The Sharks snap Boise State’s fouryear season opener win streak
The Broncos faced a shocking loss to Division II team Hawaii Pacific.
15 A love story worthy of the big screen Carol and Rick Skinner, co-founders of local theater The Flicks, sought to create a space where independent cinema could thrive.
Vol. 38, Issue 6 Nov. 6, 2025
Club funding deficit
ASBSU’s Student Financial Board paused Direct Grants early, leaving student organizations scrambling to find funding elsewhere.
07 English Master’s
Inspired by the needs of students, the Department of English Literature will offer a master’s program starting fall 2026.
Independent Student voice of Boise State since 1933
Steve Baxter, master's student and co-creator of the Boise State Adaptive Athletics Program, creates a variety of athletic opportunities for individuals with disabilities, ranging from wheelchair basketball to rock climbing. Inspired by athletic accessibility efforts of other universities, Baxter and his friends wanted to launch similar opportunities at Boise State.
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HOW DEI LAW IS IMPACTING UNIVERSITY FOUNDATIONS COURSES
Aria
This year, when students logged into Canvas, a pop-up disclaimer overtook the screen, asking students to acknowledge the new Idaho Law, which affects courses related to diversity and critical theory. Students simply clicked acknowledge and moved on with their day, though some had mixed emotions.
This disclaimer prompts students to take a moment to “scroll through and read” about Section 5909D, known as the “Freedom of Inquiry in Higher Education” law. Enacted in early July, the law places restrictions on certain diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) activities at Idaho universities.
“Boise State is committed to free expression, academic freedom and academic responsibility, as outlined in existing University policies and guidance. In this course, your instructor is dedicated to fostering open, respectful conversations and promoting the exploration of different perspectives,” the pop-up reads. “Our goal is to create an environment where you are empowered to engage and think critically about the content and topics covered in this course. You are not required to agree with everything you read, hear or discuss; ultimately, you get to decide what to believe. However, we hope you will remain open to listening, reflecting, learning and asking insightful questions along the way.”
“It popped up at the beginning of the semester and I thought it was like a terms and service for the app,” creative writing major Jay Rebeles said.
Sonography major Allison O’Kelly said she felt “annoyed” when she saw the new disclaimer.
“I don’t know that I necessarily support the DEI [law],” O’Kelly said. “Especially in a place like a universi -
ty, you’re here to learn about different viewpoints and different topics and form your opinions from there.”
The notification also includes a reminder to students that they have the “freedom to choose” courses in alignment with their specific academic goals and a link to more information, provided by the Office of the Provost, regarding Section 675909D.
The law makes changes to the university’s curriculum in various ways, with one of the most significant changes affecting mandatory University Foundations 200 (UF200) courses. The General Education Committee, a faculty committee responsible for making decisions about general education requirements at Boise State, voted to suspend the diversity University Learning outcome from UF200.
Following this suspension, the word “diversity” is now completely omitted from the original class course title, now called “Foundations of Ethics in Society”.
Freshman Sydney Hieson, a Film major, who is taking a UF foundation course in film, noted how her studies often center on topics of diversity.
“We talk a lot about diversity. Almost every one of the movies we see has to do with diversity,” Heison said. “I feel like I’ve learned more about the world in my UF classes than any other class.”
Some students are indifferent or know little to nothing about how the law is impacting their studies. Student Aiden Kelly, who previously took a University Foundations course titled “Garbology”, shared he doesn’t have much knowledge on the new law.
“As far as the new law, I haven’t looked into too much of it to give a valid opinion,” Kelly said.
In contrast, Jay Rebeles, who is cur -
rently taking a UF200 course on Gender and Race, shared how the law has impacted how her peers navigate class discussion.
“It feels almost strained and tense inside the classroom,” Rebeles said.
“[DEI law] hasn’t helped more people open up. We’re all adults, we can have our own opinions,” Rebeles continued.
“To be like, ‘you can’t share your own opinion’ is ridiculous.”
Desiree Burnette, a sociology professor, shared how the law influences her teaching philosophy.
“It is a disservice to our students because it assumes that the students aren’t capable of having their own opinions and having critical thinking skills,” Burnette said. “It’s really terrifying to me to think about these laws and the shutting down of free speech, which is such a hallmark of what it means to be an American.”
Burnette fears instead of coming to her directly with concerns, students will now report her for the things she teaches in the class.
“When I leave after teaching all day, I am completely emotionally exhausted, because I feel that I am constantly in my head thinking about every single thing that I say,” Burnette said.
“To say that we have to coddle them from not learning about these issues is to pretend like they’re not capable of processing them and making up their own opinions about them,” Burnette continued. “I’m worried about how the country views higher education and trying to shut down this exploration of ideas.”
For the spring semester, Foundations of Ethics in Society will shift from being a single course to a course category. There will be multiple topics available through UF 200 and the courses will each have a different course number.
INSIDE THE JUNCTION, BOISE STATE’S NEW CENTER FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Grace Stark | News Editor | Graphic by Naomi Brown
Inspired by student success, a new centralized space for student entrepreneurship will combine innovation and opportunity and bring business ideas to life at Boise State.
The Junction, Boise State’s on-campus hub for entrepreneurship and community engagement, launched Tuesday, Oct. 21. The launch event, held at Stueckle Sky Center, brought together university faculty and community members to introduce and celebrate the new addition to campus.
Interim President Jeremiah Shinn opened the event at the Stueckle Sky Center, describing The Junction as an effort to strengthen the university’s capacity for “business innovation, research, translation and venture creation.”
“Boise State is more than just a university,” Shinn said. ”It’s a community anchor, it’s a forced multiplier, it’s a partner in the growth of our state.”
Located in Capitol Village, The Junction will serve as a meeting space for the university’s partners, including Venture College, Trailhead, TechHelp, Studio\ Blu, The Idaho Small Business Development Center, the College of Business and Economics, the Office of Community Engagement and the Office of Technology Transfer.
The College of Innovation and Design and the Division of Research and Economic Development serve as institutional sponsors for The Junction. Idaho organizations will also have access to The Junction, providing networking opportunities for students across different industries.
The space is expected to be completed and ready for use this month. The Junction Director, Roger Brown, said he anticipates an engaging space for collaboration between students, partners and organizations.
“The emphasis really has to be on that student energy. Young people are the
thing, right?” Brown said. “Every great creative movement has come from young people, and I think our campus reflects that value, but I want entrepreneurship and translation of research to reflect that value.”
With these partners accessible in one space, students with business ideas can access resources provided by each partner. These resources will help students come up with ideas, form pitches, receive funding and identify real customers.
During the event, Vice President of Research and Economic Development Nancy Glenn noted Boise State’s progress in becoming an R1 University, and that The Junction will contribute to these efforts by making the university’s research “more impactful” and applicable to real-world issues.
Plans for The Junction first formed last spring. Associate Dean of the College of Innovation and Design Jenn Schneider said with the success of Boise Entrepreneurship Week each fall, the university aimed to find new ways to support student entrepreneurs.
“We want to help [partners] work together more efficiently and in a more coordinated way, so that when people approach us to partner, we’re not sending them to six different buildings or six degree emails — we’re all in one location and really connected in a way that makes it easier to partner,” Schneider said.
“At the same time, in that building, there’s going to be a bunch of folks from the community who run organizations or who work for the state government, or who are CEOs of companies, and that’s an incredible chance to get to know those people,” she added.
Schneider noted Venture College, one of the partner organizations within The Junction, has seen great success in aiding students with their business ideas.
One business idea, started by Chris
Dagher and Oliver MacDonald, led them to win this year’s Boise Entrepreneur Week Main Pitch Competition, awarding them $50,000. The two started QtexAI, a platform that uses artificial intelligence technology to connect engineers with where to obtain parts for engineering projects.
Dagher’s original idea was an artificial intelligence platform that could identify where to obtain parts needed for specific projects. He first came up with the idea while working on a project where he encountered difficulties in finding the right MOSFET, a metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor used in electronics.
Upon realizing this could be a viable solution, Dagher shared his ideas with MacDonald, and the two began pur suing the idea as a potential business. Dagher completed most of the coding for the platform while MacDonald serves as the Chief Marketing Officer.
“It really is the coordination piece between an engineer who needs a lot of data and a lot of informa tion, and the database that has all that stuff,” Dagher said.
Venture College Director Cara Van Sant worked closely with Dagher and MacDonald during their journey of launching QtexAI and said that they are a “good example of how [Boise State’s] programs and community resources build on each other.”
After QtexAI’s ongoing suc cess, Dagher and MacDonald highlighted the benefits of having a “single touchpoint” like The Junction for students interested in pursuing their own business ideas. With The Junction coming into fruition, students with busi ness ideas, like Dagher and MacDon ald, can access resources from Venture
College and other university partners in one place.
“The amount of reach you can get just through knowing people is something I feel most students end up missing … people don’t tend to realize how important it is to have that structure around you to just ask for support when you need it,” MacDonald said.
Van Sant noted her excitement in Venture College joining The Junction due to how the different resources complement each other.
“We are often referring entrepreneurs elsewhere, so being able to have them just down the hallway is going to be key and make that entre
DIRECT FUNDING GRANTS PAUSED FOR REMAINDER OF ACADEMIC YEAR, STUDENT CLUBS LEFT SCRAMBLING
Emily Carmela Nelson, Olivia Brandon, Grace Stark | Editor-in-Chief, Managing Editor, News Editor | Photos by Carter Nash
For years, members of the Nuclear Energy Club attended the American Nuclear Society Student Conference, a career-advancing opportunity that invites students nationwide to experience the field of nuclear science and technology.
Gabe Guthrie, president of the club, hoped to take 10 members to the conference this year. As the club had historically relied on Direct Grants from the Student Funding Board (SFB), they were left in a bind after discovering all available funds had been awarded in September, receiving only $400 out of the $4,000 they expected to receive.
“Since Boise State doesn’t have a nuclear engineering degree, that is the best way for our students to be able to get involved in that industry,” Guthrie said. “For the time being, we’ve had to cancel that event this year just due to the lack of funding.”
“[The Nuclear Energy Club has] been affected in the short term very drastically,” Guthrie added. “A majority, I would say, over 75% of our funding has come through ASBSU. In the short term, it’s been pretty devastating for our club.”
Guthrie is currently seeking additional financial support for his club through programs such as the Micron Student Success Center, but noted those resources have become more competitive in funding due to various other clubs seeking the same resources.
“It’s really difficult for me to find the funding because, on top of being a senior and juggling all of my course load, I have to now do more stuff just to get the same funding we had for our club [in previous years],” he said.
The Student Funding Board (SFB), the body of ASBSU responsible for allocating grants to students and student organizations, allows registered student organizations to apply for Direct Grants each July. Direct Grants award student
organizations up to $4,000 to fund events, activities or travel.
To apply for a direct grant, a grant hearing needs to be completed 8 weeks prior to when the funding would be spent. The application process includes preparing a budget, submitting a request, attending a hearing and utilizing the funds.
All student organizations were eligible to receive a $400 Startup Direct Grant until Sept. 17, with the stipulation that this money be spent before Oct. 31 and would come out of the total $4,000.
According to Natalie Rivera, Associate Vice President of Financial Affairs, the SFB awarded 100 direct grants to student organizations during the 202425 academic year. This year, that number dropped to 27, with the board being unable to accept additional Direct Grants for the remainder of the academic year after Sept. 23.
When asked if Rivera knew there would be a lower budget of funds to disperse to student organizations in comparison to previous academic years, she said “yes and no”. After taking a leave of absence, she returned to the board and proceeded operations under a first-come-first-serve basis, distributing over $50,000 in Startup Grants.
In an email sent to all clubs and organizations regarding the funding deficit, the SFB attributed the pause to this distribution.
“This equitable approach to grant funding has reduced the amount available for Direct Grants,” the email read. “Due to high demand and limited budget, we are unable to accept additional direct grant applications for the remainder of the 2025-25 academic year. We understand this may disappoint those who have counted on this funding in the past.”
In an interview with The Arbiter, Rivera described the budget deficit as
a return to the way the budget looked pre-COVID, rather than a decrease in funding.
“From COVID, [the Funding Board] had a surplus of money, because during that time — the pandemic — clubs weren’t able to do many things, because obviously we couldn’t have contact with each other,” Rivera said. “There was no traveling, no team bonding events, so the Funding Board [those years] couldn’t fund any money, and if they could it was very rare.”
This surplus of money, pulled from carry forward funds from the pandemic and distributed in subsequent years, resulted in ASBSU needing to balance its budget to cover an unforeseen deficit of $130,573. $131,000 was cut from the SFB’s total budget, with $101,000 of that sum coming directly from the Direct Grant budget.
“Part of the confusion was no one knew how much money we actually had in our carry forward, because it had been utilized since post-COVID for the fund -
ing board to continue giving as [many] grants as possible,” Isaac Celedon, Student Body President, added. “[Members of ASBSU] don’t control those numbers. It’s the staff who have all the backend knowledge and can see it logistically.”
“Last year, there was a leadership change in that office — one of the staff members retired early, and so the carry forward number was never really confirmed,” Celedon continued. “This year, we had projected [we had more money] than we actually had, so that office communicated that they didn’t have the number we once thought we did.”
Charlie Varland, Associate Dean of Students, acts as a member of ASBSU’s Financial Support Staff, as outlined in the Financial Code.
“Each year, staff from the Student Involvement and Leadership Center and Shared Business Services departments work closely with ASBSU on the development and management of its budget. We provide guidance on financial planning, oversight and compliance with
university and state policies, all of which promotes the responsible use of student fees,” Varland wrote.
“We also respect ASBSU’s autonomy in setting its agenda and goals. This includes decisions by ASBSU on its budget, which is built by the student leaders with support staff before being presented to and voted upon by the ASBSU General Assembly and Academic Senate. Staff have been working closely with ASBSU on ways to navigate its current budgetary challenges. We are invested in supporting them in both the short and long term planning.”
Stephen Harmon, Kinesiology Club president, said the club was notified of the deficit by email in September while they were preparing to pitch their funding request.
While the club uses its funding for campus events and club activities, the majority of its budget funds a trip to the annual American College of Sports Medicine Meeting (ACSM) in Moscow each academic year. Now that the club has missed the accelerated deadline, they are left unsure how to move forward and acquire necessary funds for the trip.
“We [request funding] a little later than a lot of clubs because we need
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LITERATURE REVIVES MASTER’S PROGRAM
The Department of English Literature is reinstating its master’s program, beginning fall 2026.
The program was placed on hold in 2023 due to the department’s separation into different factions. The restoration of the program has left students and professors alike excited for the educational opportunities.
Under the direction of Kim Carter-Cram, Graduate Director, faculty considered their goals and objectives over the course of the 2024 fall semester and what future courses they wanted to offer to students in the program.
nities for professional development and being mentored, and getting ideas of where to put this degree to use in the job market, both locally and nationally.”
Carter-Cram explained the revision of the program and its impact on students.
“Students will take a community-building course as part of the program requirements to teach job searching, resume building and portfolio building to accommodate every skill they need to have a practical use for their degree upon completion,” she said.
to know our information for ACSM,” Harmon said. “That’s why we didn’t ultimately end up getting it — because we didn’t feel ready to talk in front of the board. We didn’t have the dates that we [would be] going or how many people are going.”
With a lack of funding for events, the club has shifted to planning fundraising events. Harmon noted while the club feels optimistic about receiving donations and support from alumni and the community, they feel hesitant about holding events and asking other students for donations.
Still, for clubs like Guthrie’s, losing out on travel and other opportunities is disheartening.
“It raises the question for a lot of people: what is the point of being in these organizations?” Guthrie said. “There’s nothing to do or show for it. We can still do outreach into the community to raise awareness of nuclear energy, but that’s really about all we can do at this point in time.”
“For students who want to be involved in the industry, it’s one thing to go raise awareness at a local high school, but it’s a whole other to actually get connected with people in the industry,” he said.
Carter-Cram emphasized the importance of students receiving the opportunity to advance their education. The department researched the feasibility, risks and overall benefits for students interested.
The College of Arts and Sciences commissioned a detailed report, known as a “handover report”. The document assessed the practicality of reinstating the MA program and compared the logistical and financial considerations.
“Based on the results of that report, we agreed to move forward with it and re-awaken the program,” Carter-Cram said.
The department began to redesign the curriculum between late fall semester of 2024 and early spring semester of 2025. Carter-Cram emphasized the complexity of the process and the “steps” it has to go through.
The MA program allows English Literature majors in the second semester of their senior year to take up to nine credits aimed towards their degree. Students are given flexibility to finish their MA degree in three semesters upon acceptance into the program.
“It’s a fantastic opportunity,” Department Chair Ann Campbell said of the program. “There’s going to be opportu -
6,
The program’s announcement has already sparked optimism in professors, excited to expand their teaching opportunities as the program begins.
“I get to spend more time working with students on advanced projects and areas that I am experienced in and get to share that expertise with them. It’s just a win-win for everybody.”
Third-year English Literature major Hector Rivera emphasized his passion for creative writing and reading, highlighting the importance of an MA degree for his future career endeavors.
“It seemed like the perfect opportunity to do more with your skills,” Rivera said. “For me, it was a no-brainer to continue to work for myself and work for my future. I owe it to myself, and a lot of students owe it to themselves to expand their education.”
Enrollment for the MA program opens in the upcoming spring semester.
Samantha Caccamo | Culture Reporter | Illustration by Mia Strand
OPINION
FROM LIME TO LIABILITY
Zaccary Kimes | Opinion Editor | Photos by Omar Saucedo
It’s no secret Boise State students prefer using electric scooters to jet themselves from class to class over walking. Scooters are a fast, efficient, dare I say, fun way of getting across campus. With Lime scooters readily available for students at almost every turn, it’s no wonder usage on campus is through the roof.
The rapid increase in Lime ridership, paired with the popularity of personal scooters, strains the university’s infrastructure for regulating and enforcing safe scooter-riding habits, leaving students with the responsibility to hold each other accountable.
At the risk of sounding like a narc when I say this, we must report reckless scooter behavior when we see it.
“[Since] 2020, it’s gone from 21,000 rides to over 136,000 a year, the usage has dramatically increased,” said Tana Monroe, assistant vice president of the Department of Public Safety.
Monroe works closely with Lime to regulate and maintain scooters on campus. Together, they employ strategies to encourage order and safety among riders and pedestrians alike. This includes adding scooter corrals on campus and designating mandatory parking zones.
An orderly place for scooters to park sounds nice on paper, but unfortunately, the corrals are largely ignored and rundown.
Of the 13 parking corrals on campus, half of them lack parking decals or appropriate signage to indicate that it is scooter parking. This prompts students to drive and leave Lime scooters wherever they please, including in the middle of walkways.
“At times, they go in the walkways where people are trying to walk. That gets a little annoying,” said sophomore
Theresa Hernandez. “If people stuck to the Green Belt or areas where it was fine to ride them, I’d be a little more supportive of them.”
Theresa’s sentiment is shared by many pedestrians on campus. Unfortunately, there’s little to no actual enforcement of the rules and regulations for riders on campus. Without enforcement, reckless scooter riders roam free, turning the quad into a Formula One racetrack.
“Electric scooters just kind of scare me in general,” Hernandez added. “Because you see and hear about people getting into accidents with them. They go pretty fast but are not as secure as other vehicles.”
While Lime regulates its scooters to 8 mph on campus, alongside several no-riding zones to encourage safety in dense pedestrian areas, in practice, this idea falls flat. No matter the speed, an irresponsible rider crashing into an unprotected pedestrian still causes serious injury.
Freshman Ace Kolb finds the issue is not the speed of the scooters; it’s a lack of responsibility from riders.
“In college, with a lot of the decisions you make, it’s you making those decisions for yourself,” said Kolb. “People should definitely be mature enough to ride a scooter and not hit people.”
Lime encouraged responsibility on its website, telling its users to yield to pedestrians walking or crossing the street, and to ride in the bike lane rather than the sidewalk. They explain that when parking, riders must ensure scooters do not block sidewalks, doorways or transit stops.
Violators are given warnings, additional charges and even platform suspension for breaking any of these rules.
Well, kind of.
The micromobility company cannot always see when violations happen, relying on local governments and other users to be their eyes and ears when their GPS tracking cannot cut it. At Boise State, that duty falls on the Department of Public Safety and the Boise Police Department.
“It’s not really feasible to have someone stationed there at all times. I don’t think you all want to pay for that,” Monroe said.
Sure, the university could force some poor security guard to watch the quad and blow a whistle any time someone charges through on a scooter, but no one really listens to hall monitors anyway.
“When you have some sort of presence, that’s a way to enforce something,”
said Hernandez. “Because if there’s not someone enforcing it, people aren’t going to follow it.”
Monroe noted the Department of Public Safety intends to push an educational campaign by next semester to encourage safe ridership among Lime and personal riders.
Reporting incidents, violations and accidents when they happen is the best way to bring attention to this issue. It falls to the students to let these organizations know how accountability and infrastructure are desperately needed by holding riders accountable for reckless scooter behaviors. That way, pedestrians and scooter riders alike can live in harmony with one another on campus.
JUST RAISE YOUR HAND
Students and professors have the responsibility to foster spaces of open discussion
Zaccary Kimes | Opinion Editor | Graphic by Amber Jansson
Nothing prepared me for the deafening environment of my morning lecture hall last fall.
My peers and I piled into a spacious classroom to take our seats five minutes before the lecture, starting various side conversations about potential weekend plans. The professor stands up front, patiently waiting for us to finish our chit-chats — this is the most talking these students will do for the next 50 minutes.
I sit about three rows back, blending into a sea of students, half of whom look completely disengaged with the lecture. They seem more interested in watching “Family Guy” on their computers or playing mobile games on their phones. As the professor pauses to propose a question, a hushed panic fills the room. Students side-eye one another, silently begging and pleading for some brave soul to answer. Some students freeze and avoid eye contact altogether, as if their stillness hides them from the question. An irked professor sighs and selects someone at random, spiking one unlucky student’s anxiety to levels reserved for first responders.
This is not an isolated incident.
Regardless of major, class size, or classroom type, it’s becoming clear that current efforts to encourage classroom participation are ineffective at best and
humiliating at worst. Educators often default to selecting students at random or “cold calling” to encourage participation, much to the dismay of the unlucky few selected.
“For professors who can tell someone wants to say something but is unsure, then that’s one thing,” said Dani Alegria, a senior and active participant in classroom discussions. “No one really wants to be embarrassed. I get the point is to get people paying attention, but I feel like there might be better ways to do that.”
Classroom participation thrives when professors provide ample structure and a collaborative environment for their classrooms, and when students learn to meet professors halfway to put themselves out there.
Alegria described an alternative to cold calls she witnessed in one of her upper-division classes, where the professor offers a list of pre-prepared questions for students beforehand.
“There’s a sign-up sheet with like ten questions and they [students] choose which question they want to answer,” said Alegria. “So if it makes people feel better that they can come prepared for an answer, they can.”
Students find reassurance in the safety net of structured discussion built within classes. Preparing in advance builds their confidence for more impromptu
classroom discussions in the future. While some professors look for ways to make participation less intimidating through structure and predictability, others focus on reshaping the classroom environment itself.
One professor who tackles the issue of classroom silence differently is Dan Garrity, a professor at the College of Western Idaho. The commuter school restricts the amount of time he meets with students per week compared to his previous tenures at four-year universities. Ultimately leading to his students feeling less comfortable talking or asking questions in front of their peers.
To combat this and bring students out of their shells, he implemented the cultivation of what he describes as “classroom communities.” Garrity starts classes with a community-building exercise where students share “one cool thing going on in their life right now.”
The aptly named “what’s wonderful” ritual reportedly gives students not only the courage to speak up but a comfortable environment to do so.
“When you invest in community building in a classroom, all of your outcomes happen more easily, but better than that, more joyfully,” said Garrity. “If you’re courageous, 10 people will have the same question that you did, and they’re going to go, ‘thank God,’”
Garrity’s emphasis on comfort is starkly different from the awkward and uneasy silences lingering in BSU classrooms, but not every student believes comfort should be the only goal. Some students, like junior Dominic Mancini, see value in the sudden discomfort of cold calling, arguing it encourages non-participants.
“I think if you call on the wrong person at the wrong time, then it wouldn’t be such a good thing,” said Mancini. “But if you were to call on someone and they were to kind of branch out of their
shells, then it’d be a good opportunity for them to start doing it more.”
Reflecting on his own experience with classroom cold calls, he offers non-participants some tough love.
“If I would get called on randomly and I got it wrong, it’d be embarrassing for me,” he said. “But I think trying to realize that it’s not that deep, and people don’t really care.”
Blunt but true. Unless a truly unshakable incident occurs, college students are likely not going to remember how someone blurted out ‘B’ when the answer was so obviously ‘A’.
Curating a participating classroom environment starts with professors, but it depends on students to buy in. Someone has to go first. Students must take that first step of just raising a hand — knowing someone else will exhale and thank God when you do.
6, 2025
Hudson Lehew | News Reporter | Photos by Omar Saucedo, Graphics by Amber Jansson
After a trampoline accident left him unable to walk, Steve Baxter was determined to remain active despite being in a wheelchair.
Before the accident, Baxter served as a rescue swimmer in the Navy. He attended Boise State, where he started the Boise State Adaptive Athletics program (BSAA), allowing students with physical disabilities to play sports such as basketball, tennis or track and field.
As students, Steven Baxter and friends Kevin Falk and Randy Corbett launched BSAA in response to the lack of activities
for people with disabilities on campus in the fall of 2023.
After leaving the military, Baxter joined several sports teams to remain active, primarily wheelchair tennis. Falk, who lost his legs in a motorcycle accident years prior, was in a similar situation, trying to stay active through wheelchair tennis.
While traveling for tennis tournaments, Baxter and Falk visited other universities with structured programs for students with disabilities, such as Alabama State and Arizona State.
Seeing the opportunities these programs offered students inspired them to form their own.
Baxter’s tennis team, under the BSAA, competed in the Collegiate Wheelchair National Championships in Orlando, Florida. The event, scheduled to take place in spring 2020, was cancelled due to the pandemic. However, this setback didn’t discourage Baxter and Falk from trying again.
“The next year that they were going to have the national championships, we both signed up for just one class so we could say yes,” Baxter said.
Baxter assembled a new team in May of 2022,
consisting of himself, Falk, Tommy Schroeder and fellow veteran Randy Corbett.
They achieved their goal of making it to the tournament. There, they proceeded to win each match-up leading to the semifinals.
“I was just blown away looking up at the screen, seeing us,” Falk said. “All these major schools that have great programs — and we were winning.”
The team was set to play in the National Men’s Tennis Collegiate event the following month, where they would be integrated with able-bodied tennis players. However, Falk stated the NCAA had concerns about Falk not being a full-time student and being older than most traditional student-athletes.
“It actually blew up and turned into a big legal battle within the NCAA,” Baxter said. “They thought it might not
look right to the NCAA… guys that are in our 30s and 40s, non-traditional students, essentially coming back to school.”
Baxter and Falk felt the best thing to do was withdraw from the tournament, even if it meant depriving them of being one of the top two teams in the country. Despite their frustration, Baxter and Falk remained eager to provide athletes who are disabled with community, competition and opportunities such as sports scholarships. Baxter dreamed of helping athletes with disabilities “graduate from being intermediate players to elite players”.
“I worked really hard to try and make Team USA for years, and I really struggled with that… there’s just no help in the area for me,” Baxter said. He noted he lacked a proper strength training and sports psychology coach, a need he
would hope to fill for other athletes with disabilities.
“I never thought I’d get the opportunity to compete in an organized sports team due to being disabled,” said Elijah Elsberry, a member of BSAA’s wheelchair basketball team.
Wheelchair basketball at Boise State gained momentum with its involvement in intramurals this semester. Falk has been managing wheelchair basketball for 12 years and noted the team has had trouble getting enough players to compete in tournaments.
“I totally enjoy going there and playing as much as I can,” said Teo Contreras, a Boise resident who attends the wheelchair basketball practices. “Now that I’m working from home, it’s pretty much the only thing that keeps me active.”
They hold practices on Tuesday nights, where they encourage anybody to join in. The Gem State Falcons, a professional team co-founded by Shroeder, will occasionally take time from taking part in the National Wheelchair Basketball Association to participate in Falk’s Tuesday night practices.
“It was very difficult at first, because not a lot of people know a bunch about Adaptive Athletics,” Baxter said of
starting the program.
Over three years later, Baxter and Falk remain focused on spreading awareness about the program.
Baxter hopes more schools will develop similar programs so adaptive athletes can compete against each other in official competitions instead of only club sports.
BCAA moved under the umbrella of the Kinesiology Department in 2023, which Baxter stated has “really helped us expand our connections within the university”. Baxter also credited Linda Ramsdell, the department chair, who reportedly spread word of BSAA to her coworkers, leading to the acquisition.
BSAA hosted an Adaptive Rock Climbing Clinic on Friday, Sept. 19, to highlight the recent renovations making the Campus Recreation Center’s climbing gym more accessible to climbers with disabilities. Baxter was invited to collaborate on the event alongside Julia Pierce, an adaptive climbing specialist working on her master’s degree at Boise State.
Baxter helped Pierce network with other organizations, like the National Ability Center and the Challenged Athletes Foundation. In 2020, the foundation originally donated adaptive climbing gear such as specialized harnesses and prosthetics.
In addition to running BSAA, Baxter is working towards a master’s degree in Economics. He hopes to add more adaptive sports to the
program in the future, such as skiing and swimming.
“[We are trying to] give those people that are really motivated and really competitive and athletic a chance to really have that outlet, to go out there and compete and win,” Baxter said.
CULTURE
BRIDGING SOCIETAL DIVIDES THROUGH STORY EXCHANGE
Julianna Kelsey | Culture Editor | Photo by Omar Saucedo
When the world seems to be full of anger and division, one organization is working to reconnect communities through the art of storytelling.
Narrative 4 is a global nonprofit using story exchanges, a practice where individuals share and listen to each other’s personal stories, to bridge societal divides.
“So many of us, with the way our world feels right now, can have a sense of hopelessness,” said Sharon Hanson, a lead trainer for Narrative 4. “That can make us ask the question ‘what can I do?’. It’s through story that we can make those connections that bind us together and build a sense of community.”
Hanson was a high school Language Arts teacher at Boise High School in 2017 when she met Colum McCann, co-founder of Narrative 4. McCann taught Hanson about story exchanges and their impact.
Inspired by McCann’s work, Hanson integrated story exchanges into her curriculum to build strong relationships among her students.
Hanson now facilitates story exchanges and trains other educators to do the same through the organization.
In each story exchange, participants share personal stories with a partner. While one person speaks, the other listens. Participants then join larger groups, where they retell their partner’s stories.
Rather than simply sharing what their partner told them, they retell it in the first-person, taking on the identity of the original storyteller. This enables participants to connect with and understand their storytelling partner on a deeper level.
“As humans, we are hardwired for stories,” Hanson said. “When we hear another person’s story and spend time together in that narrative encounter, we find ourselves in synchronicity. There is an understanding of how much we have in common as humans, as opposed to what makes us different.”
Narrative 4 believes understanding is key to bringing people together in an increasingly divisive world.
“Narrative 4 is all about building and creating empathy,” Hanson explained.
“The work is about using stories to build and create those social connections, to see one another as having something in common as opposed to what makes us different.”
The organization focuses on bringing people together who may disagree or have different backgrounds. Story exchanges are meant to help those individuals understand each other, ideally resulting in peaceful civic engagement.
“It’s very hard to ‘other’ someone when you know their story,” Hanson added.
Hanson introduced Narrative 4 to the Boise State Writing Project, an organization that supports Idaho educators and offers training on innovative teaching practices.
The director of the Boise State Writing Project at that time, Dr. Jeff Wilhelm, worked to integrate story exchanges into their training.
“We invited about 30 of our Writing Project fellows to get trained as story exchange leaders,” Wilhelm said. “We then started integrating it into all of our work — we now do story exchanges in our institutes and workshops. It’s really grown.”
The Boise State Writing Project is a local affiliate of the National Writing Project. The organization allows educators to learn from each other, giving them the opportunity to share their ideas and teaching practices with one another.
For Narrative 4, this teachers-teaching-teachers approach allowed the practice to spread quickly throughout the state of Idaho.
“Those teachers go out and train other teachers, and then those teachers use Narrative 4 with their students,” Wilhelm said.
One of those educators is Elizabeth Barnes, an English professor at Boise State. She uses story exchanges in her classroom every semester.
“My class is much closer when we get done with [the story exchange],” Barnes said.
Halfway through each semester, when her students have gotten comfortable with each other, she facilitates a story exchange.
“[Story exchanges] help people hear experiences that aren’t their own, and create bonds with people who they maybe would never talk to or ever consider their perspective or journey in life,” Barnes said.
Barnes uses the exchange to create an environment where students can be vulnerable and open.
“I hope they learn to listen deeply to others and that everyone has a story, and that we are all humans,” Barnes said.
“We can connect at a deeper level if we allow ourselves the time and space to actually connect, versus seeing each other as a stereotype or seeing the surface.”
“This idea of humans sharing stories is not new,” Hanson added. “It’s something that’s a part of us, and there’s a hunger for stories in us.”
The organization teaches that to encourage civic engagement, the first step is to create strong connections with each other.
“Democracy requires strong communities to work together,” Hanson said. “That begins with personal relationships, and that’s what stories can do.”
HOMEGROWN BAND BRINGS ‘NEPTUNE MUSIC’ TO BOISE
Samantha Caccamo | Culture Reporter | Photos by Omar Saucedo
In Boise’s ever-growing music scene, Neptune Moon makes its mark with unfiltered lyrics and genre-defying rhythm. Formed by Boise State alumnus Alex Nielebeck, the band pulls from hardcore metal, hip-hop beats and soothing indie to create what they describe as “neptune music”.
To them, Neptune Moon is more than just a band name. Members describe it as a mindset — built on camaraderie, community and the shared belief that music should be fun.
Drumming solo seemed like a waste to Nielebeck in his youth. Playing the drums was the graduate’s lifetime passion and he always had the lingering thought of starting a band. It wasn’t long before he spontaneously met his future lead singer — Micah Crosby.
“I was tired of just playing in my room by myself. I wanted to play with
other people,” Nielebeck said. “When Micah and I started playing, we were like ‘wait, maybe we are good at this’.”
The group slowly morphed their sound into their own as the band grew, experimenting with genre and style. The band defines “Neptune music” as the refusal to follow one particular sound.
“That’s the beauty of what I wanted to create,” Nielebeck said. “Just good musicians together, not necessarily the genre in mind. We focus on what sounds good in the moment.”
“A lot of Boise bands really embrace the idea that you don’t have to pigeonhole yourself,” Crosby added. “It becomes part of the excitement — a metal band might do a mellow song, or vice versa. We’re one of the many local bands that has fun with that concept.”
Band members noted they “haven’t felt a stronger sense of community anywhere
else”, emphasizing their love for Boise’s small-town scene. They described the city as “big enough for opportunities and small enough for connections”.
The band emphasizes their enthusiasm for collaborating with other local bands in the Boise area.
“We’d love to expand who we play with and really connect with every band we can in the area,” guitarist Alex Gamble said. “Built to Spill would be awesome. They’re legends to us, honestly.”
Gamble added Boise gives the perfect balance of venues for the band to discover. Spots like The Sandbar, The Shrine and The Knitting Factory are the go-to hubs for the established group.
Members added their performance at The Knitting Factory in August of 2024 was the biggest and highest-energy show they’ve had to date.
“It was terrifying, honestly,” guitarist and vocalist Luke Landsberg said. “They were going crazy, it was exhilarating — we could literally feel the stage rumbling..”
Every band has its share of mishaps and unforgettable memories. Neptune Moon treats both with equal adoration. The band laughed at their first encounter with “technical difficulties”.
During a brief tour stop in Utah, Neptune Moon arrived at what they thought would be the perfect stage, only to find themselves performing in the corner of a soda shop’s basement.
“We kind of just made due,” Gamble laughed. “Nobody seemed to know what was going on, but we just played for whoever wandered through.”
The band continued to perform in the dim atmosphere, making the most of the situation.
“We realized there was an actual stage on the other side of the wall with a drum kit and lights,” Crosby said. “But by then, we were already committed and ended up finishing in that same corner.”
What could have been a disaster became one of Neptune Moon’s favorite memories and stood as a reminder of their shared support for each other.
“I remember just looking at all of my boys smiling,” Crosby said. “It made me feel so good to be there. It didn’t even feel like we were playing music, but really just hanging out — those are moments I’ve wanted my entire life.”
Neptune Moon plans to keep making their mark in the Boise music scene — working on new music and playing at different venues around the city. In the meantime, audiences can find updates on their Instagram, @neptunemoonofficial or listen on Spotify and Apple Music.
“It’s just nonstop fun,” bassist Anthony Borelli said. “We kind of just lift each other up. If one of us isn’t 100%, the others pick up what’s lacking. It’s all about support and respect.”
CULTURE
LOCAL NONPROFIT AMPLIFIES SURVIVOR AND INDIGENOUS VOICES THROUGH FASHION
Your Voice is Heard Foundation to host first all-indigenous fashion show in Boise
Julianna Kelsey
| Culture Editor | Photo Courtesy of Anja Stol
In 2018, the day before her assault case was to be heard by a grand jury, Samantha Townsend was notified her case had been dropped. After taking some time to heal, she realized sharing her story could be an inspiration to other survivors and create the sense of community she hoped to find. At 19, Townsend founded the Your Voice is Heard Foundation (YVH) to bring survivors together through fashion shows.
“I created the fashion show as a way to heal in a unique way, as well as give the opportunity to other survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault to heal in the same way and share their story and have a creative outlet,” Townsend said. Townsend has worked in the modeling industry since she was 16, so she said using fashion shows to bring people together came naturally. After the first
fashion show in 2019, the nonprofit’s presence grew. The fashion shows, which raise funds for nonprofits like the Women’s and Children’s Alliance, became an annual event.
According to Townsend, many women don’t report domestic violence or sexual assault out of fear they won’t be believed. She chose the name ‘Your Voice is Heard’ the foundation aims to help survivors gain confidence and find an outlet to share their stories.
At YVH fashion shows, survivors can both walk the runway and speak to the crowd, giving them a chance to be heard and feel empowered.
“Our survivors have the opportunity to meet with other survivors, have that community and give each other encouragement leading into the show,” Townsend said. “When they speak at the show, it can be a poem, it can be a song.
It doesn’t have to be directly their story, but that helps survivors get that energy out and feel heard.”
“That’s the most important part, is being heard, because so many times voices go unheard, or survivors feel like they’re silenced,” Townsend added.
In November, YVH is hosting a popup event to promote another issue close to Townsend’s heart, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP).
Townsend is an Acoma Pueblo Native American, and November is Native American Heritage Month. YVH will be hosting the first-ever all-indigenous fashion show in Boise to support MMIP, or Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons.
“[MMIP] refers to the ongoing crisis of violence, disappearances and murders that disproportionately affect indigenous communities, particularly women and children,” Townsend explained. “As a whole, it seeks to raise awareness and demand justice and drive change.”
Townsend explained this mission aligns with YVH’s core values and advocacy for those affected by social issues. The fashion show will feature all indigenous models, designers and vendors, and the money raised will go to the Idaho Indigenous Alliance.
While organizing the event, YVH leadership noted how the Indigenous community came together in great strength to support the cause.
“It’s really inspiring to see the indigenous community come together and speak out on what has been a systemic problem for quite a long time,” said Heaven Knight, YVH secretary and treasurer. Knight said she isn’t a part of the indigenous community herself, but the cause resonates deeply with her as a survivor of sexual assault and domestic violence.
“As much as I love the indigenous community, I can’t understand what it’s like, so getting to see it from this perspective on the production end, and how much love and time [Townsend] has put into it is amazing,” Knight said.
Townsend’s sister, Summer Townsend, is the Vice President and Outreach Coordinator for YVH. She highlighted the enthusiasm the indigenous community shared about the MMIP pop-up event.
“The indigenous community might be small in Boise, but it is super strong,” Summer Townsend said. “By doing this pop-up event for MMIP awareness, I think it’ll foster a larger community and bring to the forefront that there is an indigenous community in Boise and that we’re here for each other.”
Summer Townsend added she feels “overwhelming gratitude” for the many people who stepped up to help organize the event. Boise State University’s Intertribal Council will volunteer at the show.
“I want this event to not only bring awareness to MMIP, but also to what YVH stands for and that we’re a resource,” Summer Townsend said.
The MMIP pop-up fashion show will take place on November 29 at 4619 W Emerald St. in Boise. Tickets are available for purchase on the YVH website and seats are limited.
YVH will host their next annual fashion show in 2026, continuing to support survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. Summer Townsend said the foundation hopes to broaden its reach, empowering survivors beyond the Treasure Valley.
“When you give victims a voice and give them their autonomy back, it’s really empowering for them and other victims,” Summer Townsend said. “It’s so inspiring to see it give their power back, because that was once taken from them.”
HOW BOISE’S BELOVED INDEPENDENT CINEMA AND CAFE, THE FLICKS, CAME TO BE
Abby Bernard | Staff Writer | Photos by Omar Saucedo
Stepping into The Flicks in downtown Boise is a step into a cinephile’s wildest dreams.
On the left, a ticket taker with a welcoming smile on their face stands in front of a vast library of DVDs available to rent — films from every genre and country one can imagine. To the right, a full bar and kitchen offers snacks, burgers and beverages to satisfy mid-movie cravings.
This is the environment Carol Skinner was looking to create when she and her husband Rick opened The Flicks in Boise in 1984. The couple wanted to recreate the magic captured in indie cinemas from other cities.
Carol Skinner was born in Tacoma, Wash., but her love for cinema was born in Fort Hood, Texas where her father was stationed in the Army.
Every Saturday afternoon, Skinner and a friend would go see a movie. After watching Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Vertigo’, Skinner excitedly told her parents to go see the film, but her mom told her they were going to see ‘Tea House of the August Moon’ instead.
“25 years later, the studio released a 25 year anniversary edition of ‘Vertigo’, and I called my parents, and I said I just want you to know they’re not showing a 25 year anniversary of ‘Tea House of the August Moon’,” Skinner quipped.
Skinner’s love for cinema stayed with her after her move back to Tacoma as an adult. There, she continued to explore the independent film sphere. However, the most memorable movie theater from her life wasn’t in Texas or Tacoma.
The Harvard Exit in Seattle, Wash., screened the kind of eccentricities that mainstream theaters didn’t think they could make enough money from. It featured introductions from the theater owners on why they chose to screen the films, furnishings from the 1920s, fresh flowers in the bathrooms and a piano in the lobby.
The theater also happened to be within walking distance of Skinner’s college apartment. On her evenings off from the University of Washington and working as a dental office secretary, she would stop by for both the films and the community experience. The Harvard Exit is
now closed, but it lives on through the inspiration Skinner took from it when opening The Flicks.
Skinner made her way to Boise after divorcing her first husband in Washington. She moved in with her cousin, who introduced her to a man named Rick Skinner. Rick shared Carol’s love for film, and the two instantly clicked.
On their first date, Rick asked Carol what she would be doing if she wasn’t working with dentists, and she said she’d open an art theater because without one, she didn’t think she’d stick around.
“He said, ‘oh that’s really great, because I have the blueprints for that in my trunk, would you like to see them?’,” Skinner recalled with a smile. “And he had already bought this land.”
Rick owned the land The Flicks has sat on since 1984, when she and Rick opened with just one screen and a whole lot of love for film in the Boise community. Rick also owned the law office next door, and the couple sold it to invest in their shared dream.
Over 40 years later, The Flicks is a pillar of independent cinema in Boise. It
bustles with crowds on weekends, but on weekdays, you can find regulars sitting with a hot drink by the fire or in riveting conversation with employees. The welcoming environment attracts a warm and inviting community.
“[Skinner] cares a lot about this place, and she just wants to make sure it’s the best it can be,” said Flicks employee Valentine Heaton. “She puts a lot into The Flicks, and we would not be here without her.”
“It’s a very inclusive and progressive business compared to a lot of other places in Boise,” said McKenna Walsh, a Boise State student and Flicks employee. “This job gave me the greatest sense of community with people.”
“It’s more fun here,” Skinner said of what makes The Flicks so special in comparison to chain theaters that’ve come and gone. “You can have wine, and we mostly have better movies. The popcorn is better, we use real butter and we make warm chocolate chip cookies that you probably don’t make at home. And you’ll see somebody that you know.”
SPORTS
BRONCOS FALL TO HAWAII PACIFIC IN STUNNING LOSS
Jake Zamora | Sports Editor | Photos by Carter Nash
Boise State ended up on the wrong side of a stunning upset in their season opener Monday night, losing 79-78 to Division II Hawaii Pacific at ExtraMile Arena.
The Hawaii Pacific Sharks hit the ground running, scoring eight of the game’s first 10 points and eventually leading the Broncos for over 27 minutes in the contest. Despite the loss, the Broncos showed grit, chipping away throughout the game and even using an 8-2 run in the final minutes of the game to cut a seven-point deficit to one.
In the end, the Broncos couldn’t cash in their last opportunities and eventually fell by one point to a team they were widely favored to beat. Head Coach Leon Rice cited his team’s lack of an edge as a factor in the loss.
“We didn’t set a tone,” Rice said. “This team’s going to have to play with an edge, and we let [Hawaii Pacific] get comfortable and we let them make threes and do what they wanted to do, dictate the game to us. Then we played desperate.”
Senior guard Joshua West led the way offensively for the Sharks, scoring 23 points and shooting 3-of-6 from downtown. Forwards Quinton McCullough and Josh Niuslu each scored 12, and Quentin Meza scored 14 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals. The Sharks offensive surge snapped Boise State’s four-year season opener win streak, dating back to the 2020-21 season.
Five Broncos made their team debut Monday, including two who saw collegiate game action for the first time in their careers. One of the Broncos making his team debut was point guard Dylan Andrews, who transferred from UCLA earlier this year. Andrews led the team
with 15 points and nine assists.
“It’s a team coming in here with nothing to lose,” Andrews said, touching on what allowed the Sharks’ offense to be so effective. “They just shot the ball well, they had great shooting, so credit to them. Of course [the loss] sucks that it happened, but you always need a humbling, and I feel like this is perfect for us and we’re going to have fire going throughout the whole entire season.”
Despite the loss, there were a handful of Broncos whose play was solid. Freshman Spencer Ahrens tallied 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting in his collegiate debut, with Georgetown transfer Drew Fielder scoring 13 and grabbing seven boards. Additionally, freshman Aginaldo Neto, a native of Luanda, Angola notched seven points, three rebounds and two assists off the bench.
The strong debuts of many new Broncos were efficient, but in the end, not effective. The Sharks were productive offensively, sinking 16-of-33 field goals and leading 38-37 at the conclusion of the first half.
At the 9:22 mark of the second half, Bronco forward Spencer Ahrens hit a shot from beyond the arc, giving Boise State a three-point lead, their biggest of the night. Boise State soon lost this lead, trailing by seven points in the final minutes. The Broncos then went on an 8-2 run and with three minutes remaining in regulation to cut their deficit to one. The team wasn’t able to capitalize on this, and soon thereafter watched the clock hit triple-zeros down by one.
When asked about the communication breakdown that allowed the Sharks to attack the basket so easily, Drew Fielder noted the difference between practice and game-time scenarios. Fielder, a Boise native and former Georgetown Hoya,
added that ensuring the utmost intensity during practice will be a focal point for the team moving forward.
“Game time comes and it looks a lot different,” Fielder said. “We’ve got to make sure that in our preparation going forward that we’re playing even harder and making it look game-like. We’ve just got to get back to practice and get it right.”
With roughly four months worth of games left before The Big Dance in March, the Broncos will look to finetune their game and build momentum as they push through the rest of the season.
‘A PLACE WHERE CULTURE MATTERS’: RAYZHON BERGERSEN’S
JOURNEY TO BECOMING A BRONCO
Aidan Mattingly | Sports Reporter | Photos by Carter Nash
Few college basketball players navigate a journey that brings them back to where it all started.
For Boise native Rayzhon Bergersen, transferring from Northwest Nazarene University (NNU) to Boise State meant stepping into a higher level of competition and joining a program led in part by someone he’s known his entire life: his father Roberto.
After dealing with injuries and inconsistencies early in his collegiate career, Bergersen needed a new direction. Boise State offered a chance to elevate his game beyond NNU where he could be supported through enhanced facilities, an experienced coaching staff and a brotherhood of guys who want to see him grow. More importantly, it offered an environment centered on culture and accountability.
One of those brothers, Ryzin, understands Ray’s competitive spark better than anyone. They shared success in ways other sibling-athletes dream of. They first shared the court at Borah High School during a run to a state championship, then reunited for two seasons at NNU, taking part in a conference title.
“We always had a connection I didn’t have with anyone else on the court,” Ryzin Bergersen said. “His energy is conta -
gious, and when he touches the court, he gives 110% every single time.”
The most unique part of the return home is the new dynamic between him and his father.
Roberto Bergersen, a Boise State Hall of Famer, now serves as an assistant coach. The pair’s relationship extends beyond basketball, but on the court, their roles stay strictly professional.
Separation helps maintain a sense of trust within the locker room. Since joining the program in May, Bergersen has made meaningful connections with some of the players, such as sophomore guard Julian Bowie and sixth-year forward Dominic Parolin. His teammates respect him, understanding he earns his athletic opportunities.
“He’s always been a competitor, ever since he was a young kid,” said Roberto Bergersen of his son. “He went through a couple tough years with injuries, being challenged physically, but he did a good job coming back strong.”
Competitiveness has been a part of Bergersen’s identity since childhood.
Growing up with older brothers meant getting pushed through tougher workouts, guarding stronger matchups and learning how to adjust under pressure.
“Being a child of God and surrounding myself with the right people has
been big for me,” Bergersen said. “I want to be the best version of myself as a man, pushing through adversity and staying consistent.”
Bergersen is a pass-first guard who doesn’t hunt shots. He understands tempo, angles, spacing and defends with pride, the kind of intangible production coaches rely on to win games.
He wasted no time getting into the building, studying film, lifting early, staying late and learning how his teammates operated on and off the court. The more time he spent around the group, the more he felt like he belonged.
“You spend so much time with these guys, going through hard times in the gym or on the road,” Bergersen said. “I’ve made strong connections with teammates I never expected.”
Roberto believes Boise State’s program provides his son with a supportive culture where he can truly thrive, both as a person and an athlete.
He also pointed to the joy of watching his son’s growth in a space surrounded by the right people, noting how fulfilling it is to see everything come full circle at his alma mater.
“This is a place where culture matters,” Roberto Bergersen said. “He’s surrounded by the right people here, and that’s been fulfilling to watch.”
Bergersen’s family backed the decision to transfer as well. His parents and brothers were excited for the new opportunity, especially after watching him battle through injuries at NNU. His brothers, both former players themselves, understood how rare it was for an opportunity like Boise State to present itself. He mentioned his mother has supported him every step of his career.
Playing under his father adds meaning to his journey. Roberto coached his sons since they were young, learning when to teach, when to push and when to simply be a dad.
The family connection runs even deeper through Bergersen’s jersey number. He now wears No. 11, the same number Roberto once wore at Boise State. That number belonged to a close friend and fellow teammate of Roberto’s who passed away from a heart attack.
Seeing it back on the court and in his son’s hands hit harder than expected. Roberto said it “choked him up a little” when he placed Bergersen’s name on the game matchup board. Bergersen carries that legacy forward each time he steps on the court and serves as a reminder of how basketball has connected his family across generations.
SPORTS
HOME DOMINANCE ENDS AS BULLDOGS RECLAIM THE MILK CAN
Aidan Mattingly | Sports Reporter | Photos by Carter Nash
What began as a chance for Boise State to extend its home dominance ended in one of the most deflating nights of the season, a 30-7 loss to Fresno State that snapped a 16-game home win streak and handed the Bulldogs back the Milk Can trophy.
It wasn’t just a bad game. It was the kind of night where everything that could go wrong, did.
Boise State lost starting quarterback Maddux Madsen early in the first quarter, derailing a game plan before it had time to take shape. Madsen, who had struggled to stay fully healthy all season, went down with an ankle injury during the team’s second drive. Head coach Spencer Danielson later described him as a selfless kid who gives everything to this program, but admitted the team now faces the harsh truth of losing its leader.
“Maddux has been battling all year,” Danielson said. “He is a competitor and gives everything to this team but now it’s next man up, and we’ve got to find a way to win football games with who we have.”
The Broncos turned to Max Cutforth, who took the helm under difficult circumstances. He connected with wide receiver Chase Penry for Boise State’s lone touchdown of the day, Penry’s first in over 1,000 days, but the offense never found its rhythm.
It didn’t help that Boise State was missing two of its top receivers, Ben Ford and Chris Marshall and were operating with a banged-up offensive line, leaving the backups to fill in the gaps.
By halftime, the Bulldogs led 10-7. Running back Elijah Gilliam scored an early touchdown in the first quarter, accompanied by a field goal just before the break.
Everything fell apart in the second half for the Broncos. Cutforth continued to turn the ball over, fumbling the ball to the Bulldogs safety Simeon Harris. Their offense took over, drove down the field and finished with a Brandon Ramirez 3-yard touchdown run. Linebacker Tytus Khajavi intercepted a pass which ultimately led to another Bulldogs touchdown — a 2-yard touchdown run from Bryson Donelson.
The Bulldogs tacked on two field goals in the fourth quarter to add insult to injury, one from 43 yards and the other from 33. Quarterback Carson Conkin completed the game with only 35 passing yards, though he took knee formation to secure the victory.
It was clear Fresno was the better football team in this fight, and there are a lot of things that need to be fixed within the Broncos locker room.
Danielson didn’t hold back when talking about what needs to change. He pointed to mental errors, discipline, and inconsistency on both sides of the ball.
“We’ve got to go back, look at who’s in those roles and make sure we’re putting our guys in the best positions to succeed,” he said. “We had opportunities — we just didn’t execute.”
The Broncos’ offense accumulated just 193 total yards, 102 through the air and 91 on the ground. The Broncos finished with 9 penalties for 94 yards.
The penalties choked out the Broncos’ momentum for mounting a comeback. A holding penalty erased a 10-yard burst that could’ve jump-started the drive and a false start pushed Boise State even further back to a 1st-and-30.
“We’ve got to be more level-headed and not give up penalties that are in our control,” linebacker Marco Notarianni said after the game. “Those are the things that kill drives and give the other team life. It’s completely in our control, and we let it get out of hand.”
Even through a painful loss, the defense still performed well throughout the game. The Broncos held the Bulldogs to 224 total yards, a number that used to guarantee victory. Before Saturday, the Broncos had been 53-0 when holding an opponent to 225 yards or less.
Fresno didn’t beat Boise State with big plays or trickery — the Bulldogs were simply more composed. They stuck with the run, piling up 189 rushing yards while capitalizing on Boise State’s penalties and field position errors. By the fourth quarter, it was clear Fresno had controlled the game through patience and discipline.
“We got our tails kicked in all three phases,” Danielson said. “There’s no excuse, none. You can’t have a team rush for almost 200 yards against you and expect to win.”
Despite the disappointment, players like Notarianni kept the focus on reflec tion and accountability.
“For me right now, it’s taking time away from the game, taking in this loss and then flushing it,” Notaraini said.
Even after the loss, Boise State still has a path to the Mountain West title, something Penry reminded everyone after the game.
“The upcoming bye week is really good timing to refocus,” Penry said. “The Mountain West is ahead of us, so we still have that opportunity to go and take the conference title. We just need to figure out how to approach the rest of the season as a team, especially after this tough loss today.”
Beyond the box score, there’s something deeper to the loss. It didn’t only end one of the longest home winning streaks in college football but it shattered the sense of invincibility The Blue has carried for years.
With a bye week ahead, the Broncos have a moment to breathe, regroup and construct a new game plan. Despite the setback, they still control their own destiny in the Mountain West, and their response will decide how that story ends.
4. Dark & cold ice giant, farthest from the Sun.
5. The motion of moving something upwards.
7. Got __?
8. A motion picture or a sharp sudden movement.
1. A point where 2 or more things are joined
2. An estimate of time, money, or energy allocated to something.
3. Razor __ or Lime __
6. Graduate or former student of a college.
Leaves Chai Apple Raven Black Cat Werewolf Beanie Raincoat
