbearance.
“We need to find a way to help you manage your student loan debt,” Davenport said. “And that’s a national conversation right now.”
Davenport also said there is a proposal out right now that proposes a student loan repayment plan in which an employer could draw your student loan payment directly out of your paycheck, like social security and healthcare.
“If you think about it, student loans have become a fact of life,” Davenport said. “Just like taxes.”
The reality is that most students have student loan debt — about 65 percent on our campus, Davenport said, with an average debt of $26,000.
The next student loan workshop will take place at 3:30 p.m. May 6 and is expected to last less than an hour.
Alycia Rock can be reached at arg-news@uidaho.edu

Abi Stomberg | Argonaut
As students prepare to depart for the summer from school-year rental properties like the Campus Commons Apartment Complex, the largely transient population in Moscow, and the rental companies from which they rent, prepare for the checkout process that is sure to include some lost security deposits.

Charles Gee, the husband of University of Idaho Spanish professor Lori Celaya, is not a student and in the estimation of the owner of more than 200 rentals, he thought the house his family vacated was clean.

That was until he received a two-page, $893 deduction from his $1,500 security deposit for cleaning expenses.

“This is the bill they gave me, you can see what a joke it was,” Gee said.

The bill was a list of 36 line items including $80 for pruning, $10 to clean a ceiling fan and $20 per room for window cleaning. The master bedroom itself cost $90 to clean.

Gee, his wife and two boys arrived in town in July 2011 after Celaya was hired at UI. They moved straight into — sight unseen — a modest Moscow home owned by a Lance Hansen of Moscow and managed by Rental Connections. An experienced landlord, Gee took photos of the rental’s general condition and any damages upon arrival.

The lease was short term, so when Hansen decided to put the house back on the market a year later, Gee went to work preparing the home for sale, taking more photos after cleaning.

Gee said he then asked four times in three weeks for a walk through of the property to ensure it was “ready-for-sale.” Rental Connections did oblige three weeks later, and aside from minor details, okayed Gee’s work.

So when a nearly $900 bill for cleaning done by Hansen came Oct. 18, Gee was outraged, and promptly took Eric Smith, the Rental Connections employee who gave him the walkthrough, Hansen and Rental Connections realtor and part-owner Karyl Davenport to small claims court.

“It was certainly appropriate for them to do that,” she said of Gee’s suit, but said it was not an attempt to cheat Gee and Celaya out of their deposit.

“The condition of the home needed to be ready-for-sale,” she said. “There was a difference of opinion on what that looked like.”

Davenport said there was nothing malicious about the charges — they were the result of differing standards.

Three months later though when Gee refused to settle in the mandatory mediation session for small claims cases, the case went before Judge John Judge. Judge sided with Gee, awarding him $878.30.

Justice delayed is justice denied

End of story? Not for Gee.

“It’s all been settled, he wants to start a fight apparently,” Davenport said.

His case is settled, but Gee worries about the deposits of students in a college town.

“Most kids are not confrontational. They just want to get it over with and get on,” Gee said. “I saw the injustice … I said no, I want all of it back or none of it back.”

Students, Gee said, aren’t able to put up the fight he did.

“Let’s say you put a thousand dollars on a deposit down and you’re getting out of school at the end of May and you’re from California. You going to come back here in November… to go to court to get back your thousand dollars?” Gee asked. “No, you’re going to write it off. And (rental agencies) know that.”

The problem is the legal system just doesn’t work on a student’s time frame.

“Small claims is a pretty speedy process by legal standards,” Patrick Costello, visiting professor of law at UI, said. “You get a hearing date within a couple of months, which is pretty fast by legal standards. I don’t know how you can make it much faster than that.”

With the legal reality, Gee advocates the university and Dean of Students get involved to protect the rights of student tenants.

“If you use the law to your advantage when you know that the student is not going to come back and fight you in court. What do you call that —using loop holes of the law? Predatory,” Gee said.

Davenport said Rental Connections regrets the communication wasn’t as good as it could have been, attributing the walk-through delay to a transition between property managers. However, it was a case of two different standards, not predatory practices.

“It certainly wasn’t the intent, we’re sorry he still feels upset about this,” Davenport said. “We certainly understand. We’ll do things differently next time. We’ve moved on and learned from that — we’re hoping Lori and Charlie do, too.”

The other side

For Michael Osterholz, owner of University City Rentals — the newest of the major Moscow rental agencies — the occasional slumlord rental agency happens. It’s the nature of the business.

Just not here in Moscow. Osterholz said the majority of realtors work really hard to provide the best property possible. The problem is not with practices, but perception.

“We could do everything right and still be hated for the same reason people hate lawyers and banks,” he said. “We force them to be responsible.”

Osterholz worked in real estate even before coming to Moscow in the mid-2000s, and he said it’s just the nature of the business everywhere.

“In our business, people are always going to hate us,” he said.

The problem is the expectations of tenants don’t always meet that of the landlord, and the rental agency has to act as a communication conduit between the two. So, a maintenance or upkeep concern may not be as easy a fix as tenants think.

“A lot of people think what we manage we own — it may not be our decision,” he said.

Osterholz said financial constraints also limit the amount of renovations a rental agency can undergo. It’s a business, but it doesn’t need to be predatory to remain solvent.

“It’s an investment, we’re not looking to take advantage of people,” he said.

Whether tenants are pleased with University City’s management Osterholz said is dependent on a host of factors, especially the age and condition of some rentals.

“It’s a case by case basis,” he said, but said University City presently has a 40-50 percent renewal rate.

Most of the issues between tenant and landlord for Osterholz are based around communication, so University City asks lease signees to give themselves 30 minutes to read their lease before signing.

“It’s so everything is spelled out,” he said. “Our lease is not set up to be complicated… we set it up to cover everything.”

Many do read the whole thing, Osterholz said, but there will inevitably be problems come check-out time.

“Whether it’s warranted or unwarranted… you can’t fix that problem,” he said.

The law

The Idaho Attorney General’s Landlord and Tenant Guidelines state that Idaho does not regulate the amounts landlords can charge for rent, deposits or fees.

“In general, we start from the presumption that the party’s contract is going to be enforced.  People are free to make whatever contractual arrangements they want,” Costello, a board-certified attorney in Idaho, said.

An “unconscionability” exception for completely unfair requests can be granted, but they are rare.

“You shouldn’t count on that,” Costello said. “The best thing is if you think there is something unfair in the lease is not to enter into it.”

Outright improper lease agreement provisions according the Attorney General’s office are any that purport to require the security deposit to pay for damages not caused by the tenant or tenant’s guests, or violate tenants’ right to privacy unless provided with proper notice.

Restrictive provisions like ones that require tenants to pay for cleaning or replacing items subject to “normal wear and tear” are not illegal, but the guidelines recommend steering clear of such provisions.

“Since the landlord prepares the lease, they generally would be inclined to draft it in a way that’s favorable to them,” Costello said.

So what are the base-level expectations for any rental?

“When you take ownership you should expect sanitary, livable conditions,” Davenport said.

There must be functioning heat, hot water and a safe structure — no exposed wires, insects, etc. — no matter if rent is paid or not.

Tenants can force landlords to comply by submitting a written request at the agency’s office or by mail, which once received must be acted on within three days.

When the tenant moves out, the rental company has 21 days to return their deposit or a partial amount with an itemized list of deductions. Otherwise, the tenant can sue for three times the amount owed.

“It depends on what you can convince a judge is ‘normal wear and tear’ versus other damage to the property,” Costello said.

The Attorney General’s office offer some guiding rules for what constitutes “normal wear and tear.” Faded curtains or carpets is normal wear and tear versus curtains and carpet with cigarette burns, water stained linoleum versus broken or torn, blot spots on mirrors versus mirrors covered in makeup and hairspray, and so on.

This does not negate fees articulated in the lease — like carpet cleaning for Rental Connections —  that help restore the rental to its condition at the beginning of the tenancy. The problem is it’s a subjective distinction.

“It needs to be in the same condition as when you arrived,” Davenport said. “Every rental company is going to be different, every single person has a different definition of clean.”

Charging people is not the aim, and so Rental Connections and others offer a move-in/move-out checklist to ensure people are checking their rentals and try to fix any problems they find as quickly as possible.

“It’s in the best interest of the landlord, or you’re going to lose tenants,” she said.

The Moscow reality

In a town predicated on renting, Osterholz estimated the vacancy rate in Moscow to be between five and10 percent, making it not really either a tenants’ or a landlords’ market. The two parties are not competing for control, it’s just business he said.

Costello said the transient nature of the student population essentially puts students at a disadvantage.

“They don’t have a lot of bargaining power as students because they come and go and landlords are here,” Costello said. “I don’t think it’s particularly tighter than normal, but in general I think that it’s a landlord’s market.”

For Gee, UI and its students need to come to a “gentleman’s agreement” with rental agencies.

“We need to come to an agreement to not only protect (rental agencies) against some bad kids who do damages and these unjustifiable deductions,” Gee said.

What both Gee and rental agencies agree on is being a competent, engaged tenant.  Communicate with your landlord, read your lease thoroughly, take pictures before you move in and after you move out and make sure you get a walkthrough when you leave and you’ll get to keep your cash.

Dylan Brown can be reached at arg-news@uidaho.edu

Amy Asanuma | Argonaut
Seniors Annie Clayton and Zach Lopez observe KUOI’s Power Project. Students and community members are encouraged to write anonymous experiences with sexual violence, while voicing their opinions on the subject. The wall is located on the first floor of the University of Idaho Commons around the corner from the dining area.

“I worked extremely hard, long hours to produce something that all students could go away with,” DiMico said. “We had four educational events this semester that got students thinking about awareness of safety and violence prevention. With this position continuing, we have a starting point for this turnaround to continue to build the position even more.”

DiMico said he hopes to continue working with ASUI and the new director, Sara Spritzer, to continue strengthening violence prevention programming on campus.

DiMico has worked  closely with University of Idaho Violence Prevention Programs Coordinator Virginia Solan to change the culture at UI. DiMico said he can see his efforts already changing the culture of violence.

Changing a culture has to deal with so many things, like building awareness,” DiMico said. “I definitely think we’ve done that with the events we’ve had this semester like the Power Project, the Post Secret wall, Denim Day and Green Dot today.”

The Green Dot program overview presentations took place Tuesday in the Idaho Commons Horizon and Aurora room. Nikki Finnestead, Violence Prevention Coordinator at Washington State University, led the presentation. WSU has already implemented the Green Dot program, and Finnestead said she can see a difference.

“We conduct evaluations with this program, and we are still in the preliminary stages of getting that data,” Finnestead said. “But when we are talking to students during these evaluations they say they are making behavior changes because of the program.”

Solan said while she and DiMico have been busy with violence prevention programming all of April, the focus is really on Green Dot. She said the program requires a deliberate rollout process based on proven research of how to most effectively implement it, and consequently it takes a long time to fully implement. She said they will work hard in focus groups during the summer to come up with an implementation plan.

Finnestead said WSU is a prime example of the lengthy implementation process.

“It took about a year to really get this thing off the ground,” Finnestead said. “Now a year and a half later we are still finding things to tweak and improve. It is definitely a process.”

Finnestead said once the program takes root it is the students who make it grow. She gave the example of a public service announcement a group of Green Dot trained WSU students put together by themselves.

Solan said the idea of Green Dot is to have students hold other students accountable for their actions because peer-to-peer enforcement is more effective. She said Green Dot is a community undertaking.

“The Green Dot slogan is true,” Solan said. “When it comes to violence prevention ‘no one has to do everything, but everyone has to do something.’”

Andrew Deskins can be reached at arg-news@uidaho.edu

Philip Vukelich | Argonaut
Yazeed Alrowily speaks on a student panel during a discussion about Saudi Arabian Culture in a Western University Setting, Wednesday in the Idaho Commons Whitewater Room.

He said the scholastic structure in his country isn’t focused on student thought like the one here.

“I finished my bachelor’s degree without learning how to critique a paper,” Alsagabi said.

UI Academic Affairs sponsored panel discussions Tuesday and Wednesday to help educate people about cultural and scholastic difficulties for international students. Tuesday’s event was a presentation about issues relevant to Chinese international students, followed by questions for such students who comprised the panel. Wednesday’s was a similar panel discussion with students from Saudi Arabia.

Meshari Almotairi, co-panelist with Alsagabi, said his country’s educational system emphasizes the teacher’s knowledge and the students’ memorization skills. Though it may open up in the near future, access to the Internet has historically been limited, he said, and students aren’t expected to use sources beyond the textbook and in-class materials for homework. He said Saudi students’ cultural attitude of humility can also make the transition to a more involved system difficult.

“The integration process for me and for other Saudis is very difficult and should be addressed in (the American Language and Culture Program),” Almotairi said.

Ashley Ding, senior international student and scholar adviser with the International Programs Office, said a cultural penchant for quietness and observation can hinder the classroom experience for Chinese international students.

“It’s hard for them to get out of their comfort zone,” she said. “In China we’re told to observe, to study things, to think before talking. It can make it harder to socialize for them than for American students.”

Ding said Tuesday’s panel was aimed at UI faculty and staff, though students were welcomed. Of the university’s more than 600 international students, 200 hail from China. She said the people who work with them need to be aware of the inherent challenges.

“The panel (was) mostly to help people understand why Chinese students act the way they do,” she said.

Ding said she’d like to see a similar panel held at least once a year.

Alsagabi said he thinks Saudis and students from regions such as Eastern Asia share a cultural experience of minimal exposure to individual thought and involvement in pre-secondary education. The resources available at UI need to be shown to them, he said.

“My educational experience is limited to classrooms,” he said. “Other resources need to be pointed out to these students, especially from (around Saudi Arabia).”

Matt Maw can be reached at arg-news@uidaho.edu

Miles Hendrix, the president, started Comedy Lab in January. He is the one who has done all of the leg work to start the club and getting the people together.

“It was actually really easy. I just went to the ASUI office and they were really helpful in helping me get everything started,” Hendrix said.

Comedy Lab is always looking for new people to join their club and help people discover their potential in comedy.

“It takes about five years to really get good at comedy,” Hendrix said. “Some have beginners luck and then will hit a wall and others will learn by trial and error.”

Different people find different things funny, he said.

“People don’t want to hear one long story and then a punch line. They want to hear joke after joke after joke,” Seth Frasure, an amateur comedian said.

Frasure never really thought he was that funny until his friend pointed out his story was funny one day. After joining Comedy Lab and learning the ropes a bit, Frasure learned to cater his life story to things other people find funny.

Comedy Lab tries to participate in open mic events all over Moscow and Pullman at least twice a week. This includes open mic at John’s Alley Tavern, Wanderers’ Tavern and Nomads in Pullman. They try to put on their own events on campus as well and have performed in the Wallace basement, Shoup Hall and the Kiva theatre in the education building.

Comedy Lab just had their final show for the school year. There are about eight active comedians in the club presently and they are hoping to expand in the future.

“We have a lot of male comics. I would really like to see a bigger female presence in our club,” Hendrix said.

Stage fright is something that holds many people back from performing. Many worry that they aren’t funny or that they might be taking something too far. Personalizing the jokes make it easier to remember and makes the performer more engaged with the audience on a more intimate level, Hendrix said.

“Just remember that people want to laugh. People want you to be funny and they want you to succeed,” Frasure said.

In Comedy Lab, the comedians will meet after their performances and critique each other on their jokes. They let one another know what was funny, what wasn’t, what worked and what didn’t. They don’t have too many meetings and what a person puts into it, is what the person is going to get out of it.

“If someone is interested in doing comedy, the best way to get ahold of us is through Facebook. All of our events are posted there as well,” Hendrix said.

Kaitlyn Martin can be reached at arg-arts@uidaho.edu

™Somebody That I Use to Know∫ (original by Gotye) by Pentatonix

Pentatonix is one of the most popular a cappella groups today, thanks to their big win on season three of NBC’s The Sing Off. These five talented vocalists (Scott Hoying, Kirstie Maldonado, Mitch Grassi, Avi Kaplan and Kevin Olusola) from Arlington, Texas, will have your jaw dropping at the pure talent.

™Since U Been Gone∫ (original by Kelly Clarkson) Pitch Perfect Soundtrack

Featured in the 2012 comedy, Pitch Perfect, Ester Dean and Skylar Astin take on the lead vocals in this a cappella re-make of the first American Idol’s hit 2004 single.

™Domino∫ (original by Jessie J) by J Rice

Gotta hand it to J Rice because not only does he produce his own music, he also does all the vocals, beats and sound effects for his songs. I guess he and Jessie J have three things in common: great voices, “J” in their names, and they like dominos.

™Thank you in Advance∫ by Boys II Men

You cannot mention a cappella without throwing in a little B2M. What else can I say, these guys are vocal gods.

™Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego∫ by Rockapella

Takin’ it back to the early 90s with the popular theme song from the hit PBS children’s television game show. Despite how goofy this song is, it is incredibly catchy. By the way … where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?

™Apologize∫ (original by One Republic) by Committed

Another winning group from The Sing Off (season two), this group of six gentlemen (Therry Thomas, Dennis Baptiste, Tommy Gervais, Geston Pierre, Robert Pressley and Maurice Staple) from Oakwood University were inspired by another Grammy winning Oakwood a cappella group, Take 6. The guys definitely give One Republic a run for their money.

™Grenade∫ (original by Bruno Mars) by Delilah

Although these The Sing Off hopefuls couldn’t beat out Pentatonix, the eight-member, all-female group (Geena Glaser, Johanna Vinson, Hannah Juliano, Laina Walker, Amy Whitcomb, Kendall Young, Candace Eve and Ingrid Andress) had been together for less than a week before wowing the crowd with their earth-shattering rendition of Bruno Mars’ 2010 hit single. I didn’t know such a high music note existed until I heard this song.

Emily Vaarrstra can be reached at arg-arts@uidaho.edu

You finished your finals before dead week was even over. Do your best not to distract the friends who do still have hell week ahead.

Gemini

5/21 – 6/20

The Moscow grind has made it difficult for you to fulfill your desire to attend shows. Take Finals Fest as a chance to dance your booty off at Macklemore and Ryan Lewis.

Cancer 

6/21 – 7/22

This is the best semester you’ve had since Freshman year. Celebrate like there’s no tomorrow. You deserve it.

Leo 

7/23 – 8/22

Stop telling yourself you are done with finals. That unfinished take-home test still counts.

Virgo

8/23  – 9/22

You’ve spent quite some time inside lately due to the drunk weather. Take advantage of the sunshine and challenge yourself to a walk a day the next week.

Libra

9/23  – 10/22

Goodbyes are hard, your best friend graduates next week. Take one day before Spring Commencement to celebrate your favorite friendships.

Scorpio

10/23 – 11/21

Even though you’re heading home for the summer, stop driving your car around Moscow during your last couple weeks and bike or walk.

Sagittarius

11/22 – -12/21

You’re graduating next weekend and have absolutely no clue what you’re doing or where you’re going. Don’t worry, everything always falls into place for you somehow.

Capricorn

12/22 – -1/19

You just realized it’s the month of May and haven’t put a dent in packing up for the summer. Good thing you just remembered you’re staying in Moscow all summer long.

Aquarius

1/20 – 2/18

When was the last time you had your oil changed? Probably something that should be on the to-do list before you leave on your cross-country road trip.

Pisces

2/19-3/20

It was a long semester on top of a long year on top of a long finals week. It’s about time to get a drink in you.

Aries

3/21-4/19

Your birthday month came through on the April showers. And proceeded to keep the weather exciting with May showers too. Keep your head up, the sun is shining somewhere.

Idaho midfielder Mykael Wheeler paces around the net during the Vandals’ game against Simon Fraser University April 13 on the SprinTurf. The Vandals couldn’t replicate their performance in a win against Washington State and fell to Boise State Saturday in Boise. Kyle Morse led the team with six goals in his final game with the team.

The Vandal men fought throughout the game but suffered from low roster numbers, which meant little rest for players, coach Ben Frey said.

Idaho went into the game having only 14 players on the roster including two goalies, compared to the 20 players that Boise State was able to field.

“It was never an issue of want or try, they ran to the bitter end,” Frey said. “When you have the numbers on the bench that we had it is difficult to compete.”

Despite the fatigue, the Vandals posted impressive numbers throughout the game, outshooting the Bronco offense in both the second and fourth quarters.

Senior attacker Kyle Morse had the highest point tally of the game, scoring six out of the 15 goals for the Vandals. He also had one assist for a total of seven points. Sophomore goalie Patrick Craig had an impressive game with 10 saves for a shot save percentage of 30 percent.

The Vandal lacrosse team ended its season 4-10 while going 1-3 in its division, defeating Washington State on April 20.

Five of the starting seniors for the Vandals will be moving on, including Morse, the leading scorer against Boise State.

“We are losing a lot of talent but we have more coming in, we are not replacing these guys that are leaving but we will have the talent to compete well next year,” Frey said.

Frey said the team has a large recruiting class of freshmen from around the Northwest including two players from Boise, one from Oregon and one from California coming to the team, as well as a few players who missed the season due to injuries or other reasons.

“We will have bigger numbers, I always told the guys it was not about a lack of heart. Our team has more heart than any other team I have ever seen, movies included,” he said.

As well as boosting its roster numbers, the team is in process of choosing a permanent coach for the team. The BSU game was the third for Frey, who is a graduating senior and was chosen to lead the team for the last three games.

Frey said that he is a possible candidate for the permanent coaching position but the club lacrosse board, made up of alumni and parents, are also helping him search for a replacement.

“I would take the opportunity to coach next year,” Frey said. “I would stay in town and be able to devote more of myself without the distraction of school. I have every confidence in myself and in my knowledge of the game.”

Curtis Ginnetti can be reached at arg-sports@uidaho.edu

Last year the Vandals lost Kayla Mortellaro, who won the WAC championship and is now playing on the LPGA Tour — and Teo Poplawski, another top conference finisher. This year the Vandals had to rebuild with a much younger roster, which Idaho coach Lisa Johnson was pleased with.

“We far exceeded my expectations coming in,” Johnson said. “We started out strong in the fall and struggled a little in the spring, but played well in the last two tournaments. Overall, each player improved many aspects of their game throughout the course of the year, which doesn’t always translate to lower scores, but it did this year.”

It can be a lot different stepping onto the course without the players who have been four-year leaders, but Johnson said it didn’t feel that different and it forced players to step up.

“The younger players had to understand that they had to show up and play hard every day,” Johnson said. “Last year the young kids could hide behind Kayla and Teo, but this year every time they stepped onto the course, it was them and their score was going to count.”

The team got better as the season progressed with both the team and individual scores improving throughout the year. Idaho junior Rachel Choi said it took some time for the younger players to get used to playing at the college level, but they came through in the end.

“It was definitely a growing year,” Choi said. “The freshmen had to get used to balancing school and golf and it’s difficult. We learned a lot and I’d say will be a lot better next year.”

Following players like Mortellaro and Poplawski is difficult and it may seem like the program takes a step backward, but Johnson said despite losing those players, the team was still almost as good as last year.

“We’re only ranked 14 spots behind the team last year,” Johnson said. “The perception last year was we were better because Kayla was winning all those tournaments, when in reality this team is almost as good as last year’s team from a ranking perspective. Moving forward we expect to be significantly better and possibly the best team to ever be at Idaho.”

Idaho ended its season with a fifth-place finish at the WAC Championship. The Vandals had a dismal first round, but managed to pull together two solid rounds to climb into fifth.

Choi said it was good to see the team play with resilience.

“It was awesome,” Choi said. “The first round was a bummer. The WAC Tournament is different and there’s a lot more pressure and it got to our team a little bit, but we showed our potential in the final two rounds.”

The team is young, but the potential appears to be there for this young Vandal team to make some noise in the future.

“We had rounds that are good enough to win tournaments,” Choi said. “It just wasn’t consistent enough to keep it going for three rounds.  We have talent, just not experience.”

Kevin Bingaman can be reached at arg-sports@uidaho.edu

Idaho distance runner Barry Britt runs laps during practice April 23 at the Dan O’Brien Track and Field Complex. Britt, Lauren Schaffer and Liga Velvere competed at the Payton Jordan Invitational Saturday in Palo Alto, Calif.

“Ugis had a great meet,” Idaho coach Julie Taylor said. “We’d kind of been seeing it at practice so it’s been nice to see him really come through. That’s the best he’s ever thrown at Idaho and it’s only a couple centimeters off his lifetime best.”

Svazs broke the record but it was the Idaho women who took more overall victories for the Vandals. The women had eight of the 11 individual victories at the Duane Hartman Invitational in Spokane.

Leading the women was senior Kristine Leonard with a victory in the discus (150-0) and second-place finishes in the shot put (48-5.5) and the hammer (166-8).

The other victories on the women’s side came from junior Karlene Hurrel (100 meters), senior Keli Hall (800 meters), senior Maggie Miller (3,000 meters), senior Liga Velvere (400 meters), senior Alyssa Covington (long jump), sophomore Johanna Hockestaller (shot put) and senior Sarah Nutsch (hammer throw).

Back on the men’s side the victories came from sophomore Ben Ayesu-Attah in the 400-meter dash, senior Jeremy Klas in the pole vault, while sophomore Jesse Villines in the 400-meter hurdles rounded out the Vandal victories. Villines’ time of 52.89 is a lifetime best and moves him into eighth all-time at Idaho.

“Every time he’s run the 400 hurdles, he’s improved every week,” Taylor said. “It’s been exciting to see him get better and better.”

The Duane Hartman was more of a low-key meet for the Vandals last weekend but at times they were battling more than just their competitors. Taylor said the meet got windier as the weekend went on.

“There were a lot of really solid marks for the weekend,” she said. “It was a little more windy than we were hoping. It was definitely affecting some of the kids in the longer races … but we still had a lot of great performances.”

The Vandals also had a small squad of runners compete at the Payton Jordan Invitational Sunday at Stanford in Palo Alto, Calif. Seniors Barry Britt, Lauren Schaffer and Liga Velvere took the trip back to California to go up against elite competition and take another shot at qualifying for the NCAA National Championships.

Schaffer led the California crew with her 800-meter time of 2:06.99 and ninth place overall finish.

“I think that’s number one in the conference right now,” Taylor said of Schaffer’s time. “It also upped her mark to be able to go to regionals which is exciting as well. Lauren was definitely the highlight for that (meet).”

This weekend, the Vandals split again with some of the team competing at home for the Vandal Jamboree on Friday and Saturday and some traveling to Eugene for the prestigious Oregon Twilight. The meets are the last two before the WAC Championships.

Stephan Wiebe can be reached at arg-sports@uidaho.edu

The Idaho women’s golf team competed at the WAC Champ- ionship Tourn-ament, finishing fifth overall in the tourn-ament with three golfers finishing in the top 20. Choi, a junior, led the Vandals by finishing fourth overall. Choi finished the tournament with a final score of 221. During the first and second rounds, Choi shot a 76 and 75. Starting the third round tied for 11th, she improved her score and shot two-under for a score of 70, bumping her up the leaderboards into fourth place.

Hannah Kiser — track and field

Kiser, a junior, was honored as the Western Athletic Conference women’s track athlete of the week after she broke the WAC all-time record and Idaho school record in the 5,000 meter at the Mt. SAC Relays. Her time of 15:44.06 smashed the Idaho school record set in 1982 by nearly 26 seconds and broke the WAC record by 17 seconds. Kiser has set three records this year. She broke the WAC all-time and Idaho school record in the indoor mile (4:37.55) and the 3,000 meter (9:04.74). Her WAC leading 5,000-meter time ranks fourth in the NCAA West and seventh in the NCAA this season.

Ugis Svazs — track and field

Senior javelin thrower Ugis Svazs broke the Idaho school record in the javelin throw. Svazs won the men’s javelin throw with a career-best toss of 240-7 (73.34m) breaking the previous school record set in 1996 by Oscar Duncan. His mark ranks seventh best in the NCAA so far this season. Svazs was one of eleven Vandals to win individual events at the Duane Hartman over the weekend.

Victoria Lozano and Almudena Sanz — women’s tennis

Idaho women’s tennis players Victoria Lozano and Almudena Sanz teamed up to earn All-Western Athletic Conference First Team honors at the No. 1 doubles position, the WAC announced at its annual awards banquet. Lozano and Sanz, the last two WAC Players of the Week, went 13-4 at the No. 1 doubles position together, with a 7-0 record in WAC play. With a win in Thursday’s WAC quarterfinals, the pairing entered Friday’s WAC semifinals with a 14-4 record and a 12-match win streak.

Dmitry Perevoshchikov — Men’s Tennis

Perevoshchikov, along with Abid Akbar, also earned All-WAC First Team honors last week after a tremendous inaugural season. The primary reason Idaho went 20-7 at No. 1 singles in 2013, Perevoshchikov went 19-6 in singles play, including a 16-6 record at No. 1 singles and a 3-0 mark at No. 2. He won his first 15 singles matches of the season and reached as high as No. 122 in the national singles rankings. Perevoshchikov was the only Idaho player to earn two WAC Player of the Week honors during the 2013 season.

The team reached the semifinals after avenging a 4-2 regular season loss with an impressive 4-2 quarterfinal win against Texas-Arlington the day before. Unfortunately the team met its match after Denver defeated No. 8-seeded New Mexico State with ease, 4-0.

The Vandals’ No. 1 doubles first-team All-WAC duo of Almudena Sanz and Victoria Lozano entered the semifinals with a 7-0 record in WAC regular season play. After a win in the quarterfinals Sanz and Lozano had won 12 consecutive doubles matches with a 14-4 record on the season. It still wasn’t enough.

For Denver, it was the Pioneers’ three graduating stars’ time to shine. Sophia Bergner and Steffi Rath snapped Idaho’s No.1 doubles win streak with an 8-6 win.

As the primary No. 1 doubles role players for the past two years the two posted a 19-9 record this season to lead the Pioneers.

Ironically, in a 6-1 loss to Denver earlier on in the season Sanz and Lozano defeated Bergner and Rath in doubles 8-6, contributing to Idaho’s only point of the match. Idaho’s two elite stars had no luck against Denver and neither did the rest of the team.

Rita Bermudez and Bety Flores went down 8-4 at No. 3 and every Vandal singles attempt resulted in a straight-set loss or unfinished match. Freshman Belen Barcenilla fought hard at No. 5 singles with a 6-3 second set win after dropping the first set but did not finish her third set. Flores did not finish at No. 4, Lozano did not finish at No. 1 singles despite a close 7-6 loss in her first set and Sanz lost 6-1, 6-4, against Denver’s Caroline Schnell at No. 2.

Constance Alexander lost 6-1 in her first set followed by a 6-0 loss in her second set against Denver’s leading doubles player and senior Emma Isberg at No. 3. Idaho’s Sophie Vickers made another rare appearance at No. 6 but also failed to do any damage losing 6-4, 6-3.

The other semifinal match featured No. 2-seeded San Jose State and No. 4-seeded Louisiana Tech. After defeating Louisiana Tech in a tight 4-2 victory during the semifinals, the Spartans pulled off a 4-3 upset against Denver on their home courts to claim the 2013 WAC Championship title.

Idaho finished the season above .500, with a 13-12 record. Last season the Vandals finished 19-8 but were also defeated in the WAC Tournament semifinals against former WAC foe Hawaii. The Vandals will say goodbye to Montana transfer and graduating senior Constance Alexander. Alexander posted an impressive streak of doubles wins earlier on in the season giving the Vandals momentum for an extraordinary turnaround after a 0-4 start.

Idaho’s top scorers Sanz, Lozano and Flores have one season remaining as Barcenilla and Bermudez finish off their rookie seasons, gaining more valuable experience along the way and will hope for better luck next year.

Aaron Wolfe can be reached at arg-sports@uidaho.edu

The fraternity members started the ride April 25 and arrived in Boise April 26, where they ended on the steps of the Capitol building. At noon on April 27, a check with money from donations was presented to the selected charity, the Redside Foundation.  The 295.2 mile trip took two days to finish and involved the help of about 50 fraternity members who took turns riding a tandem bicycle, while the remainder of the house followed in a vehicle caravan, which featured a banner that included the logos of the businesses that donated to the philanthropy.

Delta Sigma’s Philanthropy chair, Keevan MacKenzie, said this event was inspired by longtime Idaho river guide and alumnus of Delta Sigma, Telly Evans, who committed suicide in 2010. His best friend, Brian Chaffin started the philanthropy in honor of Evans and to secure the health of other Idaho guides during the off-season.

“River guiding is seasonal and does not provide health care and insurance for the guides, which makes it hard to get by during the winter,” MacKenzie said. “The Redside Foundation provides the necessary help for those seasonal-type jobs, along help and counseling for substance abuse, industry awareness and safety, as well as several college scholarships for guides.”

Jacob Carlson, Chaffin’s friend and the connection between Delta Sigma and the Redside Foundation, said they like to choose charities that give back to Idaho.

“We like to put the money back into the community we live in — to connect everyone like a big, strong family,” Carlson said.

Not only does the philanthropy support a local foundation and good cause, but Carlson said riding almost the whole state of Idaho by bike is an amazing experience.

“This is basically a big brotherhood. We get to hang out and bond together while raising money for a good cause,” Carlson said

Michelle Gregg can be reached at arg-news@uidaho.edu

Liam Donohoe | Argonaut
Moscow residents alongside Mayor Nancy Chaney and members of the Moscow City Council plant a tree Friday in Friendship Square in commemoration of Arbor Day.

This year was the 20th year Moscow celebrated Arbor Day, and the city and Chamber of Commerce teamed up to have speakers talk about the economic benefits trees have for society.

Jim Fazio, University of Idaho professor emeritus of the College of Natural Resources, said trees are able to benefit people socially and with public health, simply by providing shade and protection from the sun.

On top of protecting people from the sun, trees help patients in the hospital.

He said patients who have views of trees and landscape spend 80 percent fewer days in the hospital, and use less pain medications because they are more relaxed.

Relaxing effects of trees also work for people who are driving. He said having trees line sides of streets and in center dividers calm people down.

“Trees have a relaxing effect on commuters,” Fazio said. “And I’m not making this stuff up, it’s all in scientific literature.”

Fazio also said when housing projects have trees and other landscaping there tends to be less domestic violence and fewer criminals.

“This isn’t because trees exude some chemical, though it would be great if they did,” he said. “They instead encourage outdoor play, bicycling and walking.”

Gina Taruscio, executive director of Moscow Chamber of Commerce, said trees make people pause and talk to each other.

Fazio said trees could also lower energy costs, reducing bills by 30 to 50 percent, increase resale value of property and attract tourists.

“Quantifying the benefits of trees, this one is worth $2,593,” he said, pointing to a tree in Friendship Square. “Multiply that by 5,000 trees, that’s pretty significant.”

Trees will help to expand the perceived downtown area as well, which will help with the economy of Moscow businesses, Mayor Nancy Chaney said.

The city will place more trees, benches and other items throughout different parts of downtown to make those areas friendlier, she said.

Increasing the amount of trees in the city is not new for Moscow.

For the past 20 years Moscow has received a Tree City USA Award, said David Stephenson, the manager of Idaho Department of Lands.

He said some of the qualifications to be a Tree City is to spend $2 for every citizen of the city on trees along with claiming and celebrating Arbor Day.

“But Moscow is not satisfied with just that,” he said.

For 15 out of the last 20 years Moscow has also received the Tree City USA Gold Award for going beyond the basics by creating education programs for staff, developing a booklet of the street trees in Moscow and by doing many other tree related tasks.

Chaney said having trees in the city not only benefits the city economically, but also improves air quality, energy conservation and public health.

Fazio said the first Arbor Day was in 1872 and more than 1 million trees were planted that day, and now it has spread across the country and the world.

“One of the things I think is kind of interesting about Arbor Day, when you think about holidays in general, they tend to memorialize things that happen in the past,” Stephenson said. “Arbor day is unique in that it celebrates the future.”

To help celebrate the future, ambassadors from the Chamber of Commerce, Moscow High School students and members of the city helped to plant a tree across from Friendship Square.

Rauk said they were also giving away tree seedlings for people to take home and plant. Each of the trees also had a paper with information on how to care for them.

Allison Griffith can be reached at arg-news@uidaho.edu

Philip Vukelich | Argonaut
City of Moscow Mayor Nancy Chaney moderates a panel discussion on the logic and motivation for choosing short-term economics over long-term sustainability Wednesday in the University of Idaho Commons Clearwater Room.

“Your biggest environmental impact, for most people, results from decisions you make about what you eat day to day,” said John Lawrence, business professor and Environmental Science Program faculty.
What people buy at grocery stores, he said, informs consumer behavior analysis that businesses use to determine what kinds of products to carry. These sorts of low-involvement purchases — purchases on which people don’t spend much time thinking or researching — extend to other businesses and products, such as clothing or building supply stores.
Lawrence said people can have any belief about sustainability they want, but businesses only see what people buy. It’s about consistency.
“Every time you take your wallet out and make a purchase, you’re telling businesses how to behave,” he said. “If everyone behaved consistently with their purchases to create changes, businesses would make those changes.”
It isn’t always clear how “green” a company’s practices and products are. Kevin Decker, research fellow with the UI Integrative Graduate Education Research Traineeship Program studying Palouse Prairie conservation, said one of the greatest annoyances for consumers is the difficulty of discerning which organization or product line to support.
Decker said the larger environmental costs involved in sustainability impact product prices. Environmentally rich areas such as the Palouse offer agriculture and other valuable resources collectively termed ecosystem services, he said. A business takes a toll on an ecosystem’s value when it deposits waste into a stream or burns polluting elements into the air, he said. These natural fees are shifted onto others when people and organizations fail to account for them, but he said the effort required to deal with them would increase prices from warehouses to store shelves.
“If all the actual costs were internalized by everyone, many products would cost a lot more money for consumers,” Decker said.
Traci Craig, UI environmental psychology professor, said people don’t have to limit their intentional impacts for sustainability to the stuff they take home. She said people usually make decisions about survival, food and the like from a sense of immediacy, and businesses would do well to find ways to make buyers want the sustainable products.
Sustainability-minded consumers, she said, should also find the companies whose efforts give back to the community in the form of employment, charity, use of local goods and other contributions.
One of the simplest ways to help make the world more sustainable, Lawrence said, is to say, “thank you.”
“You can reinforce your actions locally by letting your local businesses know why you use their services,” Lawrence said.
Matt Maw can be reached at arg-news@uidaho.edu

May is Mental Health Awareness month, a time to recognize that mental illness exists.  Professionals acknowledge brain chemistry imbalance may be due to heredity, excessive stress, substance abuse or a combination. Those who suffer from mental illness often experience hostility, discrimination and stigma from others rather than compassion and understanding. If you are a family with a loved one with mental illness, you understand too well this preventable circumstance.

Sadly, many health insurance plans do not cover mental illness. For those without health insurance, acute and severe episodes are handled through the hospital emergency rooms or arrest and incarceration. The act of suicide should be disturbing to all.  In 2011, 284 people committed suicide in Idaho. To dramatize the effect, it is the equivalent of two fully-loaded 737 aircrafts crashing with no survivors.

The topic of mental illness is far-reaching and complex, considering the degree of severity for individuals.  For many, a person must commit a crime to get services.  Currently Idaho’s state prison system is the de facto treatment facility, where approximately 25 percent of state incarcerated individuals receive psychotropic medication.

Imagine a statewide mental health system where those afflicted with mental illness can access care in early stages and receive treatment. Imagine our society treating those with mental illness — adults and children — with dignity, respect and compassion. Imagine Idaho’s legislature making mental health a priority. Imagine no stigma associated with mental illness.

These are things to consider during Mental Health Awareness month.

Jim Rehder, Chair of Regional II Mental Health Board and UI Alumnus, can be reached at arg-opinion@uidaho.edu

More info:

Facts from Mental Health America 2013 newsletter:

One in four adults experience a mental health disorder in a given year. One in 17 adults live with a serious mental illness such as schizophrenia, major depression or bipolar disorder, and about one in 10 children live with a serious mental or emotional disorder.

People with mental illnesses, like everyone else, have the potential to work at any level depending on their own abilities, experience and motivation.

Most people can lead productive lives within their communities thanks to a variety of supports, programs and/or medications.

People with mental illnesses can recover and resume normal activities.

The vast majority of people with mental illnesses are not violent. In the cases when violence does occur, the incidence typically results from the same reasons as with the general public such as feeling threatened or excessive use of alcohol and/or drugs.

Three finalists announced for interim provost position
The Search Advisory Committee announced three finalists for the University of Idaho interim Provost and Executive Vice President position April 25.
The finalists are Katherine Aiken, Jan Boll and Steven Daley-Laursen.
Aiken is currently the dean of the College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences.
Boll is the director of the Environmental Science and Water Resources Program.
Daley-Laursen is the senior executive to the Vice President for Research and Economic Development.
Each candidate makes a presentation of their vision for the position. Aiken and Boll presented Monday. Daley-Laursen will present 9 a.m. today in the Student Union Building Borah Theater.
The date the position will be filled has not been announced yet.
Feedback should be sent to president@uidaho.edu.

Tuesday, April 23
11:28 a.m. 1300 Blk East Fifth St.: Caller reported that his bike was run into.
12:05 p.m. Perimeter Drive: Caller reported a small calf standing outside the fence.
3:49 p.m. 600 Blk West Palouse River Dr.: Complaints of suspicious text messages from an unknown number.
5:09 p.m. 1500 Blk East D St. & North Mountain View Road: Caller advised a deputy about four dogs that attacked the caller’s dog near Eggan Youth Center.
7:15 p.m. Moscow Skate Park: Caller reported a person on a bike who threw a scooter.
7:41 p.m. University of Idaho: Caller reported she believed there was a gun inside a residence hall. Officers responded and determined it was a plastic replica.
9:58 p.m. 400 Blk North Adams St.: Caller reported a suicidal friend.

Wednesday, April 24
10:40 p.m. Nez Perce Drive, Alpha Gamma Delta: Complaint of suspicious female.

Thursday, April 25
1:14 p.m. 900 Blk White Ave.: Caller reported graffiti on the bust stop bench inside.
5:21 p.m. 200 Blk South Main St.: Caller advised that there’s been a backpack in the alley all day.
5:38 p.m. South Main Street, Book People: Caller advised that they’ve had a customer in the store that has been acting strange the last few times he’s been in.
7:23 p.m. South Blaine St., Safeway: Caller advised that while shopping earlier there was a man parked next to them that accused her of leaving a door ding in his vehicle, but then left without exchanging information.
Friday, April 26
3:41 a.m. 1200 Blk East Third St.: Caller reported two men wearing hoods tapping on her front door for 30 minutes.
3:37 p.m. 500 Blk University Ave.: Report of suicide.

Saturday, April 27
12:54 a.m. Campus Drive, UI Administration Lawn: Complaint of a suspicious group.
1:13 a.m. North Main Street, CJs: Complaint of theft.

Sunday, April 28
12 a.m. Northwood Drive, Northwood Apartments: Complaint of raccoons.
3:28 a.m. Elm Street, Kappa Kappa Gamma: Officer arrested a male for battery.
3:35 a.m. West Sixth Street, Wallace Complex, Stephenson: Complaint of possible gunshots.
5:30 p.m. West Sixth Street, Bob’s Place: Caller reported an unconscious person.

Now that baseball is back in full swing, I don’t miss my Vandal sports as much. The Red Sox are helping fill the void. 

—Madison

Sorry Theo

I saw my soulmates again this weekend. They come in the form of a band named Blind Pilot and I’m in love.

—Kaitlyn

Second to last OTC 

It’s about time to start counting down every last this and every last that. Please let me know when it gets annoying and I’ll let you know when I care.

—Lindsey

Do the right thing, NBA

It’s time to start talking about the E-word. Both cities deserve this.

—Sean

Life lesson No. 46,789

It takes courage to admit you rushed into a decision and to back out of an opportunity. Happiness is key.

—Britt

JAMM 440

Usually when professors say “don’t underestimate the time this paper/essay/project will take,” I find they are exaggerating. However for this particular paper, when the professor said the above phrase, he was totally not even close to kidding.

—Kaitlin

Hot and cold

Sometimes I wish I still had my mom to tell me when I have to wear a coat outside. I’m never dressed right for Moscow weather.

—Elisa

Good-byes

I don’t do them well. That is all.

—Molly

Hey gurl heeey

Moments like these are an opportunity to remember the good times and reflect on how those you are surrounded by have changed you as a person. It’s tough, but I’m here if you need me. Luff.

—Katy

The end

Imma let you finish, so long as you write a billion words on that essay.

— Dylan

Carbulance

Last weekend I had my first experience driving someone to the emergency room. I want to remind all the graduating seniors to be smart and stay safe while having fun these next two weeks. You don’t want to make these goodbyes the last ones you say.

—Philip

‘Another turning point’ 

Sometimes I wish it was 1996 again so I could listen to Green Day in a totally ironic way. Oh well.

—Kasen

None of the above

I’m starting to question how effective it is to use “none of the above” on multiple choice exams. If the answer is none of the above then students may just know it as that, rather than what the correct answer actually is.

— Theo

Gettin’ old

Man, have I really been sick for three solid weeks? Some lifestyle changes are definitely in order.

—Amrah

Steven Devine | Argonaut
There will be a tutorial workshop on creating a Zine at the University of Idaho Library on May 1. A Zine is a self-published, mini magazine that can be published online.

The UI Library will  host a workshop on May 1 to teach participants how to make a Zine.
Anne Gaines, library assistant at the UI Library, said a Zine is a self-published mini magazine. She said it is like a blog but more current.
“Basically I will be leading the workshop and I will be helped by Sarah VanGundy,” Gaines said. “I will start by giving a general overview of what a Zine is.”
Gaines said she will teach participants the aspects that make a good Zine. She said the content that makes a good Zine depends on the audience.
“I personally like a lot of comics in my Zines,” Gaines said. “The first thing people should focus on is making their Zine visually interesting so it can catch people’s attention and make them want to read it. The other
big step is including interesting subject matter, something interesting to read or learn about.”
Sarah VanGundy will assist Gaines with the workshop. VanGundy said it is possible for Zines to become full magazines.
“Basically when a Zine becomes a magazine is when they start accepting advertising,” VanGundy said.
VanGundy said the workshop will give participants a better understanding of how much work it takes to create this kind of media, and might give them an understanding of how bias can play a role in magazine creation.
“I think it’s kind of cool to be able to create a magazine all on your own,” VanGundy said. “Its super fun and you can work collaboratively with other people and express yourself.”
Gaines said Zine creation encourages self-expression. She said she hopes participants will gain an appreciation for this kind of media.
“You can kind of tell when someone really cares about the Zine they are making,” VanGundy said.
VanGundy said she was first introduced to Zines when she helped with the collaboration process on a few in high school. She said it wasn’t until college that she actually created one of her own.
“I actually co-taught a class where Zine making was the final project,” VanGundy said.
She said she doesn’t know how many people to expect for participation in the workshop, but she is open to anything.
“This is our first time doing this, and we are hoping it will be successful so we can do it again,” VanGundy said.
VanGundy said the workshop will be from 1:30-3:30 p.m. on the first floor of the library.
Erik Fink can be reached at arg-news@uidaho.edu

Steven Devine | Argonaut
Veteran Adviser Dan Button, left, and College Adviser Kris Roby stand inside the offices of the College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences Monday afternoon. The offices will soon move back to the original location in July.

The UI Space Use Committee voted unanimously to deny the request to allocate the space as a student lounge.
ASUI Commons and Union Board Chair Cody Earl said when the Commons and Union Administration Board found out CLASS was leaving they pursued the idea of using the space for a student lounge.
He said he worked with ASUI Senator and President-Elect Max Cowan two semesters ago to gather data about what the students wanted the space to be used for.
“Overwhelmingly the students wanted some sort of space where they could have a social lounge venue with some sort of food and entertainment aspect built into it,” Earl said. “We put the input of the 266 students who responded to the survey to come up with this grand plan of how to use the space.”
Earl said they wanted to include TVs and a coffee house entertainment stage such as bands or poetry. He said they were looking to bring Jamba Juice because students showed interest.
He said they wanted it to be similar to Washington State University’s Compton Union Building lounge, but on a smaller scale.
Cowan said the Commons and Union Administration were in favor of the idea and helped submit a space request form.
“The way that the university works is that any open space that is going to be allocated has to be seen by the Space Use Committee,” he said. “They are essentially a group of administrators who oversee the allocation of space because ultimately the state and the university consider any building that is owned by the university to have the primary goal of meeting the university’s needs.”
Cowan said when the administrators saw the request, they decided they were not going to allocate that space as a student lounge.
Assistant Vice-President of Facilities Brian Johnson said the committee is made up of the university’s four vice-presidents and the executive director of budget and planning. He said while he was not in on the decision making process, he was tapped to serve as the messenger. He said as he understands that the committee doesn’t yet know what they will do with the space and are consequently hesitant to commit to set plans.
Johnson said the committee mentioned they want to remodel the College of Education Building, which would displace employees, and they had interest as using the space in the Commons for swing space during the remodels.
Johnson said the remodel could take up to two years, but they don’t yet have a start date because the university doesn’t have funding for the project lined up yet. He said the administration doesn’t know what to do with the space in the meantime.
“The only thing that could go in there would have to be able to be very temporary because everything is still kind of up in air,” Johnson said.
Earl said he was unsatisfied with the Committee’s informal response, which came in the form of an email from Johnson.
“I thought it was unprofessional and disrespectful to one of their students. Granted they are administration and probably have bigger things on their plate than a student lounge,” Earl said.  “But when you are representing the students it would be nice to give them some sort of feedback as to any thing else we could do. I still have yet to hear anything from anyone on the committee.”
Earl said he thinks the space being used as a lounge makes a lot of sense because the current Overlook Lounge is noisy and interrupts interviews in the Career Center.
“When companies like Boeing come in and interview students for potential jobs it is kind of distracting to have a pool ball smacking around in the background,” Earl said. “The idea would be to move this area downstairs so the Career Center would be the place you can go in your suit and tie and have a more formal interview.  The Overlook Lounge would become more of a quiet study space as well, and downstairs could be more of a place to hang out and be loud.”
Earl said he felt the lack of response showed the administration’s willingness to disregard the voice of the students.
“I’m graduating so it isn’t the end of the world for me but I want to bring it to student’s attention because student’s should have a voice,” Earl said.  “A lot of this stuff is happening behind closed doors so student’s don’t know about it. If students know there is potential to have a lounge I think they would be very well for that rather than a swing space that either sits open or is used as offices.”
Cowan said he thought the students should have more say in how space should be allocated in the Commons because their student fees go to upkeep for the building.
“I think the space as a student lounge would directly benefit the students, that it is a space that is needed and that students should have more say in how the space in the Commons and Union building are allocated because those spaces are funded primarily by the students,” he said.
According to Assistant Director of Operations for the Idaho Commons and Union Mark Miller, student fees fund about 60 percent of upkeep for the Student Union Building, and 45 percent in the Commons.
Cowan said he thinks they can appeal the decision, though he is not sure to whom they would appeal.
“I believe that we can appeal the decision. It may be before the Space Use Committee, I’m not sure,” Cowan said. “Ultimately we feel very strongly that it should be used for a student space and we’d like to see that our proposal is fully heard.”
Johnson said he thinks they can appeal to the provost for a review of the decision, although since the provost was in on the original decision it is unlikely the decision will be changed.
Andrew Deskins can be reached at arg-news@uidaho.edu   

Most people around the country and on campus know Macklemore for his two break-out songs “Thrift Shop” and “Can’t Hold Us,” which launched him into the spotlight with catchy beats, quirky videos and clever raps. Unfortunately, that is all most people know about his music.

Macklemore — as an artist and as a person  — is so much more than these few songs mainstream culture has picked up on. His songs do not only address an array of topics, but do so in a medium that is popular and powerful. In his latest album “The Heist” he lays down strong social commentary on subjects ranging from materialism to same-sex marriage to racial inequality — just to name a few.

In his song “Jimmy Iovine,” he harshly criticizes the massive record label Interscope Records that is owned by Jimmy Iovine, which has signed artists like Lady Gaga, Eminem, the Black Eyed Peas and Madonna. He tells the experience he has had with the major record label by comparing getting signed to pulling off a heist —thus the name of the album.

As the song goes on he reveals the inartistic, ruthless and backhanded ways of the major record label business that he eventually refused the deal with, as seen in the last line: “I replied I appreciate the offer, thought that this was what I wanted. Rather be a starving artist than succeed at getting fucked.”

In his song “A Wake,” Macklemore discusses modern racial inequality, society’s portrayal of his own music and criticizes generational problems like STI rates and prescription pill addictions.

This has not been a recent shift for Macklemore, as strong commentary has always been a large part of his music. For example in his song “White Privilege” on his first album, Macklemore addresses the effect white rappers and white culture have had on the genre of rap and hip-hop. He points out the transitions of jazz and rock and roll as prior examples and compares it to modern rap music and exposing the disingenuous effect on rap culture.

It’s not surprising why these songs have not been incorporated into mainstream culture — they are critical of society and present views many people fail to comprehend.

However, the party songs he is now famous for are only one small part of Macklemore as an artist, and to peg him as the guy that came up with a catchy dance song and viral video would not just be incorrect but would ignore a truly remarkable artist.

Ryan Tarinelli can be reached at arg-opinion@uidaho.edu

Philip Vukelich | Argonaut
The Vandalance, owned by former Delta Chi fraternity members, serves as a tailgate vehicle. It currently sits in the parking lot behind Patty’s Kitchen off Sixth Street.

Former Delta Chi members Cody Earl, Bret Lytle and Marshall Breish said the Vandalance is a University of Idaho tailgating machine that was purchased with aspirations of turning it into one of the coolest vehicles in the UI parking lot during tailgates.
“Our freshman year in Delta Chi a couple older members bought it in Grangeville and brought it up to Delta Chi to have it as a tailgating vehicle, and they put money into it to do the detailing and design and stuff like that and they didn’t have enough money to keep the renovations going,” Earl said.
Lytle said he has some fond memories of tailgating in the vehicle and the older members who owned it during his freshman year.
“Our second or third home game my freshman year I remember going out and seeing older members hanging out and blasting music by the Vandalance,” Lytle said. “I went over and hung out with them. It was a pretty good time.”
Earl said the Vandalance has a lot of potential and another fraternity or lone buyer could buy it and complete the transformation of the old ambulance into the tailgating machine it could be. He said it would be nice to see it traveling the roads of Moscow and at tailgating once again.
“It had potential to be something that Delta Chi was known for and I think that anyone who bought it right now could make it a trademark of their fraternity. They would carry on the UI tradition of tailgating before Vandal football games,” Earl said.
Earl said the owners had envisioned turning the vehicle into a portable bar that they could bring to tailgates and they wanted to decorate the inside with UI decorations. He said they also planned to use it as a portable storage unit for all of Delta Chi’s tailgating gear like tables, chairs and a barbeque.
Earl said they wanted the Vandalance to be a vehicle that everyone could gather around at, have a good time and create valuable college memories.
For anyone who is interested in seeing the vehicle, it is currently parked in the parking lot behind Patty’s Kitchen, and is easy to spot. Just look for the big UI-themed painted ambulance.
John Fish can be reached arg-news@uidaho.edu

The departure of several key administrators this spring means the university will take steps to hire new leaders in the next few months. UI is in search of a new president, provost and dean of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences — to name just a few positions that are soon to be vacant.

Some interim administrators have been selected, but important decisions regarding UI’s future will be made during the summer while a majority of students are absent. It’s clear the university needs a different style of leadership, especially in regards to the new president, and students should take an active role in expressing the qualities they desire in their administration.

UI needs a president who has the vision to set long-term goals, but the drive to accomplish short-term goals students can see the results of during each academic school year. It’s also important the president intends to stick around long enough to have a lasting impact. If they set an 11-year-long enrollment goal, they should see it through.

Students need a president who is committed to transparency and willing to step forward immediately as the voice of the university during times of crisis. The campus community needs a leader who can communicate effectively and make personal statements to reassure and direct the university.

The university needs an active leader who takes the initiative to engage with students of all majors, from the ASUI President to the newest freshman.

M. Duane Nellis was UI’s fifth president in about 10 years. To retain and attract quality leaders, UI needs to create a stimulating work environment with adequate pay for the work expected of them. UI will continue to face difficulties of all kinds — from financial to educational — and the university needs strong leaders to maintain the quality education and experience students have come to expect.

As students leave campus in the next few weeks, we need to keep in mind what we expect from our future administrators. Make your wishes known to the ASUI members who represent us, so they can take a stand for what we as a student body desire.

Students are the most important members of the campus community and the reason for UI’s existence. Don’t let these big decisions slip by unnoticed without our input.

— KM

The Vandals were originally scheduled to play at a tournament in Portland, but hosted EU instead after the Portland tournament was cancelled. The Vandals beat the Eagles 25-23, 19-25 and 27-25.

Assistant coach Steve Whitaker filled in for coach Debbie Buchanan on Saturday, who was out recruiting. Whitaker said the team still has a long way to go, but he is happy with the progress.

“We still have our ups and downs,” Whitaker said. “We’re still working through a lot of stuff and parts of our game are pretty young, but I thought we’ve made a ton of improvement this spring. The connection between the setter and our hitters has drastically changed and that’s going to keep on getting better. Passing-wise, we’ve made an improvement as well.”

One of the major spots that has been filled this spring is the setter position. Last year the Vandals graduated two setters in Ryann Carter and Jenny Feicht. That spot has been filled with redshirt sophomore Meredith Coba.

“Our offense has really sped up and we have been connecting both setting and hitting, so that has been awesome,” Coba said. “I feel like the two years that I’ve been waiting has paid off. I’ve been working for it. Just watching Jenny and Ryann for two years and seeing what they’ve done, it’s awesome to finally get my chance, it feels great.”

The Vandals will bring a group back in the fall that doesn’t have a lot of match experience, but Whitaker said he’s pleased with what he’s seen out of the younger players in the spring.

“I’m pretty pleased, there have been some surprises,” Whitaker said. “Some of the girls are coming out of their shells because they have to. They’re putting in the time in the gym to go over the stuff they need to get better on. Overall it has been good, they have stepped up.”

The spring season wasn’t about wins and losses for Idaho, but getting the young team ready for competition in the fall and Coba said the team will be ready to get back to the WAC final.

“I think we’ve all worked really hard and have been putting in a lot of hours over the course of the spring season and we’ve been working on a lot of specific stuff and I think it’s carried through,” Coba said. “We’ve had a successful season and now we can carry it on to the fall.”

Kevin Bingaman can be reached at arg-sports@uidaho.edu 

Jesse Hart | Argonaut
Idaho distance runner Barry Britt runs laps during practice on Tuesday. The Vandals will compete Friday at the Duane Hartman Invitational in Spokane, Wash., hosted by Spokane Falls Community College.

Idaho also earned two WAC Athlete of the Week honors for the week of April 15-21. Idaho junior Hannah Kiser was awarded the WAC Women’s Outdoor Track Athlete of the Week while junior Kyle Rothwell earned the WAC Men’s Outdoor Field Athlete of the Week.

Kiser’s honor came after she crushed the WAC record in the women’s 5000-meter run at the Mt. SAC Relays on Friday, April 19. Her time of 15:44.06 smashed the Idaho school record set in 1984 by nearly 26 seconds and broke the WAC record by 17 seconds. Her WAC leading 5000-meter time ranks fourth in the NCAA West and seventh in the NCAA so far this season.

Rothwell earned his honor after throwing a career-best hammer throw of 204 feet, 10 inches on Friday at the Mt. SAC Relays and a season-best mark in the shot put Saturday with a toss of 49-11.25. Rothwell’s hammer toss secured a second-place finish and moved him to fifth all-time at Idaho in the event. The mark also ranks 15th in the NCAA West and 30th in the NCAA so far this season.

This week, the largest portion of the Vandal squad will compete at the Duane Hartman Invitational on Friday and Saturday at Spokane Falls Community College. A smaller group of runners including seniors Barry Britt, Lauren Schaffer and Liga Velvere head to Palo Alto, Calif., to compete in the more prestigious Payton Jordan Invitational on Sunday.

“We’ll have a local meet,” Idaho coach Julie Taylor said. “Not everybody will compete, not everybody will race. I think the distance runners kind of go every other weekend depending on what (coach Wayne Phipps) thinks.”

Last year, Idaho won nine individual titles and made five record breaking performances at the Duane Hartman Invitational. Returning champions include Kristine Leonard (shot put), Ellen rouse (javelin throw) and Ugis Svazs (javelin throw).

Idaho also saw success at last year’s Payton Jordan Invitational one all-time top-10 entry and 12 career-best marks on the men’s side.

“I don’t think we’ll be full bore but we’ll still have plenty of kids that will be running,” Taylor said. “We are all kind of preparing to get ready for the WAC meet. It will be a much lower key meet (this weekend).”

Stephan Wiebe can be reached at arg-sports@uidaho.edu

hayden crosby | rawr

“We have two litters of bottle babies right now and a pregnant momma,” Don Nickles from the humane society said.
The number of cats the humane society takes in is a somewhat flexible number because it’s easier to alter a cage to fit two cats than it would be for two dogs.
“This time of year our numbers will jump because we get litters of kittens,” Trina Pickett from the HSOP said. “We’ll have one week where we get a dozen cats in and one week where we only get one.”
Pickett said the most cats the HSOP has ever had one time was more than 120 felines.
“That’s really overpopulated for us,” she said. “We usually try to stay under about 80.”
Nickles said the cats move out of the shelter much faster than dogs because most people can only have cats where they live.
It’s harder for people to get dogs from the humane society because of age, breed and behavior, he said.
“People tend to turn in the unruly dogs with no manners,” he said.
In the HSOP there are roughly 12 cages in the front room that hold cats of all different shapes, sizes and temperaments. In the back, where employees are, even more cats reside. Then there are two rooms completely dedicated to cats. The two rooms are connected by a large, outdoor kitty porch. And of course there are the kitties who are lucky enough to roam freely around the shelter.
“Cats that roam have been here long enough to make their own rules,” Pickett said. “Cats usually win around here.”
Nickles said if he had to pick a favorite, his would be a long-haired orange tabby with a sweet personality named Tig. Nickles said he likes Tig because he reminds him of a cat he has at home.
Pickett’s favorite cat, if she had to choose, is Suzie, a long-haired black cat who sat in the front in her own large cage. When the HSOP found Suzie, she was skinny, losing hair and sick. She eventually was nursed back to health, but soon after became sick again. This was when Pickett decided to foster Suzie herself. She nursed Suzie back to health once again, and believe it or not, Suzie had became ill … again. This time with a serious eye infection. After fostering her for three months, Pickett was finally able to bring the somewhat blind but healthy Suzie back to the shelter.
“We kind of have a history,” Pickett said.
Molly Spencer can be reached atarg-arts@uidaho.edu

The No. 5-seeded Vandals defeated No. 4-seeded Texas-Arlington 4-2 and will face No. 1-seeded Denver in today’s semifinal match at 1 p.m.

“It was a great match,” Idaho coach Myriam Sopel said. “We knew it was going to be tough. We played them two weeks ago and lost in a very tight 4-2 loss. The match was so close last time that we knew that if we kept fighting and doing the right things, we were going to win this one.”

Idaho reached an early lead after winning the doubles point against the Mavericks.  Freshman Rita Bermudez and junior Beatriz Flores started the day with an 8-3 win at No. 3.  Idaho went on to lose the next match when junior Alejandra Lozano and sophomore Sophie Vickers fell 8-5 at No. 2.  To clinch the point, juniors Victoria Lozano and Almudena Sanz, last week’s WAC Tennis Player of the Week, won a grueling battle at No. 1, 9-8 (11-9).

Sopel said winning the doubles point took pressure off of the players during the singles matches.

“We saved four match points at number 1 doubles to win the doubles point,” Sopel said.  “That was huge. The confidence and the momentum from winning the doubles point definitely carried over into singles play.”

The first singles match that finished went to UTA after freshman Belen Barcenilla lost at No. 5.  Idaho followed that with two wins in a row when Victoria Lozano earned a victory at No. 1 in two sets and senior Constance Alexander won at No. 3 in two sets as well.  Vickers shut out her opponent, Christine Foote, in the first set at No. 6 before losing the next two sets and taking the loss.

With two more singles matches left, Beatriz Flores sealed the win for Idaho when she won in two sets at No. 4.

Idaho improved to 13-11 on the season and has won four of its last five.  With this win, Idaho avenged a 4-2 loss against the Mavericks in early April.

It was actually great to play UTA again in the tournament,” Sopel said. “You usually don’t get a chance to get revenge against a team you lost against earlier in the season. We knew what to expect because we already played them, and we put our best game forward right away, from the first point on.”

Idaho’s next opponent, Denver, is 16-3 overall and 8-0 in WAC play.  Denver, which has the advantage of playing at home, shut out New Mexico State 4-0 Thursday.

In their regular season meeting, the Pioneers defeated the Vandals 6-1 in March, but Sopel said the Vandals are a much-improved team since then.

“Denver is ranked, and they get to play at home, but we are at the peak of our level, we play our best tennis, and we are so eager to win that we can beat anybody,” Sopel said.

Anthony Kuipers can be reached at arg-sports@uidaho.edu

Taurus
4/20 – 5/20
Don’t underestimate your great power. There are many people out there that hold you to a superstition. Take advantage of your reputation and take more risks.

Gemini
5/21 – 6/20
You love the sun, but it’s playing hide-and-go-seek with you. Take advantage of the time you have to sun bathe by the window while you can.

Cancer
6/21 – 7/22
They keep scolding you for bringing them small, dead animals. Take a break and bask in the sun. Maybe they’ll appreciate you more when they have mice running all over the place.

Leo
7/23 – 8/22
With the rainy weather upon us, the mud is calling your name. Get dirty and have a ball. Track mud in the house and make your presence known. They’re sure to notice you then.

Virgo
8/23  – 9/22
You have a beautiful coat. Let others enjoy it as well and make your presence known when company is over. Purring won’t hurt either. People think that is so cute.

Libra
9/23  – 10/22
They just give you way too much attention and you need some space. Get to a high place and perch there.

Scorpio
10/23 – 11/21
You are a cat of many colors. You are very good at blending in and going with the flow. Take a stand and be different. Try something new.
Sagittarius
11/22 – ­12/21
You are always so dirty. Try bathing yourself and keeping up with it. Remember, you will need less baths if you do it yourself.

Capricorn
12/22 – ­1/19
You carry yourself with a sense of entitlement. Come back to earth and recognize you are not the best thing that has ever happened. News flash — people are still favoring dogs over cats.

Aquarius
1/20 – 2/18
You’re always dressed in your best attire. People try to copy you by wearing tuxedos, but really, you wear it best. Make them jealous and strut your stuff.

Pisces
2/19-3/20
You’re beautiful. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. There are many people out there allergic to cats but you are their exception. You don’t have hair so you don’t shed. Accept yourself for who you are and be proud.

“Maru the Cat” by mugumogu
If Maru is Mugumogu’s cat, they’re the luckiest cat owner on the planet. I’m reduced to a pile of laughter every time that silly kitty gets a running start at a cereal box or takes the leap of faith into a refrigerator box.

“Surprised Kitty” by rozzzafly
This is by far one of the most adorable cat videos I’ve ever seen. Who would have thought cats might be ticklish?

“Nyan Cat” by saraj00n
If you need to annoy anyone, just find the 12-hour version of this video. Don’t ask me how an animated Pop-Tart cat became so famous — I honestly have no idea.

“I’m a Kitty Cat” by lyesmom
Another absurdly CATchy song (see what I did there) that you won’t be able to get out of your head. “I’m a cat. I’m a Kitty Cat. And I meow, meow, meow. And I meow, meow, meow. I’m a cat.” You get the idea.

“They See Me Rollin’” by SamRS94
It’s a cat … riding a tortoise. Need I say more?

“Cat-Friend vs. Dog-Friend” by fatawesomefilms
This video is the most accurate depiction by humans I’ve ever seen of cats and dogs. I’ll take one of each please.

“Cat Jump Fail with Music: Sail by AWOLNATION” by Veronica Duff
This might not be as funny if the music weren’t so perfectly timed. Regardless, it’s 30 seconds of pure anticipation and four seconds of absolute terror because this cat doesn’t quite have enough spring it’s leap.

“KITTEN in Hamster Ball stuck in middle” by lekilimark
That poor cat is stuck in the hamster ball and I just can’t help but cheer for it as it finds a way out. I would say it’s cruel to put a cat in a hamster ball, but that cat crawled in there all by itself so my laughter is justified.
Kaitlyn Krasselt can be reached at arg-arts@uidaho.edu

File photo by Philip Vukelich | Argonaut
Caldwell, Idaho, native Matt Sullivan vaults during practice Jan. 16 in the Kibbie Dome. Sullivan and Jeremy Klas have made their names known around the Western Athletic Conference, and have the chance at earning berths to the NCAA Championships at the end of the season.

Sophomore Matt Sullivan broke senior and three-time All-American Jeremy Klas’ outdoor pole-vault record earlier this season and now both athletes have their eyes on a possible WAC title and NCAA National Championship appearance at the end of the year.

Sullivan’s vault currently ranks 24th in the nation so far this season.

“Not to sound cheesy or whatever but I’m kind of like his biggest fan. I feel like it’s mutual back to me,” Klas said of Sullivan. “When we were down in Arizona, when he went out and broke the school record, I was ecstatic for him. Now I have something to strive for.”

Sullivan, originating from Caldwell, Idaho, had a great freshman season, earning First-Team All-WAC honors in both indoor and outdoor track and field, but he struggled to improve on personal records from high school. That all changed during the 2013 indoor season when Sullivan improved by more than 10 inches in the pole-vault. He carried that momentum into the outdoor season, improving by more than 15 inches to break Klas’ outdoor school record.

“The first year that I really got here, I was kind of that weird kid that no one knew,” Sullivan said. “It was a big adjustment to go from high school … to the weights and training and everything that goes on here. Coming back this year, I know what is expected of me and I set my goals a lot higher.”

It’s been a rollercoaster of ups and downs for both athletes throughout their careers but there have been a lot more ups than downs. For Klas, his pole-vaulting career started at Moscow High School but it didn’t start on the right foot.

That first couple weeks of pole-vault practice I came home and I was like ‘Mom, I think I found the first sport that I’m bad at,’” Klas said. “I was just frustrated. It’s one of the most frustrating sports, especially when you’re first starting.”

Klas didn’t give up after his difficult start to pole-vaulting and by his senior year, he was the best in the state of Idaho by more than a foot.

Even as the best pole-vaulter in Idaho, Klas wasn’t recruited out of high school. But again he wasn’t discouraged and set out to prove himself as a walk-on for the Vandals. A year later, he earned his first All-American honor at the conclusion of his sophomore indoor season.

He’s come a long ways,” Idaho coach Wayne Phipps said of Klas “Although he vaulted well in high school, he made huge improvements in his very first year and then has gone on to be one of the most successful track and field athletes that we’ve had at Idaho.”

When Idaho’s former jumping coach Jason Graham left at the end of last season, Klas took the role as the leader and player-coach of the pole-vault program. Klas didn’t have any indoor eligibility left, so he spent extra time making sure Sullivan and the other pole-vaulters were staying in top form. Since then, Idaho hired former multiple-time All-American jumper Allen Simms for the outdoor season.

Despite Idaho’s dominance in WAC pole-vaulting for the last half-decade, Klas and Sullivan will head into the WAC Championship as underdogs against Texas State’s Landon Cunningham. Cunningham is the current WAC leader in the pole-vault but Klas and Sullivan are up to the challenge and they will continue to push each other along the way.

“I’m super excited to be able to go out and know that we’ll have some really good competition,” Klas said. “I think it’s going to be more fun than anything, just going out and knowing that if I want to be competitive, I have to go out and compete my best.”

Stephan Wiebe can be reached at arg-sports@uidaho.edu

What do you call a group of cats?
We all know a group of kittens is called a litter. But then what do you call a group of adult cats? A clowder. A male cat (when neutered) is called a “gib,” if not fixed, he is called a “tom.” And female cats are called “molly.”

Are cats colorblind?
Through years of research, it has been discovered that cats have both rods and cones in their eyes. After neurologists wired cats’ brains using electrodes in order to find out if a cat’s brain can in fact distinguish between different shades of color — the conclusion was cats are not colorblind.

What happens when you cut a cat’s whiskers?
It’s true, whiskers on cats are essentially a fifth sensory organ. Damaging a cat’s whiskers will cause it discomfort as well as disorientation and confusion. Whiskers aren’t just regular hairs on a cats face. They are located deep within the follicle, being surrounded by a muscle tissue sensitive to nerves and sensory cells. The purpose of whiskers is to serve as an “environmental scanning system.” Whiskers are so sensitive that a cat does not actually have to touch an object with whiskers to know it’s there.
Molly Spencer can be reached at arg-arts@uidaho.edu

Idaho junior Almudena Sanz has been awarded with her second WAC Women’s Tennis Player of the Week honor. Sanz won both of her matches against Utah State, the team’s only opponent during last week’s play. Sanz won at No. 2 singles against Utah State’s Jaci West in three sets winning the last two 6-3 after losing her initial set 6-2. Sanz paired up with Victoria Lozano to defeat the Aggies’ West and McKenzie Davis 8-6 at No. 1 doubles. A native of Oviedo, Spain, Sanz helped the Vandals finish just above .500 overall and in Western Athletic Conference play. The team went 12-11 overall and 5-4 in WAC play.

Idaho winter athletics earns 46 honors 

A total of 46 University of Idaho athletes who competed in winter athletics (men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s indoor track and field, swimming and diving) have earned the academic all-Western Athletic Conference honors. In order to qualify for the honor the athlete mush have completed at least one academic year, must have at least a 3.00 cumulative GPA and have participated in at least 50 percent of the team’s contests. The five University of Idaho athletes honored in women’s basketball and the four in men’s basketball ties the most of any team in the WAC. The men’s indoor track and field team garnered eight awards while their female counterparts earned a total of 16. The swimming and diving team accounted for 14 more.

Men’s basketball hands out postseason awards

Kyle Barone, the best post player in the history of the Idaho men’s basketball program, was the recipient of two separate awards, while fellow seniors Mike McChristian and Mansa Habeeb, along with sophomore Connor Hill, claimed the team’s other awards. Barone, who was named an AP All-American, took home the Ronald White Award, given to the team’s most outstanding player as voted by members of the team. Barone and Habeeb shared the Gus Johnson Award, given to the team’s best defensive player. McChristian was awarded the Oz Thompson Award, given to the player who best inspires sportsmanship, scholarship and leadership. He also won the George Greene Award, given to the team’s most unselfish player. Habeeb was voted the team’s  most inspirational player, winning the Jay Gano Award. Hill, the only non-senior to claim an award, earned Kathy Clark Award, given to the player who best balances athletics and academics.

Idaho makes clean sweep of track and field awards

Following stellar outings at the Mt. SAC relays in Walnut, Calif., one week ago, the Western Athletic Conference has named juniors Hannah Kiser and Kyle Rothwell its Outdoor Athletes of the Week for the week of April 15-21. Kiser made headlines after shattering both the WAC and Idaho all-time records in the 5,000-meter race. The Wenatchee, Wash., native won the event with a time of 15:44.06. Her time was 26 seconds better than the previous Idaho record set in 1982, while it smashed the conference record by 17 seconds. The 5,000-meter mark is Kiser’s third record of the year. She also broke WAC and school records in the indoor mile and 3,000-meter race. Rothwell didn’t capture the hammer throw title in Walnut, but the Eagle, Idaho, native heaved a career-best throw of 15.22 meters (49-11.25) in the shot put event Saturday. The mark is best in the WAC this season and ranks 15th in the NCAA West region along with 30th in the NCAA.

As we move further and further from the April 15 Boston Marathon bombing, it’s clear that news rationing should extend to adults as well. The way our media covers tragedy is too easily mistaken for news even by adults, instead of understood for its true nature: disaster porn.

Disaster porn is exactly what it sounds like —– harnessing human fear and voyeurism to attract advertising revenue without delivering actual news, the same way porn uses your libido for dollars without delivering any authentic action.

No one truly mistakes pornography for real sex, but disaster porn from ABC, NBC, CBS or cable news still wears the title of news, regardless of how much empty –- and oftentimes fictitious –- content these networks spew.

While authorities build a case or search for a suspect, it’s in their best interest to keep all developments within the confines of the investigation. Better that than damage an eventual prosecution, or sift through an even deeper deluge of citizens reporting “suspects” most often guilty of being non-white, strangers, or the worst, non-white strangers. It benefits the case to keep initial information out of the public eye, with the downside of yielding almost nothing to report to the waiting masses.

That does not stop wall-to-wall coverage, which quickly runs out of news before devolving to fact- devoid segments with simply inaccurate conclusions. The New York Post misidentifying two “federal suspects” with a front page spread, CNN falsely breaking the arrest of a Saudi national or notoriously inaccurate eye-witness interviews should never be understood as something other than stimulation designed to prop Nielsen ratings.

One of the major ethical complaints against pornography is the allegation that viewing softer porn leads to more and more extreme versions —– like rape depictions or scat porn. Without detailing all the inadequacies of this assessment, if you find yourself drifting further and further into scat porn —– something else that’s exactly what it sounds like —– you have a problem. Disaster porn’s version of scat porn is the misinformed musings of opinion broadcasts that dominate cable news.

Nothing is inherently wrong with opinion shows, but when already poor reporting meets the editorial broadcast, you have an hour devoted rhetorical scat smearing. No other words can describe Bob Beckel calling for a moratorium on Muslim student visas, or Greg Gutfeld calling Tamerlan Tsarnaev a state sponsored terrorist for temporarily receiving food stamps, or conservative media’s open-armed embrace of conspiracy theorists or Melissa Harris-Perry inferring Islam had no relevance to the attack, needing only days for none other than surviving bomber Dzhokar Tsarnaev to refute the claim himself.

The irony of the Internet age’s demand for moment-to-moment news is that often, there is no news to report. It’s as the initial white- hot intensity dies down —– days, weeks, or months removed from the event — – that we learn the identity, motives or group ties of the assailants. Otherwise, disaster porn leaves us with the same feeling as porn –— the sense that a lot was done, when really, we just have a mess to clean up, and an embarrassing history to hide.

Brian Marceau can be reached at arg-opinion@uidaho.edu

Dead Week
More like “Celebrate the 2013 Seniors’ impending graduation all week long” Week.
—Lindsey

Sad
That moment when there’s a class you really want to take from a particular professor and it doesn’t fit into your schedule or graduation requirements.
—Kaitlin

Weekending
The next two are going to be fantastic: Portland with my favorite Sydney and then a weekend of shenanigans including FinalsFest. The one after that? It’s summer time and I’ll be on the road to California. No complaining here.
—Kaitlyn

Time to be sentimental
Facebook creeping on myself reminded me what a fantastic time I’ve had at UI. Thanks to everyone who’s been a part of it. You’re the best.
—Katy

This sucks
It seems like 80 percent of people I know are graduating or leaving. This kind of sucks.
—Sean

Life is gouda
I love cheese. I am not ashamed.
—Britt

Brew time
It’s that time of the semester when all I can focus on is beer.
—Molly

College senior
Due tomorrow? Do tomorrow.
—Kasen

Blue skies
It’s amazing how a little sunshine can create a lot of happiness. Here’s to a positive attitude during the last few weeks of school, graduation and the start of my summer internship.
— Elisa

Not so bad after all
I thought writing my 10-12 page research paper for History of Sports would be miserable. Then I realized I was writing about sports — yeah, that thing that I want to do for the rest of my life. By tomorrow I plan on knowing every detail about the life of tennis legend Arthur Ashe.
—Theo

In French
Ten pages later I feel like I’m fluent … Nah, just exhausted.
—Dylan

Halls
A pep talk in every drop. Just what I need these days.
— Amrah

Drug tests
I hope I pass, I hope I pass.
—Philip

Campus Dining Services | Courtesy
Alex Rhealt gets ready to decorate a cake at Cake Court, an event hosted by the University of Idaho Sustainability Center and Sodexo, at the University of Idaho Commons food court. Teams competed to decorate cakes with an environmental theme and students at the food court helped to vote for the winners.

“How it relates to Earth Fest — this is kind of like our fun event because we’re trying to raise awareness about eating local foods, so that’s why we have cakes with local ingredients in it,” Holthuijzen said.
Sodexo Marketing Coordinator Stephanie Payne said the purpose of “Cake Court” is also to encourage UI students to use local ingredients made by the local famers, which includes Shepherd’s Grain.
“We want to highlight Shepherd’s Grain and our local farmers that are organically growing wheat,” Payne said.
While Shepherd’s Grain provided the ingredients for the cakes, Sodexo and the Vandal Bakery baked the cakes and also provided cake decorations, Payne said.
There were three teams of three people and they were given 60 minutes to decorate a cake with an environmental theme. Students at the Idaho Commons were judges. Each winning team  received T-shirts, reusable shopping bags,  Vandal pouches and  free Einstein’s lattes, Payne said.
The winning team decorated their cake with an ocean theme. They were three UI students from Delta Delta Delta Sorority.
“I thought it was fun, I liked it a lot,” said Melanie Martin, one of the winning members.
Katie Bisig, another team member, said they knew the event was cake decorating, but didn’t know it was a competition.
The winning cake was served as  dessert for Green Lunches, another Earth Fest event on Wednesday.
Payne said overall “Cake Court” was successful.
“I can’t wait to do it next year. We had a good time,” Payne said. “I am going to continue to do it for sure — we had a blast and we made a lot of people participate.”
Nurainy Darono can be reached at arg-news@uidaho.edu

Steven Devine | Argonaut
Caleb Morgan, left, Heinrik Goettsche, under, and Sushant Kshetri work on the Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle project that will be featured at the Engineering Design Expo which will take place today from 9:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. in the University of Idaho Student Union Building ballroom.

This six credit project is for practical, real-time clients and spans an entire year. Unlike projects engineering students have done throughout their undergraduate career, this is open ended, said Becky Gibson, event coordinator for the University of Idaho Engineering Design Expo.
“The teachers don’t even know the right answers,” Gibson said. “The students have to find the solutions themselves.”
There are 240 undergrads presenting projects, divided into 57 groups. Future employers love that these engineers already know how to work on a team and troubleshoot problems that arise, Gibson said.
Students have clients from engineering firms, other groups at the university, state departments and companies like Avista, Boeing and NASA, Gibson said.
Teams have unique experiences, but also gain an understanding of the design process from beginning to end. These projects are practical, but are meant to be engaging and fun, Gibson said.
One group in particular has a special project for NASA, which is currently in its second of three phases spanning several years and sets of graduating seniors.
This task is different than others because it does not revolve directly around the Expo. It is a research venture that includes five graduate students and three faculty members in addition to the undergraduate students, said Vince Colson, a senior mechanical engineering major on the team.
“Our project is a flywheel energy storage system,” said Andy Ivy, also a senior in mechanical engineering.
This means that the team is attempting to create a storage system for energy gathered on the moon during its two weeks of sunlight, to use in contrast to its two weeks of frigid night.
Each phase of the project lasts about a year and a half, and this one ends in December. If it is a complete failure — that is, if the project shows no proof of a working concept — next year’s team will not be granted phase three.
The team was particularly drawn to this project because it has long term effects in space and on earth, and is unique in its application. The research they’re doing could impact hybrid car technology, life on the moon and sustainable energy, Ivy said.
“I think this was all of our first picks,” Colson said. “We all wanted to be right here.”
This capstone project makes the first three years of an undergraduate career worth it, Colson said, and this is their final hurrah of the four-year program.
“I would say all engineers look forward to this,” Colson said. “We all wanted to be here, and I think all of us picked this project for different reasons.”
Ivy said this was an exceptional opportunity and involves interdisciplinary learning, as well as a resume boost.
Dan Schneider, a sophomore studying mechanical engineering who is not officially on the team, has a lot at stake with the future of the project.
“Have you ever seen a superconductor with magnets floating on it?”  Schneider said. “That right there is enough for me.”
Ivy said it looks like  voodoo magic. The project takes extensive knowledge of physics, as well as computer and mechanical engineering, which is why the research team is so large.
“We have a grad student who is trying to make a computer model to describe how the heck the thing is floating,” Schneider said. “But like I said, it’s magic.”
While the Expo is a big date for the team, the project as a whole will continue beyond the seniors’ graduation dates.
The team said they did not know each other before they began, and mechanical engineers are typically separate from computer engineers until the end.
“As we came more together, we discovered that there are all these other people on the project and it starts to become one project instead of a series,” said Nick Frazey, another mechanical engineer on the team.
Colson said no one knew exactly what the project would take, or what would need to be done to make it work smoothly.
“Our team dynamic is pretty good,” Colson said.
Ivy said they all get along, which is part of the reason for the project’s success.
The team said they have learned each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and work well together because of the intense work they have done.
Gibson said some of the other projects are fun and lighthearted. For example, the College of Agriculture has contracted one team to make a pumpkin cannon for the annual corn maze event that happens in Lewiston.
“They wanted to spice up their event offerings,” Gibson said. “So they have made this giant cannon that pumpkins can fit in.”
This particular plan was a continuation project for teams from the last few years as well, Gibson said.
“They’re working on some safety issues,” Gibson said. “But hopefully that’ll be available at the corn maze next year.”
A hands-on experience is the peak of an engineering education, and provides an opportunity to apply this passion to benefit other people on the planet.
“It’s the tying together of everything they’ve been working hard for over the last four years,” Gibson said.
Gibson said it is really important for all engineering students to attend the Expo and see what they have to look forward to.
“It’s a day to celebrate engineering,” Gibson said. “And it’s pretty amazing.”
Alycia Rock can be reached at arg-news@uidaho.edu

Illustration by Kaitlin Krasselt | Argonaut

University of Idaho Director of Planning and Budget Keith Ickes said this trend is due to a shift in the funds that make up the university’s budget — in 2001, 71 percent of UI’s budget was state funding, which allowed tuition to remain low. State General Account funding is now less than half of the university’s operating budget at every public university in Idaho. At UI, state funding makes up 49 percent of the budget while revenue generated from student tuition and fees makes up 47 percent.
“We’re right at the teetering point. If we had one more bad year in state funding we could see that flip,” Ickes said.
Earlier this month, the Idaho State Board of Education approved another 5 percent increase for UI undergraduate tuition and fees — but UI is not the only Idaho institution to receive an increase.
Boise State University’s tuition will raise 6.9 percent and Idaho State University, 4.5 percent.
Students attending UI for the 2013-2014 academic year will pay 80 percent more than students who attended in 2004-2005.
Newly elected SBOE president Don Soltman said the board approves tuition increases with the students’ pockets in mind, which is why UI and BSU received lower increases than what they had asked for.
“We are cognizant of the cost to students and we want to keep Idaho’s institutions affordable,” Soltman said. “At the same time we understand that times are hard for higher education and our universities are looking for ways to fill the gaps.”
Across the border, Washington faces similar budget deficits in public higher education. Undergraduate tuition and fees at Washington State University have increased 75 percent in the last four years.
Chris Rosenbaum, BSU director of budget and planning, said a lack of state funding is a problem across the board and substantial tuition increases have plagued universities everywhere.
“When state funding is reduced and student enrollments grow, the need to hire additional faculty and provide funding for infrastructure to support students needs unfortunately falls largely on the students in the form of increased tuition and fees,” Rosenbaum said.
In Idaho, the State Board of Education is responsible for equally considering the needs of every higher education institution. As a result, state funding for education is designated by the Idaho legislature and then dispersed by the SBOE among Idaho’s institutions as they see fit.
“We take every university’s needs into consideration,” Soltman said.
Although the system for higher education in Washington is different — a designated board of regents or board of trustees for every university that has only that university’s needs in mind — they have experienced the same budgetary transition from a predominantly state funded budget to a budget that relies heavily on student dollars.
In a message to students, WSU president Elson Floyd said WSU has reached a point where the university receives more support from tuition and other sources than it does from state funding. As a result, Floyd has proposed a new approach to raising tuition at WSU.
“I will be proposing a new approach to tuition to state legislators this session that is very simple,” Floyd wrote. “If WSU’s state appropriation remains uncut or increases, we will raise tuition only by the same percentage as the Consumer Price Index. On average, that is about 2 or 2.5 percent — much more manageable than 16 percent.”
Floyd said the plan is one that is popular with WSU students who are gathering signatures on petitions of support for the proposal. He said access to affordable and high quality education at all levels is a fundamental core value of the state and the nation.
“It is critical to the economic vitality of individuals, the State of Washington and the United States,” Floyd wrote in his message to students.
Floyd is not alone in his consideration of the cost to students and maintaining affordability.
“Boise State, like our Idaho sister institutions, is sensitive to access issues for students,” Rosenbaum said. “This includes affordability as well as course availability to take classes when needed — thus minimizing not only the time to graduate, but the overall cost to students by not needing to pay for another semester or more.”
Kaitlyn Krasselt can be reached at arg-news@uidaho.edu

Overall numbers are down by about 100 animals compared to last year. Highlighted in the report are confirmation of breeding pairs and growing subpopulations in Oregon and Washington. Further, the report claims there are no wolves in Utah. In addition, the report is riddled with inconsistencies and other strangeness that leads us to believe we aren’t getting the full story here folks.

For instance, as far back as 2002, wolves were confirmed in northern Utah, when a pack killed 15 sheep and lambs near Hardware Ranch in Cache County. Livestock depredations have occurred throughout southeast Idaho and northern Utah since that time. In 2002, wolf number 253, a 2-year-old male and member of Yellowstone Park’s Druid Pack, was caught in a coyote snare in Morgan County, Utah, east of Ogden. This wolf, doing nothing more than following his wild instincts, crossed a political boundary. He was transported back to Yellowstone Park, on the taxpayers’ dime, and was later killed by a hunter near Daniel, Wyoming.

In March of 2008, a pilot with experience flying in Alaska spotted five wolves, three blacks and two greys near Dutch John, Utah. KSL News reported that tracks were later found and the wolves answered a howl call. Yet these wolves weren’t evicted from Utah. Did the political boundary vanish in those six years?

A large herd of elk migrates out of Southeast Idaho to Hardware Ranch in northern Utah every winter. Does anyone really believe there aren’t wolf packs following those elk? Do the facts that hunters have killed wolves and livestock depredations have occurred throughout the area prove there are wolves present? In spite of the appearance of solid evidence, the USFWS map that shows confirmed wolf pack territories, reveals no evidence of packs in southern Idaho, northern Utah, or southwest Wyoming.

With all of this evidence of wolves spreading west into Oregon and Washington and occasional sightings in northern Utah, it seems curious that USFWS can’t confirm wolf packs south of the Snake River, in northern Utah, or in southwest Wyoming, which leads us to question the validity of the entire report.

We understand the complexity of counting wolves. Imagine flying over vast wilderness areas replete with deep canyons and dark timber. What percentage of existing wolves is it humanly possible to document? We assert that it’s a very small percentage and further, that there could be more wolves in Idaho alone than this report documents for the entire region. Yet the USFWS report makes no mention of the difficulties associated with obtaining accurate population estimates.

It’s time for USFWS to get serious about telling the truth about wolves. The hundreds of rural families that have suffered economic losses deserve the truth. USFWS, through the use of half-truths and vagueness, has done a masterful job in its public relations efforts. Since the mid-90’s their line on livestock depredation has been that wolves only cause a small proportion of all livestock losses. Somewhat true, but they are additional or new losses that the livestock industry did not have to absorb before reintroduction. In addition, when given consideration to the fact that only a small proportion of livestock losses are actually documented, it doesn’t soften the blow by much. It’s been estimated that only one in nine livestock depredations by wolves are confirmed by USFWS. Yet once again, their report makes no mention of this.

A lot of people have romantic notions about the American West, its wide open spaces and wild animals. The stories that aren’t being told are about depopulation trends in rural counties and kids who won’t have the chance to go to college next fall because the family business is no longer profitable. And these businesses are not just livestock operations. They include all of the businesses that sustain our rural economy.

This agency’s inability to document wolf packs in areas that are politically inconvenient is a serious problem. The report includes the statement that wolf reintroduction has been an incredible success story for endangered species, but glaringly omits the fact that when wolves were reintroduced they didn’t have any idea how fast the population would grow or how far territories would expand.

Frank Priestly is the President of the Idaho Farm Bureau.

Frank Priestly can be reachedat arg-opinion@uidaho.edu

The American Heart Association (AHA) has set forth standards for healthy blood pressure and what is considered hypertensive. A blood pressure reading has two numbers. The top number is the systolic value. This measures the pressure in the arteries when the heart beats (or the heart muscle contracts). The bottom number is called the diastolic value, which measures the pressure in the arteries between heartbeats (when the heart muscle is resting and refilling with blood).   In the chart, you can see blood pressure values and the appropriate actions recommended.

Recently, two University of Idaho students, Allyssa Nilsson and Greg Holcomb, interns with Gritman Cardiac Rehab, provided blood pressure screenings on the UI campus. With a total of 70 participants, 37 males and 33 females, nearly 40 percent fell into the categories of pre-hypertensive or hypertensive. With elevated blood pressures among our campus population, college age is the perfect time to start creating lifestyle habits that can contribute to lifelong heart health.

There are plenty of ways to keep blood pressure under control. AHA recommends finding a good source of potassium, consuming plenty of fruits and vegetables and exercising regularly.  Limit sodium, stress, tobacco, alcohol, and excess weight.  It is important to keep note of what a normal blood pressure is for you, and talk with your medical provider if you have concerns.

Kelsey Craft can be reached at arg-opinion@uidaho.edu

Idaho junior Rachel Choi blazed through the third and final round of the tournament with a two-under 70 to climb from 11th to fourth.

Idaho coach Lisa Johnson said Choi’s final round was impressive.

“Rachel had an amazing round. She has shown tremendous growth as a player,” Johnson said.

Denver won the tournament, taking home its first WAC crown. Denver shot an 18-over 882 as a team, which was 12 strokes better than defending champion San Jose State, who finished at 30-over with an 894. Denver shot a tournament-low 291 in the second round and was in first place throughout the tournament. Texas State finished in third at a 30-over 904.

Denver was led by Tonje Daffinrud, who finished at seven under to claim the individual crown. San Jose State took second and third with Regan De Guzman finishing six strokes back of Daffinrud to finish second and Jennifer Brumbaugh finishing at three-over to take third.

The Vandals shot a rough 312 in the first round to tie with New Mexico State at the bottom of the standings. Idaho played better the rest of the way out, shooting a 296 in the second to move up to fourth. Johnson said she was happy with the way her team responded after the first round.

“We putted significantly better,” coach Lisa Johnson said, adding that birdies and steady play early on set the tone for the day. “We made some long birdie putts early in the round. That helped their confidence. We had a better sense of the speed of the greens.”

Idaho came out in the third and shot a 300 to finish the WAC Championship in fifth, just one stroke behind Texas-San Antonio. Seattle U came in fifth and New Mexico State came in seventh.

Johnson said she was happy with the way her team faced adversity.

“Overall, I was impressed with how the team rebounded from a horrible first round,” Johnson said. “It showed great toughness. It would have been nice to shoot lower but we’re happy with our effort.”

Choi led Idaho, finishing in fourth. Sophomore Leilanie Kim finished with a 10-over 211 to take 11th. Sophomore Kaitlyn Oster finished at 13-over to tie for sixteenth, freshman Kristin Strankman finished in 23rd and freshman Cassie McKinley rounded out things for Idaho, finishing in 33rd.

It was a decent end for the young Idaho squad that will be bringing back all but one player from this year’s roster.

Kevin Bingaman can be reached at arg-sports@uidaho.edu

The Vandals lost six seniors to graduation last season, many of whom were four-year starters. In an effort to reload the roster, Idaho coach Debbie Buchanan recently signed 6-foot-3 outside hitter Tineke Bierma, 5-foot-8 defensive specialist Terra Varney and 6-foot-4 middle blocker Stephanie Hagins, who joined the team this spring after transferring from Hawaii.

Bierma is a junior transfer from the College of Southern Idaho, where she led her team to the school’s 10th NJCAA National Championship. Before CSI, Bierma played at Portland State. During her sophomore season, she hit .199 on the season with 210 kills.

Buchanan said Bierma was exactly what she was looking for.

“We really wanted to find another outside hitter who has some experience and a good arm,” Buchanan said. “We will have her here this summer and she will have that opportunity to train and get on campus and get a feel for things. She is a kid who has got some experience and that’s what we need, that’s going to help our team.”

Defensive specialist Varney had an impressive career at Vista Murrieta High School in Murrieta, Calif., where she received all-league, all-valley and all-CIF honors. Idaho needed another defensive specialist after losing libero Janelle Chow last season and Buchanan is pleased to have signed her.

“She can be an attacking DS,” Buchanan said. “She could compete to be a libero down the road. She plays for a great club, a high level, she is very competitive. Playing high level volleyball all summer is going to be a good thing for her. She definitely fits into that mold of a ball-control kid and a competitive one who knows how to fight and knows how to win.”

Hagins has been at Idaho since January after transferring from the University of Hawai’i. Before Hawai’i, she played at Washington State, where she was the only freshman to rank in the top 10 in blocks in the Pac-12. This is another big signing for Idaho, as Hagins comes from a Hawai’i program that has been a national powerhouse for more than a decade. Hawai’i has made it to the NCAA Tournament every year since 1993 and has made it to the Final Four four separate times in that span and was the national runner-up once.

Buchanan said Hagins has been impressive thus far.

“We’re excited that she’s finally here,” Buchanan said. “She is a big kid with a great block and is great offensively. She is doing some things in the gym right now that make you say ‘holy cow.’ She just plays big. It’s been great to have her here because she is getting back into the swing of things. You can tell she has been working out, it’s showing in the gym.”

The three signees will help boost Idaho’s roster, which has been low in numbers this spring.

Idaho will conclude the spring season at 6:30 p.m. on Friday in Memorial Gym when the Vandals host Eastern Washington. Idaho was originally scheduled to travel to Portland over the weekend, but the tournament was cancelled.

Kevin Bingaman can be reached at arg-sports@uidaho.edu

Abi Stomberg | Argonaut
Abid Akbar warms up during practice for the WAC Championships this weekend. The University of Idaho Vandals finished second in the season and will start Saturday. The championships will take place at the Gates Tennis Center in Denver, Colo.

“It would be the cap on a good year,” Idaho coach Beaman said.  “We had the strong start and we’ve been dealing with some injuries and different issues and sort of ended the year on a little lower note.  But I think it would the cap to a great year for a really talented team.”

The first round of the tournament starts today, but Idaho earned a bye after earning the No. 2 seed in the conference.

Idaho will start the tournament in the semifinals on Saturday at 10 a.m.  The Vandals will play the winner of the Friday match between No. 3 seed Texas-San Antonio and No. 6 seed Texas-Arlington.  Denver, the No. 1 seed, will play the winner of the other Friday match between No. 4 seed New Mexico State and No. 5 seed Utah State.   The championship will take place Sunday at 10 a.m. and the champion will earn an automatic bid into the NCAA Championship tournament May 10-27.

This year’s tournament will be the team’s only chance to make it into the NCAA tournament, Beaman said.  Due to their late-season struggles – Idaho has lost five of its last nine matches and has fallen out of the national rankings – they will not likely earn an NCAA at-large berth without a conference title.

The program has never won a WAC championship.  The Vandals made it to the finals for the first time in school history last season before falling to Fresno State 4-2.

The Vandals, along with Denver, will have the advantage of starting off the tournament with a bye. The bye gives them one less opportunity to go home early and a chance to avoid any injuries in the first round.  Idaho has dealt with injuries all season, most notably senior Marius Cirstea. Cirstea played last weekend against UTSA in his first match since injuring his knee in early April.  He only played in singles during that match, but Beaman said he will be in both the doubles and singles lineup this weekend.

Cirstea said he will be ready to play on Saturday.

“I feel very well,” Cirstea said.  “I’m running normal.  It’s not hurting.  I play two hours a day at 100 percent, so it’s fine.”

Beaman said the lineup will look the way it has for most of the season ,with sophomore Dmitry Perevoshchikov at No. 1 in singles, senior Abid Akbar at No. 2, Cirstea at No. 3, junior Jose Bendeck at No. 4 and sophomores Cesar Torres and Cristobal Ramos Salazar at No. 5 and 6 respectively.

The doubles teams will also look familiar with Akbar and Cirstea at the No. 1 position, Bendeck and Salazar at No. 2 and Perevoshchikov and Torres at No. 3.

Cirstea said the doubles matches could be a deciding factor in how far the Vandals go in this tournament.

“If we can stay focused and we win the doubles point, I think this is the key in my opinion because we are very good doubles team,” Cirstea said.  “We have three really good doubles teams. That actually can make a difference because you don’t have that much pressure on you.  Instead of winning four singles, you have to win only three.”

Cirstea and fellow seniors Akbar, Ivan Krijanto, Filip Fichtel and Jake Knox will compete in their last WAC Tournament as Vandals.  They have already helped the Vandals reach new heights during the last four years by accumulating a 74-34 record and going further in the WAC Tournament last season than any Idaho team before them.  Cirstea said a championship should be the sign of better things to come.

“I think it’s a great achievement for the program,” Cirstea said.  “Jeff tried to help us, all of us and he did a really good job recruiting people.  Hopefully it will get better for us — not in my case, but for other people who are going to come here.  I think being the first in something is always a very good feeling.”

Anthony Kuipers can be reached at arg-sports@uidaho.edu

He said UI and Moscow have a good relationship when UI is planning community service events, especially large events such as Saturday of Service.

The City of Moscow also enjoys planning events that involve the whole community and bring together citizens and leaders of Moscow, Jen Pfiffner, assistant to the city supervisor, said.

One of those events, the annual Moscow Clean Up Day started at9 a.m.  Friday, she said.

Even though the weather was not sunny, people came up to do some spring-cleaning for the day, Pfiffner said.

The city provided trash bags for the people who came to help clean up the city.

Besides providing an opportunity for people of the city to mingle with each other, the day also helps to beautify the city for graduation, Pfiffner said.

She said graduation from both UI and Washington State University brings in an influx of people and helping to have the city look its best for everyone is important.

“It also has the city celebrate Earth Week,” she said.

Ive said having an event that is simple and gets people to go out and volunteer is important.

“They go and clean up trash for three hours, that is good, that’s great,” he said. “It gives people experience and benefits the community.”

He also said it could open up the door to those people volunteering more, because they see what it is like and might want to help out more often.

He said that people often think they need to go somewhere else to get a great and meaningful experience by volunteering, but that isn’t the case.

“We have a lot of the same issues locally as other countries do,” he said.

Volunteering is a way that people can see those issues first hand and help the community overcome different issues, he said.

“Volunteering shows you what really happens in your community,” Ive said.

Having an event that is simple and meaningful is one of the first steps in having people become more involved, even when it is cleaning up the city, he said.

He said when people clean their city they become aware of how dirty it is and what it takes to keep a city looking good.

Jemma Marrow, a UI student who organizes highway clean-ups for UI’s Collegiate FFA, said it is surprising sometimes how dirty a road can be and how long it takes to clean one stretch of a highway.

“I’m sure the city is the same way,” she said. “Oftentimes you don’t realize how much trash can be in one place.”

Marrow said she has known people who change their littering habits after a day of picking up trash, and could see that happening in Moscow as well.

Pfiffner said that it is always great when volunteers come and make the city more beautiful.

Allison Griffith can be reached at arg-news@uidaho.edu

Although the majority of Americans recognize climate change is a occurring, very few understand the causes and implications of rising temperatures, leading climate change to rank among the least important public concerns. But climate change can have significant impacts on local communities.

“Eco-tourism for fishing and hunting, as well as for other outdoor activities such as rafting and hiking, is a major part of Idaho’s rural communities,” Rob Lonsinger said. “It is important that Idahoans understand how rising temperatures can impact these natural resources and to consider how these changes may influence local economies.”

Yet, climate change has effects far beyond fishing and hunting in Idaho. As part of the 2013 Earth Week festivities, world-renowned polar bear researcher Steven Amstrup will deliver a telling tale of declining polar ice and how wildlife species are responding. In addition to being a UI alumnus, Amstrup has devoted more than 30 years to studying polar bears as a researcher for the U.S. Geological Survey. Reports from his research team in 2007 and 2008 led to the listing of polar bears as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. As a senior scientist with Polar Bears International, Amstrup has recently been awarded the highest honor for animal conservation both internationally (Indianapolis Award) and in Germany (Our Earth Bambi Award) for his contributions to polar bear conservation.

This second event in the “Oceans, Ice and Climate Change” seminar series will address impacts of climate change on polar ice caps, rising ocean levels and the persistence
of declining wildlife species, such as the polar bear. Amstrup’s presentation is part of a $2,560 UISC student-led grant initiated by Matt Mumma and Rob Lonsinger, two PhD students in Wildlife Sciences.

This seminar seeks to inspire the community to educate their peers and assert their influence on local, state, and federal  governments in regards to climate change policy. This project is funded by the UI Sustainability Center grant program, which awards up to $9,000 annually to student-led projects.

Additional questions regarding Amstrup’s talk should be directed to Rob Lonsinger at lons1663@vandals.uidaho.edu

You are never too old for those bad boys. Just don’t eat the pineapple ones.

—Kaitlin

Countdown

A couple more weeks of being buried in books and I can emerge to enjoy three awesome summer months.

—Amrah

Hard week

It’s been more than a week since the attacks on the Boston Marathon and at MIT, and to no one’s surprise, that city is still standing tougher than ever. #BostonStrong

—Madison 

Puppies

Went to the Humane Society to do my last interviews for my last story of rawr and there were puppies everywhere.

—Molly

Making plans

I wish I could predict the future and know where I’m going to be after graduation.

—Lindsey

NOkc Blunder

Here’s hoping there is justice in the world and that I don’t have to endure another miserable summer of OKC in the NBA Finals.

—Sean

Jack

S/O to the coolest kid who can’t read. Or chew.

—Kasen

Not real life

Classes are essentially over Monday. What am I supposed to do until graduation?

—Katy

Finding the words

Someday I hope to have brilliant thoughts that once written down inspire others, like one of my favorite authors C.S. Lewis. “Humility is not thinking less of yourself,  but thinking of yourself less.”

—Elisa

Winning

Congratulations to my team, the Fire-breathing Beavers with Swag on winning the Intramural Ultimate Frisbee championships. It was a fun season. Also, good luck to the Jour***s in Paris with the upcoming soccer playoffs. It would be nice to be a multi-sport intramural champion. Let’s do it.

—Philip

Pure bliss

A big Diet Coke over ice on a sunny day.

—Kaitlyn

What are the chances?

LeBron and the Heat don’t lose a single game during the playoffs?

—Theo

PC’09 Perch time

Here’s to my pledge class – I’m so proud of you all. We’ve had so many memories these past four years, and I can’t wait to see where life takes each of us.

—Britt

Finally a bro

Yay, I’m officially a fraternity member.

—Dylan

Let me take you back to 2009. The stimulus package, or the “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009” included a section on “Improving collection and use of data” in the education system. “The State will establish a longitudinal data system that includes the elements described in section 6401(e)(2)(D) of the America COMPETES Act,” it stated.

What’s the America COMPETES Act? According to the act, it exists “to invest in innovation through research and development, to improve the competitiveness of the United States, and for other purposes.”

How will it accomplish this? Two words: data mining. The America COMPETES Act provides the elements and specifications through which states can collect information on your children. It will be given this ability to data mine through a larger machine, the longitudinal data system. The Common Core system will then allow educators, researchers and other officials to conveniently access and monitor collected information.

According to the National Educational Data Model and the Pioneer Institute, this machine will collect data on approximately 400 total informational points, including points like health care plans, religious affiliations, voting statuses, bus stop route IDs and arrival times and family income ranges.

And, what will the longitudinal data system be used for? The Executive Summary of the Race to the Top program summarized this nicely.

“Make the data from instructional improvement systems (as defined in this notice), together with statewide longitudinal data system data, available and accessible to researchers,” it stated. “So that they have detailed information with which to evaluate the effectiveness of instructional materials, strategies, and approaches for educating different types of students.”

Oh, how precious. This is all for our own good, right? It’s all there to improve the quality of education and instruction, right? All that’s needed is your soul, kids, and they’ll be able to help out. Don’t give any thought to that silly old Fourth Amendment.

And, exactly how long would this data mining go on for? According to the Department of Education, “The program provides grants to states to design, develop, and implement statewide P-20 longitudinal systems to capture, analyze, and use student data from preschool to high school, college and the workforce.”

So you see children, you will have big-daddy government tracking you practically from birth to graduation and onto the workforce. Doesn’t that make you feel so secure? After all, you don’t need privacy or any silly notions of being an individual with God-given rights. Those are so overrated. Common Core is disgusting partly because, in a way, we allowed it to exist. We proved how little we value our privacy and our children’s. Now politicians can get away with data mining in schools without so much as a murmur from Americans. Just look how large and complicated it has become, right under our noses. I have barely scratched the surface of this monstrous program.

This system will not help our children. It is yet another level through which the federal government can manifest itself in our lives.

Andrew Jenson can be reached at arg-opinion@uidaho.edu

The last three weeks of school can be a stressful time. Final projects are due, papers need writing and tests loom just around the corner.

As you approach the end of the semester, remember to take care of yourself. You will do better studying and on your tests if you remember to eat properly and get a good night’s sleep. You won’t do yourself any favors if you show up to a test malnourished and exhausted, brain fried past the point of remembering what you crammed in the night before.

In the middle of a hectic week, make sure you take some time to unwind. Read a book or go to the gym. Even taking a shower can do wonders for your morale. Taking a break like this for a few minutes can give you fresh eyes as you resume studying or working on projects.

Pay attention to your fellow Vandals, as well. If your roommate looks like he or she is about to blow, find a way to help them de-stress, such as watching a movie or taking a walk. It doesn’t have to be anything big or time consuming.

As the semester winds down, remember it could be the last time you see some of your friends as they move on to jobs or other universities. There is still time in the last three weeks to make memories. Have a reasonable amount of fun before you move on with your life.

As at all times, there needs to be a balance in work and play at the end of the semester. Breathe, spend a few moments relaxing by yourself and then get back to work and finish strong.

— KC

Kiser’s time of 15 minutes, 44.06 seconds placed her 12th in the invitational elite section and 5th out of the collegiate athletes. She also beat several professional athletes.

“It was a lot of fun to watch her compete,” Idaho coach Julie Taylor said. “She always starts in the back and then she slowly picks off people as she runs and kept getting stronger and stronger.”

Kiser wasn’t the only one to post an impressive mark at the Mt. SAC Relays, which took place from Thursday to Saturday. Competing for the third straight day in the men’s hammer throw didn’t deter Kyle Rothwell. On Saturday, the junior threw for his second personal best in three days and moved from 10th all-time to fifth all-time in the men’s hammer throw at Idaho. He finished third in the event with his toss of 204 feet, 10 inches.

“Kyle Rothwell actually had the opportunity to compete at three meets and two of the meets he passed his (personal record),” Taylor said.

On the track, a pair of senior 800-meter runners posted impressive times for Idaho.  James Clark finished fifth in his section of the men’s 800 with his season-best time of 1:52.79 while teammate Liga Velvere crossed the finish line in 2:09.34 to finish 10th in her section of the event.

Sophomore Ben Ayesu-Attah was the only Vandal to compete at Mt. SAC on Saturday, the final day of the meet. He responded by running a season-best time of 47.10 in the Olympic Development Elite portion of men’s 400-meter dash. His time ranks first in the WAC so far this season.

“He was in the invite section of the 400, which was a great experience for him to have that kind of meet,” Taylor said.

On Friday and Saturday, the Vandals also competed in the Beach Invitational hosted by
Cerritos College in Cerritos, Calif. That is where the javelin throwers shined. Senior Ellen Rouse improved her Idaho all-time top-10 in the women’s javelin throw with toss of 153-2 and a second place finish in the event. It was her second personal-best throw of the weekend.

On the men’s side, fellow senior Ugis Svazs had an almost identical performance. He also hit a career-best mark (228-1) while also placing second in the event. His throw moves him to first in the WAC so far this season.

This weekend was also the first competition for last year’s NCAA National Championship competitor Mike Marshall. Marshall finished third in the event behind Svazs with his throw of 216-0.

The Vandals also had a small squad compete at the Cougar Invitational in Pullman where two Vandal women took individual victories on Saturday to round out the multiple-meet weekend for Idaho.

“The weekend went well,” Taylor said. “I’m kind of tired from all the meets but it was definitely worth all the effort. We had some amazing performances as a team and we had some outstanding individual places.”

Stephan Wiebe can be reached at arg-sports@uidaho.edu

Another flawless appearance from the Vandals’ No. 1 doubles team that has come out nearly unbeatable in the second half of the spring season helped contribute to the overall match win. Almudena Sanz and Victoria Lozano will finish the season having not lost at No. 1 doubles when playing with one another since Feb. 10 against Boise State. Not only did Sanz help Lozano win once again in one of many doubles victories of the spring season but the junior also fought back from a first set loss to win at No. 2 singles, 2-6, 6-3, 6-3.

Lozano, who recently received WAC Player of the Week honors for the third time in her career, has 11 doubles consecutive wins after defeating the Aggies’ No. 1 team. Throughout the season Lozano has alternated playing doubles with Sanz, but also senior Constance Alexander, who finished the last regular season match of her collegiate career.

Bety Flores has served as another secret weapon for the Vandals, who have won four of their last five final matches of the season. Flores won in both singles and doubles against Utah State on Saturday. She also earned a singles win in an effort to avenge a loss in doubles against Texas State in a 4-3 Idaho win after Flores had won in singles against Seattle U and closed out the doubles point for the Vandals against Gonzaga.

“We finished the regular season very strong,” Idaho coach Myriam Sopel said. “We have been getting better and better throughout the season.”

Sophie Vickers made another rare appearance in the Saturday match against Utah State. In only her fourth match appearance of the spring season Vickers won in both singles and doubles to help contribute to the cause.

“It was a great team win,” Sopel said. “Everybody contributed to this win, whether they were competing on court or cheering on the sideline.”

The Vandals have remained a consistent doubles powerhouse in the second half of the season and this final match exemplified the statistic.

Against Utah State, the Vandals earned doubles wins across the board to rebound from two singles losses.

In the month of April, the Vandals won 17 out of 24 doubles match attempts total.

“We won all doubles in a very convincing fashion, which was key for the confidence going into singles,” Sopel said. “We played smart tennis and applied very well what we’ve been working on all week long to get ready to play in altitude.”

After an impressive finish to a season that started off unimpressively, the Vandals are hoping to put up higher numbers against higher ranked teams at a higher altitude in the WAC Tournament in Denver beginning Thursday, April 25.

“We are sending a strong message to the other teams in the WAC. We are fully ready for the WAC Tournament and will fight from the very first to the very last point,” Sopel said.

Aaron Wolfe can be reached at arg-sports@uidaho.edu 

Idaho traveled to Gonzaga on Saturday where the Vandals played five two-set matches, beating Central Washington, Eastern Washington and Montana. The Vandals also split with Seattle U but lost to Gonzaga.

Idaho coach Debbie Buchanan said she was pleased with the progress.

“The middles had a good day with connection and out blocking was outstanding,” Buchanan said. “It came down to ball control at times and having the outsides take some good swings.”

With the loss of the six seniors from last year’s team, it’s opened up the roster for players to step up, including at the all-too-important setter position. Sophomore Meredith Coba has stepped into that role and Buchanan is happy with what she’s seeing.

“The biggest progress we’ve had so far is with the setter,” Buchanan said. “Coba has really turned a corner and has really done some great things. She’s seeing well and is really developing the offense.”

Another player Buchanan has been pleased with this spring is Jessica Hastriter. She played in 15 matches for Idaho last year and Buchanan said she’s showing that she’s ready to step up.

“Jessica didn’t play a lot last year, but has really developed her offense and is doing good things,” Buchanan said. “She still has a lot of upside on the things she’s learning and is continuing to get better.”

Overall Buchanan said the group she’s had this spring has made a lot of progress, despite being young and few in numbers.

“The kids are really learning,” Buchanan said. “Offensively it was a lot better than we were when we started. I think it’s a good phase for the kids that are here and when we get the kids we have coming in we’re going to have a lot of good arms and be really strong in the middle I think.”

The Vandals will conclude their spring season on Saturday when they travel to Portland for one last spring tournament.  Buchanan said she just wants to see her team keep working and preparing for next fall.

“We just want to continue to work and continue to improve,” Buchanan said. “It’s a lot of little things. We are we getting better and being more aware of what’s going on in the game.”

Kevin Bingaman can be reached at arg-sports@uidaho.edu

No. 75 Idaho fell 4-3 to WAC foe Texas-San Antonio at Lewiston on Friday.  Idaho (20-6) dropped to 4-1 in the WAC and lost its top spot to Denver in the conference standings.  With the No. 1 seed in the WAC Championships on April 26-28 out of reach, Idaho still earned a No. 2 seed thanks to an odd turn of events.

Idaho was scheduled to play Denver on Sunday but the match went unfinished after the two teams played to a 3-3 tie.  Idaho coach Jeff Beaman said the match went long and Denver decided to let it go unfinished so they would have time to catch a scheduled flight back home.  Denver, 5-0 in conference play and 9-11 overall, will have the No. 1 seed and a bye during the first day of the conference championships. Idaho will also have a bye with the No. 2 seed, which will be of great benefit to a roster that is trying to get healthy, Beaman said.

“We’ve got injuries at a lot of key spots,” Beaman said.  “We get some practice in with the off-day, but we also get that one more day to get healthy and that one less match.  So it worked out well.”

Beaman was still
disappointed with the result of the UTSA match and losing momentum going into the conference championships.

“You wouldn’t call it a bad match but it’s something that (Idaho’s players) have played better,” Beaman said.  “For us to do well at the conference tournament, you got to have everybody showing up every day.”

Idaho started strongly against UTSA by cruising to a victory in the No. 3 and No. 2 doubles matches to get the point.  Sophomores Dmitry Perevoshchikov and Cesar Torres earned an 8-3 win at
No. 3 while senior Abid Akbar and junior Jose Bendeck rolled to an 8-1 win at No. 2.  Bendeck and sophomore Cristobal Ramos Salazar lost 8-4 at No. 1.

It was during singles that the victory slipped away from the Vandals.  Senior Marius Cirstea played in his first match since he injured his knee on April 1 against Texas-Arlington.  He lost a hard-fought match at No. 3 after winning the first set 7-6, then falling in the second and third set 6-1, 6-4.

“He was clicking, but mentally in singles where you have to move more, you have to mentally stay focused and confident for much longer periods of time, it was a roller-coaster,” Beaman said.  “He certainly had his ups and downs and it was just unfortunate that he was not able to play (Sunday).  But he got one match in before the conference tournament and a little more time to keep healing.”

After Cirstea’s match, Bendeck lost his first singles match in 13 competitions when he fell to Tyler Brown in two sets at No. 4.  Akbar provided one of the few highlights for the Vandals when he gutted out a two-set win at No. 2 by a score of 6-4, 7-6 (12-10).  Then the Roadrunners clinched the win when Martin Ayala defeated Perevoshchikov in three sets at No. 1 and David Kelleher beat Salazar in two at No. 5.  UTSA
improved to 3-1 in conference play and 12-10 for the season.

Idaho has lost four of its last six matches and three of those losses have come against unranked opponents.  Beaman said the team can sometimes become complacent against schools they are expected to beat and that complacency showed against UTSA.

“You can say on paper we were the favorite going into that match and it seems that at times when we’re the favorite, we don’t show up the same,” Beaman said.  “Some of these guys, I guess, like to be the underdog.”

He said being the No.
2 should be a strong
motivator.

“It would be nice to be the No. 1 seed, but it seems with the mental makeup of some of these guys, maybe being the underdog is a good position to go in with,” Beaman said.

Idaho will wait to see who it draws as the Vandals’ first opponent in the WAC Tournament.  Their first match will be on April 27 in Denver.

Anthony Kuipers can be reached at arg-sports@uidaho.edu

Curtis Ginnetti | Argonaut
Idaho club lacrosse players swarm a WSU attacker during the Vandals’ 17-6 win Saturday on the SprinTurf. The team concludes its season at Boise State.

The Vandals entered the game coming off of an eight-game losing streak dating back to their fourth game on March 2.

“The guys are hungry and want it,” coach Ben Frey said.

The game is only the second since the team made Frey, a senior, the head coach.

The Vandal men gained control of the game early, scoring four goals in the first quarter while holding the Cougars to zero. Idaho maintained the commanding lead throughout the game.

The Vandal domination continued to and through halftime as the Vandals scored another four goals by the half while holding the Cougars to only one.

During the third quarter the Cougars tried to make a comeback and scored early on. But the drive did not last as the Vandals turned the momentum around with three unanswered goals, two coming within a minute apart from each other.

The Vandals’ spirits were running high while the crowd sung along with the fight song as the game entered the fourth quarter with the Vandals leading 13-4.

Idaho’s domination continued throughout the last quarter of the game as the Vandals scored four more goals while holding the Cougars to only two.

As the final horn bellowed out signaling the end of the game the Vandal crowd erupted as the seniors walked off of the SprinTurf as players for the last time.

“It meant the world to me to win this game, it was the last home game of the season and it was a great feeling to beat our cross border rivals,” senior Kyle Morse said.

As part of the school’s Moms Weekend festivities, the lacrosse team hosted two fundraisers to raise money to help out with next year’s travel expenses.

“We travel around the country with money from our own pocket, this year we traveled all around the Northwest and even went down to California and will be doing so again next year,” Frey said.

The fundraiser consisted of two parts. It included a Frisbee toss during halftime and a raffle to win a three-day trip to Riverhouse Resort in Oregon.

The team members spent the week selling mini Frisbees around campus for the Chuck-A-Frisbee Fundraiser. At halftime, the contestants lined up and tried to throw their respective Frisbees into a small ring. The windy day made the contest a close call with the winner coming from the only Frisbee to make into the ring. The winner and recipient of the $300 gift certificate to Les Schwab was Idaho junior Tom Hennessey.

Curtis Ginnetti can be reached at arg-sports@uidaho.edu

Idaho women’s golf concluded the Fresno State Lexus Classic this week fifth overall with three players finishing in the top twelve. Kim topped the Idaho team clinching 11th   place overall with a final score of 224. Kim finished her first two rounds at plus three for identical scores of 75. During the third and final round of play Kim improved her score to finish with a plus two for a score of 74. During that same round, Kim had birdies on both the sixth and eighth holes.

Jayshawn Jordan — football 

During the Vandals’ final spring scrimmage, the Silver and Gold game on Friday, the defense shone brightly and Jordan, a cornerback, had a stellar performance for the White team. A freshman from Seattle, Jordan had seven solo tackles and two assists with one tackle for a loss of one yard. Jordan caused two turnovers during the scrimmage with one forced fumble and one interception where he had a return of four yards. He was also credited with causing two incomplete passes.

Sophie Vickers — women’s tennis

Vickers, a sophomore, helped the Idaho women win their WAC finale against Utah State on Saturday by winning both her singles and doubles events. Vickers teamed up with Alejandra Lozano to defeat Kallie Sperry and Kristina Voytsekhovich in No. 2 doubles, 8-6. During singles play Vickers faced Utah’s Ashley Stuhlmann at No. 6, defeating her opponent in two sets, winning those by the scores of 6-3 and 6-0. The Idaho women finished the match beating the Aggies 5-2.

Ellen Rouse — Track and Field

Senior thrower Ellen Rouse finished off her weekend of competition in California during a three-day, four-meet trip with an outstanding performance, breaking her own personal record in the javelin throw twice and finishing second in back-to-back meets. At the Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, Calif., Thursday, Rouse broke her javelin throw record with a throw of 45.93 meters, moving her to fifth all-time at Idaho in the event. Rouse then had another stellar performance in the javelin on Saturday during the Beach Invitational hosted by Cerritos College in Norwalk, Calif. Rouse topped herself again, this time breaking her record with a throw of 46.69 meters and coming in second overall in the event.

It was first reported by footballscoop.com and The Spokesman Review.

The school said in a press release Monday afternoon Anderson left the program to “pursue opportunities in the private sector.” A specific reason wasn’t given for Libey’s departure, but that he planned to pursue other opportunities.

“I was approached by some investors and decided it was a great opportunity within a market that is untapped. I want to thank coach (Paul) Petrino for the opportunity and wish him and the Vandals the best of luck,” Anderson said.

Anderson, who played at Idaho in early 2000, returned to his alma mater in December as one of Idaho coach Paul Petrino’s first hires. He spent the four years prior at Washington as a graduate assistant and assistant strength coach.

Anderson spent all of four months at Idaho before deciding to leave the program. He’ll return to his hometown of Lewiston as a part-owner of a start-up company there.

Libey was one of two holdovers from former coach Robb Akey’s staff having joined the team in 2007, and was asked to coach the defensive line after previously coaching safeties and special teams.

“I want to thank the University of Idaho and the football program for everything they have done for me,” Libey said. “It has been an enjoyable career but it is time now for me to pursue other opportunities.”

The two were the only former Idaho players Petrino had on staff as full-time assistants. They were on the same linebacking core from 2000-2003.

Idaho concluded its spring practice last Friday evening with the annual Silver and Gold game.

Sean Kramer can be reached at arg-sports@uidaho.edu

Ilya Pinchuk | Courtesy
Chad Chalich completes a pass during Idaho’s Silver and Gold scrimmage Friday in the Kibbie Dome. Chalich was 24-of-45 with 332 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 102 more.

The last three weeks have featured a distinctly different Idaho team than the one that ended the 2012 campaign with a 45-9 loss at Utah State. Through a number of defections and a multitude of junior college additions, the team has taken a new identity and look under Paul Petrino, one fans finally got a first hand look at Friday.

The read-option offense took center stage with redshirt freshman quarterback Chad Chalich dazzling with his legs en route to a five-touchdown day — two with his legs.

The Coeur d’Alene product rushed for 102 yards and threw for 352 working with the ‘Gold’ first-team offense. Although most of that production came against

Idaho’s reserve defense, he impressed with his ability to command Idaho’s new read-option both running the ball and standing in the pocket to move the chains.

Petrino was non-committal in naming a No. 1 quarterback heading into the summer, but Chalich‘s performance has him standing out.

“I came out, did my best, I thought I was more confident in the pocket throwing the ball. There’s always areas to improve on and I’m going to watch film and see areas that I need to improve on,” Chalich said.

Senior Taylor Davis ran as the second team quarterback with the Gold team most of the day and faced an onslaught from the Silver team defensive line spurred by defensive ends Quinton Bradley and Maxx Forde. Davis was sacked four times while taking snaps for the Gold team. All but three of his attempts came with the Gold team — he completed 50 percent of his passes for 165 yards and no touchdowns.

“Being out there and feeling it, it looked like Chad had a better day today. There’s a lot of time left, there’s all summer, guys can get better, guys can compete,” Petrino said. “If we had to go off the last couple of scrimmages, I would say Chad would be a little bit ahead but there’s a lot of time. Guys can really improve in the summer.”

Throughout spring practice Idaho has established an identity working its offense through the ground, and on Friday displayed what could be a three-pronged rushing attack with senior James Baker and juniors Kris Olugbode and Jerrel Brown. Olugbode took most of the Silver and Gold game off due to being worked a lot through the spring, so Baker took full advantage of the reps he was given.

Baker broke the plane on short yardage touchdowns three times, and averaged 6.7 yards-per-carry.

“We all bring power and speed, we’re actually pretty similar backs…the whole trio we have going on, we love it, we’re just trying to expand it and be the best running back trio we can,” Brown said.

Brown and Baker combined for over 250 yards of offense on the ground on an average of well over six yards-per-carry, effectively hitting the holes in between the tackles, hitting the edges and converting in short yardage situations.

Petrino said prior to spring practice that running backs were a need he wanted to address immediately when he got here, and it seems like he’s done just that with the production from Friday’s game.

“We’ve all been learning from each other, it’s a new offense for all three of us. So we’ve been helping each other out, encouraging each other,” Brown said.

Of course, those backs going against the second-team defense seemed to help. The Silver defense didn’t give up a run of more than six yards from a running back, stymying the Gold attack for less than 30 rushing yards. Idaho’s trio of new junior college linebackers in Marc Millan, Juan Martinez and Eric Tuipulotu may have had something to do with that.

“A lot of those guys have come in and done great things in practice, actually also been leaders on defense vocally and with their play flying around, so it’s good to see a lot of those new faces making good things happen, it’s been a good experience,” Forde said.

Idaho will get fall practices underway sometime in August, when it anticipates the arrival of players such as linebacker Broc Westlake, quarterback Josh McCain and defensive back Delancy Parham, who could all come in and contribute right away.

Sean Kramer can be reached at arg-sports@uidaho.edu

“Are you sure you don’t wanna just tell mom you’re gay or something instead?” 

Instead of telling her he was an atheist, that is. That is the question Tim Jensen’s sister asked him when he came out to her as no longer identifying with the faith of his childhood. His sister was of the opinion that their mother, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, would be more accepting of homosexuality than she would be of atheism.

“Unfortunately I’m not (gay),” Jensen said. “What can you do?”

Jensen grew up in Nampa, Idaho, around a large population of LDS members. His own family is “hyper conservative.” It was around the time Jensen was a senior in high school that he decided to start thinking on his own, as he put it.

“My siblings know, my mother does not — I’d be afraid to tell her,” Jensen said. “So for the most part my siblings are okay with it, my mom not so much. She said some less than awesome things regarding atheists, so I figure it’s probably best not to tell her.”

Jensen said he still visits his family, but can only handle being home for two days before he’s ready to leave again. He doesn’t participate in prayers. He stands with his arms folded hoping no one notices he hasn’t closed his eyes and bowed his head. Holidays are about religion with his family, so he sits and waits for the religious discussion to die down.

“(My atheism) hasn’t caused a terrible strain to the point of disowning,” Jensen said. “Granted, if I told my mother, she would definitely lose one son. So I just don’t.”

It wasn’t until March of 2012 that Jensen even told his siblings about his atheism.

“It was actually making me really depressed knowing I had to essentially live this big lie in front of my entire family,” Jensen said.

His lack of religious belief has even affected his romantic relationships — specifically with a girl who he labels as staunchly Catholic. While their different opinions on religion didn’t bother him, Jensen said they were a big deal to her and she broke off their relationship after about two months.

They decided to give it a second try, but that didn’t go well either.

“We got back together and then less than a week after my dad’s funeral, she decided to end things with me again,” Jensen said. “For the same reasons — can’t be with an atheist, she was ashamed of me. It doesn’t make you feel good. Acceptance from someone you care about is kind of important and when they reject you based on something like that … you know. It kind of sucks.”

The interfaith landscape

Naomi Schaefer Riley is a former Wall Street Journal editor who recently had a book published by Oxford University Press entitled “Til Faith Do Us Part: How Interfaith Marriage is Transforming America.” The book was based on a nationwide survey she conducted, which found an interfaith marriage rate of 42 percent in the United States. A Pew Research study found 65 percent of the religiously unaffiliated (atheists and agnostics included) in America are in long-term relationships with someone of a different faith.

Despite the high numbers, Riley said people often don’t think about the implications of what it means to be in a long-term relationship with someone of a different faith.

“Interfaith couples tend to marry without thinking through the practical implications of their religious differences,” Riley wrote. “They assume that because they are decent and tolerant people who don’t have anything against people of another faith — and even commendably appreciate religious diversity in their communities — that they will not encounter difficulties being married to someone of another faith.  Unfortunately, being in an interfaith marriage provokes conflicts and requires compromises that merely living near, working with or being friends with someone of another faith does not.”

Christian meets atheist

His mom is a Christian, his father is an atheist and their interfaith marriage didn’t work out.

“My parents divorced when I was four,” Stephen Burleigh said. “My dad is pretty much an atheist … My mom is pretty much at the opposite end of the spectrum, so I don’t know how they ended up together. So I got two different sides. I grew up with both of them, going back and forth.”

Burleigh is a student at UI and the vice-president of Freethought Moscow, an affiliate of the Secular Student Alliance. The only real churchgoing Burleigh did growing up was when he was in high school after he got in trouble with the law and was on probation.

“One of the ways I could get out of doing one of the service duties was if I went to church,” Burleigh said.  “So I started going to church, I went there for about a year.”

Religion comes up with his mom, he said. But it’s usually in response to passing comments he makes about religion getting in the way of progress or science.

“My mom will remind me that it’s not all religious people,” Burleigh said. “It’s good to be reminded that not all religious people are the same and you can’t just generalize them.”

His mom is very progressive, he said. Pro-same-sex marriage. Pro-choice.

“She basically thinks that Jesus would despise all the Republicans these days and despise the actual Christians,” Burleigh said.

She still sometimes pushes religion, though. It’s an important part of her life, Burleigh said. She has a degree in theology and sings in the church choir.

“But I think she’s coming to terms with that I’m probably not going to be religiously affiliated,” Burleigh said. “She might be slightly disappointed but I think she’s accepted it.”

The atheist landscape 

Atheists are at the top of the list of groups that Americans find problematic in society, according to a study published in the American Sociological Review, with a large gap between acceptance of atheists and acceptance of other minority groups. While there are many stigmatized groups in American culture, rejection of atheists is persistent.

“For example, while rejection of Muslims may have spiked in post-9/11 America, rejection of atheists was higher,” the article said.

The American Mosaic Project Survey cited in the article posed the question, “I would disapprove if my child wanted to marry a member of this group …” and listed different racial and religious minority groups. Forty-seven percent of respondents chose “atheist,” making it the most rejected of all the groups. Fifteen percentage points below that, was “Muslim,” followed by “African American.”

“This (question) is a standard measure of group prejudice, with reluctance to accept intermarriage typically interpreted as an indicator of underlying intolerance,” the article stated. “We interpret it here as a measure of personal trust and acceptance, an evaluation of who is thought to be capable of being caring and moral, able to make one’s child happy, and to treat other family members well.”

Coming to terms with atheism

Burleigh said although he tells people he is an atheist, the truth is — as he puts it — he’s idly indifferent.

“It seems like if the way you get into heaven is to telepathically believe in some deity … then screw that guy,” Burleigh said. “I’m not going to worship him anyways, so there’s no real point.”

He hangs out with Christians and converses with them regularly. And to him, it doesn’t make much of a difference what they believe.

“Religiousness helps some people, helps them feel better about themselves, might give them an excuse to be charitable,” he said. “I guess it’s really frustrating to see they are trying to affect society.”

This is his second year at UI and Jensen said he feels like he can be himself here.

“(Back home) not so much, but I come up here and I’m me,” Jensen said. “I don’t have to shelter myself from everything. I can really study what I want and be who I want and do what I want and hang out with who I want.”

Would he ever date someone who was religious again?

“I totally would,” Jensen said. “It doesn’t bother me, it shouldn’t be a big deal. It’s really just on their end, if they aren’t going to accept me for who I am then that’s on them.”

Kaitlin Moroney can be reached at arg-news@uidaho.edu

3:13 p.m. 600 Blk West Palouse River Dr.: Complaint of stray cat. 

9:23 p.m. West Pullman Road, Winco: Complaint of driving while texting.

Tuesday, April 16 

10:15 a.m. 1300 Blk Franklin Rd.: Caller reported noxious weeds behind her house.

12:26 p.m. 1200 Blk East Third St.: Moscow fire, law and EMS responded to a fire caused by burning cigarettes.

12:45 p.m. Harold Avenue, Latah County Fairground: Caller stated an older black foreign sports car sped through the parking lot and almost hit the caller.

Wednesday, April 17

10:33 a.m. 800 Blk North Eisenhower St.: Complaint of a stray cat in the house.

4:29 p.m. 1800 Blk Concord Ave.: Complaint of unattended death.

5:17 p.m. West Third Street, Papa Murphy’s: Complaint of rude driver.

Thursday, April 18

12:09 a.m. West Seventh Street and Elm Street: Caller reported a possible gunshot.

5:16 a.m. 1700 Blk North Polk St. Ext: Caller reported an injured duck.

2:53 p.m. 100 Blk South Asbury St.: Complaint of possible animal neglect.

Friday, April 19

12:32 a.m. Deakin Avenue, Student Union Building: Complaint of a male sleeping in the bathroom.

4:42 a.m. Deakin Avenue and West Sixth Street: Complaint of a male sleeping at the bus stop.

8:55 a.m. Deakin Avenue, SUB: Complaint of trespassing.

6:39 p.m. 1600 Blk Hillcrest Dr.: Complaint of stream blockage.

Saturday, April 20

3:52 a.m. West Sixth Street, Wallace Complex, Stevenson Hall: Complaint of unruly person.

8:04 a.m. 1900 Blk White Ave.: Complaint of stray cows.

Sunday, April 21

12:17 p.m. South Van Buren Street, Presbyterian Church: Complaint of a disorderly female.

11:41 p.m. West Pullman Road and Peterson Drive: Officer arrested a male for a DUI.

To replace Heather Shea Gasser, current director of the University of Idaho Women’s Center, the final three candidates for the position will host an open forum this week to discuss their qualifications for the position.

Each forum will include a presentation by the candidate and a question and answer session from the audience.

The forums are as follows:

Rachel Dolezal, 10 – 11 a.m. Thursday in the Idaho Commons Crest Room.

Rita Jones, 10 – 11 a.m. Friday in the Administration Building Room 217.

Lysa Salsbury, 10 – 11 a.m. Monday in the Idaho Commons Clearwater Room.

University of Idaho alumnus Steven C. Amstrup, chief scientist for Polar Bears International, will discuss climate change in the arctic at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Administration Building Auditorium.

Rob Lonsinger, a Ph.D. student with the Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences and co-organizer of Amstrup’s presentation, said Amstrup has long been a leading voice in this field, and Amstrup’s busy schedule made it hard to arrange

Thursday’s talk.

“For the last 20 to 25 years, he’s been considered the expert in polar bears,” Lonsinger said.

Amstrup and his team’s research reserved protection for the bears under the Endangered Species Act in 2008, and Amstrup received the Indianapolis Prize — the highest award in wildlife conservation — last year.

Lonsinger said people often view concerns of climate change as distant, impersonal issues that don’t affect them, and he hopes this lecture will ameliorate that misconception. Climate change is a process that functions on the collective contributions of individuals to greenhouse gases, unsustainable practices and the like, and he said this subject holds many parallels between the arctic and Idaho. Idahoans should see the global warming data firsthand, he said, and he hopes they can make connections with the state’s natural resources they love.

“If (we) just want to talk about ice melting, people in Idaho probably won’t take much from it,” Lonsinger said. “But if (we) can tie climate change to something they care about — hunting, fishing, leaving the land for their kids to enjoy it as they did — then maybe they can make some good connections.”

Matt Maw can be reached atarg-news@uidaho.edu 

The meeting, which took place April 16, lasted five and a half hours. ASUI Funding Board Chair Sarah Vetsmany said 37 student organizations applied to be seen by the board, which is made up of Vetsmany and ASUI Senators Max Cowan, Katie Cramer and Hunter Howell.

Vetsmany said the average amount of time each group spent before the board was about seven to 10 minutes, but if they were thorough with their applications, they could finish their presentation to the board in as little as three minutes.

Cowan said despite the lengthy meeting, he found the presentations interesting.

“Well, I am a bit of a nerd so I thought it was a lot of fun,” Cowan said. “It was really cool to see that many student orgs get funding.”

Cowan said they allocated all the remaining funds at the meeting, but couldn’t provide funds to all organizations because they didn’t have enough remaining.

“At this last hearing, because we had already allocated so many funds in the previous hearings we didn’t have enough funds to give to every organization that came, and we didn’t have enough to give to every organization that deserved funds,” Cowan said. “We allocated funds based on priority. The funding board bylaws clearly outline which types of funding have priority over others and the main goal is to impact the greatest number

of students with the funding we give out.”

Cowan had advice for how student organizations looking for funding can maximize their chances of getting it.

“We had something like eight hearings this year, so while it was a tough decision at this last hearing to not be able to allocate every student org funding, they all were given the opportunity to come to an earlier hearing,” Cowan said. “Coming at an earlier hearing means you have a better chance of getting money because you aren’t fighting against a large number of organizations.”

Andrew Deskins can be reached at arg-news@uidaho.edu

Ricky Scuderi | Argonaut
Patent Lawyer and University of Idaho alumnus Mark Walters discusses the legal considerations of Genetically Modified Organisms in the UI Menard Law Building Courtroom on Monday. Walters, along with Dario Machleidt, discussed the legal considerations behind GMO’s in terms of agriculture and the future of biotechnology.

At stake is the future of farming in the age of biotechnology and genetically modified crops, and on Monday the lawyers representing Bowman were at the University of Idaho Law School Courtroom to discuss the case, which was heard by the U.S. Supreme Court in February.

UI Law Adjunct Professor Duncan Palmatier, who organized the talk in connection with his patent law class, said Bowman v. Monsanto’s central issue is whether the initial sale of RoundUp Ready soybean seeds exhausts Monsanto’s patent claim and prevents them from collecting royalties for the seeds’ progeny, which include the patented genes.

The RoundUp Ready gene itself is patented by Monsanto, not just the modified seeds created with the gene. Monsanto’s patent expires in 2014, although they will likely make improvements to it and reapply for a fresh patent.

Palmatier said farmers who buy these genetically modified seeds from Monsanto, or a licensed distributor, sign a contract agreeing they won’t keep the seeds from the harvest and instead buy a fresh batch the next year. Farmers are able to sell seeds they get from harvest to local grain elevators.

Mark Walters, who argued the case for Bowman in front of the U. S. Supreme Court, said grain elevators mix the things they get from farmers during the harvest into a concoction they label as outbound grain.

Walters said they can’t label it as seed because it is not pure enough to satisfy regulations. He said farmers looking to get a bit more crop near the end of the growing season will frequently buy outbound grain to use in second plantings because second plantings are risky and buying from grain elevators is cheaper than other options.

Walters said his client bought seeds from Pioneer, a Monsanto licensee, for his first planting and  bought seeds for his second planting from a local grain elevator. Bowman noticed the plants that grew from his use of commodity grain exhibited the traits of the RoundUp resistance.

A statement issued by Monsanto on Feb. 19,  the day the U. S. Supreme Court heard the case, said Bowman challenged the enforceability of their patents.

“After taking the unconventional step of buying soybeans containing the patented technology from a local grain elevator and, from 1999 to 2007, repeatedly planting, cultivating and harvesting them to create his own supply of soybeans containing the technology.”

In an interview with the Huffington Post Bowman

said he doesn’t think he did anything wrong.

“No law was ever passed that said ‘no farmers can’t go to the elevator and buy grain and use it’, so to me they either forced their patent on me or they abandoned their patent by allowing it to be dumped in with non-Roundup grain,” Bowman said.

But because Monsanto’s patents are on the gene itself and not the seeds, Monsanto sued Bowman for $84,456 in damages because the beans that grew contained the patented gene.

Palmatier said the patent laws allowing companies to get patents for biotechnology began with the landmark case decision in Diamond v. Chakrabarty, which gave General Electric the patent for the so-called “oil eating bacteria.”

He said companies like Monsanto took note of this decision when creating their own biotechnology.

Palmatier mentioned the Plant Patent Act when discussing how to patent a plant.

“Plants have been hybridized for thousands of years, people have been taking plants and crossing them with other plants and creating hybrids,” Palmatier said. “That is traditionally what people trying to hybridize soybeans would try to do is hybridize. The Plant Patent Act said once you get this patent for the hybridized plant you can collect royalties for one generation … But Monsanto said we aren’t going to get a patent on the plant, we are going to get a patent on the gene because the Chakrabarty case says we can. Monsanto didn’t get a plant patent for it, they got a regular patent.”

He said regular patents have no restrictions how to collect money for use, but the U.S. Supreme Court has discussed the idea that once a patented product is sold, you can’t stop someone from reselling it.

He said, so in this case, Monsanto collected their fee when the seeds were initially sold, so their patent has been exhausted past the initial dealing.

Walters said the case is all about the right of Bowman to buy the seed on the open market, which is legal under exhaustion.

“Monsanto says we can’t rely on this law called exhaustion,” Walters said. “Exhaustion is the law that allows you to sell your cellphone on Craigslist even though there are patents on it. Because you bought it and you can resell it because you own it. So you can sell it even though there is technology on it that is owned by Apple. The exhaustion doctrine is what allows you to do that.”

Walters said Monsanto is suing to get case law on the books that would essentially make it so that the exhaustion law doesn’t apply to them.

David Snively, executive vice president and general counsel for Monsanto, said the case could jeopardize important innovations in the field of biotechnology.

“The U.S. patent system has played a pivotal role in incentivizing innovation and spurring the advancement of many of our nation’s vital industries,” Snively said. “In this case, this system has supported the discovery and expansion of a novel science that has revolutionized agriculture, enabling growers to produce more food while they also conserve more natural resources. What’s at stake is some of the most innovative research on the planet — not only in agriculture, but in industries from medicine to environmental science that rely on patent systems to make R&D investments economically viable. If companies and universities can’t count on their inventions being protected, few will continue to invest the amounts needed to create a new seed, a new medicine or another new technology.”

Walters said the GMO trend is already predominant in agriculture and will keep happening regardless of what the court decides. He said he thinks that the issue of GMO’s could be better regulated under contract law, rather than patent law.

“It makes more sense to use contract law,” Walters said. “You still need a patent, but Monsanto thinks that this solution is not adequate. I think if that’s how they feel they can take it to Congress.”

Walters said this case’s decision could potentially give Monsanto total control of the U.S.’s soybean production. He said 95 percent of soy seeds in the U.S. are Monsanto seeds. If the case is decided in favor of Monsanto, farmers will have to pay for fresh seeds from Monsanto any time they want to plant RoundUp resistant crops.

Palmatier said from the justice’s questioning at the hearing, they indicated they would rule in favor of Monsanto, but he questioned why they would take the case if they were just going to uphold the decisions made in the lower courts.

The court is expected to hand down their decision soon.

Walters said his lecture at the UI College of Law will focus on the technical and legal questions raised by patents on natural phenomenon. He will focus on the case Bowman v. Monsanto, and ACLU v. Myriad Genetics, a case that could decide whether human genes are patentable. Walters said he wanted to come back to UI to give the talk because he is an alumnus.

Andrew Deskins can be reached at arg-news@uidaho.edu

Although the majority of Americans recognize climate change is a occurring, very few understand the causes and implications of rising temperatures, leading climate change to rank among the least important public concerns. But climate change can have significant impacts on local communities.

“Eco-tourism for fishing and hunting, as well as for other outdoor activities such as rafting and hiking, is a major part of Idaho’s rural communities,” Rob Lonsinger said. “It is important that Idahoans understand how rising temperatures can impact these natural resources and to consider how these changes may influence local economies.”

Yet, climate change has effects far beyond fishing and hunting in Idaho. As part of the 2013 Earth Week festivities, world-renowned polar bear researcher Steven Amstrup will deliver a telling tale of declining polar ice and how wildlife species are responding. In addition to being a UI alumnus, Amstrup has devoted more than 30 years to studying polar bears as a researcher for the U.S. Geological Survey. Reports from his research team in 2007 and 2008 led to the listing of polar bears as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. As a senior scientist with Polar Bears International, Amstrup has recently been awarded the highest honor for animal conservation both internationally (Indianapolis Award) and in Germany (Our Earth Bambi Award) for his contributions to polar bear conservation.

This second event in the “Oceans, Ice and Climate Change” seminar series will address impacts of climate change on polar ice caps, rising ocean levels and the persistence of declining wildlife species, such as the polar bear. Amstrup’s presentation is part of a $2,560 UISC student-led grant initiated by Matt Mumma and Rob Lonsinger, two PhD students in Wildlife Sciences.

This seminar seeks to inspire the community to educate their peers and assert their influence on local, state, and federal  governments in regards to climate change policy. This project is funded by the UI Sustainability Center grant program, which awards up to $9,000 annually to student-led projects.

Additional questions regarding Amstrup’s talk should be directed to Rob Lonsinger at lons1663@vandals.uidaho.edu

You are never too old for those bad boys. Just don’t eat the pineapple ones. 

—Kaitlin

Countdown

A couple more weeks of being buried in books and I can emerge to enjoy three awesome summer months.

—Amrah

Hard week

It’s been more than a week since the attacks on the Boston Marathon and at MIT, and to no one’s surprise, that city is still standing tougher than ever. #BostonStrong

—Madison 

Puppies

Went to the Humane Society to do my last interviews for my last story of rawr and there were puppies everywhere.

—Molly

Making plans

I wish I could predict the future and know where I’m going to be after graduation.

—Lindsey

NOkc Blunder

Here’s hoping there is justice in the world and that I don’t have to endure another miserable summer of OKC in the NBA Finals.

—Sean

Jack

S/O to the coolest kid who can’t read. Or chew.

—Kasen

Not real life

Classes are essentially over Monday. What am I supposed to do until graduation?

—Katy

Finding the words

Someday I hope to have brilliant thoughts that once written down inspire others, like one of my favorite authors C.S. Lewis. “Humility is not thinking less of yourself,  but thinking of yourself less.”

—Elisa

Winning

Congratulations to my team, the Fire-breathing Beavers with Swag on winning the Intramural Ultimate Frisbee championships. It was a fun season. Also, good luck to the Jour***s in Paris with the upcoming soccer playoffs. It would be nice to be a multi-sport intramural champion. Let’s do it.

—Philip

Pure bliss

A big Diet Coke over ice on a sunny day.

—Kaitlyn

What are the chances?

LeBron and the Heat don’t lose a single game during the playoffs?

—Theo

PC’09 Perch time

Here’s to my pledge class – I’m so proud of you all. We’ve had so many memories these past four years, and I can’t wait to see where life takes each of us.

—Britt

Finally a bro

Yay, I’m officially a fraternity member.

—Dylan

Let me take you back to 2009. The stimulus package, or the “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009” included a section on “Improving collection and use of data” in the education system. “The State will establish a longitudinal data system that includes the elements described in section 6401(e)(2)(D) of the America COMPETES Act,” it stated.

What’s the America COMPETES Act? According to the act, it exists “to invest in innovation through research and development, to improve the competitiveness of the United States, and for other purposes.”

How will it accomplish this? Two words: data mining. The America COMPETES Act provides the elements and specifications through which states can collect information on your children. It will be given this ability to data mine through a larger machine, the longitudinal data system. The Common Core system will then allow educators, researchers and other officials to conveniently access and monitor collected information.

According to the National Educational Data Model and the Pioneer Institute, this machine will collect data on approximately 400 total informational points, including points like health care plans, religious affiliations, voting statuses, bus stop route IDs and arrival times and family income ranges.

And, what will the longitudinal data system be used for? The Executive Summary of the Race to the Top program summarized this nicely.

“Make the data from instructional improvement systems (as defined in this notice), together with statewide longitudinal data system data, available and accessible to researchers,” it stated. “So that they have detailed information with which to evaluate the effectiveness of instructional materials, strategies, and approaches for educating different types of students.”

Oh, how precious. This is all for our own good, right? It’s all there to improve the quality of education and instruction, right? All that’s needed is your soul, kids, and they’ll be able to help out. Don’t give any thought to that silly old Fourth Amendment.

And, exactly how long would this data mining go on for? According to the Department of Education, “The program provides grants to states to design, develop, and implement statewide P-20 longitudinal systems to capture, analyze, and use student data from preschool to high school, college and the workforce.”

So you see children, you will have big-daddy government tracking you practically from birth to graduation and onto the workforce. Doesn’t that make you feel so secure? After all, you don’t need privacy or any silly notions of being an individual with God-given rights. Those are so overrated. Common Core is disgusting partly because, in a way, we allowed it to exist. We proved how little we value our privacy and our children’s. Now politicians can get away with data mining in schools without so much as a murmur from Americans. Just look how large and complicated it has become, right under our noses. I have barely scratched the surface of this monstrous program.

This system will not help our children. It is yet another level through which the federal government can manifest itself in our lives.

Andrew Jenson can be reached at arg-opinion@uidaho.edu

The last three weeks of school can be a stressful time. Final projects are due, papers need writing and tests loom just around the corner.

As you approach the end of the semester, remember to take care of yourself. You will do better studying and on your tests if you remember to eat properly and get a good night’s sleep. You won’t do yourself any favors if you show up to a test malnourished and exhausted, brain fried past the point of remembering what you crammed in the night before.

In the middle of a hectic week, make sure you take some time to unwind. Read a book or go to the gym. Even taking a shower can do wonders for your morale. Taking a break like this for a few minutes can give you fresh eyes as you resume studying or working on projects.

Pay attention to your fellow Vandals, as well. If your roommate looks like he or she is about to blow, find a way to help them de-stress, such as watching a movie or taking a walk. It doesn’t have to be anything big or time consuming.

As the semester winds down, remember it could be the last time you see some of your friends as they move on to jobs or other universities. There is still time in the last three weeks to make memories. Have a reasonable amount of fun before you move on with your life.

As at all times, there needs to be a balance in work and play at the end of the semester. Breathe, spend a few moments relaxing by yourself and then get back to work and finish strong.

— KC

Freshman Zac Homer tosses the discus April 18 at the Dan O’Brien Track and Field Complex. The Vandals split forces this weekend, competing at multiple meets in Southern California. During the Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, Calif., Hannah Kiser smashed the WAC record in the 5000-meter run with a time of 15 minutes, 44.06 seconds.

Kiser’s time of 15 minutes, 44.06 seconds placed her 12th in the invitational elite section and 5th out of the collegiate athletes. She also beat several professional athletes.

“It was a lot of fun to watch her compete,” Idaho coach Julie Taylor said. “She always starts in the back and then she slowly picks off people as she runs and kept getting stronger and stronger.”

Kiser wasn’t the only one to post an impressive mark at the Mt. SAC Relays, which took place from Thursday to Saturday. Competing for the third straight day in the men’s hammer throw didn’t deter Kyle Rothwell. On Saturday, the junior threw for his second personal best in three days and moved from 10th all-time to fifth all-time in the men’s hammer throw at Idaho. He finished third in the event with his toss of 204 feet, 10 inches.

“Kyle Rothwell actually had the opportunity to compete at three meets and two of the meets he passed his (personal record),” Taylor said.

On the track, a pair of senior 800-meter runners posted impressive times for Idaho.  James Clark finished fifth in his section of the men’s 800 with his season-best time of 1:52.79 while teammate Liga Velvere crossed the finish line in 2:09.34 to finish 10th in her section of the event.

Sophomore Ben Ayesu-Attah was the only Vandal to compete at Mt. SAC on Saturday, the final day of the meet. He responded by running a season-best time of 47.10 in the Olympic Development Elite portion of men’s 400-meter dash. His time ranks first in the WAC so far this season.

“He was in the invite section of the 400, which was a great experience for him to have that kind of meet,” Taylor said.

On Friday and Saturday, the Vandals also competed in the Beach Invitational hosted by
Cerritos College in Cerritos, Calif. That is where the javelin throwers shined. Senior Ellen Rouse improved her Idaho all-time top-10 in the women’s javelin throw with toss of 153-2 and a second place finish in the event. It was her second personal-best throw of the weekend.

On the men’s side, fellow senior Ugis Svazs had an almost identical performance. He also hit a career-best mark (228-1) while also placing second in the event. His throw moves him to first in the WAC so far this season.

This weekend was also the first competition for last year’s NCAA National Championship competitor Mike Marshall. Marshall finished third in the event behind Svazs with his throw of 216-0.

The Vandals also had a small squad compete at the Cougar Invitational in Pullman where two Vandal women took individual victories on Saturday to round out the multiple-meet weekend for Idaho.

“The weekend went well,” Taylor said. “I’m kind of tired from all the meets but it was definitely worth all the effort. We had some amazing performances as a team and we had some outstanding individual places.”

Stephan Wiebe can be reached at arg-sports@uidaho.edu

Idaho’s Bety Flores smashes a backhand shot during practice April 16 on the Memorial Gym tennis courts. The Vandals concluded their regular season with a win against Utah State Saturday in Logan , Utah. Idaho will travel to Denver for the Western Athletic Conference Tournament Wednesday for an opportunity to earn conference hardware as well as a berth to the NCAA Tournament.

Another flawless appearance from the Vandals’ No. 1 doubles team that has come out nearly unbeatable in the second half of the spring season helped contribute to the overall match win. Almudena Sanz and Victoria Lozano will finish the season having not lost at No. 1 doubles when playing with one another since Feb. 10 against Boise State. Not only did Sanz help Lozano win once again in one of many doubles victories of the spring season but the junior also fought back from a first set loss to win at No. 2 singles, 2-6, 6-3, 6-3.

Lozano, who recently received WAC Player of the Week honors for the third time in her career, has 11 doubles consecutive wins after defeating the Aggies’ No. 1 team. Throughout the season Lozano has alternated playing doubles with Sanz, but also senior Constance Alexander, who finished the last regular season match of her collegiate career.

Bety Flores has served as another secret weapon for the Vandals, who have won four of their last five final matches of the season. Flores won in both singles and doubles against Utah State on Saturday. She also earned a singles win in an effort to avenge a loss in doubles against Texas State in a 4-3 Idaho win after Flores had won in singles against Seattle U and closed out the doubles point for the Vandals against Gonzaga.

“We finished the regular season very strong,” Idaho coach Myriam Sopel said. “We have been getting better and better throughout the season.”

Sophie Vickers made another rare appearance in the Saturday match against Utah State. In only her fourth match appearance of the spring season Vickers won in both singles and doubles to help contribute to the cause.

“It was a great team win,” Sopel said. “Everybody contributed to this win, whether they were competing on court or cheering on the sideline.”

The Vandals have remained a consistent doubles powerhouse in the second half of the season and this final match exemplified the statistic.

Against Utah State, the Vandals earned doubles wins across the board to rebound from two singles losses.

In the month of April, the Vandals won 17 out of 24 doubles match attempts total.

“We won all doubles in a very convincing fashion, which was key for the confidence going into singles,” Sopel said. “We played smart tennis and applied very well what we’ve been working on all week long to get ready to play in altitude.”

After an impressive finish to a season that started off unimpressively, the Vandals are hoping to put up higher numbers against higher ranked teams at a higher altitude in the WAC Tournament in Denver beginning Thursday, April 25.

“We are sending a strong message to the other teams in the WAC. We are fully ready for the WAC Tournament and will fight from the very first to the very last point,” Sopel said.

Aaron Wolfe can be reached at arg-sports@uidaho.edu 

Photo by Hayden Crosby | rawr

Seniors Kirsten Currie and Ellen Williams, along with their studio professor Erika Iiams in the Clothing, Textiles, and Design department sat down and compiled some things people should avoid wearing in this spring.

“Sweat pants should never be worn outside of the house,” Williams said. “It’s tacky and just shouldn’t be done.”

Heavy fabrics and dark colors are a springtime no-no. The sun is out and the weather has just been all gloomy and dark. It’s time to start breaking out those colorful shirts and dresses and reflect the environment around us, she said.

“Don’t wear leggings with shorter tops so that underwear lines can be seen,” said Currie.

She argues that leggings are not meant to be pants. The sheer ones are the worst. Nobody wants to see through pants. At least wear a longer shirt over the leggings so that it covers the underwear lines.

“Don’t wear heels if you can’t walk in them,” said Iiams.

Heels do nothing for a woman if she doesn’t know how to walk in them. They have the adverse effect and make a woman look uncomfortable and out of place. People should be comfortable in what they put on in the morning. Dressing uncomfortable makes a person look uncomfortable.

There are colors that don’t work well with people. It all depends on skin tone, hair color, and eye color.

“No one can pull of crayon orange and lime green. Unless you have olive colored skin,” Williams said.

A good way to tell what color works best with certain skin tones is looking at what type of jewelry works best with each person. If someone looks best in silver jewelry, then cool colors work best for that person and if someone looks best in gold jewelry, then warm colors work best for that person. If someone looks good in both gold and silver jewelry, then they are more in between and can wear an array of colors. But again, it all depends on the person, Williams said.

“No boy has ever been able to pull off the cut-off jean shorts look, not even in the 80’s,” she said.

It just doesn’t work. Cargo shorts and athletic shorts are the way to go with boys. It’s socially acceptable and makes a man look like he cares at least something about his image.

Men can wear skinny jeans but need to know how skinny to go. Movement is always a good thing in pants.

“The general rule is that, the bigger you are, the more space you want in your skinny jeans,” Currie said.

As for showing skin, a little bit goes a longs way.

“Only show skin in one place. If you’re going to show cleavage, wear something lengthier on the bottom. If you are going to show some leg, then wear something more conservative up top,” Iiams said.

It’s too much to show a lot of skin. The goal is to make the face the focal point of the outfit. Muffin tops and cleavage draw the focal point away from the face and highlight an area better hidden. They are distracting elements.

As the weather gets warmer, more clothes start coming off and fashion senses start to change. It’s okay to be different and dress differently than the latest trend, but do it with class. Be the example for what to wear rather than what not to wear.

Kaitlyn Martin can be reached at arg-arts@uidaho.edu

Philip Vukelich | Argonaut

There are many good, quiet study spots on campus. The one that immediately comes to mind is Alice’s Room on the top floor of the Commons.
The first time I ever went there, I was scouting locations to propose to my now-wife. My sister told me about Alice’s room.
It’s a very pleasant place. Along the far side of the room, mostly hidden from the door by wooden partitions, is a huge window looking across to Brink Hall. It’s fun to watch people scurry across the walkway below. In the winter, it’s the perfect place to watch poor souls trudge through miserable weather in the safety of a warm room.
It is also a wonderful, quiet place to take a nap.
The only two drawbacks to Alice’s Room are its remote location and prohibition of food and drink. Though I suppose the latter only applies if you are the sign-following type.
Since I also needed a snack before my test, I considered my other options. I had heard about a secret room in one of the engineering buildings, but didn’t have the time for an adventure.
There is always the library. The top two floors are quiet. There are also lots of tables and chairs. If you need space to spread out, the library is your best bet. Plus, the library has plenty of resources to help you study. The problem with the library, of course, is that it isn’t convenient to your classes. On days like this one, I need every single moment to prepare. I needed something closer.
The old standby, of course, is the quiet room in the Commons above the food court.
This room is nearly perfect. There are plenty of seats, and they are fairly comfortable, too, giving this room an edge over the library and even Alice’s room. It tends to be fairly quiet, too. It is very common to find one or two students sleeping on the short couches strewn about the room.
I say it is generally quiet because there is a piano in the room that is open for students to play. Many a nap has been ruined by that piano. On the other hand, sometimes it can be nice to study to the soothing tones of the ivory keys.
Whatever your needs, UI has the perfect place to study for you.
Kasen Christensen can be reached at arg-arts@uidaho.edu

Jesse Hart | Argonaut
Lauren Hayes, Student Alumni Program Coordinator and SArb adviser, prepares for mom’s weekend April 19-21.

Lauren Hamilton, student alumni program coordinator who supervises Moms Weekend, said the weekend is a great opportunity for students to show their parents the college life and the UI campus.

“We are anticipating at least 200 people at our events, but I know that there will be more around,” Hamilton said.

Hamilton said she thinks Moscow could see upwards of 500 people in town celebrating Moms Weekend.

Nicole Stein and Molly Loucks were the UI student committee chairs who worked with the alumni office to coordinate events for Moms Weekend this year.

Stein, a junior, said her mom and dad are coming up for the weekend for their third Moms weekend. She said she is looking forward to the Iron Mom event that will take place Friday. Iron Mom is 3:30 p.m. Friday outside of the VandalStore, and it will feature minute to win it challenges performed by moms and their kids. The winners of Iron Mom will receive prizes.

“I encourage the students to attend as many events as they can so that the moms can really see what the university provides for them and the kind of people that the students interact with,” Stein said.

After the Iron Mom event at 6 p.m. students and moms can go to the Kibbie Dome and check out the Silver and Gold scrimmage, which will preview the 2013 Vandal football team. At the scrimmage UI will unveil the 2013 Vandal game day shirt.

To kick off Saturday, students can accompany their moms to a 9:30 a.m. brunch in the Student Union Building ballroom.

A lot of events have been planned around campus for the weekend and some local businesses will give students who bring their moms into their stores discounts, Hamilton said. She said students should take advantage of the opportunities around Moscow this weekend because they only come once a year.

One local business that will have deals this weekend is Camas Prairie Winery, which will feature their signature Vandal Crest wines which have iconic images of UI on the bottles. From 12-6 p.m. on Saturday the winery will have wine tastings.

Amy Jacobsen and Kylee Neuman are both graduating from UI this year and both of their moms have made it up to every Moms Weekend since they were freshmen.

Neuman said she is heartbroken this is the last Moms Weekend because she always has such a good time during the tradition.

“I am so lucky to have a mama that will drive six hours from Boise to come see me,” Neuman said.

Neuman said she will spend the weekend relaxing with her mom and going to the Vandal Lacrosse game Saturday.

Jacobsen said she has a lot of activities planned for her and her mom this weekend. Jacobsen’s activities include the Kappa Kappa Gamma Fun Run and the Phi Delta Theta’s Turtle Derby on campus for her final Mom’s weekend.

“I’m really excited for her to come down because I always have too much fun with her and all my friend’s Moms the whole weekend,” Jacobsen said.

John Fish can be reached at arg-news@uidaho.edu

A nationwide search for the new city attorney led Mayor Nancy Chaney to appoint Tyrel Stevenson, an Idaho lawyer, with approval from the city council.

Leslie Moss, the human resources director for the City of Moscow, said Fife resigned from his position in good spirits and has accepted the opportunity to lead the legal department in his hometown.

“He was offered a job that he could not refuse as the new in-house city attorney for the city of Idaho Falls,” Moss said.

Legal Assistant Patti McKinney said she and Fife had a good system in place and that she feels dejected about his resignation.

It’s sad to see him go. I got real set in my ways and was used to how he did everything,” she said. “When he dictated, I could almost type what he was going to say before he said it. He has taught me a lot and I will miss that knowledge and wisdom.”

Meanwhile, City Supervisor Gary Riedner took the role as the acting city attorney while the search for a replacement went underway.

“I’m handling the legal and administrative functions of the city attorney’s office,” Riedner said. “And Rod Hall, our city prosecutor, is helping take up the slack as well.”

Moss said the City of Moscow approved additional compensation for Riedner, $1,000 for each two-week pay period, and Hall, $500 for each pay period, for carrying out the duties as acting city attorney.

“In case that sounds like a lot of money, I got to tell you it is only comes to a little over $12 an hour for [Riedner],” Moss said. “It is not really much in the weight of additional compensation.”

Riedner said he worked closely with Fife during his 16 years as the city attorney but that the career change was a positive move for him and his family. It also prompted the appointment of Stevenson.

“Certainly when you lose an attorney of Randy’s experience, well, it is going to be a transitional phase,” Riedner said. “Tyrel has got a lot of good experience in the type of law that is practiced in a public entity, so we’re looking forward to having someone of his caliber on staff.”

Stevenson is currently the assistant general counsel for the Coeur d’Alene Tribe and has experience as a public defender, Reidner said. He is also a University of Idaho graduate with a BA in English and a law degree from the law school.

McKinney was able to meet Stevenson briefly through the interview process and she said that he appears to be suitable for the position.

“Out of the five applicants, he was interested in what I had to say. Some of the others were not as I would have liked them to be,” McKinney said.

Stevenson will assume the position as the Moscow city attorney on May 27.

Amber Emery can be reached at arg-news@uidaho.edu

My Own Home teams up with Moscow Recycling Center
My Own Home is a local organization that strives to assist members to live in their homes as they grow older.
As a fundraiser, My Own Home is working with the Moscow Recycling Center April 20. Supporters can donate the proceeds from their aluminum cans, which have a higher reimbursement rate during business hours that day.
Questions can be addressed to Tom La Pointe at myownhome@turbonet.com.

Innovation Showcase  to feature student research and creative activities
The University of Idaho Innovation Showcase is 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 23 in the Student Union Building.
The Innovation Showcase features 85 students and student teams who will present their research and creative activities and is sponsored by the College of Graduate Studies.
Jerry McMurty, associate dean of the College of Graduate Studies, said the showcase is larger than ever before.
“The Innovation Showcase features everything from nuclear engineering to theater arts,” he said. “This is the only true campus-wide opportunity for students to present their work.”
The presentations are judged by a panel of UI and Washington State University faculty and staff, with a focus on professionalism.
Winners could receive a scholarship of up to $500.

RHA programming coordinator Sarah Carson said the purpose of the event is for students to get together before finals. She said the “Game Shows” theme was her idea and it’s the first time they have done it for Spring Fling.

All three games are located at Bob’s Place in Wallace Residence Center. “The Roommates” starts at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, “Hall Feud” starts 8 p.m. Thursday and the biggest game, “Deal or No Deal” with prizes totaling more than $3,000, is  8 p.m. Friday.

Carson said “The Roommates” is based on “The Newly Weds,” “Hall Feud” is based off “Family Feud” and “Deal or No Deal” is the same game as its name-sake, with some
different rules.

“This is probably the biggest event that we have ever done,” Michelle Kissik, Wallace programming chair said. “Not only in how many people we expect to be there, but also in the amount of prizes we are giving away.”

Kissik said in “Deal or No Deal” there will be more than 60 prizes worth more than $3,000 from sponsors. The rules are somewhat different,allowing the audience a chance to win.

“If they choose not to open another case, it’ll just get eliminated, in our version if the case gets eliminated, it’ll then be raffled off to somebody in the audience,” Kissik said. “So everybody who has a raffle ticket has a chance to win.”

In “The Roommates,” Carson said competitors will test to see which pairing knows their roommate better.

“We ask few questions such as, ‘What’s their favorite color?’” Carson said.

There are ten rounds of “The Roommates” and a total of twenty prizes.

The RHA Programming Committee asked questions to 100 students for “Hall Feud” and the questions are specifically made for UI. Each team consists of five people and the team that has most points gets a party in their hall, Carson said.

“One of the questions we asked to 100 people is — What animal sounds do you hear in a barn yard?” Carson said.

Nurainy Darono can be reached at arg-news@uidaho.edu

Jesse Hart | Argonaut
Tom Luna, Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction, speaks at the State Board of Education meeting Thursday in the Student Union Building ballroom.

The proposed 5.9 percent increase would have brought in an estimated $3.3 million in revenue with enrollment projected to remain the same. The approved 5 percent increase, proposed by SBOE member Richard Westerberg, cuts approximately $575,000 from the anticipated revenue and means Idaho will have to look elsewhere in the budget to make up the difference.
“We’re going to have to look very carefully at where we’re going to find that money,” said UI president M. Duane Nellis. “We put together a very thoughtful budget request to try to keep us whole. What we wanted to do was be supportive of our students to sustain the quality that we all take great pride in at the University of Idaho and this will make it a little bit more difficult … hopefully we won’t have to have any negative impacts on the students.”
Prior to the fee hearing, the SBOE clarified the criteria for evaluating tuition and fees at institutions across the state.
“Is it appropriate for us to be considering student and fee increases in tuition and fees based on university costs, or is it more appropriate to focus on costs to the students?” said Kenneth Edmunds, SBOE president.
The board determined the price students pay and the price paid by the university is linked, so both should be considered in making their decisions.
UI administrators were the first to make their case for tuition increases at the meeting Wednesday and underwent nearly an hour and a half of questioning from the board about the necessity of a 5.9 percent increase — including inquiries and suggestions to cut costs for the university.
Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna asked all Idaho universities to recall a previous SBOE presentation by BYU Idaho and the implementation of a program to restructure the way higher education is delivered. The BYUI program introduced a full three-semester curriculum, which Luna said has increased the productivity of staff at BYUI and serviced an increased number of students without increasing facilities. He said the structure has allowed BYUI to keep their tuition increases at 3 percent or less every year.
“It’s been so successful that books have been written,” Luna said. “I’m curious, as U of I … have you explored any of the ideas that were presented … and is there any effort at all to start moving toward that model that is not only keeping tuition low but also the increases?”
Nellis reminded Luna and the board that BYU is a private institution and that UI’s mission includes research and outreach, which increases the student costs. Nellis said UI has worked to improve its summer program in recent years in order to increase productivity and service more students.
“The question though — if I choose to go to an institution that focuses on research it’s going to cost me more?” Luna said.
“Yes,” Nellis said.
He said more than 70 percent of undergraduates participate in research and creative activity experiences which benefit their education. He said Idaho’s research universities are also an advantage for the entire state, calling them the research arm of the state of Idaho.
“I think some students would be surprised to find out their tuition is subsidizing research that is then being used to grow business and economy in the state,” Luna said.
Nellis said the other difference between UI and BYU is BYU’s faculty are expected to take on five-course loads each semester. Nellis said UI’s research mission means the type of faculty recruited to UI are people that want to go places where they can both teach and do research in their field.
“I think they benefit directly from that because they’re participating directly in that research,” Nellis said. “It definitely has an impact but there is a cost associated with that.”
Board member Emma Atchley noted that UI is not on track with the national trend of dropping tenured and tenure track faculty and increasing the number of adjunct, part-time and non-tenured faculty.
“We’re not just a teaching mission,” said UI Provost Doug Baker. “We have a very strong research mission and we also have an outreach mission. So we need faculty to do all those things and it’s difficult with part-time and temporary structures to do cutting edge research and meaningful engagement.”
Nellis said the questions about the research portion of UI’s mission statement were unexpected.
“It surprised me because there’s significant advantages to our undergraduate and graduate students in us being a research university,” Nellis said.
With the 5 percent approved increase, UI’s undergraduate resident tuition and fees have increased nearly 95 percent since 2004.
During UI’s presentation, ASUI President Hannah Davis told the board she doesn’t mind paying a little more for her education even if it puts a strain on her bank account.
“I appreciate having the professors that I do,” Davis said. “I appreciate having small classes and even though it’s hard and it’s not easy to pay that extra money … it’s something that I’m willing to do if I’m able to continue to experience the education that I’ve had so far at this university.”
Davis said she knows the tuition increase is largely a result of a shift in state funding and told the board her fellow students are in agreement if they can continue to receive the same quality of education at UI.
“There’s a recognition that when we hire our faculty and staff they’re supporting our students. When we make improvements to our facilities that’s supporting our students. They want that cutting edge type of facility, they want the best faculty in the classroom interacting with them,” Nellis said.
The board also asked UI about the $3.3 million deficit — largely made up of revenue lost from a decrease in enrollment of full time students — and how UI plans to avoid other decline in enrollment next year.
Baker said the enrollment decline was due to two main factors. First, he said the shift from a 128-credit graduation requirement to 120 allowed many students to either graduate earlier or drop to part-time. He said the other factor happened when UI cut the Western Undergraduate Exchange program as part of
a scholarship and financial aid restructuring, which reduced the enrollment of out of state students.
Baker said there have been substantial changes to the financial aid and scholarship program that have affected enrollment but also increased revenue for the university.
SBOE members also asked how administrators plan to keep UI affordable for the 36 percent of first generation students who make up part of the university’s enrollment.
“Many of our students can pay the full ride, but some have need,” Baker said. “So we’ve done a great deal of modeling for where those need bases are and how we appropriately allocate our scholarship and waiver programs so we’re being much more targeted at those kinds of groups.”
SBOE member Bill Goesling asked if UI had made scholarships available at a 5.9 percent increase to match the 5.9 percent proposed increase to tuition and fees.
“No we’ve actually reduced the money available to increase our revenue,” Baker said. “But we’ve reallocated it. Through our modeling we discovered we were actually giving money away to students who were going to come and could easily pay anyway. That didn’t make sense. We needed to spend it where we needed to spend it on those students that need it.”
With the approved 5 percent increase, UI will cover the $3.3 million deficit and a large portion of the $3.4 million in critical expenses in next year’s budget with a reallocation of nearly $600,000 from elsewhere in the general education budget. UI will not touch the $3.3 million cost of maintenance of current operations, which will add to the $228 million that has already been deferred by the university.
Kaitlyn Krasselt can be reached at arg-news@uidaho.edu

Throughout history, books have served as a means of recording events and a way for people to express their feelings and emotions. Comfort can be found in the scent of ink-filled pages or the smooth touch of felt on fingertips. In the age of technology and social media, reading a book for enjoyment might seem archaic. However, books are learning tools every child and adult should utilize.

One of the most important factors in determining a child’s educational success is their proficiency in reading. A study on elementary school children’s reading skills found students who don’t read proficiently by the third grade are four times more likely to drop out of school without a diploma than their peers, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Since reading and writing is integrated into all subjects — such as solving story problems in math and creating and testing hypothesis in science — reading well positively impacts a child’s overall educational success.

Parents who read aloud to their children help them develop concentration skills, according to the U.S. Department of Education. Allotting specified daily reading times to children helps them become self-disciplined as well as acquiring a longer attention span and improved memory retention.

Reading also instills logical thinking skills in children, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

Books expose them to abstract concepts and different scenarios through which they develop and learn to use good judgment. The parallels between the events in a book and real life help children develop the skills they need to overcome obstacles and address challenges in their lives.

The damaging effects of not learning to read aren’t limited to children. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates more than $2 billion is spent each year on students who repeat a grade because they have reading problems. More than 20 percent of adults read at or below a fifth-grade level, as reported by the National Institute for Literacy in 2001.

Advances in technology have undermined the role of books in our society and the importance of reading. The National Literacy Trust, an independent charity in the United Kingdom, cited the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in a report in 2006 saying, “people cannot be active or informed citizens unless they can read. Reading is a prerequisite for almost all cultural and social activities.”

Reading is a crucial component of everyday life, from prescription labels to instruction manuals, and in order for society to function at its highest capacity everyone should learn to read well. The expanse of knowledge and information provided by technology has increased the importance of learning to read, not lessened it.

Instilling a love of reading in a child may be difficult if they don’t have a natural aptitude, but parents and children need to understand why it’s important. Books are not antiquated objects of the past — they are tools that determine our future success.

Elisa Eiguren can be reached at arg-arts@uidaho.edu

“It’s time for people to appreciate the Second Amendment and those rights,” said Jeff Williams, chairman of Palouse Liberty. “It’s an opportunity to stand up and let people know they are valued and cherished by many.”

Williams said Palouse Liberty has been an active organization in Moscow and Pullman during the past five years and hosts many local Tea Party events. The rally Friday is the sixth large event the group has organized in the area, Williams said.

Scheduled to start at 5 p.m. at Friendship Square in downtown Moscow, Williams said the purpose of the rally is simple: to promote gun rights, which are under attack by a vocal minority.

All Palouse Liberty is asking of participants is to listen to the information provided by designated speakers and show their support.

Williams said politically conservative people have a tendency to be complacent and aren’t typically out holding signs and participating in rallies. The focus of Friday’s event is to make people who believe in gun rights aware they need to be active.

“A lot of people think the Constitution will protect us from losing those rights, but we have to defend those rights the Constitution outlines that the government can’t infringe on,” Williams said.

Banning guns will not make society safer, and supporters of gun rights are also proponents of peace — they just go about it in different ways, Williams said. Proposed gun control legislation is an infringement of an individual’s natural rights, Williams said.

“Anyone who is in favor of natural rights, including the right of self-defense, those rights are given to me by my creator or inherent in me as a human being. I don’t have to ask anyone to defend myself,” he said.

While they are hoping to educate the community about the pro gun rights perspective, Williams said they are not forcing their conservative view on anyone.

“I am opposed to statism of any kind, including mandating owning firearms,” he said. “As a free individual I make those choices myself.”

The rally is scheduled during University of Idaho’s Moms Weekend, and although it is not a traditional event, Williams said he still hopes students will attend.

“A lot of kids were raised with these values … a love of natural rights and republics. Make them (parents) proud and bring them out to the rally on Friday night and maybe help make a difference when it comes to the debate on firearms,” he said.

Elisa Eiguren can be reached at arg-news@uidaho.edu

“I always wanted to start a brewery, and I’ve put about ten years of research into it. Just combing the Internet, reading papers, reading books. When we moved to Moscow a few years ago, I just realized if there’s any place to start a brewery, this is it,” Rate said. “It just seemed right, Kim and I love the community and it just seemed like this was going to be the prefect spot.”

A big step for the new brewery will happen this Friday as they take part in their first BrewFest along with other regional breweries at the 1912 Center hosted by the community group Buy Local Moscow.

“It seems as far as the community ethos goes, it’s very welcoming and tends to embrace good, locally owned, high quality small business. We thought if we could become a part of that it would be really rewarding and gratifying,” Rate said.

There has been a strong following for high quality beer in Moscow and is growing among college students, he said..

“It might have been 20 years ago that college kids were just looking for as much bang for their buck as they could get,” Rate said. “But now, the kids that are coming to college are a lot more savvy, a lot more cultured beer wise. They know good beer and seek it out.”

It was not an easy process for the brewery to get up and running due to all of the logistical work in setting up a brewery.

“When I really started putting my nose to the grindstone was about a year and a half ago. From the securing financing, writing a business plan, to going through the licensing process, the regulatory process with the feds, state, city and the county” Rate said.

The new brewery has only sold a few kegs to the Corner Club but is looking to expand throughout Moscow and Pullman. “The goal is to have this as a manufacturing facility and get the beer out the door and get it around town to establish a local brand.”

The Moscow Brewing Company is not just a manufacturing site but also has a beer hall environment with the wooden décor and paintings and pictures of Moscow’s humble beginnings. “The folks that are coming in here are really diverse and wonderful. It’s been a lot of fun,” he said.

So far the brewery has three main brews available, but the goal is to have four main brews and play around with seasonal beers throughout the seasons, Rate said.. One of the main challenges the brewery is having now is keeping up with demand of the three core beers on tap. With a community behind it the Moscow Brewing Company is making a mark on the Moscow community.

Ryan Tarinelli can be reached at arg-arts@uidaho.edu

Lavender Graduation is an annual celebration that recognizes the accomplishments of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and ally students who are graduating.

It’s a way to get together and honor the people who have been a part of the LGBTQA community, said Julia Keleher, coordinator of the University of Idaho LGBTQA Office.

The event is organized and funded by the LGBTQA Office.

Lavender Graduation will include a keynote speech from Harvey Katz. Katz is a transsexual comedian who has been touring nationally since 2003.

Salsbury, coordinator of Women’s Center programs, said the keynote speaker is usually someone who is prominent in LGBTQ activism..

“Lavender Graduation really meant a lot to me because I knew that in the bigger commencement ceremony I wouldn’t have a lot of time to talk to everyone, so it really meant a lot that I could invite my professors mentors and friends to a more intimate event where we could celebrate and talk, without the chaos of graduation,” Paige Davies, a UI alumna, said.

Davies is an AmeriCorps Women’s Mentoring and Service Learning Coordinator.

Lavender Graduation dates back to 1995 when Ronni Sanlo, the Director of the University of Michigan LGBT Resource Center, decided LGBT students need their own graduation ceremony, to honor their accomplishments and contributions to the university.

“It’s no different than any other group on campus that has an award ceremony, or end-of-year banquet,” Davies said. “Almost every group or office has their own end of the year ceremony or celebration.”

However, the LGBTQA Center assures that this is not just for LGBTQ students.

“It’s an opportunity for others who also support LGBTQ individuals to be a part of that celebration,” Salsbury said. “I think it opens up opportunities for people to stand up and say ‘I support this community, I welcome this community, I welcome the interactions I have with this community and this community has enriched my college experience.’”

Keleher said it’s an open and inclusive event.

“The idea behind Lavender Graduation is to recognize graduating LGBTQA students because the set of circumstances that they face at college, I think, often bring an additional challenge to getting through school,” Salsbury said.

The event is 7 pm. April 23 in the Commons Clearwater/Whitewater Rooms.

Aaron Bharucha can be reached at arg-news@uidaho.edu

Amy Asanuma | Argonaut
University of Idaho Junior Jenna Putnam admires work by graduating Masters of Fine Art studio artist Charles Dodoo Apr. 18 in the Prichard Gallery. This year’s MFA graduates from the Art & Architecture College are Denise Bennett, Charles Dodoo, Donald Johnson, Natiya Kuznetsova, Boris Pelcer, Jill Peterson and Daniel Sorensen. The gallery will display pieces until May 4.

This year’s exhibit features work from eight artists, ranging from sculpture to painting to digital media and photography.

Don Johnson, a UI graduate student whose art focuses on painting, said the feeling of being done is surreal, and has not hit him quite yet — though said it is less stressful.

“It’s kind of a relief,” Johnson said. “But there’s still a lot to do.”

Though the students have their final work on display, they still have to defend their thesis and finish teaching their classes, Johnson said.

“The last month or so, you just have to teach,” Johnson said. “The stress is gone, but there’s still work to do.”

Johnson said the thesis is intended to tell the concept and process behind an artist’s work and has helped him find direction in his artwork.

“I just paint because I like it,” Johnson said. “But through my thesis I figured out why.”

The thesis is a 10 to 30 page artist statement, Johnson said.

There is a panel of three people — two from the art department and one from an external department — who will listen to the MFA students’ defense and pass or fail them when they are finished, Johnson said.

“The defense is going to be the tough part,” Johnson said. The University of Idaho only accepts graduate students from external colleges — everyone involved is from somewhere else, Johnson said.

Nellie Lutz, a sculpture student from the University of Montana, also has her work on display at the Prichard.

Lutz said students pick their thesis committee their second year, and choose people they connect with.

“And the third outside person should be someone who helps you along with your concept,” Lutz said.

Lutz and Johnson said all artists work differently, but the whole process is intensive learning.

“If you want to become a professional artist, you have to be aware of what you’re doing,” Lutz said. “But some of the freest artists are the fearless young ones.” Lutz said the dream of an artist is to make art that you can sustain yourself with, but she intends to be an art advocate and her path is wide open in front of her.

“You just have to be competitive with yourself,” Lutz said. “The process of figuring out what you’re doing can be daunting, or a new beginning.”

Johnson said he has already started painting more, just because he enjoys it.

“It would be crazy to not keep doing art,” Lutz said. “It’s just not possible.”

All the work that you do is leading up to this final show, Lutz said. Your art becomes part of your identity, and knowing you have that on display is nerve-racking.

“We were part of an amazing program,” Lutz said. “It’s hard and stressful but the knowledge you get from it is so worth it.”

Alycia Rock can be reached at arg-news@uidaho.edu

Wang Yingjun, President of South China University of Technology, gives a welcoming speech Monday on the third floor foyer of the University of Idaho Administration building for the opening ceremony for the University of Idaho’s Confucius Institute.

The Confucius Institute is a nationwide organization whose mission is to help college students in America understand the Chinese language and culture and foster economic development between the United States and China.

Katherine Aiken, dean of the College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences, said the UI Confucius Institute will work hand-in-hand with the South China University of Technology in Guangzhou, China.

“The UI Confucius Institute will have two code directors,” Aiken said. “One from China and the other from here.”

Aiken said China already has their director picked out, but UI is still in the interviewing process.

“The South China University of Technology said they are committed to sending up to three language instructors once we have expanded enough here,” Aiken said.

Aiken said both Chinese and American students majoring in international studies are excited for this institution. She said this will give them a chance to learn about China in ways they previously couldn’t.

“We will be offering the Chinese language as a class, for the first time since I can remember, in the fall,” Aiken said.

Aiken said the Joint Advisory Board for the UI Confucius Institute is in charge of making decisions for the Confucius Institute.

“The board has the responsibility to achieve the institutes goals,” Aiken said.

Aiken said the university is working with Han Ban, an entity with China’s Ministry of Education, to fund the Institute on campus.

“It is our belief that this will be the last Confucius Institute installation that will be funded by the Chinese government,” Aiken said.

Aiken said she thinks the institute will have events to celebrate Chinese holidays and festivals.

Jenny Hall, assistant to the dean, said there was a raffle held during Monday’s opening celebration. The results of the raffle are as follows:

Winner of the Kindle Fire is Dakotah Bartholomew

The two winners of a $100 gift certificate to the VandalStore are Josh West and Korynn Lacher.

Erik Fink can be reached at arg-news@uidaho.edu

The Vandals came into the 14-team tournament off a sixth-place finish at the Challenge at Onion Creek earlier in the month and followed it up with another solid performance this week. It was Idaho’s last tune-up before the WAC championship, which will be held April 22-24.

Idaho coach Lisa Johnson said her expectations are high heading into the conference championship.

“We’re playing to win,” Johnson said. “We’re not going to do anything different than what we’ve been doing. We can only control what we do, and if that’s good enough to win, then great.”

Long Beach State won the 54-hole tournament, led by Simone Hoey, who took home the individual medal with a five-under 211. Long Beach State shot an 892 as a team, just one stroke better than second-place Tulsa and four strokes better than third-place San Jose State.

The Vandals shot a 10-over 907 on the tournament, trimming off a total of 10 stokes from the first round to the third round to move up from seventh to fifth on the second day. Johnson said that was partly due to not playing the course before.

“We have never played this course before so it took us a couple rounds to adjust,” Johnson said.

Idaho was led by sophomore Leilanie Kim who sot an eight-over 224 to finish in 11th. Junior Rachel Choi and freshman Kristin Strankman were one stroke behind Kim at 225 to finish tied for 12th. Freshman Cassie McKinley came in at 45th and sophomore Kaitlyn Oster finished at 53rd.

“It was great,” Johnson said. “It was our best tournament of the spring. We did two things better than what we have been. We putted better and we had a lot fewer double bogies or higher.”

Idaho is a young team and Johnson said she’s been happy with the way the underclassmen have stepped up.

“They’ve done very well,” Johnson said. “I’ve been very impressed with their progress. They’re managing their games better and they’re extremely competitive.”

It will be a short turnaround for Idaho as the team heads to the WAC championship. Johnson said she just wants to keep her team relaxed in the short time they have.

“We only have one day of practice before we leave, so we’re just going to stay loose. It’s important to stay loose and relaxed heading into the conference tournament,” Johnson said.

Kevin Bingaman can be reached at arg-sports@uidaho.edu

Philip Vukelich | Argonaut
Bety Flores, junior, hits a low volley while approaching the net in a practice match Tuesday at the Memorial Gym tennis courts. The Vandals conclude the regular season Saturday against former WAC foe Utah State.

In the past week of inter-conference play the Vandals have gone 2-3, evening their record to 11-11 and 4-4 against WAC opponents. Idaho’s doubles star, Victoria Lozano, has helped her team obtain a more respectable record with 12 consecutive doubles wins with the help of partner Almudena Sanz. Lozano also earned WAC Player of the Week honors for her performances against Seattle U, San Jose State and Texas State last week. Lozano went 2-1 in singles play and 2-0 in doubles.

“She has been playing really well and she definitely helped our team by getting doubles wins with Almu, which takes pressure off and builds momentum for the rest of the team,” Idaho coach Myriam Sopel said. “In singles she has really been stepping up her game in the past month. She has been using everything we’ve been working on all semester and applying it efficiently to her game and performing really well. She has proved that she can beat any player in the conference and she really deserves this WAC Player of the Week honor.”

The Vandals’ 4-0 loss to No. 66 San Jose State last weekend is a sample of top-seeded competitive teams that the Vandals will face on April 26 when the WAC Tournament begins in Denver. The Spartans’ Klaudia Boczova, also No. 47 in the nation, was the only blemish to Lozano’s nearly perfect week. Sopel insists the Vandals will be competitive come the tournament despite playing ranked rivals.

“We had a tough start obviously but we just did well to each other as a team adjusting to players and players adjusting to me. We’ve come such a long way, it’s been a rollercoaster, it’s an ascending slope and we’re rising to the top,” Sopel said. “We will finish on a strong note for the WAC championship. I really feel we can take it all.”

Utah State, who is currently sitting at 5-12, will most likely serve as less of a challenge to the Vandals than teams like San Jose State and Denver, but Sopel said the match is still important and that a team’s record means very little.

“It is a good match to get really prepared for the WAC Tournament, we’re favored on paper but we don’t want to get too much ahead of ourselves,” Sopel said. “We’ll be trying new things and getting ready for the major goal of the match to get the win and to play at elevation for Denver.”

If the Vandals win the final match, the team could potentially end the season with a winning record of 12-11 overall. If Sopel and the Vandals earn this last win it will be the first time the Vandals have had a winning record all spring after a rough 0-4 start.

The Vandals have a lot to prove this next week and have earned the right to prove it. Regardless of the outcome of the April 20 match at 9 a.m. in Logan, the Vandals will finish No. 4 in the WAC on the season with a shot at the title on April 26.

Aaron Wolfe can be reached at arg-sports@uidaho.edu

His resume includes coaching current NFL receivers such as Harry Douglas, A.J. Jenkins and likely 2013 draft pick Cobi Hamilton and coached Atlanta’s Roddy White during his breakout campaign in 2007.

The man whom Petrino tapped to be offensive coordinator, Kris Cinkovich, was the receivers coach at Arkansas when the Razorbacks had three receivers selected in the 2012 NFL Draft.

Now at Idaho, it just so happens receivers seems to be one of the deepest position groups that they’ve been able to inherit.

“It’s been a good group. They’ve bought into what we’re teaching and they have a good work ethic, we’re getting them to bring some spirit now to the organization, to bring some fire, and that’s what we need out of these guys,” Cinkovich said. “But pretty much they’ve done what we’ve asked them to do and hopefully they’ll continue to do so.”

Idaho has lost its leading receiver from 2012, Mike Scott, to graduation, but brings back its second and third leading receivers — junior Jahrie Level and senior Najee Lovett.

The two were much welcomed junior college additions last season, combining for 96 catches, 1,186 yards of offense and eight touchdowns.  The unit also returns promising senior Roman Runner and sophomore Marquan Major, both extensively used with first and second team units during spring practices.

“It’s real good, we get a lot of competition,” Lovett said. “It keeps us going hard in practice and you know, we’re real deep at the position, it’s basically keeping us all getting better, we’re all pushing ourselves.”

With the unit, the offense has been expanding. Last season the bane of the offense was quick underneath passing and yards after catch. This season Petrino is looking to up the tempo, use receivers in the run game and  take the occasional shot down the field.

“It’s been different, like bonded to a new system even though I came last year and had to get to a new system,” Level said. “It’s different. It’s more studying, more reps, I’ve had that experience coming in, it’s more high tempo, we gotta go, gotta go.”

Compared to other position groups, aside from perhaps quarterback, the receivers get more face-time with Petrino and Cinkovich, even with extra after-practice work. “You learn from him, you learn from him, it’s a different type of experience we get each day. We’ll be with coach Petrino one day, be with coach Cink the next, so it’s different type of knowledge to be soaking in altogether, so great experience,” Level said. In terms of chemistry with quarterbacks it hasn’t been easy for the receivers. Since the beginning of the 2011 season they’ve seen four different starting quarterbacks. During Friday’s spring game it’ll be mainly two they’ll be working with, redshirt freshman Chad Chalich and senior Taylor Davis.

The two will vie to be named starter heading into the summer and will be leaning heavily on the receivers to make plays.

“On Friday they got to make plays, they have to play hard, they have to play with great energy and enthusiasm and make plays when the opportunity comes and we expect that they’ll do that,” Cinkovich said.

Sean Kramer can be reached at arg-sports@uidaho.edu

More Info

The Vandals conclude the spring season with the Silver and Gold game at 6 p.m. Friday in the Kibbie Dome.

Steven Devine | Argonaut
Al Taylor tosses the hammer at the Dan O’Brien Track and Field Complex Thursday afternoon. The Vandals finished one event at the Cal State L.A. Twilight Open track meet before the meet was cancelled due to a bomb threat on the campus. Before the threat, Kyle Rothwell and Kristine Leonard threw career-best marks in the hammer throw event.

“The only event that the Vandals got to compete in was the men’s hammer and the women’s hammer,” Idaho coach Julie Taylor said. “They had a bomb threat and cancelled the meet.”

The Los Angeles Police Department promptly conducted a search of the campus but no bombs were found and nobody was hurt.

Officials from the university opted to suspend classes and immediately evacuate the 20,000-student campus. The caller also claimed to have planted a bomb on the U.C. Berkeley campus, which wasn’t evacuated.

Before the chaos, the Vandal throwers took advantage of their chance to compete. Senior Kristine Leonard and junior Kyle Rothwell both threw career best marks in the hammer throw. Rothwell hit the 200-foot mark for the first time in his career — a mark that should easily qualify for the first round of NCAA regional competition.

“That’s actually in the top 10 list for Idaho,” Taylor said of Rothwell’s throw. “That was very good, he had a great day.”

“It went pretty well. I was pretty happy with everything except we just didn’t get to compete as much as we wanted to,” Rothwell said.

The Vandals also began competition in the prestigious Mt. SAC Relays on Thursday in Walnut, Calif.  The meet is set to conclude on Saturday.

Idaho is up against the best in the country in the 55th edition of the famous Mt. SAC Relays as the field includes Olympic medalists Ashton Eaton, Allyson Felix, Carmelita Jeter, Lashinda Demus and Jason Richardson.

Senior Anna Kalbrener finished as Idaho’s highest finisher in the loaded field of the women’s 1500-meter run. Her time of 4 minutes, 35.19 second landed her 95th in the 171-competitor field.

On the men’s side, senior Jeff Osborn faced similarly tough competition to finish 118th in 3:59.99.

Idaho freshmen Santos Vargas and Halie Raudenbush experienced their first big-time outdoor meet experience in the open-C section of the steeplechase. Vargas finished in 17th in the men’s 3000-meter steeplechase in 9:40.08 while Raudenbush finished in 15th in the women’s 3000-meter event in 11:04.49.

With two days down, more Vandals are set to compete throughout the weekend. In addition to days two and three of the Mt. SAC Relays, Idaho is set to compete in the Long Beach Invitational Friday at Norwalk, Calif., while also sending a squad to the Cougar Invitational on Saturday at Pullman.

“Within (this) area, there’s about five different meets we can actually compete at which is a lot of fun,” Taylor said of the Southern California meets. “We are going to try to capitalize on the opportunity to get the weather and have multiple races and multiple chances to do throws and jumps and everything. We’ll see a lot more people compete this weekend.”

Stephan Wiebe can be reached at arg-sports@uidaho.edu

abi stomberg | rawr
Dutch Bros Coffee is coming to Moscow, they will be located at 321 N. Main St. According to their Facebook page, Dutch Bros Coffee will be open soon. Keep up to date on their progress by “liking” them on Facebook.

Dutch Bros. serves specialty coffee drinks, freezes, smoothies and teas, and it is well known for its private-label Dutch Bros. Blue Rebel energy drink, which customers can personalize by adding their favorite flavors.
University of Idaho junior Becky Davis said she is excited for the opening of the coffee shop.
“I love Dutch Bros,” she said. “It is going to be so nice to not have to drive all the way to Lewiston to get their amazing coffee. I absolutely love their white chocolate mint mochas.”
Dutch Bros. Coffee franchises are locally owned and operated, which allows owners to have a personal investment with their community and give to local causes and organizations.
Amanda Annotti, owner and manager of the new Moscow branch, said Dutch Bros. will provide job opportunities for students as well as benefit the student population and community with an upbeat, energetic and loving culture while providing quality drinks and customer service.
“Goals for the shop include continually blowing customers’ minds with the Dutch Bros. experience while focusing on speed, quality and customer service,” Annotti said. “Dutch Bros. will impact the community with donations, dollar days and crazy specials that customers won’t get enough of.”
She said the grand opening of the shop will be a big party where they will be serving free drinks all day.
“Coffee, smoothies and other delicious beverages will be served — stickers, suckers and tattoos will be handed out, and customers will get the one of a kind Dutch Bros. experience,” she said.
Nelson Hastriter said he use to go to Dutch Bros. at least twice a week before he moved to Moscow.
“Their drinks are amazing,” he said. “My favorite is the chocolate mocha, but the chai tea and Italian sodas are really good too.”
The coffee shops hours will be 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday.
Emily Vaartstra can be reached at arg-arts@uidaho.edu

Philip Vukelich | Argonaut
Cesar Torres follows through with a backhand shot during practice Monday at the Memorial Gym tennis courts. Idaho hosts UTSA and Denver Friday and Sunday respectively. With a pair of wins, the Vandals can win the WAC regular season title outright.

If the weather cooperates, all three matches will be played in Moscow.  The Vandals take on Texas-San Antonio at 5 p.m. on Friday.  They will also play Denver and Community College of Spokane at 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. respectively on Sunday.

UTSA and Denver are both WAC opponents.  Denver is second in the conference standings behind Idaho with a 4-0 conference record and 8-11 overall.  UTSA is third with a 2-1 conference record.  The Roadrunners are 11-10 overall.

If Idaho wins both matches, they will be 6-0 in conference play and will earn the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament on April 26-28.  If the Vandals win one out of the two, they will earn a No. 2 seed.  Both the No. 1 and No. 2 seed will have a bye on the first day of competition during the championships.

Idaho coach Jeff Beaman said the bye would be “very beneficial” for the team, which is still trying to get healthy.  He said he is still unsure how much senior Marius Cirstea, who injured his knee on April 1 in the match against Texas-Arlington, will play this weekend.   Cirstea played in both doubles and singles before the injury, but whether he does so against UTSA and Denver remains to be seen, Beaman said.

Cirstea will compete in his last regular season match as a Vandal along with seniors Abid Akbar, Filip Fichtel, Ivan Krijanto and Jake Knox.  These seniors have contributed to the program going 74-34 for the last four years, with this year’s team on pace to be the most successful with 23 wins.

Beaman said he is proud of the way the seniors have influenced the program.

“It’s been a great year and the seniors have been a big part of it,” Beaman said.  “They’ve been a big part of the success.  The program’s gotten a lot better, sort of reached new heights in their time here.”

Akbar, who has consistently played in the lineup since he was a freshman in 2009, said he is thankful for his time with the program.

“It’s been a great four years,” Akbar said.  “It’s gone by really fast too.  I wish I had a few more years.  If I had another chance I probably would have worked a little harder my first couple years and gotten more out of it, but no regrets.  I thank coach Jeff.  It’s been a pleasure.”

Akbar said he would like to end his career with a conference championship, which is why he said it is important that the team stays healthy the next two weeks.

“I think most importantly we need to stay fit,” Akbar said.  “Some guys are hurt.  We need to take care of our bodies.  That’s the key right now.   Everybody’s played enough tennis, they’re not going to forget in the last two weeks, so it’s important to stay fit and just take these last two matches to even go up a notch to get the best out of ourselves.”

Cirstea said that if the team concentrates on playing like it has all year, the Vandals should be prepared come WAC Tournament time.

“I think we just have to keep the same focus because we lost only five matches and all of them were super close,” Cirstea said.  “All the five matches could have gone either way.  So, if we keep the same focus I think this year we have a team good enough to win the WAC championship.”

Anthony Kuipers can be reached at arg-sports@uidaho.edu

The Western Athletic Conference honored women’s tennis player Victoria Lozano as its player of the week. During last weekend’s match play, Lozano helped the Vandals win matches against Seattle University and Texas State. 

“She has been playing really well and she definitely helped our team by getting doubles wins with Almu, which takes pressure off and builds momentum for the rest of the team,” Idaho coach Myriam Sopel said. “In singles she has really been stepping up her game in the past month. She has been using everything we’ve been working on all semester and applying it efficiently to her game and performing really well. She has proved that she can beat any player in the conference and she really deserves this WAC Player of the Week honor.”

This is the third WAC Player of the Week honor of Lozano’s career and first this season.

Several Vandals recognized by North Idaho Hall of Fame

Several individuals were recognized by the North Idaho Hall of Fame last weekend for their contributions to Vandal athletics. Idaho women’s basketball coach Jon Newlee was selected as the North Idaho Hall of Fame’s College Coach of the Year, while Idaho men’s basketball player Kyle Barone was the Male College Athlete of the Year. Former Idaho football greats Eric Yarber and Steve Buratto along with Vandal booster Bud Ford were also inducted into the Hall of Fame during the ceremony.

“It is nice to see a long-time Vandal supporter, Bud Ford, recognized for his 62 years of service and to see our deserving athletes and coaches, specifically Kyle Barone and Jon Newlee, acknowledged for their accomplishments,” Idaho Athletic Director Rob Spear said.

Vandal Athletics hosts Vandal Celebration Weekend

April 19 and 20 is Vandal Celebration Weekend on the University of Idaho campus. The weekend kicks off with the annual Silver and Gold spring football game at 6 p.m. Friday at the Kibbie Dome. Admission is free, and the Litehouse Center will be open for club members. On Saturday, the festivities continue with two events running all day. The Paul Petrino Golf Tournament tees off at 10 a.m. at the University of Idaho Golf Course. Fees for the golf tournament, which include greens fees, a tee prize

liam donohoe | rawr

Carine Fabius, author of a book on mendhi and the art of henna body painting, said it is believed that henna has been used for decoration and medicine for at least 5,000 years and began as a way for people to cool off in the Indian desert. The Indian people discovered that by dipping their feet and hands into a paste made from the ground leaves of the henna plant, they could stay cool. Eventually, this evolved into the art form of lines, dots, flowers, spirals and geometric shapes painted on the extremities.
Traditionally, henna was used in the celebration of weddings, engagements, births and religious festivals. Different cultures all have different traditions and designs when it comes to the practice of henna, ranging from the painting of doors to bring prosperity in Morocco, to the fine designs of lace floral and paisley patterns in India, to the bold and geometric designs in Africa.
It would be possible to argue a case of cultural appropriation when it comes to the fad-like nature of henna in America. A practice that has deep religious and personal meanings throughout Eastern cultures has turned into the latest craze in the U.S., being the cool thing to do at hemp fests and art festivals.
In true American fashion one might say, we’ve taken a practice from foreign cultures that are older and more established than ours and turned it into a hipster pothead craze.
Contrarily it could be seen as promotion of cultural diversity and honoring the practices of other cultures through a pop-culture phenomena that, although temporary, is rich in its historical meaning.
However it’s viewed, henna will be around for awhile. If you’re a henna veteran, or if you’ve only just heard about it, head down to Moscow HempFest this weekend to check out local art and food vendors and get your henna on.
Kaitlin Moroney can be reached at arg-arts@uidaho.edu

The junior college kids include two big men and a point guard. Down low is 6 foot 7 power forward Bira Seck from Olney Central College and Paulin Mpawe, a 6 foot 9 post player from San Bernardino Valley Junior College and who will come in with three years of eligibility remaining. In the backcourt Verlin signed 6 foot 1 point guard Mike Scott from Antelope Valley Junior College.

From the high school ranks Verlin signed Sekou Wiggs, who spent last season at Kingdom Prep Academy in Georgia, but is originally from O’Dea High School in Seattle.

The four will join Idaho’s early signing period signees, JC power Ayodele Ojo and to-be freshman Perrion Callandret from Bothell, Wash.

Adding three big men to the mix isn’t a surprise — Idaho has lost considerable size with the departures of Kyle Barone, Wendell Faines and Marcus Bell.

“Getting a big man with three years remaining with Paulin’s upside is a tremendous get for our program,” Verlin said. “He has all the skills to be successful but needs to add strength and weight to be an elite player for us.”

Where this class could really make an impact for Idaho, though, is in the back court. Callandret (6-2) and Wiggs (6-3) will likely be in play for immediate playing time as true freshman. Both come in as athletic scoring guards, something Idaho lacked last year.

“(Sekou) is a big, strong and athletic point guard that will be able to solidify our backcourt immediately,” Verlin said. “He is a great penetrator and can knock down the open shot, but his best asset is his leadership qualities he displays on the court.”

Callandret is best known for his high flying dunks and having a large wingspan for a two-guard. He could come in and split time with Connor Hill at the 2-guard and 3-guard positions.

“Perrion is one of the biggest sleepers on the west coast in the 2013 class and will be a great Vandal that the fans will love watching,” Verlin said back in November. “Perrion is a very athletic, ‘do it all’ guard with great instincts for the game.”

Dean, 5-foot-10 and 175 pounds, is the older brother of Callandret and will be at his third Division 1 university when he joins the team in Moscow. The Seattle native began his career at Eastern Washington where he was named the Big Sky Conference Freshman of the Year in 2009-10. That season, Dean averaged 12.2 points per game and had four assists per game.

He did not play in 2011-12, but averaged 5.5 points per game as a bench player this season for the Utes.

The four junior college signees continue a popular trend for Verlin since arriving at Idaho — he signed three junior college prospects last season, although it could be argued none of them has really worked out. Antwan Scott never ended up playing for Idaho and Marcus Bell left the program halfway through the conference schedule. Point guards Robert Harris and Denzel Douglas will return as seniors next season after making marginal impacts in 2012-13.

The six scholarship signees will replace the scholarships of Bell, Scott and the four departing seniors — Barone, Mike McChristian, Faines and Mansa Habeeb.

Sean Kramer can be reached at arg-sports@uidaho.edu

Overseeing the competition is a name familiar to Vandal fans — Erickson.

Bryce Erickson, that is.

The son of Dennis Erickson, the former two-time Idaho coach, Bryce Erickson was one of the first coaches Paul Petrino tapped to be on his staff, and he couldn’t be any happier to be back in Moscow and back at the Division I level.

Formerly the running backs coach at Arizona State, Bryce Erickson spent the last few seasons as head coach of South Albany High School in Oregon.

“It’s awesome, it’s a great opportunity. I’m happy to be back in the Palouse. I grew up around here, and I remember here in the early ‘80s going to the Kibbie Dome and watching my father’s team,” Bryce Erickson said.  “It brings chills to me every time I step through those doors to go to work.”

His father’s latest stint in Moscow was in 2006 and lasted all of 10 months before he bolted to Arizona State, leaving a sour taste in the mouths of some Idaho fans who had previously idolized him for returning.

It played little in Bryce’s decision to bring the family name back to the Palouse.

“I don’t know it played any into Bryce, because I’m the one who made the decision to leave. I probably regret leaving at that time but I did, nothing I can do about it,” Dennis Erickson said. “He’s his own man, it didn’t have anything to do with me, in terms of having the opportunity to go there to coach, he was excited about that.”

Bryce Erickson hasn’t let the mixed emotions of fans from his fathers’ departure tarnish his homecoming to Moscow. The reception from the community has been great, he said.

“I take a lot of pride in it. This is my home,” Bryce said. “The University of Idaho is going to have success, and we’re going to get it done, and we’re going to grind, and we’re going to grind and we’re going to get it done.”

So far he’s been a welcome presence for Petrino.

“He’s a good calming influence on them at times when I’m getting after them at practice, and he can be the good cop, and then when I’m not around then he can be the bad cop,” Petrino said. “He’s done a great job, I’m really glad that we have him here.”

Despite his youth, Petrino is comfortable with the experience and knowledge Bryce Erickson brings to his staff. Like Petrino, Erickson grew up around the game of football.

“If you’re a good coach you’re a good coach. He’s got more experience than most people that have been coaching forever… It’s a great advantage to us that he is with the quarterbacks,” Petrino said.

As for Bryce’s father, Dennis Erickson had originally planned on spending quite a bit of time in northern Idaho this fall to watch Bryce coach until the offensive coordinator position at Utah opened up for him. Still, Dennis thinks the Erickson name fits right at home in Moscow.

“Without question, he loves northern Idaho, (Bryce Erickson) enjoyed his time in Moscow when he was there.  Of course we’ve spent some time in Coeur d’Alene, it’s kind of a perfect fit for him,” Dennis said. “…But more than anything he just wanted to come there to help get that program where it needs to be, do whatever he can to be successful there.”

Sean Kramer can be reached at arg-sports@uidaho.edu

Come back, sports
After the Silver and Gold scrimmage the Idaho Vandals sports seasons will be done, with the exception of tennis, track and golf. That’s just not enough sports for us fans.
— Madison
Three weeks
Send lawyers, guns and money.
— Kasen
Wise words
I received a few much needed words of wisdom this week: “Rule No. 1 — do not sweat the small stuff. Rule No. 2 — it’s all small stuff. Don’t worry and be happy.” Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in the small, petty stuff, but it’s important to remember most of it isn’t going to matter a year from now.
— Britt
$228 Million
The number of dollars in deferred maintenance at UI. Sorry geography professor, but I don’t think we’ll be replacing every heater on campus in order to reduce our carbon footprint any time soon.
— Kaitlyn
Undefeated
The Journ***sts in Paris intramural soccer team is going to the playoffs.
—  Lindsey
Grown up
I applied for my first adult apartment. It’s smaller and costs more than my current one. That’s how I know I’m an adult.
— Katy
Quotable
“If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t know it well enough.” -Albert Einstein
— Molly

Shout out
To my wonderful mother and aunt for making the 16-hour drive to see me for two days.
— Theo

Summer
Looking forward to this summer. It will be quite an east coast adventure, hopefully with a healthy mix of chemistry, photography and fun.
— Philip
Hello …
… to my cousin  visiting me all the way from Belize.
— Amrah
Road trip
I’m excited to spend a few hours driving, reflecting on my life and singing along to mix tapes during the drive to Missoula Saturday. It’s been awhile since I’ve had some “me” time.
—  Elisa
Let them come
Twenty-five pages and five assignments between me and graduation. Here goes nothing.
— Dylan
Respect
No matter what happens in the following weeks, I just want the people of Sacramento to know I respect all they’ve done to support their franchise. Here’s to hoping that one day the Sonics and Kings will do battle on the basketball court, and not the political arena.
— Sean

™Watermelon Crawl∫ by Tracy Byrd

You know you’re a redneck if your town has a watermelon festival. This is a fun up-beat country song that’s great for line-dancing. It just makes you want to dip down, spin around and do-si-do.

™Classified∫ by C.W. McCall

You know you’re a redneck if you have to use a nail to start your truck. This is an older country song that tells a story of how this man acquired his old run-down truck.

™Beer for my Horses∫ by Toby Keith

You know you’re a redneck if you say “pappy” and “grand pappy.” This song talks about how there is too much crime and corruption in the streets and how society has changed over generations.

™Hillbilly Bone∫ by Blake Shelton

You know you’re a redneck if you take someone out for a good time and call it “honky-tonkin’.” This song has an up-beat tune that just makes you smile. It talks about everyone having a little bit of “hillbilly” in them no matter where they are from.

™Something `bout a Truck∫ by Kip Moore

You know you’re a redneck if you take a girl out to the cornfields for a good time. This song is great for back-road driving. It talks about the atmosphere created simply by having a truck.

™Drinkin’ Beer and Wastin’ Bullets∫ by Luke Bryan

You know you’re a redneck if you’re drinking beer and hunting. This song is about going hunting and not seeing a deer all day. But instead, using empty beer cans as targets.

™Cotton Eyed Joe∫ by Scatman John

You know you’re a redneck if your name is Cotton Eyed Joe. This song is about how a man, Cotton Eyed Joe, comes through towns and when he left, all that were left were men because all the women had run away. This is a very popular song to line dance to.

Kaitlyn Martin can be reached at arg-arts@uidaho.edu

You will have an opportunity for intergalactic hitchhiking this week so don’t forget your towel.

Taurus

4/20 – 5/20 

Unfortunately, your one true love does not love you like a love song baby. Save the one ring to rule them all for your next romantic conquest.

Gemini

5/21 – 6/20

Mom’s weekend is coming up, get your mother the one gift every mother wants — world domination. With a couple of robots and time, the world shall be hers.

Cancer 

6/21 – 7/22

The spring snow may make you wish you lived in a galaxy far, far away. Don’t worry, aliens will soon make your dream a reality.

Leo 

7/23 – 8/22

You can YOLO or you can live long and prosper. This week will tell which life motto determines your life expectancy.

Virgo

8/23  – 9/22

Some call it procrastinating but you call it discovering the secrets of Bioshock Infinite. Your quest will hit a snag when you are forced into a final confrontation with a test you did not study for.

Libra

9/23  – 10/22

Your diet will finally work this week when you realize that the cake is a lie.

Scorpio

10/23 – 11/21

Your quest to find the answer to life, the universe and everything will finally be solved this week.

Sagittarius

11/22 – -12/21

Resist the temptation to go over to the Dark side even though they have those cool red light sabers and good employment benefits for Stormtroopers.

Capricorn

12/22 – -1/19

Someone will take your spot in class today. Learn the ways of Sheldon Cooper to plan your revenge.

Aquarius

1/20 – 2/18

May the odds be ever in your favor for your upcoming exams.

Pisces

2/19-3/20

Unfortunately, this week you will be reminded that you ended up at University of Idaho instead of Hogwarts. Cheer up, your degree in computer science is the modern day equivalent of magic.

“Science on Tap” is a presentation series by Idaho’s IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence program and the National Institute of Health that promotes public education about biomedical research.

“What is being discussed is research that impacts human health — how it impacts you, the economy, and daily life,” said INBRE Statewide Program Manager Leslie Thompson.

Thompson said what really stands out about the program is that it takes place in relaxed environments where the audience may not know a lot about science.

“Somebody who is out having a cocktail, can say, ‘Wow, I somehow ended in the middle of this talk and I learned something valuable,”’ Thompson said.

Success in similar programs across the country at pubs and cafés triggered the “Science on Tap” series in North Idaho, Thompson said.

“If we continue to do things on campus then we generally get the science students showing up,” Thompson said. “But who should also come out is your average Moscow or Pullman citizen who wants to learn a little about science and have fun while doing it.”

Kasee Hildenbrand, an associate professor at Washington State University and an expert on concussions, will lead the 6 p.m. presentation.

Amber Emery can be reached at arg-news@uidaho.edu

Travis Gray, as Orsino, and Lee Young, as Valentine, rehearse for William Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night. “

Associate Director of Alumni Programs Hugh Cooke said this is a social event — an intimate private evening for UIRA members and guests. He said this event is also to support the Department of Theatre Arts.

UIRA President Carolyn Riggs said the main purpose of this night is to stay connected with the university and other retired colleagues.

“It’s a great night to connect with past coworkers and enjoy a theater produced by our local students,” she said. “We charge just a minimum of five dollars and all of that money goes directly to the theater.”

Cooke said UIRA Night has happened each year for the past five years, and approximately 50 guests are expected to come. It begins at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday starting with the social and followed by the “Twelfth Night” performance at 7:30 p.m.

“Twelfth Night” officially opens Thursday, so Riggs said performing at UIRA Night is the cast’s chance to do final rehearsal with live audiences.

“Twelfth Night” is directed by the Department of Theatre Arts Assistant Professor Chris DuVal and performed by UI theater students.

Riggs said that some people like Shakespeare and “Twelfth Night” will be a new thing to watch. Last year’s performance was “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,” which was also a comedy.

Cooke said in addition to helping the theater department by donating the funds from Wednesday’s event, UIRA has been supportive of the university and Moscow community. They have presented more than $4,000 in academic scholarships for undergraduates.

“UIRA is serviced and staffed by the Office of Alumni Relations as an opportunity for retired employees to continue their engagement with the University of Idaho,” he said.

Cooke said UIRA, in the last thirteen years, has also financially supported the Alternative Service Breaks, a community service opportunity for UI students to volunteer and improve leadership skills.

UI students will present Alternative Spring Break Projects during the UIRA Spring Luncheon 12 p.m. Thursday at the Best Western Plus University Inn.

Nurainy Darono can be reached at arg-news@uidaho.edu

Camas Prairie Winery is one of several companies participating in Moscow BrewFest 2013, hosted by Buy Local Moscow, which plans to encourage people to merg sustainability, repsonsibility and community spirits. The event offers the opportunity to try local beer and wine and will be hosted 5-9 p.m. Friday at the 1912 Center. Tickets are $10 for five drinks.

Louise Todd, BLM committee member, said the local microbrewery and winery festival will help bring these elements together.

“It’s drinking responsibly, it’s giving back to your community and finding a way to be a part of Moscow and our surrounding area,” Todd said.

The BLM BrewFest will run 5 – 9 p.m. Apr. 19 at the 1912 Center.

Todd said the $10 admission charge will cover five drink tickets that can be used with any of the five local beer and wine vendors — Camas Prairie Winery, The Moscow Brewing Company, Riverport Brewing Company in Clarkston, Trickster’s Brewing Company in Coeur d’Alene and Paradise Creek Brewery in Pullman. There will be live music, and the drink tickets will serve as raffle tokens for various prizes, including a bike from Paradise Creek Bicycles. Wheatberries Bake Shop will offer pretzels for sale, Todd said, and BLM will try to confirm Hog Heaven Sausage Works as an additional vendor.

Tom Handy, Paradise Creek Brewery owner, said he loves the creativity of brewing beer like a chef loves to cook. He said it’s good to inform people about local products and he enjoys talking with them at events like BrewFest. He said he wants to give folks a chance to try unique brews.

“If you’re going to drink beer, you might as well drink beer brewed right in your own neighborhood,” Handy said.

Handy said the sustainability issues should always be considered when someone purchases something and it’s good that BLM is employing an environmental theme.

Todd said each beer and wine vendor will have “miles-to-tap” information by their booths to describe the carbon footprint of the process by which the beverages are transported. Camas Prairie Winery owner, Jeremy Ritter, will also discuss his environmentally clean glass wine bottles and labels.

Todd said the sustainability angle falls well within BLM’s vision of neighborhood accountability and cultivation.

“The mission of Buy Local is to create a sustainable and vibrant economy here in Moscow,” Todd said. “We’re a fairly small community, and we see it as the job, basically, of local independent business owners to create that sustainable economy.”

Matt Maw can be reached at arg-news@uidaho.edu

According to a survey conducted by the Counseling and Testing Center in 2011, 47 percent of students felt helpless, more than 89 percent felt overwhelmed, 60 percent felt very sad and 32 percent felt it was difficult to function.

In order to address this issue at UI, the Vandal Health Coalition is working to make mental health first aid certification more accessible for students and faculty, who are the first line of defense for students experiencing mental health problems, ASUI Health and Wellness Director Liz Brandon said.

“I think this is really important for our campus, because a lot of times mental health problems arise in college,” Brandon said.

Brandon said they decided to open the class up to students and faculty after UI psychologist Sharon Fritz mentioned she was certified to teach the course at a Vandal Health Coalition meeting.

Fritz said she has taught faculty and students in the past, but it has been mostly confined to resident advisers. The course is 12 hours, usually taught in six hour blocks on two consecutive days. Fritz said the course teaches students how to recognize the signs of someone experiencing a mental health crisis and how to direct students toward help.

The classes are currently offered at UI to peer health educators, but the Vandal Health Coalition is working to open it up to all students. Brandon said Student Health Services Coordinator Shannon Haselhuhn is working to find funding to allow students to take the course at no cost to themselves.

“It is $20 to buy the book and we are working on getting the funding, but we are really trying to fund each class at a time,” Brandon said. “Each class has 25 students and costs about $500.”

Brandon said Fritz is trying to cut some of the material to make classes shorter and get more students interested.

“If it’s shorter we’ll get more people interested, I think,” Brandon said. “Right now there is a class being offered for our peer health educators and it’s four weeks for three hours a week. We might offer it in two six hour blocks, or even try to cut it down to eight hours and get it done in one day.”

Brandon said they have a lot of interest in the class and now are just trying to get funding squared away before advertising to students for next semester. She said there will be a class offered this summer for faculty and any students in town, but the first class offered to all students would probably be in September.

Andrew Deskins can be reached at arg-news@uidaho.edu

UI has undergone 6 percent increases in full-time tuition and fees in each of the last three years. Statewide, the average cost of tuition at Idaho four-year institutions increased 88 percent from 2003 to 2012

“Fundamentally over the last decade … and this is true across the nation … public higher education has moved away from being predominantly state supported to being, in some cases, where the state is a minority player in the budget,” said Keith Ickes, UI executive director of planning and budget.

Ickes said the $3 million deficit is the result of two factors: a decline in full-time student enrollment that cost the university $2.3 million and a $750,000 mistake in overhead recovery of research grants.

Ickes said when budgets are set, projected revenue from tuition is based on enrollment of the number of full-time students from the previous year. He said while enrollment has increased overall this year, it did not increase in the number of students who pay full-time tuition and fees.

“It’s a numbers game,” ASUI President Hannah Davis said. “It wasn’t like money was just being spent and spent and spent, it was like we set a budget for a certain amount of students, we didn’t get those students and so we ended up putting ourselves in a deficit.”

Ickes said a small portion of the decrease in full-time enrollment was a result of graduation requirements changing from 128 credits to 120 credits. He said students discovered they could graduate earlier and many did.

The other portion of the deficit comes from a two-year-old mistake and is just now being made up for in next year’s budget.

“That one’s fundamentally an internal issue of the university,” Ickes said. “There was a mistake made two years ago in giving us the number for that material and the mistake wasn’t discovered for a while … until we’d already set the FY13 budget … and now we’re correcting that error.”

Earlier this year the Idaho legislature voted to approve a 3 percent increase in statewide funding for higher education. It was then up to the SBOE to determine how that money would be divided among Idaho’s higher education institutions.

UI will receive approximately $2.3 million from the increase — as well as $341,000 in additional funding to help cover the cost of $400,000 in employee benefits — for a total of $2.6 million in additional state funding.

With a 5.9 percent increase, the revenue from student tuition and fees for FY14 is predicted to be about $3.8 million if enrollment of full-time students remains the same.

“It’s not ideal but it’s one of those things where if we get what we ask for it’s going to level out,” Davis said.

Although the tuition increase and state funding will add about $6.4 million to the university budget, it will only cover the bare minimum.

“There’s one other thing that we’re not doing and that is a long time ago the state would pay for something they called maintenance of current operations,” Ickes said. “Now that’s up to us.”

Ickes said this budget item includes replacing lab equipment, repairs and maintenance in heating, ventilating and cooling equipment, and other general university building repairs. Right now, the university has $228 million in deferred maintenance from the last 10 years.

“The bill for that for the coming year we calculated to be $3.3 million and we are not going to address that at all. We simply cannot,” Ickes said. “That would require us to almost double the tuition increase so we’re not going to get there. Those are things that we should be fixing on buildings … well we just added another $2.5 (million) to the deferred maintenance because we are not going to get to it again.”

Ickes said if enrollment decreases or the state board approves less than a 5.9 percent increase and the budget is lower than anticipated for FY14, the administration will have to look to the rest of the university for budget cuts.

“If we don’t get the money that we’re supposed to get, we’re going to have to start cutting things out of our budgets and then things that are going to get cut are salaries and wages and those are going to encourage professors and instructors to go to other universities,” Davis said.

Ickes said despite UI’s financial difficulties and yet another proposed tuition increase, it is still one of the cheapest flagship institutions in the nation.

“We’re still the 47th lowest flagship in the nation,” Ickes said. “We’re just trying to keep it accessible for students.”

Ickes said in 2001 state funding made up 71 percent of the university’s budget while tuition and fees only made up 19 percent and land grant endowment made up the remainder. Now, state funding is only 49 percent of the budget and tuition makes up 47 percent.

“We’re right at the teetering point. If we had one more bad year in state funding we could see that flip,” Ickes said.

Davis said students who are upset should look to the state legislature for the source of higher education funding in Idaho — or lack thereof.

“I think if someone’s upset about how much it costs and how much it’s increased then we should really encourage people and look to our legislature, but it’s just hard because there’s not a ton to go around,” Davis said.

Kaitlyn Krasselt can be reached at arg-news@uidaho.edu.

Victoria Lozano — women’s tennis

Idaho concluded regular season conference play Friday, Saturday and Sunday with matches against Seattle U, San Jose State and Texas State. Lozano went 4-1 in her individual matches, helping the Vandals beat the Redhawks and Bobcats. Against Seattle, Lozano defeated Lindsey Newman 6-2, 6-0 at No. 1 singles and teamed with Almudena Sanz to win 8-0 at No. 1 doubles. Idaho beat Seattle U 6-1. Lozano fell to the nation’s No. 47-ranked singles player in San Jose State’s Klaudia Boczova during a 4-0 loss to the Spartans. The Guadalajara, Mexico, native bounced back to aid her team in a 4-3 victory against Texas State to move back to .500 in WAC play. Lozano beat the Bobcats’ No. 1 singles player Jessica Kahts 6-3, 6-3, while she and Sanz would team up to oust Kahts and Monica Pieratt 9-7 at No. 1 doubles in a tightly contested match.

Johanna Hocketstaller — track and field

Hocketstaller competed in four separate events Saturday and Sunday at the War VI Regional Dual in Spokane, finishing in the top five in three of those events. Hocketstaller opened up with second-place finish in the women’s long jump event. Her jump of 5.21 meters was .01 meter good enough for second, as Seattle U’s Katie Tougas finished with a 5.20-meter jump. The sophomore beat all competitors in the shot put with a throw of 14.74 meters, good enough to edge teammate Kristine Leonard, who heaved a toss of 14.23 meters. Leonard did manage to beat her teammate in the discus throw, but Hocketstaller’s final throw of 43.56 meters was good enough for a third-place finish. Hocketstaller concluded the event with a seventh-place finish in the javelin throw.

Johanna Hocketstaller — track and field

Hocketstaller competed in four separate events Saturday and Sunday at the War VI Regional Dual in Spokane, finishing in the top five in three of those events. Hocketstaller opened up with a second-place finish in the women’s long jump event. Her jump of 5.21 meters was .01 meter good enough for second, as Seattle U’s Katie Tougas finished with a 5.20-meter jump. The sophomore beat all competitors in the shot put with a throw of 14.74 meters, edging teammate Kristine Leonard, who threw a toss of 14.23 meters. Leonard did manage to beat her teammate in the discus throw, but Hocketstaller’s final throw of 43.56 meters was good enough for a third-place finish. Hocketstaller concluded the event with a seventh-place finish in the javelin throw.

Philip Vukelich | Argonaut
Vandal sophomore Cristobal Ramos Salazar volleys during practice Monday on the Memorial Gym tennis courts. The Vandals were one singles match away from defeating No. 39 BYU Friday in Spokane, when they lost 4-3.

The No. 72 Vandals fell just short of upsetting No. 39 Brigham Young University in a 4-3 loss in Spokane on Friday.

After Idaho lost the doubles point, several Vandals stepped up in the singles matches to force a tiebreaker in the final match of the day at No. 6.  BYU’s John Pearce defeated Idaho senior Ivan Krijanto 6-1, 6-1 in that match to clinch the victory for the Cougars.  Idaho dropped to 20-5 on the season and 1-3 against ranked teams.

Idaho played without one of its key players Friday. Senior Marius Cirstea suffered an injury during Idaho’s match against Texas-Arlington on April 1 and will not likely be back until the Western Athletic Conference Championships next week.  Cirstea is one of Idaho’s best doubles players. He and fellow senior Abid Akbar normally play at No. 1.  Cirstea has also been an important staple at the No. 2 and No. 3 singles positions all season for the Vandals.

The undermanned Vandals started slowly when Krijanto and freshman Matt Oddonetto lost the No. 3 doubles match 8-3.  That was followed by another loss at No. 2 where senior Abid Akbar and sophomore Dmitry Perevoshchikov fell 8-4.  Since BYU had already clinched the point, the No. 1 doubles match with sophomore Cristobal Ramos Salazar and junior Jose Bendeck going against the No. 86 ranked combo of Patrick Kawka and Francis Sargeant went unfinished.

Without the doubles point, the Cougars needed to win three singles matches to secure the victory.  The Vandals, though, did not make it easy against the highest ranked opponent they have played this year.  Idaho nearly completed a comeback win thanks in large part to two Vandals who were able to end personal losing streaks.

Idaho dropped the first match of the day when Salazar lost at No. 4
to Keaton Cullimore.
Then sophomore Cesar Torres, who has lost his last seven matches, pulled out an impressive two-set win at No. 5 against Andrey Goryachkov.

Akbar, who has lost his last two singles matches, battled to win the first set 7-6(4), and then won the second set 6-3 to secure the point.

Idaho coach Jeff Beaman said he was glad to see Akbar playing with renewed confidence after struggling lately.

“Abid had the court presence he hadn’t had in a while, beating a very good player,” Beaman said.

Perevoshchikov nearly upset No. 42 ranked Kawka at No. 1.  After losing the first set, Perevoshchikov, who dealt with cramps during the match, forced a third set after winning the second set 7-5.  He lost the third 6-3.

Bendeck, last week’s WAC men’s tennis player of the week after going 3-0 in singles and doubles, continued his stellar play while taking over the No. 3 spot for Cirstea.  He pulled out a three-set win against Sargeant to force the tie-breaker between Pearce and Krijanto.  Unfortunately for Idaho, Pearce was too much for Krijanto and the Cougars escaped with the win.

While preparing for this match, Beaman said Idaho needed a complete effort from everyone in the lineup.  He said that despite losing four matches, that effort was showcased in singles.

“Everybody in singles put out great performances,” Beaman said.

Idaho will need to maintain that effort when they play for WAC Tournament seeding this weekend.  The Vandals have two conference matches, one against Texas-San Antonio on Friday, April 19, and another against Denver on Sunday ,April 21.  Both UTSA and Denver are undefeated in conference play.

Beaman said Idaho will be a top three seed in the conference depending on how they do in those matches.  His team’s goal is to earn at least a two seed because the top two teams get a bye during the first day of the tournament, which takes place April 26-28 in Denver.

Anthony Kuipers can be reached at arg-sports@uidaho.edu

Steven Devine | Argonaut
Kris Olugbode reads the defense during Idaho’s third spring scrimmage Saturday morning in the Kibbie Dome. Idaho’s offense
outscored its defense 60-6 Saturday after the defense dominated the team’s second scrimmage. The Vandals will close out their spring
slate Friday for the Silver and Gold scrimmage at 6 p.m. Friday in the Kibbie Dome.

The 10-touchdown mark has been Petrino’s standard for the offense throughout spring ball, as well as the number of scores it would need to finalize each scrimmage. Olugbode, fellow tailback Jerrel Brown and quarterback Chad Chalich did so in timely fashion Saturday in the Kibbie Dome, outscoring the defense 60-6 during the last scrimmage before Friday’s Silver and Gold game.
In comparison to the team’s second scrimmage, when the defense had a leg up and managed 18 points of its own, the offense produced a much-improved effort, allowing four less turnovers while thriving on the big play.
“Generally, we’re going to go until we get 10 touchdowns, so how many plays it takes to get to those is usually who won,” Petrino said. “Last week it took 175, I think this week it took 120 so that means the offense played a little better.”
The offensive onslaught commenced with a 17-yard pass from Chalich to Maurice Trotter and continued when Brown ran in from nine yards out. Taylor Davis connected with Roman Runner for 55 and 17-yard touchdown heaves before the offensive coordinator pulled from his bag of tricks, sending receiver Marquan Major into the backfield. Chalich snapped the ball, handed off to Major who snaked around to the sideline and sprinted 60 yards into the end zone.
Idaho’s redshirt freshman quarterback from Coeur d’Alene upped the ante during scrimmage number three after having thrown three interceptions and fumbling three more times during the second scrimmage.
Chalich completed 27 of his 40 attempts for 319 yards and two touchdowns, while not allowing a single turnover.
“Each week I’m going to get more confidence, this offense is going to get more confidence and keep getting better each week,” Chalich said. “I felt like I did alright, there’s always room for improvement but I did my best.”
Though the offense had a field day, the Vandal defense had reason to celebrate on a few occasions — first when defensive end D’Mario Carter came a few yards away from being the third defensive player to return an interception, picking off Davis and returning it for 84 yards before being dragged down short of the goal line.
Defensive end Maxx Forde would ensure the defense didn’t leave without a pick six when Forde snagged another of Davis’ pass out of the air and outran the offense 61 yards for the only defensive touchdown of the afternoon.
Carter also recovered an Addison Palomino-forced fumble on the 2-yard line midway through the scrimmage. Trey Williams and James Randall also accounted for one interception apiece, picking off Davis each time.
“Definitely felt in the first series we came out as a defense hard and aggressive, played pretty fast and flowed to the ball,” Carter said.
Jesse Davis continued to play on the offensive side of the ball, filling in on the shorthanded offensive line. Quarterback Austin DeCoud, who hasn’t taken a snap at his natural position since the team’s first scrimmage, played safety and wore the No. 21 jersey for the second consecutive scrimmage. Petrino said Davis will play on both sides of the ball come the fall season, and that DeCoud would continue to see time in the defensive secondary for the moment.
Idaho hosts the annual Silver and Gold scrimmage at 6 p.m Friday in the Kibbie Dome. The Vandals open up the fall season August 31 at North Texas.
Theo Lawson can be reached at arg-sports@uidaho.edu

“When I did use the male’s (restroom) there would be people that would harass me in school,” Robledo said in a story by KLEW. “I would feel really embarrassed and there were times when I found myself in a lot of dangerous situations.”

Despite the growing body of scientific research supporting the idea that transgendered individuals are “born this way,” as Lady GaGa would put it, and a normal functioning aspect of human sexual and gender identity, discrimination against transgendered individuals is startling and atrocious. A first-of-its kind survey aimed at uncovering the inequities and injustices transgender and gender non-conforming individuals face on a regular basis was published in 2011. Entitled “Injustice at Every Turn,” the survey was conducted by the National Center for Transgender Equality and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.

The results of that survey are astounding. Fifty-three percent of respondents reported being verbally harassed in a place of public accommodation, 22 percent were denied equal treatment by a government agency or official, 19 percent report being refused medical care because of their gender identity. Even more astounding is the 63 percent who experienced a “serious act of discrimination” based entirely upon their transgender or gender non-conforming status, including loss of job, eviction, bullying, physical assault, sexual assault, incarceration and more.

Not surprisingly, with such rampant rates of discrimination and abuse, a staggering 41 percent of transgender or gender non-conforming individuals reported attempting suicide, as compared to 1.6 percent of the general population.

“A male subject who was using the female restroom, and that made some women customers uncomfortable because of the appearance that a male was using their restroom,” said Lewiston Police Captain Roger Lanier in the same story by KLEW.

Except it wasn’t a male subject. It was a female subject. Robledo looks like a woman, has been living as a woman, and has even had the first stage of reconstructive surgery. She might not fit into the constrictive binary gender roles society has shoved upon us, but she’s a person with the same needs as any other person — including the need to use the bathroom once in awhile.

The only thing wrong, unhealthy or perverted about a transgender person using the restroom that matches their gender identity is the vitriolic attitude of cis-gendered people towards it. Unfortunately, our country is slow to catch up to the rights of these individuals, with only 13 states having laws that protect transgender people from discrimination in public accommodations. Not surprisingly, Idaho isn’t one of those states.
Discrimination and bigotry stem from a place of fear and hatred of what is unfamiliar and unknown. Rather than promulgating our closed-minded, socially constructed, heteronormative belief systems that are harmful to a large number of people in our society, let’s begin to recognize the damage our attitudes can inflict on them. Transgender and gender non-conforming individuals are just trying to live their life like everyone else, free of discrimination and harassment.

Put your bullying away and let the girl use the bathroom in peace.

Kaitlin Moroney can be reached at arg-opinion@uidaho.edu

Common Core is a system that sets new, federal standards for schools nationwide from kindergarten to grade 12. Common Core is a top-down system — though proponents like to argue otherwise — that was funded via stimulus money.

Since 2011, Idaho —like 44 other states — has been implementing Common Core. In the 2013-2014 school year, Idaho will completely implement it.

One of the many outstanding problems with this program is that it lowers academic standards, contrary to what proponents of the system would have you believe.

Common Core claims to raise standards to internationally benchmarked levels, yet there is no proof of this.

The Pioneer Institute, a non-partisan, privately funded research organization has done extensive research on Common Core and has been fighting against it since 2009. According to a May 2012 publication by the Pioneer Institute, “More objective analysts have concluded that in both English language arts and mathematics, the Common Core Standards are deficient.”

Educators and analysts across America have also come out against this program after having studied its content.

“Common Core’s standards not only present a serious threat to state and local education authority, but also put academic quality at risk. Pushing fatally flawed education standards into America’s schools is not the way to improve education for America’s students,” professor of education reform at the University of Arkansas Sandra Stotsky said,

According to Stotsky and the Pioneer Institute, Common Core will reduce literary study as it prioritizes informational and nonfictional texts as opposed to classic and complex literature. In fact, informational and non-fictional texts would become one of the largest portions of English classes from elementary to high school.

“A diminished emphasis on literature in the secondary grades makes it unlikely that American students will study a meaningful range of culturally and historically significant literary works before graduation,” Stotsky said, ”It also prevents students from acquiring a rich understanding and use of the English language. Perhaps of greatest concern, it may lead to a decreased capacity for analytical thinking.”

Additionally, mathematics professor, R. James Milgram of Stanford University, refused to accept the math standards because he believes they will set American students two years behind high-achieving countries. Citing a specific problem, Milgram made note that high school students would not reach calculus before graduation — bringing into question the preparedness of such students for college-level courses.

Common Core is bad news for everyone, but especially for young children. It will bring American education to an all-new low — an achievement in and of itself.

Common Core is nothing new to America’s ever-liberalized education system, but it is exposed and still vulnerable. Don’t accept these  terrible standards. Fight back so that Washington D.C. does not gain control of your children’s minds and education. Do not let Idaho’s school system wash down the drain with the rest of the country.

Andrew Jenson can be reached at arg-opinion@uidaho.edu

What’s $25 mil to a dude like Chris Hansen, can you please remind me? #GoSonics

—Sean

There’s hope

Finally have a job interview.

—Lindsey

Time is of the essence

I’ve really started to understand that saying in the past couple of weeks.

—Molly 

My condolences

My heart goes out to those who were injured and the families and friends of those who were killed in the Boston Marathon bombing Monday.

—Britt

25 days

I can’t decide if I’m excited or terrified.

—Katy

Journalist life

Watching live coverage of the Boston Marathon bombing made me realize how difficult a journalist’s job can be. To stand there in the midst of the chaos, injuries and panic and report what is happening to the rest of the country with that amount of calm is an incredible feat. Makes me proud to be in the field I am.

—Kaitlin

Pray for Boston

There’s no way to make sense of tragedies like the Boston Marathon bombing. The only thing we can do is support one another while we grieve and move forward. Praying for the lives lost, the people injured and all the families affected by the bombing.

—Elisa

Thinking about Boston

When watching the video from the Boston Marathon bombings, don’t pay attention to the plume of smoke or flash of the bomb — instead look at the people running toward the tragedy to help anyone in need. It’s just another example that no incident can break apart our nation.

—Madison

Like a champ

It took me two class periods to figure out I had my shirt on inside-out this morning. These things happen to everyone, right?

— Philip

Tomorrow always comes

The world is a frustrating, frightening and fascinating place. Don’t let the big things,  or the little things, weigh too much on your heart or tomorrow may be more difficult than it needs to be. That said, my heart is with the victims of the Boston Marathon explosion today.

—Kaitlyn

Black licorice

I bring it to production night because nobody likes it. Therefore I get it all to myself. I’m always thinking.

—Theo

Lost and Found

Hopefully there is still some good in the world.

—Amrah

Fan

Belle and Sebastian. I am a fan. That is all.

—Kasen

2-year-old at heart

I tuck my tie in.

—Dylan

Seventy-six percent of the budget deficit is the result from a drop in full-time student enrollment. The budget projections for the coming fiscal year are based on previous enrollment numbers, which assume UI won’t experience a decrease. Although overall enrollment increased — a fact President M. Duane Nellis regularly touts — the number of students paying full-time tuition and fees has dropped, contributing to the deficit.

UI is requesting a 5.9 percent tuition increase at the Idaho State Board of Education meeting Wednesday, and if the enrollment of full-time students remains the same, the university will receive revenue of $3.8 million in addition to an increase of $2.6 million in state funding. However, this additional money isn’t going to be used to hire new faculty, give current faculty and staff a pay raise or build new facilities — UI already has $228 million in deferred maintenance costs from the past 10 years. The tuition and state funding increases will only cover the bare minimum.

While UI is one of the most affordable flagship institutions in the nation, tuition has increased 128 percent since 2002. And if UI continues on this path, the cost of education will grow even more.

When projections fall short, despite the president’s assurance of university growth, and when the state spends only a pittance on higher education, students are the ones who take the fallback for the budgetary shortfalls.

Access to and paying for higher education is difficult enough as it is, even at one of the most affordable institutions in the nation. But if we keep going down this road, Idaho’s universities are going to see a large drop in the quality of their education and in the number of students who can afford to pay for college.

It’s a message that by now should be hammered home: Idaho needs to make education a state funding priority.

— KM

Michelle Wilson, Madison Farley, Chalayne Hoagland and Laura Monroe of the Lactation Resources Committee hold the red ribbon for the unveiling of a lactation room Apr. 11. The room, 201-A, is located on the second floor of the Education building.

UI students Michelle Wilson, Laura Monroe, Madison Farley and Chalayne Hoagland have been working with Human Resources to implement the lactation rooms for a class project.

Hoagland said they currently have three rooms becoming available, one in the College of Education, one in the Women’s Center and a third in the Student Rec Center. The College of Education lactation room 209A opened at 4 p.m. on April 11 with a ribbon cutting ceremony.

“(The College of Education was) the first building on campus that has a lactation room, so we are just kind of congratulating them for being the first building on campus,” Hoagland said.

The United States is one of the few developed countries that does not mandate paid maternity leave for working women, which presents challenges for mothers who wish to breastfeed their children, according to the International Labor Organization.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Healthcare Act passed in 2010 aimed to combat some of these challenges and mandated that employers provide “reasonable break time for an employee to express breast milk for her nursing child for one year after the child’s birth each time such employee has need to express the milk.” The PPAHA also mandated employers provide a room other than a bathroom that is shielded from view and available whenever a woman needs it.

Brandi Terwilliger with UI Human Resources said that while they are only required to provide one lactation room, they wanted to designate more.

“We felt like in that the campus is so large that we really need to look at different locations throughout campus so people can get to those locations within that reasonable break time and get back to work,” Terwilliger said.

Between the time the healthcare reform was passed in 2010 and now, Terwilliger said there is really no way to know if there was a need for designated lactation rooms.

“A lot of people have offices or locations where they can do it,” Terwilliger said. “We have no way of gauging what the need has been. We’re happy to provide it and are looking for more.”

Wilson stated the lactation rooms while are primarily intended for staff and faculty, they are also available for student use. Room 209A in the College of Education is available for use as of Wednesday and the other rooms will be available soon, according to Wilson. In order to guarantee privacy, a key checkout system is utilized.

Kaitlin Moroney can be reached at arg-news@uidaho.edu

Christian said she expects entertaining commencement and keynote speakers, but that rarely happens.

Last year General James F. Amos, the U.S. Marine Corps Commandant, gave the commence speech at the University of Idaho May commencement ceremony.

“He was a good one,” she said. “He was hilarious and many people wanted to see him speak.”

Sanjay Sisodiya,  chair of the Commencement Committee at UI, said they look for someone who has ties to the university.

He said getting Amos last year was great, as he was a UI alumnus who also was in command of the Marine Corps.

One of the reasons the committee tries to find an alumnus to give the speech, is because the graduating students can connect with them right away because they went to the same university, Sisodiya said.

He said they do not always try to get big names because they would rather have the speaker connect with the students.

Also, the committee looks for people who have different stories to tell.

“We look for someone who has a unique story to tell to the students,” Sisodiya said. “Because (the speech is) meant to be inspiring.”

This year the commencement address will be given by independent film producer Jim Lemley, he said.

Lemley graduated from the College of Business and Economics and has worked in the music and film industry.

“He has a great personal story,” Sisodiya said.

He said Lemley has done a great deal of work and has been successful on his own merit, and that people find that success exciting.

The Commencement Committee solicits names for commencement speakers for May from different colleges and other parts of UI, Sisodiya said.

From that list, they review the names and then submit a shorter list to the president’s office and they choose from there, he said.

He said  Lemley has multiple ties to UI and he is excited to hear him speak.

Lemley  worked at Island Records, Disney, Universal Studios and Icon productions before he became an independent producer.

“I think it will be a good speech,” Sisodiya said. “We have been really lucky to get good commencement speakers, and lucky to maintain that trend.”

Christian said she is looking forward to the whole ceremony, and has faith that this commencement speaker will be good.

Allison Griffith can be reached at arg-news@uidaho.edu

Andrew Nikiforuk, a Calgary-based journalist and author, speaks at the 2013 Oil/Tar Sands Speaker Series April 4 in the Agricultural Sciences building auditorium. The series included visits from three Canadian experts who discussed the issue of petroleum extraction from Alberta’s oil/tar sands. The last presentation in the series will take place Wednesday April 17 in the Agricultural Science building auditorium.

Jakob Magolan, chair of the Washington-Idaho Border Section of the American Chemical Society, helped arrange a three-part speaker series to inform the community on this rising environmental issue. The first two have passed, but the final presentation will occur at 6 p.m. Apr. 17 in the University of Idaho Agricultural Sciences Building auditorium.

Magolan said the Alberta oil sands seem to have reinvigorated a lethargic North American attitude on global warming.

“The climate movement has always been going, but it hasn’t been in mainstream news in a long time, and I think in the last year or so this pipeline has revived it,” Magolan said. “It’s on the president’s table.”

The Keystone XL pipeline — a transportation system for Alberta’s crude oil proposed by North American energy company TransCanada — will stretch from Alberta to Nebraska pending Obama’s presidential permit approval, with an extension into Texas upon construction. According to TransCanada, the system could pump 830,000 barrels of oil daily to refineries across the American Midwest and Gulf Coast.

Magolan said the entire oil sands mining operation creates a significant climate change concern. The cost in natural gas energy to access the oil is high, he said, and the mining procedures release a notable degree of carbon from the earth.

“Compared to what’s mined in the Middle East, or what was mined in Texas, this is a much more energy-intensive project,” Magolan said.

Don Thompson, executive adviser for Canadian Oil Sands Ltd., will offer a pro-mining perspective at the Apr. 17 lecture.

Thompson said the question isn’t whether we use oil, but from where we obtain it, and the United States’ alternative options — Iran, Iraq, Venezuela and others — come with more questionable environmental records than its northern neighbors.

“You’re better off getting (oil) from Canada, whose business practices, human rights legislation and environmental regulations are similar to those in the U.S.,” Thompson said.

The safest and most effective way to transport oil is by pipeline, Thompson said, and U.S. energy and lifestyle needs demand a supply that surpasses the capabilities of alternative energy forms like solar power. Canada is the biggest supplier of U.S. oil by a margin of a million barrels per day, and the cross-border oil sands industry provides significant assets in the form of U.S. jobs and GDP. Environmental stability is also an important factor and he said he wants to take a holistic approach to the issue.

“I’m coming here to speak to the community in order (for people) to understand that all issues need balance,” Thompson said.

Magolan said the recent rupture of the ExxonMobil pipeline beneath Mayflower, Ark., which flooded the city with oil and caused multiple home evacuations, poses a threat to the XL proposal.

“That could be the final nail in the coffin for the big XL pipeline,” Magolan said. “The visuals are so powerful, to see oil running in a suburban neighborhood, just with the street full of it.”

He said in a culture in which the typical consumer doesn’t feel empowered to make any significant environmental impact through small efforts like recycling and alternative transportation, the oil sands mining operations and the XL pipeline have created a practical focus for climate-centered efforts.

Magolan said while the Alberta oil is environmentally dirty, he doesn’t have a particular opinion on the oil sands issue because he isn’t sure where the lines should be drawn. The WIBS-ACS can act as an arbiter for this conversation, he said, because the organization wants to provide education to the public with credible, respected representatives from all sides of the argument.

“Even though we’re a pretty small community, arguably in the middle of nowhere, we’re getting some authorities on this issue,” Magolan said. “So it’d be good to have an audience to hear them out.”

 Matt Maw can be reached at arg-news@uidaho.edu

The Western Athletic Conference has honored junior tennis player Jose Bendeck as its player of the week.

During last week’s match play Bendeck helped the Vandals win their20th match of the season by going 3-0 against Texas-Arlington, Oklahoma State and Sacramento State.

“Jose has really made some huge strides with his game this spring and he really earned this player of the week award,” Idaho coach Jeff Beaman said. “He has stepped up his singles game to a new level, winning high in the line-up after Marius’ injury, and he and Cristobal have continued to be a dominant doubles team.”

Kyle Barone shines in Portsmouth 

Senior Kyle Barone competed Thursday evening in the Portsmouth Invitational, a scouting tournament for collegiate seniors. Barone competed on the eight-man Cherry Bekaert team, defeating Sales Systems, LTD 81-74.

Barone collected 11 rebounds, 4 offensive, and scored 8 points in 25 minutes of action. He struggled early from the field but heated up late in the game, scoring half of his points in the final three minutes of action — Including one bucket a 19-foot jump shot.

Barone’s team will be back in action Friday night at 6:00 p.m. PDT against Roger Browns Restaurant.

The tournament takes the top 64 senior basketball players from the nation, breaking them into teams to showcase their talents.

Barone, who finished his Vandal basketball career as the best post player in school history, and was ranked  No. 14 in efficiency by the Hollinger NCAA Division 1 Basketball Efficiency rankings last week, is hoping to impress scouts and get a shot at the NBA.

“We had a basketball hoop in our driveway and that’s where it all started,” Barone said. “Having an older brother helped me because when he had games I would go and watch. He helped me get a head start on it because I was always playing with him and older people. It started from a young age and I knew what I wanted to be.”

Cycling competes at UW

The University of Idaho’s club cycling team competed in the University of Washington’s omnium race last weekend.

Seven racers represented the Idaho team in all four divisions with two riders racing in the A division.

The races are divided into different categories so that riders of every skill level face relatively similar competition.

Neal Joslyn placedNo. 4 in the Men’s A Criterium, a race held on a small enclosed track usually about 1 mile long.

Jenna MacPherson placed fifth in the Women’s A Road Race, Andi Oden had a seventh-place finish in the Women’s B Criterium, Nick Stroud finished ninth in the Men’s C

Criterium, Nick Stroud finished ninth in the Men’s C Criterium, Caleb Bertch finished 14th in the Men’s C Criterium, Trevor Glynn finished 16th in the Men’s D Criterium and Yusen Lin finished 20th in the same race.

The UI team will head to Bozeman, Mont., this weekend to compete and return to Moscow to host the Northwest Collegiate Cycling Conference Championships (NWCCC) during April20-21.

Lacrosse to host Mom’s Weekend events

The Idaho club lacrosse team will be selling tickets for its Mom’s Weekend fundraiser, which will take place during an April 20 game against Washington State University. During its game against the University of Washington Sunday on the SprinTurf, the team will sell raffle tickets, with those proceeds going to the lacrosse program. Those who purchase tickets will have an opportunity to earn a number of prizes on Mom’s Weekend, including a golf weekend at the Riverhouse Resort in Central Oregon.

The team will also sell Idaho Lacrosse mini frisbees for $5 throughout next week. During halftime of the April 20 game against Washington State, those who have bought frisbees will get a chance to toss them into a circle on the field. The participant with the throw that lands closest to the circle will earn a $300 gift certificate to Les Schwab.

Volleyball begins spring play with WSU, Gonzaga

The Idaho volleyball team will open up its spring schedule Saturday, when the Vandals host regional foes Washington State and Gonzaga at 9 a.m. at Memorial Gym. After advancing to the WAC Tournament championship game last fall, the Vandals return seven letter-winners and one redshirt, including All-WAC first teamer Alyssa Schultz, as well as All-WAC freshman team honoree Katelyn Peterson. Idaho’s first match, against WSU, is set to start at 9 a.m. before the Vandals meet the Zags at 10:45 a.m. Rounding out its spring schedule, Idaho will play Gonzaga in Spokane on April 20, before concluding it on April 27, when the Vandals visit the University of Portland.

Though it boasts alums like Earl Monroe, John Stockton and Scottie Pippen, the PIT is no longer the place to see the next Kobe Bryant or Kevin Durant. As blue collar professional basketball goes, the PIT is probably its epitome. Eight teams of eight college seniors, all with résumés more than 99 percent of the basketball playing world envies, will perform drills, but most importantly played a handful of games before NBA, NBDL and international scouts during the next couple of days. All 64 seniors seeking to leave an impression they have likely not yet made — the reason they came to Portsmouth in the first place.

Most occupations have annual career fairs anyone can attend in any region as often as you please. For all the luxuries of professional athletics, multiple career fairs is not one. If you’re playing in Portsmouth, chances are you’re not yet on the radar of many teams. So you’re not playing for a spot in the 2013 NBA Draft yet, but for the chance to earn invitations to individual workouts — which mostly take place in groups. Most participants enter and exit as NBA longshots, though success stories like Kyle O’Quinn from 2012 — a second-round pick for the Orlando Magic who earned a roster spot — still exist.

Going into PIT, Kyle Barone fits the profile of its average participant. NBAdraft.net and Draftexpress.com have yet to create Barone’s profile pages, few fans outside the Western Athletic Conference have heard his name, and no national publications covering PIT mention him as a player to watch. According to Barone, he has no individual workouts scheduled prior to PIT’s commencement. As far as 6-foot-10 conference players of the year go, it’s impossible to beat Barone’s national invisibility.

There’s reason to believe his anonymity will not last. A potential critique of Barone’s NBA potential has points he’ll need to dispel at the PIT — less perceived potential due to his age (23), at 6-foot-10 and 220 lbs according to ESPN.com, he’ll have to prove he’s both tough and athletic enough for NBA posts. Though not a fault of his own, no collegiate evidence of three-point range exists, and posts are increasingly expected to make deeper and deeper jump shots.

Despite questions he’ll have to answer, Barone more than earned his PIT invite. He has the size of an NBA power forward or overseas center, and improved statistically each season, with the biggest jump coming during his senior season. Barone upped his points per game average from 12.9 to 17.2 and his rebounds per game from eight to 9.7 despite putting up only 1.2 more shots and playing 1.2 more minutes per game. His free-throw percentage went from 63.9 to 78.2 percent, while his attempts went up almost two per game. In short, Barone became a dramatically more efficient player, ranking 14 in ESPN.com’s Player Efficiency Rating, ahead of future lottery picks like Indiana’s Victor Oladipo (18), UNLV’s Anthony Bennett (24), Georgetown’s Otto Porter (25) and Kentucky’s Nerlens Noel (39).

A self-described “late bloomer,” Barone looks like a player with some untapped potential who remains anonymous more for where he played than anything else.

Teaming with Texas A & M’s Elsen Turner, UNLV’s Anthony Marshall, Miami’s Durand Scott, Oregon’s E.J. Singler, Indiana’s Jordan Hulls, Ole Miss’ Murphy Holloway and Clemson’s Devin Booker, Barone’s future lies in the outcome of a job fair with stakes few can comprehend and fewer will ever experience. I wish him the best.

Brian Marceau can be reached at arg-sports@uidaho.edu

File photo by Theo Lawson | Argonaut
Senior linebacker Matt Willis makes a tackle during Idaho’s second spring scrimmage on April 6. Willis is one of a few returning linebackers from 2012 and joins a group of four junior college transfers competing for starting positions during spring practice, under new linebackers coach Mike Anderson.

The former Idaho linebacker and Lewiston native was one of Petrino’s first hires, tapping Anderson to oversee his linebackers. Prior to returning to northern Idaho, Anderson spent four years as a graduate assistant and defensive assistant under Steve Sarkisian at Washington.

“It’s a lot of fun, it’s fun to be back here, a lot of memories, but at the same time it’s good to come back and work hard and take the next step and everyday try to get better with the team,” Anderson said.

Anderson worked his way up the coaching ladder at Washington, assisting with game planning and strength training during the 2012 season, but when the call from Petrino came it proved too good to pass up.

“I was very excited, I’d heard a lot about coach Petrino throughout my career, I knew a lot about him, and for him to want me to be on his staff was a great honor,” Anderson said. “Also to be at my alma mater was very exciting.”

Anderson returns to Idaho with a challenge in front of him, not only because the program has only won three games the last two seasons, but because the linebacking core doesn’t return a single starter.

Junior college transfers have filled the void during spring ball, with competition heating up as every starting spot is up for grabs.

“It’s been awesome, a lot of competing, I love the competition, coming from junior college the competition is way different, but if feels good to be over here,” junior Eric Tuipulotu said.

Tuipulotu has been one of the standout performers for Idaho at the position this spring, amassing six tackles in Idaho’s latest scrimmage. He’ll likely garner some playing time at outside linebacker come fall.

Returners at the position such as Matt Willis have had to step up from their reserve roles last season, now competing for starting spots. He said it hasn’t been that much of a challenge meshing with the new guys despite the competition.

“It really hasn’t been very challenging for me with the new guys, everything has been great, we fit in very well, we all hangout afterward, from that aspect not really much,” Willis said.

Despite the new faces, they’re all on the same page when it comes to the defensive scheme, Anderson said.

“The good thing about it too is us being a new staff, everybody got a fresh start anyway and everybody was on new footing in that way, even the returners, everybody is learning something new,” Anderson said.

Still, the challenge is getting the new faces to come together and play with chemistry, a problem that other defensive groups, such as the defensive line, shouldn’t have as much of a problem with.

“The new challenge always when you’re bringing in a
lot of guys is getting them to mesh and having leaders rise up in the group, so that’s been my biggest challenge is getting guys to step up and be leaders and realize they can be,” Anderson said. “I think we’re getting there, I think we’re taking steps everyday. We’re leading by example everyday.”

Sean Kramer can be reached at arg-sports@uidaho.edu

Jesse Hart | Argonaut
Family Promise of the Palouse, a non-profit organization that helps homeless families, has been given a space in the Martin Wellness Center. It will be used as the administrative office and a daytime home for Family Promise participants.

Family Promise is a non-profit organization that aims to end homelessness on the Palouse one family at a time, said Bruce Pitman, University of Idaho dean of students and president of the Board of Directors for Family Promise.
“There are 12 to 14 families a week that ask for some form of assistance,” Pitman said. “On the Palouse, we have Sojourners’ Alliance and now Family Promise.”
Sojurners’ Alliance is another non-profit that offers long-term housing assistance to at-risk and homeless people in the area. It and Family Promise fill the gaps in each other’s services, said Steve Bonnar, executive director of Sojourners’ Alliance.
“Twenty-nine percent of people who reside in Moscow live in poverty,” Bonnar said. “Latah County is third in the state of Idaho for poverty ridden families.”
Partnered with 25 churches between Moscow and Pullman, Family Promise currently provides immediate shelter to homeless families. Now, the Day Center will give these families an address, a shower and a computer as they regain their financial footing, Pitman said.
The churches that host Family Promise guests are only able to house them between 5 p.m. and 7 a.m. daily. The lease agreement with Gritman for the Wellness Center will give these families a place to spend their days until they have a more permanent option, Pitman said.
“Families who will participate in the program do have to go through an application process,” Pitman said. “It simply deals with a few basic questions. To qualify, you have to be an adult with a child.”
Though there is no income caste, the family must prove that they are homeless and demonstrate a willingness to work with a caseworker to address some issues that may have contributed to this homelessness, Pitman said.
Despite homelessness, many Family Promise guests are employed and go to work during the day, Pitman said. But this program allows them to have a safe place to sleep for seven to eight weeks — enough time to earn first and last month’s rent on a more stable home.
Family Promise is funded completely by grants, fundraisers and personal donations. Most importantly, the heart of the program is volunteers, Pitman said.
In fact, Family Promise would not be sustainable were it not for the volunteer work and generosity of citizens on the Palouse, Pitman said.
This generosity is exemplified by Gritman Medical Center and the churches who are participating. Gritman will only charge Family Promise $500 per month for the Wellness Center space, said Pitman, and he hopes to reach a two-year lease agreement.
“This model requires broad community support,” Pitman said. “We rely on volunteers.”
Those who wish to contribute to lasting independence for poverty ridden families are encouraged to sign up on the Family Promise website — familypromisepalouse.org — or are welcome to call Pitman directly. Pitman said he has talked to several students who express their interest in working on issues with local homelessness.
“This is both Moscow and Pullman,” Pitman said. “We’re all constantly seeking support from both campuses.”
Bonnar and Pitman both said they hope to help every person living in poverty on the Palouse – 1,446 children in Latah County have been identified as “food insecure,” which means that they do not get enough to eat every day, Bonnar said. Whitman County has a similar amount.
“That’s an incredible number,” Bonnar said. “These issues aren’t going away. They’re getting worse.”
Bonnar said he approached Mayor Cheney about the issue of poverty two and a half years ago, and thus began the Poverty Forum on the Palouse. Pitman and Bonnar are both community members who aim to rid the Palouse of poverty through their programs and this forum.
“There’s a medical clinic that will serve low-income families, our help for families who need a place to stay and employment job training,” Bonnar said. “We’re looking at how to make it easier to help people who need it the most.”
There are 180 Family Promise programs nationally. Bonnar has been helping Family Promise in any way it needs, especially by sharing his knowledge.
Bonnar said he hopes to get students aware of and active in these issues of poverty, hunger and homelessness.
“One of the things Bruce and I have talked about is mutual fundraising,” Bonnar said. “And how do we galvanize and stimulate blossoming social action in students?”
Alycia Rock can be reached at arg-news@uidaho.edu

Steven Devine | Argonaut
Campus security patrols campus Thursday near the Idaho Commons. Before 2010 the University of Idaho relied on the Moscow Police Department to patrol the campus, but a deal with AlliedBarton allowed for additional security in order to help keep the students and the campus community safe.

Instead of sticking out like a sore thumb in highlighter green, the employees of private security company AlliedBarton now wear Vandal gold, a symbol of their integration into the campus community.
“It took them a year or so to get acquainted with campus, get acquainted with our needs and build relationships, principally with Moscow PD but also with other stakeholders on campus,” Dean of Students Bruce Pitman said. “I think that the relationship has become positive and useful.”
When AlliedBarton was brought in three years ago to supplement the security efforts of the Moscow Police Department, Pitman said many in the community wondered if unarmed security personnel with no law enforcement powers were necessary.
Prior to Oct. 1, 2010, MPD had been the primary security force on campus since 1966, but a new $1.3 million contract created an MPD-AlliedBarton security hybrid.
For $937,715 a year, MPD continues to investigate criminal activity, dedicate specific “campus” officers and maintain its office in the Idaho Commons. AlliedBarton’s $385,291-annual contract focuses on a 24/7 presence to deter crime and property damage through patrols of the 300 acres and 250 buildings at UI.
While the largest private American-owned security firm provides security to campuses nationwide, including Stanford, Yale and the University of Chicago, UI acclimated slowly to the folks in fluorescent shirts. However, by identifying themselves as “campus security” and not AlliedBarton, reaching out to community members and responding to university instruction, they’re now a campus fixture.
“Our relationship with them has matured in a positive way,” Pitman said. “AlliedBarton provides another important layer of safety, another layer of information we might not otherwise have.“
Allied Barton’s role
For UI Executive Director of Public Safety and Security Matt Dorschel, who acts as the primary liaison between Allied Barton and UI, campus security is more a wagging finger than Billy club.
“We don’t want them to be enforcers of policy. Their goal is to make a safe, secure campus,” he said. “I get a lot of positive feedback.”
MPD continues to handle criminal activities and roughly the same number of calls, but the perception of an increased presence has made campus more secure, Lieutenant Dave Lehmitz, who oversees the campus division of MPD, said.
“We still deal with the same things as before,” he said. “The biggest thing that’s changed is more eyes out there.”
The visible deterrence of yellow shirts roaming campus has helped curtail graffiti and other activities that damage property like slack-lining on university trees.
“Campus is really clean just thanks to their presence,” Patrice McDaniel, assistant director of emergency management and security services, said.
Depending on the day, anywhere from one to five full-time or part-time AlliedBarton employees are walking campus — most UI alums — acting as a buffer between students and MPD.
“They act as a conduit between students and the Moscow Police Department — to avoid police involvement … for things that don’t require police attention,” McDaniel said.
McDaniel and Dorschel have both noticed an effect especially in the Greek community.
“We recognize that Greek row is (problematic),” he said. “At first there was a lot of distrust, they didn’t want (security) anywhere near their houses.”
Campus security networked with the Greeks through in-house presentations to destigmatize their presence and help reduce open-container violations and minor-in-possession tickets on Greek row.
Dorschel emphasizes AlliedBarton officers use common sense instead of strict policy enforcement to help deter questionable activities.
“If you reach out in a nice way, a regular way, that’s a lot more effective,” he said.
Campus security also provides a variety of services to UI students, including help with car problems — jump starts and flat repair — and the “Safe Walk” program, something Pitman said he appreciates.
“We had worried for many years about providing some nighttime safety escort or safety walk experience,” he said. “They said ‘yeah, we’ll do that.’”
By calling Safe Walk, students and faculty can have a pair of campus security officers walk them home, no questions asked.
Extra services and the extra effort from campus security officers have made campus more secure, Dorschel said.
“The thing that I’m most satisfied with is the leadership in place,” he said. “It’s really changed campus for the better.”

The Idaho hybrids
Outside of Idaho, college students usually deal with a campus police force. Idaho is different.
“It was determined that state law didn’t give universities the ability to contract their own police force,” Dorschel said.
This interpretation of the state statute makes it difficult to compare Idaho institutions with those in other states, but even within the state, each university’s approach is unique to its circumstances.
Instead of the hybrid approach for the 11,464 students in Moscow, Steve Chatterton, the director of public safety at Idaho State University, utilizes the school’s law enforcement program to provide a steady stream of trained security officers to protect the 11,574 students on its Pocatello campus.
“We have a close working relationship with the Pocatello Police,” he said.
Despite the lack of a contract, the two share a common database.
The security forces at ISU are university employees, many working toward a career in law enforcement. While they are not sworn, firearm-carrying officers, public safety officers can make citizen’s arrests and detain suspects.
Tucked away in farm country, Chatterton said Pocatello avoids “metropolitan” influence and the increased criminal activity of big cities.
“We’ve been really lucky here, we are away from that kind of thing,” Chatterton said. “But we’re not immune … We’re growing and things are always changing.”
It is a different situation for Boise State University Executive Director of Campus Security and Police Services John Uda.
“We’re totally surrounded by the city of Boise,” Uda said. “We all try to do the right thing, in our case it’s working with Boise police.”
At least one of the seven full-time Boise Police Department officers is always on campus patrolling and they respond in much the same way Moscow police.  But unlike MPD, the BPD officers make rounds in the residence halls and provide security escorts on campus, streamlining some of the communication.
“Everybody responding is from one agency, that’s a positive,” Uda said.

The numbers
The Clery Act requires institutions nation-wide to track criminal activity on their campuses, statistics everyone involved in UI security are well aware of.
Violent crimes, arrests and referrals for disciplinary action are all tracked, and failure to report any incident costs the violating university $35,000.
Discerning the effect of AlliedBarton’s arrival on campus though, like finding any pattern in the Clery Act statistics, is murky territory.
“It’s hard to use the data,” he said.
He said taking credit for certain statistics is a shaky assumption.
Comparing UI to other institutions in Idaho or across the country is difficult, Dorschel said, because of the unique situations at each campus. A school’s population, location and demographics — private versus public, affluent versus poor — are all factors.  High crime rates could represent more law enforcement than a dangerous campus, as numbers fluctuate as security forces crack down on specific problems. Some years are just worse than others, making trends especially difficult to spot when there may be only one or two incidents of a particular crime like arson per year. Plus, a report is only a report, not a conviction.
“I think we have a pretty safe campus, especially when we are talking about violent crime,” Dorschel said, and the 2009-2011 numbers support his claim.
According to the Department of Education database, UI was on par with the 133 other four-year institutions with student populations between 10,000 and 14,999. From 2009-2011, 13 sexually based offenses were reported at UI compared to a 7.7 average at comparable institutions. UI had 44 burglaries in those three years, four more than the national average, but UI is no different than other schools when it comes to robbery, arson, motor vehicle theft and aggravated assault.
Other universities in Idaho fit generally into the same trend of safety. In the same three-year period, Idaho State University had seven sex offenses and Boise State despite its larger population — 17,600 on the Boise campus in 2011 — had nine. ISU and BSU were near or below national averages in the other violent crime categories.
Colleges being famous havens for partying, the largest number violations at any institution involve alcohol.
UI’s 331 and ISU’s 162 referrals for campus disciplinary action for liquor law violations — MIP/MIC tickets, etc. — are lower than the national average of 563 referrals at similar institutions from 2009-2011. BSU’s 835 is more difficult to assess considering the nearly 6,000 more students in Boise in 2011 than were in Moscow or Pocatello, but BSU’s 2011 rate of referral for liquor law violations per 100 students was 4.7 compared to UI’s 2.9 and ISU’s 1.4.
Arrests for liquor law violations are a completely different story. In 2011, UI had 155 arrests versus only 64 at ISU and 41 at BSU, with the national average at 110 arrests for schools with 10,000-14,999 students.

A secure future
Herein lies the problem for assessing AlliedBarton’s influence since arriving on campus in 2010. The total number of sex offenses reported in 2011, 6 forcible, was the same as in 2010, 3 forcible and 3 non-forcible. There were 85 more liquor law referrals, but 10 less arrests in 2011.
The numbers can only tell part of the story, and with the AlliedBarton’s contract expiring on June 30, 2014, UI officials will have to come up with a way to evaluate campus security’s performance.
This does not mean security will remain stagnant until then.
“Our work around safety issues is becoming more sophisticated every month,” Pitman said. “We’re devoting an incredible amount of energy to making sure we are analyzing risks and responding appropriately in a timely way. Every month we get better at it.”
The university will also have to assess if what they are spending on security is worth it.
“The other hard decision that institutions have to make is how much resource are you putting into it relative to the risk,” Pitman, said.
The two task forces formed this semester examining how university addresses substance abuse and its interactions with its Greek community will play their own part in shaping security at UI, but it’s an inexact science.
“Not every situation is going to be resolved happily. You can do your work perfectly and it can still have a bad outcome,” Pitman, who is leading both task forces, said. “This is all about tilting the odds in your favor as much as you can tilt them.”
Dylan Brown can be reached at arg-news@uidaho.edu

hayden crosby | rawr
Travis Gray rehearses his lines for his role of Orsino and Cory Williamson practices playing the ukulele for his role as Feste for William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. University of Idaho Theatre will perform at 7:30 p.m. in the Hartung Theater, during Moms Weekend April 19-21.

The theater department does a Shakespeare play once every couple of years, and it’s always a great experience for the students, director and theater professor Chris DuVal said.
“It’s a terrific opportunity that we give ourselves at least once a couple of years” DuVal said. “It requires so much of the actors, emotionally, physically, intellectually and vocally. It’s such a valuable experience just from what we all learn by doing these plays.”
To play a Shakespeare role takes so much as a performer because it is so challenging in so many aspects, Emily Nash-Gray, who plays Maria in the production, said.
“Shakespeare is like a marathon … you have to be in shape in all aspects of the work, you have to be physically in shape and technically in shape. You have to be constantly working on your craft, but then you also have to be working on you as a person and your inspiration and where all those things come from that feed your creative spirit,” she said.
The classic Shakespeare comedy follows a tale of mistaken identities, sensual romance and love-struck characters.
“It’s a play about what it’s like to lose love, what is love, what is love between a man and a woman but also what is it to be in connection with another human being,” DuVal said. “I think the pieces of humanity that the play explores are all pieces that young students are able to connect with well.”
One of the most known challenges of a Shakespeare play is the dense language that can sometimes be hard to understand for audiences and a bit off-putting at times, DuVal said.
“My first time ever reading Shakespeare was in high school, and being very apprehensive about it. Like ‘oh my gosh, I don’t want to touch this’ but after reading it, you could start to eek out some sense … but actually preforming it is a very dense language,” Travis Gray, who plays Duke Orsino in the production, said.
Along with the challenge of Shakespearian language there is also the challenge of collaborating with multiple different groups within the theater department to put it into one show.
“Each of the designers: the costume designer, set designer, lighting designer, sound designer, make-up designer and the actors are all working in collaboration with the director” DuVal said.
The production of Twelfth Night is an adaptation taken from the Oregon Shakespeare Festival DuVal has been a part of for years, and he brings so much experience to the production, Nash said.
“We couldn’t be in better hands with (Chris). He knows this stuff inside and out, from his years of graduate study to his years at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Just learning and working and developing his own process and being able to bring it here it just makes us greater.”
Ryan Tarinelli can be reached at arg-arts@uidaho.edu

The tournament was scheduled to be a three-round competition, but the competition was cut to 36 holes after day one’s second round was cancelled because of windy conditions on the course.

Gonzaga won the tournament, shooting a 574, with Colorado coming in second six strokes back at 582. Tulsa and St. Mary’s tied for third at 582.

Despite his team coming in at 14th, UC Santa Barbara’s Glen Scher took home the individual medal, shooting a 138, which was the only sub-par performance of the tournament. Tulsa’s Logan McCracken and St. Mary’s Mac McClung and Jonathan De Los Reyes tied for second just two strokes back of Scher.

The Vandals were in in 17th place after the first day, shooting 312. The Vandals recovered on the second day to shoot a 281 and climb into a tie for ninth with Colorado State.

Idaho had two players in the top 20 in sophomores Sean McMullen and Zach Wanderscheid, who finished in 19th. The pair had identical scores, shooting a 76 on day one and 70 on day two. Sophomore Aaron Cockerill finished in 33rd for Idaho and freshman Dylan Baker finished in 72nd.

Senior Gordon Webb, who has been Idaho’s best player this spring, finishing in sixth the last time out at the Desert Shootout, struggled in this tournament, coming in at 105th. Webb shot an 85 in round one and managed to trim 11 stokes off his second for a 74 in round two, but it wasn’t enough to climb out of the hole of his first round.

The Vandals will have one last tune-up before the WAC Tournament, when they travel to Sacramento for the Winchester Classic, which runs April 19-20. The Vandals will then shift their focus to the WAC Championship, which will take place April 29- May 1 in Las Vegas.

Kevin Bingaman can be reached at arg-sports@uidaho.edu

Victoria Lozano and Almudena Sanz won once again at No. 1 doubles, beating their opponent 8-4. Lozano has now won nine consecutive doubles wins, leading the team in the category. Lozano is undefeated in the last two matches this time with another win in singles, defeating Gonzaga sophomore Katie Edwards, 6-1, 7-5.

The Vandals followed Lozano’s singles victory with wins from Sanz, Constance Alexander and Beatriz Flores. Flores remains consistent, having won her last five doubles matches. Rita Bermudez retired at No. 5 singles and Alejandra Lozano lost a tightly played, two-set match, 7-5, 7-6 — but not before the Vandals had already sealed the victory.

“We came out really strong from the first point on, and we did not allow ourselves any setback going into singles,” Idaho coach Myriam Sopel said. “I am very confident going into our matches this weekend.”

The match was Idaho’s second to last out-of-conference competition, and the Vandals will conclude the season with a match against former WAC foe Utah State.

“It was a great match to get ready for our three conference matches this weekend,” Sopel said. “It was a good intense match, and the girls played very well across the board.”

Next, the Vandals will face Seattle University at 3 p.m. Friday for a series of matches at the Memorial Gym tennis courts. The Redhawks are in the hunt for their first victory since March 28, having lost four matches in a row.

The Vandals will also play No. 66 San Jose State at 3 p.m Saturday. The Spartans have won four matches in a row.

The Vandals will then face Texas State at 10 a.m Sunday. The Bobcats are sitting at 6-8 overall, looking for a win after three consecutive losses.

This will be the first time the Vandals have been home since their 7-0 sweep against Eastern Washington at the Kibbie Dome on March 6.

The Vandals will then finish off the season at 9 a.m. April 20 in Logan, Utah, to face Utah State, who is coming off two losses and a win. The Aggies were swept by San Jose State, lost to Texas State 4-3, and defeated Seattle U by the same 4-3 margin.

The Vandals will need to win at least two of their last four matches in order to finish with a winning record — one that they have yet to obtain this season after a few rough patches. One of those rough patches saw Idaho start the season 0-4. The Vandals will need more than just the leadership of No. 1, Lozano to match up with No. 66 San Jose State. The Vandals are 0-3 against ranked opponents, and during their last match against a ranked foe the Vandals got two wins from Lozano, but couldn’t manage any other individual victories during a 6-1 loss to Denver.

Aaron Wolfe can be reached at arg-sports@uidaho.edu

Steven Devine | Argonaut
Ryan Bowen leaps over hurdles during practice Thursday afternoon at the Dan O’Brien Track and Field Complex. The Vandals will compete in the War VI Regional Dual Saturday at Spokane Falls CC.

“It’s kind of a low key meet but there’s going to be a lot of competition there,” Idaho senior Joseph Charles said. “It’s going to be more fun because we’re all fighting for food right now. We all want that pie and those donuts.”

In addition to irregular prizes, the War VI is also scored differently than regular track and field meets. Instead of earning points for their teams, athletes score points for their “region”. The two regions represented are Washington (WSU, Eastern Washington, Central Washington, Seattle Pacific, Seattle University, Whitworth, Spokane Community College and Gonzaga) against the combined force of Oregon, Idaho, and Montana (Northwest Nazarene University, Eastern Oregon, Great Falls, Montana, Carroll College, Lewis and Clark State and Idaho).

The original War Regional Dual Meet just featured schools from Washington and Oregon but Idaho coach Wayne Phipps said the meet has grown to make the competition more balanced. Since the meet is hosted in Washington, it always features more Washington schools than schools from the other states.

The War VI is also the first meet of the outdoor season that will have the whole Vandal squad competing at one location. The previous meets featured only small Vandal squads or had athletes competing in separate locations.

“It’s fun getting to see everybody else compete cause most of the time you’re looking at everybody else practicing,” senior Kristine Leonard said. “Even in your own area, you can still see the runners going by and cheer for people so it just makes it a little bit more special.”

Phipps said the War VI, while featuring many teams, acts as a low-profile meet between the prestigious Sun Angel Classic from last week and of next week Mt. SAC Relays.

“We’ve got some people, in the running events, in maybe some of their secondary events,” He said. “A lot of them competed in their primary event at Arizona and will do the same thing at Mt. SAC the following weekend.”

One Vandal group to keep an eye in is the javelin throwers. The javelin throwers do not have their event during the indoor season so they get right into the action during the outdoor season. The War VI offers another opportunity for them to improve early in the season.

“It’s a pretty neat atmosphere to it,” Phipps said of the meet. “Our athletes enjoy competing there and hopefully the weather holds up for us.”

Stephan Wiebe can be reached  at arg-sports@uidaho.edu

Philip Vukelich | Argonaut
Senior Abid Akbar volleys while playing the net at practice Thursday on the Memorial Gym tennis courts. The Vandals will play No. 39-ranked BYU Friday in Spokane.

Idaho (20-4), fresh off a hard-fought 4-3 win against Sacramento State Sunday, will look to earn its second victory against a nationally-ranked team this season.  The Vandals are 1-2 against ranked teams with their only win coming against then-No. 73 Saint Mary’s in March.

BYU is 16-4 on the season and will enter Spokane on a five-match win streak.  Its latest victory came against No. 46 Boise State University in Boise, where the Cougars snapped BSU’s 28-match home win streak.  BYU has also beaten six other ranked teams including No. 38 San Diego.  Its only losses against ranked teams this season came to No. 2 UCLA and No. 41 Stanford.

Idaho coach Jeff Beaman said BYU’s resume means the Vandals will have their hands full.

“They’ve had a lot of competition against top-level programs,” Beaman said.  “So, they’ve seen it.  They played UCLA.  They just knocked off Boise State.  So, they’re used to playing under pressure against top-level competition.  Right now they’re healthy and playing well, so it’s going to be a tough match.”

Beaman said Idaho will need to step up in the doubles matches, where the Vandals will be without senior Marius Cirstea who, along with fellow senior Abid Akbar, form one of Idaho’s most consistent doubles teams at No. 1.  Cirstea suffered an injury against Texas-Arlington on April 1 and Beaman said they are resting him to make sure he is healthy during the Western Athletic Conference Championships in two weeks.  Sophomore Dmitry Perevoshchikov, who replaced Cirstea in the last two matches, will likely pair up with Akbar in the BYU match.  He and Akbar have struggled together, though, losing against Sacramento State and Oklahoma State’s No. 1 teams.  They will have a tough test ahead of them as BYU’s No. 1 double pair, Patrick Kawka and Francis Sargeant, are ranked 86th in the country, although they are coming off a loss at BSU.

The Cougars have plenty of talent in singles as well.  Kawka is ranked No. 42 after upsetting BSU’s 33rd-ranked Andrew Bettles.  Perevoshchikov will likely face him at the No. 1 position.  Francis Sargeant, BYU’s No. 3 player, boasts a 24-7 record.  He will likely match up with Idaho junior Jose Bendeck who has filled in nicely for Cirstea at the No. 3 position, winning against OSU and Sacramento State.  Sophomore Cristobal Ramos Salazar has also played well lately.  He won his last two matches at No. 4.

Senior Ivan Krijanto, who clinched Idaho’s victory against Sacramento State by winning at the No. 6 singles positions, said the Vandals will try to carry the momentum from their latest win into today.

“It’s great for us that we have more confidence and we’re looking forward to the match against BYU,” Krijanto said.

Coach Beaman said Idaho’s hope for an upset win lies in a complete effort from everyone in the lineup.

“We have a deep team,” Beaman said.  “We need everybody to show up and play as well as they’ve played this year.”

Beaman said one advantage BYU has is its familiarity with Idaho.  BYU assistant coach Daniel Pollock was the assistant Idaho men’s coach during the 2010-11 season.  Pollock worked under Beaman and helped coach Akbar, Cirstea and Bendeck.   He was then promoted to head coach of the women’s team the following season before being hired at BYU.

Pollock said he still pulls for Idaho “when they’re not playing BYU.”  He said his team knows not to take the 20-win Vandals lightly.

“It’s definitely a match we’re taking very seriously,” Pollock said.  “We have a lot of respect for them.”

Pollock said he is looking forward to seeing his former players as well as coach Beaman, who Pollock said was a “big inspiration” for him while he was there.

Though they will be rivals in Spokane, Beaman said he is proud of Pollock’s success at his new program.

“It’ll be nice to see him,” Beaman said.  “He’s doing well there.  He’s enjoying it.  It’s good to see somebody that works with you move on and sort of continue their career and do well.”

Idaho was originally scheduled to play Lewis-Clark State College Saturday in Moscow.  However, Beaman said since schools are only allowed to play on 25 dates throughout the year, the LCSC match was cancelled to prevent going over that limit.  The BYU match will start at 5 p.m. in Spokane.

Anthony Kuipers can be reached at arg-sports@uidaho.edu

Personally, I can attest to the need for food stamps and similar government assistance. My mother, a single parent, worked several different minimum wage jobs before deciding to go back to college when I was in middle school. She was only able to attend classes part time in addition to her full time job, but with the added expense of tuition, our family needed food stamps. Government assistance allowed my family to get by until my mother’s hard work paid off with a degree in occupational therapy and a sustainable job.

Decreased access to food stamps can also have an effect on other areas of life. For example, women who have to choose between birth control and groceries don’t always choose birth control.  Therefore, assistance with groceries can help to reduce the number of unplanned pregnancies and abortions. In addition, continuing government assistance programs like food stamps can provide needed support for women who may not otherwise choose parenting when faced with an unplanned pregnancy.

Thank you, Wanvig, for speaking up in support of this valuable and worthy social program that does so much for women and families.

Sincerely,

Emily Rankin

Vice president of Vox: Voices for Planned 

Parenthood

UI has seen this charade before — this is the third time this year a religious preacher has visited the UI campus and preached publicly. The scene is eerily similar each time — a traveling radical preacher starts his speech, a large group of students gather and engage the preacher, and he spouts off radical Christian ideals and offensive opinions about homosexuals, women and lifestyle choices. Students disagree and start badgering the speaker, which continues into a full-on confrontation between the preacher and student section, not to mention the significant police presence in the background.

The scene has been played out multiple times.

Let’s be clear. These men come to universities around the country, not to convert students or engage students in a meaningful conversation about religion and ideas. No — they do it because they want attention and an audience, even if the attention is negative and the audience wants them gone.

These preachers know going to university campuses

, which are notoriously progressive, and yelling radical religious ideals will insult, rebuff and enrage most students. But they do it anyways, because it draws attention to their ideas, even if it is in a detrimental fashion.

But most importantly, they do it to get students to partake in the absurd behavior as well.

This event does not engage students in a logical, purposeful and civil conversation about religious ideas, but causes them to stoop to the preachers’ level, which creates an embarrassing event for both the student body and UI.

Religion has always been a topical issue for college students, and students should discuss these ideas through civil discourse that analyzes multiple opinions.

One example is the “Marriage for all?” Campus Conversation put on by the Department of Student Involvement that discussed “the various perspectives about marriage equality and the movement to extend rights that come with marriage.”

Or the Veritas Forum, which hosted an event Thursday in the Jeb Auditorium entitled “Faith or Reason: Can any religious faith be considered a sound worldview?”

Or the debate between nationally known author Andrew Sullivan and local pastor Douglas Wilson entitled “Is civil marriage for gay couples good for civil society?”

These are all great examples that allow for a respectful and analytical conversation that will add new ideas and perspectives for students to consider.

Unfortunately, the preaching session that was viewed on Tuesday is nothing more than a shallow, misguided attempt to discuss meaningful ideas, headed by idiotic attention-seekers.

What is a student to do?

The simplest and most powerful action a student can take in this particular situation is to walk by and ignore them — not to say you cannot argue with them, not to say they are right, but to say you are above it.

The irony of writing an article on these preachers while also telling students to ignore them is fully present — however, it must be said.

Student involvement in these preaching sessions gives the power to the presenter. Without attention and emotional response from the students, these preachers would be wasting their time — and maybe, just maybe, not return to the UI campus.

Ryan Taranelli can be reached at arg-opinion@uidaho.edu

— Lindsey

Key finder
Who needs one when you have a Theo to spend an hour looking for them for you.

— Kaitlyn

Best season ever
It’s not often a group of newspaper editors, who sit at desks for our job, start off an intramural soccer season 4-0, but there’s a first for everything. #PlayoffPush
— Madison

Quote of my week
“Many times what we perceive as an error or failure is actually a gift. And eventually we find that lessons learned from that discouraging experience prove to be of great worth.”— Richelle E. Goodrich

— Kaitlin

‘Oh well’

You get to a point where all you can say is “oh well” and all you can do is shrug your shoulders.

— Molly 

Go team
I never thought I would say I’m a part of an undefeated soccer team. Or any sports team. But it’s pretty cool, even if I spend most of my time looking confused.

— Katy

Help
It’s probably too late to take on another major so I don’t actually have to graduate in May, huh?

— Britt

Knockin’ ‘em down
I can see the end of the tunnel that is my to-do-list before summer. Too bad there’s not much light there. Come on, Moscow bring the sunshine.

— Amrah

Tie up your tresses
It’s OK to be vain about your long beautiful hair, just be vain somewhere else other than the SRC. The next girl I see running with her hair flowing in the wind is going to get a free hair tie, courtesy of me.

— Elisa

Fail
Spending 10 hours doing research in a single day sounded like a good way to free up the rest of the week, but it didn’t help as much as I thought it would.

— Philip 

No Benoit
I understand how complex campus security statistics are to keep, but one of the zeroes in the murder column needs to be a one. A big one.

— Dylan

Nervously waiting
By this time next week I’ll know whether the Sonics will be returned to my city. Longest seven days of my life.

— Sean

That awkward moment when…
You walk through a pair of double doors that someone has opened for you and you don’t know whether to say thank you after the first door, second door or after both.

— Theo

#Humblebrag? 

For a moment I was excited to get out of school, and then I remembered I start grad school in the fall…

— Kasen

If we focus on making a worthy test, instead of perfect standards, the problems facing American schools are salvageable.

Most people don’t mind high stakes testing, and correlated teaching to those tests, if a connection between value and the test itself is present. In my three years teaching in Washington and now Idaho, I’ve never heard a parent or teacher preach against the evils of driver’s education and its adherence to the written and driving assessments required to earn a license. Nor in my 26 years of using a doctor have I encountered patients who wish their surgeon did not have high stakes assessments required to enter and pass medical school — a school teaching them how to perform the surgeries their chosen profession demands or a board certification process requiring the demonstration of scalpel acumen.

With public schools, people object to both the dissonance between the test and its perceived value, as well as the predictable and obvious detriment the accountability movement has done to the profession of teaching. They hate the ever-evolving and indecipherable standards, and the limited progress these standards bring.

If parents saw a relationship between these high stakes tests, school improvement, and children’s academic success, not only would these same parents buy into standardized tests, but they would demand their children’s teachers teach to these tests. The key to fixing our schools at an instructional level lies in putting our best minds and our money in creating a meaningful test for teachers to teach to.

Teachers would get behind this as quickly as anyone else. I cannot count how many meetings I’ve sat through where frustrated teachers felt forced to build another new curriculum based on a test they weren’t familiar with and didn’t buy into. It’s why junior high and high school English teachers teach figurative language devices I didn’t type once while earning my English degree,  ahead of literature and poetry as our best attempts to come to terms with the human experience. When onomatopoeia is assessed by salvation allegories or not, we replace the meaningful with the rote.

On a fundamental level, parents and future parents already envision teachers teaching to the test. Do you want your future eight year old to enter the third grade knowing they will be assessed in multiplication  because it’s fundamental arithmetic, yet have an instructor who objects to teaching multiplication calculations and applications because it’s teaching to the test? Of course you don’t, because there’s obvious value between mastering arithmetic and potential academic and professional success.

Imagine an exam teachers knew in advance their students would take and parents had faith in the validity of. Something that assessed writing not just as a skill divorced from content, but as inextricably related to explaining the known world through the lens of science, civics and history. Would anyone moan about Mr. Smith teaching every lesson to this test, just as he teaches each driver’s ed lesson to the impending driving exams?

Every teacher with 12 years or less experience has been groomed for the era of alleged data driven instruction and accountability. We must stop pretending our standards, even the precious Common Core, are vehicles to shape instruction. It always has and always will be the test and its scores that drive administrators and through them teachers, in shaping your child’s curricula. Lets give them something worth teaching to.

Brian Marceau 

can be reached at 

arg-opinion@uidaho.edu

Idaho’s current rape law is tone deaf with little regard for the differences in individual cases. All forms of rape are contained under the same statutory umbrella. Statutory rape — that is, sex with a minor — is also lumped with all other rape crimes.

Other states have developed laws to address the variations of sexual assault crimes. The Washington rape legislation has 41 sections that divide rape into several different categories, and then three degrees within each of those categories.

Idaho’s legislation has 10 sections defining three types of rape: rape, male rape and spouse rape.

In order to get a conviction in Idaho, prosecutors in all rape cases must prove that there was penetration and resistance overcome by force or violence. Proving this is difficult, and most cases that should be rape are tried under different charges.

The Idaho Supreme Court did take a step forward though, with its recent ruling that verbal resistance counts as resistance in a rape case. But the prosecution still has to find a way to prove resistance, which is problematic.

This leads to fewer prosecutions. In turn, victims see they cannot get redress from the courts, and so they do not report rape.

When rape is reported, convictions are few and far between. Former University of Idaho student Jesse Vierstra who was recently convicted of rape, was charged twice before with sexually motivated battery, both of which were further reduced to disturbing the peace.

Idaho’s antiquated laws need to be updated. The national stigma against reporting and prosecuting rape and makes it hard enough to get a conviction, and Idaho’s laws make it even more difficult.

Each legislative session, a UI student spends time in Boise lobbying for UI’s interests. These lobbyists are in a unique situation to influence lawmakers through a student perspective, which could eventually lead to changing the rape laws.

Students, faculty and staff can make legislators aware of the importance of changing these laws by calling and writing to their state representatives.

It is time for Idaho to change, but change will only come if we speak up.

— KC

“The first year that we had the petition we got over 500 signatures representing 22 different counties,” Falcon said. “That’s the thing about getting signatures, you have to sign the right page to the county you live in, and you have to be a registered voter. So it’s a little complicated.”

She said the focus of the petition is the use of medical marijuana, not recreational, so seriously or terminally ill people are not criminalized.

Falcon said many different counties are represented in Moscow because of the University of Idaho and the student population. She said the reason they have to get so many signatures is because once the petition is signed the signatures must be validated, and sometimes out of 20 sheets of signatures, only five or six will be legitimate.

Aside from Hemp Fest, Falcon said she and other advocates acquire signatures through the Farmers Market and groups such as Students for Sensible Drug Policy.

Falcon said SSDP were great advocates and set up on campus as often as possible to get signatures, but the group went inactive this year.

“This is a good opportunity to reach out to students, I love for students to get involved and say yes, I would love to help get signatures,” she said.

Hemp Fest was started by UI students who were activists in the Hemp movement, and after they made some products using hemp thought “Let’s do something during Moms Weekend — we don’t have anything fun going on,” Falcon said. This year is the 17th annual Hemp Fest.

Before she got involved with the Moscow Hempfest, Falcon attended Seattle Hemp Fest. There she sought help from Steve Phun, MC each year in Moscow, to help spread information about the hemp movement.

Speakers attending this year’s event will be Compassionate Idaho, wich began the new petition, and Sarah Frank of Mom’s for Marijuna located in Oregon. Falcon said 30-40 vendors with arts and crafts from around the Northwest will be in attendance.

Willow Falcon, owner of Glassphemy — a glassblowing shop in Pullman — and Arlene Falcon’s daughter, said she and other glass-blowing artisits had been attending Hemp Fest before Glassphemy was even a business.

“The first couple years, we didn’t have a store yet — we were just trying to make some money,” she said. “Now we do it because we want to be advocates for use of medical marijuana and in Washington state — things have really come a long way. We’re experimenting with legalizing recreational marijuana, which I don’t think is a dangerous thing for our society and I would certainly encourage Idaho to do.”

Willow said she advocates the decriminalization of marijuana, which is why she attends Hemp Fest, and that the event plays a big part in decriminalization.

“Once we opened our business, we were intending to advertise in a way — make customers aware, but now attending Hemp Fest is a big part of our business. I just want to show our community that we’re here,” she said.

Hemp Fest is a lot of fun, Willow said. Regardless of any political stance Hemp Fest represents, she said she believes it’s a great event for the community.

“It’s an awesome festival that kind of breaks people out of their winter shell and people should go whether they’re thinking about pot or not,” she said.

Lt. Paul Kwiatkowski said no major problems occur during Hemp Fest. In the past, the Moscow Police Department has seen some issues with the use of marijuana in the park, which they deal with in accordance, but there are no issues with out-of-control people.

“It’s not us against them, people tend to think that. But it’s just another day in the park for us,” Kwiatkowski said.

As for paraphernalia, vendors are allowed to sell pipes and bongs.

“You can sell hemp products, that’s perfectly fine,” he said. “However, they can’t be used to ingest any illegal substance such as marijuana and hash. If you use them to smoke tobacco products, that’s perfectly OK — if you smoke marijuana in the park, that’s illegal in the state of Idaho and you’ll be dealt with accordingly. That’s all.”

Molly Spencer can be reached at arg-arts@uidaho.edu

Pacific Media Relations | Courtesy
Ron Verlin coaches while assistant coach at Pacific. Verlin spent 19 years in Stockton before being promoted March 26.

Last week, Pacific named Ron Verlin the successor to Bob Thomason, who stepped down after 25 years at the helm of the program.

Idaho fans may double take at the name — Ron Verlin is the twin brother of Idaho coach Don Verlin. The identical twins were born a minute apart and took similar, yet different, paths to their respective head coaching jobs.

Ron Verlin spent 19 years as an assistant coach at Pacific before the opportunity to become a head coach opened up. Don Verlin spent 11 seasons under Stew Morrill at Utah State before jumping at the opportunity to lead Idaho.

“We always talked about hey, if Stew leaves are you going to get the job. Or if Bob decides to retire do you think you’ll get the job,” Ron Verlin said. “Every year when you’re a coach you always look at the end of each season and say ‘Hey what’s out there? What can I do? What do I need to get better? Maybe there’s a job out there for me, maybe there’s not.’”

Don Verlin found that opening at Idaho in 2008, and his experience has proved invaluable for Ron Verlin throughout the last couple of weeks. Ron said he and his younger-by-a-minute brother have been in constant contact, sharing advice and bouncing ideas off each other.

“It’s an exciting time for our families, they really got into it. His friendship has been awesome. We’re not just brothers, we’re also very close friends,” Ron Verlin said. “He knows, he’s called me a couple times this week like ‘Hey, how you hanging’ because it’s been crazy.”

Despite both being in the coaching profession for more than two decades, the two haven’t coached together since their first gig — coaching the freshman team at Del Oro High School in Loomis, Calif. From there, their careers evolved through AAU teams and have branched off in different
directions.

Don Verlin got his start at Columbia College in California, where Ron arrived in 1993, but that was two years after his brother moved on to Colorado State.

“I think we’ve always thought about that, coaching together again. But that’s not how this business works — him going the way he went and me going the way I went — that’s how it worked,” Ron Verlin said.

It’s not likely their paths will cross anytime soon — the two don’t want to play against each other.

“This business is too tough, we share a lot of information.

Obviously if it’s the CIT, NIT or NCAA we’d do it and welcome the competition,” Ron Verlin said. “Winning and losing is so hard at this level, it’s really difficult, you just grind.”

But if the two were to hit the court just one-on-one? The older Verlin joked that’d be a piece of cake.

“Right now — I got him, no problem. No problem,” the older Verlin said “I believe he was better than I was, he was a better all around player, I might’ve been a better shooter, but right now there’s no way, with his bad knees I’d kill him, it wouldn’t even be a game.”

Sean Kramer can be reached at arg-sports@uidaho.edu

The Department of Homeland Security said it wants to buy 1.6 billion rounds of ammunition needed to train law enforcement in the next four or five years.

Cody Brigham, gun sales representative for Walmart said conspiracy theorists think this is because the government is preparing for a war with the American people. Talk of such a war has sent citizens into a panic, causing them to buy any ammunition available.

Charles Edwards, owner of Sure Shot sporting goods store in Moscow, said it seemed like the same day as the Sandy Hook shooting, the ammunition supply went out the window.

“We have not tried to limit anyone on how much ammo they can buy because what there is doesn’t last very long,” Edwards said.

Edwards said there weren’t complaints at first, just the repeated phrase, “I can’t believe you’re sold out already.” He said recently people have started to get annoyed and agitated with the lack of supply.

“We decided to put up a sign in front of our bathroom telling customers they had to buy a gun to use it,” Edwards said. “Needless to say the joke didn’t last long before people got angry.”

Zak Lierman, gun sales representative at Tri-State, said sales immediately skyrocketed due to people panicking at the idea of a war with the government.

“At first people were buying guns, but then they realized the guns were useless if they didn’t have the rounds to shoot out of them,” Lierman said.

Lierman said he was not allowed to talk about the specifics of Tri-States ammunition shipments, but said he could discuss ammunition manufacturers in general.

“ATK down in Lewiston cranks out eight million .22 rounds a day,” Lierman said. “They just don’t know exactly where the rounds are going.”

Lierman said customers were originally limited to five boxes of ammunition per day, but because supplies have become scarce they are limited to two.

Brigham said after the conspiracy theories came out people swarmed the ammo case.

“I personally think people were scared of assault rifles being banned and so they bought all the ammo they could,” Brigham said.

Brigham said Wal-Mart has been back-ordered on ammunition for a while.

“Customers were complaining that one guy could come in and buy all the ammo in the case while everyone else got nothing,” Brigham said. “We decided to limit sales to three boxes per person per day.”

Brigham said even as an employee who gets first word of any new ammunition shipments, he still finds it difficult to buy ammo before it’s gone.

“People are getting angry because we do not feel like a company should tell us how much ammo we can buy,” Brigham said.

Brigham said he estimates things should return to normal within the next eight months, while Edwards said it will be closer to a year.

Erik Fink can be reached at arg-news@uidaho.edu

To address this health concern, a group of four students in a senior movement science course are working on a project called Tobacco Free 4 U and I. The goal of the project is to have UI join 1,129 other universities, including all other Idaho universities, in adopting a smoke-free campus policy. The group is made up of Daniel Trautvetter, Cody Green, Chase Krohn and Blake Anderson.

Trautvetter said a survey they conducted last December found that 62 percent of students, faculty and staff support a smoke-free campus policy. Results from a survey included in the most recent ASUI ballot indicate that 47 percent of students favor a smoking ban while 40 percent favored no change in policy. Fourteen percent of students favored a no tobacco policy.

ASUI senator Sadie Grossbaum and senate pro tempore Allie Fuller are working to get the senate’s support for a tobacco policy. Next week the senate will vote on resolution S13-04 encouraging the faculty senate and UI administration to revise the current tobacco policy. Faculty Senate Chair Kenton Bird said the faculty senate will not hear the issue until next semester.

Trautvetter said they are trying to present the issue as the non-smoker’s right to breathe clean air and to a clean campus, rather than an attack on smokers.

“Our main impact is promoting cessation, 99 percent of people who smoke start between 18 and 24, so preventing initiation of tobacco use is the most effective policy,” Trautvetter said. “Secondhand smoke is a Class A carcinogen, it has been known to kill people, cause asthma attacks. So it goes back to protecting our health. Litter is also another big issue. Facilities estimates that it costs them five cents per cigarette butt that they pick up, and I’m sure they spend a majority of their time on it.”

 He said a lot of comments from the survey suggested that designated smoking areas would find a lot of support from students, but it would be difficult to effectively implement.

“A lot of comments on the survey came back with wanting designated areas, but when looking at practice models from other universities it wasn’t effective,” Trautvetter said. “Having a complete smoke-free campus would promote cessation to our students. Not to mention there is still secondhand smoke with designated areas.”

Trautvetter said he and another student were invited to speak at a tobacco conference for the Fresh Air Campus Challenge at Portland State University, where they learned how other universities had implemented smoke-free policies successfully.

“Every university that had an effective plan did a two-year implementation plan,” Trautvetter said. “In that two years, they raised awareness of the plan, promoted education for tobacco cessation, cessation programs and proper signage on campus.”

Shannon Haselhuhn, UI health education director, said she thinks the two-year implementation program is important to get the university on board with cessation programs and to set plans for the program.

Assistant clinical professor in exercise science and health Helen Brown mentioned the Affordable Care Act’s impact on cessation programming at UI.

“The ACA mandates that employers with more than 50 employees offer tobacco cessation programs,” Brown said. “The university will have to be looking at that closely for faculty and staff. The hope is that during the two year implementation program cessation will be looked at broadly for students, faculty and staff.”

Trautvetter said a lot of people who took the survey said there was no way the policy could be enforced.

“Other universities have found that enforcement is not needed with proper education and signage on campus,” Trautvetter said. “Most enforcement is peer to peer.”

Brown said there would be maps drawn designating where land is private or public. Trautvetter said that most Greek Houses are on private land, meaning the university can’t designate them as non-smoking.

Trautvetter, Brown and Haselhuhn all said the goal of a smoking ban was to promote health on campus through cessation.

“Something like 70 percent of smokers are trying to quit,” Brown said.

Andrew Deskins can be reached at arg-news@uidaho.edu.

After a three day trial and less than four hours of jury deliberation, former University of Idaho student Jesse Vierstra was found guilty on one count of felony rape. The room was split — one side filled with relief, the other burst out in tears, uncontrollably sobbing.

What started in October 2012 was finally over.

But the question still remained — Vierstra had faced two prior accusations of sexually motivated battery against him during his time at UI, both dropped to misdemeanors and eventually dismissed. He paid $240 plus $137.50 in court costs.

Michelle Evans, senior deputy prosecuting attorney for Latah County, said the issue doesn’t lie with prosecution, but with Idaho law.

“It (Idaho law) certainly limits what we can do,” Evans said.

Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson said when it comes to sexual assault laws, Idaho’s are antiquated.

“Across the border in Washington, they can prosecute different types of sexual assault to fit a whole variety of sexual assaults,” Thompson said. “Idaho doesn’t have sexual crimes, just lack of consent. We have to prove either force or threats of force or that the person is incapable of giving consent because they are unconscious, for example.”

Thompson said as the prosecution, they have no control over Idaho statutes, which can be frustrating.

“Idaho sets rules for us and we have to screen cases based on limitations the legislature has put on whether it’s criminal or not, which is very frustrating for us because it’s easy to see … that if somebody has sex intentionally with a person and the other person didn’t consent, that’s not right,” he said. “But it’s not necessarily criminal in Idaho.”

In cases such as Vierstra’s, forcible rape needs to be proven. This includes proving there was penetration and resistance that was overcome by force or violence. But Idaho statute does not define resistance, which Evans said can be an issue.

However, on April 1, in the State of Idaho v. Russell Jones, the Idaho Supreme Court revised the definition of resistance.

“Given the plain language of Idaho’s forcible rape statute and Idaho’s well-established case law regarding resistance, we hold the statute does not require that rape victims resist to their utmost physical ability and that verbal resistance is sufficient resistance to substantiate a charge of forcible rape,” according to the court’s opinion.

Chief of Police David Duke said this will set the precedent for further rape prosecutions.

Despite this recent definition revision, Thompson said refining the rape statute isn’t something he sees happening in the future. This is especially due to the predominately conservative male legislature, which is not a receptive forum for the kinds of changes they need.

“Sex crimes are uncomfortable for people to deal with,” he said. “No one likes to talk about what happened to them sexually, they are uncomfortable even making reports.”

When reports are made, it’s even harder to get a conviction.

Thompson said each case is driven by its own unique facts.

“I can remember over the last handful of years, two cases where I got rape convictions. One was a court trial where just the judge heard evidence, the other a jury trial,” he said. “The majority of sexual assaults are resolved in plea negotiations, but really the strength of the case rest on its exact facts.”

Evans said recently she’s tried two rape cases — aside from the Vierstra case — one in December where the accused was acquitted.

“Before that we had a rape case where the girl was unconscious and somebody walked in on them and the jury still didn’t find he committed rape, they found attempted rape,” Evans said.

Aside from changing legislation, Evans said the key to a successful conviction lies in the report. She said victims need to report early, get a medical evaluation and help the police preserve evidence.

Duke said the delay in report, which can lead to a lack of physical evidence to collect, is what inhibits their ability to prosecute rape cases. He said this is the case with the first two reports made against Vierstra in August 2011.

Duke said the two reports were made about a week after the incidents occurred.

“Usually there’s a delay when an acquaintance rape is reported, when it’s a stranger it’s usually reported immediately. But there are very few of those in the city,” Duke said. “When evidence can’t be collected, you have to go completely on what was said to us without a basis for facts.”

He said without physical evidence — such as a medical exam — the reports can be hard to corroborate.

“Sometimes there are witnesses, but when there are only a few people involved, that’s when credibility comes in — whose statement to believe,” he said.

With Vierstra’s case, as the first two reports were dropped down, Thompson said this is when the university’s involvement can help.

“The university will almost always look to see if there is student disciplinary action they need to address,” Thompson said. “It’s not unusual for those cases that don’t meet the element of criminal charges that the university will impose its own sanctions.”

He said because UI has lesser standards to prove misconduct and a broader definition, they can take action on the victim’s behalf.

“So at least there’s some consequences to the person and more importantly a degree of protection for the victim,” he said. “The university is a great asset and an important part of overall picture of how these cases are dealt with.”

Dean of Students Bruce Pitman said in this specific case, UI took the action that was available to them. This includes cooperating with the Moscow Police Department and their investigation, as well as action through the student code of conduct system.

Although Pitman said he could not comment on the specific action taken against Vierstra, he said he is pleased the case was resolved in the court system and hopes it will encourage other victims to go through the formal processes.

In general, Pitman said UI has a three-step process for handling sexual assaults at the university end.

“We provide support — counseling and medical. We also as a part of that make sure they are connected to other resources such as ATVP,” he said. “We always encourage the student to pursue legal remedies and we also have responsibility under Title IX to look at the situation broadly, even if the victim does not want formal action, to see if there are any continued risks to the community and attempt to reduce or eliminate those risks. So we did that and we do that.”

Pitman said in some cases action may be removing someone from the residence halls, or making sure there is no contact in classes on campus while the investigation takes place.

“Whether the victim wants that kind of direct intervention or not, we have an obligation to community,” he said. “If the victim is willing to talk to police then we help make that connection.”

As for the first two alleged victims who accused Vierstra of rape, Thompson said they are a prime example of the limitations of Idaho law.

“We can sit here and say what that guy did was rape — the common sense meaning of rape — but under the definition that the legislature has given to rape it didn’t meet the elements,” he said. “So those are two are great examples of the frustrations we run into where two victims are victimized and we don’t have tools to address it. Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon.”

Evans said for now she encourages victims to get help from the police, Alternatives to Violence on the Palouse and the Women’s Center. But overall, victims need to help police preserve evidence and report the crime.

“Reporting as soon as possible is what will help the most,” Evans said.

Vierstra is currently awaiting sentencing, scheduled for 9 a.m. June 3.

Katy Sword can be reached at arg-news@uidaho.edu

Racers compete for the top three prizes Thursday at the Kibbie Dome parking lot. Winners were awarded trophies and prizes courtesy of Red Bull.

These two-wheeled chariots ranged from trashcans to wheelbarrows, mop buckets to dog kennels and some were even expected to break before the race began.

Cory Cramer, a marketing employee for Red Bull, said these Red Bull Chariot Races are a great way to represent your Greek house, but also show incoming students what the University of Idaho is like and how collective it can be.

“We hope to bring campus together,” Cramer said before the event. “(We hope to) do something fun and unique that we haven’t done before. Something everyone can participate in.”

Cara Lehman, who does marketing for the dorms, said they had five teams competing as well.

“This event isn’t just for Greeks, it’s an entire university thing,” Lehman said.

Matthew Kurz, Fraternity and Sorority Life director, put similar emphasis on the fact that the event was completely dry.

“All the students are coming together at an event that is completely sober,” Kurz said. “And, I mean, relatively safe.”

While the event may have been relatively safe, Emergency Medical Technicians were still on standby and most chariots fell apart while racing their hardest.

Teams of three gladia- tors raced around a hay bale course for the win and chariots were made to be pulled by two members on foot, with one riding in the back acting as a pilot.

The designs for chariots were widely varied, as were the team’s runners. Co-Ed teams, teams in costumes and teams from each housing option on campus participated.

Last year was the first Red Bull event and the turnout was great, Cramer said. This year, they expected the number of those in attendance to grow even further.

“We expect 1,000 to 2,000 people this year,” Kurz said.

There was Red Bull available for everyone in attendance, though the Red Bull ran out by the time the event was finished.

The race used a bracket-style system — there were 21 teams competing in this year’s event, Cramer said.

The race had three winning teams: first for Ancient Greek Spirit and Team Creativity, in which the racers were judged for their overall attitude and performance, as well as their ability to inter- weave the ancient Greek theme this year’s chariots had to contain.

The second award was called the Archimedes Award for Inventiveness and Design and judged racers on their craft’s design and originality.

The third and final award for the Red Bull Chariot Races was with the Hermes Award for Fastest Time. Winners of all three won a case of Red Bull and a trophy for their collection.

FIJI won the overall race, McConnell Hall took the trophy for design and Pi Beta Phi triumphed with the spirit award.

Students were encour- aged to be creative with where they get their wheels. Old bicycle wheels, trash can wheels and wheels from an old golf cart were just a few of those used. Red Bull did not provide any materials for the chariots.

“There was people packed around the course last year,” Cramer said. “Everyone had a great time.”

This year was no different. Students whooped and hollered and actively participated in the race. Despite the cold and wet parking lot, teams and audience members maintained a spirit of exhilaration.

Several teams came with unique themes and costumes for their chariot. Mario, Luigi and Princess Peach manned their “All Gold Everything” chariot, though they said they ex- pected the right wheel to fall off their chariot — which it did, after their first race.

Regardless of how well their chariots stayed togeth- er, teams did well improvis- ing with repairs.

The Red Bull Chariot Races hopes to encour- age the sense of Vandal community and teamwork along with some friendly competition. Kurz and Cramer said they hope to make the event annual and anyone interested is encouraged to sign up.

Alycia Rock can be reached at arg-news@uidaho.edu 

“I think it is absolutely ridiculous. This university is the home of many individuals, even those who smoke. The enforcement would be impractical and in principle alone this is wrong.”

—Clayton McFarland

“I don’t think a complete ban is really necessary. I did vote yes on the recent ASUI ballot, however I think more enforcement of the current 25 feet away from the building rule should be better enforced.”

—Sam Koester

“I don’t think it is very enforceable, because it would require a very broad level of implementation on campus. I happen to agree with it, as I don’t like inhaling smoke next to doorways. I know there is a Moscow-wide ban on smoking in buildings, but I don’t believe that applies to campus doorways. Still, smokers have some rights, so I think they should make the designated distance from the buildings further, but not prohibit it entirely. They could make some signs to put next to doorways.”

—Romy Halpern

“Having assigned smoking areas is fine. I think banning it is going a bit too far. I’m a non-smoker. I don’t approve of smoking as an action. But I do know people who smoke and if they want to do it, then that’s their choice. And I’ve never had a problem walking to class right by people outside having a cigarette. And there’s often more litter around than cigarette butts anyway.”

—Cody Waters

“I’m one of the students leading this project. We have found that enforcement was not needed at the 1,129 other colleges with smoking bans across the country. Proper education, awareness, and signage is all that is needed to make the ban effective.”

—Kenton Trautvetter

“I’m not a smoker, but I don’t think that banning it outright on such a large campus is the answer, especially if the ban extends to other tobacco products as at North Idaho College. However, I think stricter time, place and manner laws — e.g. designated smoking areas in addition to the 20-foot rule (maybe make it 50 feet?) — can and should be enabled without stepping on too many smokers’ rights.”

—Jonathan Gradin

“I would agree on some expansion and enforcement on current regulations; however, I do not think a campus-wide smoking ban would be wise or successful. I want to see smoking restrictions in front of doorways enforced, and smoking banned on walkways.
People have a right to smoke. People also have a right to NOT inhale it. But when it comes to walking from one building to another, you can’t help but walk through a cloud of smoke — I’d like to see this improved.
I don’t think smokers should have to make a journey off campus or smoke in secret.”