Northern Arizona University’s student voice since 1914 Vol. 114 Issue 4 | September 29, 2022 — October 5, 2022
OPINION
Arizona has given up on higher education
CULTURE
A ‘Starry Night’ at Buffalo Park
BRENDAN TRACHSEL t is time to call the Arizona legislature’s tactic for higher education what it is: Abandonment. The Copper State has one very unique statement in its constitution, tucked away with little context as to why. The legislature declares in Article 11, Section 6 that public universities in the state should be “as nearly free as possible.” While the universities do what they can through scholarships to work toward this mandate, the legislature has had other plans in recent decades. Arizona has been in the bottom quarter of funding among states for higher education ever since the National Science Foundation began keeping track in 2000. Since 2014, it has reported the state is dead last. To understand what has been lost, we must look into the past. Before the Great Recession, the majority of universities’ funding came from the state, with student tuition making up the rest. When campuses needed new buildings, Locals look at stars through telescopes at Buffalo Park for the Flagstaff Star Party, Sept. 23. The red trails are made by lights which are handed out to event attendees so visibility is possible at night without affecting the telescopes. the legislature would provide whatever cash Storey Welch | The Lumberjack was needed. The state created and maintained healthy universities. See STARRY NIGHT on PAGE 17 Within the last few decades, the support has dwindled. The last NAU building fully funded by the state was Mountain View Hall, which opened in 1990. Since then, every building’s cost has been passed on to students. At NAU, the result of this has been significant debt payments for many structures on campus. As of 2022, the university is paying off Calderón, Pine Ridge, San Francisco Parking Garage, the John Haeger Health and Learning Center and more. These expenses account for increased parking permit prices, housing costs and about two-thirds of every student’s $550 health and wellness fee every year.
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See EDUCATION on PAGE 8
CULTURE
Flagstaff locals walk from telescope to telescope to view various points in the night sky at the Flagstaff Star Party in Buffalo Park, Sept. 23. Storey Welch | The Lumberjack
A barbecue fit for a president
ALICE COLLINGWOOD he President’s Office recently hosted the Installation Celebration Barbecue on campus on Sept. 21. The event, which takes place every year, was held on the central quad. Students and staff alike participated, despite the rainy weather. Kimberly Ott, associate vice president of communications at NAU, said she has long been a big fan of the event. Ott has been coming to the barbecue for years, even before she worked at the university. “It just sets the tone and the vibe for the year; [it’s] just something fun that everyone can participate in,” Ott said. “This is all intended just to get good vibes and something we’ve been doing for years and years, Graduate student Davis Rey speaks with NAU President kind of like an NAU tradition.” José Luis Cruz Rivera at the Installation Celebration This year the barbecue took a slightly different form, barbecue at the central quad, Sept. 21. being adjusted to correspond with the celebrations for John Chaides | The Lumberjack
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the installment of NAU’s 17th president, José Luis Cruz Rivera. “We’ve adjusted it ever so slightly so it coincides with the president’s installation ceremony [...] on Friday [Sept.] 30th,” Ott said. “And so this way, we just pushed it back a few weeks so that way it’s both a welcome back, but also a celebration of our president being officially installed.” Despite the rain persisting for the duration of the event, the central quad was constantly filled with people enjoying the food and entertainment. Unlike a traditional barbecue, Director of University Events Kevin Gemoets said waffle cones with different fillings, such as chicken, pork and vegetarian substitutes were served in abundance. See BARBECUE on PAGE 18