Arbiter 9 12 13 by The Arbiter at Boise State University

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Students discuss civic education in institutions of higher learning.

Isaac Williams is the new director of basketball operations after spending nine seasons as head coach of Eastern Oregon University.

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Breaking News Backpack stolen in library

Danielle Allsop @Danibanani

With over 22,000 students, Boise State is the largest university in the state of Idaho. However, some organizations believe the university and its students are not being compensated fairly for those numbers. The Associated Students of Boise State University (ASBSU) have created an initiative called “Broncos Deserve,” which, according to Cassie Sullivan, ASBSU’s secretary of external affairs, “is a campaign intended to raise awareness about inequitable funding to Boise State University from the state of Idaho.” According to Sullivan, Boise State students only receive 2/3 the amount of funding per student, compared to other universities in Idaho. In 2011, Boise State received only $2,127 per student, compared to University of Idaho’s $3,395 per student. However, enrollment records show Boise State’s student population at 19, 664 in the fall of 2011, while the University of Idaho’s student population only reached 12,312 in the fall of 2011. Sullivan believes the difference is a matter of updating the idea that the University of Idaho is not Idaho’s only leading university. “There is no justification for the gap,” Sullivan said. Connor Griffith, a junior kinesiology major agrees. “I think it’s ridiculous. They are both public universities,” Griffith said. “They should receive the same amount of funding. I would say the same thing if Boise State was getting more (funding) than University of Idaho.” If the Idaho Legislature were to give Boise State an increase in money allotted for each student, the money would have to be taken away from other institutions and universities, which creates a separate controversy. “We recognize the difficulties in taking money away from institutions, yet, it does not explain (or) justify Boise State receiving the lowest amount of state dollars. An Idaho student should not be penalized for choosing one Idaho institution over the other,” Sullivan said. ASBSU’s “Broncos Deserve” campaign informs students and legislators about the inequity as well as making a case for every Bronco. “Our plea it that the state values every student in Idaho the same. It is not an issue of rivalry; it is an issue of equality,” Sullivan said. Students who want to get involved can visit Broncosdeserve.com and sign the petition. Students can also visit the ASBSU website. Sullivan encourages students to fight for the money they deserve. “In order to make this case, we must showcase the value of Boise State students,” Sullivan said.

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September 12, 2013 • Issue no. 07 Volume 26

Boise, Idaho

ASBSU fights for equal funding

V o i c e

Courtesy

Boise Police Department

Boise Police Department releases that on Aug. 20 a backpack was stolen from the Albertsons Library located at 1865 University. The victim stated he left his backpack unattended for

approximately 45 minutes and upon his return noticed it stolen. The contents of the backpack consisted of several high dollar items. Pictured to the left is a person of interest. He is described as a white male adult approximately 6’ tall and weighing approxi-

First issue free mately 185 pounds. The man appears to have a thin jaw line beard and is seen wearing a black baseball hat, grey t-shirt, silver framed sunglasses slung with a black cord, blue jeans and brown shoes. If anyone has any information regarding the identity of this person please

call the Boise Police Department (BPD) on campus at 208-426-1453 or email policeuniversitysecurity@boisestate.edu. Boise Police Department encourages all students and staff that witness a crime or suspicious activity report that information to BPD immediately.

Alcohol risk The truth at Boise State

Katie Meikle Staff Writer

In the fall of 2011, the American College Health Association National College Health Assessment II (ACHA-NCHA II) was conducted at Boise State. According to this study, 97.6 percent of students reported doing one or more listed “safe” drinking behaviors frequently when they drank or partied in the past year, including eating while drinking, avoiding drinking games and using a designated driver. However, 48.4 percent reported they had engaged in any on a list of “unsafe” drinking behaviors in the same time period, including getting in trouble with the police, getting injured and having non-consensual or unprotected sex. The question has been raised whether or not the majority of undergraduate students at Boise State know how to party safely. According to Lauren Baines, a health educator for the University

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Arts & Entertainment

Health and Recreation Services, the answer is a resounding yes. “On this report, there is statistics showing safe drinking practices. For instance, 87 percent of our students use a designated driver,” Baines said. “Also, 78.8 percent of our students eat before or during drinking, which is also a good or safe drinking practice.” While the data from this report is from 2011, Baines is currently in the process of implementing a new survey for fall 2013, due to come out midOctober to late November. According to Baines, these surveys help Boise State officials with alcohol safety initiatives. A major obstacle for health educators in alcohol education, however, is uncertainty among college students about what it means to be a designated driver. “It should be somebody that has zero drinks, and not just one,” Baines said. “That tends to be a misconception that I try to debunk.”

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Opinion

Brittany Lock, a freshman at Boise State studying elementary education, stated that if anything about Boise State makes it a potentially unsafe drinking environment, it would be the risk of drunk driving because Boise State is a dry campus. “You’re actually traveling distances at Boise State so if people are driving obviously when they’ve been partying, then I would think BSU would be less safe in that way,” Lock said. Party safety comes down to an individual’s ability to make safetyconscious decisions about drinking. While in general Boise State students know how to handle themselves in party situations, Lock said, “There’s good and bad apples in every bunch.” There may also be some variation in the drinking dynamics at Boise State based on age and gender. “Kids here want to drink as much as possible and when they turn 21; it just gets out of control,” said Mitch Culbertson,

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a junior political science major at Boise State. Culbertson said in his experience there is a notable difference in drinking habits between men and women. “When guys feel out of it they’ll stop, and either go home or crash. Girls, from my experience, don’t like to stop drinking once they start,” Culbertson said. Regardless of these differences, Culbertson thinks there are some basic rules every college student should follow while drinking or partying while attending Boise State. “If they have any common sense, they won’t take a drink that’s handed to them that’s open. If it’s closed, then it’s okay most of the time,” Culbertson said. The party atmosphere at Boise State is safe for the most part, Culbertson indicated that, “There’s a few houses I know that people should right out avoid, because it’s bad. Certain party houses are just extremely sketch.”

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