Mystery scream
On Nov. 15, WSUPD was informed by a complainant that they had heard a female voice scream and possibly call out for help somewhere in the vicinity of the University Village dorms. WSUPD officers arrived on the scene and heard the sound of a female yelling, concluding that the sound must’ve either originated from the dorms or from the fields south of the dorm buildings. WSUPD contacted Weber County Sheriff’s office to ask for assistance in the form of a drone operator. A WCSO deputy then arrived at the scene and checked the area with a drone, finding nothing suspicious. All units except for one WSUPD officer cleared the area.
Later, camera footage from the area indicated that the source of the screaming may have been two female individuals who had been caught on camera embracing and acting excitedly.
Hit and run
WSUPD are currently looking for information on a dark-colored Hyundai SUV that struck a student riding a bicycle on Nov. 16 in a hit-and-run incident. The accident happened while the student was using the crosswalk near the information booth on 3900 S. Dixon Dr. at around 5:30 p.m. The victim sustained severe injuries which included the misplacement of an unknown number of vertebrae in their back.
Handicap phony
On Nov. 17, WSUPD was made aware by parking services that there had been a student who had been repeatedly parking
in handicap spots on campus with a placard that does not belong to them. Further investigation revealed that the handicap placard being used on the offending vehicle belongs to an individual who is currently out of state, leaving the driver of the offending vehicle without any legally valid excuse to be using it. The student driving the offending vehicle has been identified but has appeared to have been avoiding WSUPD’s attempts to make contact with them.
Stolen backpack
On Nov. 17, a student left a backpack unattended in a chair on the first floor of Elizabeth Hall so they could go use the bathroom. Some time after leaving for the bathroom and leaving their backpack unattended, the student noticed that their backpack had gone missing. WSUPD is currently reviewing video footage in an ongoing attempt to locate the missing backpack.
Locked out?
On Nov. 19, a WSUPD officer was dispatched to help construction workers who were trying to get into the Student Services Center. However, upon arriving on the scene, the responding officer noticed that the door to the outside was already unlocked. The construction workers thanked the officer for responding.
Wattis building trespasser
A suspicious man was observed loitering in one of the Wattis building’s classrooms. The suspicious man was first observed in the classroom by the complainant who was cleaning the classroom on Nov. 18, the complainant asked the suspicious man to leave and left to continue his cleaning. On Nov. 19, WSUPD discovered that the suspicious man was a homeless man who had actually slept inside the Wattis building and asked
the man to leave once again. WSUPD saw that the man was trespassed from WSU premises, meaning he is now prohibited from being on WSU premises.
Cheesy behavior
On Nov. 22, WSUPD responded to a suspicious vehicle call in the A2 parking lot. The complainant stated that people in a vehicle had thrown pieces of cheese at their driver’s-side window. The complainant also claimed they had attempted to leave the area, but the suspicious vehicle performed a U-turn and began to follow them. More information is being awaited.
Lost or stolen art fixture
On Nov. 23, Officers responded to a lost property incident at the Kimball Visual Arts Center. A large purple wall-desk fixture, that is used for the Kimball Arts Store, was placed outside in the west gallery loading dock of the building. The fixture was there for a number of days and was noticed to be missing the morning of Nov. 23. There are no cameras on that side of the building, and there is no suspect information at this time. Any oncoming information is appreciated and encouraged.
Strange…
WSUPD met with an individual who was trying to get information on her WSU degree in the Student Services Center on Nov. 23. The individual stated that she attended school under a different name because she had been kidnapped and killed when she was 3 years old. She also claimed to have a list of different alias names, such as Lady Gaga and other famous names. The individual was also unable to give a time frame of when she attended WSU. The officer on the scene informed the individual that without a date of birth or name, WSU
would not be able to locate any information of her attendance. The office then verified that the individual had a place to stay for the night and she left campus property. The individual did not seem like she was a danger to herself or others at the time. No further action was needed.
Suspicion at the Ice Sheet
On Nov. 23, WSUPD responded to a call regarding a suspicious person at the Weber County Ice Sheet. The complainant states the suspect is a 60-70 year old male that will take pictures of the 11-15 year-old female skaters. The suspect, allegedly, will give skaters rides home and buy them food. He is also believed to have photo albums of the skaters on his phone, with their names labeling the albums.
Broken ankle on aisle Edvalson
Officers responded to a traumatic injury at 1450 Edvalson St. They arrived on scene and found the injured party on the north side of the road, with a broken ankle and bone exposed. The victim was unsure of how she crashed, only that she had overturned on a wiggle board while traveling downhill at a high rate of speed. She was then transported to the McKay-Dee Hospital by ambulance.
Get off our lawn!
On Nov. 26, Weber State Police Department responded to a trespassing incident at the Wattis Business building. An officer made contact with the suspect who was warned before. The suspect was given a trespass notice and was trespassed from all Weber State property. No further action was required.
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The atmosphere at the student senate meeting on Nov. 21 was ripe with tension, with the meeting seeing several instances where decorum had to be called by execu tive vice president Garrett Potokar.
With little business to conduct, the ma jority of the meeting was spent in discus sion about the recent news regarding the Center for Multicultural Excellence and the diverse community of WSU students that the CME serves.
Members of the CME community, both students and staff, were informed at the end of the week preceding the senate meeting that the CME will be dissolved in favor of the establishment of five individual cultural affinity centers on WSU’s campus. The announcement sent to those involved with the CME indicated that the center’s dissolution is set to take place on Jan. 3.
The announcement shocked members of the CME community, with there report edly being no warning prior to the public announcement. Several members of the WSU community attended the meeting, both in-person and virtually, to show their support for the CME and share what it has meant for them as WSU students.
In addition to attending to show their support, members of the community tried to make sense of how this decision could be made without the consultation of those who would be affected by the CME being dissolved.
“I think most of us are just trying to grasp the understanding of why this decision was made with no consideration to those who actively use the center,” Genesis Vargas, WSU’s Hispanic undergraduate leader liaison for Hispanic initiatives, said.
Vargas went on to explain how she had spent the days leading up to the meeting contacting a diverse pool of the CME community members, including those who actively use the center and those who have been involved with it in the past, all of which reported to her that they had no prior knowledge of the center’s fate to be
dissolved.
Attendees addressed the lack of input from the CME community as well as logistical concerns for equally funding the five separate cultural affinity centers in a satisfactory manner.
Former WSU Hispanic student senator, Anna June Arroyo, saw the first successful efforts made in the realm of representation for WSU students from different cultural groups. Arroyo remains actively involved in the local Hispanic community and efforts surrounding Hispanic representation in local communities.
“If you can’t fully fund the center that you
have now that serves all five groups, how are you going to fund five separate, distinct centers?” Arroyo said.
Arroyo also conveyed shared concerns among members of the CME community about the lack of specifics given concerning where these centers would be located.
“You as student senators need to ask that question because you don’t just represent your populations,” Arroyo said to the sena tors. “You represent the student body of this university.”
CME community members gave state ments and expressed to those in atten dance how they felt that they were being
suddenly stripped of a community that has allowed them to excel in their lives both on and off campus.
Xitlalli Villanueva, WSU’s diversity and unity vice president, said the model intend ed to replace CME is a “national model” that has seen success in other educational institutions like the University of Utah. Villanueva also said individuals involved with CME were informed of the impending changes and had chosen not to disclose that information to the CME community.
Tensions reached a boiling point when allegations of the CME’s mistreatment of African-American WSU students were
expressed by Terri Hughes, president of WSU’s National Association for the Advance ment of Colored People chapter.
“I am disgusted by the Center of Multi cultural Excellence,” Hughes said.
Hughes went on to give examples of how the CME has allegedly mistreated African-American WSU students, saying they have records of funding being taken away, FERPA violations and voice and video recordings of disrespectful conversations and unfair treatment toward African-Ameri can students.
Hughes acknowledged comments made prior in the conversation about her acting
in an intimidating fashion and addressed those speaking in support of the CME.
“The reactions over there were not at you, but it was at the lack of knowledge we have been given and the separation between the Center of Multicultural Excellence and other students,” Hughes said.
Hughes spoke in support of the CME’s dissolution and the proposed model that would replace it, stating that this change had partly been precipitated by a longfought battle against systemic racism at the CME.
“I stand before you all today to let you know that this model will not only benefit
Black students, but it will benefit every student,” Hughes said. “Again, this is a na tional model that has worked since 1965.”
Hughes also denied allegations that news of the CME’s dissolution was sudden and unannounced, saying the plan had been four years in the making, and she had the emails to prove it.
Deliberation ensued that included statements from both those who support ed the CME’s dissolution and those who were against it. These statements would, at times, extend to include personal accusa tions and remarks. These would later be ret roactively apologized for or retracted in an
attempt to minimize resentment between all groups present at the meeting.
In contrast to Nov. 21’s two-and-a-halfhour-long senate meeting, the senate meeting that was held the following week on Nov. 28 only lasted around five minutes. There were no special presentations sched uled for that day’s senate meeting and no speakers during the issues forum.
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As Weber State University’s fall semester nears its end, staff and students are anticipating graduation season and the winter break that follows.
WSU seeks to help students get the most out of their graduation experience. One of the ways that WSU is supporting graduating students is through the upcoming Grad Finale event that will serve as an opportunity for students to pick up their cap and gown sets, receive their chords and buy graduation merchandise supplied by the Wildcat Store.
Those who attend the event will also be given the opportunity to win free Wildcat swag and connect with alumni, graduate programs and fellow graduates.
The event will be held at the Dee Events Center on Dec. 6 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., where free parking will be available to attendees.
Graduating students are encouraged to bring family and friends to join in the celebratory atmosphere. Students who attend the event are advised to enter through the Dee Events Center’s east entrance.
Though attending the event is completely optional for graduating students, Kevin Wallace, administrator over design and print at the Wildcat Stores, says “the more the merrier.”
Upon entering, a group of around 50 vol-
unteers will be available to check graduating students in and give them the chords they’ve earned for graduation. They will also be provided with a passport, which they can fill out by visiting the various alumni and graduate programs present at the event for the opportunity to win free merchandise from the Wildcat Store.
At the end of the event, students will be able to pick up their cap and gown sets in preparation for this December’s convocation ceremonies.
“I’m in awe of these people,” Wallace said about the volunteers at the event. “Every volunteer over there is so invested in these students and in future students because we rely on graduates to say ‘Hey, I had a great experience at Weber State.’”
After checking in, students and their guests will have the opportunity to independently browse the outer track of the Dee Events Center to connect with alumni and representatives from graduate programs.
Graduation gifts like stoles and diploma frames will also be available for purchase. To sweeten the deal, attendees at the event will also be treated to a slice of chocolate cake.
The Grad Finale event is intended to be a way for WSU to make the graduation experience as meaningful as possible for graduating students. The event has a reputation for being meant to get students excited for graduation and the opportunities they’ll pur-
sue in the future.
“We get them taken care of, that way they have their cap and gown, and they’re feeling warm and fuzzy about coming to this event. That way they’re feeling really good about coming to graduation,” Wallace said. “They’ll have everything they need, and they can celebrate their big achievement that day: They’re graduating.”
Starting on Dec. 8, graduating students who do not attend the event can still order their cap and gowns at www.wildcatstores. com for pickup at the Wildcat Store Ogden campus location.
Graduating students are advised to keep an eye on their WSU email inboxes for information as graduation season approaches. Graduating students can also find information on when and where their college’s convocation ceremonies will be held at www. weber.edu/commencement. Share this story at thesignpostwsu.com
The rain poured as the clock ran. It was fourth down and Weber State University’s offense lined up 90 yards away from the end zone with 2:07 left — the classic two-minute drill. Quarterback Bronson Barron played from the shotgun, ready for a touchdown to give the Wildcat’s a 44–38 win over Montana State University.
Keeping the drive alive, Barron found wide receiver Ty MacPherson for a 24-yard pass. Now at the 34-yard line, Barron ran to mid field. Looking to stop the Bobcats’ offense from marching onto the field again, Weber State ran and called a timeout at 1:17.
The drive continued. At second and 8 from midfield, Barron found running back Dontae McMillan for 8 yards, giving the Wildcats a fresh set of downs. Three plays later, Weber State was still 10 yards away from a first down. Staying in the shotgun, Barron threw to wide receiver Hayden Meacham to put the Wildcat’s 27 yards away from a win.
The clock continued to wind down. Barron found running back Damon Bankston on his left for 5 yards. Wildcat head coach Jay Hill then called a timeout with 0:33 left.
The offense stepped back onto the field. Barron lined back up in the shotgun, only to be sacked by Montana State linebacker Calla han O’Reilly. Hill called another timeout with 0:31 on the clock.
On fourth down, playing for a win, Bar ron tried to throw to MacPherson. However, O’Reilly pressured the quarterback, stopping the completion and forcing a turnover on downs. The Bobcats walked away victorious and undefeated in the Big Sky, 43–38. Weber State was less than 30 yards away from a 7–0 record.
“It’s unfortunate,” Hill said after the game. “We did not play up to the way what I thought we could have.”
The Weber State vs. Montana State rivalry is one of the most notorious in the FCS, dat ing back to 1963. On Dec. 3, another chapter will be added to their history as they play each other in an FCS second-round playoff
match.
Two teams with exceptional records, nei ther having a strong advantage over the oth er. It’d be unfair to discount Montana State’s win on Oct. 22. That said, it’d also be unfair to not recognize that they benefited from four safeties.
For what feels like a western showdown, it’s fitting to analyze the good, the bad and the ugly for each team.
Weber State
The Good
Although the Bobcats have looked unbeat able at times this season, they tend to have a hard time with hurry-up style offenses. This year, Montana State has only lost to Oregon State University, an FBS program, but they’ve had close games against Big Sky opponents. Weber is a strong contender to counter the Bobcats by using a hurry-up style, meaning the games to come might be closer than pre viously anticipated.
When Montana State loses or wins by less than 9 points, their opponents have 25 min
utes of possession. Although it’s typically bet ter to dominate the clock, this stat shows that the Bobcats struggle against offenses that can get to the end zone quickly. During these games, the opposing team scores at least 35 points, averaging three passing touchdowns and just over two rushing touchdowns. If the Wildcats can capitalize on these weaknesses, they have potential to take the victory.
Against in-conference opponents, the Wildcats average 28:35 per game. Unlike last game, Barron will be able to pass to wide receiver Jacob Sharp as well as Big Sky all-conference second team member Ty MacPherson. Running back Josh Davis, who missed the last game, will play on Dec. 3.
The Bad
Last time Weber State and Montana State played each other, quarterback Tommy Mel lott exploited a weakness in the Wildcats’ defense by rushing for 273 yards and three touchdowns. Although a team that defends the run well, Weber State often struggles with running quarterbacks.
On average, quarterbacks net 28.25 yards
terbacks who net positive rushing yards against the Wildcats, they average just over 69 yards.
“The last time we played these guys, we only had a mac backer inside,” Winston Reid, a Weber State linebacker said. “They wanted to spread us out and have gap schemes and then have the quarterback just run. We’ve just got to stop the run.”
In both of the Wildcats’ losses this season, quarterbacks have run for over 80 yards and scored over two touchdowns.
The Ugly
A team that leads the conference in pen alties with 92, Weber State is notorious for being their own worst enemy.
During their last game against the Bob cats, the Wildcats had a pass completion percentage under 50%, allowed 348 rushing yards (with 273 coming from a quarterback) and long snapper Grant Sands recorded an FCS record of four safeties.
“I talked to Grant Sands today,” Hill said. “I said, ‘Grant, you know you’re going to go in there, and the player’s going to be talking
smack, and the fans are going to be on you, and we all know what happened last time,’ and he smiled at me, and he’s like ‘Coach, I know that.’ This is not something we hide from, and we understand that we made some costly mistakes last time, but we also under stand with all those crazy mistakes and every thing that went against us in that game, we still had a chance.”
Montana State The Good
Although Weber State’s defense is known as one of the best in the FCS, Montana State’s offense counters it fairly well.
With two of their quarterbacks on the all-conference second team, the Bobcats ar en’t a team that goes to the air often. Mon tana State has the ability to avoid throwing towards Weber State’s dominant defensive backfield and take advantage of the Wildcats’ weakness.
To give the quarterbacks more time to maneuver, the Bobcats’ line consists of an all-conference second team member in of
fensive lineman Rush Reimer, an all-confer ence third team member in offensive tackle JT Reed and center Justus Perkins, who re ceived Big Sky honors.
The Bad
Although Barron averages a little under two passing touchdowns per game, the team is a threat through the air. This season, Mon tana State’s offense has allowed an average of 239.6 passing yards per game. During games where they win by less than 9 points, that number increases to 283.75.
Typically, Barron throws to MacPherson and Sharp for big plays while using tight end Justin Malone to fight for first downs. To win this game, Montana State cannot let Weber State’s offense play like it did against Utah State University, Utah Tech University and Portland State University.
The Ugly
Although the Bobcats went undefeated in the conference, many consider them un proven due to their strength of schedule. Montana State have only played two FCS playoff teams this season. They beat the
University of Montana in the Brawl of the Wild 55–21, but many have a hard time categorizing their win over the Wildcats as an absolute victory due to the four safeties. The Bobcats are coming off a first-round bye, which can be a blessing and a curse. The break can either leave a team well-rested or unprepared.
“I wanted this matchup because I think they’re a great team, and I really believe this: If you can beat Montana State, you can beat anybody,” Hill said. “I knew they were going to be a seeded team once we had played them the first time. I knew that matchup was a possibility just because of locale and being in close proximity, and the reality is we left so much on the field that first time we played. I want to go in there and play a clean game and see how it falls.” Weber State will travel to Bozeman to take on the Bobcats on Dec. 3 at 1 p.m.
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Weber State University men’s basketball team lost to the Tarleton State Texans 75–65 on Nov. 29 in Stephenville, Texas.
Wildcat guard Steven Verplancken started the game with a 3-pointer and got things going in the first half, and Jakorie Smith responded for the Texans on the other end to get their first bucket.
The ‘Cats went on a 6–1 run to go up early. The Texans then responded by going
on a 15–0 run, putting them up by eight. Then the Wildcats came out with an 8–2 run cutting the lead to 2.
The score was back and forth in the first half, with both teams making runs to keep the game close. Tarleton led Weber State 35–28 at the half.
It was still a close game heading into the second half. Tarleton went on an early 8–0 run to establish their lead by 12 points. Looking to stop the Texans’ momentum, the Wildcats called a timeout.
After giving them some time to collect
themselves, the ‘Cats were able to go on a 14–2 run to tie the game at 47–47. This run was a team effort, with multiple players scoring to make it happen.
After the Wildcats tied the games, the Texans went on a 12–1 run to go up by 11. Weber tried to cut the lead, but they only got it to within 6 points.
Tarleton pulled away with about three minutes left in the game.
Dillon Jones led the Wildcats with 16 points and Junior Ballard contributed 14 points for the night. Weber State had 18
points off the bench this game, with 15 points from turnovers.
Weber and Tarleton had five lead changes in the game, and both teams were tied three times.
Weber State is now 2–5 on the season. The Wildcats will face the Utah Tech Trailblazers on Dec. 3 at the Dee Events Center, hoping to bounce back after the loss.
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Thanksgiving is a new holiday for me and many international students in their first semester at Weber State University. This is my second year since I moved from Peru to Utah, but this is the first year that I experienced an actual Thanksgiving.
Last year, I spent my Thanksgiving alone. I had just moved to the U.S., my family was out of state and it was just a normal day for me.
At the same time, it felt weird and kind of lonely because I was away from home on the holidays.. As an international student, even
if you don’t typically celebrate U.S. holidays, it’s still the holiday season and it feels a little bit odd when many of your friends are celebrating with their families when yours is far away.
This year, things were different. For starters, I got into a relationship, and that means if you make it to the holidays, you meet the family and spend the holidays together. I went to Las Vegas for Thanksgiving, and it was my first time in that city as well.
We spent four days together with his family. It was nice to be part of a celebration and feel included.
The actual day of Thanksgiving was like
any other day. Most of my boyfriend’s family arrived on Friday, so we decided to have Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday when everyone was there.
My first two days of Thanksgiving break were spent visiting hotels and casinos, riding a rollercoaster at the New York-New York Hotel, which was awesome, and visiting attractions.
When Saturday came, we started the preparations for Thanksgiving dinner, along with setting up the Christmas tree. My boyfriend and I were in charge of the tree, last minute grocery shopping and setting the table.
It was nice to sit around a table, talk and laugh with each other and be part of this celebration. I found out that I love homemade cranberry sauce, and the stuffing and creamed spinach were my favorites.
Thanksgiving break was amazing, but it ended with an awful amount of traffic that we encountered outside of Mesquite, Nevada.
This Thanksgiving was 10/10 for me, and we are thinking of making Thanksgiving in Vegas our new tradition.
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The Signpost is a student publication, written, edited and drafted by Weber State University students. Student fees fund the printing of this publication. Opinions or positions voiced are not necessarily endorsed by the university. The Signpost reserves the right to edit for reasons of space and libel and to refuse to print any letters. Letters should be submitted online to thesignpost@weber. edu and read letter to the Editor in the subject box. Letters should not exceed 350 words.
